Special A

How can I begin to describe this splendiferous anime??? I spent countless hours watching it, because the lead character Kei Takishima's personality fit my ideal! He has a cute reverse semicircle shaggy hairdo that adds even more to his cuteness! He is a "golden boy" in every sense of the word in that everything he touches he excels in.  Even though everything may come naturally to him, he becomes a mess when he finds himself worrying over his love interest Hikari Hanazono (another Ms. Perfect and Popular).  What is it about Kei that is so wonderful? Hm... well, he is hardworking (helps in his family business), super naturally talented physically and mentally (think Superman!!!), wealthy, tall, fit, yada yada yada!!! He also has standoffish/arrogant/scary attitude that reminds me of Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.  Moreover, he is bold and upfront and stands and fights for whatever and whomever he believes in. What drives me smiling everytime I watch this anime is whenever he becomes "oh, so helpless/vulnerable" around the woman of his dreams.  I love the dialogue interchange between the two especially since Hikari is innocent and clueless in her own personal affairs that whenever Kei makes advances towards her, she gives him a retarded comment and blows him off-- something which I find very very endearing to the neurotic side of me.

I've chosen to give a brief explaination of Kei and Hikari's background which I borrowed off from Wikipedia so read on...

Kei Takishima

Takishima Kei (滝島 彗?) Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama

Ranked first in school, Kei is the son of the CEO of Takishima Corporation. As Hikari's undefeated rival, he likes to refer to her as "Number Two", which never fails to provoke her. He has a photographic memory and the ability to do anything right on his first try. He usually prefers to do things on his own until Hikari shows him how much fun it can be to work together with others. Kei loves Hikari, a fact that he does not deny, and has loved her since they were children. However, he has not confessed his love to her because he knows that Hikari does not understand those feelings and would think that he is referring to a love between friends. Although he is stoic most of the time and always maintains a calm facade, things involving Hikari can bring intense anxiety out of him. It always bothers him whenever Hikari pushes herself too hard or causes trouble, but her strong will and determination are the reasons why he admires and respects her. He makes several attempts to express his feelings to Hikari, though is usually thwarted by some sort of misunderstanding on Hikari's part. Kei eventually confesses to her openly in chapter 52 and Hikari reveals that she reciprocates his feelings; the two start dating and become a couple in the following chapter.

Hanazono Hikari (華園 光?) Voiced by: Yuko Goto

Hikari is the protagonist of the story. She holds the 2nd position in school for having the best grades. Self-proclaimed as Kei Takishima's greatest competitor, she is determined to beat him in any kind of competition. Stubborn, proud and hot-headed, Hikari never backs down from a challenge, especially one from Kei, because she is constantly looking for an opportunity to surpass him, though has never done so. She is good at sports and academics, but she is very bad at teaching and cooking. Although she can handle her own in a fight (often against boys), Kei, nonetheless, gets irritated whenever she puts herself in danger. A kindhearted girl who always worries about others, Hikari sometimes lacks common sense and tends to be unaware towards how people regard her. Her optimistic personality, straightforwardness, and tendency to always see the good in people sometimes prevents her from realizing the more subtle aspects of relationships. Although Hikari is rather sensitive to others, she is quite dense when it comes to love. She is oblivious to the romantic feelings Kei has for her, though everyone else knows that Kei is in love with her. In volume four, Hikari begins to fall in love with Kei, though she does not realize it until volume six. They eventually admit their feelings for one another and become a couple in chapter 53.


Actually, the more I watched the anime, I end up loving Hikari as well! She's a super tomboy.  She's very beautiful, smart, optimistic, and hardworking.  She loves challenges and she's perfect as well! I actually know a few girls I am related to who have this golden girl type chracteristic as well... Oh, how the fates have been cruel!  But besides that, I love Hikari... bless her soul for being so naive whenever Kei would say lovey dovey things to her.