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S・A（スペシャル・エー）[Special A] #9
S・A（スペシャル・エー）９ [Special A 9]
彗の祖父に呼び出された光はロンドンへ。彗が光のために無理をすると指摘された光は、彗と距離を置くことを決意する。そんな中、ロンドンで出会った某国の王子・フィンが日本へやってきて光にアプローチするが、フィンには秘密が——!?
Paperback
First published February 25, 2007
About the author
Maki Minami
62 books268 followersMaki Minami (南マキ) is a Japanese manga author. She is best known as the author of manga series Special A.
In 2001, her short story Day Dream Believer (デイ・ドリーム・ビリーバー) received an Honourable Mention for Hakusensha's 25th Athena awards. She debuted in Hana to Yume's October 2001 issue with a short story titled Faraway Blue (彼方の青 Kanata no Ao).
Maki Minami's longest running series, Special A, began publication in 2003 and recently ended in 2009. Her current series, Seiyū ka-! began serialization in Hana to Yume in 2009, after the completion of Special A. Her recent works also include the oneshot Ane☆Mone Seikaten (アネ☆モネ 生花店), which appeared in the April 2009 edition of The Hana to Yume.
In 2001, her short story Day Dream Believer (デイ・ドリーム・ビリーバー) received an Honourable Mention for Hakusensha's 25th Athena awards. She debuted in Hana to Yume's October 2001 issue with a short story titled Faraway Blue (彼方の青 Kanata no Ao).
Maki Minami's longest running series, Special A, began publication in 2003 and recently ended in 2009. Her current series, Seiyū ka-! began serialization in Hana to Yume in 2009, after the completion of Special A. Her recent works also include the oneshot Ane☆Mone Seikaten (アネ☆モネ 生花店), which appeared in the April 2009 edition of The Hana to Yume.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 5, 2026
so many couples just cropping up😭😭😭😂
September 29, 2019
Awesome, tricky volume! So many reveals and so many great things happening! I love it!
October 8, 2020
Pretty good and cute school life manga, pretty decent story and love the characters and art style👌😁😻❤️
October 21, 2020
Il volume 9 mi è piaciuto molto il momento in cui Kei dice ad Hikari di amarla più di chiunque altro 😍♥️.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 23, 2021
Why couldn’t we have gay characters? Why does it always have to be a girl pretending to be a boy????
February 18, 2024
I honestly never cared for ryu and Finn’s plot BUT I do love the kei and hikari moments during this volume
March 17, 2025
3,75/5
7,5/10
7,5/10
June 12, 2014
Come check out my book blog! Teenage Bookaholic
SYNOPSIS: *Please note that this is a review for the entire series, comprised of 17 books*
Hikari Hanazono is not your typical high school girl. While she comes from a modest background, she strives to do her best at anything and everything to top her rival. After losing an impromptu wrestling match as a child, Hikari made it her life's goal to beat Kei Takishima, a wealthy child who is destined to work for the family business, any way possible. She is so determined, she enrolled in the same elite private school as Kei, and worked her way to be number 2 out of not just her class, but the entire school, making her a part of an elite group of 7 called Special A. For Hikari, it's not enough, as Kei is sitting pretty as number 1.
With her friends, Akira, Megumi, Jun, Tadashi, and Ryu along for the ride, Special A follows the comedic adventures of the top 7 students at Hakusenkan High- as Kei is forced to work for the family business, as Jun learns to love, as Megumi finds her voice, as Ryu discovers the hidden face of love, as Tadashi opens up, and as Hikari continues to fight for number 1!
REVIEW: Unlike YA novels, I do not know my favorite type of manga yet. I mostly pick manga based on what series has the first volume on my library's shelves.... It can be a hit or miss, but this was a hit.
Similar to Veronica Roth, the series has a fast pace to it, constantly creating new drama and plot twists that never let the series grow boring. Some things you could see coming, but others not so much. Either way, I was not bored, and the book did not have any prolonged focus on romances, which can be boring for me. The story was also relatable: a student striving for success with friend drama, as well as personal dramas.
With most manga, I have issue of telling characters apart; just when I think it's Person A talking, its Person R, a close look-a-like to Person A, and even when I can tell the characters apart (barely), I still cannot remember the long, authentic Japanese names. None of these issues came up in the series. Consistently, the series would use the formal last name AND informal first, which helped me remember the name as Hikari Hanazono, not Ms. Hanazono or just Hikari... something. Also, the art was very well done, allowing me to tell character differences by expression and hairstyle.
This leads me to the art, which was glorious! Much detail was taken in to the backgrounds (as pointed out by Minami in her novels), and outfits. I also enjoyed the sporadic and roaming quarter pages of commentary. How she talks about a pseudo burglary at her place while the gang is in some sort of peril added a sense of nonchalance that fit the series. It's about the adventure these characters take, rather than following the emotion of the drama.
While this all sounds like a great series, a few elements ruined the series for me. First was the panel styling. Many of the panels were overlapping, which led to a choppy flow of reading. Incredibly distracting and confusing, which stole from enjoying the series. Second, the focus could have been turned more towards other characters in the series. It is titled Special A, but the story mainly focuses on Hikari and Kei. I personally would have liked to learn more about what happened to Ryu and his lover before the conclusion, or whether Akira and her old friend could get along. It had more chapters on Hikari and Kei than any one S.A. member. Lastly, I was not a fan of outside girls, interfering with Kei and Hikari. I am not saying I was protective of Kei and Hikari, but I found it rather obnoxious. It was framed like the S.A. were a special elite group, which they were, and everyone else, who wasn't rich at least, was an outsider to the group. It was like the author had to put the characters on a pedestal to make the series work, which wasn't necessary. It seemed almost like the group was discriminatory towards anyone not of wealth, and when I say discriminatory, i mean they behaved like elitists rather than hateful. Hikari was an exception from an early age, mind you.
All in all, Special A was a comedic read that was pleasurable and realistic. It had good momentum until the end, and was interesting to see how the schooling system works in Japan. I would give it more stars if not for the misleading paneling.
I will now conclude with my favorite quote from page 10 of volume 12:
"Ryu: YOU DON'T GET TO PICK! And why a mountain?!!
Tadashi: A MOUNTAIN WOULD BE ANY GUY'S DREAM!!
Ryu: Go eat a s'more.
Tadashi: That's amore.
Ryu: Mahjongg!
Tadashi: GAME!"
SYNOPSIS: *Please note that this is a review for the entire series, comprised of 17 books*
Hikari Hanazono is not your typical high school girl. While she comes from a modest background, she strives to do her best at anything and everything to top her rival. After losing an impromptu wrestling match as a child, Hikari made it her life's goal to beat Kei Takishima, a wealthy child who is destined to work for the family business, any way possible. She is so determined, she enrolled in the same elite private school as Kei, and worked her way to be number 2 out of not just her class, but the entire school, making her a part of an elite group of 7 called Special A. For Hikari, it's not enough, as Kei is sitting pretty as number 1.
With her friends, Akira, Megumi, Jun, Tadashi, and Ryu along for the ride, Special A follows the comedic adventures of the top 7 students at Hakusenkan High- as Kei is forced to work for the family business, as Jun learns to love, as Megumi finds her voice, as Ryu discovers the hidden face of love, as Tadashi opens up, and as Hikari continues to fight for number 1!
REVIEW: Unlike YA novels, I do not know my favorite type of manga yet. I mostly pick manga based on what series has the first volume on my library's shelves.... It can be a hit or miss, but this was a hit.
Similar to Veronica Roth, the series has a fast pace to it, constantly creating new drama and plot twists that never let the series grow boring. Some things you could see coming, but others not so much. Either way, I was not bored, and the book did not have any prolonged focus on romances, which can be boring for me. The story was also relatable: a student striving for success with friend drama, as well as personal dramas.
With most manga, I have issue of telling characters apart; just when I think it's Person A talking, its Person R, a close look-a-like to Person A, and even when I can tell the characters apart (barely), I still cannot remember the long, authentic Japanese names. None of these issues came up in the series. Consistently, the series would use the formal last name AND informal first, which helped me remember the name as Hikari Hanazono, not Ms. Hanazono or just Hikari... something. Also, the art was very well done, allowing me to tell character differences by expression and hairstyle.
This leads me to the art, which was glorious! Much detail was taken in to the backgrounds (as pointed out by Minami in her novels), and outfits. I also enjoyed the sporadic and roaming quarter pages of commentary. How she talks about a pseudo burglary at her place while the gang is in some sort of peril added a sense of nonchalance that fit the series. It's about the adventure these characters take, rather than following the emotion of the drama.
While this all sounds like a great series, a few elements ruined the series for me. First was the panel styling. Many of the panels were overlapping, which led to a choppy flow of reading. Incredibly distracting and confusing, which stole from enjoying the series. Second, the focus could have been turned more towards other characters in the series. It is titled Special A, but the story mainly focuses on Hikari and Kei. I personally would have liked to learn more about what happened to Ryu and his lover before the conclusion, or whether Akira and her old friend could get along. It had more chapters on Hikari and Kei than any one S.A. member. Lastly, I was not a fan of outside girls, interfering with Kei and Hikari. I am not saying I was protective of Kei and Hikari, but I found it rather obnoxious. It was framed like the S.A. were a special elite group, which they were, and everyone else, who wasn't rich at least, was an outsider to the group. It was like the author had to put the characters on a pedestal to make the series work, which wasn't necessary. It seemed almost like the group was discriminatory towards anyone not of wealth, and when I say discriminatory, i mean they behaved like elitists rather than hateful. Hikari was an exception from an early age, mind you.
All in all, Special A was a comedic read that was pleasurable and realistic. It had good momentum until the end, and was interesting to see how the schooling system works in Japan. I would give it more stars if not for the misleading paneling.
I will now conclude with my favorite quote from page 10 of volume 12:
"Ryu: YOU DON'T GET TO PICK! And why a mountain?!!
Tadashi: A MOUNTAIN WOULD BE ANY GUY'S DREAM!!
Ryu: Go eat a s'more.
Tadashi: That's amore.
Ryu: Mahjongg!
Tadashi: GAME!"
February 15, 2011
I love Tadashi!!! He is my favourite character!!!!!!!!
Tadashi ♥♥♥ :D
So this review is for the overall series. I give the overall series 5 stars because it was raelly good.
Funny at times, romantic at times, cute at times, sad at times. Also, I really loved the art (It's true! I have some saved pictures from things in the book.)
I would like to say that Hikari is SOOOOOOOO dense. I mean like crazy. I'm not even joking. I'm not going to tell you why but I want to say that when she said that and Takishima was all surprised and some-what happy but then she said something else, I was like in my head, "Wow. She is just so... wow."
One thing I rally love in this book is how Megumi and Jun love Ryuu. It is just so entertaining watching them hug Ryuu. Be protective of you. Huh, it was so cute it was hilarious.
I find it very surprising what Finn is. I was like "HOLY SHIAT!" in the book when I found out. And then with Ryuu and then Hikari. LOL. I hate Finn's father for a reason you will find out if you read the books. :D
I'm not sure if you care but. in this manga there is this one picture of Takishimi and Hikari that I just love to stare at. It looks very nice and I love it for some reason. I even hang it up in my room. I'm such a loser.
I like Megumi's name. I like the fact that she can sing so good that it is dangerous. I also love how she writes down what she wants to say.
Takishima in the manga I like; not so much in the anime. This is probably because in the anime, Takishimi has brown hair a kinda really deep voice and is really thin and lanky (most of the characters in the manga are thin and lanky. :P. In the manga, Takishimi has blond hair, I imagine him with a slighter higher voice and he isn't that thin and lanky. Anyway....
Miss Number Too. I love how Takishima always finds a way to be number one. Like that one test when he got 105%. LAWLS!
So here's what I thought of the book. It was really good. Funny, romantic(in a weird way?) and entertaining. Even thoguh it is Shoujo, I think everyone should read it. :D
Tadashi ♥♥♥ :D
So this review is for the overall series. I give the overall series 5 stars because it was raelly good.
Funny at times, romantic at times, cute at times, sad at times. Also, I really loved the art (It's true! I have some saved pictures from things in the book.)
I would like to say that Hikari is SOOOOOOOO dense. I mean like crazy. I'm not even joking. I'm not going to tell you why but I want to say that when she said that and Takishima was all surprised and some-what happy but then she said something else, I was like in my head, "Wow. She is just so... wow."
One thing I rally love in this book is how Megumi and Jun love Ryuu. It is just so entertaining watching them hug Ryuu. Be protective of you. Huh, it was so cute it was hilarious.
I find it very surprising what Finn is. I was like "HOLY SHIAT!" in the book when I found out. And then with Ryuu and then Hikari. LOL. I hate Finn's father for a reason you will find out if you read the books. :D
I'm not sure if you care but. in this manga there is this one picture of Takishimi and Hikari that I just love to stare at. It looks very nice and I love it for some reason. I even hang it up in my room. I'm such a loser.
I like Megumi's name. I like the fact that she can sing so good that it is dangerous. I also love how she writes down what she wants to say.
Takishima in the manga I like; not so much in the anime. This is probably because in the anime, Takishimi has brown hair a kinda really deep voice and is really thin and lanky (most of the characters in the manga are thin and lanky. :P. In the manga, Takishimi has blond hair, I imagine him with a slighter higher voice and he isn't that thin and lanky. Anyway....
Miss Number Too. I love how Takishima always finds a way to be number one. Like that one test when he got 105%. LAWLS!
So here's what I thought of the book. It was really good. Funny, romantic(in a weird way?) and entertaining. Even thoguh it is Shoujo, I think everyone should read it. :D
March 30, 2011
Review #29) "S.A." is a great manga series to read! It's an abbreviation for "Special A." In Japan, the classes are labeled with letters. For example, class A, class B, class C, and so on. I think they can also use numbers. For instance, class A-1, class A-2, class A-3, and so on. In this manga,S.A. is basically the "special class" or the "high ranking class." In other words, it's like the Honors class of the school. It's made up a seven students that have the highest grades of the school (in Japan, they "rank" you...).
Anyway, Hikari Hanazono is the main character and she is starting to be distant (or trying to stay away from Kei Takishima, No. 1 student in school). It's because she started to feel guilty about what Kei's grandfather said to her in London...
While in London, she meets a "prince." The prince took a liking to Hikari, so "he" followed her back to Japan. Of course Kei is jealous, so he gets mad every time the prince sweet talks with Hikari.
Then as the story continues, the "prince" makes "his" first guy friend. Afterwards, some things happen, and everything gets weird (odd/awkward).
Overall, I think that this manga is a great series and I would recommend it to all manga/ anime readers/ watchers (You could watch the anime...). It has a nice story plot and cute graphics. It's very nice to read (in my opinion, of course...).
Anyway, Hikari Hanazono is the main character and she is starting to be distant (or trying to stay away from Kei Takishima, No. 1 student in school). It's because she started to feel guilty about what Kei's grandfather said to her in London...
While in London, she meets a "prince." The prince took a liking to Hikari, so "he" followed her back to Japan. Of course Kei is jealous, so he gets mad every time the prince sweet talks with Hikari.
Then as the story continues, the "prince" makes "his" first guy friend. Afterwards, some things happen, and everything gets weird (odd/awkward).
Overall, I think that this manga is a great series and I would recommend it to all manga/ anime readers/ watchers (You could watch the anime...). It has a nice story plot and cute graphics. It's very nice to read (in my opinion, of course...).
May 14, 2016
The rating and review are conclusion for all of the volumes. Except for the synopsis.
Okay, where do I begin? The first volume is not that bad. A bit like warming up. As the story goes on, it gets more interesting and funnier. I love the ending. It's totally cute!
It's good and I enjoy it! Totally worth giving it a try! :)
Synopsis for volume 9:
Hikari receives a ticket going to London. She accepts it without knowing why the reason is. She goes to London because she wants to lessen Kei's burden. When she reaches London, she thought she would be seeing Kei's grandfather. Turns out it is a matchmaking party for Hikari. It's clear that Kei's grandfather doesn't approve of their relationship. On the party, she meets someone that will bring trouble.
December 2, 2010
Note:This review is a series review, not really a volume specific review.
One of my favorite mangas. An excellent shoujo (meaning it is a comic aimed at teenage girls) story about Hikari whose life mission is to beat Kei. She goes to a very expensive school (one that her family can barely afford) for the sole purpose of trying to beat Kei. Poor Hikari is a clueless and loving girl who is always #2 in everything while Kei is #1. A good mix of drama, hilarity, and sweetness.
One of my favorite mangas. An excellent shoujo (meaning it is a comic aimed at teenage girls) story about Hikari whose life mission is to beat Kei. She goes to a very expensive school (one that her family can barely afford) for the sole purpose of trying to beat Kei. Poor Hikari is a clueless and loving girl who is always #2 in everything while Kei is #1. A good mix of drama, hilarity, and sweetness.
June 8, 2016
NOOOOOOO!!! Tadashi why do you have to interrupt Kei's confession??? What would happen or how would Hikari react if Tadashi didn't interrupt them? I can't believe it happeneddddddd. I ALSO CAN'T BELIEVE FINN'S A GIRL. I REPEAT, A GIRL. Tho, I really hated HIM at first but when HE started to be friends with Ryuu his attitude really changed a lot. I have a feeling that they will end up together. I really died when Hikari saw Finn and Ryuu kissed
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 15, 2012
Finally something about Ryu... only that it is kind of dense... His story with Finn, WOW. Even if Finn turned out to be "different" I think she is very strange, with that obsession for her mother!! WTF...
Hikari always makes me laugh, even in that scene when Kei is getting so romantic. He finally confesses his feelings for her!
Hikari always makes me laugh, even in that scene when Kei is getting so romantic. He finally confesses his feelings for her!
March 17, 2013
Okay, so the storyline added in another cast member and created some rather odd situations for our characters. Finn is hilarious, though I sort of suspected his secret when he made the first appearance as odd as it was. As for Kei and Hikari, the relationship between these two is developing rather nicely. Yep, I am a happy little vegemite.
October 18, 2008
Yay! That's the last of the missing chapters! Now on to the monthly releases! :(
SUPER HUGE THANKS TO SPECIAL A SCANS!!!!! :D they are awesome.
so is potato-otaku but they are too....well, they are great too
SUPER HUGE THANKS TO SPECIAL A SCANS!!!!! :D they are awesome.
so is potato-otaku but they are too....well, they are great too
April 30, 2012
This series was amazing! Hikari and Kai's relationship is so comedic and heartwarming. I got through this series so fast and I just wanted to keep reading. All the characters are fun and this series is very entertaining.
If you liked Ouran High School Host Club I would recommend this series.
If you liked Ouran High School Host Club I would recommend this series.
September 19, 2014
Series Review: Special A is a interesting and cute manga that I really enjoyed. It was funny and entertaining plot and character wise. I most enjoyed the dynamic between the characters. I recommend giving this manga a try.
November 11, 2010
Another twist! ooooo
November 11, 2011
Read/rated in grade school.
June 20, 2013
Hikari is whisked off to London by Kei's grandfather to be wooed by lots of foreign men. What will she do when one of the follows her back to Japan?
August 13, 2013
This series was hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud ever so often as I eagerly read the story. This author's work is just remarkable!
August 20, 2013
Bwa?? Okay, this is a great storyline and am sad it wasn't used in the anime. Can't wait for the next installment!
Currently Reading
February 28, 2015How do you read it
March 7, 2015
Ah Finn... this will be interesting. And yea Kei finaly said it!!!
Read
July 29, 2016I liked Finn and Ryuu's pairing! <3
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews