In the anime Kimi ni Todoke, Sawako Kuronuma’s appearance is often mistaken for the scary girl from the movie “The Ring,” thus giving her the nickname, Sadako. Her ominous look stirs others to make up rumors and such, thereby decreasing her likelihood of having friends. Consequently, all the gossip about Sawako deters people from getting to know who she really is. In reality, those who know her can say that she is opposite from this fictitious film character. Sawako is very timid, kind and sweet. As Sawako yearns for friends and a sense of fitting in, she is drawn to Shouta Kazehaya, the most popular boy. Incidentally, when Shouta starts talking to her, Sawako is super excited and overjoyed. In following Kimi ni Todoke, we get a glimpse of Sawako and Shouta’s escapades, facing the challenges and triumphs of romance and adulthood, both individually and together.

Kimi ni Todoke and Special A are comparable because of the romantic-comedy theme that takes place in a high school environment. Sawako and Hikari have a certain innocence and naiveté to them, where they are slow to realize any romantic notion by the male leads. Kimi ni Todoke and Special A also contain stories of romance from unlikely and normally contradicting personalities.

Misaki Ayuzawa is the first female student council president in an academy that recently transitioned from being all-boys to co-ed. Also recognized as the “Demon President” by a majority of boys at the school, Misaki is stern and strong and isn’t afraid to lay down the law, sticking up for her fellow female classmates. As Misaki demonstrates to be the model student, appearing above standard among her classmates, she has a tiny little secret. Misaki embarrassingly works part-time as a café maid in order to support her family. Keeping this under wraps, no one at her school knows about her shameful secret, except for the most popular boy in school, Takumi Usui, who catches her while working her shift. Caught in a bind, Takumi holds the power of whether to bring the president down or take advantage of the situation.

Kaichou wa Maid-sama and Special A have characters with very similar dynamics and personas: the male leads are portrayed as close to perfect while the female leads are strong-minded and very determined, always trying to keep up. The artistry and character appearances also closely match one another. The relationships between Misaki and Takumi, and Hikari and Kei are both rivalrous and at the same time romantic.