TV Special
Description
Aya Komichi is one of the central characters in the story of Kinmoza! Pretty Days, with the OVA placing a significant focus on her perspective and personal journey. Aya, who is also affectionately nicknamed Ayaya by her close friend Karen Kujo, is a Japanese high school girl with a bright and elegant demeanor on the surface. She is a classmate of Shinobu Omiya and has maintained a strong friendship with Youko Inokuma since their middle school days. Despite her composed appearance, Aya is quite shy and timid in nature, and she frequently becomes flustered, particularly when interacting with Youko. This dynamic often brings out her tsundere traits, where she struggles to be honest about her feelings and may react with embarrassment or playful aggression when teased. She is prone to overthinking social situations and can be clumsy, sometimes forgetting things, which adds to her endearing and relatable personality.
In Pretty Days, Aya's primary motivation stems from a deep-seated insecurity about her place within her friend group. As preparations for the school cultural festival’s play get underway, she begins to feel distanced from Shinobu. This feeling is triggered by the realization that she does not share any childhood memories with Shinobu, unlike Youko who has known her since elementary school, or Alice Cartelet and Karen, who have a unique bond with her through their English heritage and time abroad. Aya worries that her lack of a long history with Shinobu makes her a less important or less special friend. This internal conflict drives the emotional core of the OVA, prompting a series of flashbacks that explore the formation of her friendships. Her motivation is ultimately to affirm that her bond with Shinobu and Youko is just as strong and meaningful as any other.
Aya serves as a central emotional anchor in Pretty Days, with the narrative exploring her past to reveal the depth of her loyalty. A significant flashback shows her in their third year of middle school, where she is torn between attending a prestigious girls' academy, Suiren Girls' Academy, or staying with her friends. Despite passing the entrance exam for the elite school, she secretly also takes the exam for the local public high school that Shinobu and Youko wish to attend. She then spends considerable time tutoring her two friends to help them pass their own entrance exams, putting their success before her own prestige. In the end, she makes the crucial decision to turn down the offer from the academy and enroll with Shinobu and Youko, demonstrating that her friendships are her highest priority. Her role in the present-day festival also sees her stepping out of her comfort zone when she is asked to play a lead role in the class play at the last minute, overcoming her nervousness with the support of her friends.
Her key relationships are the driving force behind her character development. Her relationship with Youko Inokuma is particularly notable, as it is filled with romantic subtext and classic tsundere dynamics. Youko often teases Aya obliviously, which causes Aya to become flustered and embarrassed, revealing her hidden affectionate feelings. Despite this, Youko is also perceptive and can tell when something is truly troubling Aya. Her friendship with Shinobu is the central focus of Pretty Days, as she learns to value the memories they have created together since middle school. Furthermore, she shares a strong bond with Alice Cartelet, as they are both intellectual, responsible, and good students who often find common ground and support each other without the teasing that characterizes other relationships. Karen is the one who gave her the nickname Ayaya and often brings energy and humor into their interactions.
Throughout Pretty Days, Aya undergoes notable development, moving from a state of quiet anxiety about her friendships to a place of reassurance and confidence. The flashbacks reveal that her past actions were already a testament to her loyalty, and by the end of the OVA, she learns that her bond with Shinobu and Youko is just as durable as a childhood friendship. Shinobu directly thanks her for her help with the play and for choosing to attend the same school, affirming that their friendship is unique and valuable. This realization allows Aya to let go of her insecurities and feel secure in her place within the group.
As for notable abilities, Aya is characterized as being very intelligent and studious, consistently earning good grades. She is an effective tutor, as seen when she helps Shinobu and Youko prepare for their high school entrance exams. However, she also has a tendency to be clumsy and forgetful, which creates humorous situations. She is implied to be a poor singer, with her peers affectionately describing her voice as distinctly Aya-like, though she performs adequately in the series' musical themes. Her character design features dark hair, which, despite often appearing blue or purple in the anime, is canonically black, and she typically wears it in twin-tails.
In Pretty Days, Aya's primary motivation stems from a deep-seated insecurity about her place within her friend group. As preparations for the school cultural festival’s play get underway, she begins to feel distanced from Shinobu. This feeling is triggered by the realization that she does not share any childhood memories with Shinobu, unlike Youko who has known her since elementary school, or Alice Cartelet and Karen, who have a unique bond with her through their English heritage and time abroad. Aya worries that her lack of a long history with Shinobu makes her a less important or less special friend. This internal conflict drives the emotional core of the OVA, prompting a series of flashbacks that explore the formation of her friendships. Her motivation is ultimately to affirm that her bond with Shinobu and Youko is just as strong and meaningful as any other.
Aya serves as a central emotional anchor in Pretty Days, with the narrative exploring her past to reveal the depth of her loyalty. A significant flashback shows her in their third year of middle school, where she is torn between attending a prestigious girls' academy, Suiren Girls' Academy, or staying with her friends. Despite passing the entrance exam for the elite school, she secretly also takes the exam for the local public high school that Shinobu and Youko wish to attend. She then spends considerable time tutoring her two friends to help them pass their own entrance exams, putting their success before her own prestige. In the end, she makes the crucial decision to turn down the offer from the academy and enroll with Shinobu and Youko, demonstrating that her friendships are her highest priority. Her role in the present-day festival also sees her stepping out of her comfort zone when she is asked to play a lead role in the class play at the last minute, overcoming her nervousness with the support of her friends.
Her key relationships are the driving force behind her character development. Her relationship with Youko Inokuma is particularly notable, as it is filled with romantic subtext and classic tsundere dynamics. Youko often teases Aya obliviously, which causes Aya to become flustered and embarrassed, revealing her hidden affectionate feelings. Despite this, Youko is also perceptive and can tell when something is truly troubling Aya. Her friendship with Shinobu is the central focus of Pretty Days, as she learns to value the memories they have created together since middle school. Furthermore, she shares a strong bond with Alice Cartelet, as they are both intellectual, responsible, and good students who often find common ground and support each other without the teasing that characterizes other relationships. Karen is the one who gave her the nickname Ayaya and often brings energy and humor into their interactions.
Throughout Pretty Days, Aya undergoes notable development, moving from a state of quiet anxiety about her friendships to a place of reassurance and confidence. The flashbacks reveal that her past actions were already a testament to her loyalty, and by the end of the OVA, she learns that her bond with Shinobu and Youko is just as durable as a childhood friendship. Shinobu directly thanks her for her help with the play and for choosing to attend the same school, affirming that their friendship is unique and valuable. This realization allows Aya to let go of her insecurities and feel secure in her place within the group.
As for notable abilities, Aya is characterized as being very intelligent and studious, consistently earning good grades. She is an effective tutor, as seen when she helps Shinobu and Youko prepare for their high school entrance exams. However, she also has a tendency to be clumsy and forgetful, which creates humorous situations. She is implied to be a poor singer, with her peers affectionately describing her voice as distinctly Aya-like, though she performs adequately in the series' musical themes. Her character design features dark hair, which, despite often appearing blue or purple in the anime, is canonically black, and she typically wears it in twin-tails.