I just recently finished watching Assassination Classroom season 2, and wow, what an experience.
The synopsis of the show that people will tell you is basically, "it's a bunch of students trying to kill their teacher." That already sounds quite silly and outlandish on its own, but it goes even deeper than that. The layers that the writers manage to add in the story, and depth of some of the main characters is amazing. It is very episodic, yet plot heavy at the same time. The overarching plot of them trying to kill Koro Sensei plays a role in most of the episodes, with a few sub plots thrown in. The anime though does not fear going a step beyond and adds substance and importance to seemingly small details.
Nagisa, the main character, had many memorable moments, and it was nice to see his growth through out the show. We learn later on in the series the way his mother views him and how much pressure that is for him to live up to, and you can really feel the emotions and creepy vibes his mother gave off. Nagisa always seemed a bit unsure of himself through out the series, but his development was excellent and his character flourished by the end. His confidence was clear, and he was for sure pretty bada**, especially that fight with Karma and how he had it all worked out in his head. I really would've loved him becoming an assassin like he hinted towards, but becoming a teacher seemed just as fitting.
The show had a great balance of funny and more chill episodes, but also ones that were more serious and added layers. For example, every appearance of Yanagisawa brought intensity. I was watching the english dub, and the voice actor surely added to that, he's that good! It was very convincing for sure. Then, there were those moments of Koro's obsession over other women. Every time he gushed over those magazines, I couldn't help but laugh to myself.
Both seasons had really amazing plot points and climax, both delivering in many aspects. I thought I was hooked with the first season and its final episodes regarding the poison on the kids and Nagisa going all crazy, but there was more to come in season 2, when we got the actual end of Koro's life.
Speaking of the sensei himself, what an amazing and well detailed backstory we got of him. He had someone he learned to care about through out his crazy antics that caused him to be confined. He was a murderer, and a little bit of that remained, but he knew he wanted to continue the legacy and profession of Aguri in helping kids find out who they really are and being a mentor to them. From murderer, to teacher? Sure, why not.
The episodes leading up to the eventual death of Koro Sensei as well as season 2 in general added so many layers to Sensei's character as well as other characters we previously thought didn't have any relevance on the surface. Someone such as Kaede, or Yukimura, who initially appeared to be just another innocent soul in the classroom, was instead a girl with tentacles and lots of rage built up. I would've preferred a couple more hints that she was meant to be this monster the whole time rather than it seeming like a last minute decision to reinvigorate her character, but it was still done really well and we got enough backstory in only a few episodes.
More humorous aspects of this anime include Nagisa constantly having to play into his female looks, Koro's pervert accusations, and Professor B**ch and Karasuma constantly ignoring her XD.
One big critique I have on this show is the lack of development of most classmates. I mean sure, it seemed the writers and creators had a few last efforts to try and give life to certain characters, specifically in the second season, but there were still too many surfacing in the background who's names I never got to know. It would've been nice if by the end everyone had at least one or half an episode to shine. They were never going to be the highlight of the anime, but still.
Koro Sensei did not actually make it out alive, which was expected, but the moments leading up were quite emotional. Perhaps one of the most emotional moments in any anime or tv show. The way he called each classmate through the attendance sheet only rubbed in even further the truth of the situation. It was the last roll call, and he was about to die. It made you think of everything the class has done to get to that moment, but also what they learned by this amazing teacher through out the process. Nagisa of course then did the final push, and killed his own teacher. Everyone cried. The characters in the show, and those watching at home as well.
Overall, I was left with such a high impression of an anime that on the surface, doesn't seem like a whole lot. Man, I was pleasantly surprised, and was not ready for the ride it took me on. Koro Sensei is one of the funniest characters in all of tv, the show balanced plot and humor, Nagisa and other main characters had amazing development, and the show did everything it could to keep the intrigue and twists coming.
This anime certainly ranks in my top 3 of all time. Now, I'm not sure... should I watch the movie?
Stay tuned for more reviews, and thank you for reading!
The synopsis of the show that people will tell you is basically, "it's a bunch of students trying to kill their teacher." That already sounds quite silly and outlandish on its own, but it goes even deeper than that. The layers that the writers manage to add in the story, and depth of some of the main characters is amazing. It is very episodic, yet plot heavy at the same time. The overarching plot of them trying to kill Koro Sensei plays a role in most of the episodes, with a few sub plots thrown in. The anime though does not fear going a step beyond and adds substance and importance to seemingly small details.
Nagisa, the main character, had many memorable moments, and it was nice to see his growth through out the show. We learn later on in the series the way his mother views him and how much pressure that is for him to live up to, and you can really feel the emotions and creepy vibes his mother gave off. Nagisa always seemed a bit unsure of himself through out the series, but his development was excellent and his character flourished by the end. His confidence was clear, and he was for sure pretty bada**, especially that fight with Karma and how he had it all worked out in his head. I really would've loved him becoming an assassin like he hinted towards, but becoming a teacher seemed just as fitting.
The show had a great balance of funny and more chill episodes, but also ones that were more serious and added layers. For example, every appearance of Yanagisawa brought intensity. I was watching the english dub, and the voice actor surely added to that, he's that good! It was very convincing for sure. Then, there were those moments of Koro's obsession over other women. Every time he gushed over those magazines, I couldn't help but laugh to myself.
Both seasons had really amazing plot points and climax, both delivering in many aspects. I thought I was hooked with the first season and its final episodes regarding the poison on the kids and Nagisa going all crazy, but there was more to come in season 2, when we got the actual end of Koro's life.
Speaking of the sensei himself, what an amazing and well detailed backstory we got of him. He had someone he learned to care about through out his crazy antics that caused him to be confined. He was a murderer, and a little bit of that remained, but he knew he wanted to continue the legacy and profession of Aguri in helping kids find out who they really are and being a mentor to them. From murderer, to teacher? Sure, why not.
The episodes leading up to the eventual death of Koro Sensei as well as season 2 in general added so many layers to Sensei's character as well as other characters we previously thought didn't have any relevance on the surface. Someone such as Kaede, or Yukimura, who initially appeared to be just another innocent soul in the classroom, was instead a girl with tentacles and lots of rage built up. I would've preferred a couple more hints that she was meant to be this monster the whole time rather than it seeming like a last minute decision to reinvigorate her character, but it was still done really well and we got enough backstory in only a few episodes.
More humorous aspects of this anime include Nagisa constantly having to play into his female looks, Koro's pervert accusations, and Professor B**ch and Karasuma constantly ignoring her XD.
One big critique I have on this show is the lack of development of most classmates. I mean sure, it seemed the writers and creators had a few last efforts to try and give life to certain characters, specifically in the second season, but there were still too many surfacing in the background who's names I never got to know. It would've been nice if by the end everyone had at least one or half an episode to shine. They were never going to be the highlight of the anime, but still.
Koro Sensei did not actually make it out alive, which was expected, but the moments leading up were quite emotional. Perhaps one of the most emotional moments in any anime or tv show. The way he called each classmate through the attendance sheet only rubbed in even further the truth of the situation. It was the last roll call, and he was about to die. It made you think of everything the class has done to get to that moment, but also what they learned by this amazing teacher through out the process. Nagisa of course then did the final push, and killed his own teacher. Everyone cried. The characters in the show, and those watching at home as well.
Overall, I was left with such a high impression of an anime that on the surface, doesn't seem like a whole lot. Man, I was pleasantly surprised, and was not ready for the ride it took me on. Koro Sensei is one of the funniest characters in all of tv, the show balanced plot and humor, Nagisa and other main characters had amazing development, and the show did everything it could to keep the intrigue and twists coming.
This anime certainly ranks in my top 3 of all time. Now, I'm not sure... should I watch the movie?
Stay tuned for more reviews, and thank you for reading!
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