Anime Review - Ansatsu Kyoushitsu (Assassination Classroom) - An Original Masterpiece that captures the Emotions of Viewers/Readers

Slice of life school anime has always been a genre that many anime enthusiasts love, because it either brings back nostalgia, creates a "desirable representation" of what school should have been like, or if you are still in school, allows you to look at a fictional yet possibly realistic way of school life. Ansatsu Kyoushitsu is not like that, and instead it is more of an action-packed comedy/school anime, with some serious underlying messages, which are purposely laid out by the author. Ansatsu Kyoushitsu is definitely a unique piece of work, separating itself from the typical school/action anime. This review is cover both seasons of the anime, since the two series is adapted from the whole manga.

Story (10/10):

The story follows the class 3-E, who consists of students who are looked down upon in a prestigious private school. One day, an "alien life-form" (whom we find out is originally human), takes over the class and gives the class the challenge to kill him in one year's time. I won't go into detail about each story in the plot, but I felt that there were no "filler content" in the anime itself. Every episode was jam-packed with interesting content and scenarios. Yes, there may be some "funny and non-serious" parts in the series, but one must remember that this is a school manga, consisting of junior high students. There's bound to be comedic elements to fill in the gaps. 

And that in essence, is what made the story even more interesting. By adding these realistic scenarios, we develop a bond between the student of 3-E, and Koro-sensei himself. The bond between a teacher and student is incredibly important for a thriving classroom, and as the story progressed, we observe how strong the bonds become between the class of 3E and Koro-sensei (even Bitch-sensei and Karasuma-sensei too). I agree that there were some "sloppy" cuts near the end when he somehow beats "Reaper 2.0", but I didn't mind the way it was resolved. There was closure between the "student who betrayed Koro-sensei" and Koro-sensei himself, and that's all that mattered. Koro-sensei understood what he did wrong in his teachings. 

What I am trying to say is that the author tried to emphasize the importance of education, and how influential a teacher can be. They can shape how a student act, and perhaps even more so than our parents themselves (since they are always busy). I believed that message is incredibly important and it really striked me how true it was. I hope the author really influenced some teachers to change how they teach. I also really liked the parallel between Principal Asano and Koro-sensei. They both value the importance of education, the importance of creating the bonds between student and teacher, and most importantly the importance of being strong. They both had faults, but that was the point - every teacher still had room for improvement. It was satisfying to see the backgrounds of Principal Asano and understand why he is so strict in his teaching. You really sympathise with him, because he felt that his teaching skill back then was inefficient (because it led to a student committing suicide). Koro-sensei also learned from his mistakes, which is reflected on how he can "see" each and everyone of his students. And for me, the most important outcome was that the two educators had their legacies carried on. Their teachings have motivated students and that's all an educator can ever ask for. Another message the author is trying to make is that everyone makes mistakes and we should learn from our mistakes and not lament on our past. This really made me think and reevaluate my life again, and I can firmly say that this anime really made an impact on me.

Finally, the death of Koro-sensei was truly emotional. It made me tear up and it should make anyone capable of crying bawl like a baby. It really showed how far the bond between student and teacher progressed - to the extent that the students don't even see the teacher as a monster anymore, but as a teacher. This really made the scene even more emotional - the students who love their teacher must kill their teacher to save the world. I also liked the author's use of time-skip to show the maturity of the students and how they are progressing/progressed 7 years after the death of Koro-sensei. AND YAHOO THE SHIPSSSSSSSS (Karasuma and Bitch-sensei becoming husband and wife). Good job Matsui-san (Matsui, Yuusei).

Characters (10/10):

What was really well done was how the author put equal focus on each of 3-E's students. Yes there might have been main characters (as they should be), the author placed equal importance on each of the students. It's as if the author is like a teacher - taking care of each student, understanding them. You can even say the author is Koro-sensei himself. All the students were different and easy to distinguish, and this is what made it so realistic.

A really interesting "main-character" was Kayano. She had been on the sidelines for so long, so even viewers wouldn't have expect her to have such an impact on the story. It's as if she was a true assassin (Wow!). I also ship her and Nagisa together (when they kissed - OH HELL YEHHHH), but in the epilogue, it was implied that Kayano wasn't in Nagisa's radar. That is some feelsbadman.

I also liked the character Principal Asano the most. People originally see him as an evil elitist, who is purposely making 3-E's lives hell. But as the story progressed, we understand why he is so strict, and we truly sympathise with him. There are only a fraction of teachers who are like Principal Asano and Koro-sensei himself, further amplifying the stature of these teachers, and how they should be an example for real-life teachers.

Karma was also a cool, badass character, who is somewhat realistic. One can say he is what elitists hate - smart but tends to disrupt order - a trait many elitists do not like. He was also an important character in the story and saving 3-E's class on occasion.

Overall, all the characters are unique in their own way, and what I valued the most was the bonds between the students and the teachers. That was the highlight of the series.

Art (9/10):

The art is pretty well done. It is a unique type of art, but oddly mesmerizing. I am not a person who evaluates an anime based on art, but I definitely appreciate and commend effort put into the art. I liked the author's and studio's attention to detail. 

One such example is Koro-sensei multiple faces - each representing an emotion. This was pretty neat and made it extremely comical. Another example is the fighting scenes - they may not be the most superb drawings, but they are definitely top-notch for a action/school anime. What more can I really say?

Sound (10/10):

The OP and EDs for each season were all extremely catchy and enjoyable to listen to. I am definitely going to put them into my music playlist. I also liked whoever voiced Koro-sensei because I loved his laugh - (nuhuhuhu). It's a unique laugh and it highlights Koro-sensei's mischievous and cheeky nature.

Enjoyment (10/10):

This series has been enjoyable to watch. It may not be ERASED's cliffhanger episodes (boy, those episodes were extremely cheeky), but after each episode, I wanted to watch more and more. It was hard to control myself, and for a 47 episode series - I finish it in just a week. I wasn't bored at any point in the anime. Good job to the studio Lerche and the author.

Overall (10/10):

I regard this series as a masterpiece, one of which are rarely seen in the modern-era of anime/manga. Ansatsu Kyoushitsu is surprisingly unique, and effectively incorporates the comedic elements of school anime and the seriousness of assassination together. There were no plot holes by the end of the manga, and every complication was resolved appropriately, in a satisfying and justifiable way. The author also didn't keep to cliches and the killing of Koro-sensei was a good example of that. The outcome of doing that was an emotional adventure for the viewers and the students themselves. It's as if we were in the class ourselves. I definitely recommend all to watch this, and I can guarantee you that you will have a different perspective in school life, the importance of good teachers and education. Unfortunately, like the anime says - All good things must come to an end. I truly realised how must I missed in life through this anime. Amazing. Lerche has made me proud so far. And thank you Yuusei Matsui-san for creating this masterpiece.