In many countries, teachers are not as celebrated as they deserve. For example, in my country, teaching is one of the least paid professions. Growing up, whenever adults asked us what we wanted to become, hardly anyone said “teacher.” Only a few whose parents were teachers did. However, the truth is that teachers play one of the biggest roles in shaping who we become. Without them, where would students be? Without them, who would teach students the necessary things to know within the walls of the school? Teachers are the bedrock of education and they deserve due accolades and respect. It feels really nice to see an anime that shows the importance of teachers in society. An anime that tells us that a teacher can transform the life of even the most difficult student. That anime is Assassination Classroom. I just completed this series a few days ago and will be reviewing it in this post.
I did not read the synopsis of Assassination Classroom. The title alone piqued my interest. I expected spies, guns, bombs, knives, and all other assassin-related tools, but that’s not what I got. Of course, there were guns and knives, but they were rubber/fake. So, how did the plot unfold? Assassination Classroom is about a yellow-skinned alien who threatens to destroy Earth unless his students can assassinate him first. He is nicknamed Koro Sensei by his students. Now, Koro-Sensei not only has flash speed, but he is also very strong. Guns do not work on him, he dodges missiles like a piece of cake. The heavy question? Why does a creature who is capable of destroying Earth decide to become a home room teacher?
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Koro Sensei specifically chose to be the home room teacher of class 3-E. Of all the students in Kunugigaoka Junior High School, class 3-E is considered the worst. Class 3-E is for delinquents, students with poor grades, and misfits. The class is segregated from the whole school. Unlike the other classes, no attention is paid to the students not to talk about their environment. Koro-Sensei, a monster who threatens to destroy Earth, becomes their home room teacher and changes their lives in many aspects. Class 3-E students whom everyone looked down on, gradually, with the help of Koro-Sensei, they start to study harder and even compete with top students in Kunugigaoka Junior High School.
As I mentioned above, regardless of the fact that Koro-Sensei is a teacher who wants the best for his students, however we choose to look at him, he is still a “monster” who threatens to destroy Earth. What makes class 3-E different from other classes is that their classroom is not just any classroom, it is an assassination classroom. By spending time with Koro Sensei, they have to learn his weaknesses and assassinate him before he destroys Earth. Class 3-E alongside homework, mathematics, Japanese, English language, they also learn assassination skills that help them later in life. How do students bring themselves to assassinate their favorite teacher?
Assassination Classroom blends both comedy and action. Although I believe the majority of the plot leans towards comedy. Assassinating Koro Sensei is not an easy feat. How do you assassinate someone who is “immune” to guns, bombs, and even poison? However, every powerful creature has a weakness. Day by day the students learn their teachers' weaknesses. In between the action scenes, many comedic scenes will make you laugh and I like the anime for that.
The anime also gives us a little peek into the lives of some of the characters and I find that very cool. Of course, there will always be main characters and side characters in an anime. Interestingly, this anime also gave voice to the side characters. Another significant thing I enjoyed about Assassination Classroom is the plot twist. The plot twists totally caught me off guard. How did Koro-sensei become powerful? Is he an alien? You should definitely watch the anime to find out.
In conclusion, Assassination Classroom has just two seasons. Season one has 24 episodes, while season 2 has 25. I assure you watching this anime will be worth your while. I’ll give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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Thanks for reading.