Assassination Classroom: A Great Point Of View With An Inspiring Teacher

 Hi guys! Welcome back to my blog. I know it's been so long after my last entry and I am really sorry about that. Life was getting more busy and I've been making so much research before wanting to do this new entry on my blog. This time,I am going to talk about something that has inspired me throughout the years,an anime that hit me hard. A teacher whose special in my heart deeply. I'm talking about Assassination Classroom. For those of you who don't know what this is,it's basically a class from a school filled with low grade students with the goal of assassinating their teacher Koro for a bet of 10 billion dollars and it's up to their teacher to teach them on how to become assassins. The show is a total masterpiece. It also combine many genres. Action? Checked. Comedy? Checked. Drama? Checked. Slice of life? Checked. If something happens later in the series,it has probably been foreshadowed in past episodes. 

The Earlier Development:

In 2012,Yusei Matsui created Assassination Classroom,a manga with a very original scenario that quickly found its audience. The manga had huge and dazzling success in Japan,with the first volume selling a million copies and it became one of the best-selling mangas in the archipelago. As with so many successful other manga,an anime series was born,alongside two live action movies.

Before the series that interests us here,an OVA was produced back in 2013 by the studio Brain's Base and it adapted the first cycle of the manga (namely the arrival of Professor Koro and the school trip). The series,produced two years later,adapts the story to the end,that is to say the 21 volumes of the manga.

The Humor And Character Development:

Despite its dark concept,the series is very funny,especially thanks to the disconnect between Koro's strange personality and the more serious ones from the students. The hate/love relationship between them is also an asset in their relationship and the evolution of the characters. The antagonists are otherwise interesting and have a well-defined psychology. Finally,the realization is very good and serves very well scenarios which exploits its concept with accuracy. Nagisa was originally going to be a girl early in development and would have a relation with Karma. But Yusei Matsui later change this for making Nagisa a boy to better tell a story within,and this came into jokes around in the anime. 

Under its exacerbated humour and the lightness with which it shows violence,the series wants to be deeper by addressing a social problem which is the difficult schooling of young Japanese with the pressure of the education system and the way in which they are cataloged and despised by the other students who do not succeed in school. Yusei Matsui has also confessed to having created the character of Koro according to his idealization of the perfect teacher,having himself never had the chance to have a good teacher during his school years. Thanks to his way of approaching things,the series was able to find its audience,which was not easy with regard to its subject which could have posed a problems for some viewers. It's all about the effect a good teacher can have on kids who need their support.

Season 1 is merely setting up the students,setting  up the whole cast so we get to know them better,before season 2 kicks into series of great arcs. Without the heroics in the final arc,we won't have a good idea of what Nagisa is good at. While the anime didn't cover all of the students,we at least know which one went to the Maid Cafe and liked it. This classroom is full of kids,share a strong sense of comradery between themselves,whether during planning another nearly impossible scheme or fighting against a common external enemy. I love how they work together as an unit,how they play off each other in comedic moments,and you feel save around those groups of people. The strong suit of this series is not the simple premise,but how those groups of students created such a strong bond between themselves. The show is appealing to a lot of people,because of the social discrimination,and how the teenagers are treated as the worse,as well as the last hope of Earth at the same time. Not all of the kids in Class E are ruffians,but they're all lumped up together as one. The lack of character development in the anime is more addressed in the manga,where most of the things happens offscreen,and more character developments happens. Like Sugaya and Maehara for example. Karma is definitely the most interesting student character and the most recognized beside Nagisa. Nagisa also comes close with slowly development regarding his assassination talent. Assassination Classroom resonated with me,because trust me,I have dealt with a similar system in some sort at my school,and it was never easy for me to live with,especially due to my condition or special needs schooling education. 

For me,the best character would always,and I mean,always will be Karma. I was constantly looking out to him like a brother figure in every episode. Gotta love his cute side as well. His laid-back personality,combined with his weird sadistic bullying tactics,made him pretty fun to have around. Seeing him grow up was nice to behold. Some people,even adults,haven't matured to the point of acceptability,but he does,which made his development that much endearing. He was also very funny and entertaining. 

Life Lessons:

Throughout the course of the manga and the anime,we learn lots of life lessons from Professor Koro and the students of Class E. It also serves as a great escape from the troubles of everyday life. Here are some of them:

• Believe in yourself- The power of self-believe is at the very core of this series. Koro Sensei tries to instill this frame of mind into his kids by knocking them down to build them back up. He shows them that there is no one size that fits all fix when it comes to life and that you shouldn't compare yourself to others for that reason. It's your life and the only way you can take control and accomplish your goals is through believing in yourself,even at your worst moments.

• It's ok to fail- The idea of failure is a major theme that surrounds the series and its cast. From the very first episode,Koro Sensei challenges his class to assassinate him,which ultimately results in their failure. The series rapidly uses the failures of Class E to show the viewers that the power of of perseverance is apart of the process. It goes on to show how each of these class members grows through their defeats and how they develop into more complete people because of it.

• Don't dwell on the pass- The children of Class E aren't exactly what you would call your model students. They are unhinged,cold and confrontational;some might even say,misfits. What this series tries hardest to communicate is to forget the failures of yesterday,the heartache or regret,the troubled past that you may have come from and to move forward for the benefit of your future self.  It takes these same children and unifies them under one goal empowering them to move on from the things that haunted and held them back from realizing their true potential.

• Understanding your weakness can only make you stronger- Success can be seen a long and winding road of ups and downs. The way to properly navigate that road is through understanding yourself;your strengths,your opportunities,your accomplishments. through their slow development from misfits to hungry and engaged students. It's all managed through some diligent soul-searching like Itona's journey from cocky,blowhard to eventually using his honesty as a tool to connect with his classmates and find acceptance.

• Don't just sit around being angry,take action- There are many points throughout the series where Class E comes face to face with adversity;the fate of the world is in their hands for crying out loud. But even though he's constantly a target,Koro Sensei is sure to instill a proactive attitude in his students. None of them are perfect and have plenty of problems they need to work through,but their teacher is always sure to remind them to never let those obstacles stop them. 

• Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard- In every face of life,whether it be financially,physically or mentally,there are very gifted individuals. This series does a great job of displaying that divide in society. Many students lack the physical talents of Itona or Ritsu,but they make up for it with their intelligence much like Karma. But nothing would be possible for these students without the hard work and determination Koro Sensei pounds into their heads. These two themes resonates throughout each episode of the series in an attempt to manifest themselves in the lives of the viewer.

• Never give up- Until its end,the series lives on as a testament to this very sentiment. From all the events of season 2,down to each classmate's individual setbacks during exams or in their personal life;Assassination Classroom strives to empower those helpless and downtrodden to keep pushing forward. To see the backstories of some of these characters,and even Koro Sensei's,and to see how they managed to overcome these events is an inspiring display of perseverance. 

• Don't concern yourself with the opinions of others- One of the most important lessons anyone can learn is the only opinion that should matter is your own. Throughout life,there will be many people we encounter and they will all come with their preconceived notions and opinions. Assassination Classroom tries its best so show that those opinions shouldn't dictate your life,that each decision you make should be for your own happiness and reflect with the values you hold true to yourself. 

• Life is about balance- In all aspects of life,it is important to maintain a proper balance of priorities. Work and life tend to conflict,and concentrating too much effort on one easily distracts from the other. The series makes it a point to convey these truths through its character's strengths and weaknesses,daily lives,and academic aspirations,even in Isogai's responsibility to provide for his family financially in his job outside of school. 

• Creativity is your greatest weapon- Creativity IS your greatest weapon. Whether it be a BB grenade,a surprise blade or a covert attack by the government,creativity is key when it comes to each assassination attempt against Koro Sensei. The series shows the lengths that each student goes in order to get an advantage over their teacher. This is a lesson that should speak to every viewer,that they must utilize the power of their creativity to overcome any obstacle they may face in their life.

                                         My perspective on Koro Sensei:

I would like to speak about Koro Sensei. He is really a great character and teacher. His motivation,his personality,his skills,and his past is very sad and tragic but I won't spoil it. He really cares about his students and would risk his life for them. He is the ideal teacher for me. I usually don't normally cry over a series' ending,but the ending of Assassination Classroom has by far made me cry out loud,especially for Koro Sensei. Just.. The fact they're middle schoolers and their goal is literally to kill their teacher,it's just that hard for them to do it. Whenever they try to assassinate him,this always lead up to another plan or whatsoever and people were all fine with it,as long as Koro keeps on teaching. But when the time has come,they no longer want to kill him,knowing their teacher won't be around for them anymore. It's just plain sad. In response of learning their teacher's past,they wanted to try to save him instead and there was a whole story arc based on that life saving idea. It turns out that saving him would'nt be necessary,because the chance of killing him spontaneously combusting and taking a whole planet with him is less than 1%. Even still,the government are still trying to kill him. And not to mention Karma,who happens to cry for the first time in his life. The students suffered from a very traumatic experience at the end and I can't blame them. As the ''let's save Koro Sensei instead of killing him'' arc was progressing and the rest of the show was near,I had mixed feelings. On one hand,the idea that Koro Sensei could live was something I wanted on some level,not to mention that turning the premise of a series on its head is an incredibly high-risk,high-reward move that can be utterly mind-blowing when done right. Yet at the same time,the idea of going from having to do something morally and narratively  difficult to doing something morally easy would basically ruin everything the show had been building towards. The emotional heart of the show is that Koro Sensei is actually a fantastic teacher (yes I know,i'm repeating this) and person in general,but he's a threat that needed to be eliminated. Even Karma has stated so when he negotiate with Nagisa.  He really cares about his students and would risk his life for them. He is the ideal teacher for me. I usually don't normally cry over a series' ending,but the ending of Assassination Classroom has by far made me cry out loud,especially for Koro Sensei. Just.. The fact they're middle schoolers and their goal is literally to kill their teacher,it's just that hard for them to do it. Whenever they try to assassinate him,this always lead up to another plan or whatsoever and people were all fine with it,as long as Koro keeps on teaching. But when the time has come,they no longer want to kill him,knowing their teacher won't be around for them anymore. It's just plain sad. In response of learning their teacher's past,they wanted to try to save him instead and there was a whole story arc based on that life saving idea. It turns out that saving him would'nt be necessary,because the chance of killing him spontaneously combusting and taking a whole planet with him is less than 1%. Even still,the government are still trying to kill him. And not to mention Karma,who happens to cry for the first time in his life. The students suffered from a very traumatic experience at the end and I can't blame them. The scientist who experimented on Koro Sensei uses the kids has hostages as part of his plan to kill him,and Koro saves the kids and defeats the villain but is weakened in the process. With the government about to fire a satellite-based super-weapon and kill Koro Sensei anyway,he tells his goodbyes to the students,giving one last roll call before they do him in. And.. I'm not going into deeper details onto this because this affected me so much to the point I snap. Koro himself points out that peace was never an option so he was going to die alone anyway if it was'nt for the kids. He wanted the students to do it after all he'd done for them. In addition,the series has twisted into both options: While the students makes the choice that Koro Sensei didn't need to be killed to save the Earth,they were never going to be able to ''save'' him because the governments of the world didn't care.  You grow to love Koro Sensei as much as the students so you're interested into sparring him,but at the same time,you know it's going to end and there is no other way to prevent this. As for Kayano,this would really play a huge part on Koro Sensei to snap. To think she died protecting her teacher from a monstrous scientist and his minion,this had a huge letdown: Reviving. I get that Koro Sensei wanted to try to heal someone whom he love so much and be useful as help,but keeping her as dead would teach everyone that even someone you love dies,they would stay forever in your mind,and that's what Assassination Classroom is trying to tell here,that you must feel what death is like in order to move on. It's the same thing for Koro Sensei. Even if he must die,he would still stay forever in the mind of many people. This is why I respect the last moment of the final episode,because it proves just how much it's ok to cry for someone or a stranger that you've been attached to. 

At first,the only thing the students in his class can do is play along. They're completely at the mercy of a questionably sane creature who can blow up the moon and most likely the Earth immediately,but insists on playing teacher with them for a year. They can't do anything about it as they are now,the government already knows about it plus is trying to do something about it but also can't do anything about it as well. That's how they see it,what other choice do they have but play along? They're the E Class,they have zero motivation because they see themselves as failures because of the school system.  But over time,they actually bond with Koro Sensei because while he is a questionable sane creature,he supports them,trains them,teaches them life lessons,etc.. In other words,he's pretty much the perfect teacher figure for them,and they need one,again because of the school system. They stopped seeing him as a monster because he just doesn't act like one anyway and since he creates the perfect school environment for them,they go to school and focus on exams... While trying to kill him from time to time. It's not like they forgot about the world being closer and closer to annihilation in favor of their newfound brilliant school life,they just still can't do squat about it. They do try. Koro Sensei is very entertaining in my opinion,in a way he makes the class fun. He gets the true respect his deserve. He indeed inspires a lot of people,including me. He doesn't need to make research or something to help others or for teaching because he himself,is already very intelligent from the start. With Koro Sensei around,they feel save and comfortable,and he gives them a challenge that's nearly impossible yet with adequate encouragements along the way. At first,the only thing the students in his class can do is play along. They're completely at the mercy of a questionably sane creature who can blow up the moon and most likely the Earth immediately,but insists on playing teacher with them for a year. They can't do anything about it as they are now,the government already knows about it plus is trying to do something about it but also can't do anything about it as well.