If you've been a part of the anime community for a while, you've probably seen this show around a few times. You may have even watched (and most likely loved it), but if you have been living under a rock or if you have been putting off watching this show for some reason, then I might finally convince you to just start it. Assassination Classroom is a show best to go in blind for, because the things this anime manages to pull off are remarkable.
This review is spoiler-free and will be about both season one and two.
Okay, let me be honest with all of you, this anime seems hella goofy. How can an anime about a yellow octopus from outer space teaching a low ranked class that are simultaneously trying to assasinate him not sound goofy? It's an aspect of the show that puts a lot of people off from giving it a go, and that's honestly such a shame. I didn't love it either at first, but gradually I realized that the contrast between the darker, more emotional moments and the wacky, goofy moments makes for such a good juxtaposition. If you give this show time, it'll reach an emotional depth not seen in many shounen anime, and It'll be one of the most fulfilling anime watching experiences you'll ever have.
Along the way of this anime, you'll learn to appreciate every single one of these characters (except for you Irina Jelavic) and grow alongside them to learn to be a better person (and a better assassin). I think it's fascinating that the story focuses on the lowest ranking class because it adds a layer of depth to these characters that you wouldn't get with your typical class. Every person in this class has their own struggles or negative quirks, which makes them utterly captivating to see them change and improve their flawed selves. Not only that, but they're also just a really fun bunch of characters, with great chemistry and funny interactions alongside Koro-sensei. Koro-sensei adds an engrossing dynamic between the (relatively) normal students and himself. The student-teacher relationship gets more and more conflicting as the story progresses, which makes for an interesting ride.
The story itself is quite interesting too, as the students try to find out more and more about their new space sensei and along the way have to find a way to kill him. The relationship between the students and the teacher changes so drastically that the story and the goal take a different direction than one might expect (that's all I'm going to say because I don't want to spoil it).
No piece of art is perfect and that certainly goes for Assassination Classroom as well. One of the main flaws is that it might be hard to get into since it is very different from your normal shounen anime. I personally love the goofy aspect as well as the serious underlying tones, but when I first started, I didn't quite see the subtle intricacies in the tone of the story. The other thing that brings down the score for me is the beginning. The first episode is great but after that, it takes a nosedive in terms of quality for a few episodes. That's why it takes a good few episodes for it to finally be worthwhile.
The conclusion today is that, although Assassination Classroom isn't perfect, it still manages to be way more than meets the surface. The plot is solid and very entertaining, the characters are great and have lots of interesting dynamics that change over the course of the series, the goofiness is something that highlights the dramatic moments and the ending/resolution is perfect. I would certainly recommend to people who are deceived by the wacky looking exterior as it might just become one of your favorites!
