This review will contain major spoilers for all of Assassination Classroom! If you didn't watch the show and want to see what happens for yourself, please don't scroll down.
>"I couldn't say more than the bare minimum. Gratitude, parting regrets, I put all of my emotions into my blade. As though pouring in my soul, as though thanking him with all my being, I offered my knife." -Shiota Nagisa
Thank you for giving this review a chance.
CHAPTER 0: Prologue
My god. Where can I even begin? This is one of those shows where I just really don't know how to start talking about. Welp, here we go I guess. So, FYI, I love Assassination Classroom. It is in my opinion one of the most entertaining, funny and thrilling shows in the entire anime medium. And literally every time I watch it, I just appreciate it more and more. With the last time I rewatched it, being in a 3 day binge watch followed by it cracking a 10/10 and earning its place in my favorites list. Now, 3 months after finishing it for the third time now, I can finally say: Assassination Classroom is my favorite anime of all time. If you wish to know what happened that caused this change of heart, stick around.
With that being said, brace yourselves, this will be a loooooong one.
Grab Your Anti Koro-Sensei weapons, put on your school uniform, and enjoy my review of Assassination Classroom.
CHAPTER 1: My Story With Assassination Classroom
But let's slow down a bit. That was quite the quick dive into this review, so for now, I'll try to start from the most simple things. Assassination Classroom was originally a weekly manga in the Shonen Jump magazine, releasing from the Summer of 2012 to Spring of 2016. With its positive critical reviews, having a MAL score of 8.26 and also being the 68th most popular manga in that site, it was almost guaranteed it would someday get an anime adaptation. Which it did! With the first season being 22 episodes long and airing in Winter to Spring of 2015, and the second season being 25 episodes long and airing a year later in Winter to Spring of 2016. Being a pretty landmark shounen demographic and produced by the decently known studio Lerche, the anime quickly rose to popularity, becoming one of the most successful and beloved shounen titles to date. While it never was necessarily the biggest show at the time it was released, it is still known in the community as one of the shows that everyone knew and watched. Today it seems that the anime has become forgotten, more of a relic of the past, marking it as just another great show. Which was actually a thought I once believed in. The first time I watched it was in elementary school, and I thought it was... Great. Not an overly phenomenal watch, but a really fun and entertaining one regardless. But no matter what, the show continued staying in my mind. For so long, I thought nothing of it, marking the show as simply "memorable" and moved on. but my subconscious was trying to keep telling me otherwise, that the show wasn't just simply remarkable, but might actually be something truly special. Then, when COVID hit, I gave in and watched it again. And... I loved it. I understood why my subconscious convinced me to watch this show again, why it never truly let go of it after I watched it. Everything about it just clicked for me. And then, after a while, it seemingly returned to being great again. This time not leaving as much of a mark on me. And after around 2 years of this, when studying for a math exam, I remembered the show once again. I wanted to know what was my sincere opinion on the show for good. To finally know what I truly think about the show, not guess it. And so, I opened the first episode on my computer, and started watching. 3 days later I finished rewatching the show for the third time now. With its score now updated to a round ten out of ten. A masterpiece. So what exactly makes me love this series so much? What does it do that so many shows don't? Those must be your questions right now. Don't you worry. I will answer all of these questions to the best of my ability. You might agree, you might disagree, but regardless, please stick around!
CHAPTER 2: Ridiculous Plotlines (And How They Carry The Show Forward)
As with any show, Assassionation Classroom's leading attribute is its plot. And man, what a plot it is. A 3 meter tall tentacle monster that blew up the moon Threatens to do the same to earth in a year. Helpless and forced to fulfill his requests, the government lets him become a teacher at the junior high of Kunugigaoka. Specifically, class 3 - E. The class with the lowest graded students in the school. Helpless but desperate, the government tasks the students of the class with an important mission: They must assassinate their teacher before the end of the school year. Because If they don't, well, the earth is a goner. It's a pretty strange plot that's very out there, and not really the type of show you stumble across everyday, but only when you watch the show do you realize how clever this plot is, and how it brilliantly sets up the stakes of this show. It does have very high stakes and world ending conflicts that I personally was never a big fan of, but honestly, it doesn't really matter because the show really doesn't put focus on that. Honestly, for the majority of the show, the topic of Koro-sensei being the creature that blew up the moon and is about to do the same for earth doesn't pop up much throughout the show's runtime. Only when it's needed to keep the story stable, does it actually become a point of discussion. Assassination classroom's plot isn't necessarily the leading aspect of it, but more of a catalyst that drives the entire show forward. It is not the show's brightest point, because it was never its focus in the first place. It does what it needs to drive the show forward and it does that excellently.
CHAPTER 3: Polar Opposites
When we first meet him, Nagisa Shiota doesn't necessarily seem like a person a story should follow. Insecure and reserved, he often tends to look at the empty half of the glass and rushes most of his decisions. He's a wallflower, one who blends in with the crowd rather than sticking out. He keeps his thoughts to himself rather than express them in words, as when he does that, it always ends badly. When he sees a person that always seems to confront his problems head on, he distances himself from them, afraid it will bite him in the end, As he did with Karma after discovering his true nature. He often sets his minds on goals recklessly, not caring about consequences or any of the responsibility he will have to take for any of his actions. He vows to kill Koro-Sensei by any means necessary in order to show that he isn't just a leaf in the wind. He never organizes any assassination attempt, but instead helps his classmates in theirs. He often underestimates his own abilities and instead tends to appreciate the skills of others instead of himself. He admires Terasaka's bravery and impulsiveness as well as his ability to say things and make actions on a whim, but struggles to make decisions at the moments necessary. He appreciates Karma and his unyielding charisma and intelligence in any topic he wishes to profess, while he often stays hidden, afraid of what others will think of him. We later learn that his insecurities come from a broken home. A father that left him to tackle his problems alone and an abusive and controlling mother who wouldn't let him ever speak his mind. He never got a chance to express himself, only speaking when other people spoke to him. With the help from Karma, Kaede and Koro-Sensei, over the course of the series he starts to break out of this mindset, starting to speak more for himself and standing up for his ideals when required. When his mother wants him to burn the campus of class E so he can let go of his guilt and leave the class, he refuses. And rightfully stands up to his mother for the first time in his life. When an assassin targeting Koro-Sensei attacks the two, Nagisa fights him and succeeds in shutting him down, leaving his mother in shock. She realizes that Nagisa is starting to make decisions for himself and that he can’t stay her obedient child forever. The next day, he says that he will fulfill his mother’s request of him going to a better high school, on the condition that he finishes junior high in Class E. Reluctant but understanding, she lets him be. At the finale of the series, when he is about to end Koro-Sensei's life for good, his pressure gets to him, unable to kill the person who led him through so many struggles over his school year. Unable to contain his emotions, his stress and animosity skyrockets, he screams angrily, ready to kill him, when Koro-Sensei Stops him. Telling him to do it while calm. As Nagisa restrains himself and gains his composure again, he smiles, bidding Koro-Sensei his farwells before finally ending his life. His chances in the series to shine and stick out are not very common compared to other characters, but the satisfaction of when he does, is just unreachable. I now see so much of myself in Nagisa. Someone who is simply too afraid to blurt their thoughts, afraid it will explode in their face, someone who is unable to confront his problems head on due to a lack of bravery. While I still do follow that mindset, like Nagisa, I hope to one day grow out of it, and finally be able to say what I truly think. Nagisa is not only my favorite character in Assassination Classroom, but one of my favorite characters in anime, period.
Then, on the other hand, completely opposite to Nagisa, is Karma Akabane. If Nagisa doesn't necessarily seem like the main character, then Karma Certainly does. Unlike Nagisa, he is charismatic, powerful and very much confident, sometimes even too much. Despite his exceptional grades, being one of the best in the school, he still got transferred to class E, due to his attitude and personality being so violent no one could keep him occupied in a normal class. To quote Nagisa: "Class E is the place they send students no one knows what to do with" and Karma is a perfect example. His violent tendencies even made Nagisa become distant from him, prior to the two coming to class E. Following his introduction, Karma Posts a very different role in the class. Unlike Nagisa who rarely puts his own opinion out there, he shows it freely and recklessly, creating this playful and disobedient facade, rarely letting anybody see his true colors and who he really is. He puts on a dominant attitude, often resorting to insults or violence when someone tries to put him down. Karma often looks beyond others, like he sees something completely different than them. He's special. Not like the others. Even his jacket stands out: A simple pitch black. He can almost be described as the "final boss" to Nagisa. Karma and Nagisa have always had a complicated relationship, with Nagisa feeling like Karma could very easily lash out on him if his views are alternate to his, and Karma getting a very uneasy feeling from Nagisa, always feeling physically and emotionally vulnerable around him, as if he can one day simply stab him and kill him from behind, without him able to react. This is what drives the two apart, from close friends to not more than classmates. Even after the two reunite in Class E, they still act Awkwardly around each other, treating one another like guests. It's only when a massive debate that splits the class comes around, that the two's conflict gets resolved. After Koro-Sensei tells the class about his past as The Reaper, the motivation of the class to assassinate him goes downhill, leaving the class in a lack of morale to move forward. It is then when Nagisa offers the outcome that Koro Sensei doesn't necessarily have to be killed by the end of the school year, and that the class can find a way to save him. And while some of his classmates seem to take his side, others, including Karma very much oblige. In Karma's eyes, Koro-Sensei is above all, his target, and he must kill him. He can't comprehend the idea of Nagisa being able to simply forsake his assassin's duties for such childish logic. This causes the two to have an intense fight. A fight that eventually turns into a paintball battle between the divided class. And at its end, only Nagisa and Karma remain.
After an intense hand to hand fight, Nagisa has Karma caught in a chokehold. Karma picks a nearby ink knife and has the chance to win against Nagisa and finally put an end to the battle. But when he is ready to defeat Nagisa, he suddenly stops.
>"Like anyone would approve of me using a knife to beat a bearhanded mouse who showed that much moxie. I couldn't stab you, and I couldn't get away. I was backed into a corner, where all I could do was surrender. You beat me with martial arts, not with a knife. To think that was the best way to kill me... I got slaughtered. You want to save Koro-Sensei? I'm listening." -Karma Akabane
Nagisa's determination to give his word inspires Karma, as once he was never brave enough to even hint at his thoughts. Not wanting to defeat him, he surrenders, letting Nagisa's ideals win. The two finally decide to put their past behind them. Finally becoming true friends once again. The friendship of Karma and Nagisa is one that carries the show forward. Seeing their ideals clash time and time again throughout the series before the two finally reaching an understanding of each other feels so good to see unfold. And by the show's end, the two become true friends. Friends that are always there for each other. Their friendship and bond get a redemption arc that very rarely gets this kind of satisfying closure in other anime, but this show managed to pull it off. Bravo.
CHAPTER 4: The Unkillable Teacher
When I first saw Koro-Sensei, saying I didn't raise an eyebrow at his personality or character design would be, well, a blatant lie. This is definitely not a character you see everyday, which I'm guessing was the intention. Initially, Koro-Sensei is shown as this sort of far mountaintop to his students. A despicable, yet capable teacher with unknown origin that threatens to destroy the planet in a year. But this couldn't be farther from the truth. In reality, Koro-sensei is a responsible, kind and protective person, yet slightly mischievous, who at the end of the day, only wishes the best of his students, and always assists and takes care of them when in need. We later learn that his protective and almost fatherly attitude towards the students he teaches comes from a very traumatic past experience he went through just a short time before he started teaching the class of 3E.
It is later revealed around the series' end that Koro-Sensei is the world's most talented assassin, the so-called "God of Death". A mysterious figure who has been rumored and hyped over the show's runtime. He was rumored to be able to take entire forces all by himself, and kill experts before they were even to realize what happened to them. And then one day, he simply disappeared without a trace. His childhood unknown, and without him around, he was completely forgotten about, his records vaguely written in history. It is then revealed that his disciple betrayed him, turning him to the police before running, Because in his opinion, "His teacher never saw him", and only used him as a tool for his own gain. It is the reason why he cares so deeply about his students, so that the same incident wouldn't happen again. After his arrest, he is taken into a research lab and is used as a test subject for an experiment around antimatter tentacles. It is there where he meets his supervisor. A young and aspiring junior high teacher named Aguri Yukimura.
The two hit it off, becoming good friends, usually spending time talking and telling each other about their professions. The two's bond becomes even stronger after the god of death meets her arranged fiance, Kotaro Yanagisawa, the leader of the research held around the god of death, and is selfish and ruthless, often hitting and physically and emotionally abusing Aguri. It is from here that their relationship becomes even more intimate, even taking a slightly romantic turn. But unfortunately, their relationship comes to an unfortunate end. One day, a research lab experimenting with antimatter tentacles on the moon finds out what happens to a creature with these tentacles at the end of their lifespan. When a lab rat infused with these tentacles meets the end of its lifetime, it explodes, taking 70% of the moon with it. It is later discovered that the god of death will meet the end of his lifetime in a year. Therefore the entire earth will be annihilated in just a single year if the god of death doesn't get killed (This is later proven wrong close to the series finale but for this time in the story that fact was still not known). Aguri proceeds to tell this to the god of death, and as a result, he makes his escape, destroying the entire research lab in the process. He is then met by a dying Aguri after she accidentally triggers a trap meant for him and it hits her. She gives him a large tie as a parting gift, and asks him to become a teacher, and take her place as the educator of class 3E in her place. A short time later, he takes Aguri's place as the new homeroom teacher of the class. Koro-Sensei is the perfect example of being "More than meets the eye", initially starting as the kindly but slightly irresponsible teacher of class 3-E, and ending the series as a perfect example of tragedy and how it shapes a person around. He grows to love his students, always being there for each of them, giving them a helping hand whenever they need it, and always wanting the best for them. And nowhere else is this portrayed like in the finale of the series.
Koro-Sensei is trapped inside the E class campus with nowhere left to go and with his life about to end, he turns depressed and hopeless, wishing to say goodbye to his students one last time. And when they come to tell him their final goodbye, they suddenly get interrupted by Yanagisawa, and the old disciple, now turned into a powerful tentacle monster under the name 2.0, set on killing Koro-Sensei. As the fight progresses, Yanagisawa orders 2.0 to attack what Yanagisawa believes to be Koro-Sensei's greatest weakness. the students, and the one that takes the attacks head on is none other than Koro-Sensei. He states that the students of class 3-E are not his weak point, but in fact the greatest gift he ever received. And after one of his students, Kaede Kayano gets severely injured when trying to assist him in battle, he becomes furious, and he and 2.0 begin to fight again. But as 2.0 throws an attack towards his heart, almost ready to take his life, he blocks it, much to everyone's surprise. As he kills 2.0, he apologizes for never seeing him for who he truly was, and promises to start it all over when they both meet in the afterlife. With Shiro and Yanagisawa dead, he is left with just himself, as well as his students. He successfully heals Kayano's wounds and brings her back to consciousness, before falling down to the ground. The students pin him all to the ground, leaving him unable to escape, and after a final roll call, he is finally killed by Nagisa, seemingly congratulating his students for graduating. Koro-Sensei is, in my opinion, the perfect role model character. A pillar in the 3-E class, and the entirety of Assassination Classroom as a whole. A perfect example of a redemption arc and the teacher I always needed. Thank you, Koro-Sensei. And Goodbye.
>"I'm so happy... to be killed by you all." -Koro Sensei
CHAPTER 5: The Power Of A Good Cast
While these are the major developments of Assassination Classroom, it's still always great to see other characters in the show get their developments, and this show has plenty of smaller characters that get developments through the story. These are all characters that mean so much to my enjoyment of the story, I simply can't ignore them. Of course, I can't include every single development I loved in the show, as that would take all day, but I will talk about some more developments at the end of this section briefly. For now, I chose the three character developments I have the most to say about. This will probably be the longest part of the review, so brace yourselves.
Part One - Gakuho Asano
From the beginning of the series, Gakuho plays a very strange role among the characters of Assassination Classroom. Reticent and mystifying, he rarely lets out his true colors, having a strong will to keep his school stable as the principal of Kunugigaoka High School. He is shown to be very obsessed with creating a perfect education system, prioritizing the perfection of his pedagogy over the well being of his students. When he sees a threat to the school's protocol, even the most minor one, he is quick to silence it, preventing any change in his educational system as much as possible. He is the person who created the class E system, as an example for the students of his school to understand what would happen if they don't become fully fixed on their studies. He is the person that created the propaganda on class E, to increase the drive of his students even more. This drive to make his pedagogy as stellar as possible may seem at the beginning like a simple, antagonistic drive for perfection, but no. This drive actually comes way deeper than that.
An unspecified amount of time before the show's runtime, Gakuho was a teacher beginning his teaching career, teaching 3 kids in a dirty and small campus at the top of a small mountain. His teaching methods shared a lot of similarities with Koro-Sensei, being more gentle and understanding, trying to help his students use their unique talents rather than having a universal and concrete striving for strength, the education style he uses today. It is then however, that one of his students commit suicide for being ruthlessly bullied in his high school years after graduating from Gakuho's cram junior high school. This completely changed Gakuho's perspective on education. Understanding that teaching his students to be simply good wasn't enough. He realized he needed a stronger drive. Power. By making his students strong, he realized they could tackle life in a much better way and not let something such as bullying break them. He thought he had made his first students too weak by not being harsh enough with their studies, and promised to himself that a student not strong enough will never graduate from his school ever again. But it is then when he has a talk with Koro-Sensei when he has a realization. Leading to this point in the story, Gakuho's pedagogy system was slowly breaking down, as class 3-E, with the assistance of Koro-Sensei, were able to prove their worth many times throughout the year. Gakuho's Philosophy was being constantly threatened, and because of this, he decided to confront Koro-Sensei. He took matters into his own hands, by trying to assassinate Koro-Sensei himself, putting him in a situation that was way in his favor, that almost resulted in his victory, but eventually was turned against him. Afterwards, Koro-Sensei marked how much similarities there are between both of their teaching styles. Both being stubborn and passionate teachers aiming to create the best students they can. However, Koro-Sensei doesn’t force that perfection on his students. He gives them the freedom to pursue and make the choices they want in order for them to reach their ideal perfection, rather than forcing an “Objective perfection” on them, like Gakuho used to do in his younger teaching years. It’s one of the many lessons Koro-Sensei taught the class, and when Gakusho hears this, he has a change of heart, and lets the class 3-E and Koro-Sensei be. At the end of the series after Koro-Sensei’s death, Gakuho’s teaching habits were seen as “problematic” and he resigned from his position as principal. It is there when he meets his first ever students, and in such a simply satisfying moment to finally end his arc in the series, he asks to take them out for a drink, to catch up with them about their whereabouts after all of these years. Gakuho’s story is one of redemption. A man who took his chance and redeemed himself in a way I appreciated so much.
Part Two - Irina Jelavic
When we meet Irina, she doesn’t necessarily seem like a good person. She manipulates Koro-Sensei into liking her so she can assassinate him, she disrespects her job as a teacher and looks down on the students of class E, seeing them as simply too immature and dependent in order to assassinate Koro-Sensei. But it’s through these actions that she manages to grow out of these characteristics and tendencies and finally acknowledge her wrongdoings in a very nice and progressive way through the series. Her character never feels like it’s left in the dust, she’s constantly evolving, constantly changing through the series’ runtime due to her intercourse with characters in the story which in the end leads to a conclusive and well built redemption A main thing that kind of annoys me is the fact that so many people try to assign her only one main trait that defies her. With some calling her a bimbo, others calling her an action girl, others saying that she is male dependent and some even saying that she is defined by her agency. and while these traits are all ones that fit her in some way, it just doesn’t make any sense to simply give her just one of these traits and say “Yup, that’s her”. Her character has so many different shades, and it disappoints me that people don’t get that. Yes, she’s a blonde hot woman that can sometimes act irrationally, but she’s definitely not a bimbo, she is hyper aware of every action she makes, considering she is a manipulative assassin rather than a combative one. Sure she is shown to be very dependent on Karasuma, but this is shown many times that this is not really her main trait but more one of her biggest weaknesses instead. Being dependent on Karasuma was never her main characteristic. If I'm being honest, she constantly tries to give the hint that she is not influenced by his decisions unless she wants to be. Yes, she’s an action girl, but not by traditional means. Honestly her traits and characteristics are the exact opposites of a regular action girl. If she does have a trait that shows her as an action girl is her agency and talent for taking control of situations, obviously a trait helped by her beauty. So basically, my point is that Irina can't just be given a specific trait, as over her development, many of her traits get the chance to shine in their own right, and no trait necessarily outshines the other. I honestly appreciate Irina way more than any other side character due to how much her development goes full circle. We are actively shown how much she develops throughout the series, how much she changes and matures through the show, yet she still feels like herself. This is a trap almost every writer falls to. Most of the time, characters that go through intense developments often lose lots of their previous character attributes, often becoming completely different people (Take Eren Yeager for example) but I'm personally not a fan of it. I much prefer a development that is much less drastic. A development where you can still recognize the person at the end of the show as the same person from the beginning. This is why I love Irina's development so much, as Irina herself barely changes throughout the series, but she still feels like a different person in a way. This is, in my opinion, the true meaning of a character development. Not a full makeover, but more of a change of heart. And the show tackles it in a way I personally loved and admired so much.
Part Three - Kayano Kaede
Out of every single side character, the one who goes through the biggest development during the shortest time is Kayano. By far. Over 2 whole episodes, she goes through more developments and realizations that most side characters in the show combined. And while her development is very short term, the conclusion of her personal arc still feels rewarding and satisfying, which is a thing many shows fail at. Creating a compact development without rushing it is a very hard thing to do, but Kayano’s development manages to pull through. It never seems like any part of her arc is rushed. Every single action, every single line she makes develops her character in some way and no part of her development feels rushed since as fast as her development moves, it still moves at a good pace that fits this part in the story. This development comes very late in the show after all and every major character development from now on had to be quick and efficient. This may give people the thought that her arc is shallow, but it’s really not. It’s honestly one of the deepest developments in the show from a character perspective. So, let’s go through her development. Basically, she is actually revealed to be Akari Yukimura, the sister of Aguri Yukimura, AKA Koro-Sensei’s supervisor. and on the day the research lab got destroyed, she went to check on her. Seeing the corpse of her dying sister and Koro-Sensei standing above her, she thinks that Koro-Sensei is the one that killed her. Then after Koro-Sensei runs away, leaving a note that he will teach class 3-E, Akari reads the letter, steals a tentacle stim and uses it on herself in order to gain tentacles. She then asks Gakuho to transfer her to class 3-E under the name Kaede Kayano, so that she could one day kill Koro-Sensei. Throughout the year, Kayano (Akari) takes a very passive role during the series. Not making any important decisions and often staying in the background, very rarely making any actions that change the course of the story. And then, when we least expect it, she reveals her identity to the characters and the audience, leaving everyone confused. After Koro-Sensei defeats her and clams her down by taking away the tentacles attached to her, he tells everyone in the class about his past. The students and Koro-Sensei forgive Akari (Now formally Kayano), and she is welcomed back into the class with open arms. Later, in the paintball battle between the class in order to decide Koro-Sensei’s faith, Kayano chooses to spare Koro-Sensei, as a way of apologizing. In the series finale, she is the one that tries to help Kor-Sensei win against Yanagisawa and 2.0, and while she gets injured, Koro-Sensei manages to heal her back to health. At his last moments, when all of the class restraints Koro-Sensei to the ground, Kayano holds his head, and looks at him in the eyes right before he is killed by Nagisa. Kayano’s development isn’t very large scale, as it only takes about 3 episodes worth of the series, but it’s definitely one of the more memorable ones. And in the end, that is the most important factor. When I think about character developments in Assassunation Classroom, I am very quick to think of her.
Of course, if I kept talking about each arc and character development over the course of the series, this review could go on for days. And considering the fact this review is already very long as is, I will put them aside for now. For now, I'll just say that there are very few shows out there that tackle developments as well as Assassination Classroom. Just know that this show is one of its kind in character writing. We're getting close to the end, so let's finish this once and for all.
CHAPTER 6: Finishing Words
Every time I watch Assassination Classroom, I'm amazed by how much I grow more and more fond of it each time I watch it. I'm baffled by how much I sympathize with its characters with each passing rewatch. I'm always impressed by how strangely human these characters feel. Their Struggles, their insecurities, their redemptions. Each and every part of them feels so genuine and close to home. Even moments as simple and subtle as a simple walk to school just add so much to their depth as characters. Their struggles reflect mine perfectly and naturally, I feel like no matter what, there is always one character at a certain point of the story I can appreciate and relate to. Maybe it's the eccentric and driven star such as Karma, who aims to be special, to proudly stand above everyone else. Maybe it's the stone cold Gakuho, who aims to reach strength by any means necessary and in the process, loses his old ways. Maybe it's Kayano, who seems to jump to conclusions too quickly, and it ends up biting her in the process. or maybe it's Koro-Sensei, the role model swearing to protect his loved ones, even if it means putting themselves before him. Every character holds a unique and special trait that carries them forward and makes them grow in their own respective ways. It is a show that says that each of us has our own ways to grow to create our ideal future. No matter what, each of us all have their special path, we choose to walk in. Then, we have Nagisa. From an insecure and quiet wallflower to a mentally and physically strong young man who is always determined to show his statement. No single character in anime has resonated with me like him. Assassination Classroom is above all, Nagisa's journey at showing himself to the world. He doesn't seem special. Heck, compared to the other characters in the show he feels shockingly ordinary. But it's through his struggles and hardships through the show's runtime, that he becomes a true protagonist. One that not only deserves a spotlight, but also knows when to step out of it when he needs to support someone else. He won't take the spotlight from someone else, but he will be their anchor., the one to make it all come together. It wasn't just a new class Nagisa needed, but a new place. One where he could feel welcome and loved, surrounded by people who all inspire him to aim higher. And now, it's his turn to pass it to others. When Koro-Sensei asks him what does he want to do in his future career, he is not sure, originally aspiring to be an assassin, but after realizing the support Koro-Sensei gave him and helped him create the person he is, he understand his true aspiration is to become a teacher, like him. And at the end of the series, when he is shown beginning his first teaching day, the feeling of satisfaction is just immeasurable. Even today, his dedication and determination inspire me to find my own destiny, Not one given to me by other people. And while I still have a long way on that road, I one day wish to reach the end of it. Looking back at my first time watching Assassination Classroom, I feel such a massive burst of nostalgia, reflecting on how much I have changed since that time. I feel like a way more different and mature person than I was around 5 years ago. Even if I'm still not sure about my future, I am determined one day to finally be proud of it. To finally be sure of it. To let my passions run wild. And when I do find my way, I will for sure be the happiest I ever was. Then, I will remember this show, and the incredible influence it had on me. It is however completely natural for this to change. When I first watched this show, it didn't crack my favorite list at all. Now, it's undeniably at the top. There may be a time in my life when this show simply doesn't speak to me anymore. But that doesn't matter, because there was still a time it did. A time when Assassination Classroom was my favorite anime of all time.
10 out of 10. Have a good day everyone, I had a blast writing this.
>"I'll Probably never find a place like this again, where your feelings can be right out in the open. But I will Kill him... Because I believe it's right." -Karma Akabane
