Watching 'Classroom of the Elite'

Classroom of the Elite is a 2017 anime produced by Lerche, the same studio that produced Assassination Classroom and the Danganrompa anime. The show was directed by Seiji Kishi and Hiroyuki Hashimoto. Seiji Kishi previously directed Angel Beats! and Assassination Classroom, while Hiroyuki Hashimoto was an episode director of Accel World, Angel Beats!, and Bakuman. The show is based off of the series of light novels written by Shougo Kinugasa, with the artwork being done by Shunsaku Tomose. There are 10 volumes that have been released so far, and the anime is made up of 12 episodes.

The story follows Ayanokoji who is a first-year student in an experimental government-funded High school. The students are allocated living expenses on a monthly basis through merit alone. The first month progresses without incident, however, on the first of the second month of high school, the students of class 1D are woken up to the true reality of the situation. The students of the school are rewarded for not only performing in education, but in all aspects of their lives on campus, and if students fail to perform, they will not be allocated any living expenses. Ayanokoji's neighbor in class is a girl named Horikita who has made it her goal to be in class 1A.

What is immediately noticeable about this show is the level of polish it has to it. Each episode is stunning to look at, and the usage of 3D animation is so well done that it is only noticeable if you are looking for it. The blend is near seamless, and that brings a consistency to the show that pulled me into the world that much more. The colors on display are mesmerizing and the character designs of the central cast are all distinct; this is the case because despite each character having a similar character model, each one stands out on their own. What the show has that is unique to this particular show is the way the animators have colored in the eyes, giving them various shades of color instead of simply one. This makes even the most expressionless character somewhat alluring.

While the characters fall under the typical type of characters that you usually find in anime, placing them in this particular school and pitting them against each other creates a dynamic that is interesting to watch. And, at times, it completely subverts the character tropes and motivations to create depth in them. This plays heavily into the moments when the classes are competing against each other to create unexpected results. With that being said, the arcs that the characters take in the show do not deviate from the standard formula. Rather, many of the students in a class behave as if they are political elites, battling for power. The drama this creates is quite fascinating.

The structure of the show is very much arc-like in structure, with each arc lasting two to three episodes—save for the final arc in the season lasting five episodes. Nearly half the season. This arc, while it has a strong start and a strong end to it, felt as if the middle was dragging. As if there was filler in it that helped to push the episode count to 12 episodes. While there is a fair amount of character development, certain plot points felt repeated in this arc without a clear resolution. (If there was a resolution then I clearly missed it.) Despite the weaknesses of the arc, it was one that I thoroughly enjoyed by the time it came to an end.

The show lends itself well towards a second viewing. As it is only 12 episodes long, with no second season on the horizon (at the time of this writing), it is prime binge material. The reason why I think of it as having a good second viewing is that there is a twist at the end of the show which completely changed the perception of a certain character, and seeing the show again allows you to see the character in a different light. In addition, the soundtrack is fantastic and is worth watching the show for that alone.

Ultimately, this is a show I recommend to anime fans, as the premise alone is interesting to watch in its execution. You can watch Classroom of the Elite on Crunchyroll and Funimation.