Classroom Crisis / First Impressions / Series Introduction

「遅れてきた転校生」 (Okurete Kita Tenkōsei)
“The Delayed Transfer Student”

I avoided most of the promotional material for Classroom Crisis before it aired, and decided to blog it based on nothing about it other than that it was supposed to be some rom-com set on Mars. If, a year ago when I started writing for RandomC, someone had told me I would spend multiple seasons in a row blogging romantic comedies I would have laughed at them. Yet, here we are. Where did it all go wrong?

In all seriousness, I don’t really have anything against rom-coms (dead genre though they seem to be in the West), and it’s not evident from the first episode that Classroom Crisis is a romantic comedy. Sure, there’s the highschool setting that is oh so common in anime, but this one is apparently appended to a megacorporation. We start with the introduction of a transfer student, a common opener, but this one is being held hostage. And of course, the whole thing is set In the Future. So if Classroom Crisis was trying to distinguish itself, I’ll say: mission accomplished. In doing so, though, I’m left not really sure what Classroom Crisis actually is. Though it billed itself as a rom-com, again this pilot does not make that readily apparent. Sure there was a boy meets girl moment, and there were funny faces, but that doesn’t exactly a rom-com make. Instead, the focus of the episode, besides the introductory elements, was the hostage rescue operation with 3 720 to 1 odds of success. And to Classroom Crisis‘s credit, I got into it. I got pumped when the prototype spacecraft launched, and I winced when the multibillion dollar project promptly scrapped itself. A class of kids looking out of place while playing ad-hoc Houston was also plenty fun. Perhaps it’s because it reminded me of goofy mecha series. In particular, there was an old kid’s show called Matchless Raijin-oh (perhaps better known as the base template for Bokurano) where the classroom would transform into a command HQ for children to support giant combining robots. That’s the stuff that sold toys, back in its day. Of relatively more modern vintage would be Robotics;Notes, which started with a similar, slightly playful air and involved highschoolers dabbling in technology they frankly shouldn’t be allowed near.

Of course, there’s many comparisons that we can be making based on this first impression, but at this point who can say where Classroom Crisis will go from here? This pilot episode had both a classroom and a crisis, which checks those boxes, but with the X-2 reduced to expensive junk the ability for a similar adventure seems stymied for the near future. And with the introduction of the business-minded Kiryuu Nagisa (Uchida Yuuma) to downsize their department/class/whatever, I’m not sure fun would even be tolerated. Perhaps this is where the rom-com would come in; Nagisa starts as a stick-in-the-mud, eventually falls in love, is brought around to the joy of invention and the wonders of space, so on and so forth ad nauseam. Perhaps the rom-com was a lie, and there will be more corporate shenanigans. Or I could be completely wrong about everything (which is always a safe thing to bet on).

Regardless, Classroom Crisis has secured my attention for now. This first episode was a good mix of plot and development, and had a commendable lack of overt exposition (until the info-dump at the end, anyway; congratulations to New Zealand for getting a colony on this side of Mars before Australia, just like how Canada beat out the US). It just goes to show audiences don’t really need to be told much at all; it’s easy enough to figure out we’re on Mars via background information and establishing shots. Maruto Fumiaki, who also wrote my past pet love Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata, seems adept at weaving in exposition, and it’s good to see him putting that skill to work here as well. And Classroom Crisis is his first original anime, so he probably has something at least interesting waiting in the wings. So far so good; let’s see how it goes from here.

Full-length images: 16, 37.

 

Preview

40 Comments

  1. “Seems like Passerby will have a good fun blogging this show” – that’s what I wrote just a few minutes before your post at #randomc irc channel (everybody’s welcome to join our everyday anime and manga discussions, by the way).

    And here it is, I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as I did! 🙂

    It was especially so fun to see how badass Iris is, with her cute Amamiya Sora voice that so much reminds Isla from Plastic Memories. And the sensual introduction of our imouto.. just wow.

    brajt
    Reply

  4. Just one last thing and I stop spamming the comment thread.

    I was surprised we didn’t get to see OP and ED. It’s common for shows to ommit one of them or f.e. put OP in the place of ED, but not many series puts both of them away, or do they?

    brajt
    Reply

    1. Shows don’t often omit both OP and ED in their pilot, but it’s not infrequent. It simply a matter of time management; some shows just want more for their first episode. Some shows even cut it because the OP/ED would be too spoilery, or would not work with the mood of the intro, or even because the producers haven’t finished it quite yet. All in all, OP/EDs don’t serve much purpose other than 1. Remind viewers what they’re watching 2. give a place to put the credits 3. sell music, so they’re free to be played with or even removed with impunity.

      Passerby
      Reply

  5. Well my small reaction to this show
    +
    *Strong Casts
    *As Passerby said, good execution of plot and development
    –
    *Info-dumping
    *Wobbly animation on some parts (I think this is the new studio’s(Lay-duce I think) 1st major project so I think it’s acceptable)

    Anyways who cares about the cons, the important thing is that I still enjoyed the 1st episode, I know it can still improve a bit more in the future eps (I’m hoping for it). Can’t wait for the OP and especially the ED for this show (Claris I’m looking at you).

    Yuuna
    Reply

  8. The first summer premiere that did absolutely nothing for me. Characters with uninteresting personality, uninteresting plot, uninteresting setting, uninteresting technobabbles, uninteresting designs, and even much more uninteresting dialogues. Just an uninteresting episode all around.

    Will still give the second episode a try, but if they still fail to bring anything noteworthy to the table, i’ll just drop this.

    Amiluhur
    Reply

  11. @Classroomcrisis

    Firt Impresion is bad

    Why Bad?
    (removed Spoiler)
    Well, it all turn around Money. Do you really think this is what the Watchers wanna hear? Money, and money again. i was not laughing when the “HQ” do not wanted to eject the unpredictible Boosters.. That was the first Dent, lucky the Teacher done the right thing. Savety first, the Pilot is not a Machine. But then the Hostage’s reaction. Money!!!!!! $$. Ane he is there to downsize the “Cast”. right. RL Problems with cutting the Budget now enter the Anime…

    and also the extreme lack of Discipline is not helping it, for me. Perhaps they are fresh. but i dunno, perhaps i am to Old school

    Well, the first Episode is a downer for me. let’s wait the other 2 ones

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

  12. This shot reminded me of Cowboy Bebop. And this (including the interior shot of the run-down Stanford torus-style habitation block) made me remember the Gundam franchise–in particular, the Universal Century-verse.

    If Classroom Crisis made me reminisce some good old sci-fi anime (even though it presented itself as a rom-com), it’s definitely worth taking a look.

    Incognito
    Reply

  14. For all the ways that CC has gone out of its way to distinguish itself, it’d kinda be a disappointment if it went down the traditional rom-com route; not that there would be anything wrong with that, but I feel like this series has the potential to take a more memorable route rather than just playing it safe.

    Iris in particular has my attention, but I’ll be honest and say that it’s that imouto character that has me wincing. Characters like her tend to sway either towards being a plot device or, for all intents and purposes, a killjoy that just wants everyone to get along for no real reason other than wanting everyone to get along (here’s looking at you, Asseylum). We shall see.

    Ryan Ashfyre
    Reply

    1. That is a point. but i got the feeling we have here right from the Start Power play between the Brothers. The “Hostage” brother took advance of the situation and perhaps he was planed something. But the “Rescue Mission” cut through his Plans, and my guts telling me. He will be the Shadow Villain to give some kind of Payback or Powerplay with his brothers, and out Main Cast is cached in the middle…

      Yeah, as i said “MONEY!!!”

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

      1. This is the big problem.
        the transfer student is the brother of Iris.
        it seems that Iris was send for his brother to school to investigate the team.
        She leaked information to his brother the new transfer student, however as it Iris is a spy, they pretended they not if know.

        Angela33
        Reply

  17. For some reason I do get the feeling, that there will a love triangle between the female leads and the new guy, but with the only difference that this Iris girl is in the middle and not the guy. Besides the art this series has potential. I hope I won’t dwell into clishees.

    dean
    Reply

    2. This is the big problem.
      the transfer student is the brother of Iris.
      it seems that Iris was send for his brother to school to investigate the team.
      She leaked information to his brother the new transfer student, however as it Iris is a spy, they pretended they not if know.

      Angela33
      Reply

  22. Ep 02:

    Show Spoiler ▼

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

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