Ansatsu Kyoushitsu – 14, 15, 16

Posted by Zanibas on May 11, 2015 May 11, 2015 Ansatsu Kyoushitsu / First Impressions

Episode 14

Episode 15

Episode 16

「ビジョンの時間／期末の時間／終業の時間・1学期」 (Bijon no Jikan/Kimatsu no Jikan/Shūgyō no Jikan Ichi-gakki)
“Vision Time/End-of-Term Time/School’s Out – 1st Term”

Sorry for disappearing off the face of the earth for a bit, but the good news is that I’m finally graduating from college in two weeks! After my last set of finals and all that fancy ceremony stuff, hopefully things get more stable from here on out. Things look good from here.

But hey, speaking of things looking good, class 3-E really has it good right now. Starting from episode 14 where they managed to finally unite the entire class into a cohesive unit and ending in a crushing victory by episode 16, the so-called End Class has quickly made its way to the lead of the pack, by their first semester’s end no less. Now that no more dirty tricks have been played against them, Class 3-E finally showed off their skills, overcoming even the most dedicated and skilled students with genuine learning and motivation. Though it’s really easy to cheer for Class 3-E considering the nasty unlikable opponents they face, their victory in itself is something to be proud of. The two twists regarding Terasaka and friends contributing to the cause as well as Karma’s shameful display were cherries on top to the feeling of joy seeing so many top spots taken. It’s revenge justice long overdue.

In fact, these last two episodes have really defined what I’ve expected from Ansatsu’s potential as a series. Having started from the very bottom, we now see very capable students who have gone from being doormats to practically threatening students who are unwise to provoke them. They’ve gone from being completely discriminated against to basking in the glory of success against the odds. Heck, they’ve even gone and become happier people as a result, bonding together without animosity, even if some people fail adorably. The success story of Koro-sensei’s teaching is a feel-good strategy that’s doing well for the series now. For these two episodes, we didn’t see trampled students, but rather a group of trained individuals who frankly can handle anything the school throws at them, unfair or not.

In terms of reflecting on the potential consequences of their victory, we need only look towards the two Asano members, Chairman Asano and his son, Gakushuu. Though the chairman may have let a fair playing field arise this time, something very underhanded is about to happen to balance that out, whether it’s knocking down the class directly a peg or uplifting the A Class through controversial tactics. That much is known, but the severity of the retribution makes me shiver–how bad could the chairman go? However, it seems that the chairman will be facing off against a growing number of opposing views, even outside of Class 3-E. We’ve seen the first allies arise from Shindou’s assistance in providing intel on the A Class, but given Class 3-E’s growing influence, he sure won’t be the last ally. If I had to take a gambit, Gakushuu will make a fine ally, even if he is under contract with 3-E to comply with them. His hatred of his father combined with his overall excellent ability, swirled together in a character design that doesn’t immediately yell shallow antagonist, comes together in providing a character that could really give Class 3-E an edge over its unfair chairman. Like father like son, Gakushuu seems eager to take any opportunity to take his father down for unknown reasons; it would logically be in his interest to ally himself with Class 3-E sooner than later, something I hope we see after the summer arc ends.

Moving forward, it’s great that Class 3-E will finally get a little break after all the studying they’ve done so far. A nice island is great, but that spells lots of trouble for anyone who wishes to throw a wrench into the equation. As I’ve said in previous posts, the challenges against 3-E will continue to escalate, as their opponents stop going easy on a no longer sophomoric group of assassins. In developing themselves, Class 3-E has a fair share of enemies, ranging from ultra-utilitarian administrators to sadists from the army. Let’s just hope that none of these grudges come to haunt Class 3-E as they prepare to shoot down 7 tentacles.

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