Anime 51096 Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi No Kyoushitsu E 2nd Season Reviews Filter Check 2

The title of this show is very misleading. I thought this school was for “elite students”, but instead, we had 4 classes of bozos participating in Among Us tests and school festivals. I’m not 14 anymore, so this isn’t as deep as I thought Season 1 was. After I finished Season 1 a few years ago, I was convinced that this was the smartest show ever with the best plot twists and the best protagonist in Ayanokouji, but now that I’m older, my views have changed.

That said, as an anime-only for this show, I still found Season 1 much better than Season 2, in basically ... every way. The story for Season 2 was quite boring, with events that felt very dry. The characters weren’t nearly as good as Season 1, because it seemed like everyone’s IQ except for Ayanokouji declined so much, and I questioned some of their decisions in the story. I’m sure that some of you have seen the bad animation frames posted on MAL and on social media as well, so the production was quite messy at times. The OST was nothing compared to Season 1, which I loved. Nothing felt as well done as Season 1, and save for some cheap enjoyment and satisfaction, this was quite the disappointing season.

My grading criteria: Story: /25 Art: /10 Music: /10 Characters: /20 Enjoyment /15 Thematic Execution /20

STORY: 11.5/25

The story felt quite un-psychological this season. Last season, at least the focus was on studying, and the point system, while this season, the plot material felt very dry, and the point system felt very insignificant. All the activities were built on these overly complex rules that was dumped on us all at once, and that’s never really enjoyable for the viewer. There are better ways to get us to think instead of thinking of rules all the time. It’s really the wrong way of being thought-provoking. The character drama felt very dry as well, as some of the backstories were very surface level. Perhaps this was the product of a rushed series, nothing really felt fleshed out enough to be interesting.

ART: 7/10

A downgrade from Season 1, which would be expected given the amount of episodes that Studio Lerche outsourced to other studios. It got better towards the end though.

MUSIC: 8.5/10

Also a downgrade from Season 1, which had quite the OST. There wasn’t a whole lot of stand out music in this season, other than the OP and ED, which I enjoyed a ton.

CHARACTERS: 8.5/20

The character personalities in this show are rather blank, and with how rushed the show was, they weren’t fleshed out enough. There were a few characters that had rather awkward and out of place interactions this season, such as Sakayanagi and Katsuragi from Class A. They just showed up with not much build up, which was a bit awkward (perhaps a few skipped LN parts?).

The biggest problem however, is that in a school for “elites”, how much the intelligence of the characters dropped this season compared to the last. Horikita for example, being the top of Class D, fell into obvious traps, which was so uncharacteristic of her character. Ryuuen as well, while being an extremely violent person, didn’t seem like the dumbest person out there, but as a villain, he wasn’t that good. It seemed like he knew who the mastermind of Class D was, but then he didn’t know? That was quite disappointing.

Now, I’ll also talk about the fan favourites, Karuizawa and Ayanokouji. Karuizawa in Season 1 felt like a lazy, spoiled girl who mindlessly spent her points on unimportant things, and fell off my radar real early. In this season, she works with Ayanokouji in the hope of defeating other classes. She has a bunch of secrets in her past, which I wished they fleshed out more. The romance between her and Ayanokouji feels somewhat rushed as well, since there isn’t much of a key reason for her to love someone, apart from getting protection.

Ayanokouji is still a good character for the most part, as he creates most of the satisfying moments in the show. His character doesn’t change much, and that’s unfortunately a bit of disappointment. He’s probably the only reason this show is still watchable.

ENJOYMENT: 11/15

With all my criticism, I still enjoyed this show, because the payoffs were quite satisfying, and who doesn’t like seeing Ayanokouji destroying everyone he meets?

THEMATIC EXECUTION: 10.5/20

For whatever this show was trying to do, they execute everything decently, but with the show being rushed the way it was, the psychological factor of the show was not up to par, and felt very surface level. The violence and the romance, while not being the main focus of this season, felt better executed than the mind games to be honest.

OVERALL: 57/100

Just comparatively blander in every single way compared to Season 1. It only felt satisfying to watch Ayanokouji mentally and physically destroy people who opposed him, but in the end, it just felt like everything could have been done much better, if the season had more episodes. Whatever Season 3 brings next year, I hope Studio Lerche learn from their shortcomings from this season.

'Classroom of the Elite', otherwise known as CotE, is not as pretentious as people perceive it. While it may incorporate philosophy into its reasonings, it does not seek to explore too deeply into it, just a surface level understanding is required. This is intentional as CotE does not intend to force one into realisation or muse over something excessively thought provoking; they utilize these concepts to their need as fundamental reasoning(the general truth) to the many character subtleties and interactions we witness. The main goal of the story after all is to unveil Kiyotaka's intelligence and progress with the tests. Moreover, it is one avenue ... to enhance the entertainment above superficial acts.

Let us take a look into the overall narrative by far: Season 2 exists to create development and establishment for the ever expanding cast in this series. This is to be expected given the direct confrontations between classes that involves everyone. Moreover, the psychological element is expected to be stronger and has already proven more evident. The relevance of the hierarchy system and interclass battles continue to persist being the main ideas of the narrative. This is already being supported with the new test that we have jumped into these past 3 episodes with more to come in the future. Depending on how the Anime is produced, we could be anticipating more calculative battles to match the intricacy of the tests rather than just skimming the details and reaching the conclusion.
For LN readers, the present pacing is obviously slightly faster than expected(yes I was prepared for less relevant moments to be cut but it is still fast). Consequently, we lose out potential emphasis on scenes and details in the story. For instance, this Planet Test could have spanned 4episodes for more adequate and impactful storytelling.

Qualitatively: nothing revolutionary as per these 3 episodes. There is a step up in the art and details, maybe even environmental setting but nothing incredible of a change. Notwithstanding the slip up in EP2 which ended quite disastrous-for some relief, EP3 did recover-I am optimistic that consistency will be achieved as Lerche should have incentive to appropriately support this currently hot and thriving LN series. On a side note, the OP/ED do possess more symbolic value.

As of now, CotE S2 has an underwhelming performance. Though when it comes down to things, I would just recommend everyone to give this series a look and dictate for yourselves. Prospectively, I expect improvements in S2 so I do look forward to the coming episodes for a reversal.

This has got to be the most overhyped show of the season. I initially expected it to have a significant improvement compared to the first season but it remains more or less the same.

What I think has gotten worse however is the dialogue, which progressively becomes more and more tumblr-esque and overtly edgy. Ayanokoji is the main culprit of this awful writing and his character continues to draw out plot elements with contrived anecdotes and knowledge that makes him look more stupid and self-absorbed than superhuman. This is in spite of the anime trying its hardest to convince the viewer that the main character ... is more intelligent than the average psychology major or high schooler taking a psychology course. The only part of him that continues to be redeeming is his cruelty toward others and his willingness to act towards his goals.

I hope it gets better but this problem continues to plague the enjoyment of this show.

Read the light novels so you can experience the great story and characters of classroom of the elite. The light novels are amazing while the anime and manga are just bad. If you are able to enjoy the anime because you haven't read the light novels and don't know what you are missing, then great and all power to you. But I would still recommend for you to read the light novels because if you liked the anime, you will absolutely LOVE the light novels.

Few notes why I think the anime is bad (probably because I have read the light novels)

-The story feels rushed
-The ... characters feel different and are poorly portrayed
-Some of the most important moments are done badly and are stuffed with information and dialogue that is supposed to happen later and because of that the truly important parts are rushed and not paid enough attention to.
-Some of the scenes are altered to be way worse (yes I know they cannot make the anime completely like the light novels because they don't have the time and they are two different types of storytelling but still...)

My score at the moment for the classroom of the elite anime is 5 (mediocre) because I have read the light novels and I know what this could have been. For anime only people it could be way better all I know. I would have liked to give it a 4 when I compare it to the light novels but I assume that for anime only people it is not that bad. After episode 5 my score went to a 4. They rush the hell out of things

The second season of Classroom of the Elite continues exploring the students of Class D overcoming the different challenges assigned by the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School to test their cohesion and individual capabilities under the school’s merit-based system, with things intensifying with the class’ rivalry with Class C led by the feared Kakeru Ryuuen.

The second season retains focus on the competition for students in each class to overcome different challenges through working out the rules and mechanics of the challenges and working within or exploiting loopholes with said rules to have things swing in their favor. This element still makes for one of the ... more engaging elements of the series with characters learning to work with one another or conspire against one another to gain whatever advantage they can get. This makes up the majority of Season 2’s story arcs, though is focused on as equally as the issues that stir up between Class C and Class D throughout the season that builds up in intensity as Class C becomes more suspicious of Class D’s “leader” sabotaging their chances at victory.

One major strength of this season to Classroom of the Elite is that it devotes time to further fleshing out and developing its characters. In particular, Kiyotaka’s character gets more fleshed out in regards to his past and motives, while also undergoing some development as he comes to gradually view a few of his classmates to be more than just valuable pawns to take advantage of. Increased focus is also shown on Kei Karuizawa, a seemingly minor character from Classroom of the Elite’s first season who becomes a major character to aid in Kiyotaka’s plans throughout much of the second season. Suzune’s character is also shown to undergo some major developments to get over her abrasive personality affecting her ability to befriend others and becoming less dependent on Kiyotaka to overcome any of the school challenges.

These praises aside, Classroom of the Elite II still carries similar weaknesses as its first season in that audiences may not like like many of the characters within the series due to the title’s jaded stance on school life reflected with its premise. Kikyo and Ryuuen, in particular despite their strategical capabilities, are pretty shallow as far as their personality and what their main motives are. Plus, it’s rather rough at points for me to think if I should root for Kiyotaka or not considering his manipulations and regarding his classmates as pawns to utilize for his plans, even with the gradual character development he undergoes in this season. In addition, the series still ends inconclusively as there are ongoing developments with the series’ plot that remain unresolved due to its light novel source material still ongoing as of this review. However, a third season of the series is currently in the works and slated to air sometime next year.

In short, I admit my reception to Classroom of the Elite II is just as mixed as my viewing of its first season. While the challenges faced by the classes are still engaging and this season actually features some fleshing out and development of some major characters, others are still rather shallow and Kiyotaka’s character is still rather questionable in whether or not I can connect with him due to how he perceives his classmates, alongside the title’s trademark cynical approach to exploring high school life. If you enjoyed the show’s first season, you’ll likely get similar enjoyment out of this latest installment of Classroom of the Elite if you’re still watching the series up to this point.

I was recommended to watch Classroom of the Elite because I like Death Note. After sitting through 2 seasons, I want to say this to whoever made the recommendation: "Comparing COTE to DN is like comparing a chicken to a Phoenix.". Yes, I am an anime-only and it doesn't matter because this review is for the anime and not the light novel, and after completing 2 seasons of the anime, I really don't feel like picking up the light novel.

I can see why COTE is so popular. It features an edgy high schooler who is secretly overpowered but tries to play it cool and acts ... inconspicuously. He also earns the love of all the waifus in school. (Perfectly suitable for teenagers to self-insert.)

Classroom of the Elite is about Kiyotaka Ayankoji, who is secretly a genius on a completely different level from everyone in his school. The school uses a point system which is basically the money system within the school and can be used to buy anything and even do bribery. The classes battle each other for points.

On the plot level, the psychological games and conflicts try to look smart with all the messy rules thrown in but are not interesting and just sloppy overall. The main character has a flat personality, Kushida's secret motivation is just an ass-pull and completely unrelatable, and perhaps the only interesting character is Ryuen. The series would have been more interesting if Ryuen was the MC and Kiyotaka does not exist.

There are some good moments, like the fight scene that happens in the penultimate episode, but that is not enough to make up for the earlier episodes that are just a pain to sit through.

I quite enjoyed the first season but this one I'm honestly not sure. Dead Detective was a mediocre LN adaptation to anime format and the production (flat conversations, weird timings for them as well, cut scenes) for this season is effortlessly topping that which is honestly a shock, given Lerche has ZERO projects outside of S3 for this series happening within a one-year period. Pair that with the obsessive part of the LN fanbase makes it kind of hard to enjoy it in a public space. In my private capacity, there are much better aired and airing series that are worth your time more than ... this sad excuse. Read the LN if it helps appease the fanbase

Ah, the continuation of a tale that beckoned for depth, yet found itself somewhat adrift.

The attempt at character depth and the plot's progression stand as commendable efforts. Questions dangle like ripe fruit—credits, currency, academic management—promising a broader scope to the narrative, leaving me curious for a macro view.

Admittedly, it seems I've found myself ensnared by boredom, succumbing to its beck and call. The series lingers betwixt mediocrity and depth, occasionally sparking intrigue, particularly in unraveling the mechanics behind unlikely victories.

As for fan service, a staple begrudgingly accepted. Its prevalence somewhat mellowed compared to the preceding season, a small mercy perhaps.

For aficionados of the first installment, ... the second season shall assuredly find itself an esteemed companion. But for those who found the initial offering lackluster, this chapter won't mend the dissonance.

The 2nd Season of Classroom of the Elite builds further on the reveal from the end of the 1st season where we learn that the MC is actually not a good guy, but a psychopath. Not a stoic and silent yet kind and good person, but rather a ruthless emotionless calculating machine.

It reminds me of Death Note, in that there's scheming and 'gotcha' payoffs that, I assume, are supposed to leave the viewer wooping in celebration when the 'good guys' win such a battle of wits.
If only they were the good guys...
And if only the schemes were actually interesting and not so cookie clutter.
And ... if only there were some actual character development.. yet the MC is just exactly the same person at the end as at the begin.

If you enjoyed Death Note, you'll possibly get a kick out of this.
If you desire, at minimum, an MC with a personality and some form of emotions, then give it a skip.
I mean, I'm autistic... and even I had to admit that this dude is too emotionally dead for me to be able to relate to.
Character Arc? what's that? Can you eat it?..

For me, the above mentioned flaws are a deal breaker.
However, the show otherwise is pretty good. The animation is good, the characters feel lifelike and have their own things going on.. aside from the MC of course. I did manage to breeze through it without issue, so I suppose it does have that going for it.

Classroom of the Elite 2


The second season hangs on the events of the first one and takes the island trials to the next round. In addition, this season improves in almost all possible areas and manages to appear much more convincing.
If someone didn't like the first season, they should think twice about watching the second. Both have more or less the same storyline and content, except that the second goes more into detail and has less fan service.

The most important point to understand is that COTE is a novel/anime that is built solely on the "enjoyment" factor, apart from which all attempts to ... be intellectual or strategic are a failure. Character depth is at least average here. The protagonist's plans don't hold any substance and just play out in the background, and are then resolved rather badly. I can say that at least 2 Detective Conan episodes already had more detailed quality than this one, and I don't even really like Conan.

To put it in comparison. Many things happen in the series that are to the massive disadvantage of D Class. As a viewer you have to keep asking yourself, how do they win? What comes next to turn the tide? And then it goes on for more episodes like this, where the protagonists only lose. In the end, Aizen 2.0 comes in and explains that the planner's plan for the planner's opponent, the actual plan was to let him plan that, only to put his plan on top of his plan. This is sent off with a "GG easy Game no Diff - Signed bored Ayanokoji-.

Other problems are the many questionable quotes, which often did not fit into the context.
You know that often characters in anime behave completely unrealistic and especially their conversations are not comprehensible. And here you see again how a group of NPCs communicate with each other.

I started this series without any real expectations and don't care about mediocre writing or plotholes, so I found this series very entertaining and exciting from a simple viewer perspective. Especially episodes 11 to 13 were a real cream pie for me, but that's not what this is about.


In terms of plot, nothing has changed or improved since the previous season, but the characters have caught up a bit more.

[Characters 5]

Even though the class is all stereotypes, there are still some positive differences. The contrast between Horikita and Sudo Ken, both have a relatively similar base of problems. Ayanokoji's wavering view of the world seemed to slowly change that way. Kei's post-traumatic character development and her developed Stockholm syndrome. And of course, Kushida's strange madness, which I didn't expect. Thought at the beginning Kushida had some pseudo-sad background instead of being the culprit of her problems. On the whole, the characters are at least satisfactory.




[Music 6 / Animation 7]

The intro and outro are decent and fitting. The Osts have gotten much better this season, with some even having appropriate charisma.

The animations here were mostly slightly above average, apart from the light and shadow effects which were impressive. But the absolute crowning glory was the fight in episode 12, which was a choreographic masterpiece.



[Score 5]

Average and nothing else worth mentioning. The series puts so much emphasis on manipulation and hyping itself to the skies that most people subconsciously believe it. No matter how badass Ayanokoji is, that doesn't change his questionable plans and how squishy they are. It's a story about a student who either had too much plot armor or his opponents willingly helped him walk into his traps.

But again, this is not necessarily a negative thing. This series has real entertainment value and many scenes that give the viewer a positive feeling or curiosity. As long as this is present, nothing should stand in the way of a good evening.

[Enjoyment 7]

I'm not gonna say it's good but I'm also not gonna say its bad.. Its just that the Light Novel is really better compared to the anime adaptation. If you have read the novel and plans to watch this, just don't expect good adaptation, you will be disappointed. In short, It was still entertaining and not really a waste of time.

Animation/Art 6/10 - The fight scene was good though, the rest uhhh yeah..

Music 9/10 - BANGER

Story adaptation 5/10 - This anime just made me read the novel just to get a better details of information..

Characters 6/10 - They did Ayanokouji's character dirty, but i guess ... it's still okay

Enjoyment 7/10 - I enjoyed it, though not to a certain level where I would give a rating of 9

Overall 7/10 - It was good but just don't expect a good quality story, this is just basically "Classroom of the Elite the summary". I kinda recommend if you are lazy to read the novel because all in all it was still enjoyable

This season was such a disappointment. As someone who was pretty engaged in the first season (even though I scored the first season a low 7/10), the first season did a good job of keeping an air of mystery surrounding where the plot could go and also certain main characters (Ayanokouji, Horikita, the school president, the teacher, class C and A students, etc.) which is why I decided to watch season two.

To start, the first season was a tad bit confusing (I guess a lot was left out from the novel), but it was explained JUST well enough to keep me interested in following ... the theme of classroom of the elite: Make it to Class A. Which is the main motivation for MCs Horikita and Ayanokouji. The thrill of this theme while they compete in exams while battling other classes is a great plot, but this show could've definitely explored the "psychological" aspect more. I ignored the vague plot points and annoying fan service of S1 for the sake of the storyline. The best thing about season one is the deserted island special exam. We get to see important characters in action, giving us hope for the next season as it is believed the show WOULD explore each of these characters more.

Season two begins where the island exam ends. Holy crap, this was such a letdown. From the amount of hype it got, I expected the storyline to be wayyyy more detailed and intriguing because the way season 1 ends off, it feels like things are just getting started for character development. But nope - instead we get a season full of irrelevant characters and bland storylines. Which is why I rated this a six, I was going to give it a 5, but I was being nice.

I will focus more on the characters because the plot is so nonexistent it feels like its dragging. For example, the first exam of this season is the cruise exam with the planets. To sum it up, the goal of the exam was for each planet team to guess who their teams VIP was to earn points, each team would engage in dialogue to figure this out. Obviously, this is classroom of the elite, so loopholes will occur. But nothing happens during this exam. LITERALLY NOTHING. These types of shows usually allow the viewer to go along and get some sort of idea of how the strategy will go, even if you are blindsided in the end - but nothing. (Tomodachi game does a good job of allowing you to follow along with its psychological aspect, even if it blindsides you in the end which is the POINT - to add to the thrill). Some students from class A don't even participate and all we have is the blonde girl from class B leading empty discussions that we don't even hear. Then during this entire exam, they highlight the hell out of this bullying storyline to introduce the blandest character ever: Karuizawa (Class D's leader Hirata's girlfriend). I'm sure in the novel there is a point to these scenes but based on how they are portrayed in the anime it is wayyy to vague. The bullying scenes feel so random and out of place??

Another disappointment from this season is our MC - Ayanokouji. He had sooo much promise. In season one they left you wanting to see him more in action. We knew he is a type of mastermind to work behind the scenes, but I think the show takes BEHIND THE SCENES to a new level. We see him do BARELY anything. So, once the exams are over and he (once again) was the culprit to Class Ds victory or growth, it makes no sense or is a stretchhhh. Ayanokouji in S1 was interesting, in this season he is just boring. It's one of those situations that just drag and drag and then BOOM he works wonders, and you wonder if he really is this big mastermind or if the people surrounding him are just idiots. There is NO competition (from what I've seen in class D, or C, and maybe even including B. Class A is the only class that is interesting). The ONLY character who kept me engaged and was slight competition was Class C's Ryuen. Ryuen MADE this season bearable. He was super interesting and wicked. He was my main motivation for finishing this season. He honestly saved me from dropping it halfway through.

Some honorable mentions that I thought would be interesting this season, but literally showed NO importance were Class D's leader Hirata, the blonde buff guy Rokusuke, and Class B's leader Ichinose. They had so much potential, but this show failed them.

I will touch on Kushida quickly because I think she is so irrelevant. I thought they would expand on her more, but we actually see less of her until the end. The only thing going for her was her hatred for Horikita, but even when her personality is brought to the light it's MEH. Other than that, she is literally there for fan service. Also, the Sakura girl is so pointless its laughable. She literally was barely in this season; I honestly feel like they just wanted another cute girl with big tits who crushes on the MC. She's just so random, just like a lot of characters in this anime.

Now, to Horikita. They did her so dirty this season. In S1 I sort of saw her as someone who could potentially be up there in thinking with Ayanokouji (even though we know he is out of everyone's league) but she barely grows as a character. Instead, everything that happens in Class D's favor is because of Ayanokouji. For someone who wants to go to Class A and prove her brother wrong, the show does a horrible job at showing her worth a lot of the times. In S1 she was way more strategic, but I feel like they purposely dummed her down?? That goes back to my point where I said Ayanokouji literally has ZERO competition. The only person who gave him a run for this money was Ryuen.

I also want to touch on the fan service and harem elements. The fan service wasn't as bad this season - thank god, but the show plays at harem elements for Ayanokouji which make no sense to me. He doesn't even talk to the random girls who like him enough for them to be blushing at or crushing on him? I swear anytime he looks at a girl or helps a girl in a situation its implied they like him?? At least in actual harem shows there's usually a reason or build up to why said girls like the MC. Also, majority of the boys in the show are weird perverts - who are just there to fill space - and only care about dating/flirting with certain girls in the class. Just like multiple things in this show, this is pointless.

To sum it up, after about 5 episodes in I literally kept watching as background or while I was multitasking. It was extremely disappointing because S1 left enough promise for them to do great things this season. I saw they are doing a S3, but I honestly won't tune in. If I do force myself, it would only be to see if they ever get to Class A, other than that this season left a bad taste in my mouth which isn't good because the first season wasn't the best.

You should watch this if you're interested in psychological shows, but this anime tries too hard to be psychological and it comes across forced. Some like this show, others don't. I think because it started off so rocky and the characters are so bland I consider this mediocre at best.

Ass-ass-ination Classroom.

A cursed monkey paw curled it’s finger as the fanbase wished upon it for the second season to the most 6/10 first of “Classroom of the Elite” and… I guess the fandom got what they wanted(?).

*One or two spoilers by the way*

I’ve always really loved the premise. An isolated boarding high school built to raise the next generation of leadership and hopefuls with a unique, points based currency which the students will live and hypothetically die by if they’re not sharp enough in their studies, social weaselling and competitiveness is a fertile ground for psychological story telling, and an interesting allegory of the very ... real issues related to Japanese corporate back stabbing plus Japanese schools leaving behind those who can’t keep up with demands of being an honour student whether it’s the students own fault or not.
Unfortunately, “Classroom of the Elite” is an adaptation of a *sigh* light novel, and because of the way light novel story arcs are structured plus the male wish fulfilment, power fantasy angle the main protagonist has to fulfil in order to keep viewers viewing and the readers reading that means there’s little to no tension to any of the trilling moments plus mind games, and the rest of the story is just sort of… there, waiting for the next big thing to happen.

A big contributor to this problem are the characters. Because Ayanokouji has to be the smartest ‘Shadow the Hedgehog’ person in the room at all times the rest of the cast are deliberately dumbed down, even the antagonists. They make incredibly uncharacteristic decisions for the sake of story drama and tension and it is infuriating to watch. The worst offenders here are Suzune and Ken who I guess have both learn’t nothing from their stories in season one, especially Suzune. I was screaming “He just told you she was the traitor! Why are you doing what she says without question when she's summoning you on behalf of the class who’s leader is activity trying to sexually assault you?? Are you fucking stupid?” at her in the mid point in the show and her constant posturing is never deserved. Even Ayanokouji can’t escape the dunce hat from season one as it takes him ages to solve the very easily solvable problem when you stop and think about it for more than 10 seconds of Kushida’s DNA jacket smoking gun she holds over him.
Speaking of Kushida, she does a great job of playing the heel to the point where fans of the show despise her, but her overall motivations are bland and vague. Same with Ryuuen. What is his end game here? To be the king of… school? Why? Why did the show introduce Ayanokouji’s father as a moron? What was his plan?
There are some characters who I enjoyed. Though it took me a while to warm up to her I thought Karuisawa was great and I love any screen time Hashimoto gets, but when you start asking yourself basic questions about the characters motivations you start to realise the shows writing is slightly pretentious. It also has some very bad takes on bullying and seems to suggest that people go from zero to bully if given the opportunity to slap someone a few times. The over-the-top tasks and situations the school prepares for the students are actually pretty mundane because this show takes place in a school and (this is just a pet peeve of mine) though not as bad as something like “The Asterisk Wars” listening to teenagers conversing like they’re in a Shakespeare play is obnoxious to say the least. One character literal spiels a Hamlet-equse monologue whilst getting his face punched in.

Speaking of faces, a lot of them go off model as the animation has seen a noticeable downgrade compared to season one. This isn’t a changing studios problem like “The Devil is a Part-timer” either. It just looks bland and in worst cases, rushed. 90% of the budget clearly went into episode 12 which is by far the best episode of the entire season, but if you can make it that far you will have to sit through a lot of stiff, distracting animation errors.

I can’t deny there are moments of this show I enjoyed. Little character moments that made me chuckle or moves that played that made me go ‘oooo’ are there in the show. Also the soundtrack is really good. They’re just buried beneath a lot of really easy to tell light novel bullshit if you’re someone like me who's poisoned their brain with anime. Maybe I hyped this show up in my head because the first season was okay and the fans of the light novels wouldn’t shut up about how good the show was about to get every week, but I can’t help but feel like this season of “Classroom of the Elite” was a huge disappointment.

4/10 Disappointment.

My reviews usually focus less on the show itself and more about the practical viewing experience, with exceptions of course.

'Classroom of the Elite' is a psychological drama mixed with a 'who's about do it' (rather than a who done it) puzzle of where seemingly impossible situations play out and are explained at the end, so you get to guess how the characters do it and why.

If you can handle the smug over-intelligent teenagers being ludicrously predictive (as in they predict the future, not that they're predictable) and the pseudo-Machiavellian scheming, then this is highly entertaining.
Regardless of how good or bad these seasons are as adaptations ... of the light novels, the premise has massive issues.

The idea, as it continues to be, is that high schoolers are put in an ultra competitive situation where their behaviour and performance is rated and classes are pit against each other, earning on-site currency as rewards. They are occasionally thrust into situations where they have to compete directly in events and must devise strategies and figure out how to win or make the others lose... and that's where the story sort of breaks apart, because this season introduces a literal extreme torture situation that is marked as brutal and being reprehensible, not to mention several situations of severe violence.

This has earlier been hand-waved with "oh but you don't have proof" (and even when there is video proof, it's hardly believed), but that excuse has become not just implausible but is breaking suspension of disbelief, where students are basically left to their own devices, if only they're clever enough to do it out of sight of witnesses and cameras.
The writing is very clever, it does try to explain everything at length, but the premise is breaking apart as it's just not believable. Even the 2000's "Battle Royale" is more plausible and more narratively coherent than this.

You mean to tell me that a school that encourages scheming, paranoia, bribing, backstabbing and aggressive means is producing the kind of members that society wants? I don't think so. You can argue for ruthless and strong leaders, but a hundred of them a year, if not ore of them, is only a detriment and not a benefit to society.

Still, it is entertaining and if you can turn off your suspension of disbelief, then go for it.

Started off strong in S1 and then... yeah...
I had high hopes for season two, mainly due to the fact that many LN readers hyped it up, but the hopes quickly died two episodes in. I like the overall concept of the anime and how it touches on sociological concepts (+other concepts). It's the main reason I kept watching... but what frustrates me is the petty teenage drama. I understand that the author is trying to use these situations to explain these (sociological) concepts but it can be annoying. Another thing is how some things are not so obvious. For example, I was a little ... confused at Ayanokoji's actions in episode 12 (leaving details out bc spoilers). I thought it was just me so I went through the comment section looking for an explanation... turns out the episode left out details to the situation and that's why his actions didn't make sense or weren't as obvious. I guess this is more of an anime-only issue but it is still pestering. I've heard the light novel is a hundred times better because it goes into deeper detail than the anime so I might end up reading it some time soon... maybe I'll even rewatch the entire show.
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I guess I shouldn't be too negative though, I'm still interested enough to watch season 3 so I'm not giving up on it that easily. Also, this was a nice weekly watch for the slow Summer season.
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It is what it is though... I'll see y'all for S3. I'm hoping for the best!!
(Will write a review for the light novel if I ever get around to it soon)

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

Between season 1 and 2 of "Classroom of the Elite" there have been five years of waiting for the fans of the show. For me however, it was just 5 days. I picked up season 2 weekly right after watching season one, so i noticed a LOT of things that changed from season one to two, for better or for worse.

Story - 6/10

The story has, in my opening, gotten much weaker than in season one. The first part of the show follows up the best arc of the series so far, and retains the setting. However, besides some pretty good character ... moments, not much was actually going on storywise. The pacing seemed really off, because there were actually three different story arcs packed into this season, which is a lot for 12 episodes, but each of them felt slow and unfocused. I have noticed that the whole gimmick of this school, which is the unique point-system that they have, apparently matters even less than before. We see people refering to it, but there is absolutely no progress, making a lot of the events that take place meaningless. There are also some rules that the first season put up, that the second season doesn´t follow. We still are not aware of the true intentions of our main character. The only thing that single-handedly carries this season is the mystery aspect. In that regard, the final two episodes gave some really interesting clues on Ayanokoji´s past, that could lead to some interesting plotpoints. Season three is already confirmed and on it´s way!

Art - 6/10

What happened here? Although the studio stayed the same, there is a clear gap in animation quality from season one to two. A lot of the lighting was scrapped, characters are very still and just move their mouths. The camera is used lazily and only shows everyone from the hip and up. Even the fluidly animated little fanservice shots (which were done for NO reason) are gone. I cannot count how many times i have seen Karuizawa step out of her shower, it feels like they are using the same shots multiple times. What saves this category is of course the "event" in episode 12. I cannot go into it because of spoilers, but there was a very well done scene in it. Good camerawork, nice use of shadows and fantastic choreography. If this show had more such moments, i could have gone higher than this, but that was sadly not the case.

Sound - 7/10

The OP was a little bit weaker than the one from season one. It was still very good, and had some cool stylistic choices in it. The ED is the best piece of music in the show. It works fantastically and rounds up every episode very well. Maybe one of the best endings this year so far. The music in the show itself was pretty basic and sparely used, mostly to build up tension.

Character - 7/10

Ayanokoji is the star of the show, no doubt, but this season gave some other characters time to shine. Kei Karuizawa is the most prominent side character in this season. Her relationship with Ayanokoji is well thought out and develops over time. Rouen is another character with a lot of screentime in this season. I think his goal makes sense, but the way he decides to execute everything is absolutely insane. This guy has seen way to many CIA movies. Unfortunately, the show introduced a lot of characters in season one, so some of them get pushed to the side a little bit, mainly Horikita. To make room for Kei, she got pushed to the sideline and is only there for exposition and dialogue. There were some characters who have a lot of potential though, so season three will hopefully pull everything together.

Enjoyment - 8/10

Although there were a lot of negatives, especially storywise, i really enjoyed coming back every week to see what happens next. The setting is just so great, and while some arcs are a bit boring and feel unfocused, they all are part of this story without filler. I am definitely going to watch season two when it comes out.

- Marco_Yooo

FINAL SCORE - 7/10

Felt very underwhelmed

So after just finishing the 2nd season I just can't shake the feeling of how underwhelming I fund it when comparing it to the first season as I was expecting alot more big brain moves from Ayanokouji or really just more complex psychological moves than the ones we got and we're now left with him still trying to monopolise his entire class still even after the second season, that's not to say no progression was made but it just felt like so little was made over the 13 episodes for me to give it a high score.
Although I did manage to like ... some things in this season like the intro and outro music of the anime, the return of it after so long after waiting since season 1 finished in 2017 so about 5 years and the fact that there's a 3rd season on the way so even though I was underwhelmed I will keep an open mind hoping that the 3rd season will have what I was essentially waiting for.

So not bad but if I were to say anything to people about to watch season 2 from watching 1 or people returning to watch it, I'd sadly say to temper your expectations a little. Still not a bad watch by any means.

The season starts strong and manages to be miles ahead of the beginning of the last one. It leans heavily on what I thought was best about the last season, which was how they manage to create an interesting mystery surrounding who would win and how they would win, by finding interesting loopholes in the different challenges.

This season leans heavily on this aspect that I liked the most about the show. However, it still isn't that great over all. Most glaring issues such as characters acting inconsistently, improved art style and animation have been much improved, its improved enough to be mediocre. Character motivations and ... dialogue are interesting enough to keep me watching for the cool events, but nothing more.

Part of the reason I'm watching this show even if I think it is slightly above average is not just for the cool mysteries, but also because of the main character. Up until this point they have written the main character as a psychopath, but every action he has taken ultimately helps his classmates, which is why they don't really suspect him as such: What I want to see at some point is the main character completely betray everyone who is close to him when he deems it absolutely necessary to achieve what he wants, I want to see the writer lean into him being a psychopath and being exposed as such, but only when he knows it wont matter if he's seen as such by his peers. I say this because I'm afraid the writter will chicken out and say: "he was a good guy all along, guys don't worry"

Anyway, second season improves quite a lot from the first one, still manages not to be all that good, but at least I can watch it and be decently entertained.

5.5/10

Okay, so it's not bad...but it's not good either. I think if you're an avid anime watcher and enjoy school setting for anime, then you'll like it. The main issue in this anime is the power balance between characters and their motivations. We all are not new to the idea of genius level mc's, and this one is no different. Ayanokoji is very smart and with that comes a great deal of apathy and trauma. Cool cool. However, his motivations as a character make no sense sometimes, especially in the second season. Not to mention, some of the more "powerful" foes also have bizarre motivations ... with the most nonsensical logic, even for anime. I often found myself questioning most of the decisions made by the characters rather than enjoying the show. And do not use the excuse of "they are just in high school" because even high school freshmen are not that dumb (most of the time). Anyways, I personally don't recommend watching this show unless you ran out of top tier anime and want to kill time. The characters are lackluster and all the "big brain" plays are very predictable. The only redeemable factor about this show is Koenji (man is an MVP).

(I will not be digging much into this, just a short and honest review)
At this point, just read the light novel...
As someone who has read almost to the end of the first year, I can assure you that the adaptation didn't do COTE justice.

A bunch of episodes are given to a small studio to handle and that results in the poor audiovisual experience we got. The only decently done episode in this season is episode 12. It looks like that's where all the budget went.

If you like COTE's plot and themes, you will be better off reading the source material.