Assassination Classroom season 2

Episode 14

Just when you think you know someone, they sprout a pair of weaponized tentacles from the back of their neck. After spending a season and a half as an unremarkable but pleasant background character, Kayano goes through quite the transformation this week. She reveals her true identity during a surprise attack on Koro Sensei, in which she very nearly succeeds in killing him. Kayano's real name turns out to be Akari Yukimura, and she's the younger sister of the woman we've seen in the show's occasional flashbacks to Koro Sensei's past. She blames him for her sister's death and used an experimental serum on herself to become strong enough to kill him. Koro Sensei promises the rest of the class that he'll explain what really happened before he became their teacher, but first he must survive a second attack from Kayano/Yukimura. If Itona's experiences with out-of-control tentacles are anything to go by, this battle may be a matter of life and death for everyone involved.

I suggested last week that Assassination Classroom could do with a change in direction after a couple of uneven episodes, and boy did we get one. The bombshell of Kayano's true identity is enough of a shock to take over the plot and make Koro Sensei's clash with the principal feel like a distant memory. The surprise carries even more dramatic impact considering the character involved. Kayano had previously been one of the show's least dangerous characters, so the image of her going completely berserk leaves quite the impression. The character design helps out here, with Yukimura's different hairstyle and facial expressions offering a visual distinction between her and the Kayano persona (besides the obvious green tentacles). As some of the other Class E students point out, it's almost like she's a completely different person.

If anything, the change in personalities is almost too unexpected. While the lack of any significant foreshadowing helps to preserve the element of surprise, it also makes it more difficult to buy into what's going on. It seems like Kayano and Yukimura are two separate characters, rather than two sides of the same person. Had the series hinted more strongly that Kayano was hiding something in past episodes, it might have been easier to sell the sudden twist. A big reveal like this should make the audience think, “How did I miss that until now?” but my initial reaction was closer to “Wait, did they plan this in advance or just pull it out of thin air?” I'll give the series the benefit of the doubt here, but the last thing Assassination Classroom needs to do is to start making up plot twists as it goes along.

As the episode looks more closely at Yukimura's personal vendetta against Koro Sensei, the situation gradually becomes compelling enough to ease the feeling of narrative whiplash. It's been a while since the show offered any new information on how Koro Sensei ended up teaching Class E, and presenting the scene from another character's perspective adds some complexity to the story. Setting up the dead sister as Class E's former teacher also gives the other students more of a stake in the conflict, which in turn allows them to pressure Koro Sensei into giving us more information. As it works to get everyone on board with current events, Assassination Classroom is giving itself a good opportunity to fill in the missing pieces of its backstory.

The second fight between Yukimura and Koro Sensei has a lot of potential, as it presents Koro Sensei with a serious dilemma. As long as Yukimura is willing to push herself beyond her physical limits, she's a genuinely dangerous opponent. He can't go all-out defending himself though, since he's determined to keep treating her like one of his students. The solution will likely lie in getting through to Yukimura on a personal level, and that kind of emotional appeal is something Assassination Classroom tends to do quite well. Combine that with some well-animated action and you've got the ingredients for a pretty good story arc.

Rating: B

Assassination Classroom is currently streaming on Funimation.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.