Assassination Classroom season 2

Episode 8

I know Karasuma is supposed to be a professional killer, but he spends enough time working as a teacher that it's tempting to just think of him as a nondescript dude in a suit. Well, at least it was until he lost his shirt halfway through this episode and proceeded to pound the living daylights out of a bad guy with his manly muscles. Damn, that guy is ripped.

Karasuma and Koro Sensei arrive on the scene this week, but their attempt to help Class E gets off to a rough start when another one of Irina's timely betrayals lands Koro Sensei in the same cell as the students. With his main target trapped, the Reaper prepares to flood the facility, which would kill both Koro Sensei and the Class E kids. Karasuma pursues the Reaper and tries to stop the plan, but both he and Irina end up walking into an explosive trap. Class E is able to trick the Reaper into thinking they've escaped the cell, which buys Karasuma enough time to pull Irina from the rubble and get back into the fight. It all comes down to a hand-to-hand battle between Karasuma and the Reaper, which Karasuma wins through a mix of toughness and quick thinking. With the students safe and Irina welcomed back into the classroom, things appear to be back to normal for the time being.

Most of Assassination Classroom's more serious stories have served as lessons for both the heroes and the villains, with Koro Sensei or Class E offering a demonstration of brains overcoming brawn. This episode also contains a teachable moment or two, but its main purpose is to give Karasuma a chance to show off his skills. Under normal circumstances, he plays a supporting role in Class E's battles, offering his expert opinion on just how strong or clever the students have become under Koro Sensei's tutelage. This time around, he steps up as the group's Last Hope and delivers a thorough butt-kicking. His fight with the Reaper may lack the creativity and unpredictability of Class E's assassination attempts, but it makes for a satisfying conventional action scene.

As far as the story goes, this episode is all over the place. Some plot points play out nicely, some are disappointing, and others are just odd. On the positive side, I like the brief glimpse we're given of Irina's past, as it offers a better sense of how she perceives the world around her. Karasuma's attempt to make up for the previous episode's birthday present debacle is another highlight; the mix of good intentions and blunt presentation feels like a perfect match for his personality and makes for a charming scene. On the other hand, I'm a little disappointed that Irina's decision to double-cross Class E is as simple as it first appeared to be. Given that she supposedly specializes in deceiving her opponents, it seemed odd that she didn't have a plan in place for dealing with the Reaper's sudden but inevitable betrayal. Speaking of the Reaper, the revelation of his creepy skinless face seems oddly unnecessary. It doesn't make for a significant plot twist, and it actually makes him a less intimidating opponent than the calm, smiling villain that demolished Class E last week. Let's leave the task of providing weird and colorful faces up to Koro Sensei, shall we?

While the writing may suffer from some inconsistency, the visuals in this episode are an improvement over its predecessor. Last week's “total blackout” approach is more or less abandoned in favor of a more typical nighttime color palette, allowing the audience to actually see what's happening during the fight between Karasuma and the Reaper. This is easily the more preferable of the two options; people watch action anime to marvel at the characters' impressive fighting skills, not to guess at what the characters may or may not have done while the lights were out. If the hero's best plan is to kick the baddie in the crotch, then by all means show off that kick in all its painfully kinetic glory.

When combined with the improved visuals, the ups and downs of this episode's script balance out to an acceptable experience. This storyline ultimately leaves some of its potential on the table, but I had enough fun watching Karasuma finally just beat the stuffing out of a villain that I can forgive a misstep or two. If nothing else, this episode at least moved the relationship between Karasuma and Irina along. There's hope for those two yet, even if they lack the surplus of charisma that they'd need to steal the spotlight from Koro Sensei and Class E.

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.