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The Controversial Politics of Classroom of the Elite


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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5407
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 10:57 am Reply with quote
I am surprised Gabriella is falling for the supposed philosophy in Classroom of the Elite. The show was kind of smart at the start, but by its midpoint it became pretentious crap; I can also throw out a couple of Rousseau quotes, but that does not make me a philosopher.

The best thing about this show are big boobs and panty thieves.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:20 am Reply with quote
@ angelmcazares - thank you for your banal reductive post that explains nothing. Gabriella outlined the ideas she feels are in play. You can be persuaded or not but acting as if all this show is doing throwing out some quotes is lazy thinking.
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:21 am Reply with quote
Tomose Shunsaku's character design is pretty much the only reason I'm still watching this tripe. If the girls didn't all look like porn stars then I'm sure I would have dropped this by now. The island arc has been awful and I don't see any way it can be remotely interesting in the next few episodes.

I will say that I did get a chuckle out of one of the recent episode titles/quotes. The one which said something like "What most people call fate is actually their own stupidity". Had nothing to do with the content of that particular episode as usual, but it got a chuckle out of me.


Last edited by Megiddo on Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:28 am; edited 1 time in total
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FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2165
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 11:27 am Reply with quote
The show lost all chances of me taking it seriously the moment Ryuen and his Big Black Bodyguard appeared.

The real question now is when we get more Sakura in this Assassination MMA Lord of the Royale anime.
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Morry



Joined: 26 Jun 2016
Posts: 756
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:05 pm Reply with quote
The series was pretentious from the start, from its quotes to its framing to its tone. It looks nice as far as series go and there's some interesting ideas but I find it too dull for how in love with itself it is.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:11 pm Reply with quote
Haven't watched it, but it sounds like the show is trying to talk about equality, education and society will avoiding a giant problem that every system eventually has to face, what do you do with handicap people?

The quote about everyone being equal and all difference coming from education is obviously false to anyone who ever seen or even know of the existence of handicapped people (both mentally and physically). I'm guessing none of the student of any class have any sort of handicap. Meaning any insight the show might come up with wouldn't be applicable in real life.
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5407
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 12:59 pm Reply with quote
Blood- wrote:
acting as if all this show is doing throwing out some quotes is lazy thinking.

But that is exactly what the show is doing. I am watching this anime week to week, but it does not have thought provoking ideas. If I tried to argue that the show has actual depth, I would just be grasping at straws. There are examples of anime with substance like Death Parade and the first season of Psycho-Pass, but Classroom of the Elite is NOT one of them.

You sound as if I were obliged to agree with Gabriella because she is a critic and I am not. I apologize if my initial comment sounded too dismissive. I was very surprised that Gabriella found merits in this show because she is a very insightful and smart critic; I never imagined that she would take seriously a clearly presumptuous and empty show.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 1:36 pm Reply with quote
@ angelmcazares - you continue to evade my primary point. Gabriella laid out some of the ideas she believes the show to be noodling with and backed those up with examples from the show. In my case, I was persuaded by what she had to say. I think it is perfectly fine if you or anyone else isn't. But if you fall in that category, then it behooves you to respond specifically to at least some of the points Gabriella has raised and mention why you don't think her interpretation holds water. Otherwise, you are basically dismissing everything Gabriella has to say without explaining why. That's lazy thinking.
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Angel M Cazares



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 5407
Location: Iscandar
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:14 pm Reply with quote
@Blood-

Gabriella's interpretations are well thought out, and she clearly knows more about the philosophies of the people being quoted in the show than me. My problem with her piece is that I don't see enough meat in Classroom of the Elite to get deep provoking thoughts, philosophies and themes out of it.

I have heard of Rousseau and a couple of the philosophers being referenced, but I know so little about their ideas to use them to analyze anime. But even if I knew a lot about philosophy, Classroom of the Elite is not worth the effort. I don't mind Gabriella or other critic doing this kind of pieces, but I will probably dismiss them if they focus on a dumb and/or empty anime.

It is up to you to reply, but this is my last post on this topic.
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Arale Kurashiki



Joined: 24 Aug 2015
Posts: 744
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:19 pm Reply with quote
It's rather unfortunate that the show doesn't create a thematic whole. The philosophy and premise sound interesting, but when the art and direction are at odds with that, it becomes hard to really enjoy. It can still be analyzed and discussed as we see in this article, but a lack of thematic resonance means there's no reason to expect its interesting elements to continue at any given point.

Or in other words, arbitrary fanservice really sucks when it distracts from the writing.
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Megiddo



Joined: 24 Aug 2005
Posts: 8360
Location: IL
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:34 pm Reply with quote
The arbitrary fanservice is the plus of this series. The writing is the minus. The show is a whole lot of nothing other than Ayanokoji solving everyone's problems (or setting up people so they solve the problems) and having the girls fall head over heels for him.

That is the end all be all of the show. There's nothing in terms of philosophy or politics ever being argued.
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LinkSword



Joined: 06 Jun 2013
Posts: 188
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 2:38 pm Reply with quote
Welp, I wholeheartedly agree with angelmcazares. This show is terrible in all regards.

Also, a dumb show may prove enjoyable sometimes, but a dumb show that desperately wants to pretend it's smart is just garbage.
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AksaraKishou



Joined: 16 May 2015
Posts: 1410
Location: End of the World
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 3:18 pm Reply with quote
meiam wrote:
I'm guessing none of the student of any class have any sort of handicap.


Alice uses a cane if that's what you're asking for.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23669
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:37 pm Reply with quote
Megiddo wrote:
That is the end all be all of the show. There's nothing in terms of philosophy or politics ever being argued.


Yes there is as Gabriella demonstrated. Nobody on the other side who maintains this is not happening has bothered to try and counter her points. We just get flat, declarative assertions without any supporting argument. Nobody would seriously contend that Classroom of the Elite is without its low-brow, frothy elements. In fact, a strong argument can be advanced that those elements are the main purpose of the show. However, as Gabriella has pointed out, there is some more thoughtful stuff occasionally going on. To deny that is as boneheaded as maintaining there is no low-brow, frothy stuff going on and this show is entirely a serious meditation on competing educational/social organization philosophies. This may shock some folks, but both concepts can actually exist under the same anime roof.
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meiam



Joined: 23 Jun 2013
Posts: 3442
PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 5:52 pm Reply with quote
AksaraKishou wrote:
meiam wrote:
I'm guessing none of the student of any class have any sort of handicap.


Alice uses a cane if that's what you're asking for.


If some of the metric being tested and rewarded are athletic, then yes, otherwise no.
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