Assassination Classroom season 2

Episode 2

This episode is counted as #24 on the Funimation website

If there were any lingering concerns about whether or not Assassination Classroom still had original plans to kill Koro Sensei up its sleeve, then this episode should put those worries to rest. We've seen everything from an elaborate trap on a tropical island to a student just asking him to drink a fresh batch of poison, and now we can add enormous explosive desserts to that list. Looks like the series won't be running out of material any time soon.

The first of this episode's three segments involves Kayano coming up with an especially delicious way to assassinate Koro Sensei. The class prepares an enormous mountain of pudding, complete with a bomb inside. While the plan doesn't quite succeed, at least everyone who worked on it gets their just desserts. The next part of the episode sees Class E play an over-the-top version of cops and robbers, complete with a jail guard who turns out to be shockingly easy to bribe. In the last storyline, a tabloid article raises suspicions within the class that Koro Sensei has been stealing underwear from the town's unsuspecting citizens. A late-night stakeout reveals that the thefts are the work of an impostor, but Koro Sensei's pursuit of justice leads him straight into a trap.

In an episode that features quite a few amusing visuals, the pudding bomb easily takes the cake. The sheer scale and complexity of the plan is enough to carry the scene on its own, and Assassination Classroom takes the concept just seriously enough to make it work. Rather than trying to stack the deck with too many exaggerated reactions and forced punch lines, the show steps back and lets the audience enjoy the delightfully absurd image of Class E collaborating on a giant pudding bomb. If this bit has a weak point, it's in the relatively typical resolution. We know by now that the more entertaining assassination attempts are unlikely to ever kill off Koro Sensei, so his appearance behind the students after disarming the bomb doesn't come as a surprise. For better or worse, most of the fun is found in the preparation instead of the outcome.

The cops and robbers game feels like the afterthought of the group, a short little sequence added in to fill out the episode's running time. It may be inconsequential, but at least it provides some laughs. Koro Sensei is in fine form here, and the various underhanded methods that the students use to get out of jail allow his goofy side to shine through. Perhaps it's best to think of this scene as a chance for the series to stretch its comedic muscles while the new season builds up momentum.

The interrogation leading up to the impostor hunt can't surpass the pudding bomb for sheer originality, but it does include some entertaining sight gags of its own. Rather than trying to sell us on the idea of Koro Sensei being the culprit, Assassination Classroom chooses to focus on making the false evidence as silly as possible. The highlight of the scene is Koro Sensei's attempt to placate the class with a barbecue, leading him to pull out a handful of skewers that happen to be loaded up with underwear instead of meat. Not exactly convincing evidence, but certainly worth it in terms of humor.

My concern is that Assassination Classroom appears to be heading toward a serious fight scene, and these have never really been the show's strong point. They've always been at least watchable, but only a few have been as compelling or entertaining as the show's more creative content. I'll give the series credit for continuing to work on getting this kind of showdown right, and I'm curious to see if the new season brings a more refined approach, but history suggests that we're in for a “just OK” episode next week.

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.