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Assassination Classroom season 2
Episode 24

by Paul Jensen,

How would you rate episode 24 of
Assassination Classroom (TV 2) ?
Community score: 4.7

Even when your teacher is a super-powered mutant, graduation day still comes whether you're ready or not. With Koro Sensei exhausted and defenseless as a result of his battle against Yanagisawa and Reaper, the students of Class E realize that it's now or never if they're going to complete their assassination mission. A final vote ends with the class deciding to go through with it, but not before exchanging some parting remarks. Koro Sensei says his goodbyes to Irina and Karasuma, then takes a final roll call for Class E. Nagisa delivers the killing blow, and the students return to their classroom to find yearbooks and diplomas waiting on their desks, along with a big book of advice from Koro Sensei.

This is a very good episode, and it benefits from the work that Assassination Classroom did in previous weeks to tie up all its loose ends. Without any lingering villains to fight or personal vendettas to resolve, the show is free to focus on letting the core cast say their goodbyes. The result is an episode that foregoes the usual big final action scene in favor of a calmer, more emotionally nuanced resolution. It may lack the intense excitement we usually see in this genre or the comically elaborate assassination plans we've gotten used to in this series, but it's still a compelling and very human way to wrap up the story.

Assassination Classroom has dealt with Class E's conflict over whether or not to kill Koro Sensei before, and the group's decision has wavered back and forth a few times now. It's an emotional (and perhaps moral) ambiguity that this episode embraces with the students' final vote. The answer we're given is that while none of the kids are happy about the idea of killing Koro Sensei, they all agree that there's no other acceptable way for the school year to end. Admittedly, the show gives the characters a bit of a cop-out; a giant space laser set to vaporize Koro Sensei regardless pushes the decision into ending things on Class E's terms. Still, I'm glad that the show takes the time to deal with the characters' mixed feelings instead of going for a happier but over-simplified ending. Assassination Classroom has left room for doubt on a number of occasions this season, and it's a better series for having done so.

The final roll call is arguably the most emotional moment in this episode for good reason. No single student gets a whole lot of screen time or dialogue this week, but there's plenty of meaning to be found in each interaction. Having Koro Sensei call out everyone by name prompts the audience to think about the impact he's had on each character, and we can infer a lot about the cast by how they respond. Some try to put on a brave face and act casual while others are unable to hold their emotions back, and each reaction seems to fit the character in question. We get our big moment of catharsis, followed up by just enough humor to end on a high note without shifting the tone too abruptly. The obnoxiously thick yearbooks invoke Koro Sensei's particular style of comedy, while providing a visual representation of his influence on the class.

Episodes like this show what an anime series can do when it's willing to come to a definitive ending. There are good reasons to leave the door open for a sequel or try to drag things out for an endless number of seasons, but the most memorable endings often happen when a series closes the book at exactly the right time. That said, Assassination Classroom is still scheduled for one more episode. I'm not entirely sure what the show has in store for next week, but this is going to be a very tough act to follow.

Rating: A

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.


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