Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 25 #JHedzWorlD

Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 25 #JHedzWorlD

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Well, I guess that’s it; time to hand out the diplomas and call it a day. With their time as Koro Sensei’s students now over, the members of Class E attend their school’s graduation ceremony. A swarm of reporters descends on them as soon as the event wraps up, but the kids from Class A step in to make sure their old rivals can leave without causing a scene. The school itself goes through a changing of the guard, with Irina and Karasuma moving on to their next assignments and the principal stepping down from his position. The characters return to the old school building seven years later, as all of the Class E alumni are eager to catch up with one another and reminisce. The only former student not in attendance is Nagisa, who’s already busy teaching his own class of seemingly irredeemable delinquents.

Since Assassination Classroom had already resolved its major storylines over the last few weeks, this episode is more of an epilogue than a finale. It’s a “life goes on” kind of ending, with much of its screen time devoted to showing what’s next for the characters. It also offers a neater, more unconditionally happy ending than the episode before it, for better or worse. Koro Sensei is still gone, and there are still a few emotional moments here and there, but the overwhelming message left over is that everyone will be alright without him. While I wouldn’t have minded seeing the series end a week ago, I’ll admit that it’s nice to have a more relaxed farewell to the story and characters.

In some ways, this is more of a reflective episode than an emotional one. The fact that Class E no longer depends on Koro Sensei comes across as an affirmation of his teaching methods. We see his influence in the careers that the kids pursue, not to mention the ease with which these former underachievers seem to be handling life’s challenges. This arguably means as much for the series as it does for the characters; there was a time when it would’ve been inconceivable to have an episode of Assassination Classroom without Koro Sensei, but the rest of the cast has grown and developed to a point where the show can work pretty well without him.

Nagisa’s career path is perhaps the most interesting of the group, because it allows the series to come full circle. We already knew he’d be carrying the torch for Koro Sensei by becoming a teacher, but the scene of him taking on his first class of problem kids really drives the idea home. Though he sets it up with his own style, it’s easy to see the initial premise of the series echoed in the way Nagisa motivates his students by making himself a target for them to chase. Even without the heavy-handed visual metaphors, it would be obvious that a little bit of Koro Sensei is living on through Nagisa.

Topping last week’s emotional roller coaster ride would’ve been a very tall order, so it makes sense for this episode to go in a different direction. It makes up for its lower dramatic impact by giving the audience a chance to reflect on some of the show’s themes, and it makes a positive final impression in the process. If the goal of a final episode is to make the audience remember a series fondly, then this is a pretty respectable effort.

This final season of Assassination Classroom has been impressive overall. The series has been able to use its initial strong points as a foundation to develop a compelling cast and tell an engaging story. It’s always been a good-looking show with a clever sense of humor, but it’s managed to grow into a smart series that can handle a serious plot arc just as well as it can tell a joke. The series has been hit-or-miss at times, but it’s much easier to forgive a show’s mistakes when it ends on a strong note. While I’ll miss writing about it from week to week, Assassination Classroom deserves a lot of credit for knowing when and how to wrap things up.

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.

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Assassination Classroom season 2 ‒ Episode 25 #JHedzWorlD