Genres: Comedy Anime, Romance Anime, School Anime
What is it about?
Koudo Ikusei Senior High School is a leading prestigious school with state-of-the-art facilities where nearly 100% of students go on to university or find employment. The students there have the freedom to wear any hairstyle and bring any personal effects they desire. Koudo Ikusei is a paradise-like school, but the truth is that only the most superior of students receive favorable treatment. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka is a student of D-class, which is where the school dumps its “inferior” students in order to ridicule them. For a certain reason, Kiyotaka was careless on his entrance examination, and was put in D-class. After meeting Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyou, two other students in his class, Kiyotaka’s situation begins to change.
What did I think?
Well when I first read the description I was kinda expecting something like Baka and Test. The plot seemed very similar. Boy, was I wrong.
So the plot is the same if you only look at the big picture. Elite high school, split in different classes based on scores on entry exam, lowest classes are considered inferior, higher classes are superior. But that is as far as the similarities go. The atmosphere is TO-TA-LLY different. If Baka and Test is the sun, then Classroom of the Elite are thunderclouds.
Now you might think: “thunderclouds, that doesn’t sound good?” Well, it is! If you have a doomy atmosphere everything seems more intense. And intensity is exactly what makes this anime so great. I love the characters, the character development, art and stuff like that. It IS a good anime.
But what makes it great, what really sets it apart from every other competitive high school anime is how intense it is. It takes the Japan-has-competitive-schools-thing to a whole new level. Now, those who have watched it may think. “Yeah, okay the atmosphere seems intense, but the male MC is like the most passive person ever.” And they would be right about that. But to me, his passive disinterest is just what makes him seem more intense than everybody else.
I also liked how the anime took a more mature approach to things. The characters don’t seem to think or act like teenagers at all. Some of the side characters off course did. Making up a whole scheme in order to peep on the girls in the dressing room doesn’t exactly reflect adult behavior. But even then, the way they went about it was a bit different from usual teenage stuff.
Last but not least, the ending will leave you craving for more. It is a real plot twist cliff hanger situation.
Otaku and proud girl 