When I decided to review Classroom of the Elite, I really wasn’t sure what to expect, especially since I haven’t watched the anime. And in the end, what I got was a brain impulsion. Let me explain. I’m a former teacher and a tutor, so Classroom of the Elite’s themes on education and equality set off a firestorm inside my mind, in both a good and bad way.
If you aren’t familiar with the series, Classroom of the Elite takes places at the fictional Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing School, a fancy school run by the Japanese government. On the surface, the school is a paradise, where students can indulge themselves in all kinds of amenities. However, in reality, students are placed into four different classes based on their merit. Class A has the “best” students and Class D has the weakest.
The students’ class determines how the school treats them. In other words, if you’re placed in Class D, you’re basically treated like garbage. You’ll be more likely to be expelled over something frivolous. On top of this, your monthly allowance (for food, toiletries, etc.) will be smaller because it’s based on academic performance – not just your own but the entire class’ performance.
The main character of the story, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji, is a student who was placed in Class D. Throughout the story, Ayanokouji needs to learn how to navigate the school’s insane system and save his academically-challenged classmates from being kicked out. Along the way, he gains the help of Suzune Horikita, an emotionless female student who doesn’t care about anyone but herself.
I really liked this premise because, as stated, I used to teach. Initially, the whole idea may seem a little ridiculous since high schools usually don’t expel students unless it’s something major. However, high school isn’t mandatory in Japan, so the concept is a little more plausible than if it took place elsewhere, such as the USA, where many states require students to attend until they are 18.
However, even though I really liked the premise, the nature of the school actually isn’t revealed right away. The book begins with Ayanokouji meeting Horikita on the first day of school. After that, it accounts his daily life during the first month of school, as he adjusts to the new school and tries to make friends with his classmates since his friendship with Horikita is unsuccessful at first.
It reads almost like a slice of life story – trips to the grocery store, checking out potential clubs, evening activities after school. And while I am actually a big SOL fan, the beginning of the novel really dragged on. The truth about the school’s intentions doesn’t happen until about halfway through the book. Almost 200 pages with no major events is a lot to sit through. In the book’s defense, during the first half, it did drop a lot of hints about the school’s secret, and there is important character development. But I still wished things would have picked up faster.
Personally, I think some parts of the beginning could have been shortened or removed. For example, 10 pages in a grocery store isn’t very interesting. And Chapter 4 could have been taken out entirely. That chapter was about a co-ed swim class, and the only purpose of it was for fan service. Plus, many of the guy characters make pervy comments about the girls, which I didn’t like. When I was in high school, guys made comments like that all the time, but it made me uncomfortable then, and it still makes me uncomfortable now.
Once I got to the “big reveal,” I couldn’t put the book down to be honest. I was fascinated. Not only did I start pondering all of the educational aspects, I started to become more invested in the plot as well. Because there was a sense of urgency – students not wanting to fail, students who used up their entire allowance – the story picked up the pace and became more enjoyable.
And it isn’t just about studying. While all of this is going on, we learn more about the characters, see different sides of them, and observe how they interact with one another. I also wanted to see what crazy, unfair things the school was going to throw at the students and how Ayanokouji was going to counter them.
I really enjoyed this book. Or, rather, I really enjoyed the second half of the book. Honestly, I’d like to give this light novel a high score, but the first half weighed it down too much. It’s not the first half was bad per se. It just didn’t have anything extraordinary or innovative that made it stand out (minus the prologue). Plus, the fan service or similar tropes felt recycled. But once you get to the halfway mark, the novel gets much better. As someone who hasn’t watched the anime, I am excited to see what is going to happen in the next volume and hope it stays interesting.