Assassination Classroom is a series that really shouldn't work as well as it does. The premise alone
(a group of students being tasked with killing their teacher, who just happens to be a smiley-faced octopus monster) is pushing the boundaries of absurdity. The fact that the series isn't a zany black comedy makes it even harder to believe that all of the ridiculous elements could really be a cohesive whole. But it does
There are two main halves to the manga. The first half is a deconstruction of Japanese attitudes about education, critiquing the tendency to focus on memorization and grades in favor of individual attention and nurturing individual strengths. The other half discusses the nature of assassination and what types of abilities are needed to be an effective assassin who can effectively take out a target. While both of these might seem to have nothing to do with each other, AC manages to tie them together, largely but using the assassination training as a symbol of each student's personal growth.
What makes it work is balance; the two halves the series both progress at similar rates and stay tied together the whole way through, keeping the work from leaning too hard in either direction. Similarly, the cast hits a very good balance between drama and comedy. There are lots of amusing moments, as you pretty much have to have with a premise like this, and serious ones, which give the series an actual heart to keep rolling after the absurdity of the premise wears off. Korosensei in particular is a good middle ground between goofball and dedicated educator. All of the characters have their quirks, but it's most visible with him, as he can somehow function as both comic relief and the manga's emotional heart. The silliness of his appearance hides a surprising amount of emotional depth.
However, there are two minor issues that do need to be noted:
The first is that for a series centering on a single classroom and its teachers, many of the students are underdeveloped. I realize that it's a bit much for all 30-odd students to be fleshed out, but aside from the main 3 (Nagisa, Karma, and Kaede), the best the other students get A Day in the Limelight chapter that focuses on whatever their one defining character trait is (i.e. the baseball kid, the art kid, etc.) and no other aspect of their personality really gets developed. In addition, the relationships between the Cast Herds are all established early on, and never really change, leaving a lot of potentially interesting character interactions out.
The other is that the story is a bit odd in maintaining the status quo. Some events "stick" and other seem to get brushed over even though they should change everything. In particular, one late reveal should redefine one person's relationships with the class, but a few chapters later things snap back to how they were before.
Neither of these issues are series breaking though, and overall it's well worth reading.
A surprisingly satsifying blend of eclectic elements.
Assassination Classroom is a series that really shouldn't work as well as it does. The premise alone (a group of students being tasked with killing their teacher, who just happens to be a smiley-faced octopus monster) is pushing the boundaries of absurdity. The fact that the series isn't a zany black comedy makes it even harder to believe that all of the ridiculous elements could really be a cohesive whole. But it does
There are two main halves to the manga. The first half is a deconstruction of Japanese attitudes about education, critiquing the tendency to focus on memorization and grades in favor of individual attention and nurturing individual strengths. The other half discusses the nature of assassination and what types of abilities are needed to be an effective assassin who can effectively take out a target. While both of these might seem to have nothing to do with each other, AC manages to tie them together, largely but using the assassination training as a symbol of each student's personal growth.
What makes it work is balance; the two halves the series both progress at similar rates and stay tied together the whole way through, keeping the work from leaning too hard in either direction. Similarly, the cast hits a very good balance between drama and comedy. There are lots of amusing moments, as you pretty much have to have with a premise like this, and serious ones, which give the series an actual heart to keep rolling after the absurdity of the premise wears off. Korosensei in particular is a good middle ground between goofball and dedicated educator. All of the characters have their quirks, but it's most visible with him, as he can somehow function as both comic relief and the manga's emotional heart. The silliness of his appearance hides a surprising amount of emotional depth.
However, there are two minor issues that do need to be noted:
The first is that for a series centering on a single classroom and its teachers, many of the students are underdeveloped. I realize that it's a bit much for all 30-odd students to be fleshed out, but aside from the main 3 (Nagisa, Karma, and Kaede), the best the other students get A Day in the Limelight chapter that focuses on whatever their one defining character trait is (i.e. the baseball kid, the art kid, etc.) and no other aspect of their personality really gets developed. In addition, the relationships between the Cast Herds are all established early on, and never really change, leaving a lot of potentially interesting character interactions out.
The other is that the story is a bit odd in maintaining the status quo. Some events "stick" and other seem to get brushed over even though they should change everything. In particular, one late reveal should redefine one person's relationships with the class, but a few chapters later things snap back to how they were before.
Neither of these issues are series breaking though, and overall it's well worth reading.