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mikathereviewer 's review for:
Classroom of the Elite: Year 2, Vol. 5
by Syougo Kinugasa
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First of all, I was correct about the upcoming special exam should be something to be anxious about. Not only did Chabashira-sensei but also Hoshinomiya-sensei felt uneasy. A special exam would mean that there is definitely plot in the story, but I think this time around the special exam on its own wasn't really the main focus for this book, but rather the characters and their reactions to it. I would still say it's a mix of plot- and character-driven despite the volume focusing heavily on the characters this time around.
Now, let's talk why I believe that this volume is more character focused even if it it's still about a special exam. My reason of thinking that is that due to the true nature of the special exam which only be revealed to the students when it's already too late it evokes certain feelings as well as emotions, specially when one won't find an agreement fast.The only class that this concerns is Horikita's as they never came to an agreement and were forced due to an unknown person to change their votes which led them to have someone expelled from their class. I'm still conflicted as I'm currently writting this right now about how Kushida didn't get expelled despite her losing her function in the class. As far as I'm concerned her main value for still being in that class is that she keeps the class (ironically) together and let's them have harmony as everyone trusts her. She lost that value when Ayanokouji revealed her secret past that she tried so desperately to hide. Despite that Horikita came to the conclusion that she can't let Kushida get expelled as she still sees her as something valuable for the class. So, when Kushida was about to get expelled she stepped in and threw away the opportunity to expell her.
After finishing reading I do understand now why and I'm not that upset anymore that a character that I hate wasn't removed, but I still have my doubts how exactly Kushida will be able to develop positivity and to the better as she seems to have some serious issues that might not be able to change after all. Which many people don't understand is that you cannot change a personality, it's set in stone, you can only change their behaviour and characteristics. If she is indeed bipolar then she might be able to get treated but if she has a bipolar personality disorder then she won't just change from one day to another. A personality disorder can't be ‘healed’ and based on what I saw from Kushida so far she seems to be rather on the personality disorder direction than on just bipolar as she seems to be able to just change her mood when a certain reaction got activated and her mood swings also don't last for months. But since the author seems to try making her improve which would be difficult if it's truly a mental health issue as this would require professional help, I start to think that she might just have a fake facade that she keeps up and that it isn't related to any mental health issues, but rather a way to protect herself.
If that's true, then I can see how she might improve over time and that it would despite me not liking her improve the plot perhaps and also the whole character development aspect for this story all together as she would have a significant growth that one couldn't just ignore and since she is so far away from it it would also be difficult to make her grow in a way that is realistic, so if she does realistically improve I would be impressed. At first I was upset that she wasn't removed from the story as I thought that she might be unnecessary in the future, but I know that the author so far never disappointed me regarding big choices and I believe that he has a good reason for doing so even if that means that many readers including myself don't understand it at first. The whole series is about character growth while being in highschool and this volume made the strongest impact on it so far. I do hope that I'm right about it that Kushida will be useful in the future and I'm looking forward of her development.
Ayanokouji definitely seems like a monster after sacrificing someone from his friend group, but that just showed me more about his true intentions and I think I understand him even better now, which I really appreciate. He is definitely not someone who is acting on feelings but rather on his intuition and on his logical thinking, which makes him so powerful in this series. It's sad to see Sakura Airi go, but we have to let characters go that contribute the least in the class so that the goal of reaching class A is becoming more realistic in the future. I was actually hoping that Sakura Airi can develop just like Sudou, Ike, Horikita, Hirata and so many more already did in the class, but I assume she wouldn't have been let go if she could have improved for the story.
I also noticed that Chabashira-sensei's story about how she dealt with the special exam when she was in the same school a student, that it was almost like how it turned out to be in the end with Horikita's class, just that Ayanokouji saved them all from the same fate. Chabashira-sensei also improved by her way of thinking about it now and I never thought she would have a character development too as the focus before was only on the students and never the teachers which surprised me a lot. Maybe there is still room for Chabashira-sensei to improve with her class together?
Overall, really fun read once more (though can I really use ‘fun’, when the characters all suffered?). I want to see how the class acts now since the special exam ended and how they will perform in the future. Hopefully, Ayanokouji's and Horikita's decisions were right and that they continue to improve in their performance.
Now, let's talk why I believe that this volume is more character focused even if it it's still about a special exam. My reason of thinking that is that due to the true nature of the special exam which only be revealed to the students when it's already too late it evokes certain feelings as well as emotions, specially when one won't find an agreement fast.
After finishing reading I do understand now why and I'm not that upset anymore that a character that I hate wasn't removed, but I still have my doubts how exactly Kushida will be able to develop positivity and to the better as she seems to have some serious issues that might not be able to change after all. Which many people don't understand is that you cannot change a personality, it's set in stone, you can only change their behaviour and characteristics. If she is indeed bipolar then she might be able to get treated but if she has a bipolar personality disorder then she won't just change from one day to another. A personality disorder can't be ‘healed’ and based on what I saw from Kushida so far she seems to be rather on the personality disorder direction than on just bipolar as she seems to be able to just change her mood when a certain reaction got activated and her mood swings also don't last for months. But since the author seems to try making her improve which would be difficult if it's truly a mental health issue as this would require professional help, I start to think that she might just have a fake facade that she keeps up and that it isn't related to any mental health issues, but rather a way to protect herself.
If that's true, then I can see how she might improve over time and that it would despite me not liking her improve the plot perhaps and also the whole character development aspect for this story all together as she would have a significant growth that one couldn't just ignore and since she is so far away from it it would also be difficult to make her grow in a way that is realistic, so if she does realistically improve I would be impressed. At first I was upset that she wasn't removed from the story as I thought that she might be unnecessary in the future, but I know that the author so far never disappointed me regarding big choices and I believe that he has a good reason for doing so even if that means that many readers including myself don't understand it at first. The whole series is about character growth while being in highschool and this volume made the strongest impact on it so far. I do hope that I'm right about it that Kushida will be useful in the future and I'm looking forward of her development.
Ayanokouji definitely seems like a monster after sacrificing someone from his friend group, but that just showed me more about his true intentions and I think I understand him even better now, which I really appreciate. He is definitely not someone who is acting on feelings but rather on his intuition and on his logical thinking, which makes him so powerful in this series. It's sad to see Sakura Airi go, but we have to let characters go that contribute the least in the class so that the goal of reaching class A is becoming more realistic in the future. I was actually hoping that Sakura Airi can develop just like Sudou, Ike, Horikita, Hirata and so many more already did in the class, but I assume she wouldn't have been let go if she could have improved for the story.
I also noticed that Chabashira-sensei's story about how she dealt with the special exam when she was in the same school a student, that it was almost like how it turned out to be in the end with Horikita's class, just that Ayanokouji saved them all from the same fate. Chabashira-sensei also improved by her way of thinking about it now and I never thought she would have a character development too as the focus before was only on the students and never the teachers which surprised me a lot. Maybe there is still room for Chabashira-sensei to improve with her class together?
Overall, really fun read once more (though can I really use ‘fun’, when the characters all suffered?). I want to see how the class acts now since the special exam ended and how they will perform in the future. Hopefully, Ayanokouji's and Horikita's decisions were right and that they continue to improve in their performance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Violence