Assassination Classroom #1-6

Assassination Classroom #1-6

Originally released in 2012

Written by Yusei Matsui

Art by Yusei Matsui

Trying to get over being triggered by my attempt last week, I'm giving Assassination Classroom another shot.  My initial reaction turned out to be unfounded; the guns in question were basically B.B. guns.  I'm assuming it was the start of the first chapter to serve as a hook and shock people.

Class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School consists of academic underachievers that the rest of the school looks down on.  However, when an octopus-like being (who claims to be born and raised on Earth) destroyed a large portion of the moon and claims that he'll do the same to Earth in the next year wants to teach their class, they're put in a position where they have to assassinate him to save the world.

As he's actively encouraging them to assassinate him, there's clearly something else going on here; I'm guessing that the destruction of the moon (and potentially the Earth) was something that happened against his will.

As his name is unknown, the class refers to him as Koro Sensei, a pun on a Japanese term meaning "can't be killed". (making him the second fictional teacher that I'm aware of who can't be killed)  Koro Sensei is easily the highlight of this manga, with his ludicrous physical abilities and goofy nature providing plenty of comedy.

The viewpoint character is Nagisa Shiota, who seems typical for his class - as he's failing in several subjects, he was transferred to Class 3-E and looked down upon by the rest of the student body.  He's fairly observant, though, and he's taken it upon himself to record any weaknesses that Koro Sensei displays.

Maybe it's because of a lack of focus so far, but the rest of the class seems fairly bland or forgettable, with absolutely nothing standing out in regards to their designs.  There's a baseball player who was transferred to the class (and forbidden from taking part in sports as a result, since the 3-E kids have to focus on their studies); Koro Sensei gets a good moment of encouraging the kid after a failed assassination attempt, but that's about it.

Chapter 4 introduces Karma Akabane, who had been suspended for violent behaviour (explaining his absence from the first few chapters) and seems like the best-suited student in the class for being an assassin.  He's the first person to successfully injure Koro Sensei out of the class, using the anti-Koro Sensei weapons that are provided.

His presence shows how far Koro Sensei is willing to go to improve the lives of his students, and Karma proves to be more intelligent than he lets on, though he's still a delinquent deep down.

I'd be interested to keep reading this for Koro Sensei, but the rest of the class would have to be developed a lot more than they currently are in order to keep my interest.  Even Nagisa isn't particularly interesting, and he's one of the most distinct students in terms of appearance and personality.