If you gaze too far into the abyss and long enough into the abyss then maybe you will become the abyss or something. If you are act like a monster then you become the monster. Or something. My best friend Friedrice Natzschehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FriedrichNietzsche told me that one. Hes a German philosopy who lived in the 1800s or something. Hes a good guy. 440https://i.ur.com/ArpsFq2.jpg Pictured ???: Friedrice Natzsche. Everybody quotes him. I dont know why. Like they havent even read anything hes written but theyre just quoting him nonstop. Hes the God is Deadhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godisdead guy WE HAVE TO QUOTE HIM. 440https://i.ur.com/jiHFwL1.png WE HAVE TO MAKE OUR SHOW OR SERIES LOOK SMARTER OR DEEPER THAN IT IS PLEASE WE HAVE TO INCLUDE A FRIEDRICE QUOTE. OTHERWISE THEY WONT GET HOW UNBELIEVABLY DEEP WERE BEING. If you start a work of fiction with a Nietzsche quote without even having read the Nietzsche work the quote is actually from then youre a hack. Like this person.https://anilist.co/user/TheGrumblingGoblin/ 440https://i.ur.com/QlpyHYf.jpg 440https://i.ur.com/zUlHMkU.jpg Whoops Introduction 440https://i.ur.com/kK6RXMf.png All jokes and selfdepreciation aside I dont even really know where to begin with this one. I honestly dont. This adaptation of Im assuming an equally terrible novel serieshttps://anilist.co/manga/94970/YoukosoJitsuryokuShijouShuginoKyoushitsue is brought to us by Lerchehttps://anilist.co/studio/456/Lerche. Who brought us things such as Ranpo Kitanhttps://anilist.co/anime/21189/RanpoKitanGameofLaplace and Kino 2017https://anilist.co/anime/98448/KinonoTabitheBeautifulWorldtheAnimatedSeries... and Classroom of Elite is even directed by the same guy who directed Ranpo Kitanhttps://anilist.co/staff/101909/SeijiKishi actually its listed as having two directorshttps://anilist.co/staff/118960/HiroyukiHashimoto. ...Which is kind of surprising because at least Ranpo Kitan had a clearer and more logical plot and things actually happened. But again Classroom of Elite is an adaptation of a series of novels so whatever. ...I honestly have no fucking clue what genre Id even call it. Looking at its Anilist page its under comedy romance and drama. Comedy...? No? Romance? Definitely no. Drama? Fuckin... they WISH. I felt like most of the time this show had me at knifepoint screaming at me like an insane person.https://www..com/watch?v=MF0a6EZ5v8 You have to care YOU HAVE TO CARE THIS IS DRAMATIC THESE EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW THEY ARE IMPORTANT AND YOU MUST FIND THEM IMPORTANT. Please care that this idiotic and completely and almost comically unlikable punk is about to get expelled from school 440https://i.ur.com/GhJKYMb.png But... but I dont. I just dont give a flying fuck about this character. Or any of the other characters for that matter. There is nothing to cheer these characters on for there are no stakes and nothing that happens is interesting or entertaining in any way. As a matter of fact its honestly almost shocking how over the top this show is while simultaneously being full of nothing. But Ill get into that. Theres gonna be a whole fucking section of this review that discusses that. If you care about getting spoiled on this series then I guess... this is the point where I warn you about that but... why would you care? Nobody cares. Like thinking about it now that Ive completed it there is absolutely nothing about this series Im interested in. Like the plot or the point of the series was very much unresolved but theres just nothing? Why ever make a season two for this? Why even read the original series after watching the anime? Like you should actually want the viewer to be interested in seeing a continuation of the story whether it be through a possible season two or just getting them to look at the original. This show even ends like on a OH SHIT WERE JUST GETTING STARTED type of note but... 440https://i.ur.com/8CeAF8W.png NOTHING OF NOTE HAPPENED IN ALL TWELVE EPISODES. YOU GLASSLIPhttps://anilist.co/anime/20645/GlasslipD ME YOU ABSOLUTE SHITHEELS. Characters At least this section will be quick because theres only one character that matters or is worth even discussing to any length beyond like a sentence or two. 300https://i.ur.com/KicD8lM.png You have Main Girl she is a loner and will repeatedly state that she is a loner and prefers being a loner despite showing signs that hint otherwise. Oh and her only motivation is that she wants her brothers approval. Thats it. 300https://i.ur.com/UUSpSyt.png You have Other Girl 1 she is super nice to everyone and wishes to be friends with everyone on the planet and there is definitely nothing at all wrong with her in any way shape or form despite the fact that she was placed in the worst class of the school. 300https://i.ur.com/PtQvV5x.png You have Other Girl 2 she is shy girl but she has a different side to her that she keeps secret and her purpose in this show is to almost be raped by a creepy mall employee and then she shows at a trial a couple of photos I guess and then after that shes a character from that point on. 300https://i.ur.com/HDDs2n7.png You have Delinquent Failure. He is a delinquent failure who gets into fights and arguments and he wishes to play the basketball but if he gets expelled he can no longer play the basketball but despite this he doesnt care about studying and keeping his position in school secure so he can play the basketball that he so dearly loves and he is a REAL FULL FLEDGED CHARACTER THAT YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT. 440https://i.ur.com/g9NHOse.png You have the Teacher. She is harsh and at one point calls the failure class garbage but then eventually at some point she apparently cares about or wants to get her class to the top of the garbage pyramid. It just sort of happens. She seemed like she could have cared less before then but whatever who needs clear motivations for characters anyways??? 440https://i.ur.com/f9BSHPi.png Then we have the main male character Kiyotaka Ayanokouji. Im saying it right now but Ayanokouji is the only character in this entire show in this entire series that is worth anything at all. It was actually somewhat interesting or entertaining at how ridiculously far they took it. This character is absolutely completely emotionless the entire way through and does not care about ANYTHING. And even at the end of the show when Main Girl for once Ayanokouji is just staring at her and Like wow I have to give them credit. They or rather the original author I guess set out to create one of the most unlikeable characters Ive ever seen and for at least what they adapted they didnt flip flop on it. Ayanokoujis facial expression is basically entirely the same throughout all twelve episodes. Hes never angry hes never sad hes never surprised he never laughs he is simply Ayanokouji. He has absolutely no problem from having someone smear mud into Main Girls hair so she has to bathe to purposely intensify her sickness or even committing arson. Fuck it who cares. He just wants to have an ordinary high school life but simultaneously hes going to win at all costs. Win at what you may ask? I dont know man. The universe. Ayanokouji will win against the entire universe because he is perfect and flawless in every single way. 440https://i.ur.com/d1VUviQ.png 440https://i.ur.com/TVrQFF7.png 440https://i.ur.com/1zX7hTZ.png 440https://i.ur.com/mAwKjaF.png But TGG isnt being an emotionless husk that wants to only be perceived as an average guy by everyone else Ayanokoujis fla Over the top drama Its impossible not to make the comparison now that Ive realized both shows aired in the exact same season Summer 2017. Classroom of the Elite and Kakeguruihttps://anilist.co/anime/98314/Kakegurui are both shows that are very over the top about schools that for a multitude of reasons would never ever exist in real life. But there is a very key difference between these two shows. I mean hell Kakegurui even has a never losing protagonist just like Classroom of the Elite. 220https://i.ur.com/Gj8GZOu.png 220https://i.ur.com/osiNg6Y.jpg I didnt watch Classroom of the Elite while it was airing because I was too busy watching Kakegurui. In Kakegurui horrible things can happen as a result of the gambles. At the very least you may go into debt and be forced to essentially be a boot licking slave to one of the other students or you may have the rest of your life beyond graduation basically decided by another. Its very very over the top but it is rightfully and for that matter enjoyably over the top. What are the stakes in Classroom of the Elite? You may not have a perfect choice of whatever college or job you wish to end up at. Oh. So why is everything presented so fucking dramatically and over the top? Like very early on the show establishes that the monthly money given to students is determined by merit and the bottom class which the show is focused on Class D very quickly ends up dropping down to earning zero points because theyre all failures. I was under the assumption that the points would matter. But the show makes a point of showing that the stores at least offer a couple of free items to students who have ran out of or wasted their points. Even later in the show its shown that there essentially is a free menu for the cafeteria. 440https://i.ur.com/GSovS6f.png 440https://i.ur.com/CxzG0TK.png After all it IS still a school. It wouldnt be realistic if the school was allowing students to starve as a result of their own poor choices or just generally because theyre failures. Meanwhile in Kakegurui: 440https://i.ur.com/qiFZiuH.gif Like honestly. Its treated so goddamned dramatically when the Delinquent Failure is about to be expelled as a result of failing the exam that he refused time and time again to study for but. Like the moment Ayanokouji got up and followed the Teacher out of the classroom I immediately went: Oh okay so the delinquent isnt going to be expelled. And of course he wasnt. 440https://i.ur.com/YiO5QRR.png But like the way they save him from getting expelled is by selling the Teacher their points because the first thing she told them about this school was that anything could be bought. But... but the points DONT MATTERhttps://youtu.be/9KAGwNtI26w?t=18s AND NOTHING WAS FORCING HER TO SELL THEM THE TEST POINT. And Ayanokouji and Main Girl selling the Teacher their money points for the single test point Delinquent Failure needs so he isnt expelled doesnt matter either. In fact its like after that the points just completely cease mattering entirely. How is the majority of Class D faring as a result of having wasted most of their points and most likely getting no or very little points in the next month? Who cares 440https://i.ur.com/jV6nmxH.png Like when Other Girl 1 is suddenly revealed to be hiding a super dark personality beneath her smiley and friendly facade? That doesnt matter. Because even after that when shes alone with Ayanokouji she just talks in the nice girl persona except for like two times when she actually drops it again. What was the point of threatening him that shed blackmail him with rape if he ever told anyone else? He basically didnt even care upon discovering it in the first place. 440https://i.ur.com/ERcrRcg.png 440https://i.ur.com/kTdtTFr.png Or what about Other Girl 2. Her initial role or purpose in the show is basically to have been the witness to Delinquent Failures innocence when some other students from Class C provoked a fight with him but... her testimony barely influences the result at all. And like they show like one of her modeling pictures off of her cameras SD card but... she didnt have to keep that photo on there when they would use it to show the actual relevant pictures. Then after that she just almost gets raped by the creepy weird mall employee guy. But hey Ayanokouji saves her. And then... and then shes just a character. A part of the main cast. Whatever Then like in the final arc of the show where the school has all four classes go and stay at this deserted island for a week there is like a fight scene between Main Girl and one of the other girls from one of the other classes and it... it literally came out of nowhere. But violence isnt allowed But theft isnt allowed The other character just outright says the rules dont matter as long as nobody sees. Oh... so... none of that mattered at all. Okay. https://i.ur.com/Vh36GZQ.png Wait isnt Other Girl 1s whole thing that shell tell everyone that Ayanokouji raped her but nobody was around to see nor was she recording her forcing him to grope her. But then in this instance the show says it doesnt matter if nobody seesoh just... nevermind. Fuck it But like there was also an incident where somebody stole a girls underwear and it causes a schism between the boys and the girls of Class D and like the boyfriend/leader character is all like Ill accept possession of the stolen underwear because shes my girlfriend I guess and thatll lessen the impact? But I dont think they ever actually reveal that hes in possession of the missing underwear because thats when Ayanokouji says fuck this Im just going to set our SURVIVAL MANUAL ON FIRE BECAUSE REASONS AND IM MANIPULATING A VERY CONVOLUTED SERIES OF EVENTS FROM BEHIND THE SCENES. The show ends with Class D almost entirely as a result of Ayanokoujis capability of manipulation beating all three other classes. And while they werent purposely attacking Class B because they have an alliance with them Ayanokoujis manipulations factored in Class B getting fucked over as well just not directly by Class D. 440https://i.ur.com/ds3IAYp.png So... Ayanokouji is basically perfect and no other student is even close to matching him. There maybe actually is one but in the context of what they adapted she is on the screen maybe like three or four times and is purposely absent from the final arc of the show. And Im sure in the novels Ayanokouji just beats her anyways. And the show ends like its ending on this grandiose note of a cliffhanger like... like youre supposed to be interested in seeing Class D continuing to rise against the higher classes to become the Classroom of the Elite. But... you just dont. Like I said at the start of this review theres absolutely no motivation to ever actually want to see a continuation of this series. Whereas comparatively Im totally down for Kakegurui 2https://anilist.co/anime/100876/Kakegurui2 because while that protagonist also basically never loses the show actually manages to be entertaining. Which is something this show repeatedly time and time again fails at. Filler Fan service and Garbage I shouldnt even be wasting the time but I should at least address it. The Delinquent Failure should not have had four episodes revolving around him. Especially considering after that hes essentially just nothing but a supporting character. And one of the most minor ones at that. Like Other Girl 1 keeps going on and on about how Main Girl should not want Deliqnuent Guy to be expelled but... 440https://i.ur.com/xuA0xge.png Main Girl was completely right? Hes a fucking failure and none of them should have went anywhere near as far as they did to save him from getting expelled. If he wanted to play basketball and him playing basketball depended on him staying in the school then maybe his brain should have worked and he would have realized that perhaps actually studying on his own volition would be a good idea. But even then after he is essentially dragged into caring about it and after they get the old test questions he STILL fails. And then after that whole ordeal they right away start up a new arc where Class C tries to frame Delinquent Failure for assaulting three people and the punishment is... BEING SUSPENDED FROM SCHOOL And then when the student council president gets involved hes like... 440https://i.ur.com/a1ps8Hx.png IM PUTTING EXPULSION ON THE TABLE. I could probably do an entire breakdown of all of the terrible logic or just everything just generally horribly wrong in that trial scene but I just do NOT care. Who... who fucking cares? Again that image of the show screaming and armed with a knife comes to mind because like... it really seems like they want the viewer to care. But I cant even comprehend caring about anything that happens in this series. How can I when like... 440https://i.ur.com/DQDYk9H.png The very first episode ends with the shocking reveal that things arent exactly like they seem at this school. The classes compete and if youre garbage you dont get points that are essentially money but also simultaneously dont matter and their Teacher outright tells them all this and that theyre garbage which I should note is very very true. 440https://i.ur.com/uIBJexn.png 440https://i.ur.com/rgK6Mv3.png But immediately the second episode just opens with them in pool class. And for several minutes theyre just doing pool class things but eventually like a switch was flipped and then they start like having a strategy meeting and going over what their Teacher revealed to them in the prior episode. Gosh who knew there was gonna be a darker turn to this school 440https://i.ur.com/Y7zX5iR.png 440https://i.ur.com/dxg0Fak.png And the entirety of episode seven is just outright a pool episode. Which I mostly just skimmed through because at the time I just was not having any of that shit. But the show sure showed me because then the entirety of episode eight is just a boat vacation. Granted the boat trip at least leads into the deserted island arc but did the boat trip really need to be an entire episode? Or rather did we need the pool episode when you could basically squeeze as much fan service and they basically did into a boat trip episode??? Did there need to be a blond guy character whose entire purpose was to be arrogant annoying and completely useless? Like he tags along with Ayanokouji and Other Girl 2 at some point in the Deserted Island arc and hes like swinging from trees and shit and then he gets too far ahead of them and then the episode just ends with him going back to the boat therefore penalizing the entirety of Class D. Im so glad that was the contribution his entire character gave to the show. 440https://i.ur.com/0C19cqZ.png Like I just dont understand it. You have this over the top concept and idea but like... for twelve episodes basically nothing happens. I mean Im willing to believe that the original novel series is probably more or less the exact same. But like... why. Why create a series where absolutely nothing happens? Like its maybe one thing if youre just throwing a bunch of chickens and metaphors around. But Glasslip isnt a novel series. This is. Based off of episode one I imagined like the students were gonna have to start bartering or like trying to earn points. Then the whole angle of competing with the other classes was thrown out there and I was like oh okay then were gonna go in that direction. But its not like until the last five or so episodes of the show where they actually start competing with the other classes and even then Ayanokouji just wins. He just wins. https://i.ur.com/kGrF7vu.png Conclusion No stakes at all basically no motivation at all nothing of any note happens and its not entertaining. Classroom of the Elite? More like Classroom of the FAILURES HA Ha... ha... I really wish I hadnt watched this show. But uh yeah no I give this show a 1.5 out of 10 or a 15 out of 100. I would never recommend anyone to seriously watch this show and I hope it doesnt get a second season because if it does Ill be forced to watch it because I actually genuinely like Ayanokouji for how absolutely absurdly unlikable he is. And even as far as masochism/watching bad shows for the sake of watching bad shows go Id say Glasslip is a way more interesting show in which also absolutely nothing of note happens. So yeah go watch Glassliphttps://anilist.co/anime/20645/Glasslip instead. Or Kakeguruihttps://anilist.co/anime/98314/Kakegurui I guess. Or anything. Just not this. 440https://i.ur.com/a1xKrxW.png