Classroom Crisis

Episode 8

It was school festival time in this week's Classroom Crisis, meaning time also for A-TEC's traditional rocket launch. Everyone's in high spirits and pitching in to help, including Nagisa - but in the background, larger forces are moving towards an inevitable collision. The business-friendly Seimin Party seems to be losing its political grip, meaning Nagisa's brother and the Kirishina executives in general are in a bit of a panic. On the other side of the fence, the labor-friendly Oozora party is looking unstoppable, and once again are looking towards Kaito to offer his support. Caught in between the little things and big picture stands Nagisa, enjoying himself for the first time in his life even as his long-awaited revenge seems to finally be coming to fruition.

We started off this week with the introduction of the Seimin Party's struggles, which segued into the Oozora's chosen spokesman once again propositioning Kaito for a speech. Fortunately, Kaito's become a bit more business-savvy since their last meeting, and so he immediately brought up the fact that the Oozora and labor union in general had once abandoned him… only to be immediately suckered by the Oozora's inspiring rhetoric and vow to support A-TEC from office. “That's what you'd call the swing vote, I guess,” muttered Kaito's students, resigned to the fact that their teacher will always be something of an idiot. Kaito can change in some ways, but in others, he'll always be that starry-eyed dreamer.

What things change and what stay the same were a major theme in this episode, highlighted once again through conversations illustrating all the ways these characters have grown from each other. Nagisa was at his most comfortable this week, bantering lightly with his classmates, smiling at their victories, and even being told by Angelina that he seemed the most happy and likable he's ever been. The highlight came after Iris had another violent flashback and collapsed with a fever, leading to a scene between her, Mizuki, and Nagisa. As usual, Nagisa and Mizuki's relationship kind of stole the show - they've become secure friends by now, able to both challenge each other and trust in each other's desires and judgment. After agreeing to join Mizuki and Iris at the end of the festival, Nagisa had one last conversation with Iris, where her questions about her past were answered with a sideways “you don't want to know.” “Revenge is only carried out by fools,” he muttered, a line that demonstrated both how much he's come to care about his classmates and how ambiguous he feels about his own choices in life.

But of course, nobody can change entirely. After a nice upbeat sequence of everyone enjoying the rocket launch, Nagisa had one more meeting with his brother, where an offhand slip proved to Nagisa that both of his brothers were directly involved in a plot to steal the election. Siphoning funds from A-TEC, they'd invested the 1.5 billion his classmates needed into directly supporting the Seimin Party, and now they wanted Nagisa to make the Oozora withdraw altogether. Momentarily caught between his long-awaited revenge and a rare happy moment with Mizuki and Iris, Nagisa hesitated, and then went off to plot his ascension. Nagisa has grown, but he's still the man he used to be.

This was an excellent episode of Classroom Crisis, possibly the show's best. The humor was alternately sharp and character-focused, the conversations once again demonstrated what a nuanced and poignant grasp of character this show possesses, and the overall plot contrasted Nagisa's pragmatism and Kaito's idealism against the important lessons they've each learned throughout the series, demonstrating growth while also acknowledging human complexity and the difficulty of fundamental change. Classroom Crisis is reigning in its weaknesses, polishing its strengths, and gearing up for what looks to be a stellar final act.

Rating: A

Classroom Crisis is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Viewster.

Nick writes about anime, storytelling, and the meaning of life at Wrong Every Time.