Classroom of the Elite – S3 08 – The King Must Remain

Suzune assumes leadership of the class and declares that the person they can do most without in their class is Yamauchi Haruki. When he protests, she not only points out how he has the least ability, but has also been conspiring to get Ayanokouji expelled. When blaming Ike doesn’t work, he throw Kushida under the bus, which was always going to be a bad move.

No, Yamauchi is a mere mouse in the corner, and Suzune is a snake preparing for a swift and efficient kill. But to Yousuke, it feels like she’s a cat playing with her food. He finds this whole exercise distasteful to the point he completely drops his nice guy façade, tells her to shut the hell up, and vows to give her his negative vote.

But as Chabashira-sensei adds after this heated exchange, this special exam isn’t meant to be cruel, and anyone who sees it that way is simply being immature. This is a school that produces leaders, and it becomes necessary at times for leaders to cut someone loose. Suzune is making the best of a bad situation and making the hard call, while Yousuke clings to naive idealism.

Meanwhile in Class D, Manabe Shiho teasts Ibuki Mio about her bud Ryuuen’s imminent expulsion, while Ishizaki urges her to take Ryuuen’s private points off of him before it happens. Ibuki meets Ryuuen that night by the water, and Ryuuen agrees to give them to her.

When he wall-or rather pole-slams her and blocks her defensive kick, only to withdraw, saying he likes her belligerent side, but leaves “too many openings” to ever have a chance at beating Suzune.

Meanwhile, Honami calls President Nagumo to ask if he even likes her, to which he says he wouldn’t offer her the deal if he didn’t. That said, she hangs up without agreeing to the deal quite yet, as she want to keep her options open until the last minute.

Once everyone has voted, Yamauchi tells everyone that Sakayanagi promised that Class A would give him positive votes to keep him from getting expelled. But in a previous scene we see that once her plan was exposed she shut that plan down, as she promised Ayanokouji she’d accept the loss of their competition if she indirectly casued his expulsion.

Ayanokouji is the top positive vote-getter, followed by Yousuke and Kushida, while Yamauchi gets the most negatives and is expelled. When he doesn’t accept this and starts crying and shouting, Kouenji provokes him into violence. Chabashira breaks it up and escorts Yamauchi out of the class. In Class A, some nobody got expelled (Sakayanagi decided Katsuragi was too talented to drop), Manabe Shiho is expelled from Class D, and … no one is expelled from Class B.

So Honami caved and made a deal with Nagumo, right? Wrong. Well before the vote, Ibuki and Ishizaki reached out to Ayanokouji for a way to save Ryuuen. They needed positive votes, and Honami needed about four million points to keep someone from being expelled. Once Ibuki got the points from Ryuuen, Ayanokouji served as the go-between for a mutually beneficial deal.

I love it when a secret Ayanokouji plan comes together. Indeed, I pumped my fist emphatically when it was confirmed Honami wouldn’t have to sell herself to that prick Nagumo. As for that prick Ryuuen? Like Ibuki and Ayanokouji, I don’t mind keeping the guy around.

Hell, not only has Ayanokouji proven his intellectual, strategic, and physical superiority, but Ryuuen’s now indirectly in his debt for putting the deal together. That said, Ayanokouji is modest as ever in victory, giving credit to Ryuuen’s associates for wanting to save him in the first place.

As for Sakayanagi, the moment the book closes on the special voting exam, she’s texting Ayanokouji, no doubt to tell him that their competition is back on like Donkey Kong. I say bring it on … whatever it is.

Classroom of the Elite – S3 07 – Closing the Distance

Ayanokouji sows the seeds for his plan right from the start, by questioning Suzune’s resolve to choose someone from their class to expel. This puts Suzune in a state of irritation: because her brother has taken an interest in Ayanokouji, his opinion carries weight. It’s the groundwork that will make her receptive to what her Manabu tells her later.

Whether out of sheer concern for her fellow second-year Honami or simply a stitch in a larger tapestry not her own, Asahina Nazuna reaches out to Ayanokouji and informs him of the bargain proposed by President Nagumo. She believes he can do something with the information she gives him, and in his way the giving serves as a “prayer” that doesn’t require any other direct action from her.

Ayanokouji takes the rare step of inviting a girl to his place so he can confirm the deal Nagumo proposed to Honami. She doesn’t see any other way to prevent one of her classmates from being expelled. Ayanokouji won’t judge her, nor does he see any reason to judge her. That he was concerned enough about her to invite her over makes Honami happy, to the point she almost says too much about how amazing he is, and how his not thinking he’s amazing only makes him moreso.

Speaking of girls with a crush on our Best Psychopathic Boy, Kei calls Ayanokouji to inform him of an emergency situation: at least half of the class is planning to vote to expel him. He’s so calm about it over the phone that Kei assumes he must have some kind of plan, but can’t help but blush when he says it’s precisely for times like this that he relies on her.

That night Ayanokouji asks Kikyou to meet with him. At first, she won’t reveal the ringleader behind the vote to expel him, but when he says he’s unlikely to determine who it is in the time he has left, she changes her mind and tells him it’s the potato-face Yamauchi Haruki, who had been acting very smug and relaxed of late.

Ayanokouji immediately connects the dots to suspect that Arisu is using Yamauchi as a puppet to remain a degree of separation from his ruin. Kikyou’s change of faces indicates he is correct. In light of this, Arisu’s big bold announcement of a ceasefire might only have been an attempt to lull him into a false sense of security. That said, I doubt Arisu expected it to succeed.

Ayanokouji makes a call to Manabu, and the next day, Manabu meets with his little sister alone for the first time in three years. What a family. Even so, while he’s been harsh with her in the past, and Suzune is so intimidated by his presence she can’t help but fiddle with her hair, it’s a highly productive encounter.

Suzune tells Manabe what Ayanokouji knew she would: that while the rest of the class it trying to run away from choosing someone to expel, she wants to face the exam head-on. Manabe asks her how her school life has been, and while she can’t say it’s been enjoyable, it hasn’t been boring.

He praises her for widening her view and escaping her life of boredom. When he asks her what she thinks of Ayanokouji, she says she doesn’t really care for him, but does want to catch up to and someday surpass him. Manabe says that’s not possible, but she doesn’t have to: she should grow in a way that’s “more like her.”

Their talk ends with him telling her that to close the distance, she must step forward … and step forward she does, in the last class before the day of the vote. Armed with the motivation given to her by her brother (at Ayanokouji’s urging), she addresses the class as a whole, and points out the elephant in the room.

Someone has to go, but she wants to prevent that person from being an “excellent student” who could help Class C continue to rise. As she talks, her line of thinking is supported by both Kouenji and Sudou. Rather than discuss with the class who the person should be, she comes right out and names the one who should be expelled: Yamauchi Haruki.

Whatever future challenges the class faces, I doubt Yamauchi will play much of a role. He also has a criminally stupid face. But will he make enough of a stink about her choosing him that he’ll influence enough people not to vote for him? Suzune has taken a step toward leading her class. We’ll see if they follow.

Classroom of the Elite – S3 06 – Someone’s Gotta Go

Chabashira announces that everyone passed the last exams, which means the school has gone an unprecedented length of time without any expulsions. That said, apparently the school’s goal is to cull the herd at least somewhat, so there is a surprise Special Exam: a Student Vote. Everyone in each class will be able to cast a positive vote for and a negative vote against another student.

The votes will be counted up, and the student with the most positive net vote will get a non-transferable “protection point”, which will allow the awardee to negate an expulsion they’ve qualified for. The only other way to potentially cancel an expulsion is to pay twenty million private points.

Chabashira makes clear there’s no getting around the fact that there will be one winner of a protection point and one person marked for expulsion: someone at the top, and someone at the bottom. It’s an unreasonable, unfair exam, but life is unreasonable and unfair, isn’t it? The vote will be held in four days. Ayanokouji advises his study group to lay low, and also supports covering for one another with each other’s votes.

That said, he knows that the lowest in the class hierarchy will naturally be the ones who receive the most negative votes, not necessarily out of malice but because students won’t want to vote out their friends or allies. Suzune confronts Ryuuen in the library, someone who seems doomed to be expelled. But while he’s ready to accept that fate, he may also have a plan for survival, and believes Suzune is too soft to “carry out the sentence” of someone from her class worthy of expulsion.

Ayanokouji believes Ryuuen is right in one regard: Suzune should really face her brother at least once before he graduates, something she still believes to be impossible. He also admits that he doesn’t necessarily want Ryuuen expelled; he may be of some use to him in later exams.

That night, Kei calls Ayanokouji, partly to hear his voice, and partly to ask about the exam and how she should vote. Like his study buddies, he advises her to lay low. He also tells her the fact she and Hirata “broke up” works in her favor, since the girls who were jealous of her relationship might’ve given her negative votes if they were still “together.” After assuring Kei she’s important to the class and won’t be eliminated, he asks her to keep her eyes open for voting groups.

The next morning, Honami “ambushes” Ayanokouji to ask if she can walk to school with him. They discuss the upcoming exam, and he quickly notices she may be trying to sacrifice herself in some way to protect the rest of Class B. Without getting too deep into strategy, Honami offers to give Ayanokouji her outside positive vote (everyone gets one of those too). He appreciates it, while she’s happy to have gotten to speak to him.

Unfortunately, their walk to school is interrupted by Arisu. She reports that her father the chairman has been suspended, suggesting “someone” may have “a larger plan in mind.” This makes Ayanokouji consider that the school, or perhaps “that man” is maneuvering to get rid of him.

Arisu calls a ceasefire in their competition until this exam has concluded. During that time, she’ll do nothing to sabotage him, and will consider it her loss if her actions indirectly cause his expulsion. Needless to say, Arisu values “interesting” people like Ayanokouji, so would prefer if he stuck around. As for who she’s voting to expel, it was always going to be her Class A rival, Katsuragi.

Ayanokouji was right about Honami having some kind of selfless plan in mind for the exam, and at the end of the episode we learn what that is. With just under sixteen million private points, she’s short the points needed to cancel another person’s expulsion. It seems she’s struck a deal with President Nagumo to gain the remaining points she needs. In exchange, she needs to date him. Did I mention I don’t like this Nagumo fellow? This seems slimy.

One thing I’ll say about this newest exam: it’s simple, at least on the surface. At this early stage, three days from the vote, there’s the feeling anything could happen, because with a few exceptions, anyone could vote for anyone for any reason, and that vote might be the one to determine who gets expelled. I’m keen to see how this all pans out; I have a feeling it will be someone I least expect.

Classroom of the Elite – S3 05 – Unbreakable Ichinose Honami

Ichinose’s Class B defenders nearly come to blows with Hashimoto, whom they accuse of spreading awful rumors. Even Ayanokouji admits he suspects him, but clearly isn’t looking for a fight. Shiina defuses he situation, but the same day Ichinose returns to class, Sakayanagi barges in flanked by Hashimoto and Kamuro to inform Class B that she has proof that the rumor about Ichinose being a criminal is true.

Rather than allow Sakayanagi to continue influencing the class, Ichinose takes her fate into her own hands. She stands before the class and admits she was a criminal. Four years ago, her sister badly wanted an expensive (~$200) hairpin worn by her favorite idol. When their mother worked too many shifts, collapsed, and was hospitalized, and no one would hire a middle schooler for part-time work, Ichinose stole the hairpin from the store.

While she knew it was wrong, her sister’s smiling face gave her comfort and cover to ignore the guilt eating away from within. But when her mother saw the pin and knew Ichinose stole it, the smiles turned to tears and her guilt became an open wound. She withdrew to her room for months, letting the wound fester, but her mom urged her in a note not to give up on her dream of high school. She worked up the strength to leave her room, got back to work, and started fresh.

Back in the present, Ichinose apologizes for being such a bad leader, but her classmates don’t believe she is. Having heard her full story, they can relate to the circumstances that led to her crime, and are happy she trusted them enough to share her secret with them. Then Sakayanagi raps her cane on the floor and says “shoplifting is shoplifting”, saying Ichinose doesn’t deserve their sympathy.

Ichinose then agrees with Sakayanagi, and admits that maybe all her hard work came from a “place of pretend virtue.” Even if all that is true, and her sin will never go away, Ichinose wants to graduate with her classmates and friends, and gives a tearful and moving appeal to come with her to the very end. Her classmates all agree that they will.

As Sakayanagi’s little gambit to destroy Ichinose grows weaker and weaker in the face of Class B’s stalwart unity and Ichinose’s genuine contrition, the last nail in the coffin is the arrival of President Nagumo flanked by two teachers. Leaving aside who reported what to them, they know about the rumors, and put forth a stern warning that anyone caught spreading them will be punished.

Now that the adults are involved, Sakayanagi gracefully withdraws, but not before casting her lovely gaze on Ayanokouji. Later she congratulates him on a game splendidly played, and he admits he got her to confess her past to her when he visited her in her room. When she asked him how she could leave that room, he told her she’d just have to face what she’s done head-on. Touyama Nao puts on a powerhouse vocal performance throughout the episode, and particularly powerful here.

Ayanokouji calmly tells Sakayanagi that he shattered Ichinose’s heart, the part of it that broke healed stronger than before, allowing her to survive Sakayanagi’s assault. As for Kamuro, he knew all along Sakayanagi sent her to him, because the beer she “stole” was the same one she gave Sakayanagi, something he could tell from the sell-by date.

Sakayanagi puts her cards on the table: she launched an attack on Ichinose and drew him into it with Kamuro just to get him “interested” in her, because she wants to have a proper competition with him. If he wins in the next exam, she’ll be expelled. But if she wins, she’ll tell everyone he’s the Mastermind of Class C.

That night, Ayanokouji has one more meeting with a pretty girl: Kushida, who provided him with all of the dirt on the students in exchange for a payment of half of all his points going forward. Ayanokouji then gave that information to Vice President Kiriyama for distribution on the message boards, warning him if he didn’t comply he’d tell Manabu that Kiriyama flipped his allegiance to Nagumo.

So while Kushida provided the dirt, Ayanokouji is the one who had it circulated among the classes … including the info about Ichinose, along with the rumor about him having a crush on Kei. He did it all for the primary purpose of determining the quality and quantity of Kushida’s information, as part of a larger effort to eventually compel her expulsion.

No doubt Ichinose’s heart would break all over again if she found out Ayanokouji was the source of the rumor. Or maybe not, as the next we see her she is significantly more cheerful and lighter of foot. It’s thanks to him she was able to gather herself enough to put her old demons to rest.

But like Ichinose’s theft, Ayanokouji did what he did, and it harmed her. Whether he tells her he’ll always offer an ear to listen should she need one to make up for the harm he caused her or to just maintain good relations with a valuable ally, his offer gives Ichinose the courage to do one more thing: give him a box of belated Valentine’s Day chocolates.

Classroom of the Elite – S3 03 – Purely for the Thrill

Sakayanagi Arisu is on the move. She informs President Nagumo that she’s mounting an attack against Class B’s Ichinose Honami. Kei is just getting done announcing that she and Yousuke are done-zo, Arisu visits Kiyotaka’s class asking to speak to … Yamauchi, of all people. Suzune smells a trap, very tactlessly pointing out the obvious: Arisu has no use for Yamauchi, unless she thinks she can use him.

Word of Yousuke being single spreads fast (an omen for what’s to come), and Wang Mei Yu, friend of Shiina Hiyori, contacts Kiyotaka to ask him about Yousuke. He gives her some pretty decent if boilerplate advice about taking it nice and slow since Yousuke probably feels bad about having failed to make Kei happy. Wang is surprised how approachable and easy to talk to Kiytaka is. I have to think Wang will serve a meatier purpose down the road.

That night, Suzune meets Kiyotaka down by the water to report that there are some scandalous rumors now circulating about Ichinose Honami. Arisu is one of the prime suspects, and Kiyotaka further posits that if there’s a kernel of truth to the rumors, it increases its plausibility among the students. Kiyotaka advises no action; they’ll see how this plays out.

Suzune is less patient, and invites Honami over to strategize. While Honami appreciates “their” concern, she’s decided to remain silent about the rumors and simply weather the storm. She doesn’t want them or anyone else getting involved, lest it harm Class B or C.

After Honami excuses herself, Suzune insists they have to help Ichinose because Arisu is their mutual enemy right now. Kiyotaka dismisses her sentiments as “pure idealism.” If Class A can destroy Class B without any cost to Class C, that’s just fine with Kiyotaka.

When Kiyotaka leaves Suzune’s, he finds Honami is still hanging around. She wasn’t listening in on him telling Suzune doesn’t care what happens to her, because she again expresses her gratitude to him, but doesn’t want him to worry about her.

Honami insists she’ll be fine, but the next day every locker has a note stating Ichinose Honami is a criminal. It’s a bold escalation, but at least in the moment Ichinose refuses to respond or take any provocative action. That said, her friends urge her to get an adult involved, which is possibly part of the rumormonger’s plan.

Kiyotaka is Mr. Popular this week, bouncing from one conversation to another, culminating in a girl he’s never met approaching him outside his apartment. Introducing herself as Class A’s Kamuro Masumi (and voiced by Sakura Ayane), she rejects his offer of coffee or tea and asks for—and receives—cocoa instead. Noting how wary he seems of her, Masumi correctly observes he’s nothing like Yamauchi, the potato-kun Arisu spoke to.

Masumi works for Arisu, but she doesn’t know she’s here talking with him. She ended up under Arisu’s employ when she was caught shoplifting a beer, not to drink but for the thrill of it. Arisu blackmailed her, and now keeps her  busy so she doesn’t have time to shoplift. Apparently, Honami has a history of shoplifting too.

Masumi tells Kiyotaka he’s the one Arisu is “most worried about” and wants Kiyotaka to stop Arisu. Kiyotaka rightfully suspects this is all a ruse, and that Arisu simply sent Masumi here to compel him to drag Class C into the fighting. Masumi says she’ll prove she’s telling the truth … by lifting him a beer.

Of course, this just proves she’s good at shoplifting. I’m not sure why Kiyotaka suddenly decides to trust her … and maybe he doesn’t, and simply says he will. In any case, whatever he does next will be equally informed by news he receives from Manabu: Kikyou has made contact with President Nagumo.

Classroom of the Elite – S3 01 – Protecting Traditions

We pick back up with CotE on the way to a new special exam: a “mixed training camp” in the mountains, meant to inspire mental growth. Everyone is to be split along class year and gender lines, and the new groups will prepare for four distinct tests on the last day.

Groups that score high will earn both class and private points; but the leader and one person named by the leader of any group that scores below the borderline are both expelled. Hirata volunteers as central consultant for the boys; Suzune agrees to be the same for the girls, with Kushida as her sub-leader.

Like all previous exams, there’s opportunity for a shuffling of the Classes. Kiyotaka’s Class D is the new Class C, so it stands to reason if they comport themselves well in this exam they could challenge Class B. But due to the way the groups are formed, he knows he won’t be able to protect everyone in the class.

While the buses are unloaded of the students’ baggage, former student council president and Suzune’s brother Manabu is confronted by the current president, a supremely confident second-year Nagumo Miyabi, challenging him to a competition to see who can score more points. Manabu agrees, but only if he keeps third parties out of it.

Kiyotaka finds himself in a group with Yukimura, Koenji, two of Ryuuen’s former crew whom he beat the shit out of, and Hashimoto, Sakayanaki Arisu’s right-hand man. In this group full of “ruffians”, Kiyotaka notes that their inability to mesh or form tight bonds could bode poorly for their chances.

As for Suzune, she genuinely considers Kushida an untapped well of potential for Class C, and only asks that Kushida trust her. Unfortunately, Kushida has no intention of trusting her. She knows Suzune chose her so she could keep an eye on her, and is loath to cooperate beyond keeping up appearances.

Having floated over everyone from atop Class A all this time, it’s striking to see Sakayanaki Arisu get tripped by someone accidentally and fall to the ground. She shakes it off, as well as Kiyotaka’s offer to talk to the guy about it. She informs Kiyotaka that she’s suspending her campaign to crush him, instead focusing her eye on Class B and Ichinose Honami.

This should be interesting, as Kiyotaka and Honami have always been on cordial and even friendly terms; they even exchanged pleasantries during a meal (one of the few times boys and girls are allowed mix at the camp). Also intriguing is Arisu’s theory that all of Class B is using Honami’s personal account as a bank vault (hence the millions of points she has), and that everyone, even Honami, has a “dark side.”

Kiyotaka meets with Kei, who agrees to keep an eye on a list of individuals he gives her, through it might not be easy. Kiyotaka himself is then summoned to a secret meeting by Manabu, who is calling in his favor. He wants Kiyotaka to take out Nagumo Miyabi and install Suzune in his place.

He introduces him to the current vice president, Kiriyama Ikuto, who serves as Manabu’s mole. He serves willingly because like Manabu he values the traditions of the school above all else. They believe Nagumo wants to tear down the foundations of the school, leading to unprecedented expulsions.

While primarily setup, this CotE still establishes that patented CotE atmosphere, that makes an otherwise innocuous class field trip look and feel like a political summit with the very fate of the world at stake. As for whether newbies like Mei Yu Wang will play a key role, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Classroom of the Elite – S2 13 (Fin) – Pax Kiyotaka

In a nice change of pace, this episode starts from Ibuki Mio’s perspective, of all things, as she visits Ryuuen’s dorm and then tracks him down. The swelling has gone down, but Ryuuen has abandoned all plans to continue the fight; he’s done. Mio doesn’t like it, and gives him a kick in frustration, but there’s no changing his mind. Clearly Kiyotaka’s beatdown had a lasting effect.

Kei wakes up realizing, in spite of knowing what kind of person he is, that she has developed feelings for him as a result of his white knight act. The cheeks don’t lie. She’s then ambushed by Maya, who like everyone else thinks she’s some expert on boys and dating due to her fake relationship with Yousuke. Maya asks for advice on her first date with Ayanokouji, even proposing a double date.

That night, Kei gets a call from Maya’s crush, but is slightly disappointed when it’s yet another business call. Still, she’s glad to be getting calls from him again, even after he’d terminated their arrangement. He wants her to investigate Maya and find out as much about her as she can.

As is appropriate for a season finale, Kiyotaka also checks in with the other major players, making an opening proposition for Suzune to join the StuCo, though he doesn’t push too hard. Kikyou spots them from a balcony above and gives them the stinkeye.

Most notably, Kiyotaka meets up with Ryuuen, who fully accepts his new role as former tyrant. He even demonstrated a measure of honor and selflessness by copping to a crime that wouldn’t get his whole crew expelled. But Kiyotaka made it so even he wouldn’t get the boot, because now that Ryuuen has been properly cowed, he is a valuable asset in his coming battle to get Kikyou expelled.

It’s not often that someone gets one over on Kiyotaka, so it’s pretty amusing that Maya turns out to be one of those people. Shortly after meeting him for their date, Kei and Hirata arrive, seemingly by coincidence, and Maya and Kei suggests the double date they wanted from the start.

Kiyotaka is a go-with-the-flow kinda guy in these situations, and so that’s just what he does as the quartet goes to see a movie and then heads to a café for some refreshment. Maya asks Kiyotaka about his future, and he says he’ll probably just go to college. Throughout the date, Kei shoots subtle little looks Kiyotaka’s way, but they either go unnoticed or ignored.

The two couples eventually split around dusk, when Maya plans to make her big confession. Kei may not be experienced in dating, but she’s 100% correct that it is both intense and a bit ludicrous to ask someone out after a first date on Christmas day. Kiyotaka turns her down how you’d expect: matter-of-factly and dispassionately, and she runs off accepting of his decision, but in tears.

That’s when Kiyotaka tells Kei to come out of her hiding spot, or she’ll catch cold. It starts to snow just as the two have a seat in the park. When she asks why he rejected Maya, Kiyotaka simply says she was a poor substitute for Kei.

Of course, he means as a pawn and informant, but Kei also happens to be a much more interesting (and after recent events, much stronger) person in general. The contrast is clear: Maya liked an idealized version of him; Kei likes the real him.

Kei casually offers Kiyotaka a Christmas gift, and is surprised when he gives her one in turn. While it’s just cold medicine, it’s the thought that counts, and she’s flattered that he worried about her to that extent, even if only in a purely practical way.

As they walk back to the dorms, Kiyotaka reveals that his abrupt termination of their arrangement, as well as rescuing her at the absolute last moment, galvanized Kei’s genuine trust in him, making her all but betrayal-proof. As he puts it, a good chunk of him has never left the White Room, where people are only tools to be used and discarded.

Those thoughts are apropos of the encounter that follows him and Kei parting ways for their respective dorms, as Sakayanaki Arisu. She greets him as if they’d known each other long ago, then references the White Room by name, notes that he, the “False Genius”, is his father’s “ultimate masterpiece”, and states that the role of “burying” him should fall to her.

So the curtain falls on a second season that ended in relative peace, with the promise of ever more intense personal battles to follow in next year’s Season 3. Whether it’s continuing his quasi-romance with Kei, making use of his new tool Ryuuen to bring Kikyou down, convincing Suzune to join the StuCo, or fending off whatever Arisu serves up, Kiyotaka will have no shortage of work to do.

Classroom of the Elite – S2 09 – Relationship of Convenience

Ryuuen agrees to feed Kikyou with the questions he wrote for Class D, which she’ll use to win the bet and get Suzune and Kiyotaka expelled. In exchange, Kikyou will help make sure Class C wins Paper Shuffle. Ryuuen then takes his gang to go investigate the study group with Kiyotaka and Yukimura, bringing along Shiina Hiyori to try to determine if the Class D Mastermind is among them.

While the experience shakes the group, Haruka likes the vibes they’ve created and decides to formally make them a group, complete with everyone in it being on a first-name basis Airi suddenly inserts herself into the group and asks to join in, presumably to be close to Kiyotaka, and the group agrees.

That night, Kiyotaka calls Kei, but not to invite her to the movie his study group is going to tomorrow. Instead, he has a favor to ask of her. Kei, who wants to become closer to Kiyotaka, has a birthday gift wrapped and ready for him, but has to settle for a LINE sticker, to which he reacts with his usual Ayanokouji stoicism.

The next day when the study group heads meet at karaoke to discuss progress, it becomes clear what Kiyotaka asked Kei to do. She confronts Kikyou for her unrelentingly sweet good girl attitude and accuses her of looking down on her, even tossing a drink on her uniform. Yousuke scolds her and she apologizes, tearfully asking if she can get Kikyou’s uniform washed; Kikyou agrees.

The big day of the Math test that will determine both Suzune and Kiyotaka’s fates arrives, and Maya makes it a point to greet Kiyotaka, only to be shuffled off by a clearly jealous Kei. Yousuke can tell how she’s taken a liking to Kiyotaka, and suggests that having a non-fake boyfriend would probably be best for her.

Before pencils up, Kiyotaka and Suzune revel in the class unity that’s been created through their efforts. Then the test begins, and Kikyou immediately realizes that the test questions she gave Ms. Chabashira are nowhere to be found. Just like that, she’s lost the bet, and she knows it.

Kikyou can’t even pretend to hide her rage when she slams her hands on the desk and then storms out of the classroom. While she’s been a lot more bluster than bite as a villainess, it was still satisfying to see her brought low after she thought she had the Shuffle in the bag.

She meets Ryuuen to voice her anger, but Ryuuen tells her he doesn’t owe her his loyalty, since she couldn’t deliver what she promised him. The bottom line is that before she even made a deal with him, Suzune already had her beat, by going to Chabashira before her and getting her to agree to only accept questions from her, the official class rep.

Kiyotaka explains this to Kei, who then wonders why he had her plant a cheat sheet on Kikyou’s uni. That was only meant to be insurance in case Suzune’s gambit failed. But Kiyotaka has to hand it to Suzune, she achieved this victory all by herself, proving she’s grown as a person and and operator.

Considering the witness, Kikyou has no choice but to abide by the promise she made should she lose to Suzune. Suzune reaches out her hand as a gesture of trust, and is determined to get Kikyou to like her, but Kikyou assures her that will never happen. She also makes clear that while she promised not to try to sabotage her, their deal didn’t say anything about Kiyotaka.

Still, I have to think that the fact that Kikyou and Ryuuen sever their brief alliance can only hurt both parties and help Kiyotaka. He probably knows that too, which is why he presented Ryuuen with the facts on the ground; that Suzune already had Kikyou beat, and got him to agree to a deal to alter Class C’s questions.

Ryuuen doesn’t like one bit that the Mastermind used him the way he so easily uses others, so he plans a bit of revenge in the form of destroying Kei, sending Kiyotaka a photo of her to make it plain. Combined with Kikyou preparing to focus all of her efforts on getting him expelled, Kiyotaka now finds himself in the crosshairs of two adversaries at the same time.

Is that just fine with him? You bet. He welcomes both Ryuuen and Kikyou coming at him with everything they’ve got. It will only make his victories over them that much sweeter. And as huge a prick as Kiyotaka usually is, his commitment to protecting Kei, like his pride over Suzune’s growth, is genuine and admirable. I’m not about to bet against him now.

Classroom of the Elite – S2 08 – The Sword of Truth

Class D splits into study groups, with Suzune and Kikyou overseeing. When two students paired up despite having the same strengths and weaknesses ask for help, Yukimura volunteers to lead their group, and Suzune has Kiyotaka join them. After his performance at the relay, his classmates tell him he should stop holding back.

When Kiyotaka agrees to sit in on Suzune and Kikyou’s group, Maya tags along, and despite him not putting in any effort, other students still view them as a cozy couple. Honestly I feel bad for Maya, who could have had a crush on virtually anyone else and fared better.

Two notable exceptions are Ryuen and our two-faced charmer Kikyou, whom Suzune meets one-on-one in an empty classroom. She tells Kikyou that she only knows vague rumors about what went down in middle school, Kikyou has no way of trusting her. So Suzune proposes a bet.

She’ll let Kikyou choose one of the eight subjects they’re being tested in. Whoever gets the higher individual score will win. If Kikyou wins, Suzune will leave the school of her own free will. If Suzune wins, Kikyou will cease her vendetta. Suzune brings in Manabe, whom both trust and respect, as a witness, and the bet is formally agreed to.

Of course, Kikyou is well aware that Kiyotaka is listening in on Suzune’s phone, so later that night she meets with him and Suzune and proposes an amendment to the bet: if she wins, Kiyotaka leaves the school too. Suzune is against it, but Kiyotaka will bet on Suzune winning every time.

In exchange, he asks that Kikyou tell them both exactly what happened. If they’re putting their school lives on the line, they deserve that much. Kikyou agrees, and slides into Dark Backstory Mode. It all started in grade school when she’d get praised and recognized for every little thing she said and did.

When that automatic praise stopped and started to be distributed across her classmates, she vowed to become the friendliest, most helpful, most trusting classmate she could be; indispensable to all. This took an emotional toll, and she needed an outlet for her pent-up rage and resentment. Perhaps misguidedly, she chose a public blog.

While she changed all the names in her blog entries, it became a receptacle for all the class’ dirty little secrets, which she of course collected by being everyone’s best friend. The system worked until someone found the blog and exposed her, and suddenly she was everyone’s worst enemy.

Rather than cower or run, Kikyou fought back, dumping all of the secrets she hadn’t written about in her blog to that point. With that tinder she set the entire class against each other, resulting in its rumored annihilation.

Suffice it to say, she wants anyone who knows anything about this incident out of her life so she can reset things as everyone’s best friend. So now Kiyotaka and Suzune know the full story, and the full depth of Kikyou’s depraved, bottomless desire for recognition, praise, and of course, dirty secrets.

Even now she’s collected enough of Class D’s to destroy the class, but would rather not. Instead, she’s staking everything on getting a better math score than Suzune. I can’t imagine she’ll succeed. It’s not that such an outcome wouldn’t be interesting; it just doesn’t seem plausible for our two leads to suddenly drop out.

Classroom of the Elite – S2 07 – Casanova

There’s a changing of the guard at the top of the school pyramid, as Manabu resigns to make way for Nagumo Miyabi of Class 2-A, who intends to turn the school into a true meritocracy.

Meanwhile, Kiyotaka is suddenly Mr. Popular, earning praise (and a warning about Ryuuen) from 1-A’s Katsuragi to being asked out by Satou Maya, who was smitten with his athletic performance. Kiyotaka agrees to an exchange of numbers and a platonic start.

Of course, hot on the heels of the sports fest is the next special test, which is called “Paper Shuffle” and involves everyone being paired off and taking tests with questions prepared from the other classes.

As is typical of CoE the rules are stubbornly labyrinthine, but the Kiyotaka and Suzune agree that the most important aspect of the test is how people will be paired off, which will be chosen by how everyone scores on a mini-test.

Suzune, Kiyotaka, Ken, Kei, and Yousuke meet to talk strategy, and are joined by Kikyou, whose presence Suzune doesn’t protest. Hanging back with Kiyotaka, Suzune tells him that she went to the same middle school as Kikyou, and there were rumors she was singlehandedly responsible for the utter destruction of an entire class.

While Kiyotaka suggests she try to get Kikyou expelled, Suzune still believes there’s a way to make Kikyou their ally. She also makes a point to earnestly thank Kiyotaka, since she knows he was the one who saved her from Ryuuen.

With true villains like Ryuuen stalking about, that’s not an unrealistic hope. He wastes no time outing the Class C traitor, who turns out to be Manabe, a nice connection to a previous special test and the person who more or less brought him and Kei together. Manabe tells Ryuuen that the Class D “mastermind” is either Kiyotaka or Yukimura, the only witnesses to her bullying Kei.

At the cafe, Suzune leads the group in the strategy meeting, proposing that their class be split into four groups based on their academic performance, and for the lower two quarters of the class intentionally get zeros and ones on their mini-tests, so that they’ll be paired with the strongest scores and thus result in a balanced group and minimizing the possibility of any expulsions.

It’s a nifty little plan, and not only does Kiyotaka not involve himself in the meeting, but leaves it all up to Suzune to convince the class, which she does admirably due to her growth in the sports festival softening her edges.

That night, Kei calls Kiyotaka, worried about how things went with him and Satou Maya. He posits that she’s worried he may shirk his responsibility to protect her if he gets close to Maya, but he tells her that they only agreed to exchange numbers for now, and even if it amounted to more, he promises he’ll have her back come what may.

Even though I feel bad for Kei being caught up in Kiyotaka’s web of awfulness, and like Maya I’d strongly suggests not harboring a crush on him, I’m also just glad that she feels happy and safe, and equally certain Kiyotaka is a man of his word when it comes to protecting her. He doesn’t even add “so long as you keep doing as I say”.

Unfortunately for Kei, Kiyotaka ends up being paired up with Maya for the Paper Shuffle, while Suzune ends up with Ken (no surprise there). Everything’s going according to plan so far, but the threat of Ryuuen looms, as does Kikyou’s assertion that expelling Suzune and Kiyotaka is a higher priority than rising to Class A. I certainly hope Suzune makes strides in her peace talks.

Classroom of the Elite – S2 06 – The Mask Drops

The title of this episode comes from Lord Byron, but one could quote Yoda too: failure is the greatest teacher. Suzune was too busy trying to be accomplished and exceptional enough for her brother to look her way to realize that sometimes failing is the point.

While at first I thought Kiyotaka was throwing out random rumors about Kikyou being the Class D traitor, when pressed, she happily owns up to it. Without dropping her outward syrupy demeanor, she admits her primary goal right now is to get Suzune expelled.

She also offers Kiyotaka a friendly reminder that she still has evidence of him groping her if he ever tried to expose her. Not only that, she’s decided on the spot that before she can think about helping Class A, she’ll want him expelled along with Suzune.

Sudou is still angry from how things went down thus far when Suzune first approaches him, but she remains standing near the elevator when he decides to return. Suzune realize the two are alike in their obsession with seeking acknowledgment, but now she knows that going it alone won’t be enough. She asks Sudou to help her, and when he agrees, she flashes an exceedingly rare Horikita smile.

Sudou returns to the class, bows, and apologizes for being a dick, showing growth, while Suzune bows out of the final relay, meaning Kikyou will run in her place. When another student bows out, Kiyotaka takes his place, and Suzune’s brother happens to be beside him in the relay.

Manabu is impressed with Class D’s sudden turnaround after they seemed to be circling the drain, and Kiyotaka tells him whatever happened to get them back on track, it was Suzune’s doing. Manabu acknowledges that, then accepts Kiyotaka’s offer to race him.

The other two runners in their row start off before them, but it doesn’t matter: Kiyotaka and Manabu are running their own race. Not only that, they’re both so freakishly fast it doesn’t matter how big a head start the other runners had.

In the end, Team Red won while Class 1-D ranked dead last in class points. That said the results of the sports festival don’t cause a dramatic shift in the status quo. But it wasn’t a wasted opportunity for Class D, because Suzune was able to learn from her failures and grow, just as Sudou was. Suzune also now has the “weapon” in Sudou that Kiyotaka insisted she procure.

That leaves the post-festival groveling, which an honorable person like Suzune would never back out of. When she arrives before Ryuen, Kikyou is also there. Suzune, who knows she’s the Class D traitor, asks her to drop the cutesy act…and what to you know, she does! Dark Kikyou is a lot of fun, and makes no bones about her only immediate goal being to eliminate anyone who knew the “old her”—even her current ally Ryuen, someday.

Suzune gets Ryuen to discuss how he and Kikyou manipulated the sports festival from the get-go and even got Saki to pretend her injury was worse than it was. Suzune reveals she’s recording all of this on her phone, but Ryuen points out that he prefaced his explanation as “indulging her fantasy”, meaning there’s reasonable doubt he was being serious. Also, he recorded everything too, in case Suzune tried to edit hers.

Just when Suzune is ready to eat crow and grovel as instructed, Ryuen gets a text message with a third audio file: one in which he’s heard instructing Saki to intentionally injure Suzune. He claims not to know who recorded or sent him this, but he can only tip his hat to that person, as it creates a stalemate from which he and Kikyou withdraw for the time being.

Why he wouldn’t suspect Kiyotaka of being behind this move, I do not know, but that’s who I assume did it, perhaps with Kei obtaining the actual recording for her new “handler”. In any case, the triple-twist, combined with an always welcome appearance of Dark Kikyou, made for a surprisingly entertaining finish to the outing.

Considering the modest gains Class C enjoyed from the festival, I’d say this is a net win for Team Kiyotaka/Suzune, due to the aforementioned emotional growth of the latter and the former at least knowing the score vis-a-vis Kikyou’s goals.

Classroom of the Elite – S2 05 – Losing Streak

Kiyotaka suggests that Kikyou may have sold out Class D for private points from another class, and if Suzune ever wants to lead the class, having a traitor among them is an intolerable threat. When Kikyou joins them to scout Team White, Suzune comes right out and asks if Kikyou betrayed the class, and of course Kikyou denies it, asking that they trust her.

The day of the sports festival, Sudou is full of vim, vinegar, and confidence that he’ll be able to lead Class D to victory, aiming for a clean sweep. Arisu quietly observes under a tent, paying particular attention to Kiyotaka, whom she no doubt understands is D’s true mastermind.

After getting out to a comfortable lead, things start going all Scuderia Ferrari on Class D. Sudou is beaten down by a cheating Ryuen outside of the watch of any teachers. Suzune collides with a Class-C girl and injures her ankle, suspecting it was intentional. The ace of the boys is increasingly pissed off, while the ace of the girls is hurt.

When the girls lose the Piggyback Joust, Sudou vows to Hiyotaka (on whom he has a crush) that he’ll win enough for the both of them, but he loses too. Hiyotaka rattles Suzune’s cage, telling her to “be useful” for once as she’s the only one who can bring back Sudou after he flips out and quits. Kei asks Kioyotaka if there’s any chance they can come back from their deficit; Kiyotaka says he never had any intention of winning.

No, his goal is to lose as much as possible. As for why their participation list was submitted when he knew there’d be a leak, he says it was Suzune’s idea. Finally, just as Kiyotaka is trying to track down Sudou, Kikyou tells her she’s wanted in the nurse’s office, where she not only finds a severely injured Class-C girl she collided with, but Ryuen as well.

The girl, no doubt manipulated by Ryuen (her injury might not even be real, but if it is, that makes him that much more of a jerk), accuses Suzune of intentionally injuring her. Not wanting to cause trouble for her StuCo president brother, Suzune asks what she can do for the complaint to be dropped. Ryuen says he needs a million private points…and to grovel before her after the festival.

So yeah, Class D and Suzune in particular are going through some shit. When she crosses paths with her brother, she’s happy he even bothered to stop to hear her say she realizes how incompetent she is, but she’s resolved not to cause trouble for him. And all of this shit she’s enduring is being either passively or actively endorsed and/or caused by Kiyotaka.

To what end? The title of the episode is the clue: Every failure is a step to success. Kiyotaka isn’t interested in fun or easy victories. They won’t become Class A that way. No, they have to fail and suffer again and again and again, harden themselves, and use what they’ve learned from those failures to succeed when it matters most.

Classroom of the Elite – S2 02 – Kei the Lamprey

Unsurprisingly, Koenji makes the biggest splash of the test by apparently discovering the true VIP, resulting in Jupiter Group’s test concluding. Hirata gets a rumor that Kushida is a VIP. Horikita and Ayanokouji meet in an area of the ship heavy with lovey-dovey couples. Ryuuen proposes the other three classes ally against A, but Horikita isn’t having it.

They determine that uniting Class D is the best move they’ve got, using Kei and her “powerful sense of presence”. Kei is still recovering from her shower breakdown, calling herself a “parasite”, while Ayanokouji gets unexpectedly hugged by Kushida, who is feelingly lonely due to all being around all of the couples.

As the teachers drink in a private bar, Hoshinomiya-sensei asks Chabashira-sensei how Ayanokouji ended up the leader at the end of the Island test, but Chibashira is tight-lipped. Ayanokouji happens to be in the vicinity when Karuizawa meets with Hirata, who tells her that there are limits to what he can do to help her.

This angers Karuizawa, but Hirata tells her this is the way it’s always been since they started fake-dating. Karuizawa got a boost in popularity and a degree of protection, but Hirata won’t help her settle grudges, even as he later tells Ayanokouji he sympathizes with the perennially bullied Karuizawa.

Mars Group’s third and fourth discussions come and go without much of any progress being made, with Karuizawa hanging out with the first-years and flirting with Machida. After the fourth discussion, Karuizawa  is followed out by Shiho and her two cronies, who corner her in a hallway. Yukimura and Ayanokouji follow just in case.

When Shiho & Co. start getting nasty with a Kei who is increasingly breaking down, Ayanokouji tells Yukimura not to intervene too soon; he wants to gather as much research as he can on Kei before “tainting the experiment”, so to speak.

Two episodes in, and I must admit I’m respecting CoE more than I’m actually enjoying it. There’s definitely something clever in the works, but I can’t deny that there are some pretty dull stretches—even those possibly containing key clues. It doesn’t help that the show simply doesn’t look that good, though the soundtrack makes up for that a bit.