Watch this if you are a teacher!

This is one of my favorite animes of all time. The one I have rewatched many times. A highly recommended anime for those in the teaching profession. And teaching aspirants as well. 

Let me not keep you guessing for long.

If you are content with the short version, you can stop here. Else keep going. To know why I recommend this for those in the teaching profession...

Assassination Classroom is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yūsei Matsui. It was adapted into an anime for 2 seasons and 47 episodes. There were also two live-action films made. Assassination Classroom (2015) and its sequel Assassination Classroom: Graduation (2016). Both films were highly successful.

The story begins with Koro-sensei, a superpowered tentacled alien creature, announcing that he will destroy Earth within the following year. However, he offers humanity a chance to save itself - by having his students in Class 3-E of Kunugigaoka Junior High School assassinate him. The government agrees to his conditions. What else can they do in the face of overwhelming power!

However, this task proves too difficult. Why? Simply because Koro Sensei is too overpowered. He can move and fly at Mach 20. (Mach is the speed of sound, btw. Remember Maverick flying a super cool jet at Mach 10? Koro Sensei is twice as fast.) He also has accelerated regeneration, visual cloning, and an unbeatable form. And he is immune to most lethal weapons like guns and rockets. Poor students, right?

But Koro-sensei has placed a handicap on himself. For the entire year, he will remain as the teacher of class 3-E. He will not try to flee. Nor will he harm the students in any way. He will simply be their teacher. The students can use whatever means they can to kill him. They even get government training to be assassins. And to make the deal smooth, govt has offered  ¥10 billion (10,000,000,000) as a reward for whoever succeeds. 

And so begins the Assassination Classroom....

The series is narrated by Nagisa Shiota, one of the students in the class whose main strategy in killing Koro-sensei is making a list of all his weaknesses over time. It is mainly through his eyes that we see the story unfold. 

Kunugigaoka Junior High School is a prestigious private school in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the top schools in Tokyo. But there existed a discriminatory class system known as the "E System."

It was created by Chairman Gakuho Asano and is based on the 20:20:60 worker ant ratio. A social science which states that 20% of people are exceptional, 20% are worthless, and the other 60% are ordinary.

Students are required to excel in all fields of their education or get transferred to a remedial class called "Class E." This system designates one group as undesirables. And all the rest will do everything in their power to avoid being added to this undesirable group. The system's ideal is to ensure that 95% of students are in the exceptional category while only 5% are classified as worthless.

While all the worst students are gathered in Class E, all the best students are gathered in Class A. All the other students are in Class B, Class C, and Class D. Among the elites of Class A is a group known as "The Big Five," consisting of the top five students in the entire school.

So the heroes of our story are constantly discriminated against. Their classroom is on the top of a mountain away from the main campus. The building is in bad shape. They are assigned inexperienced and bad teachers. They are made fun of by the students on the main campus during the school assembly. Even the teachers encourage that. Once a student is transferred to E class, all of their friends cut contact with them.

This was an "End class" where the students had no hope for the future. The students here were unmotivated and ashamed of themselves. They had their pride drained. They just kept their heads down and accepted their fate. And amid all this, they were tasked with assassinating a super creature even the military couldn't handle!

But then the creature they were supposed to kill turns their life upside down - In a good way!!

Despite being set out to destroy the world, Koro-sensei becomes the teacher class 3-E desperately needed. He does an excellent job of teaching the class, helping them to learn in a way that each can understand. He gives them individual attention and grooming.

We then see how these underdogs get back at those who called them worthless. They topple the order at school and rise over the 'privileged' and 'chosen' ones. Who wouldn't like an underdog story.

All the students have their own tales. They are not just background characters so that Nagisa (E-11) can shine. Everybody has personal struggles, and each overcomes them with Koro sensei's help. They start to believe in themselves, and it gives them confidence. Here. Meet the whole roster.

Even though the government appoints the other faculty (Karasuma and Irina) to take out Koro-sensei, they sincerely help the students with their academics and co-curriculars. The students also take a liking to them and start to respect them.

The series is comedy gold with many moments to laugh. It is mostly light-hearted and fun despite the assassination theme. And then, at times, Koro Sensei drops wisdom bombs here and there, inspiring the students and viewers alike.

This is one of my favorite quotes from the anime. There are many other quotes like this throughout the anime.

So this is the story of the underdogs who went after the system that was keeping them down. The story of misfits who embraced their uniqueness and grew into outstanding individuals. The story of the worthless who challenged the chosen and won.

Most of all, this is the story of a teacher who lifted an entire class out of the abyss. A teacher who went against the system to give his students a seat at the table. A sensei who went above and beyond the requirements of a teacher - just for the sake of his students. This is also about the redemption of another teacher (spoiler alert).

This anime will motivate you. It will make you cry a little and laugh a lot. Overall it will leave you with warm fuzzy feelings. So take the initiative and meet the "End class." Class 3-E.

Class 3-E wishes you a very happy new year. Akemashite omedetō gozaimasu (あけましておめでとうございます ). Take control of your life and achieve your dreams in the coming months. Be more grateful this year. Learn from the past and move toward the future.

(Another of my favorite quote)

So don't forget to check out the anime.You can watch it for free here on Youtube.All thanks to Muse Asia for that.And remember to always watch in Japanese!Have a good week ahead.Itadakimasu!