Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 3rd Season

Once again, we're plunged back into the intriguing world of our favorite psychopath in an unconventional high school setting. This season, like its predecessors, centers around Ayanokouji's tactical genius as he orchestrates victories from the shadows, manipulating events without ever taking center stage.

In terms of production, there have been no changes, which is a relief. However, a bit more action would have been welcome to spice things up.

Overall, this season serves as a solid continuation of the narrative. We delve deeper not only into Ayanokouji's complex character but also into those around him. While the storyline advances significantly, there are moments when it feels somewhat ... laborious. It's not that the intricate details provided this season aren't appreciated, but the predictability of each outcome saps some of the excitement from the viewing experience. Watching this season felt eerily similar to observing it through Ayanokouji's emotionless perspective.

On a positive note, watching the protagonist intricately weave his plots, adding new strands while maintaining the old ones, was quite fascinating. It's intriguing to see moments where he might actually seem benevolent, only to be reminded through his internal monologues that his manipulative and detached nature remains unchanged. His lack of empathy proves strangely captivating and adds a layer of depth to the story as each character perceives him through their own emotional lens.

I did find myself yearning for a dramatic revelation akin to those in the first two seasons. It appears that this season is more about strategically setting the stage for future developments—almost like preparing a chessboard for an impending game.

To sum up, while this season is a commendable addition to the series, I found my engagement mirroring the apathy of its lead character. Perhaps it's due to the lack of palpable stakes or the anticipation of a climactic twist that never comes. Nevertheless, the series remains true to its essence and characters, not forcing action where it doesn't belong, which, while it may detract from its immediate appeal, is praiseworthy in its own right.

I haven't read LN so I don't know how much they left out but for me a very good continuation of the second series. MC is starting to show and reveal more and more how much he can do. At the same time we get to see more of the side characters and learn about the past not just the main character. The last few episodes have kicked off a big game and I think we have a lot to look forward to.

As far as the art style is concerned, I guess I wouldn't have anything to complain about, although there was the occasional frame ... that the animators could have done more with. The opening is also very well chosen, so don't skimp, haha.

If you're a fan of the previous series, this one is just another must-see .

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

I took a very long break from watching anime this winter and haven´t seen any of the shows that aired this season weekly. However, when I saw that “Classroom of the Elite” finished it´s third season, I thought it might be time to come out of hybernation to review the newest entry of the fan-favorite series!

Story – 8

The story continues exactly where it left of in season 2. The vines are still amazing, as this is one of the few anime set in high-school that actually do something with the setting, giving it an interesting twist. Like the rest of the ... series, this season is split into little mini-arcs that usually span around 2 to 3 episodes at a time and focus on one specific character. The mindgames here are intense as always. The show really found it´s tone over the time. I still love how seriously this show takes itself. The interactions between the characters are a blast.
Again, the author finds clever ways to test the different classes in multiple ways. The amount of mind games, planning and rivalry between the classes is at an all-time high and you really feel the tension during the tests. Even simple concepts can split a class in half or give another class an advantage over the other.
They really nailed the pacing with this season, there is no filler, no pool episode and no unnecessary fan service that gets in the way of the plot. Although I feel that a lot has been cut from the original Light Novel, the show itself still makes enough sense for anime only-viewers to enjoy.

Art – 7

This is the only aspect where this show disappoints a little bit. If this was done by a studio that focuses on high school settings, (Like Kyoto Animation for example) things would be different, but as it is, the quality of the animation itself is just about industry standard. Characters are rather stiff and the camera is positioned in the same three angles. The only thing the show does really well is the backgrounds. They are beautifully drawn and colorful. I really wish the show would get a little upgrade in this department to really elevate the high school aesthetic to the next level, like “Hyouka” or “Love is War”.

Sound – 7

The Opening is pretty good but in my opinion the weakest one the series has had so far. The ED is amazing, just like season 2. This really is one of the shows where the ED has an edge over the OP which is pretty rare but can happen sometimes (“Code Geass”, “Hunter x Hunter” or “Lucky Star” are other examples…). The BGM is solid and works well, carefully building tension with it´s use of deep bass. Nothing extraordinary here, just solid stuff.

Characters – 8

Probably the shows strongest category. The characters just get better and better the more time you spend with them. The pool of characters that play an important part in the story is huge and varied. Every class has it´s popular figures and by the time of season three, all leaders have made big decisions to keep moving forward with their respective class.
Ayanokoji is still the star of the show. If you have read my reviews for season 1 and 2, you mayber remember that I used to compare him to Oreki from “Hyouka” even going so far as to say he is a ripoff. But after seeing more and more of him I decided to step back from that statement. This season really digs deep into his past, his backstory and, most importantly, his motivations.
The one that really surprised me this season is Ichinose. Her arc was one of the most enjoyable parts of this season, and there was some really interesting(!) setup being done which could indicate future development on her side.
Everyone is just a blast on screen, even characters that I found to be annoying like Koenji really found their unique place in the story and I am eager to see how everyone develops further into the story.

Enjoyment – 8

This was a nice return to form for me as an anime fan and I now consider myself a true fan of this series. Let´s hope we will see season 4 sooner than later!

- Marco_Yooo

FINAL SCORE - 8/10

The last couple of seasons was full of banger shows, so who in their right mind is going to spend their time watching some schlock like Classroom of the Elite? And how come it got the third season when my favorite anime didn't even have a sequel? Much to my surprise, I don't even have to play the Devil's advocate to say that this show is good, because the resolution in the second season was so satisfying that my expectations for this season were fairly high. And despite all flaws this season might have, I'm still pumped for the next one.

Up to this point the ... highlight of CotE was its mind games and I've always liked that the rules have never been too convoluted. However, this arc has pivoted, so the characters are now the main focus. Characters like Sakayanagi got strong motivations, while characters like Suzune got impressive character development. Over the course the story has matured enough to reach a certain point of believability in this season, where the story can interrupted differently by different people. There are parallels between Suzune and her brother or even more obvious example like Ayanokouji and other students as if the success can be achieved not only by talented people but also by those who work hard.

Whenever CotE is mentioned the same question is needed to be answered: is it actually smart or is it just pretend to be so? And the answer is both. Even though I think the story is mature, the way it is told isn't. And I don't know whether it is solely the fault of the adaptation or the source material is also a part of it. The quotes of famous philosophers before every episode aside, the direction is just terrible. Instead of letting the viewers set all pieces of the story together, it relentlessly dumps a great deal of exposition and constantly reminds of small things that happened before. This way of storytelling is probably the reason why this show and its audience have such bad reputation.

The animation is another sore thumb of the anime, it is fine most of the time because the show is dialog heavy anyway, but when it comes to action it is extremely noticeable. And this season never reaches the heights of the 12th episode. In stark contrast, the voice acting and the music are really good, I've never thought that the dialog can be improved that much if you put a track you'd usually associate with a Final Fantasy battle theme OST.

Being good overall, Classroom of the Elite has tangible problems, which will get in the way of enjoyment for a lot of people. Personally, I'll continue to watch it to see how the rest of the story plays out.

I am just anime watcher, didn't read light novel but I am aware there are not some important scenes, yet I haven't been digging too deep for it.

As simple anime enjoyer I still see some story quality drop since season 2, which was amazing. It's not like this season is awful but I believe some things could be handled better, especially when you kinda know what to expect already.

Meanwhile season ends with a smaller/bigger cliffhanger in last ep and I know a bit why because of some spoilers, I don't think episodes before that are so enjoyable as in previous season. In fact I just ... saw a tons of missed opportunities for epic scenes and character development.

Kiyotaka himself doesn't feel as much involved deeply in many things as I would expect, which is a pitty.

On the other side, new chairman situation and also final episodes were really interesting and enjoyable, promising strong next season. So as things are now, I think it deserves 7/10 from me and I'll wait for the outcome in next season. But this anime can certainly hit higher standards than this.

The first year is nearing its end, and with it is the last exams and special exams on the horizon. So how will class C end the year?

Once again in this season are we following Ayanokouji and class C. With the final tests incoming and the class still not being one collected team, are new problems arising. Which once again is seen through multiple complex plans, drama and with a war of knowledge.

The plot mainly revolves around Ayanokouji that has to take some more direct choices in the events, following the end of the year. We also get to delve into more of the side ... characters background, which gives more depth to the characters and plot. It also has some great world building by giving some insight into the other grades and classes plans.

When it comes to the characters is there still not much direct development to Ayanokouji, but we do get more insight in his background and some possible hints to some character development. The major character development is seen through the other characters who goes through their past and the events around the them.

The animation is very much detail orientated, where they put much effort into facial features, the characters poses and the emotion shown in their bodies. It is not a flashy style and there is not any big impressive animated scene, since the focus is on the details throughout.

Overall is it a great continuation on the previous seasons, that keeps the strategic plans, the scheaming and interesting characters a priority. So if you liked the previous season would I with no doubt recommend watching season 3.

I binged this anime from the first season the last few days and, like many of the other mixed reviewers, found it to be acceptable but a bit shallow. It has all these philosophical quotes about human nature and behavior, but never really goes beyond the MC feeling apathy and acting in a mildly manipulative way over a set of episodes unfolding at a very slow place. I don't think this show is bad at all, but I'd be hard-pressed to recommend it. This show has no hype moments whatsoever. Everything is understated and there are no masterful genius displays by our MC, or anything ... like that. As far as just the psychological drama genius aspect of this goes, I think you'd be better served watching something like Kakegurui. Even though I'd say this series is better on the whole, I think that one is more enjoyable as something psychological. This anime, I think, is ultimately a slice of life with a pretty meager side of psychological drama. It's not bad and keeps your attention, but it's more made up of the illusion that something smart will happen than anything that actually does.

Overall: Going into this show, I expected something different. Each subsequent season seems to stray further and further from the coherent social experiment-style psychological premise established in the first season. There isn't much big-picture plot development at all, with the only concrete changes since the start being in the maturity of the minor and supporting characters in MC's class. MC's backstory, rather than aiding the psychological side of the story, actually gets in the way of the interesting parts of the story, namely the internal competition of the classes and the strategizing. The secret genius grown in a lab MC is okay, but a bit underwhelming given the potential of someone with his apparent skills. All in all, I don't think this will be an anime I return to or really think about ever again after I finish documenting my opinion here. Worth it for passing a few hours, but I think this is the kind of show that has a high floor and a low ceiling when it comes to enjoyability. Nothing to knock your socks off, but nothing egregiously terrible or offensive to make you drop it.

Main Character: MC frequently makes comments that he'd betray anyone at any time if it benefited his interests, but he largely acts like a neutral good in the show and doesn't seem to have an overarching goal besides "living a normal life," which is completely boring as a life motivation in anything but quirky comedy. What's worse, the good things that he does basically work to create a harem, even if it's not presented exactly that way. The show builds him up like some kind of genius emotionless mastermind, but his strategies are things like switcheroos and beating someone up with random fighting skills that don't seem to match his studying and playing chess all the time backstory. I don't think the writing quality is strong enough to convincingly portray a clever character as clever. This show creates a vibe that some kind of psychological angle to going to be explored, but it's really just air with little actual substance in its plot. The main character, though he's presented as smart, does not have any strong goals or motivations. The result is that everything feels a bit pointless, or lacking in palpable stakes for him. He builds a network of connections and hides his influence to not stand out, but he doesn't have any legitimate internal goal that gives those actions personal meaning for him. He's like an emotional-less "genius" running on auto-pilot who simply responds to the stimuli around him. I think your overall thoughts on this show will be determined by how into the MC you are. I've seen too many characters just like him to get that excited, but some might like his backstory and think "living a normal life" is a compelling motivation for him.

Plot: Another big issue with this anime is that it feels like it should feel like it's building to something, but there aren't really any highs during the entire run. The pacing is too much like a high school drama as opposed to a psychological thriller. For instance, the stated goal of the anime, if not the MC, is for class D to reach class A. Guess where the class ends up after year one (3 seasons)? It's got the slice of life dynamic whereby just about any time the MC or his class could actually win, they lose; or, if they do win, it's a two steps forward one step back kind of win. The only time they advanced at all was because of MC's physical violence. Any victory they attain is a shallow, short-term one. The economy of the school with points was interesting in the first season, but slowly becomes a non-issue and loses a lot of focus. Then, the traitor classmate who was the biggest obstacle for much of the show's run becomes a total non-factor. And now, there's some annoying and unnecessary plot-line about the politics and management of the school that seems to contradict the public, government-funded structure established early on. The plot just doesn't seem focused and consistent in the way it should. The individual tests are fine, for the most part, and it's interesting to see how the MC navigates the plotting and backstabbing of other classes, but this is most interesting in the first season, with the tests getting less and less interesting with each passing season.

World-building/Cast: The best part of this show is the network of relationships it includes, which makes you consider the number of factors involved in every test. Teamwork, alliances, and leadership are all well-conveyed in this story, and so you get a sense of traits and approaches that will work well within the school. The varying personalities are well-depicted and you get a sense of the class dynamics. I didn't really have much of a problem with this aspect of the anime, but several characters had pretty ridiculous secret histories, and sometimes female characters approach and flock to MC like any run-of-the-mill harem protagonist, which is obviously a negative when it comes to organic characterization. Several characters do grow and change in a "growing up as a highschooler" type of way, which is an overall positive, but again, supports my claim that this story is ultimately a slice of life rather than psychological story.

I dont know like how to explain this but this season felt kind of disappointing and last episode was somewhat off compared to others but still cote legacy is there so i guess i go with a rating of 8
story was unique as always but like it was too predictable and aynokouji was especially somewhat bad looking but other character were very good expecially ichinose and horikita
it was realistic as always studying in school where you can experience dirty adult world and shit
i have somewhat mixed feeling after watching so many good anime past years and this year

Aah shit I don't know.

The second season was a huge let down after the intriguing first season. This, I can't make my mind. First thing, it is better than the second season imo. Secondly, It's still a bit trash. I really want to like it more but it is not that great.

The whole show feels like a complete waste of a premise. The premise is a gemstone. The execution is a pebble stuck to my really nice boots.

It might be because of the visual setting but it also feels super repetitive. It's becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between different 'arcs'.

Ayanokoji would still ... be imo one of the best MC's if the show he's in wouldn't have failed.

I will watch it till the end but unless there's going to be some major plot twist that I won't expect, then I believe my impression of this won't change.

Score: 5 - More of the same, but worse.

Nothing in this season has stood out to me at all in any other way than it just not being as good as the previous two seasons.

The reveal of Ayonokoji's true past and a completely one-sided and uninteresting rivalry between him and Class A's leader does not do much for the story. The same can be said for Horikita's relationship with her brother which started out with an initial insane introduction and then deflated into nothing across three seasons, giving her some arbitrary growth but keeping her annoying personality. I can respect them for ditching the ... initial impression of their relationship and going another direction, but sadly it didn't become more interesting.

There's a huge drama about a student elimination and it begs belief that the classmates care so much and kick up such a fuss about it, one student becoming practically a PTSD psychopath over it, another spending absurd amounts of money on it. The special exams feel like a kick in the nuts, much of it being overcomplicated and then boiled down so hard that all tactics for the viewer fly out the window with extremely unsatisfying results.

Finally there's a bigger overarching plot and another hurdle placed in the way of our protagonist which also begs belief. Apparently the best and most prestigious school in the country is just incompetent on all levels with no fail safes, no invested staff to sound the alarm or intervene in any way.

Stories like this need positives to keep the viewer engaged and this season really lacks it. If there's a fourth season, it has a lot it needs to salvage.

My experience with this series is that i picked up the seasons untill i catched up, from an only anime point of view, you are in for a treat well !! kind of, afterwards i read the source material and oh boy My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined!!.

nothing to say no point in repeating other reviews, they provided enough analysis on why this adaptation flopped, spare yourself some time and go read the light novel, i do not respect the the effort put into the production As a whole ,they are lucky they got the hype it did nonetheless they suck, the ... work done is decently horrible.

if you are going to watch the anime i recommend it just for the soul porpose of animation production.

it's like you got a beautiful painting from your admired artist, just for other guests (anime onlies) to come and see some other remakers doing the best they can to represent it in the worst way possible.

Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 3rd Season was a solid continuation from what preceded it, the quality was definitely kept up even if this season was less exciting than the previous two imo. Ayanokouji continues to be a really interesting character and it's great to see his development as the episodes go on, a few other characters went through some major development too this season which I really enjoyed, it's cool to have a cast that's fairly large like this but to still give time to allow them to develop. With the first year now concluding in the story I'm very interested to ... see what happens next considering how much has been set up for the next season (whenever it may come out), without going into detail there were some really interesting things brought up even just in the finale and I cannot wait to explore them at some point.

The art and animation continue to be solid this season, I do enjoy the artstyle of this show a lot and the same goes for the character designs. Soundtrack was great as well, ZAQ absolutely killing it with the OP as usual (when will she ever miss). Overall this was a fun watch and certainly worth keeping up with if you're caught up with the rest, I will certainly be reading the light novels soon depending on when the next season is announced for!

This is the ultimate "Making fun of while watching with friends" anime. Me and my friend had a good time doing just that with the third season of Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e. Admittedly while watching the previous seasons I hadn't gotten over how downright abysmal this show is so now that I'm over that, I managed to enjoy this one purely because of how dumb it is. It even fails to be funny when it makes an attempt at being funny. I understand that this is not a comedy anime but a few joke attempts were made and I could not believe ... that not even once it was able to be intentionally funny. I'm not about to go deep into why it's trash but in short it thinks it's smart and well thought-out but in reality it's just not. Not really anything changed since the first season except the harem growing. Which is nice. Ayanogoat deserves it. Other than that it's the same pretentious stuff.

tl;dr: Bluds think they're smart (they're not). :skull: