The Class E system – a satire of real life Japanese education

If I have to attribute one factor that led to Assassination Classroom being a big hit across Asia, but hard to catch on for the Western audience, it will undoubtedly be the differing perspectives with which the two sides view schools and education.



See, while Kunugigaoka Middle School and its Class E system is indeed a bit exaggerated, it is actually satiring the way real life Japan’s education system works. The predicament that Class E faces is real (but on a higher scale). The issues they face are very real.

This post will be all about what Japan’s education system is like, and what Matsui Yuusei is trying to achieve.

It is very long and detailed, so be prepared.

About Japan’s Education System

(Anime OST - Asano Gakuhou)



In Japan, many schools operate on a one-size-fits-all basis, and grade test rankings are everything. Results are published for all to see.



Asian schools in the past, and some today, will group students together based on their aptitude, their academic abilities. Smart ones in one class, dumb ones in another. According to my mother, in her time at Hong Kong, there was once a Class G.

To top it off, Japanese employment is largely determinant on what Universities you attend, and in turn those are determined by what High Schools, and in turn those by Middle School.

Parents are pressured into planning everything out in advance, and many kids are pressured to attend cram schools to improve their odds of getting into the school/university of their choice. Both in turn places a lot of pressure onto the kids. It’s why phenomenon like Hikkikomori (“shut-ins”) happen.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori

So if you don’t do well, it’s already bad that your results are open for all to see. If you’re grouped together with the other weaklings, that’s even worst. You are targets for discrimination.

Ijime – what bullying is like in Japan

In this system, “conformity” is seen as a virtue. If the majority of a class flows one way, flow along or flounder by yourself. This works for both good and bad.

If you can’t work in the system, you may be seen as an “outcast”, ripe to be picked on, and treated as the one at fault. This phenomenon happens subtly below the surface. Peer pressure works on a whole different level in Japan.

It could be because your grades stand out, whether it’s good or bad.



It could be that something about your appearance or habits stand out.



It could be that you are quiet, alone and have no friends.



It could be that you can’t follow a trend like everyone else.



It could be that you are seen as weak.

The trends and roots to bullying in Japan, known as ijime, is complicated and a very different beast from Western countries. For full details, the following article is useful:

http://thisjapaneselife.org/2013/06/12/japan-ijime-bullies/

Just keep in mind that it wouldn’t be a surprise if suicides happen (still really repulsive though).

Relating back to Class E

(Anime OST - Class E’s Anxiety)



This education system, my friend, is what AC’s Kunugigaoka Middle School is meant to satire.



The Class E system represents both the struggles of kids to keep up with the pressures they face in schooling, as well as the unfairness and injustice of ijime.

The main differences is that in this fictional universe, Class E is:

A collection of all the “outcasts”, therefore the negativity works on a larger and more visible scale.

Intentionally designed to be a target for discrimination, and bullying is outwardly encouraged



The Class E system is designed to keep the rest of the school motivated on their studies. Designed, so that the strong will rise, and the weak will fall, where second chances are a far, far glimmer in the distance.

In this system, bad grades essentially mean you fail at life. “Success” is a given, “failure” is the end. “Effort” means nothing, “results” are everything. Not even your parents may support you, because on top of how busy their own lives are, they see it as a shame that their children are “weak”.

Dreams and messages, courtesy of Matsui Yuusei

(Anime OST - Korosensei’s Lesson of Love)



“He grew angry at Mach 20 speed, and praised me with a wiggling tentacles. I felt a completely ordinary happiness from this abnormal teaching method. It’s because this abnormal sensei … looked at us normally.” - Shiota Nagisa -

Assassination Classroom is something of a dream Matsui Yuusei draws on the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump that shouts out and appeals to all school age readers.



After all, what made Korosensei and the other Class E teachers so great is that they’re pretty much the only ones who stand up for our outcasts, who looks at them normally and simply as the understandably imperfect human beings they are.

The fact that Korosensei takes his time talking to his students one-on-one, to tailor test papers for each and every one of them, he’s the kind of caring dream teacher you dearly wish you had in real life.

And over time, the Class E students have become comrade-in-arms, they will stand up for one another. The idea that if one falls, and someone will be by your side to lift you back up regardless of how unsightly you may be, is like a dream come true.

But alongside this dream is a message from the author.

Matsui-sensei wants to tell readers that even if one-size-fits-all may not work for everyone, it doesn’t mean they’re useless. Even if you can’t do everything, you may still have something special that you can call your own. Just like with Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro, the author believes in “human potential”.

Just like how each Class E student has a skill/talent that has proven unexpectedly useful in the assassination, what you can do may be useful when the time comes.

Even if you have fallen, even if you hadn’t walked along the best path, not all is lost. As long as you make something of it, you can turn your weaknesses and disadvantage into a weapon that only you can use.

Even if you had failed, it’s not the end of the world, and everyone deserves a second chance. To quote Terasaka, “it’s fine if you fail 100 times. Until March, if we kill him just once … just with that, it’s our win.”

Conclusion

(Anime OST - Class E’s Hope)



There’s a reason why Great Teacher Onizuka is so acclaimed, why Koe no Katachi/A Silent Voice is so brutally raw, and why Assassination Classroom has proven to be so popular with Japan and beyond.



Kunugigaoka and Class E may look absurd, may look over-the-top, but it is a very real issue that has been left to fester inside of the Japanese education system. It is a satire of a very flawed design that no one is willing to confront.

And through this satire, Matsui Yuusei successfully captured the misery of Japanese kids and makes them cheer for Class E to succeed. Readers sympathise with the dropouts, and empathise with their predicament. And nothing makes them happier than to see the students fight off the oppression they face, take back their lives, and live on as proud individuals with their heads held up high.

So next time if someone thinks this manga is unrealistic, please tell them that it is very much the opposite, and it is no laughing matter.

And hope that Matsui-sensei succeeds in bringing hope to some of his readers out there.