Overall, Season 3 of Classroom of the Elite may be described as “more of the same.” Ultimately, the standard narrative structure persists: Ayanakoji’s class faces a fresh challenge, but he maneuvers behind the scenes to prevail in the end. To prevent things from growing too repetitive, this season tries its best to introduce a few fresh wrinkles to the formula.
The season’s opening arc centers on the division of the class into teams representing the entire grade. This makes it possible to introduce and reintroduce significant individuals from other classes in a natural way. This is also the case with the second arc, which instead of emphasizing Class C’s adventures focuses on Class A’s efforts to ruin Class B through a series of rumors.
The series’ third arc, however, contains the biggest surprise. For the very first time in the episode, Ayanokoji is unable to win in its entirety. The test design dictates that one student will be expelled from Class C, and the class must vote to determine who will go. Not only does Ayanokoji fail miserably to keep the class together, but he also fails miserably to get the one student expelled that he desires—and he can hardly even avoid getting expelled himself.
All of this works to confine Ayanokoji’s personality. He may be unbelievably intelligent and astute, but he is not invincible. His failure is a very serious possibility since he has harmed himself by insisting on leading an average school life (at least on the outside). This heightens the suspense in the show, particularly because the character experiences yet another loss at the conclusion of the season’s fourth and final arc.
The primary goal of this season is to flesh out some of the major characters who, up until now, have been rather mysterious by delving into their pasts to learn more about what drives them. This is what Ichinose, the class B leader, gets done in the second arc. It examines her psychological makeup, her past, and the unhealthy reliance she is beginning to develop on Ayanokoji. In the meantime, Hirata, the public face of Class C, engages in a similar activity in the fourth arc. Having been a class tyrant and a bystander with disastrous consequences in the past, he is mentally destroyed by his inability to maintain Class C’s unity while acting morally. He gains a lot from being compared and contrasted with Ichinose, who also gives both characters a fresh perspective on their past behavior.
Despite all of the season’s positive aspects, there remains one significant problem: its tempo. A true climax does not exist. The entire season builds toward a confrontation between Ayanokoji and Sakayanagi, the lone other student who is aware of Ayanokoji’s identity. Nevertheless, this fight turns into an anti-climax as the main antagonist of the upcoming arc unexpectedly intervenes to sabotage their confrontation. After then, the anime rambles on for a further two episodes, teasing the possibility of a fourth season.
With the exception of its conclusion, this season of Classroom of the Elite is mostly enjoyable and comparable to the first two. It does a terrific job of building tension by pulling Ayanokoji down a couple rungs, and it features some excellent character work. We can only hope for a fourth season.
