Classroom of the Elite III

How would you describe your high school life? Was it the wondrous place as depicted in certain TV shows, or was it a living hell you barely managed to escape with your sanity intact? For most, it’s somewhere along the middle, because this period is one full of both positives and negatives from angles we may not even know existed.

But the experience always counts for something, and life is built up around them, so why not? What’s a given is that there will be others whose experiences are infinitely better, as well as those who go through things infinitely worse! Let’s delve into another anime that speaks of unorthodox high school life.

“Classroom of the Elite III," also known as “Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 3rd Season” or simply “You-jitsu 3rd Season” (You-zitsu 3rd Season), is a 13-episode TV anime series that aired from the 3rd of January until the 27th of March in Winter 2024. It was brought to life by Studio Lerche and was produced by Studio Hibari, Movic, AT-X, Sammy, Crunchyroll, Kadokawa Media House, Kadokawa, and Bandai Namco Music Live.

The main staff behind it included Iizuka Aya, Ogata Mitsuhiro, Nemoto Yuuka, and Sotokawa Akihiro as producers. Featuring the genres of drama and suspense alongside the themes of psychological and school, each episode ran for 23 minutes and received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older.

Classroom of the Elite III is based on the original light novel “Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e” (Classroom of the Elite). It ran for a total of 14 volumes from May 25th, 2015, up until September 25th, 2019. Featuring the genre of drama alongside the themes of psychology and school, this work is the masterpiece of author Kinugasa Shougo and artist Tomose Shunsaku.

Additionally, from February 7, 2019 to May 12, 2022, Seven Seas Entertainment released it in digital format in English. From May 7, 2019 to June 28, 2022, it was available in printed form. This anime season is the sequel to “Classroom of the Elite II," which ran for a total of 13 episodes in Summer 2017, and “Classroom of the Elite,” which aired 12 episodes in Summer 2017 as well.

As a quick refresher, the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School is a special campus that receives funding from the government to nurture the brightest youth of Japan all under one roof. At this “perfect” establishment, the ever-so-reserved protagonist Kiyotaka Ayanokouji arrives at Class 1-D and befriends his classmate, the antisocial Suzune Horikita.

In the beginning, everyone indulges themselves in the school’s leisurely lifestyle and state-of-the-art facilities, but the underlying reality hits them soon enough. It turns out only the top-scoring classes can fully take advantage of the school's offerings, and Class D cannot be further from it. Placed at the bottom of this unfair hierarchy, Class D seemingly hosts all of the "worst" students and must face all the issues that come with it.

However, Ayanokouji and his class are not willing to simply accept this fate, thus banding together to overcome their many differences and overthrow the other classes in order to climb to the top—the coveted position of Class A! The best part is that they’re willing to use any means necessary.

Classroom of the Elite III focuses on the third semester at the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. It kicks off in full gear with a special boot camp set deep within the mountains. For this "exercise," the students are forcibly split into groups on the grounds of grade and gender, mixing the first, second, and third years alike, to work together in order to survive the rough terrain surrounding them.

To raise the stakes even higher, the leader of the group that places last will get expelled! Now, Class D must strive to make it back to their campus intact or bid farewell to one of their own forever.

There are many things to love about Classroom of the Elite. They do an amazing job showcasing the real-world struggles between various characters, the unfair school hierarchy, battles to reach the top, and groups scheming against each other. Using all these factors, the show keeps its audience on their toes, full of suspense and thrills. We experience this world through one of the best teenage protagonists in anime, a person attempting to hide his true identity while acting like just another normal high schooler.

There’s just so much drama, mysteriousness, and psychological elements thrown into this mix, which keeps you wanting for more. To this end, the plot is extremely complex but executed near-perfectly. From the first episode itself, it gives us a rough idea of what to expect from this season, but before long, it will throw you off your seat with its surprises and thrills.

The show is crafted so meticulously with so much effort that you will feel entertained and satisfied after finishing each episode. Why? Each scene is well-thought out and executed with legendary pacing; nothing feels rushed at all here.

There is much mental gymnastics to see here, which is something the series excels at, along with plenty of shocking elements that trap you within a certain frame. I cannot praise the plot more without spoiling it, but rest assured, everything is consistent, amazing, and makes absolute sense. A friendly reminder to always catch the after-credits scenes because important things happen there!

The character department is just as incredible as the plot, if not better. These characters are well-known throughout anime communities for their complexity and mysteriousness, even if they seem ordinary or average at first. Soon, you realize that they all have skeletons in their closets and hoard many secrets about their pasts, what they truly want, and who they are beneath their facades.

This series never lacked character development either, so prepare for even deeper development for the main and supporting cast. Kiyotataka Ayanokoji, Arisu Sakayanagi, and Kei Karuizawa are the cream of the crop in this regard, but the remaining supporting characters don’t disappoint either. Each and every one of them has an important role to play and only serves to make the show more interesting.

This is also why character interactions are ever-so satisfying, even in casual moments. They maintain this steady atmosphere, which helps the intense moments hit even harder. The emotional aspect is a juggling tool for the intellectual aspects and also showcases very relatable emotions. Ayanokoji is an extremely unique protagonist, one who is anything but generic and capable of handling people and situations perfectly. His duality is equally interesting, where he seems emotionless but yearns for something he cannot comprehend.

As always, the art and animation department passes with flying colors. The character designs are simple yet amazing and memorable, staying true to the source material. There’s no heavy action here, but the animation is fluid, colorful, and flows seamlessly. I have to commend the genius behind the frame rates as well, while the background really adds to the mysterious vibe of the show.

The character expressions are spot on, serving to highlight the interactions and weight of the scenes more. You can feel the sheer attention to detail in every scene, bringing this intriguing school world to life like no other. This season’s visuals honestly looked better than the previous seasons, appearing more polished while retaining their original style.

The Music and Sounds department is not as groundbreaking as the rest, but it is still solid and well-done. The voice actors did an amazing job as always, fitting their characters’ personalities perfectly and being interesting and enjoyable for us to listen to. The character interactions wouldn’t be such a goldmine without them, because you start feeling the words in your bones.

The opening theme is “Minor Piece" by ZAQ, while the ending themes are "Konse Daikakumei" by Yui Ninomiya, "Fixer" by Yui Ninomiya, and "Caste Room" by ZAQ, all of which are pretty well done. The OSTs are decent too, but the small piece of instrumental music accompanying a big event involved with character progression deserves praise!

One thing I noticed by the end of this season of Classroom of the Elite is that what I thought I knew about these characters was based mostly on what they let on. The reality is so much more, and I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing it every step of the way. This is not a show you can watch with your brain off; you must pay attention to everyone, their motives, and what the school was trying to accomplish.

Bear in mind that this series is set in a school considered far superior to the rest, so the students here being so intellectually and academically advanced is really felt. This is where the show gets its unique sense of unrealness in a dystopia-like setting without taking it overboard. If you love psychological thriller shows, you absolutely must watch this anime.

Scratch that, I would recommend this to anyone as long as they’re willing to use some brain juice while watching this show. I guarantee it will keep you interested, entertained, and at the edge of your seat all the way!