Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 4th Season: 2-nensei-hen 1 Gakki

This season marks the beginning of the 2nd Year Arc for Ayanokoji and the others. Horikita Manabu's batch, the previous seniors have graduated, and of course at the same time, new freshmen characters arrive. The new set of characters are definitely interesting, and they immediately had crucial roles to play in the story. It is fascinating to see having all the students from every year level compete with each other. The previous competitions in the First Year were also great as they were, but it is really entertaining to see a wide variety of characters, especially new ones, interact with each other. The story does not revolve around the four classes of Ayanokoji's batch anymore, as it was in the previous year; it is now a battle between all of the classes of the Advanced Nurturing High School. So far, these three freshmen played the most important roles: Hosen, a more violent and stronger Ryuen; Nanase, a delusional chick; and my personal favorite, the cute but terrifying freshman - Amasawa Ichika. Each arc in this season effectively showed us the personalities, behavior, and capabilities of these three. It was fun watching them execute their plans even better than their senpais could. Of course, these new characters were amazing in their own rights, but then again, our nonchalant genius Ayanokoji proves once again why he is called the masterpiece of the White Room. Ayanokoji's goal is still the same - continue living and experiencing his somewhat ordinary high school life. However, because of his circumstances, he is continuously forced to take direct action himself. Slowly but surely, the whole school is realizing Ayanokoji's true abilities. Definitely enjoyed this season, I'm giving it a solid 9/10. I am excited to see what happens from here on out. I am curious of the true capabilities of the other freshmen, as well as what Nagumo will do to Ayanokoji. I highly recommend this season, if you have not yet watched it, definitely do.

Nah, I'd win. Without a doubt, this was a rather inconsistent season, constantly swinging between very good moments and some fairly weak ones. However, if I had to point out one major issue, it would be the quality and development of the new first-year students and the antagonists. None of them ended up being particularly interesting to me, especially when compared to the characters we met in previous seasons. As for the animation, there were several changes with mixed results. Some of the static scenes looked great and showed a clear visual improvement, while others felt oddly stiff or out of place. On the other hand, several action scenes were somewhat disappointing and nowhere near the level of quality seen in fights like Ryūen vs. Ayanokōji from previous seasons. There was also a grainy filter applied to the colors that gave the series a strange look at times. That being said, they finally corrected Ichinose's hair color to better match the original illustrations, so I'll count that as a positive. I've seen many complaints about the slow pacing of the episodes leading up to the island exam, and I can understand them. Personally, I think a large part of that problem comes from the fact that the new characters simply weren't very engaging. The season spends a considerable amount of time introducing and developing them, yet very few manage to stand out or leave a lasting impression. If I had to highlight something positive about the story, it would be the idea of introducing someone from the White Room whose mission is to expel Ayanokōji. I found that to be a very interesting plot point, as well as the bounty of points offered to the first-year students to encourage them to pursue that goal. The problem wasn't the premise itself, but rather the execution throughout the season. Despite its flaws, the series remains entertaining and retains many of the elements that made Classroom of the Elite popular in the first place. I wouldn't consider this one of the franchise's strongest seasons, but I wouldn't call it a bad adaptation either. Now all that's left is to wait and see what Season 5 has in store.

Well, well... Season 4 finished and now I have exactly one problem: "WHAT THE HELL DO I WATCH NOW?" Seriously, I started Classroom of the Elite only recently and burned through the entire thing. Season 4 just confirmed that giving this Anime a chance was one of my better decisions lately. Moving into the second school year was exactly what the series needed. Instead of simply repeating the same conflicts, we suddenly get an entire new group of first-year students entering the battlefield, and some of them are clearly VERY interested in Ayanokoji for reasons that go far beyond ordinary school competition. Tsubasa Nanase was probably one of the most interesting additions for me. At first you constantly question her intentions and where exactly she stands. Watching her relationship with Ayanokoji develop throughout the season was one of my favorite parts. And of course there are several other new students who immediately feel dangerous. The White Room storyline also becomes far more important now. What previously existed mostly in Ayanokoji's past starts reaching directly into his current life, and suddenly there are people inside the school whose entire purpose revolves around him. Then you also have the third-years becoming increasingly interested in him, especially Kiryūin, plus Ryuen continuing to circle around him like two predators who recognize each other. 😄 And above everything still hangs Acting Chairman Tsukishiro, who wants Ayanokoji gone. That combination makes Season 4 feel like Ayanokoji is slowly losing the luxury of remaining invisible. Too many people now understand that this apparently quiet student is definitely NOT normal. And I absolutely love that. The island examination once again proves how good Classroom of the Elite is at turning a simple school test into something resembling political and psychological warfare. Alliances, groups, betrayals, hidden motives and multiple people working against each other simultaneously. But what remains most fascinating is Ayanokoji himself. No panic. No dramatic speeches. He observes, calculates, adapts and waits until the correct moment. One thing I especially appreciate looking back at the series is how much the philosophical atmosphere of the first three seasons helped establish its identity. Those episode-opening quotations were such a small thing, but they fit Ayanokoji and the themes of the Anime perfectly. Season 4 expands the board considerably, introduces several characters I absolutely want to see more of and pushes Ayanokoji into situations where remaining in the shadows becomes increasingly difficult. Four seasons. Four Masterpieces for me. And now I am sitting here with that horrible feeling every Anime fan knows after finishing something they became completely invested in: "Okay... what now?" 😂 I NEED MORE. WATCH IT. YOU WON'T REGRET IT.

THIS IS A SPOILER-FREE REVIEW When the first season of “Classroom of the Elite” aired back in 2017, everyone immediately got hooked on this show and wanted a season two. But unfortunately, fans of the series then had to wait 6 years for the continuation. Since then however, Studio Lerche has delivered and has given us 3 seasons in 4 years. So how has the show developed up to this point? And why does season 4 feel so different in comparison to the first two? Story – 8/10 COTE, although incredibly popular, has always been criticized for the way it has adapted it´s source material, especially from light novel fans. The first three seasons are paced extremely fast, characters do wild stuff out of nowhere and logic get´s thrown out of the window a lot. The show relied on shock-factor and it´s entertaining cast and setting a lot. The first seasons weren´t bad or anything, but they were really just superficially entertaining. But going into this season i noticed something is different. They changed a lot of the directing team going into this season and it absolutely worked out. The pacing is the biggest thing. Everything slows down, the show finally gets to breathe and give it´s characters their time to shine. Most of the light novel is written in a very introspective way with tons of inner monologue and long dialogue that spans multiple pages for each conversation. This was never meant to be an action show, more like a social drama. The result of this change made everything about the type of show that COTE is better: The tension is built up so well, the alliances, the strategy, the planning, everything just flows seamlessly. This season adapts the second island exam, probably my favourite arc of this show so far and it is just fantastic. Like i said, this is not an action show, but my god, whenever there is a fight, the show goes all out and because these moments are so rare and sprinkled in, they feel all the more earned and exciting. Respect to Studio Lerche for committing to this project and making changes for the better, even after almost ten years. Art – 8/10 With the new directing team also came new animation. The art style changed, switching out the classic Studio Lerche look they always had with a different, more novel-accurate style. I think it worked out wonderfully, and i actually prefer the new one. The animation itself was also notably better than seasons two and three: The island arc looked beautiful. What i liked the most is how the show plays with light and shadows a lot. Characters standing in the sunlight break the light beautifully and when Ayanokoji is camping beneath some trees, the whole screen is broken up by these spots of sunlight shining through the branches. Of course we also have to talk about the action and wow, this is incredible. The choreography is fantastic, the camera keeps everything together and the sound design is just so crispy and visceral. I did not expect them to go this hard on the fights (they absolutely didn´t had to) but i love that they committed. Sound – 7/10 The overall BGM is solid, most of the show is out in nature so we naturally get a bit more of an environmental soundscape during most of the show. Other than that, all the classic character themes are still in use and sound just as good as ever. The opening is cool and the ED ends every episode perfectly. Not the craziest category, but they clearly did their homework. Characters – 9/10 By far the shows strongest category. This season is the beginning of the second year, so we get introduced to a whole bunch of new characters, especially first years, as well as new third years. Because the show has four more episodes, and the pacing got slower, we can actually introduce and develop a lot of these new characters and seamlessly incorporate them into the big narrative. Nanase was my favourite new addition to the cast, mostly because we got so much interaction between her and Ayanokoji over the course of the season. Hosen was also a ton of fun, and took up every scene he was in. Our established cast also gets it´s time to shine. First off, Koenji absolutely dominated this season with his careless charm and screen presence. Ayanokoji is as cold as ever and still an absolute treat to watch. My favourite moment of the show however, has to go to Ryuuen. My god, without going into spoilers, he has like one big scene at the end of the season and it is probably in the best episode of the show. Outstanding stuff. Enjoyment – 8/10 After almost ten years and four seasons, this was the best season of the show so far. They finally found their creative vision, employed people who understand the show´s strengths and committed to surprising the viewer even after all this time. I cannot wait for season five, I feel like I can finally call myself a true fan of this show now. - Marco_Yooo FINAL SCORE - 8/10

Not much to say about this season it’s good and continues the story so far every season has been consistent with how well it is the suspense the story the characters are all developing nicely and if you’ve made it this far, I recommend you keep going because it’s only gonna get better hopefully. Overall 7 out of 10 the show is consistent which is always really good to see especially four seasons in I do wonder how long this show has left because it doesn’t feel like it’s getting near the end yet so that’s something exciting to look forward to