Man, between Kei slowly falling love with Ayanokoji to Ryuen being absolutely broken by Ayanokoji’s beatdown of his goon squad – Classroom of the Elite season three is certainly going to be something else!
Check out last week’s episode review.
Did Ayanokoji Beat Ryuen?
Ayanokoji has completely beaten Kakeru Ryuuen both physically and mentally to the point that Ryuen actually wants to drop out of school.
The episode begins with a flashback of Ryuen killing a snake, wondering if he would have experienced fear if he waited for the snake to bite him. I’m sure that this is a clear analogy of Ryuen continually taunting and toying with Class D in order to identify their mastermind – just for the mastermind ‘snake’ to ‘bite’ him, allowing Ryuen to experience true fear.
As Ryuen states to Ibuki when confronted about his behavior (paraphrasing) “a tyrant is only permitted so long as they embody a goal”. Ryuen not only failed to beat the mastermind once uncovering their identity, but was humiliated and broken in front of his most loyal comrades Ibuki, Albert, and Ishizaki.
Now defeated with no motivation to continue on, Ayanokoji wants to enlist Ryuen in his scheme to get Kushida Kikyo expelled. I’ve heard that in the Light Novels Horikita Suzune repeatedly interferes with Kushida being taken care of, but hopefully that could change by the next anime season?
Does Manabu Care About Suzune?
I think deep down, Manabu does care about Suzune but is hesitant to show his affection in order to not ‘lose face’ due to his sister’s lowly status at their school.
Despite showing contempt for Suzune being placed in Class D, it seems like Manabu is slowly warming up to his little sister.
Manabu appeared to show concern when Suzune was injured during the Sports Festival, and decided to be her witness during the expulsion bet with Kushida.
On the condition of helping Suzune join the Student Council, Manabu even aids Ayanokoji in cleaning the aftermath of Ryuen’s attack on Kei.
Manabu seems to respect Ayanokoji, and believes that he can continue to pull Suzune out of her shell and bring the best of her personality to the forefront.
Does Ayanokoji Actually Like Kei?
Kei and Ayanokoji do end up as a couple later on in the series, but many LN readers speculate it is just for show. I would have agreed with their sentiment, had Ayanokoji actually not shown a valid concern for Kei during this episode.
Despite setting up the various dangerous situations Kei found herself in this season and manipulating her to the point where the poor girl is out in the snow hiding behind a bush to spy on Ayanokoji, I think on some level Ayanokoji might actually have feelings for Kei.
Yes, Ayanokoji is twisted and warped from his time in the White Room, but he surprisingly acknowledges that. Ayanokoji also realizes that he doesn’t know what love is, and during his date with Sato Maya noticed she wasn’t the type of girl he could ever feel affectionate towards.
I’d say that’s growth on Kiyotaka’s part, even if it is screwed up and impure by other people’s standards.
Does Ayanokoji Have Emotions?
While Ayanokoji acts unemotional and almost expressionless except for occasional scowls during his date with Sato, Ayanokoji shows his emotions around Kei. He smiles and speaks softly to her.
Ayanokoji also puts Kei through tons of unnecessary and unwarranted mental anguish, but I think I’ve griped about that in my reviews all season.
Kiyotaka showed emotion when encountering his father for the first time outside of the White Room, and during his interaction with Sakayanagi who threatens to expose his ‘false genius’ acquired in the White Room.
Anger and doubt are very base emotions, but still emotions nonetheless.
Besides, Ayanokoji displayed more emotional range this season than the last, and I’m sure season three will reveal even more about his latent personality.
But, tell me your thoughts.
Do you think Ayanokoji will eventually fall in love with Kei (fr fr)?
Will Horikita ever make it to the student council?
And…can the gang successfully expel Kushida and ascend to Class C, at the very least?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, we’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more Classroom of the Elite Season 3 Episode Reviews and Discussions in the near future!
次のエピソード: Classroom of the Elite Season 3
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