The sequel of “Assassination Classroom” is an equally great adaptation of the manga/anime and concludes the story.
Assassination Classroom: Graduation screened in Fantasia
All the absurd characters of the first part return, including the yellow creature with the smiley face as his head and the body of an octopus, the killer robot that has become a “regular” student, the student with the tentacles, the talented assassin, the overly sexy teacher, and many more. This time, however, there is also conflict among the students, as Koro Sensei reveals his identity, and the time that he is about to explode destroying the earth, is near.
The main concept behind the anime is, once more, the passive-aggressive notion, as exemplified by the teacher, who, on the one hand, is a great educator, but on the other, prompts his students to kill him, because he believes that, through this effort, they will become better students and individuals, and a deep bond will be formed between them. The hilarious and preposterous themes and aesthetics are once more present, but this time, the film has a darker tone, as Koro’s tragic past is revealed in a lengthy flashback, the students fight among them, and the final fight ensues, with dramatic repercussions.
Eichiro Hasumi manages to stay very close to the original’s aesthetics, retaining its slapstick nature. The special effects are great and exemplified by the various forms the teacher takes, and the battles, most of which are spectacular, particularly due to their pace. The knife fight among the students and the final one, definitely stand apart. The only fault in the direction and the script (if you can call it a fault) is that Hasumi assumes that his audience have already read the manga or watched the anime, thus resulting in a slightly incoherent movie for those that have not.
Most of the actors have a secondary role, with the teacher being the definite protagonist. However, Ryosuke Yamada as Shiota and Masaki Suda as Karma are quite good in their parts. The new additions are even greater, including Kazunari Ninomiya as the God of Death, Hiroki Nomiya as the evil genius and gorgeous Kirei Kiritani as his fiancé. Also gorgeous are Seika Taketomi as Rio and Kang Ji-young as the sexy teacher Irina Jelavic, who is even sultrier than the first part.
“Assassination Classroom: Graduation” was created to entertain and to achieve commercial success and it fulfilled both of its goals. Fans of slapstick humor, preposterous script and beautiful women will definitely have a blast with this film.