Reviews for Classroom Crisis (5.08) 5k2l2l

Humanity has successfully expanded beyond our fragile blue home and has established colonies throughout the solar system. At the forefront of this gigantic leap for humanity is the Kirishina Group, a Japanese conglomerate that is in no way related to the Buddhist deity. In order to maintain their competitive advantage, the company conducts research on rocket engines through the group A-tec, which happens to be composed of dependable high school students smart enough to be learning rocket science. However, their new transfer student may be troublesome, as he is also their new boss!

Classroom Crisis, regardless of execution, is a differentiated attempt to mix political intrigue, future fantasy, and your ordinary high school setting all in one. Though there are many holes in the setting and execution, it's an entertaining and plot-heavy work. So is it worth your valuable time? If you're looking for a harem, comedy, or deep political intrigue this is not a good match- it's too much of a chimera to satisfy any one of those categories. If you're just looking for a fresh idea and an interesting story, I'd try a few episodes and see if it's a fit.

Animation:
This is the first work that I've seen from the relatively new studio Lay-duce, and to be honest I'm not too thrilled. Though the show looks modern and crisp, it definitely isn't a high budget show; I had many gripes about the animation in general. Character lines and backgrounds are all very stingy and plain, and I don't particularly like the styling of the vehicles or mechs either. Furthermore, despite taking place on a colony in Mars, you'd soon forget that it wasn't Earth if not for the occasional space scenes. Really, the only innovative contribution is the nice, flat UIs on the screens throughout the show Animation doesn't fare too well for character designs either, expect a plethora of similar-looking ing characters. Emotions aren't particularly keen either as our transfer student has fewer expressions than there are fingers on my hand. Mizuki, one of our heroines, helps alleviate his lack of humanity but only slightly.

Surprisingly enough, there are a few attempts to cast the show in a dark aura with some violence and blood. However, just like the introduction sequence where they interleave a company crisis with Mizuki happily putting on her clothes, there just isn't a consistent feeling in the atmosphere. Expect a few decent action sequences, though nothing to really get excited over. Also surprisingly enough, there is more character relationship progress here than in many harems, and you'll get a few kissing scenes. This isn't an ecchi show though so expect some relatively conservative camera angles.

Sound:
Contrary to the animation, the sound experience is good. The show opens with a fast-paced, pop piece with a palatable melody. The ED though is in a class of its own. The electro-infused song by Claris, famous in my mind for their work on Oreimo, is an extremely catchy and melodic work. The funk-based BGM is slightly above average also with brass infused instrumentation.

The VA cast does a pretty good job overall though certain lead roles are given to relatively junior seiyuus. Though supposedly a ing character, Yuu Kobayashi gives the standout performance (and occasional comedic relief) as super ant Angelina. There are some up and coming VAs as well such as Sora Amamiya, but in this case she's relegated to a rather boring role. If you're a Yui Horie fan, I wouldn't watch this just for her as her role has no more than a scant dozen or so lines.

Story:
The story is really the melding of two different plots. On the one hand, A-tec is being phased out as Krishima supposedly is attempting to reorganize and diversify its business. Thus, we see a classroom setting in crisis as the students and teacher struggle to cope with budget cuts (but really, is giving high school students billions of dollars really a good idea?) and tease out every possible idea to keep the group together. On the other hand is a rising star in the form of our transfer student. Nagisa, typically a girl's name if you're not too used to Japanese names, is just a magnet for crises be it kidnappings or attempts at political manipulations. As he becomes a student of A-tec, despite not having mastered quantum physics, as well as the boss in charge of A-tec, the of A-tec are essentially forced to take part in his life's dramas.

The show follows the two plots in parallel as they become more intertwined and eventually merge before the climax. Though there is one eventual climax, multiple crises throughout the show. The show then finishes off with an open ended conclusion that leaves the possibility for a follow up.

The overall experience comes across as somewhat mixed. Let's start with the positives. I liked that the show was unique (yes I know there's a transfer student and yes the school setting is overused) in its attempt to combine business, politics, and school life. The overall progression was a bit bumpy but the many plot twists kept my interest level fairly high throughout the show. I also liked that the show wasn't centered around a harem, something way too overused these days.

There were quite a few annoyances with the story as well though. Despite being labeled as a show about rocket engines, I don't think the story writers were anywhere near qualified enough for the subject. For instance, a "clean" school hangar and a NASA clean room are worlds apart. Furthermore, the concept of "maximum speed" is meaningless assuming you have a constant source of acceleration in space. Technical competence aside, the story also reused plot elements repeatedly; the most of annoying of which is that characters don't seem to learn. More than once do we see the same character fail to finish off an opponent, only to have that come back to haunt them. Finally, the show just never settles on a mood, is it a happy show about kids enjoying their youth or a dark, somber work about the struggles of a ridiculed family outcast?

Character:
Unfortunately, I can't really reward that many points in this section either. The protagonist, Nagisa, is just pitiful, both in his past and in personality. Though distinguished from the majority of nice harem leads, he feels very one-sided in his personality and goals. This makes it feel out of place when he faces defeat or in his rather sudden feelings for other characters. Despite being a supposedly dynamic character, he just isn't relatable or likable. From the start, you pretty much can discern that Mizuki and Iris will be important characters. Mizuki is by far the more likable of the two as Iris is just your typical emotionless sidekick with occasional crazy spasms. Though I liked that there was relationship progress in the show, it did not feel organic at all and was rather rushed. In addition, let's not get me started on ing characters; you could eliminate over half the characters and accomplish the same experience, and possibly actually give Mizuki and Sera some character exposition.

Value:
This is an oddball of a show. Despite technically subpar scores in the other categories, it was actually a very enjoyable watch. In the context of a rather mixed bag of a season for me, this show comes out as one of the more distinguished ones. It isn't complicated enough to merit re-watching, and isn't good enough to be memorable in the long run. However, if you have a gap between two other shows that you'd like to fill, this crisis may be a fair candidate, at the very least expect it to be entertaining.