Classroom of the Elite Season 4 Episode 12 was a Banger!

Article at a glance:

• When the notoriously critical Classroom of the Elite community starts praising the anime adaptation, you know something went right. Lerche definitely stepped up to the plate for Season 4.
• While light novel purists will always miss the deep internal monologues, the anime fixes the rushed feeling of Seasons 2 and 3.
• Between the beautifully animated clash between Ayanokoji and Nanase and Kushida getting absolutely dismantled by Amasawa, the direction and animation are turning one of the LN’s most action-packed volumes into a cinematic treat.

I wasn’t going to watch Classroom of the Elite Season 4 at first, but then I saw the CotE Reddit actually praising the anime for once. If you’ve been around the CotE community, you’d know how much of a surprise that is. So that got my hopes up, and I checked it out. And it did not disappoint, I have to say. Classroom of the Elite Season 4 Episode 12 so far was the peak of Season 4. Though I know the coming 4 episodes are going to be back-to-back bangers too. This whole volume in the LN was like one big action movie, and of course, actually being animated goes a long way to enhance the action scenes.

So yeah, welcome back to another article, and today, we are talking about Classroom of the Elite Season 3 Episode 4! There will be spoilers ahead, so only continue if you’re caught up with Season 4. But yeah, let’s get started.

What do I think of Classroom of the Elite Season 4 so far?

Right off the bat, the pacing is a major improvement compared to how rushed Season 2 and 3 felt. Sure, we still don’t have the LN level internal monologs for deeper characterization. But, on the flip side, having a visual to go along with the complicated exam rules makes them easier to digest. So pros and cons to each medium, as always. There’s still a lot of content cut from the LN, but that’s something we just have to accept. Still, it is a better adaptation overall compared to Seasons 2 and 3.

Moving on to Episode 12, the Ayanokoji and Nanase fight was so well directed and animated. And just when I thought that would be the highlight of the episode, we got Kushida getting OWNED by Amasawa as well. Both sequences were really well directed. Someone at Lerche clearly loves Amasawa; they captured her personality so damn well. I don’t know who her voice actress is, but it’s a phenomenal job. Nanase’s backstory was also really well done. Really excited for the upcoming episodes, given how well animated Episode 12 was.

Oh yeah, another thing, I absolutely LOVE this season’s opening and ending themes. Both songs fit the story, and they’ve been animated so damn well. Love the 2D aesthetic of the opening and of course, the fan service in the ending lol. We were all concerned when the initial previews of Season 4 dropped, but I think it’s fair to say Lerche tried their best. Again, really excited to see how they handle the upcoming fights because this is one of the most action-packed volumes in the LN. I would put it right behind Y3V3 in terms of physical action and sheer badassery.

That is all for now

So yeah, those were my thoughts on Classroom of the Elite Season 4 so far. Despite its flaws and omissions from the LN, I think it’s a valiant effort. Let’s see how it holds up when I do my review on it a few weeks down the line. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my thoughts on Witch Hat Atelier so far here!