Classroom of the Elite Year 3: How has it been so far?

Article at a glance:
Year 3 has been pretty solid so far, slower in pace, but the writing and intrigue are back in full swing.
After Year 2’s chaos and scattered focus, Year 3 feels like it’s taking a breather to properly set things up.
With Volume 3 right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to look at how Year 3 is shaping up and what makes it stand out so far.

I’ll just give you the answer right away. Classroom of the Elite Year 3 has been pretty good so far. Sure, it is on the slower side, but the writing quality and intrigue are there. Look, I didn’t dislike Year 2. There were some really good moments in Year 2, and it introduced us to a lot of great characters. The main issue with Year 2 was the lack of focus and, well, cliffhanger-baits that didn’t pay off. 2 volumes in, Year 3 so far seems to have side-stepped these issues, and I hope we can get a “best of both worlds” type of deal with Year 3. Hopefully, Kinugasa can pull it off.

But enough rambling, let’s properly talk about Year 3. With Volume 3 right around the corner, I think it’s a good time to talk about Classroom of the Elite Year overall. So let’s get started.

Of course, spoiler warning.

What do I think of Classroom of the Elite Year 3 so far?

Before I go to anything else, let’s just clarify the Year 3 classes:

Class 3A – Horikita’s class
Class 3B – Ryuuen’s class
Class 3C – Ayanokoji and Ichinose’s class
Class 3D – Sakayanagi’s class

Well, 2 volumes in, you can just tell that the pace is a lot slower than Year 2. Year 2 was kind of frantic with its pacing. There was always something happening, and that kind of pacing comes with advantages and disadvantages. It gave us a lot more plot threads to follow, sure, but it took away from the focus of the main storyline, and it also diluted the payoffs for some big moments. Year 3, on the other hand, so far has been all about setup. I can’t say for certain yet, but Year 3 might end up being longer than Year 1 and Year 2.

All the mind games and strategic intrigue that made Year 1 so fun are back in full force, and always, there’s always a new special exam to follow. But aside from the Academic special exam, there’s another special exam that they’ve only been very vague about so far. So it will be interesting to see what that ends up being. I cannot wait for Y3V3 so that we can get the payoff to all these 2 volumes’ worth of setups. Probably the best of Year 3 so far probably has been seeing Ayanokoji adapt to a new class. You know, figuring out his new toolbox.

I know a lot of people don’t like this slowed-down pacing as well, but I appreciate it. Let things breathe before the chaos unfolds. Year 3 is not flawless, though; the new characters introduced so far are nowhere near as interesting as the Year 2 debuts. Also, the reaction to Koji shifting classes was a little underwhelming lol? Like it should feel like a bigger deal that Ayanokoji of all people jumped ships. Sure, Class A is in chaos without him, but still. And of course, Koji’s end goals remain as vague as ever.

That’s all for now

Overall, Year 3 has been pretty good so far. I know people will have differing opinions as always, but I like Year 3 so far. Hopefully, Kinugasa can stick the landing and doesn’t mess up things. Seen too many good mangas/LNs with bad endings at this point, and I just want the cycle to be over at this point. But yeah, let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my thoughts on Digimon Time Stranger here!