Assassination Classroom vol. 1

Leave it to Japan to find a way to combine the alien invasion and inspirational teacher genres.  After a multi-tentacled alien demonstrates his power by destroying a huge chunk of the moon and promises to destroy the Earth in one year, he makes a proposal to the leaders of the world.  He’ll become a teacher for Class E at Kunugigaoka Junior High, and all of the class’ students will try to kill him within that time.  So long as it doesn’t interfere with their studies.  You see, Class E is made up of the worst students at Kunugigaoka.  Such is their shame that not only are they prohibited from participating in extracurricular activities, but their classroom is up in the hills away from the main campus.  It’s this students of this class that the alien, nicknamed Koro Sensei, has to turn around even as they try to kill him each day for a potential ten-billion yen reward!

“Assassination Classroom” is as silly and over-the-top as you’d expect from its premise and status as a Shonen Jump title.  Koro Sensei is the kind of alien who will grade tests while flying at Mach 20 over to China for some tofu while also offering up oddball extra credit questions about cute tentacles and volunteering himself as a pinata for fun.  At the same time, he also works to restore the confidence of the ignored Nagisa, aspiring pitcher Sugano, and class troublemaker Karma who relishes the idea of killing a teacher.  While Koro Sensei’s methods are undeniably unique and at least good for a chuckle, you’re left wondering how long mangaka Yusei Matsui can make this setup work given the fact that these kids can’t ever succeed in their assassination attempts.  Yes, I realize the focus is going to be more on how the alien teacher helps his students, and on unraveling the mystery of why he wanted to be a teacher in the first place, but why engage in this setup if you’re only going to ignore it?  Most Shonen Jump titles take a few volumes to really hit their stride and it looks like things will be no different here.  If nothing else, this volume is worth picking up just to see how bizarre mainstream Japanese manga can be.