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Assassination Classroom: Season Two Part One (TheaterByte Blu-ray Review)

Assassination Classroom Season Two Part One Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack Cover ArtThis funny, quick-paced anime series that made a big splash with its first season returns with part one of its second half in this Blu-ray Combo Pack from Funimation. While the first part offers more of the same from Season One, it is hardly dull or simply a retread. The stakes for Class 3E intensify as they enter their second term continuing their main task of trying to assassinate their alien teacher, Koro Sensei – he of the perpetually demented grin. Itona returns, deadlier than ever, but Koro-sensei manages to outwit and defeat him and even bring him into the class. But, E class must also face the challenge of their other school rivals Class A in the midterms, and with this series, you know it’s going to be a wild one. This time it heats up when 3E must outscore their competitors during the school festival using their fine dining stall during acorn season – their acorn noodles become a big splash, of course. We also learn a lot more about the devious headmaster who is determined to undermine Class 3E and Koro Sensei who, while plotting to destroy the planet, also seems ironically concerned about his students above all else.

Assassination Classroom is more than just an unusual comedy about kids trying to bump off their high school teacher. Especially in this second season, the members of Class E begin to confront the realities of life after school. Nagisa ponders becoming a professional assassin until Koro-Sensei, ever the caring teacher, tells him to think about the decision more carefully. It’s these heartfelt moments of drama that help lift the series up beyond mere whimsy and gimmickry to the realm of long-lasting classic.

This second season continues the combination of beautiful animation, witty comedy, and kinetic energy that made the first season enjoyable. The 13 episodes in this first half of the second season are binge-worthy by any measure and great indications that part two is sure not to disappoint either.

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The Video

Assassination Classroom continues to look superb on Blu-ray in its second season. Arriving in an AVC 1080p encodement framed at 1.78:1 from Funimation, there isn’t much to complain about with the vivid primary colors, excellent contrast that shows deep, inky blacks and nuanced shadows, crisp detail in the line art and very little noise or color banding.

The Audio

As with Season One, Season Two, Part One gets both the original Japanese-language track in Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo and an English dub from Funimation in Dolby TrueHD 5.1. The latter isn’t much to speak about from an audio standpoint considering it doesn’t do much with the surround channels or even add much low end in the LFE. We really only get some added atmospherics. The English cast do an okay job, but I don’t like the way much of the translations often change the meaning slightly from the literal translations in the subs. The Japanese stereo mix seems too loud and devoid of dynamic range, but the cast also don’t sound as canned.

The Supplements

Two English audio commentaries and a featurette on the malleable face of Koro-sensei fill out the usual slate supplements on this set.

  • Episode 3 Audio Commentary
  • Episode 5 Audio Commentary
  • The Many Faces of Koro Sensei (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:06:06)
  • Textless Opening Song “QUESTION” Ver. 1
  • Textless Opening Song “QUESTION” Ver. 2
  • Textless Opening Song “QUESTION” Ver. 3
  • Textless Closing Song “Waning Moon”
  • Previews (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:03:24)
  • Funimation Trailers

The Final Assessment

High school life can be treacherous, and Assassination Classroom skillfully tucks that experience into the symbolism of if comedic and absurdist world while also providing an energetic, wholly watchable series with gorgeous animation. This second season is off to a great start in its first half. This set from Funimation looks great and offers a decent if hardly overwhelming set of extras.

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4 / 5 TheaterByte Rating
{{ reviewsOverall }} / 5 User Rating (0 votes)
TV-14TV Rating
LercheAnimation Studio
Funimation EntertainmentDistributor
Kishi SeijiDirector
Uezu MakotoWriter
325 Mins.Run Time
21 Feb. 2017Release Date
$64.98MSRP
1.78:1Aspect Ratio
AVC 1080pVideo
Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 StereoAudio
English Dolby TrueHD 5.1Secondary Audio
EnglishSubtitles
The Story
The Animation
The Video
The Audio
The Dub
The Supplements
Summary
More of the same, but still good witty, whimsical, and often heartfelt in a subversive way, the first half of the second season of Assassination Classroom is top notch, binge-worthy entertainment.
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