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Assassination Classroom (film)

Assassination Classroom
Promotional release poster
Japanese name
Kanji映画　暗殺教室
Directed byEiichirō Hasumi
Written byTatsuya Kanazawa
Based onAssassination Classroom
by Yūsei Matsui
Produced byJuichi Uehara
StarringRyosuke Yamada
Masaki Suda
Maika Yamamoto
Kazunari Ninomiya
Kang Ji-young
Masanobu Takashima
Kippei Shiina
CinematographyTomoo Ezaki
Edited byHiroshi Matsuo
Music byNaoki Satō
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • March 21, 2015 (2015-03-21)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office$25 million[1]

Assassination Classroom is a 2015 Japanese school science-fiction action comedy film directed by Eiichirō Hasumi and based on the manga series of the same name created by Yūsei Matsui.[2] It was released in Japan on March 21, 2015.[3] A sequel titled Assassination Classroom: Graduation was released in 2016.

Plot

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The movie opens with the Japanese military's failed attempt to capture whoever it is that has destroyed over 70% of the Moon, which sees the entire squad sent to capture it being attacked by a mysterious tentacled being.

Meanwhile, Nagisa Shiota, a ninth-grade student of Kunugigaoka Junior High School, narrates of how he came to be sent to the situation he is in: he is included in Class 3-E, which is reserved for delinquents and other undesirables of the school and is a laughing stock among the school. However, Class 3-E is actually a cover up for the Japanese government in their attempt to kill Koro-sensei, a tentacled mutant creature that apparently is responsible for the Moon's destruction. The students have to assassinate him before graduation, the time when he plans to destroy Earth, using special knives and BB pellets, but at the same time also have to study both academic and assassination disciplines from him. In teaching, Koro-sensei is assisted by the government-affiliated Tadaomi Karasuma and Irina Jelavić, a Serbian assassin.

Despite being fully aware that he is their ultimate target, Koro-sensei is able to bond with Class 3-E, who in turn regard him as their indispensable teacher. When asked why he took the job, he says it is done to fulfill a promise made to someone. Throughout the school term, Class 3-E welcomes three additional students: Karma Akabane, who has recently come out of his suspension due to protecting a former Class 3-E pupil from being bullied by Class 3-A students; "Ritsu", an AI-box displaying the form of a girl; and Itona Horibe, the also-tentacled self-proclaimed "blood brother" of Koro-sensei who is carried away from the school by his cloaked guardian after losing a match against the latter. At one time, Karasuma's position as P.E. teacher is briefly replaced by his rival, Akira Takaoka, a drill instructor-esque individual. Karasuma is then challenged by Takaoka to send a student to attack him with a tap of the knife. Karasuma then sends out Nagisa who successfully plants the tip of the knife on Takaoka, thereby expelling him from the school.

Before the finals, Koro-sensei promises that the top scorers of the five academic subjects (Chemistry, English, Home Economics, Japanese, and Maths) will be awarded chance to cut his rubber-like tentacles, which will greatly slow him. When the results for the finals are out, a total of six students are able to top the finals, including three students who got the first rank on the Home Economics test, thus granting the six the chance to cut Koro-sensei's tentacles. The students plan the killing during the summer holiday, where they reminisce about their kind past teacher, Aguri Yukimura. Eventually, Class 3-E manages to bind Koro-Sensei thanks to Nagisa's observation of his weakness: water. However, Koro-sensei transforms into a ball to avoid being killed. Suddenly, the class is interrupted by a vengeful Takaoka, who poisons several students. He agrees to trade the antidotes for Koro-sensei.

Nagisa and Karma team up to incapacitate Itona, now working for Takaoka, by luring him into open rain and subsequently cutting his tentacles. However, they are alerted by Ritsu that Takaoka has kidnapped Kaede Kayano and threatens to kill her unless Koro-sensei is handed over. With a trick, Class 3-E turns the table over and defeats Takaoka without giving in. Seeing that Koro-sensei is vulnerable, the government takes him and proceeds to do a public execution in front of his grieving students. However, he manages to survive the attempted killing and is allowed to continue teaching Class 3-E for the next term, with Itona now enrolling permanently. Koro-sensei then reminisces about the person he made his promise with: Aguri Yukimura.

Cast

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Production

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The film was green-lit in June 2014[4] and filming began on August 31, 2014.[5]

Release

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It was released in Japan on March 21, 2015,[5] and debuted in the US at the Austin Fantastic Fest in September.[6]

Reception

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Assassination Classroom opened in 313 screens across Japan and earned $3.42 million on 351,000 admissions in its first weekend.[7] It ultimately grossed over $20 million in Japan alone,[8] and it ended its theatrical run with a worldwide gross of $25 million.[1]

Film School Rejects awarded the film a score of B+, saying "Assassination Classroom is an absolute blast that not only survives its ridiculous setup but makes something truly special with it."[9] Twitch Film said "This was the lighthearted and feel good Japanese film I was waiting for all festival long."[10] The anime fanzine Otaku USA was more negative, saying: "As a piece of storytelling, Assassination Classroom felt more like a series of non-cohesive chapters than a fleshed-out whole, probably thanks to its manga origins."[11]

Sequel

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A sequel titled Assassination Classroom: Graduation was released on March 25, 2016.[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Assassination Classroom Box Office Mojo listing". Box Office Mojo. 26 December 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  2. ^ "映画 暗殺教室(2015)". allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  3. ^ "映画 暗殺教室". eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  4. ^ Loo, Egan (23 June 2014). "Assassination Classroom Manga Gets TV Anime & Live-Action Film". Anime News Network. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  5. ^ a b Komatsu, Mikikazu (13 October 2014). ""Assassination Classroom" Live-Action Film Release Date Set for March 21, 2015". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  6. ^ Barton, Steve (26 August 2015). "Fantastic Fest 2015 Second Wave Announcement Includes The Mind's Eye, February, High Rise, and More!". Dread Central. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  7. ^ Schilling, Mark (23 March 2015). "Japan Box Office: 'Assassination Classroom' Kills Weekend Top Spot". Variety. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  8. ^ Blair, Gavin J. (13 April 2015). "Japan Box Office: 'Birdman' Opens No. 2 in Limited Launch". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  9. ^ Hunter, Rob (27 September 2015). "Assassination Classroom (2015) Movie Review". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  10. ^ Mack, Andrew (5 August 2015). "Fantasia 2015 Review: ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM, A Heartwarming Tale About Assassinating Your Alien Teacher". TwitchFilm. Archived from the original on 12 June 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  11. ^ Schley, Matt (26 March 2015). "[Review] Assassination Classroom Live-action Film". Otaku USA. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  12. ^ Schilling, Mark (28 March 2016). "Japan Box Office: 'Batman v Superman' Beaten by 'Assassination Classroom' Sequel". Variety. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  13. ^ "暗殺教室～卒業編～(2016)". allcinema (in Japanese). Stingray. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
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