Meeting Date: 9/2/2017
Disclaimer: The Herald Anime Club discusses shows as they’re airing. Naturally, there will be spoilers for a given episode. You have been warned!
Mike Ferreira: Good evening everyone, and welcome to the Herald Anime Club. I’m Mike Ferreira, and I’m joined by L.B. Bryant and Anthony Simpson.
L.B. Bryant: Heyo
Anthony Simpson: Evening
Mike Ferreira: Tonight, we’re discussing Classroom of the Elite episode 8: Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here. In retrospect, that really should’ve been the name of the first episode. But I digress
L.B. Bryant: So… is this or last week’s episode the one where they jumped the shark entirely?
Anthony Simpson: My thoughts on this episode can be quote from Ayanokōji this episode “This seems like a waste of taxpayer money”.
Anthony Simpson: Not that this show was made with taxpayer funds.
Mike Ferreira: I’d say last week was when they jumped the shark. This was the week where they started running around screaming obscenities in public.
L.B. Bryant: Indeed.
L.B. Bryant: Also, I do believe that we can now call this series a harem series since, by my count we have three ladies with potential romantic interest in Ayanokouji.
Anthony Simpson: Last weeks episode was bad, but it was better than this weeks and I hated lasts weeks episode.
Mike Ferreira: …oh god yeah.
Mike Ferreira: For me, this was just tonal whiplash the entire time. You had the goofiness on the boat, you had the tensions between the classes, you had the power plays in Class C, and you had a moment with Kushida that should’ve happened about four weeks ago. There was no consistency from moment to moment
Anthony Simpson: The only good thing was Ayanokōji showing at least some interest in something.
L.B. Bryant: I will admit that I enjoyed certain parts of this episode which put it ahead of last week’s train wreck.
Mike Ferreira: Honestly, I’m still torn on that. It’s better because it wasn’t as shameless, but that’s like saying “Steve’s better this week because he didn’t shit on the floor like last time”
Mike Ferreira: The bar wa so low that you couldn’t help but succeed over the previous episode
L.B. Bryant: That’s valid.
Anthony Simpson: At least they brought up Ayanokōji’s past again, or at least hinted to it.
Mike Ferreira: mm, a little. And they brought back Kushida’s thing, though it feels throwaway still.
L.B. Bryant: Yeah, at this point even if they tried to do something with that story it’d feel rushed I think.
Mike Ferreira: They will. It’s going to be this huge rush to get something tangible by episode 12, and it’ll be amazing in how awful it is.
Mike Ferreira: Epics will be told.
L.B. Bryant: Poems and songs by the most spoony modern bard there is.
Mike Ferreira: Seriously – it’s gotten to the point of self-parody
Mike Ferreira: I’m half-expecting this to end with a short video of the show’s staff eating custard or something, because they ran out of material
Anthony Simpson: Doing a bit of mental gymnastics here, but maybe that was the point all along.
Mike Ferreira: I’ve seen plenty of self-parody over the years. This isn’t self-parody. This is a dumpster fire.
Anthony Simpson: This going back to what I said last week and I wonder how much of this has to do with the source material and I wonder how faithful or freedom the writer was given.
L.B. Bryant: So my big question is; how bad is this survival test story arc going to be?
Mike Ferreira: My guess? Awful, but short, followed by a rushed finale. I mean, they have to fit in “You know, Kushida? Truly we are the Classroom of the Elite” somewhere.
L.B. Bryant: Oh gods I hope not.
Anthony Simpson: If the Predator came down to Earth and killed them all I would saying the ending would be the best ever (Joking).
Mike Ferreira: Only if we get people screaming “GET TO DA CHOPPAH”
Mike Ferreira: …but yeah… again – I come down hard on this show because the potential was there.
L.B. Bryant: I agree, it did start with promise.
Anthony Simpson: I’m guessing this last arc will be rushed then a “read the light novel” ending.
Mike Ferreira: That’s if it’s done right
Mike Ferreira: I don’t have much faith there.
Anthony Simpson: I don’t either.
L.B. Bryant: I also join this vote of no confidence.
Mike Ferreira: Not even the amazing teacher can save this pile
Mike Ferreira: But yeah… I’m kind of at that point where I have this weird resigned sigh before I mention the show’s name.
Anthony Simpson: I never liked the teacher so there isn’t anything she could really do to save it.
Mike Ferreira: I just wonder why we got stuck watching class D… class B, C, and A all look like they had more interesting stories with the power plays, coke parties, and random beatings
Anthony Simpson: People tend to like underdog stories. That is my guess.
Mike Ferreira: …well yeah.. but there’s a right way to do it (AssClass, for example), then there’s this.
Anthony Simpson: Yea, well AssClass had two 24 episode seasons to tell their story.
L.B. Bryant: Baka and Test told a great underdog story in only 12 episodes heh
Mike Ferreira: That works.
Mike Ferreira: God… how many shows do we have that focus on “shit tier class rises to the top because reasons”? lol
L.B. Bryant: hehe I’ve lost count
Anthony Simpson: Plus AssClass had a completed manga before the second season was finished airing.
Mike Ferreira: That’s irrelevant.
Mike Ferreira: Point I was getting at was that there’s a way to build a series, to set up characters and setting that are endearing in cases like these, and then there’s Classroom of the Elite. I mean, CotE is a spectacular failure in every sense of the word at this point.
Mike Ferreira: I don’t think giving it more episodes would’ve helped
L.B. Bryant: Question is, will it get worst series of the year honors as 2017 comes to a close? There are some strong contenders for that one this year.
Mike Ferreira: That’s a tough one.
Mike Ferreira: For me, it’s a pretty solid contender
Anthony Simpson: It’s up there but we will have to see what Fall brings us.
L.B. Bryant: True enough
Mike Ferreira: Please god give us worse! I need shows to inflict upon people!
Anthony Simpson: Its my top one for most disappointing to me.
Mike Ferreira: So, I think we can bag and tag this one. I mean, right now, anyone who reads this will probably be screaming “Stop, Stop! It’s already dead!”
L.B. Bryant: Fair enough to me.
Mike Ferreira: Any final thoughts?
Anthony Simpson: Was else needs to be said. It was a bad episode.
Mike Ferreira: Fair enough! It promised nothing and delivered less.
Mike Ferreira: Anyway, thanks for joining us, everyone. Have a great night!
L.B. Bryant: Later everyone
Anthony Simpson: Bye
