Assassination Classroom Season 2 Episode 5: A Man Among Men

The A-Class once again brings in a challenge to the E-Class.

The episode starts with Hinata and some of the other students hanging out in a cafe where Isogai works at. They gush on about how awesome he is, that even though he’s poor he’s still neat and classy with cheap clothes that are clean, getting love letters from girls from the main school, and folding toilet paper into a triangle. He’s sweet and polite and great at his job, which is being a waiter at a cafe. His mother is sick, and since it’s only him and his mom, he helps his mother out with money by taking on this job.

Which apparently is wrong? Asano and some of the guys in his class enter the cafe, getting info that Isogai was working in the cafe when he wasn’t supposed to. I’m guessing in their school it’s prohibited that students take on a job, probably so it doesn’t get in the way of their studies? Which I think is stupid, there’s many reasons why students take on jobs. And Isogai’s reason is because he’s poor. In fact, we learned he was sent to the E-Class because of this job. That was his first infraction, and now it’s his second infraction. Isogai and the others beg Asano to keep it a secret and not expell him, and so Asano proposes this. Show how strong he is and he’ll let Isogai keep his job. And to show his strengh…

By pole toppling in the school’s sport festival. Pole toppling, or bo-taoshi, is a game like capture the flag. There’s two teams with their own respective poles that they each guard. The objective is to take down the opposing team’s pole to the ground. There are offensive and defensive teams that position themselves around, and the teams are relatively big. So yeah, basically it’s capture the flag except it’s a pole and it’s a more physical and scarier game. I actually had to look this all up after watching the episode because I’ve never heard of this sport, and lo and behold this only seems to be a Japanese thing. Though it wasn’t hard figuring out the rules when watching the episode.

The problem for the E-Class was that their entire team was smaller than Asano’s (only the boys played), and Asano’s team included the burly exchange students. So of course they had a disadvantage. Also, they couldn’t underestimate Asano, because this guy is conniving.

Asano had everything planned out but Isogai did as well. He really took time thinking up a good strategy and it all played out really well. To sum it up, they made two students pretend to be hurt when thrown aside and used them to run at the pole. Then the rest of the guys, after distancing the opposing offense at the seating area, made a mad dash to Asano. And then when they least expected it, Itona came crashing down onto the pole, grabbing the win for the E-Class. They won because Isogai really relied on his team, while Asano had communication problems. Both Isogai and Asano are leaders, but they’re different types. One that barks orders and one that joins and relies on his peers. And Isogai was easily able to defeat Asano’s team.

I enjoyed when the American student told the boys not to play defense like turtles and then Karma busted out his English that came out of nowhere saying “Ahaha…try me. :)” Megane-kun was being pretty cheeky himself when holding down the pole with Terasaka. I love their sass.

It’s then that Asano keeps his word, and Isogai gets to keep his job no problem.

The principal…ahh, I always hated this man. Asano and some of his team, which included the American, stand in front of the principal as he basically says to his son “You lost because you’re weak.” It’s then that, thank you, the American student speaks up and says that Asano is a very capable person, and that at a time like this as his father he should be giving his son words of encouragement saying that it’s okay to lose because you can learn things from your losses. Yes! Yes yes yes! Someone talked back at him! Unfortunately…he should have kept his place.

I never knew how scary the principal was. We saw in the pole toppling game that Asano is actually very skilled in martial arts. The next scene we see in the principal’s office are the American and the other students on the floor surrounded by their own blood, beaten to a pulp. The principal has a thing for winning ever since experiencing a humiliating defeat when he was taking martial arts. And only on his third day, he was able to knock down his black belt teacher without letting him land a blow. Just seeing all the blood on the floor, you can imagine just how strong he must be. And you can see that Asano is having none of this.

That short moment seeing the principal’s face distorting to a scary face…he really is a monster. No wonder Asano seems a little messed up. I liked what Isogai said in the end. It’s not like he’s gone through more things than Asano has, and I don’t think he knows how right he is.