Classroom of the Elite why you should read the light novel

Classroom of the elite saison 3 is airing this season, if you have been watching it and your expectations haven't been met, I discuss the light novel and why it could be the solution to that.

Published on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 by Le Fantôme

What is Classroom of the elite

Classroom of the elite is a psychological school-life anime and manga series adapted from the light novel of the same name. It follows the story of Ayanokoji in an elitist high school where students have to compete in different aspects in order to graduate from the highest position, the class A. The season three (3) of the anime is actually airing this winter on different anime streaming platforms such as crunchyroll. But I’d highly suggest you pick up the original light novel instead and for several reasons.

Why you should read the light novel

The show and the manga of Classroom of the elite are directly being adapted from the light novel and apart from the access to the original main plot, here are some important reasons you should instead steer towards the light novel particularly if you are watching the show and feeling something is off. These explanations won’t include any spoilers throughout this article.

1. The show being rushed.
2. The lack of perspective different from the main character.
3. The depth of the main character not being explored.
4. The additional situations

1. The show being rushed

This issue is more noticeable if you are watching the third (3rd) saison. The Classroom of the elite saison spans only a maximum of 13 episodes and compacting a story mostly driven by its characters and their interaction in those small numbers is really a big challenge.

The studio Lerche is really doing a great job to captivate the audience but for people having an experience with the light novel, a lot of the magic is missing. Classroom of the elite shines but its complex and interesting characters, their interactions with each other and the growth and changements they experience throughout the story.

It’s all those small situations that they face and how they react to those obstacles that slowly build our connection with them. Thus those in between obstacles being “skipped” strip the show watchers from the opportunity to get to know most of the other characters.

The show spends most of its time on the main characters, but Classroom of the elite is not just about the main characters, it’s about the struggle of every student to reach class A.

The show has to get to a climax at every saisons in order to be memorable so it’s understandable why it is being rushed, but by plunging yourself in the light novel, you may find yourself connecting more with different characters and even rooting for them to get to the class A instead of the main characters.

2. The lack of different perspectives

If you watched the show, you will notice that almost everything is from the perspective of the main character Ayanokoji. It makes sense to be focused on the main character, but in the case of Classroom of the elite, an important aspect is being withdrawn. The different dynamics, schemes and internal conflict are what created the depth of the characters. Different characters have different motivations and situations they struggle with and act accordingly.

We often in the light novel are left with some of those characters and their inner thoughts leading us to have a better understanding of them. This can lead us to emphasize with them or even hate them and witnessing their interactions with other characters gives us a context that we unfortunately do not have in the show.

It is sometimes those little subtleties in a scene that makes it so memorable and impactful. Seeing the character just act according to a script without any context may lead to disconnect from them.

This is one area that the light novel with its liberty allows us to enjoy.

3. Ayanokoji Depth

This must be sounding strange with all the emphasis I put on the show being stuck on Ayanokoji perspective but still we are not really interacting with the real Ayanokoji in the show.

We are in the same situation as the other characters, we are simply seeing what Ayanokoji wants us to see.

We don’t get his inner thoughts, the motivations to certain things he does, the single lens we have is his dialogue and his actions.

In the light novel. Ayanokoji actions have a clear overall goal.

The character is on a bigger quest that it may seem and seeing his different actions and strategies given this background makes us understand on a deeper level.

4. In between

Classroom of the elite is not just this stressful anime thriller where every move needs to be precisely calculated and lead to the best outcome possible. The characters are just students, so sometimes they have little stories going on covering friendships, love stories and minor conflicts.

Those stories take place sometimes during the school year but moreover during the break where we get to different sides of the characters in a totally different shade.

The anime doesn’t have the luxury to spend time on those situations, but if you value the life of the characters outside of the stressful and serious setting, the light novel might cover that for you.

Conclusion

In short Classroom of the elite is an amazing series with interesting characters with intrinsic motivations and conflicts. The anime is doing a great job at conveying the school atmosphere and the overall feeling of competitions between the students but unfortunately fall short of conveying all the depth the light novel can offer. If you are already embarked on the Classroom of the elite journey, I highly suggest that you go read the light novel, which will open up a whole new perspective to the show.

On the other hand, if you are completely new and are hesitant to jump on the boat, the show my be an easier bridge if you are not too much on reading, but once you get sucked in, do yourself a favor and go read the light novel, this will unfurl the curtain even better on this incredible theater.