Assassination Classroom was a manga I didn't really like when I read the first volume. Was it the odd premise? Or the somewhat bland characters? I couldn't tell you, but I decided to come back to it after I heard it would end in five weeks. I'm glad I did, because I found a very well done manga that has a somewhat rough start.
STORY
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Assassination Classroom's premise is very odd to say the least. Class E3, the worst of the worst, have been given a special assignment: Kill their new teacher, punnily named Korosensei by one of the students, before their graduation in March. A somewhat odd plot, I know, but there is so much more as the story begins to expand after the first volume. The story, initially, takes a backseat to another component of the manga(more on that later). The story really does start to get interesting around the 7th volume, and only heightens throughout the story. If there is one problem with the story of the manga, it's that it didn't seem to know when to end. Without going into details, I felt it could have ended earlier than it initially did, but then Matsui decides to make 4 other 'side chapters' that, yes, may not be connected to the story, but honestly left an undesirable taste in my mouth. I didn't read them initially, because I felt that they didn't serve a purpose. Despite that, the story is one that I feel everyone should read. (9/10)
ART
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I have not read Matsui's previous work(namely Neuro), so I can't comment on how Matsui's art has evolved from his previous endeavors, but when the series first started, the art wasn't particularly great. I felt that it had lacked it's own identity, but was passable. However, as the series went on, it seemed to get it's own identity, and this is expressed most through it's character designs. (9/10)
Character
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If this manga did one thing perfectly, it was its characters. We do have a main character, but Matsui takes a route less taken with the initial storytelling: Focusing on the class as a group of characters. Instead of focusing on a only a group of characters, all of the classmates have distinctive characteristics that make them unique. Remember earlier when I said that the story initially takes a backseat in it's first 7 volumes? You rarely notice it because of how wonderful the small stories are that focus on one of the classmates. There aren't any annoying characters in the class. When it comes to antagonists, the series has them covered as well. To a power-mad principal to a master assassin, there are many great antagonists in the series. The great thing about them is that they all have their own justifications for what they are doing. (10/10)
ENJOYMENT
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I enjoyed this manga quite a lot. There are many great small arcs that are not only funny, but help develop our favorite class of underdogs, and some of the arcs that have massive revelations can be exciting and heart-wrenching, sometimes both at the same time. I had a great time reading this manga(9/10)
OVERALL
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I felt this was a great manga. The characters were great, the story was great, and I found myself reading the entire manga in the span of 5 weeks, something I had only done for Jojo's bizarre adventure before. I feel this is a great manga, and I'd recommend this manga. I can't wait for Matsui's next work. (9/10)
