Classroom of the Elite Season 4 - Episode 1-4 Discussion (Spoilers)

Animation quality looks like it took a hit in this new season. I skimmed through previous seasons and the animation looked cleaner. Here it looks all fuzzy specifically on character models.

I finished episode 1. I immediately thought it was a good introductory episode to the test and the students of class D-1. I missed a better context of the OAA application, showing the topics and the qualification of these students' skills. But then, it would have become a tiring episode. The new president is shielding the Year 1 students, preventing Ayanokouji from immediately getting rid of the student from the White Room. Thus giving this student autonomy to act.

The first episode was great. But the rest....idk. I've read up until vol 7 of y2 so far, but from what I remember the first exam was more detailed?? (tho I could be misremembering)
The fight with Housen was disappointingly flat. Even the LN managed to make it sound more dynamic, and it was probably the most hyped moment this season (not mine but in general)
I'm gonna give it a couple episodes to form proper thoughts but it's not looking too good for me

Ep1:

Calm ep

Once again, COTE is back and even more different than ever in their 2nd year.

Forgot abt the white room guy who is trying to get Ayanokoji expelled within April.

Line art of the characters are quite thin, but a interesting touch. Will take sum time to get used to.

Love the explanation of OAA.

Direction is pretty good, but damn, the 1st years are cocky as shit.

Ryuen fake asl for not saving her, but whatever.

So Blonde must know sum abt Ayanokoji. Tho, it looks like she has sum type of advantage over Hosen.

Cool OP

8.5/10

Ep 2:

Calm ep

Yagami is so obvious with his intentions.

Not too much of a fan of this piss color palette.

Why am I not surprised that her name is Ichika.

Perhaps Nanase isn't as bad as I thought, but she's still untrustworthy.

Ichika is quite cunning, but at least now Sudo has a partner.

Maybe Ayanokoji isn't as great of a cook as he proclaims.

Looks like Ayanokoji has Hosen figured out.

What's up with these freaky ass snakes in the ED, lol.

8/10

Ep 3:

Calm ep

Nice to see Kei again.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ichika's hair tie can record conversations or sum. Nothing tells me that I can trust her at all.

Arguably the corniest convo ever between Kei and NPC. Such a random slap tbh.

Finally Hosen has appeared.

7.5/10

Ep 4 :

Good ep

Hosen stubborn asf.

Sudo, ur not that guy, i'm sorry.

Nice hands Horikita.

Ayanokoji mad smart for devising up such a elite plan while getting stabbed in order to truly expose Hosen's plan.

Ayanokoji why u aura farming? Ik that shit hurt like hell 🤣

Fights weren't anything crazy, but I expect better when the stakes are higher. That color palette change to purple was certainly interesting with the rain. Definiely used for dramatic purposes.

Didn't expect a team up of Ayanokoji and Hosen, but alr.

Looks like he tried on Math at least.

So who exactly is this white room student that Ayanokoji still hasn't found??

9/10

• Episode 1

Four episodes in one day, I thought it was an April Fool's joke, but no, it's a fantastic gift!!!! You can immediately notice a clear change in the graphics; the graphics are softer than in previous series. The new character first class are much less naive than ours were at the beginning, while as for the older characters, I noticed a different attitude from both Suzune and Ryuen.

• Episode 2

New first-year students appear, but how much can you trust them? Paradoxically, I have more faith in those who demanded points in exchange for their participation. I don't trust Kikyou's friend outright, while Ichika is an enigmatic character.

• Episode 3

Nanase and Ichika, everything leads me to believe that one of the two is the White Room killer (Honsen seems more like an idiot to me), but that might be too obvious. Nanase did call Honsen, but there's no guarantee it was really him on the other end, and he didn't even have a scratch on him despite arguing with him (Honsen was effortlessly strangling Ibuki, remember). Maybe Honsen is Nanase's pawn. Ichika, on the other hand, is suspicious. I think she left the hair clip at Kyotaka's house on purpose, and now she also knows Kei, which could be a serious problem.

• Episode 4

The situation has changed. Some of my theories about the first three episodes have proven correct, especially those about Ichika. But I never thought there would be an exam for just a few first-year students, aimed at directly and physically attacking Kiyotaka. This changes everything. The enemy is willing to injure or even kill Kiyotaka to win. Our Ayano must be able to adopt an effective strategy with the little information she's gained. I look forward to next week!

Utilizing every first year to strike Ayanokoji? Other second years will surely catch wind of this. I wonder how he will manage to keep this under the hood any longer.

I wish I paid more attention to others, I want to try to find the assassin too! But 4 episodes in a single day caught me off-guard.

Also, I want some spoiler, just a little. A yes or no one. Does Karuizawa get more screen time? I want her to change Ayanakoji for the better, maybe even become a safe heaven for him? I think it suits the theme of chasing freedom from the white room. She could show him how to live like a normal human being, teach him to just feel joy and let his guard down. And a surprise attack at that moment? That would be fun to watch.

What happened to drawings? Why every character drawing look like they used non completed practice sketches? Huge downgrade

they finally gave episodes proper titles instead of just naming them after philosophy quotes

After finishing all 4 episodes, I'm satisfied. The pacing, animation, and art style were quite consistent. On the downside, for the conclusion of this first arc, the iconic knife scene was mediocre and a bit rushed, and perhaps even censored during the rain scene, which doesn't exist in the original. If the idea is to focus on action scenes on the uninhabited island, that's fine by me.

Yap Alert! This is all probably irrelevant by next week anyway.

From what i remember considering it's been 3 years and what's going on in the show, i believe:

Nanase was working with housen to get ayanokoji expelled, and housen gets the reward out of their partnership. The backing of this 'special test' is likely also used to defend her reason of wanting him expelled.

Nanase through all of this was never the confrontational one, and by the end of it nanase was hardly involved in the explained plan to expel ayanokoji, which conveniently all works out to giving nanase no evidence of ill-intent, and keeps her as the innocent girl inbetween it all who wanted the classes to work together, to build trust with class D, with of course also deciding whether or not ayanokoji is a 'wicked' enough person to be expelled.

The innocence is also reinforced with that phone call during the meeting in the library, where housen (who apparently wasn't asking for points from anyone) was all of a sudden telling nanase knowingly with ayanokoji and hikigaya around that he was expecting points from her. This could mean she's being taken advantage of (not likely), or instead she payed housen to work with her in this partnership. She also stumbles her words at the next point of discussion to make her seem frailer? That could just be me overthinking it though.

If amasawa really was the one who refined 'housen's plan' and got everything in order (deciding what products to buy (the knife), and then later taking it from his home when coming back for a hair pin), i find it hard to believe her involvement isn't somehow connected to nanase, my theory is they're working together with this distaste towards ayanokoji, maybe?

The special test also explains why everyone has interacted with ayanokoji during the partnering time period, and lines up who was given the test (the 2 from class c, the class a amasawa, and the class d's nanase and housen. I don't know anything about class B though.)

I like that they're finally bringing ayanokoji into the limelight of his abilities, i kinda expected it but i was a little annoyed it took all 4 seasons for him to do so. The ending's song choice is also excellent, with a good opening too.

There's 100% things i didn't notice, or i just didn't bring them up. There's way too much in 4 episodes to write without my ramblings seeming far too extensive, so i only brought up what i thought was important. I'd love for someone to point out to me what they think too. :)

How tf does this have a 80% rating rn

Okay that explains why he was being watched, bro has a bounty on his head. Otherwise why do they keep bringing Sudou back? He’s useless lol

That was good I enjoyed that 4 eps in a row is fantastic. I agree Yagami and Kushida having similarities as mentioned might relate to the want to have Ayanakoji expelled as a plot subtext (thats a long shot tho). The end credits to I have a feeling there might be another student in league with him, the snake, the girls and the goat atop his throne seems more of a hint rather then the end credits they picked. If i took a gues maybe Ichika but Nanase is sus to 10000% knows Ayanakoji is from the white room it was so obvious when she talked to him. Interesting to see where this goes, just hoping the animation isnt as bad as a couple of other shows airing rn. The animation change is random it was fantastic for seasons 1-3

I saw the first 4 episodes, it feels quite fast-paced, and man, that hosen seen in the end, I remember reading it in the LN, and it felt so good at that time, but I didn't feel anything after watching it in the anime. Guess it is just your average low-budget adaptation. I don't mind it, though, at least we are getting something, and ED is also nice.
I actually kind of stopped reading Year 2 LN at some point, and I hope watching this motivates me to get back to it again.

this series needs less exposition and more ayankoji funny sigma moments compilations

School anime btw

In ep4, I lowk don't get how Ayanokoji could use the knife stabbing as blackmail ?
If no one was there to witness it (except the students ofc), like how could they say that it was Hosen who did it. There has to be something more right ?