What Koro-Sensei Has Taught Me

This is most unlike me, a planner through and through, but I don’t have a definite idea of where to go with this blog post. I just know that, after being moved to tears by Assassination Classroom’s second season, I want to jot down some of my thoughts about this amazing show! To date I’ve seen hundreds of anime, including many of the classics, shows that have stood the test of time and are widely considered to be the best of the best. As a result, it’s now extremely rare to find myself affected by what I watch, as most anime today simply doesn’t hold up to these classics! So when it does happen, as it did with Assassination Classroom’s second season, I want to mark the occasion by writing a few words. I’ve dubbed this collection of thoughts: “What Koro-Sensei Has Taught Me.” I hope that you enjoy reading them. A word of warning: you may not wish to proceed if you haven’t seen both seasons of Assassination Classroom, as there will be spoilers ahead! Instead, please read my review of season 1. I hope that it will convince you to go away and watch this awesome show!

Sometimes the People Who Smile the Most Are the Ones Who Hurt the Most

My favourite character from Assassination Classroom is definitely Nagisa Shiota. He possesses many of the qualities that I wish I had! For example, Nagisa is somebody who, despite being meek and humble, commands the respect of his classmates. He also radiates a quiet strength and confidence and is rarely seen without a smile – even when being teased by his peers! So it took me by complete surprise that he was regularly subjected to his mother’s verbal, mental, and physical abuse. This surprise was in part due to the fact that the franchise waited 31 episodes to reveal this to us and in part due to the qualities I listed above (which served as somewhat of a red herring!) Nagisa’s abuse demonstrates that a person can seem perfectly happy and healthy to the people around them, but still be struggling inwardly. You might be thinking “well, duh!”, but, as somebody who wrestles with comparison (in particular, thinking that everybody else has got it together and is living their best lives), it was something that I needed to be reminded of! It also reminded me to treat everybody I meet with love and kindness, as you never know what’s going on behind closed doors.

Nobody Is Beyond Redemption

Everybody is capable of turning their lives around. Assassination Classroom’s second season was full of characters who did just this! As a result of Koro-sensei’s tutelage many of the show’s characters, including Irina, Itona, Kayano, Nagisa, and Principal Asano, came to learn just how precious and valuable their lives were as well as how to enjoy life and face its many challenges. Consequently, they were all able to change their lives in positive and significant ways! These characters were of a range of ages, backgrounds, and personality types, yet they were all capable of this. It gives me hope that even I can turn my life around!

The Effect That a Good Mentor Can Have

Sometimes all that’s necessary to make that first step towards change is a good mentor. And that’s exactly what Koro-Sensei was to his students. He made the effort to get to know their strengths and weaknesses, their hopes and dreams, and even their greatest fears and hang-ups. That meant that Koro-Sensei was in an ideal position to guide, gently admonish, and speak encouragement into his students’ lives. He even wrote each of them an entire book called “Koro-Sensei’s rules to live by.” It was only natural, then, that, even as the E-class mourned the loss of their teacher, they were able to make positive, unfaltering steps towards bright, happy futures. It makes me wonder how different my own life would be if my parents and teachers had spoken words of affirmation over me as I was growing up, instead of ones of pity, derision, and criticism. I could dwell on this, or I could take comfort in the fact that, as a Christian, I, too, have a big old book full of advice and encouragement, the Bible, and that someday, when I’m in the position to mentor other people, as a result of my upbringing, I know just what not to say or do! Who knows, maybe I can even help them!

How to Face Life’s Challenges

Koro-Sensei teaches his students many things, but my favourite is this:

“As you go through life, the mighty current of society is bound to get in your way and there will certainly be times when things don’t go as you hope. When that happens, don’t look to society for a cause. Do not renounce society. Frankly, you’d be wasting your time. Instead, just say “That’s life!” and muddle your way through with frustration. Once you’re past it, consider: if society’s swift current is tossing you around, how should you be swimming there in its midst? You should have learned how, here in the E-class, in this assassination classroom. You don’t always have to stand and face it head-on. You can run and you can hide. If it’s not against the rules, you can try a sneak attack. You can use unconventional weapons. Stay determined – not impatient nor discouraged – and with repeated trial and error, you’re bound to reach a splendid outcome eventually.”

What I take away from these wise words is this:

• Take personal responsibility for your life
• It’s OK to feel frustrated, but do not stay frustrated
• It’s alright to fight dirty (within reason). Use whatever weird and wonderful skills that you might have in your arsenal
• It’s okay to run away to fight another day. But, ultimately, if we avoid it we can’t conquer it
• Persevere, persevere, persevere!

Assassination Classroom is full of so many wonderful lessons, including the ones above, but this is definitely my favourite! I find these words comforting, empowering, and encouraging! I want to plaster them on every surface of my home, so I can be constantly uplifted by them! Before you go, let me know: what did you take away from Assassination Classroom? What, if anything, did Koro-Sensei teach you?