This is the final volume of the Assassination Classroom manga – but, really, things wrapped up in the previous instalment. Volume 21 is essentially just an epilogue followed by bonus content. It’s all good stuff but more like a piece of supplementary material.
The final chapters of the storyline show us what the characters went on to do with their lives after graduating from school. There’s quite a bittersweet element to it, I think, but I love when stories go out of their way to show you what happened to the characters ‘after the end’ so to speak. I don’t have a great deal to say about this conclusion, other than that I enjoyed it – though the actual ‘ending’ of the last volume was much more impactful for me.
After this, we’re then treated to a flashback story which shows what Koro-sensei was up to when he was away from the kids. We get to see his house, and we see him visiting a bar where he becomes friends with the mother and daughter who run the place – and ends up getting caught up with some criminals who visit. I genuinely loved it, and think it shows Koro-sensei in a very positive light, while also showing us a side of him that we don’t see elsewhere. It even has a sweet moment where it is reveals he is fond of the girl because she reminds him of Nagisa. I think I’d go as far as to say that this is one of my favourite arcs for the character, even if it is supplementary. It’s cool to see him outside of his usual context too and how people react to him.
Finally, there’s a totally unrelated manga one-shot that Yusei Matsui wrote. It’s called Tokyo Department Store War Journal. It is very different to Assassination Classroom and tells the story of a girl who goes into a giant department store with a shifty guy in a post-apocalyptic world where the items in the shop are living monsters that have to be fought and killed. It’s nowhere near as good as any part of Assassination Classroom, but it’s an interesting curiosity nonetheless. It has quite a strong video game sort of vibe to it.
And that’s it. Perhaps one day Yusei Matsui will feel compelled to tell another additional story about Koro-sensei, or we’ll get further details about the adult lives of the kids. The ending for Nagisa feels, to some extent, like it’s setting up a spin off with him as the star. I’m not sure if that would work or not, but I’d love more. However, if that’s all we ever get of Assassination Classroom, it’s been quite a ride. It’s the first manga I’ve ever read all the way through and Koro-sensei stands out as one of my favourite fictional characters of all time. I strongly recommend it.
Rating: 8/10
