This is the penultimate volume of the Assassination Classroom manga. It’s a tricky one to review, as I really don’t want to spoil what happens (a lot of readers may be able to guess though), but what I will say is that this is a perfect volume. There’s another volume afterwards that acts as kind of epilogue / offers some bonus content, but this is where the story comes to an end.
I read the entire volume in one sitting and I was filled with emotion the entire time – it’s the only comic I’ve read that made me cry (I think). Koro-sensei is trapped within a forcefield at the school and the children have come to help him. Shiro arrives for a final confrontation, bringing the Reaper along with him – hoping to finally assassinate Koro-sensei. That’s pretty much all that happens, and while it might sound not sound like much, I found it very powerful.
I already loved Koro-sensei before I got to this volume, but it’s here where he was elevated to the position of one of my favourite fictional characters of all time. The way that he always tries so hard to ensure that the children are happy and safe even under the most dire of circumstances is something I find incredibly beautiful. He has the kind of backstory that, in other characters, turns them dark and edgy, but even when he’s confronted with his past, he never loses his heart. I think this is the best way his story could have ended.
If you’ve read the first 19 volumes, I don’t think there’s much chance that you’ll stop before reading this one. It ranks as one of the best and most moving things I’ve read in my entire life.
Rating: 10/10
