A Japanese science fiction comic book has been banned from some schools in Florida and Wisconsin because of worries that it might encourage violence against teachers.
The manga in question, named “Assassination Classroom,” relates the tale of a massive tentacled creature that threatens Earth and destroys the moon. In a junior high school, this monster takes on the role of homeroom teacher and challenges the class to eliminate it before it destroys the earth.
The comic was first published in Japan in 2012, and it was later made into a live-action movie in 2015 and a television series in 2013.
“Assassination Classroom,” banned from Gifford Middle School
In March, Gifford Middle School in Gifford, Florida, took out three volumes of the book, becoming the first school to do so. The book was also removed from the digital library system by the Elmbrook School District in Wisconsin.
The comic book was banned from Gifford Middle School thanks in part to the efforts of Moms for Liberty, a conservative organization that pushes for the removal of books that it deems inappropriate. The group also succeeded in getting a high school in Vero Beach, Florida, to remove an edition of Anne Frank’s diary that they considered to be “sexually explicit” on April 5.
Why was “Assassination Classroom” banned from schools?
The inclusion of images of children with guns in a classroom and the recent rise in school shootings in the US raised concerns about the comic’s appropriateness, according to Jennifer Pippin, chair of Moms for Liberty’s Indian River County chapter. Pippin underlined the group’s goal of dissuading pupils from believing that hurting their teachers is okay.
The Elmbrook School District in Wisconsin removed the book from its digital library after parents complained about its violent and sexual content, according to Fox News. As of Sunday, neither the Indian River County School District nor the Elmbrook School District had responded to Insider’s request for comments.
The Elmbrook School District clarified in a statement to Fox News that their current book acquisition policies were used to determine the decision to remove the series.
The plot
Abruptly, a massive, tentacled monster appears and rages across Earth, destroying a large chunk of the Moon and threatening to wipe out our planet in a year. Surprisingly, the creature, dubbed “Koro-sensei,” gives humanity a chance to stop this disaster.
Koro-sensei takes up the role of homeroom teacher in Kunugigaoka Junior High School’s Class 3-E, teaching pupils both regular subjects and the art of assassination. The government of Japan offers a substantial reward of ¥10 billion to any student who manages to kill Koro-sensei.
But because of the creature’s incredible abilities—which include fast regeneration, visual cloning, invincibility, and the capacity to travel at Mach 20—this turns out to be an extraordinarily difficult task. Koro-sensei proves to be an amazing teacher, helping students advance their grades, abilities, and prospects for the future despite the impending threat.
As the narrative progresses, more assassins start pursuing Koro-sensei for a variety of motives, such as personal grudges and rewards. This causes complications.
The creature, the devastation of the Moon, his relationship with their previous teacher, and the real urgency of getting rid of him before the end of the school year are all revealed to the students piece by piece.
The series is narrated by Nagisa Shiota, a member of Class 3-E who appears to be weaker than the others. It follows his methodical approach to gradually compile a list of Koro-sensei’s shortcomings. In spite of appearances, Nagisa develops into one of the class’s most proficient assassins.
“Assassination Classroom” has a video game of itself
On March 12, 2015, Bandai Namco Games released “Assassination Classroom: Grand Siege on Koro-sensei” for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan. The same year, Bandai Namco also unveiled “Assassination Classroom: Enclosure Time,” a mobile game that drew inspiration from the Assassination Classroom series and was eventually released.
On March 24, 2016, Bandai Namco released “Assassination Classroom: Assassin Raising Project!!,” the sequel to the 3DS game that was only playable on the Nintendo 3DS in Japan.
Notably, Koro-sensei appears in the video game “J-Stars Victory VS,” which was released on March 19, 2014, in Japan for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. In the summer of 2015, an international version known as “J-Stars Victory VS+” was made available for the PS3, PS Vita, and PlayStation 4.
Assassination Classroom amassed several accolades
“Assassination Classroom” received a great deal of attention and praise. It won first place in the Honya Club website’s 2013 “Nationwide Bookstore Employees’ Recommended Comics” ranking. Additionally, the manga was nominated for the 6th Manga Taishō.
It came in second place in the male-oriented comics category of Media Factory and manga news magazine Da Vinci’s “Book of the Year” list. It was named the best work of 2013 by Nippon Shuppan Hanbai in their “Recommended Comic Books Across the Country Clerk’s Choice.”
It further achieved the top spot in Takarajimasha’s 2014 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey.
“Assassination Classroom” was one of the nominees for the nineteenth annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, according to information released by Asahi Shimbun in February 2015.
It was also nominated for an Eisner Award in 2016 for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia. “Assassination Classroom” came in at number 51 in TV Asahi’s Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, which asked 150,000 people to rank their top 100 manga series.
