This week’s Classroom Crisis was… an episode. For the second week straight, the show focused largely on Nagisa’s political dealings within the Kirishina Corporation, and for the second week straight, those dealings failed to have basically any emotional grounding or sense of coherent internal drama. Nagisa’s stuff here is really just “stuff happening” – it all exists to the side of the conflicts that either have some earned emotional weight or drive at the contrast between pragmatism and idealism (which is a conflict that’s itself largely confined to the conversations between Kaito and Nagisa, since the actual political stuff is way too simplistic to carry much meaning). This episode had one great conversation between Iris and Mizuki that reflected what the show is actually good at, but aside from that, this was a dreary wash.

But anyway. You can check out my breakdown over at ANN, or my notes below!

Nagisa’s been promoted to the board of directors. Plotting plotting

The A-TEC members all wondering how they should feel about this – happy he left A-TEC alive, or frustrated he left them. Kaito tells them they need to focus on their work

The A-TEC team has really been reduced to no-name characters, unfortunately. They’re just sitting there commenting on how the actual main characters must feel about all this

And Nagisa meets with the vice president, who it turns out is actually on his side. Lots of angry comments about how the Kiryu family has betrayed the company’s roots, and how Nagisa will bring it back. Nagisa points out that president Kiryu’s policies have actually helped the company

It seems like Nagisa doesn’t really share this obsession with families. His anger is personal

Nagisa maneuvers so that saving A-TEC is actually part of his plan to defeat the president

Angelina rightly points out that the vice president’s ideals seem very flaky, and that Nagisa is likely being used

This whole political machinations arc really isn’t that compelling. None of this maneuvering has enough grounding or complexity to be compelling for its own sake, and by removing the other characters from the equation, the show has removed the tensions and relationships that actually have some weight. I’d hoped these last few episodes would test the show’s core relationships in interesting ways, but so far it’s just “I hope Nagisa’s still our friend” from very far away

Mizuki’s throwing herself into her work. Iris is trying to keep her happy

“If he’s working hard right now, and he has to leave us to do that, it’s fine… for now.”

“You love him, don’t you?”

And the followup to that is great on both their parts – Mizuki gets quiet and thinks about it. Iris gets up, thinking she made the situation awkward. Mizuki finally agrees, smiles, and Iris smiles back, supporting her

So reasonable, supportive, and in character on both their parts. The little character stuff is so good

Iris still clearly has some Nagisa baggage

Big montage of everyone working hard

The Oozora and Seimin parties formed an unexpected alliance. Meaning Seimin are back in power?

And their candidate, who defected from Seimin, is screwed

Plus Iris is freaking out up in orbit

Yeah, this political maneuvering is just nonsense

“Nagisa Shinamiya is… me?” Er, what?