Spy Classroom

Spy Classroom is like a cross between Princess Principal and Assassination Classroom, but everything has already been done better in those two series. The series doesn't really do it for me. Rather than a spy drama, it’s just cute girls doing cute things, or a slice of (spy) life. The drama itself gets diluted to the point of almost disappearing. Not even the missions save it. What I find lacking is the feeling of something intense and powerful. It doesn’t even work in terms of building relationships between the teacher and his students, as it does in AC. The characters are not fleshed out enough, especially the teacher, and what I’m missing is a better story and more emotional depth. What the creators have shown in the last episodes with Grete is not enough. The authors are also not very good at presenting twists. Instead of coming as a surprise, it often just feels dumb. For example, when I heard that "The best thing about us is that there are 7 of us like the colors of the rainbow, but we have a secret - there are actually 8 of us..." I felt an urge to bang my head on the table. It's not a complete disaster, though. It gets better towards the end, and the overall feel of the series is quite good. However, I still get the feeling that it's just a second-rate mixture of far better series – I’m giving it an average 5/10. (05/27/2023)

The second season struck me as a step up from the first. Perhaps it's because the more time I spend with this crew, the more attached I become to them, the series finally carving out its own identity. It could also be because both local missions felt well-executed, injecting a spy vibe with moments of tension, drama, and even emotion — like Annett's backstory, shedding light on her eye patch. Even the filler episodes (files) didn't detract from my enjoyment as much as in the first season. While still comedic or slice-of-life in nature, they felt better integrated with the individual missions and overarching story and offered space for character development. The second season pleasantly surprised me, piquing my interest in the series and dispelling any lingering doubts about its originality. With each episode, the feeling of wasting time on a lesser imitation gradually fades away, leaving me eager to see what future episodes hold. This season earns a solid 6/10 from me. (09/29/2023)