With Season 2 finally confirmed after a five-year wait, now is the perfect time to get started with Classroom of the Elite before the anime starts its "Luxury Cruise Ship" arc. It can be hard to figure out where to begin, especially considering the franchise began as a light novel series and the way its volumes are separated into Year 1 and Year 2.
First published in 2015, the novels were picked up for an anime adaptation by Studio Lerche in 2017 and a manga adaptation in 2016, which is still ongoing. Here's what Classroom of the Elite is all about and where prospective fans can find its various versions.
The Plot of Classroom of the Elite
Classroom of the Elite follows high school student Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, who would rather keep to himself than make friends with his fellow Class-D students. Set in the distant future, their school has been set up by the government to ensure the success of its next generation of Japanese citizens. This cutthroat school runs on a merit-based system, and Class-D is where the lower ranked students end up so the others can make fun of them for their failures.
Despite his average grades and placement in the "dump class," Ayanokoji is actually incredibly intelligent but chooses to not strive for top of the class. This secret intelligence underlies a traumatic past with many mysteries still to be unraveled. After becoming involved with two of his classmates, Ayanokoji's perspective on the school and his classmates begins to change.
Where To Read the Classroom of the Elite Manga/Light Novels
The Classroom of the Elite light novels have been translated into English and are available from Amazon, Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, Right Stuf Anime and many more retailers. Amazon has the books listed at $12.99 each, while Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million list them for $13.99 and Right Stuf carries them for $11.19 each.
Amazon has Kindle versions available for around $8.99-$9.99, also the price for the Nook version from B&N. At the time of writing, 12 out of 14 volumes for Year 1 have been released in English, numbered 1-10 with Volumes 4.5 and 7.5 also added in.
The manga adaptation has not been released in English as of this writing, but is available for pre-order through the previously listed sites with a release date of March 1, 2022. The digital version will be $9.99 while the physical version will be $13.99, while Volume 2 will be available on May 10, 2022. The Year 2 light novels will be released later this year beginning on July 19, 2022.
Where to Watch the Classroom of the Elite Anime
The Classroom of the Elite anime is available to watch for free on Funimation's official website, though fans will need a premium account for the Japanese dub. It's also available for free on Crunchyroll. Episodes are available for purchase in HD on Amazon for $2.99 per episode, or $23.99 for the entire first season.
An official Blu-ray release is also available on Amazon for $34.07, which also includes a DVD copy and is in Digital HD. The episodes are also available on Youtube for $1.99 for the standard definition, or $2.99 for HD. Season 1 runs about $24.99.
