Yusei Matsui's science fiction comedy manga series Assassination Classroom has come under fire in South Carolina. Socastee High School parent Jennifer Hannigan complained about the depiction of classroom violence within the manga, and now the controversial book series found in Horry County school libraries is under review.
Assassination Classroom was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from July 2012 to March 2016, and licensed for English language release in North America by Viz Media. Written and illustrated by Yusei Matsui, the series follows a group of students who attempt to murder their superpowered alien teacher before he destroys the planet. The overview of Assassination Classroom, Vol. 1, courtesy of Viz Media, reads:
Meet the would-be assassins of class 3-E: Sugino, who let his grades slip and got kicked off the baseball team. Karma, who’s doing well in his classes but keeps getting suspended for fighting. And Okuda, who lacks both academic and social skills, yet excels at one subject: chemistry. Who has the best chance of winning that reward? Will the deed be accomplished through pity, brute force or poison...? And what chance does their teacher have of repairing his students’ tattered self-esteem?
Hannigan complained that the book's depiction of violence, guns, and other controversial content is inappropriate for students her daughter's age.
“In the book, they’ll have several chapters that are telling you...a killing is in the title, of some nature,” she told WMBF News. “There’s also several pages where there’s handguns, rifles, knives, and potions, and it talks about killing in the pages.”
“Even if I didn’t have children, I would not want a child to read this book,” she added. “I mean there’s girls in lingerie hopping on top of men in the book.”
Horry County Schools have temporarily removed Assassination Classroom from the school libraries while the series is being reviewed —a process that could take 30 days. Horry County Schools is unable to comment on the matter until a decision is made.
In the meantime, Hannigan is left wondering how the book even made its way into school libraries. “It’s just the whole thing,” she said. “They’re talking about the operative on how they’re going to kill this teacher, and different ways to kill the teacher.”
While the manga is described as a science fiction comedy, its depictions of classroom violence are understandably a concern — especially in a country where school violence and shootings happen way too often. Horry County isn't the first to take issue with Assassination Classroom.
In 2023, the manga was removed from Gifford Middle School, Florida and Elmbrook School District, Wisconsin due to its depiction of violence, especially gun violence and towards teachers. The Citizens Defending Freedom organization and politician Tim Anderson also challenged the series, expressing concerns about the "sexualization of minors."
Assassination Classroom was also adapted into an animated television series by Lerche, which aired from January 2015 to June 2016. The complete series can be watched on Crunchyroll, which describes it:
Forget about homework and pop quizzes. The students of Class 3E have a far more important assignment: kill their teacher before the end of the year! A tentacle-d sensei that moves at Mach 20 is out to conquer the classroom after destroying seventy percent of the moon. In addition to reading, writing, and arithmetic, the murderous monster behind the lectern will teach his students everything he knows about the assassination game. Should some eager beaver prove to be a quick study in killing, he or she will save Earth from extinction – and collect a hefty reward.
For what it's worth, both the manga and anime have been received positively, although there is an argument to be made that it is not school-appropriate. Have you read or watched Assassination Classroom? Do you believe it should be banned from schools?