Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 (Light Novel) Vol. 4

ようこそ実力至上主義の教室へ 2年生編 [Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e 2nd Year] (Novel) #4

by Syougo Kinugasa, Tomoseshunsaku (Illustrator)

Tensions are high as the students of the Advanced Nurturing High School enter the second week of this special exam taking place on an uninhabited island. Students from all grades are getting ready to make their final moves, and so is Acting Principal Tsukishiro. Who will come out on top? And who will be packing their bags to leave the island—and the school?

Genres: Light Novel, Fiction, Audiobook

500 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2021

About the author

Associated Names:
* Syougo Kinugasa / Shōgo Kinugasa (English)
* 衣笠彰梧 (Japanese)

Reviews

[Mika (Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review
I wasn't disappointed by expecting that this volume will be even better than the previous one. This one has been shorter than the other ones so far, but 'cause of it the pacing was fast-paced this time around which made everything even more exciting (it wasn't too fast). Besides this volume being shorter, it still had plenty of content and I even think there were more things happening plot wise than in the previous one. It was really fun seeing all the abilities of the characters being shown and how Ayanokouji wasn't really alone just 'cause Nanase decided to reunite with her group. Around chapter six it starts to get better and better and the peak is in chapter seven where the special exam is about to end. Compared to my previous reviews about the other volumes for the second year I can confidently say that this is so far the most adventurous and action filled volume. I prefer to see fighting scenes animated so I still have something to be looking forward after finishing this series — the second year getting turned into an anime. The most shocking part in this volume was how I misjudged the abilities of some characters. I even made a ranking to remember them now more properly.
I have to admit that I didn't really enjoy that one chapter was solely focused on Kouenji as he isn't an interesting character for me but I get it that it's important for the story. (In general chapter four and five weren't that good and felt like they dragged the pacing a bit).

Theory
After another reveal regarding the white room I start to think that there isn't just one white room agent that tries to eliminate Ayanokouji but rather multiple. I just can't imagine that Tsukishiro really just has included for the new first years only one. A main reason for my theory is that there were only six first year students who were entrusted to eliminate Ayanokouji and get him expelled from the school. There must be a reason why he chose these six and not everyone or someone else. I think all six have to do something regarding either the white room like the agent that was sent from Tsukishiro or by anything related to Ayanokouji or his father directly. I suspected Nanase of having a split personality as she acted sometimes a bit like Kushida who is bipolar and in the end I even thought she has a split personality as even Ayanokouji suspected it, but then it wasn't like this. So, how can I know the white room student is actually the one being sent from Tsukishiro? What if there are multiple or what if it's actually someone else and it was just another way to make the reader not know what the truth is?
Yes, I know this sounds like I just want Yagami to be the white room student as he was the one I was most suspicious of, but you can't seriously tell me he is somehow less capable than Utomiya and Tsubaki. There must be a reason why he is staying in the shadows and is barely mentioned.

StoryGraph review (with spoilers) + content warnings

[AB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am surprised that I didn't enjoy this volume much. I was bored for nearly half of the book. Everything was so predictable and the intelligence previous volumes had was all gone. The characters felt all out of place and too dramatic. It's like someone else wrote this volume.

[Nafim Abir · Rating 4 out of 5]

The translation I read was unofficial, so the translation was a bit rigid. I don't know if the original version is rigid as well. The point is, from a literal perspective, the book wasn't enjoyable. But from a story perspective, it was.
This book will make a perfect shounen anime. Looking forward to second season of COTE

[Kristin ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a bit lack luster to me. Expected a bit more.

And there was soooooooo much fighting. I feel like most of it was just fighting scenes. Why do these children (and teachers) crave so much violence?

The cutest things for me was Ibuki x Horikita team up and also the confession scene...... Interesting to see how that will pan out.

Also sad that we have not seen any of Kei in so long. Want more progression there.

I hope the next arc will be a bit better. More brains and less brawl.

[jarne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly I read this in a rather scattered way, but I still enjoyed it. Although I'm sad that Ayanokoji's plan wasn't fully carried out, I still really liked this special exam.

[novemberninth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow this is peak

[stop checking your mailbox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really get what happened between Ayanokoji and tsukushiro (idk) at the end but I feel like Ayanokoji isn't so big brain anymore and I don't like that

[Shiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was very engaging albeit just ever so slightly less that the previous one for me. I would say quite a lot of unexpected things happened. Ichika just saying it outright, kouenji winning (hes just a monster) but that means koenji can just do what he wants. thats a shame though i dont think he would do anything anyway. and other suprising things happened. Though i found Ichinoses confession especially suprising. It was quite random but im curious about the developements. though im pretty sure they are in the later volumes. Also considering ayanokoji is currently dating kei. Anyway the fight against tsumkishiro was awesome. and kyruinn joining it like that was interesting. Though tsukishiro admitted defeat i dont really think thats the end of it at all. And this volume had a lot and a lot of physical fights which i didnt mind. actually the opposite. Well im curious about what happens next and.. well about yagami

[purplegrape · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was definitely interesting to see all of the different plans across the three years coming together. The battle between first and second place was especially interesting. I really hate the redhead and hope she is removed imminently (she's even more annoying than Ichinose's teacher). Koenji is hilarious and it's such a shame he won't be going all out anytime in the foreseeable future :(

[Jxaquin · Rating 5 out of 5]

El final del examen especial "Isla Deshabitada". Muy Buenos momentos con peleas y dinámicas de los personajes. De los mejores volúmenes de Cote que he leído. El desarrollo y revelaciones de los personajes fueron muy Buenos, y las estrategias y manipulaciones jerárquicas en la isla fueron únicas.

[WiLL · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐*

[Mithun Sarker · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I didn’t think that being cute meant the same as being trustworthy, but I supposed that didn’t really matter right now."

Classroom of the Elite: Year 2 Vol. 4
By Syougo Kinugasa.

Well, if I'm honest, I would say this volume wasn't much satisfactory. With three volumes, this is by far the longest arc. While there were bits that were quite interesting and fascinating to read, the overall story arc a bit ( I don't know the exact word to describe it tbh).

Classroom of the Elite is about outsmarting everyone, seeing great manipulation, underlying tactics, and competition between classes. While this arc had all of them, it is certainly a great read. But the last volume was a bit dull in some aspects. However, in the first year's Volume 8, this arc was much more enjoyable. This volume focused more on fight, while I don't hate that. In fact, it was exciting to read. However, it did miss the charm COTE has to offer. Even then, the whole arc was good. Could it have been even better? Absolutely. But I can't expect Hammer to hit the nail perfectly each time.

This volume had some tiring sequence, though they were important for the story, but they were tiring. But, the segment where third year students were trying to stop Kouenji was super entertaining to read. It was hilarious.

The interaction between Ibuki and Ayanokoji and the latter Horikita was quite good. I'm slowly starting like the character of Ibuki, unlike other characters her character hasn't had much time for development despite the 0.5 Volumes, but I would love to read more on her. Her chemistry with Ayanokoji is peak comedy.

The love lives of Ayanokoji are taking a turn. Man, Ayanokoji is quite a hot topic among the girls, ain't he?

“Gorillas gotta be handcuffed at all times, after all,”

The showdown between Gorilla, I mean Housen and Ryueen, was quite fascinating. The ending was certainly satisfying for that fight. And do I really need to say anything about Ichika? Such a chaotic character. every time she shows up, it's super fun.

"A huge grin lit up her face. It was pure evil, the likes of which I had never seen before."

In the end, this volume felt more like a fighting showdown than anything else. I did like that, can't have the same thing happen again and again but which it had more COTE flaire to it. Anyway, the fights were stretched a bit too much. Now, now, I'm being too picky here. The fighting sequences were good.

The ending, I found a bit of a letdown. Don't get me wrong, it's certainly not a bad ending perse, but considering this whole event took three volumes in total, I expected a bit more. But respect where respect is due, Kinugasa tried to do something out of the normal, and though it could've been even better but it is still a good thing.

With all that being said, Kouenji is a beast. His interactions with others are always funny to read. And poor Nagumo shouldn't have gone against Ayanokoji at the end, but oh well, what is done is done.

7.75/10

[Benjamin Frediani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've given this one 3 stars but I may come back and up it to 4 after letting my thoughts on it settle more as this was a mixed bag for me.
There are so many new characters being thrown into the mix I can't keep up - this is not helped by the fact that I am not used to Japanese names so I struggle to remember the names themselves and the new characters pop and went so rapidly I struggled to remember all the characters themselves.
I feel trying to add new characters from the first and third year at the same time is too much - especially for a light novel.

Some of the new characters introduced where interesting and I liked that some new people are getting a lot of 'screen' time.
This book was very female heavy in the way of side characters and I like the fact that this book isn't pervy with it or demeaning to them (as so many light novels are). In fact, thinking about it, most of the main side female characters put the equivalent male ones to shame.

I also liked the fact that this book didn't go how I expected... but I am also disappointed in this fact as I set my expectations up then didn't get what I expected but it is nice the author isn't going on a power trip just because he controls the story by making his MC omnipotent).
Although a lot happened I still feel like a lot didn't happen in the bigger picture or I am still to realise that a lot that happened had more significance than I realised. That said I have felt the series has been feeling a little slow in this book year so far so maybe I'm being too greedy for big developments because of that.

All in all a mixed bag of a book.
I'm going to read the halfway summer book then give a while to let a few books be released and refresh my outlook on the series so I can go into the next term hopefully with a less biased opinion next time.

[Viszed (II) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Termina el examen especial de la Isla Deshabitada, con Koenji en el 1er lugar y Nagumo en el 2do lugar; aunque la victoria de Koenji se logro gracias a que Nagumo se obseciono con pelear con Ayanokouji y eso le resto en el último momento.

La persona misteriosa del final del volumen anterior fue Amasawa, quién revelo su identidad como estudiante de la Habitación Blanca, aunque sus intenciones no son claras.

Aunque se ha declarado una aliada, al fin Nanase se separa de Ayanokouji y el puede moverse con libertad; me encanto que Sakayanagi le prestara ayuda a Ayanokouji para encargarse de los de 1er año que siguen empeñados en conseguir la expulsión de Ayanokouji, fue como ver una partida de ajedrez con personas reales, por lo que Sakayanagi debio divertirse mucho; me sorprendio la ayuda de Ryuuen para enfrentar a Housen, resaltando su estilo.

Más haya de que Ichinose haya hecho lo correcto al decirle a Ayanokouji lo de la trampa del director, su motivación es unicamente su preocupación por él, estando por ensima de lo sentimientos por sus compañeros de clase; fue una gran escena la confesión de Ichinose, pero en mal momento porque Ayanokouji ya esta tomado por Kei.

El enfrentameinto de Ayanokouji con Nagumo, me encanto que lo derrotara de un golpe, ya quiero ver su expresión cuando despierte y se de cuenta que fue derrotado por Ayanokouji.

El enfrentamiento final con el director interino fue un poco desconcertante, pero lo importante es el resultado, ya que termino en victoria de Ayanokouji.

[Adrián Cabello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aunque este volumen contenga grandes momentos y peleas esperadas, se queda corto en su resolución haciendo un poco más de lo mismo, se va a la segura y en vez de tomar un resultado inesperado como se opta por el camino seguro con un final esperado, pero que a pesar de eso sí deja bien planteado futuras tramas.

Lo que realmente hace bien este capitulo es como plantea las relaciones ente los estudiantes y como el segundo año va relacionándose consigo mismo, generando amistades y rivalidades importantes, en donde nuestro protagonista es el punto en común entre estas relaciones que van creciendo a medida que avanza la serie. El siguiente arco será una pausa esperada entre arcos de exámenes pero que uno disfruta al ver como Ayanokuji se va relacionando con sus amistades y rivales, además de las sorpresas que habrá en cómo se desarrollan estas y que giros tomaran.

[The Real Gio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume che conclude l’arco narrativo dell’esame sull’isola. Non raggiungerà i picchi che tocca la serie nei volumi 7 e 11, ciò nonostante intrattiene molto. Lo scontro finale, per quanto criptico e inconcludente, appassiona molto, specialmente per l’entrata in scena di Kiryuuin. Lo scontro con Nagumo getta le fondamenta per un futuro duello. Il duello Ibuki e Suzune vs Ichika è probabilmente il punto più alto del volume insieme al duello fra Ryuen e Housen. Menzione d’onore anche per Arisu che come al solito non si fa battere dai piani dei leader del primo anno. In conclusione volume molto divertente anche se la conclusione di questo arco narrativo non raggiunge gli apici raggiunti dai precedenti. A suo favore però vi è il fatto che probabilmente l’epilogo è solo apparente, Tsukishiro infatti credo sia tutto meno che fuori dai giochi.

[Krish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a good translation (for the most part) and had to change to mlt only for few chapters. I can confirm that this volume is bad, not because of the translation, but because this is indeed bad. Auther really tried to make this a grand finale for tsukigoro or something. It felt like a shonen manga where fights would just pop up just to distract reading. While the volume 3 was good as a build up volume, this volume sacrifices the realism, this series is build just to make this some kind of epic adventure or something.

But to all the fans, don't stop this series just because of one bad volume. I had the volume 6 & 7 (from mlt) and they are not disappointing at all. And second year volume 7 is among my top 6 volumes.

[Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think im gonna start writing short reviews on Goodreads like I do on letterboxd. I think the plot for this novel was good, not as good as some of the y1 arcs, but I think this is far more expositional than the great volumes of y1. But, I find myself absolutely enamored again with Kinugasa's writing style. Everything he does feels far more intentional than most writers of a light novel style. I do like the direction this series is going (duh I've read up until now) but based on what I've heard I am hesitant to be excited for the rest of this year. Anyways, enough yapping about my feelings towards the series and its direction as a whole, this was really good, just a tad predictable and boring at times.

7.5/10

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the fourth volume of the second year of the classroom of the elite concludes the second island survival test. I found it very enjoyable because I got to see so many interesting fights that included Kiryuin, Amazawa, and of course Ayanokoji. We got to see Amazawa's true power when she fought Horikita which was exciting because she's from the white room. The fights from our main character Ayanokoji were also enjoyable because we got to see two fights where he was actually trying at full power. i was also fairly shocked and the result of this survival test. Overall, this was an exciting novel that was a good end to the second survival island test.

[HardLight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuation of the Island exam and the full reveal of a crazy person being a hidden threat while mentioning there's others and a reveal I saw a mile away being there. To be fair this has one of the cutest if most heartbreakingly mistimed confessions I've ever seen and my heart bleeds for them at the eventual reaction...especially with that moment in 11.5...oh my.

This has a conclusion of the Director Tsukishiro storyline in the battle on the beach, showing and having realisations of just how brutal the White Room was for everyone on it.
Oh and a girl gets a friend. I'm not that happy about it now though. (we'll get to it).

[F · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3
so many unnecessary fight scenes that were needlessly detailed.
the finale was so uninspired and unsatisfying, almost ridiculous. the best idea to 'win' (get him expelled) the bad guy had was to have a fist fight with the main character? really now?
the island arc had been pretty interesting, but this left kind of a sour taste.

[Arwa Khalil · Rating 3 out of 5]

عند هذه النقطة أتساءل إن كانت فكرة الكاتب هي جعل أيانوكوجي بطلًا مملًا للسماح لبقية الشخصيات أن تلمع؟
على الرغم من أن أيانوكوجي كان مخيبًا للآمال، إلا أن سوزوني تبدو فاتنة للغاية أثناء محاولة التصرف كأيانوكوجي للوصول لما تريد.♡

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's fun

Its the 12th book in the series if you've come this far and still aren't sure why that out of the way the not so surprising dramatic end to the island arc twists and surprises abound and the final (for now) showdown between Tsukashiro and Kiyotaka

[slugbiscuit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closed out the uninhabited island exam. It was fine but I'm not very satisfied with the results. Several unanswered questions remain but I guess hopefully all will be explained in Vol. 4.5. Also, Ayanokoji seems to be getting very popular with the ladies.

[Demon Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad

[Francisco Almeida · Rating 3 out of 5]

was hoping for more

[Andyyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5

[Caprisan · Rating 3 out of 5]

read it with bad translations

[Mo Zarouali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good conclusion for the unhabitted island arc but felt somehow rushed

[TheLorax · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25