This was a very enjoyable read for me. It was a song and dance of cat and mouse, to betray or not to betray. This volume takes place pretty much where the anime left off, so in case people are wondering where to start, here you go. The book was very interesting the students are once again thrust into another exam with special rules and conditions. Obviously, Class D is determined to be on top. What I really d about this volume is we got see just how far Ayanokoji is will to go to achieve his intended results for his plan. There might be a slight trigger warning as does describe some scenes massive bullying going around. We also get see other characters in this book taking action such as Ichinose and Ryuen, proving that Ayanokoji isn't the only schemer throughout the book. We also get to see how the teacher views their student along with learning more deeply about how the inner workings of the school are run. Overall I enjoyed the read and I am interested in more to come. If you have watched the anime I encourage to give the books a try.10 s Dxdnelion221 9

Volume 4 take me longer than I expected to, but doesn't mean its bad.


This volume have another new mission. The whole class, Class A, Class B, Class C and Class D are all required to work together. They were divided into multiple group that based on their zodiac. Each group consists of 3 to 5 people from each class ( 3 from Class A, 4 from class D). There is a Cow group, there is Rabbit group. So here is the mission; A "target" (VIP) student will be chosen from each group and there are four possible outcomes by the end of the exam. Of course there is private points involve, very intriguing mission.


At first, it start really slow. Honestly, all volumes I've read so far does have a slow start so Classroom of Elite is something that you need to be patient to get into. But what I love is how this series keep makes me thinking and making my own theory. Suprisingly, I could predict the ending and also how it will go. Ayanokouji in this one is creeping me out tbh. Some of his 'evil' side start to showing a bit.

I'm impressed with all this student's ideas, they came with a brilliant idea on how to manipulate other people, trick them to guess the Vip. At some point, I feel disappointed on how Ayanokouji idea fail miserably because of Ichinose. God damn, Miss girl is so good. I knew there is something suspicious about her and how she keep asking Ayanokouji.

Looking forward to know what happen in the next volume <33 s A_ bookbound _soul186 41

Buddy read with Aakash (loved sharing the experience with you!)

Seemed kinda slow paced for the first half. The mc did something which totally changed my perspective towards him.( Well I kinda knew it in the back of my mind but seeing him actually do something was shocking.)
This volume also showed more about the leaders of other classes and Ayanokouji isn't the only cunning one. Ichinose particularly gained my interest.

Ascending to class A won't be so easy afterall...2 s Aida286 17

End. 1401/11/15light_novel2 s Aakash132 10

Buddy read with: A_bookbound_soul

We finally see how far Ayanokyoji would go to achieve his goals. He doesn't care if you are his friends or his abused classmates. But if you are usable in his schemes, he will definitely use you. And the whole incident with Karuizawa had left me shocked. I mean, in hindsight I should have seen that coming. Ayanokyoji is a walking talking sociopath after all. He wouldn't care if you are getting beaten by a group and being traumatized if it furthers his goals.

For the first time, we finally see that Ayanokyoji isn't exactly your regular good protagonist. I mean he was always unique but this volume clearly emphasizes that. He is a mixture of a antihero and a villain...and I am not complaining. It is going to make the series so interesting to read.

Overall, nice and thrilling volume which shines light on the past of couple of crucial side characters and shows us that Ayanokyoji is not the only cunning one in the story.

But the whole special test was explained so poorly that I didn't know what was happening regarding the game half of the time. That did make it hard to read so there's the deduction of stars.2 s kii269

4.5 out of 5 stars

Well, damn?? What can I say? Ayanokouji revealed his true self to the person I least expected. Plus, he was hella manipulative in this volume and I loved every minute of it. My annotations for this volume were mostly “oh shit” and “damn” whenever Ayanokouji manipulated people.

Formidable characters are Ichinose and Ryuuen who were impressive in this test ‘cause they saw beyond. Well, they are ranked in higher classes for a reason. I loved the thrill and the excitement of this entire test. Probably one of my favorite tests so far because Werewolf plus a bunch of scheming conniving students are a great mix. I love Horikita but she was overconfident and prideful even after the results were revealed. I hope her “failures” can lead to her character development.

Also, for some reason, I have developed a liking towards Yukimura. Hope to see more of him soon in the next installments!light-novels1 jarne25 1 follower

Probably closer to a 4.5. Even though I already knew what was going to happen, it's fun to read some little differences and more details.
I noticed that the more time you set aside to read in a session, the more intriguing the experience is. Maybe that's because you see more of the bigger picture at once this. But I guess that would be true for any book.
Also, sometimes these books turn a little horny for some reason. It would be better without this side, because I really enjoy the psychological connections you get to unravel and the funny dialogue and such, but I guess these horny occurrences every now and then can also be funny from time to time.1 Tonatiuh Osuna4

Me gustó bastante el desarrollo que se le dio a kei, el cómo se nos platica su pasado y el por qué de sus acciones y decisiones, claro, esto no justifica su comportamiento egocéntrico ni irrespetuoso. Junto al desarrollo de kei me gusta también que se nos cuente la razón del comportamiento de Hirata, y el secreto de la relación de estos 2.This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review1 Marco4

4.5/51 autumn83 2 Read

Ayanokoji finally starting to show how far he’s willing to go along with Ichinose and Ryuen being amazing schemers made this book so fun to read2020-reads1 Nobody5

It was a fun arc but one thing I keep thinking when ayanokouji said - "I also felt some alien emotion growing inside of me. it was something excitement". well looks he finally getting excited . I wonder what going to happen1 Vince11

Our favorite group of teens who are too young to reach first base but old enough to regularly commit blackmail is back, competing in another not-so-borderline abusive exam. This volume’s prize is, as is typical, the points that will determine their class’s A-D ranking, their future employment opportunities and whether they will be able to eat anything other than gruel for the next month.

As an aside, I looked into it (alright lazily Google’d it) and was shocked that this brand of alphabetical hierarchy looks to actually be reality in Japan’s educational system. Then I remembered we have honors classes in the states, but every instance of Japanese entertainment I’ve experienced that takes place in a high school seems to derive from a very unhealthy sense of real-life competition that my teenage years couldn’t have differed from more. Maybe somebody more in the know can fill me in.

The latest contest at Advanced Nuturing high school centers around a game I know I’ve played before but can’t remember the name of. Aboard a luxury cruise ship and separated into groups of mixed classes, the students play a high-stakes game in which one person is selected as a VIP and points are awarded to individuals or the entire group based on whether that person is found out. I consider myself to be fairly adept at following complicated plot lines (I gutted out Game of Thrones and remained relatively on track throughout), but this one definitely had me saying “so, what happens in that scenario again? Why is it important?” more than a few times.

Despite that, I ultimately didn’t mind the VIP game and thought it provided the most effective battleground yet for inciting the type of COTE carnage I signed up for. The plot stayed far enough out of the way to give Volume 4’s highlighted characters the chance to shake, move, manipulate - and ultimately shine. The key words there being ‘highlighted characters.’ The cast as usual is hit or miss in that I only give a shit about 3-4 of them.

Let’s pick on a few for shits and gigs. Ike, Sudou, Yamauchi? Kick their asses back to mediocre Volume 2 where they belong. I’m rarely a fan of comic relief in Japanese fiction, but I especially detest the teenage boys who want to “get a girlfriend.” I know teenage boys, having once been one, and you’re not going to convince me the cultural chasm is so vast that Japanese high school students give a shit about a ‘girlfriend.’ Young men think and talk on one level - action - first, all the feelings come later to catch us off guard and ruin our pre-adult lives.

Also, while I’m positive it has to be pronounced Ee-kay, I can’t get Ike Broflovski out of my head when I read that character’s name. But that’s enough on the appropriately dubbed idiot trio, I’m digressing from what’s important here.

Ayanokouji is one of the most creative, masterful and engaging main characters I’ve experienced in a long time. Seeing the sphere of Japanese entertainment encompassing light novels, manga and anime push its way into the Western zeitgeist has been entirely unsurprising for me as a long-time fan, and Ayanokouji is a perfect example why.

Waiting for Ayanokouji to reveal his sociopathic side in this volume felt waiting for Darth Vader to finally do some sick shit for the entire run of Star Wars: Rouge One. And when he does, it’s well….hnnnngh. Syougo Kinugasa teases us with it, knowing just when to mix in hints and reactions from the rest of the characters, until the little psycho finally drops the act with both the reader and his classmates.

You’ll also see if and when you get into Volume Four how the substantial characters Horikita, Hinata, Ichinose and others earn points on your personal favorites list. I don’t think based on what’s happened so far in the series that there should be too much variance in opinion on who is fun to read about and who absolutely sucks, but I feel that will ly change as I continue. This series has huge favorite character poll debate potential, and I’m excited to be caught up so I can engage spoiler-free.

Easy five stars here, I can’t wait to keep reading. If you were considering dropping COTE after Volume 3 for some wild reason, let this review be your north star forward. Donte McNealAuthor 1 book10

We’ve ventured into new territory with this volume. This is the volume that covers what comes after the anime ended, so everything from here on out will be a surprise to me. With the first three volumes, I knew what was coming, even if the previous novels added a few things to the pot. Now? Well, I think it’s fair to say I’m excited!

Much Volume 2 opened up with Class D student Sakura, Volume 4 opens up with another female Class D student: Karuizawa Kei. What we know about Karuizawa is that she’s basically the defacto leader of the girls of Class D. She and Hirata are the leaders of the Class D, but there’s a lot we don’t know about them both. That changes with this one.

The spotlight is put on Karuizawa in this volume, and I’ve got to say: What we learn about her is interesting to say the least. And watching Ayanokouji maneuver his way to uncovering those truths is a sight to behold. I can honestly say, Ayanokouji is one of my favorite main characters I’ve read this year, if not ever. Just learning the way his mind works and trying to unravel the layers of mystery and intrigue surrounding his past would make reading these books worth it. If the story, settings, and other characters didn’t keep you around I mean.

The plot of Volume 4 centers around yet another special test, much the island test... Though that’s not exactly accurate. While the island test looked to see how the bonds formed in the respective classes could hold up to being on an uninhabited island and needing to fend for yourself, the new special test that takes place on the cruise ship is just as difficult, if not more so.

The new test is set up to evaluate the students’ thinking capabilities. All four classes are divided into twelve groups (with students from each class in each group), with the groups being patterned after signs of the Zodiac. With every volume I read, the happier I am that I’m done with school and that I didn’t attend this academy. Each test is one I know I would’ve failed, no matter intelligent others used to make me out to be. I will say though, watching these characters learn the true purpose of the tests as they go through them is quite a ride.

I know the next volume takes a break from the doom and gloom of back to back tests to focus more on the vacation part of summer vacation. So it’ll be a nice change of pace before we dive headfirst into a new semester, and whatever new tests the school has in store for its students. I’m excited to see what’s next. Gamer Dz52 1 follower

Summary
after the survival test on the island.ayanokoji have to deal with another kind of test which is the zodiac test. Will he win this time and how this test is going to be?
Pen heads
-the language or the translation used in this novel suited me, it's fifth grade level but with more challenging words. And that made my reading fast and with no stops
-sequence of event:was slow in the first chapters with a lot of information about the test and ayanokoji's expectations and thoughts, and it was the anime but more feeling in his words and sentiments. And after the arrangement and the agreement between Ayanokoji and Karuizawa the events become faster and more excitement with fine ending
characters:we knew more about some minor characters Hirata and Karuizawa and their past and that makes their movements clear .also ichinose and her Terrifying intelligence in the end
there is a different when you read something you and another you don't.cause as you can see the 277 pages wasn't that much in this novel but if it was other book it could be so difficult
the most enjoyable moment in the entire novel is the arrangement and the dialogue between the two people who know each other more than anyone



rage, panic, fear, despair: How many negative feelings had Karuizawa been
carrying? She now realized that I was completely different from the meek
person she knew from school. She probably found it terrifying.

There was no doubt about it. Karuizawa Kei had become a perfect tool for me.
I didn’t actually care about her body; I just needed to threaten her to see how
far she was willing to go, how much she would do. She probably understood
that

What happened? All sorts of things. Everything and anything. They’d put
tacks in my shoes or stuff my desk full of roadkill. When I went to the
bathroom, I’d get splashed with dirty water. They wrote words ‘whore’ on
my uniform. They pulled my hair and punched and kicked me. Anything you
could imagine, basically. I was bullied in every way. Countless times. What I’ve
just told you was just a fraction of what I’ve experienced. Those were the
‘gentler’ ways I’ve been bullied, too. It makes me want to laugh. So, why aren’t
you laughing? Why don’t you laugh at the pitiful loser who’s been bullied all her
life?

“This is it? This is your darkness?”


“Despair comes in many forms. And you’ve experienced despair. Haven’t
you?” I asked. annika3

rating: 4.5 stars

volume 4 was the first cote volume i went into blind since this picks up right where the 1st season of the anime left off. reading it made me wish i had read the previous volumes without any prior information. volume 4 was an experience that was so riveting, i just couldn't put it down.

back on the cruise ship, the students are thrown into a new test highlighting their thinking ability. the book lets us get to know a character i expected to hold less significance, karuizawa kei. we also get to learn more about yousuke hirata, ichinose honami, and of course, ayanokouji kiyotaka.

though this volume got quite dark, it was delightful. the method of writing, of which ayanokouji's manipulativeness and strategic thinking, was fascinating to read. ayanokouji's creative mind makes him one of the most engaging main characters i have ever encountered. he does not fail to captivate me.

the delve into karuizawa's character is what sold this volume for me. when i first started the series, i was not expecting karuizawa's character to be this important or relevant at all. in this volume, we got to see the real karuizawa. as we learned more about karuizawa's genuine personality and backstory, the story progressively became more intriguing.

i am interested in how hirata and ichinose's characters and stories will play out in future volumes. is this the last significant role hirata will play in the series? perhaps hirata will continue to maintain his essential side character position for a bit longer. i can only predict for now, but i have a very sure feeling that ichinose will rise from the shadows soon. i am most curious about her character.

suppose you are new to light novels, and reddit recommended you start from here because you've watched the first season of the anime. in that case, i suggest you begin with the past volumes to get a feel for its writing style. however, if you prefer to avoid reading the storyline you already know the ending of, volume 4 is also an excellent place to start.

overall, i loved this volume and am loving the classroom of the elite series so far! i can't wait to keep reading. the beginning is a little slow, but it is worth trudging through it. excellent schemes, the writing, and a mind-boggling (in a positive way) plot gave this volume the high rating it deserves. if you've made it this far, thank you for reading my review! Emily GraceAuthor 1 book5

Wow. Right off the bat, this book was good. I honestly wasn't expecting much. Since I've watched the anime, and it only involves the story up to volume 3 of the light novel, I started volume 4 with no clue as to what was going to happen.

First off, I Ayanokouji's personality more in this light novel than how the anime portrays his character. Un the anime adaptation, he isn't always stone-faced and he does have a unique personality. That being said, I never expected him to have some humor in him, having watched the anime, I was expecting him to remain dull and "lifeless". But I am pleasantly surprised that, that isn't the case here.

Since season 2 and 3 have been recently announced (after 5 years of waiting, with season 2 coming in July 2022 and Season 3 sometime next year, 2023), I hope they stick to this light novel as close as they possibly can.

Hopefully they make Ayanokouji have more of a personality, and show off more of his internal thoughts. Although he does tend to keep his plans to himself and reveals them much later when his plan is already set in motion.

Also what he did to Karuizawa was quite shocking to say the least. It just shows how far Ayanokouji will go to obtain his goal of reaching class A (in order to avoid getting expelled because apparently the whole reason why he applied for the school was because the school forbids any contact with the outside world. In other words, he doesn't get a chance to see his father which is what he wanted.)

Unfortunately, I was spoiled by Karuizawa and Hirata's "relationship" so when that truth was revealed, I wasn't that surprised by it.

I was, however, surprised by how Hirata's friend became brain dead after a certain 'incident' that occurred and its nice to know why Hirata is the way he is and why he tries so hard to make everyone around him happy. Even if that means pursing a fake relationship with Karuizawa to help her although he gains nothing by it.

Now that Karuizawa is using Ayanokouji instead as her personal bodyguard, I wonder how their relationship will change and if it'll change at all...This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Linart24

Trigger Warning: The story has parts involving bullying and violence.

The 4th volume of the Classroom of the Elite series features another special test were 12 groups were formed inspired by the 12 zodiac animals.

In each group, there would be members from each class from A to D and they are faced with a challenge to find an appointed VIP within the group. Of course, given the nature of their school, they were offered four possible outcomes that could cause great effects to the classes in terms of points (both in class points and private points).

This volume marks the start of the story that was not adapted by the anime, and I have to say, people weren't kidding when they said that the story will only escalate after the arc in the anime. I was not disappointed one bit.

I found the story to be exciting all throughout, keeping its readers intrigued and guessing up to the very end.

If you're looking for an exciting read, this is more than enough to keep your mind stimulated. It did not disappoint me one bit. HardLight213 1 follower


it's in this volume that we get to see the mastery of Kiyotaka's cold logic lose out to something far more precious and serious. we get the full and complete character introduction of Kei Karuizawa and the single best OTP of anything I've seen since SubaruxRem starts up. Admittedly Kiyotaka is a violent and aggressive asshole in this, manipulating and controlling Kei for his own interests to make sure he and his team gets points, but it's for the best here as well as their chemistry and character dynamic start up, we see the ingenuity of Kei and her ability to work on the fly tested that shows she can work with and be a skilled member of Class D.

And we get the beginnigs of the Haremokoji with a spark starting up with the 3rd girl of the school and possible top 1 of the year, Ichinose. It's sort of infuriating as it goes along how many girls he gets fall for him, I mean he's already got Sakura and everyone EVERYONE. LOVES. AIRI. SAKURA. No Stupid DUMB BLOODY IDIOT would pick a monster over a sweet, innocent, shy girl Sakura, RIGHT?! (we'll get there)
qetsiyah 125

damn
Very interesting to learn about Kei Karuizawa's past, I must admit that I was really surprised how Ayanakoji handled it, one moment I was really afraid. Ayanokoji is really much darker than I expected, I think he's one of my favorite antagonists.
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