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pyropsychiccollector · 1 year

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This next analysis... Well, I already did one Apphia Yu-voiced character. Might as well segway into another one of her roles, yeah? The nice thing is that this next one, she isn't a criminal, but she is an assassin~... well, an assassin-in-training.

... And a pervert. Poor Nagisa. ... Or Lucky Boy Nagisa, maybe? :3

NagiRio

So, to trim this analysis a bit in the "early" parts of the series, let's just put it this way. Rio-chan didn't become a "major" member of E-Class until about halfway through Season 1 of the anime. In the first several episodes, she was more comic relief than a girl who played any pivotal role. I think the first time we saw her on-screen for prolonged periods was during the Kyoto trip, when she first tried to peep in on Koro-sensei in the bath, and then later that night with the girls gossiping about boys and listening to Bitch-sensei tell stories of her past. Still, I suppose the "peeping" is a good way to segway into this "plot summary" portion of the analysis... because it's the first time, on-screen, that Nagisa and Rio interact, especially outside of class.

I'll try to be nice, but.... Rio-chan is honestly a shameless teenage girl. XDDD She's a good example that it's not just guys who get ecchi and dirty-minded. Sure, we learn more later why Rio-chan acts out and focuses on having a good time, but she reeeally gets into it... (๑╹ω╹๑ ) She pretends she's just scoping out their target's weaknesses, but let's be real~... She wanted to see what was under those soap suds. (๑╹ω╹๑ )(๑╹ω╹๑ )(๑╹ω╹๑ )

Still, this is a good entry level into Rio as a character. She's laidback, fun-loving, speaks her mind... And Nagisa goes with the flow better with her than some of their classmates (like Okajima, who felt she was butting in on his Pervert livelihood); the start of their friendship isn't shown, but I suppose you can say that sitting to Nagisa's right in class gave her opportunities to interact or observe him. And since we don't know the particulars of how they started out as friends, there's even room to say that Rio chose to sit next to him, or vice versa. During the girls' gossip scene, she doesn't name Nagisa as one of the boys she'd be interested in; she names Isogai and Maehara as possible candidates, but leans more toward Isogai. Now, you can take this casual gossip in one of two ways; either she's being honest like always, or she's hiding her real fledgling crushes. Given the nature of the scene, I'm inclined to believe Rio is being honest in her assessments here - Nagisa's not on her radar yet in terms of romance, and that's fine! You don't have to leap straight to the romance . If she and Nagisa are just pals for now, that's a good start.

After Kyoto, Ritsu joins the class. Then Lovro tests Irina. Then Shiro brings in Itona. Then the baseball/basketball matches... Finally, we reach Takaoka's debut. If you want my shot in the dark at when Rio started to look at Nagisa more, it's at about this time. Why would that be...? Well...

This is the first time since the failed "suicide assassination" that Nagisa has stood out amongst his class. Ever since that time, he was observing or helping on the sidelines as other classmates and assassins took their shots. He helped organize the girls' rescue in Kyoto, but Rio wasn't there for that, and Koro-sensei dished out most of the throttling. Takaoka was out of control, and Karasuma needed a champion for Takaoka to ("willingly") back down. Still, Karasuma sure knows how to pick 'em; his instincts were telling him that Nagisa was harboring an innate talent for assassination, and he was dead-on. Nagisa himself respected Karasuma for always looking him in the eye, something his own family wouldn't do, and he wanted to make Karasuma proud and help his class overthrow a tyrant. Nagisa let his own instincts take control, and impressed everyone with how nonchalantly he beat Takaoka at his own game, without seriously injuring the man. I think this public display would put Nagisa on lots of radars, and it did. Koro-sensei already had an inkling, and now Karasuma and everyone else knew Nagisa was a natural.

Rio-chan was towards the center of the crowd congratulating Nagisa. It's a bit on-the-nose for a hint, but she even puts herself between Nagisa and Kaede... which I thought was kinda cute. XDDD Maybe part of it was subconscious, but still. A later line Rio-chan gives makes me think otherwise. Again, it doesn't have to be love, or even a crush yet - for now, Nagisa's a friend, and she's proud he had a moment in the sun here.

Shiro and Itona make another attempt... And then the First Term Finals are upon them, and Koro-sensei motivates his kids with promises of tentacles, if they do better than A-Class. Isogai makes an open invitation to join him to study in the library, which E-Class normally doesn't get the chance to. Sure, anyone could've come along, but I thought this was a cool follow-up to the Takaoka debacle. Whether it's as a crush or still just as a friend, Rio is seeing Nagisa now. She enjoys hanging around him, and Kaede, Yukiko, Isogai, Okuda... But I emphasize Nagisa, because...

Honestly, as a rareshipper, you learn to take every moment you're given. XDDD This moment before the exams is cool, because Rio and Nagisa have some one-on-one, even if it's just for a pep talk... and then these jerks poke their heads out and give Nagisa the bird, like usual. .... Rio-chan isn't having that. (人◕ω◕) You can call it divine punishment~ (人◕ω◕) And she just keeps walking~...

Ah. And one other thing: Nagisa and Rio excel in English. Whether intentional or coincidental, it's neat to find similarities between these characters. Poor Nagisa misses the perfect score that Rio nabs, but at least he got 91 (more or less an A). He and Yukiko (Japanese) are among the scores that Koro-sensei announces, even if those two didn't get highest in the grade.

Then Okinawa happens~... Don't think I've missed the fact Rio-chan has invited herself onto the Kyoto group's team. (人◕ω◕) It's honestly cool how subtle she is about it. Sure, it'd be nice to see their team welcome her into the group, but.... I'll take what I can get. Maybe she was just on this squad because she can swim, but since there's no context.... well..... they didn't say it'd be a one-off deal. (人◕ω◕)

Later, after the failed group assassination, I found it a little endearing that Rio-chan wanted to try leaning on Nagisa when she wasn't feeling well because of the disease Smog infected them with. Again, no context for why she was near Nagisa... but she was. And Nagisa (and Kaede) were worried over Rio-chan as several others came down sick, too. This does, unfortunately, incapacitate Rio-chan for the Okinawa trip, but Nagisa plays a key part in defeating Takaoka again (and in an even more badass way), which allows Smog to freely confess no one's gonna die. Everyone can breathe easy~ :3

Season 2, though... Rio-chan takes a backseat again, for a while. She's there with everybody else, living the life or tackling the challenges with everyone else... She helped the class attempt to hook up Bitch-sensei and Karasuma. Was there for the summer festival. Supported Kaede's Pudding Popper plot. Helped the class save Itona and recruit him to the class formally. Helped with the sports festival, though the guys' Pole-Toppling was the main competition focused on.

Ah. One point of interest was in the daycare episode - Rio-chan was helping tutor the students, like Nagisa. It's not much, but considering some of the other E-Class members were engaging in more "fun" activities, it's a little sweet that Rio was tutoring the kids like hubby. :3

The Reaper makes his debut, tries taking out Koro-sensei by putting his students on the line...

Then comes another Nagisa-centric episode. Rio-chan doesn't make much of a showing this episode, but in the next one with the Fall Festival...

*coughs* It's not all heart-felt. (人◕ω◕);;;;;;;;; However, her talk with Nagisa just before Yuji shows up is serious and endearing. She really didn't mean to bully Nagisa or hurt him, she was just trying to have fun. ... And, well, she has fun at his expense again moments later, when Yuji comes trotting in, horny for "Nagisa-chan" as ever. (人◕ω◕);;;;;; Something to note, however. Rio-chan used her skirt to crossdress Nagisa. You can make a case, "why would she have a spare skirt on hand?" ... anime shenanigans? (人◕ω◕) Regardless, it doesn't go that way. She slides her skirt on him, and takes his pants. Don't get me wrong: This is a pretty rough moment for Rio-chan, 'cause Nagisa obviously doesn't want to do this.... I won't pretend it's all alright. At the same time, humor's infused in my blood, so while I do think Nagisa shouldn't be tortured like this, I realize it's a...gag. I grew up on cartoons that were a mesh of seriousness and silly, so I could appreciate AC's goofiness here. What's nice about this is that it's the last time crossdressing comes up save for one flashback pic, and then the girl jokes are done for Nagisa. ... So Rio giving her skirt, well... that's very avant garde for "just a friend". Moreover, she stripped them both downstairs for this.... brief clothes swap.... (人◕ω◕) Again. As a rareshipper, I seize every moment I can get. .... Rio-chan has at least an idea of what Nagisa's packing. Not even Kaede has this information. ... Yet. (人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)

To give a deeper look into this crossdressing scene, however, I will say this: Rio was sincere when she apologized to Nagisa, after she heard about his mom, what a control freak and how terrible she was. Rio knows she's been pretty sadistic with the girl jokes - well, her and Karma - and she cares enough about Nagisa by now that she doesn't wanna pick on him to that extent anymore. Some of you may argue, "But she turns around and does it again not even a minute later!" And well.... it's true. Rio does go too far again, taking advantage of Yuji's crush on "Nagisa-chan" to make them money for the fall festival... Here's the thing, though: Nagisa's within his rights to refuse Rio here, to just clear up Yuji's confusion right off the bat and be angry at Rio... But he doesn't. Part of it could be he knows they need the customers and the money for the restaurant, but Nagisa puts up with Rio's games regardless. ... Well, to an extent. Refuses to get pervy ("Show him the goods!"), and eventually he does just tell Yuji that he's a guy... And Rio does respect that. Once Nagisa gives his speech, Rio doesn't embarrass Nagisa in front of Yuji anymore.

... Karma still wants to mess around, and Rio hops all over the chance because she can't help herself... But after the festival, we don't see crossdressing come up again (except for one instance from Karma a few episodes later, but Rio doesn't add onto that). That's another way we know that Rio's sincere about cutting back on that kind of teasing. She does have one last moment of weakness there, but she respects his feelings from then on. Rio could've been like Karma and kept the jokes up... but she matures.

After the festival, Rio fades into the background again. She's there for the Second Term Finals. Places in the Top 5 (Nagisa's #14). She's there when Principal Asano makes his attempt on Koro-sensei. She's there for the Drama Festival. And... she's there when Kaede reveals her true identity as Akari Yukimura, and reveals her tentacles. I'll keep bringing this up, but this habit of Rio's to have a presence in the lighthearted times, and then fade into the background when generally more serious times arise... It fits the assassin motif of the series.

Take this scene for example. Kaede's going mad because of the tentacles, and Rio's one of the people protectively holding Nagisa back. Not Karma, not Isogai... Rio. This is a pretty telling moment that Nagisa's important to Rio; she knows this is a hard time for the bluenet because he wants nothing more than to save Kaede... But she doesn't want Nagisa going in there without a plan, because he'll get hurt. Rio's not overprotective, she doesn't sit on Nagisa or think Kaede's beyond saving... She just wants him to be careful.

And then Nagisa has that moment of revelation, and he kisses Kaede to take her mind off assassination. Rio and Karma are their usual teasing selves, but it is heartwarming that Rio snaps a picture of the guy she's fond of kissing another girl... Again, she supports Nagisa, and wants him happy. ... Even if Rio is greedy and wants her man~

After the fires are put out, tentacles extracted, Rio and Karma don't waste a moment to tease Nagisa impishly... But this moment is particularly endearing, because Nagisa doesn't get flustered like this unless people are poking fun at his height or his girlish looks.... No, this time, Nagisa kissed a girl... even if it was to save her life... And it's so outside of his normal routine, for "Karasuma Jr." to get intimate like that... Of course everybody's gonna congratulate him for that. ... Even if Karma and Rio just want to fill in the void left behind by crossdressing. I wish Nagisa had more moments like this... But he is a guy that keeps his eyes straight on the target. It's just great Rio supports Nagisa in his "love life", regardless of her plans to sweep him off his feet later....

Before we get to that fluffy revelation, however... I want to touch on this moment, which happens a couple of episodes later. We've seen the foundations of Rio's "serious side". During the Nagisa-centric episode, with the career counseling sessions, Rio reveals that she has a reason for being as laidback and fun-loving as she is. She used to be a child genius, and she longed for friendships and having a good time; she didn't care how good she was with school stuff. So she put up a facade of being dumb, goofing off... and before long, it was no longer an act. But E-Class, Koro-sensei, they helped her retrieve some of what she lost. That's why she values the bond she has with the Assassination Classroom... and why she's the one that speaks out when Nagisa suggests changing what their class is about. She disagrees with Nagisa on something, and I find this a super interesting development. ... Because friends can disagree on stuff. Even when they're your crushes... you don't have to see eye-to-eye on everything. I also see this as Rio looking out for Nagisa, because he's caught up in the moment, feeling like everyone's onboard with shifting gears. Rio doesn't like bringing down the mood, butting heads with Nagisa... but this class is important to her, and she doesn't want to chicken out just because they heard about Koro-sensei's past. She knows that there's others who feel the assassination is a crucial part of their bond, and in a way, she's breaking it to Nagisa gently. Tries turning it into a discussion, instead of an immediate decision that affects everyone. ... As opposed to Karma, who takes it personally and turns it into a fight. At least Koro-sensei is open to either possibility, provided the class stays united. The class really needs that unity.

Rio plays the war smart, keeping out of the fights until the end of the war, where she can swoop in and steal the Blue Team's flag... Thing is, Nagisa was playing the game just as wisely. He outplayed Rio, outplayed Karma, and I just really loved how it was Nagisa who took Rio down... 'cause it deepened their friendship a bit. Nagisa didn't make it personal, didn't look back after tagging Rio, Terasaka, Muramatsu, and Yoshida. His eyes were forward as always. But Rio...? Well. She had no choice but to concede defeat. She even admired Nagisa for outwitting Red Team. This was yet another moment where she was truly looking at Nagisa, understanding that even if saving Koro-sensei isn't something she bought into, Nagisa was fighting for his position with all that he had. Is it so wrong to admire someone that's as serious as you? People may wonder where the heck Rio's infatuation comes from (I'll touch on that soon enough) when she legit says that one line to admit her feelings... And I'm telling ya, you gotta go back and keep an eye out. Rio's just as sneaky as Kaede with her feelings, if not sneakier. This moment is just one obvious case where her respect for Nagisa is on full display; it gets more fleshed out as Nagisa properly wins the war.

Nagisa doesn't take the easy way out and snipe Karma. He understands that for Red Team to see where he's coming from, he has to fight on Karma's terms, even if Nagisa's at a disadvantage... Nagisa turns it around after losing for much of that final fight, but Karma has the opportunity to stab him in the back. Karma decides not to, and it boils down to the same reasons: Honor. Nagisa accepted his challenge, was even trying to finish the match with a physical combat move as opposed to a knife... Karma had no way out except for that "cheap" (but very lucky) move with the knife. He concedes the match since Nagisa once said he doesn't fight, unless it's a matter of life and death... So Karma recognizes this is important to his friend, and sees no benefit in stealing the victory besides to spite Nagisa and Blue Team; he's willing to hear Nagisa out. It seems strange to give Rio a similar moment, but she helped start all this...fighting. Rio conceding to Nagisa is just as meaningful, and shows she's not singularly determined about their original class goal. Nagisa's proven himself time and again throughout the Assassination Classroom, so Rio being happy in defeat... can mean that on some level, she was secretly hoping things would turn out this way. Rio's not about winning arguments no matter what; she'll give it her all, but when the opponent works just as hard... She's flexible and open-minded.

... Plus, she's got a soft spot for Nagisa, so...

The trip to space happens, they find out Koro-sensei more or less saved himself way back with that concoction he had Okuda whip up... The danger's not completely removed, but it's severely cut down to size. It's awesome that Nagisa concedes to let the class keep trying to assassinate Koro-sensei until the deadline, because it shows that he's listening to his classmates and respecting their feelings. Red Team helped with the space mission, it's only fair he returns the courtesy. If they still fail to kill Koro-sensei by the deadline, they'll settle for a more traditional student-teacher dynamic. The ending to this arc illustrates Nagisa, Kaede, Karma, and Rio's growth spectacularly. Really, the whole class's growth... But those four have been at the forefront of the class in some capacity for a while.

... Let's wrap up the "plot summary" section, eh? Valentine's Day~... This is where it comes into focus for Kaede...and Rio. I'll keep the talk of Kaede relatively short, but basically Rio is being a wingwoman like Karma. She sees the girl that Nagisa risked his life for is harboring feelings for the little studmuffin, and Rio-chan... feels like playing Santa. (人◕ω◕);;;;;;;

Y-Yes, Santa... (人◕ω◕);;;;;;;;;;;

*ahem* It may seem strange that Rio is encouraging a rival like this, but I suppose a combination of Rio's nature to hang back and wait for her opportunity, in conjunction with the civil war stoking some competitive flames within her... Let's just say, Rio's approach makes some crazy kind of sense. (人◕ω◕);;; It's not that she wants Kaede to mess up. No, no. Rio's been observing Nagisa-kun for a while, and she knows he and Kaede are thick as thieves. Rio is genuinely giving Kaede an opportunity here to win Nagisa over... But like in the civil war, Rio's not gonna pull her punches, either. Nagisa's a great guy. Kind, compassionate, serious.... Rio and Kaede are serious girls, too. It makes too much sense they'd fall for the same guy. A serious guy deserves a serious, fair competition. (人◕ω◕)

Kaede learns to just say what she has to say in her own words, and Rio and Karma spy on her to the very end. As Kaede decides to bury her feelings for now so that she doesn't distract Nagisa, who's admirable for always looking forward, Rio concedes it'd be petty to try stealing Nagisa from a girl so noble... It's one of the most fascinating "love triangles" that I've seen to date. Japan and its people tend to have this habit of being subdued with romance, and it plays into this show of assassins so well. Nagisa's not trying to win anyone over, he's so straightforward, honest, caring... and yet Kaede and Rio like him. A lot. For both of them to keep mum about their feelings... man, it hurts, but I get it. It's a Japanese staple to do it this way. No girl ends up with the guy in this case, but by the same token there's no proof that something won't work out down the line...

So where does this leave us? Why do I subject myself to a ship where Nagisa blissfully trudges on, unaware he's wooed at least two girls in his wake? A ship where the girl gives up the chase when she feels a rival is much more deserving?

I'm intrigued by the potential these two have. Just like Kaede, just like Nagisa, Rio is an assassin at heart. It's so fascinating these three sit together, yet Rio takes a backseat so often. If I had to make a distinction between NagiKae and NagiRio, it's that Kaede definitely fell for Nagisa a lot faster (subconsciously, anyway) than Rio. Rio.... I suppose she "knew" Nagisa for longer than Kaede did, even if it was just a couple weeks. Nagisa seldom stood out, kept his head low... and while it could be fun teasing Nagisa, she wasn't given enough incentive to truly notice him until his assassination skills came to light. Not that Rio was "always" an assassin; honestly, none of these kids were like that from the beginning. They had to be groomed into it. But as pointed out, Rio was in this haze of goofing off for a while. The reward money was awfully tempting, but Rio didn't know how to get back into the swing of things in terms of getting serious again right off the bat.

I suppose reflecting on it, Nagisa got her hyped up. The first part of the year, the classroom was thick with fun, goofiness, forced bloodlust, and mystery. Rio didn't know what to say when Nagisa did that suicide assassination, wasn't involved with Sugino's assassination attempt or the group with Isogai... Karma came in as a badass, and then Koro-sensei put him in his place. Rinse and repeat for Bitch-sensei. The school assembly was the same ol', same ol', as was the First Term midterms... Kyoto was fun from Rio's perspective; she wasn't with Nagisa's group for that episode with the kidnapping. Ritsu came in, Lovro came in, Shiro and Itona... The baseball/basketball matches... If you compare Nagisa kicking Takaoka's ass to those earlier events, only the stuff with Shiro and Itona really stacked up for Rio, and she didn't know those guys. ... But she kinda knew Nagisa, and witnessing him strut his assassination stuff... It had to at least get Rio thinking about her own performance.

That's probably another reason she threw herself into the First Term Finals - she wanted to turn herself around, and hanging around Nagisa was the way to go. It wasn't love at first sight, Rio simply admired Nagisa as a fellow professional and friend. Then she kinda missed out on Okinawa, and Nagisa was a badass without her there to see it... and Rio tries finding herself in the Second Term. She observes Nagisa more, grows to like him more... The civil war only deepens their bond, at least on Rio's end of it. By Valentine's Day, we know for sure Rio has feelings for Nagisa. First Term can be likened to RIo's "practice run"; she's learning the ropes like everyone else, and Nagisa's got a leg up on her. Second Term, Rio catches up to Nagisa. She scores higher on the Finals, but Nagisa's still the better assassin, much to Rio's chagrin. One thing I'm unsure of is if Rio's content with where her friendship is at with Nagisa, by Valentine's Day... That may be another reason she hung back. 'Cause for all that she tried being serious and imitating Nagisa, when interacting with the boy she was more often than not teasing him or goofing off. She didn't have many deep, personal moments that we saw with Nagisa.

Still. For all Rio's caution and care, I think it's unmistakable Nagisa cared for Rio. Maybe not romantically, but it's like Rio said: His self-esteem's not exactly the highest. He wouldn't dare assume girls like him in that way... And moreover, he's a driven, goal-oriented guy. But even so, Nagisa cares to stand up for her and the rest of E-Class against Takaoka (twice), he probably studied alongside Rio for English, and he puts up with the teasing she and Karma put him through (even if he hates crossdressing). I'm pretty sure with a little more courage, if Rio got more serious with their friendship, keeping the goofing around but spacing it out, she would be in a better position for a relationship with Nagisa, eventually. They do have a strong foundation as friends, but seeing more of that bond would definitely help.

Rio and Nagisa are both pretty serious people, it's just that Nagisa's circumstances make him less confident. He gets better, but having Rio for a girlfriend would boost that up even more. 'Cause she wouldn't let Nagisa stay forever meek. Moreover, Rio's habit of playfulness? Nagisa needs that. He needs the hell out of that. XD It's fantastic he wants to be a teacher, and he obviously inherits Koro-sensei's spirit at the end of the series, but even Koro-sensei had someone he loved. Having a life outside the classroom will keep Nagisa refreshed and perceptive to his students' individual needs. Rio could help him reach the more rambunctious kids more easily, and she'd keep Nagisa on his toes. Nagisa would give Rio a reason to return to Japan from her job as an interpreter/diplomat, and even a prospect of becoming an English teacher like Bitch-sensei.... Alternatively, Rio's trips abroad might inspire Nagisa to go out into the world and teach Japanese for a few years. There's possibilities here. Rio keeps things fun, and Nagisa keeps them grounded and...peaceful. It's a bit telling that in the final episode of the series, neither Nagisa or Rio make it to the reunion at the old building; they, Karma, and a few others are throwing themselves into their jobs. They'd provide solace to each other from work, and they'd come running for each other in a heartbeat.... XD I get the feeling Rio would also feel guilty about all the girl jokes from before, and let Nagisa get "revenge" a little... Or she wouldn't comment on it, and just spoil him for her past behavior.

One other detail is that Rio would absolutely draw the intimacy out of Nagisa. Nooo question. (人◕ω◕) He would not remain the chaste hero type. No sir. (人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕)(人◕ω◕) Nagisa might even be able to calm Rio down a bit... Wild, ecchi girl. Gotta love these two~...

#Assassination Classroom #Nagisa Shiota #Rio Nakamura #NagiRio #Analysis

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