In episode 121 of Hero Academia, there is a scene in which the students of Yuei High School line up neatly in the school yard to hear lecture from the principal and teachers.
This scene, also known as morning assembly in Japan, is a weekly event in many Japanese schools in reality.
What morning assembly does is, all students, teachers, and staff gather in the school yard, auditorium, or gymnasium for the principal’s or teacher’s speech and announcements.
I think This custom not found in Western schools, and you may feel the uniqueness of Japan.
In Japan, before World War II, the main focus of the morning assembly was to “cultivate a unified spirit throughout the school,” and especially during wartime, joint exercises and the principal’s instructions were strictly enforced. This practice remained after the war.
The reasons why this morning assembly has bad reputation is as followings.
First, the lectures by the principal and teachers tended to be long and tedious, and seemed to be a sermon to the students.(In the summer, some students collapsed because the principal’s lectures were too long in my experience )
Second, students are lined up in order of height so that everyone can see the speaker. This means that short students may have a chance to feel an inferiority complex once a week.
Finally, during the morning assembly, students are of course forbidden to speak and must stand at attention, and if they break these rules, they are beaten by the teachers in my generation.
The speech of the principal of Yuei High School reached the hearts of the students, but the reality is far different.
