The List

7 Frightening Student Councils

Student councils are a subject of fascination in Japanese drama. The members are regarded as the best, brightest, most popular, or all of the above. They're idealized as student role models while their U.S. equivalents hold nowhere near the prestige and glamour of their anime counterparts.

On the other hand, they make for an easy drama set-up. Student councils quickly become microcosms for fascist governments. It's just on a smaller scale and the entire population is composed of teenagers.

7. Earth Conquering Club (Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!) Not much is known about the attractive members of Binan High School's Earth Conquering Club. Kinshiro, Ibushi, and Akoya act like the stereotypical gorgeous elites, but they're actually employed by nefarious green alien hedgehog named Thunder. Their alien mascot puts them to work at conquering Earth, like turning their fellow classmates into yaoi-bait characters to stop humanity from procreating.

6. The Elite Ten (Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Sōma): The 10 best student chefs at the Tōtsuki Culinary Academy are tasked with judging new students and organize campus-wide events. Their prestige gives them a lot of leeway with the school staff, allowing them to indulge in personal projects and hold precedence over their own instructors. Students who don't mind their Ps and Qs, or fail to overcome the challenges presented, are quickly tossed out.

5. Namimori Middle Disciplinary Committee (Reborn!): The disciplinary committee is nothing more than a glorified gang of delinquents that pretend to enforce "order" within the school. The group's violent leader is Kyoya Hibari, a teenager that harbors a twisted sort of patriotism for his school. Anyone who steps out of line and is perceived as disturbing the school will find themselves on the other end of Kyoya's harassment.

4. The Sorority (Dear Brother) Seiran Academy's Sorority is a sponsored "club" of the already elite's school best and brightest. The Sorority is ruled by old-fashioned manners and Fukiko Ichinomiya, who is simply referred to as "Princess" by her peers. The group, and Fukiko, are relentless in their expectations. They expel members who don't maintain their academic status, regardless of the circumstances. Those who slight the seemingly perfect Princess find out the hard way how manipulative and neurotic she actually is.

3. Executive Council (Tenjou Tenge) The Executive Council at Todo Academy is supposed to oversee the student body and ensure that everyone is following the rules. The council is chosen by a democratic vote, but somehow the tyrannical martial artist Mitsuomi Takayanagi is successfully elected twice. Those who oppose him are immediately "taken care of" by his deadly vice-president Emi Isuzu and the sadistic Tsutomu Ryuuzaki.

2. Ohtori Academy Student Council (Revolutionary Girl Utena) Ohtori Academy's student council is populated by duelists who are skilled in sword-fighting but are questionably stable. Saionji is outright abusive, Touga is a manipulative playboy, Nanami is conniving, and Juri fights her own battles against self-hatred and desperation. Together, the entire group is trying to "break the shell" of the world by following the instructions of the End of the World.

1. Honnouji Academy Student Council (Kill la Kill) The student council at Honnouji Academy rules over the population with an iron first. Led by Satsuki Kiryuin, each member wields three-star Goku Uniforms that imbues them with over-the-top fighting abilities. Only Ryuko Matoi stands a chance at overcoming the council's ludicrous tournaments and dethroning Satsuki. The remaining red-shirt students are as good as dead.

The new poll: Which is your favorite JoJo's Bizarre Adventure protagonist?

The old poll: Last week asked which animated feature you thought was most likely to take home an Oscar this year. Isao Takahata's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is nominated, but readers think the odds are square in favor of Disney's Big Hero 6.

1. Big Hero 6 - 36.1%
2. How to Train Your Dragon 2 - 28.2%
3. The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - 27.7%
4. Song of the Sea - 5.6%
5. The Boxtrolls - 2.3%

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When she isn't compiling lists of tropes, topics, and characters, Lynzee works as Associate Editor for Anime News Network, blogs about women and LBGT topics in anime and manga on her blog Engendered Dilemma, and posts pictures of her son on Twitter @ANN_Lynzee.