Tear Jerker / Titan Academy

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"I'm sorry. I have to go."

Occasionally, in a seemingly harmless and fun series like this, there are some moments that made you want to tear up.

Season 2

16 Types of Students in Picture Days

• 10. The Student Couple: This segment reveals that Pei Shi already had a boyfriend: Hamza, and they seem to be quite harmonious. On the other hand, this utterly destroyed Ren Yi Xiang's world, after all that time he stood up for her against Kevin in Season 1, reducing him to tears and Jianhao's (along with Trev and Sierra) attempt to cheer him up even with Malaproper fails.
  Ren Yi Xiang: No, it's not okay! I fought so hard! He just came in and took her away from me! (...) I don't like seafood, and I do not like him! This is because he's more handsome then me, right?! I'm gonna make him less handsome! Like me!!!

• 17. The Unprepared: Denise is still in her rebellious phase when she comes late for the photo shoot. After being scolded by Madam Soot Beng, she sulks alone, when Jianhao tries to cheer her up and also tells her to stop spiraling out of control or else she's going to be expelled for real. Denise then basically confesses that there's no point in this, she just wanted to be herself, free from the expectations of others, and sometimes she just hates her real prim and proper self. Makes you wonder how much overly high expectations Denise had to face every day that acting rebellious looked like her only mean to escape... (Though thankfully Jianhao successfully snapped her out of this)

11 Types of Student Relationships

• 13. The Rejected: Debbie insists on giving her lunch for Ben. But because he's being laughed at by his friends for trying to befriend the nerdy Debbie, Ben ends up smashing the lunch Debbie made to the ground and tells her to leave him alone. The sight of Debbie crying while picking up her ruined lunch can be a bit harsh to swallow.

12 Types of Students during Recess

• 6. The Lonely Student and 7. The Gossip Girls: We see that Denise's intelligence and sweetness aren't exactly a blessing to her, she's lonely because she has no clique (Jianhao was currently at detention), everyone doesn't want to eat lunch together with her, and she's forced to lock herself in the toilet trying to eat her sandwich, but before she could do so, Jasmine entered along with Vicky and Cherylene, gossipping on how much she's annoyed at Denise for 'faking her kindness, probably to snare the boys'. Denise can't even find the courage to refute those and cries alone at the insults. By the time she got out of the toilet, she hasn't even eaten her sandwich.

• 8. The Sports Team: It's a continuation from the Debbie-Ben arc in 11 Types of Student Relationships, and Debbie still hasn't given up on Ben, offering to cheer for his match, already preparing her pom pom. Once again, Ben gets gossipped on, and he coldly tells Debbie that it's impossible for a nerd like her to date a popular boy like him, then pours water on Debbie's pom pom, then tells her to go get him water. Debbie leaves saddened, and this time, despite getting approval from his friends, even Ben thought that might've been a little too much and felt a little guilty.

13 Types of Students in Group Projects

• 13. The Desperate Student: Jianhao is already desperate to finish the group project that he resorted to cheat by using bribery from another party. But outside, he met Denise and while making up excuses, Denise ends up revealing that she just had no patience towards those who resorted to cheat, stating that for her, they had no integrity. But then, Jianhao's teammates already had the cheat project ready, and he's pressured to go through the cheat anyway. Denise finds out, and in her disappointment, she just agreed to 'marry' Vincent in Maplestory M. On knowing that he screwed up and Denise has been disappointed in him, Jianhao just throws his cheat project to the ground in frustration.

Good Teachers vs Bad Teachers

• The ending, where it was revealed that despite her Sadist Teacher credentials, Madam Soot Beng decided to take the blame of giving cheat sheets to the students and getting expelled as a result. She was after all the Good Teacher in this video, only protecting the student from the pressure of the education system of the nation.

13 Types of Students on Exam Day

• Throughout the video, Denise has been 'handicapped' in her exam student because Vincent borrowed her calculator and just won't return it to her. By the end of the exam, Denise is already fearful that she won't get 100 mark at minimum. So, when everyone discusses about the exam result, Denise just sits and cries alone.

12 Types of Reactions to Exam Results

• 2. The Low Expectations and 3. The High Expectations and 4. The Disappointed: Denise starts to realize that Vincent has been rather toxic on her. First, he ended up getting 92 (later corrected to 97) and despite getting there because Denise gave him her calculator, he took all the credits. Then, despite Denise trying to hide it because she just doesn't want everyone to know what she got, Vincent exposed to the whole class that Denise got 99, and completely being insensitive that poor Denise is so distressed at this.

Season 3

11 New Students You'll See in Every Schools

• In the middle of her speech, Miss Siti coughs and picks up a nearby glass of water to drink not realizing that Chloe's pet goldfish Ploop-Ploop was put there, and swallowed it whole. Chloe is horrified, unable to do anything but see (in slow motion) her best friend getting eaten by the headmaster.

13 Types of Among Us Players

• The climax where Jianhao/Red, after all he's been through being best buds with, helping and defending with Kevin/Yellow, reveal himself to be the second Impostor to win the game. Complete with extra montages of Jianhao helping Kevin with tasks, Jianhao himself being hesitant to pull the trigger, the other Impostor (Ren Yi Xiang/Black) encouraging him to do it with an evil smile, the remaining surviving crewmates (Tasha/Green, Debbie/Pink) being stuck on the locked door unable to help, the recently killed crewmate (Pei Shi/White) unable to do anything as she's now a ghost, and finally Kevin himself making Jianhao put the gun next to him and pull the trigger for him. It's just a game, but it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of hopelessness when a Crewmate team is losing via a double-kill and a Crewmate being betrayed by an Impostor he thought to be a close friend.

I am a Teacher

• It's easier to say that the whole short film counts, since it's a departure of the more whimsical Slice of Life episodes, but here are some top contenders:
  • The climax, when Madam Soot Beng tries to help Vicky in her studies, but she seems dispirited, thinking that since she's failing school, she might as well just go with her dad to China and help out with her dad. When Madam Soot Beng insists anyway and Vicky states that she's not even her teacher anymore, Madam Soot Beng instinctively slapped her in the face. When she came into, Madam Soot Beng was utterly horrified and Vicky just packed up and yelled at her mother saying that she probably should have chosen her father when they separated before. It was at this point that the usually hard-ass Madam Soot Beng is seen turned into a sobbing wreck, fearing that she will lose her daughter due to her Fatal Flaw.
  • Several days later, Vicky realized that her dad was pretty deadbeat. Then, during a trip to Tenderbest, she saw Madam Soot Beng there... as a waitress (while previously saying that she got a new teaching job). Her friends make fun of her because she was such a Sadist Teacher during her teaching days. And at that point, suddenly Vicky snaps at her friend, telling them that they were being judgmental and never bothered to see what's Beneath the Mask, and she's proud of her mother for trying to provide for her. Then she runs off... just to curl down and cry, realizing that she's been horrible to her mom.
  • Later that night, when Vicky comes home, Madam Soot Beng tells Vicky that she already prepared everything Vicky needs for her trip to China, including packing her clothes on the bag. However, she says all those while sobbing. It was obvious at that point that Madam Soot Beng has crossed the Despair Event Horizon and resigned that she would lose Vicky forever. Thankfully, Vicky reconciles with her mother and brought her back from despair, which will bring another kind of tear-jerking.

9 Types of Students in Music Class

• 9. The Emotional: Timmy singing about how he's without a father. It's supposed to be a more funny skit due to Timmy revealing that he has a loud operatic voice, but the lyrics felt a little 'too realistic' that even Miss Sherly wondered if it's actually what's happening, and Timmy stops a bit just to cry. He'll never know why his father left him...

13 Types of Students BACK TO SCHOOL

• The ending: Vincent having a rather extremely relatable Freak Out, declaring his hatred for the new changes and safety procedures, just wanting to go back to the way it was before (but it would be impossible due to the current state of the world being in a pandemic), and just sits alone outside, crying. Thankfully, Miss Sherly was there to encourage him and successfully lifted his spirits back... But then she announced that it would be the last day for her in Titan Academy, dropping Vincent back to despair and until later, he's basically defined as 'being depressed that Miss Sherly is gone'. Considering his character was previously either the boisterous Class Clown or the toxic 'boyfriend-wannabe' of Denise, it's a rather sad see Vincent being so down like this.

Season 4

Welcome to the Titan Academy

• Miss Siti insisting that Miss Sherly should stay, as the pandemic did a number to the Titan Academy's financial condition that she already had laid off half of the faculty members and using her own private funds to cover for it. But Miss Sherly also argues that there has to be another way other than selling the academy's assets to the nebulous organization that most likely hadn't had the best interests of students at heart. Both sides has a point, and even Miss Sherly raised her voice in utter concern at what would happen to the Academy if this continued. Which results...
• Miss Siti finally having to bend to the Organization and signed the contract for selling some of the ownerships of the Academy to the Organization when their representatives, Alan and Regna, subtly threatens her that should she refuse to sign the contract, then in case the students had no future because the academy couldn't financially support itself anymore, then it's all Miss Siti's fault. She knew she's making a Deal with the Devil, but she just had no other choice.

Types of Punishments we Hate in School

• Cleverly’s expulsion. Oh my goodness, there’s a reason why everyone wants him back:
  • First off, there’s the Traumatic Haircut scene. It’s incredibly gruelling and hard to watch, the music is fast paced, perfectly fitting Cleverly’s panic in the moment. Also very scary from his perspective and very unexpected for us (the audience) that this would happen
    • Another small, but easily missed, detail is the “Diana, help!” He tries to say as the haircut scene happens, showing his desperation in that scene.
  • Then he gets dragged out to the hallway where everyone, even the seniors, are shocked and sorry for him. Diana’s face when she sees him says it all.
  • And then there’s the actual farewell scene between Cleverly and Diana. Despite their very short, 4 episode relationship, this still hits hard. The darkness in the room, the somber music (Solitary Journey, by the way), Cleverly’s love confession and reveal that he’s Off to Boarding School (meaning they can’t see each other, not even outside of school), and Diana hugging him one final time are all just perfect. This scene is what makes Diana x Cleverly so memorable.

17 Students on the Day Before Exam

• Denise and her mom, who turns out to be an abusive one that Denise can't fight back as she demands her daughter to always get 100 and ditch the rest of her classmates solely so she can be less embarrassed when speaking with her relatives. And if Denise even failed to get that mark, it's Off to Boarding School, where Denise will be separated from her friends that allows her to see the world beyond studying. This whole conflict between pleasing her parents and not wanting to separate with her friends becomes yet another reason why Denise tries her best to hold back her tears, though a few sobs escape.

17 Types of Students During Exam Results

• The mass expulsion. Watching as how the students you came to love and admire get expelled and their despairing face can be a little harsh to swallow and relates so much in case you experienced the same (either being expelled or failing so greatly that there's just no humor to be found). Nothing Is the Same Anymore; a vast majority the students have been expelled (and some of them were known as pair/couple, especially Debbie/Ben), it'll probably be a while before they'll be seen again, and the students who've stayed will be separated in different classes, including the series' main trio. One gets the sense that the the status quo cannot protect them anymore.
• Terry's betrayal at Juhi, the latter is expelled and the former, despite their relationship in Season 4, betrays her by telling her that he can't hang out with failures anymore. It was at the time Juhi realized that she's being played like a fiddle and she should have noticed Terry's dark side earlier.
• Ren Yi Xiang's farewell. He didn't even get into the class, knowing that he failed and he is adamant to say good bye to Kevin, and rejecting every of his invitation to hang out even post school, as far as he's concerned, they're classmates, not friends. Ren Yi Xiang left with his face on the verge of tearing up, and we're talking about the meaner and tougher Ren Yi Xiang. So Ren Yi Xiang lost his love, his school life, and now his best friend. Life sure sucks for Ren Yi Xiang, regardless of how much he tried to change.

School Heist - Titan Academy: End of a Chapter

• Cherylene's Heroic Sacrifice. She's usually known as the Cute, but Cacophonic student which marks her as an in-universe annoyance. And she spends her time in the episode trying to get herself re-admitted to the academy, and with the help of Madam Soot Beng, even Regna is willing to give her a chance. But after seeing her friends, trying to get the others to be re-admitted... Cherylene then tears down her appeal letter, gives the biggest "MISS SHERLY!!!" scream she could muster to distract Regna so her friends can escape, while she gets expelled as a result. Cherylene made the ultimate Heroic Sacrifice that she'll never be with her friends and she'll never be with her best friend Julynn, the reason why she tries re-appealing in the first place. But she still made that sacrifice, and the audience reacts with a mass Alas, Poor Scrappy.
  Regna: Girl, you will never set foot on this school again!
  Cherylene: ... but everyone will.

Season 5

New Students vs Old Students

• The episode finale reveals that not all things were restored by the heist, there was some lingering effect because of new friendship created. Chloe and Diana might have succeeded in restoring N4-T1 and becoming closer friends, but since they also happened to be the only two that passed in the class... Tiffany and Patrine started thinking that Diana just coldly ditched them and befriended the new 'elite exam passer' Chloe, secretly wishing the two were still expelled and now feeling betrayed, even if Diana basically risked her well being to make them come back. Making matters worse, Crystal, one of Chloe's best friends, has grown cold and sees Chloe's friendship with Diana as a sign that she's ditching her too (and most likely Timmy as well). Chloe and Diana had to face the fact that despite the heist, there were just some damages from the Organization that hasn't been fully healed.

13 Types of Students in P.E Class

• What started as a lighthearted P.E episode (featuring everyone's boomer teacher Mr. Dan) turns out to be a tragic climax of the Ren Yi Xiang-Pei Shi subplot: Despite the improvements he made, Ren Yi Xiang still chose to consciously hold onto his grudge and continuously mock Pei Shi, who lately hasn't done anything insensitively to piss him off and has tried to be more supportive, that it's always her fault that his old self that she liked is dead, she'll never be anything more than that dirty cheater and killed his old self. Finally reaching breaking point and trying to hold her tears, Pei Shi slaps him and declares that she hates him, before running off, probably to cry. Usually, Ren Yi Xiang looks like the usual victim, but at this point, it's extremely possible to feel pity on Pei Shi, she already tried her best to mend her friendship, only to be continuously mocked for a past mistake without knowing exactly why^note No one ever told her that her continued relationship with Hamza was the source of Ren Yi Xiang's antagonism to her.
  • Compounding this, in the scenes building up to this, Pei Shi looks like she had no close friends at all, and she's picked as a dodgeball team member as one of the last ones behind Kevin, who mocked her that no one needs her, and being chosen like that isn't saying much because Kevin is supposed to be the class' Butt-Monkey. Her boyfriend, Hamza, hasn't been appearing even before the mass expulsion. She has no one to truly confide for, most of them has most likely been wary of her since her Bitch in Sheep's Clothing attitude during the Group Project, compared to Ren Yi Xiang who always had Kevin to confide for. When you think of it, Pei Shi looks more miserable than Ren Yi Xiang likes to think himself as!
  • And to make things worse, now for Ren Yi Xiang: Karma decides to act and he gets a head injury... reversing him back to his old nerdy self madly in love with Pei Shi... who now hates him for an act his other personality did and he has no idea on what has happened. Yes, even the nerdy Ren Yi Xiang can deserve pity too now.

13 Types Of People Stuck On An Island

• While Jianhao's and Denise's Holding Hands Relationship Upgrade moment is heartwarming, Vincent's baffled reaction to it is sad. In that exact moment, Maddy sits next to Vincent and is about to give him a coconut before putting it down dejectedly after noticing him looking at the couple.
• After Trev regains a bit of confidence while trapped on the island, Abbey breaks up with him which causes Trev to break down and start crying.

School Life: Then vs Now

• Ben ripping Debbie's love note in front of the popular girls is heartbreaking from Debbie's perspective. Debbie then leaves Ben for good
• From Maddie's perspective, Vincent's continued obsession with Jianhao and Denise's relationship.

Season 7

Students get PUNISHED after their secret is EXPOSED

• Denise finds out about Jianhao planning the heist and is heartbroken that he didn't tell her. Despite explaining that he wanted to protect her, she's still mad and drops the absolute bombshell that they should take a break, and returns the robot doll that Jianhao gifted to her before. The whole scene is set to Rosie Doonan's "Feel Love" and it packs a serious emotional punch. Hao is left there heartbroken as Denise leaves. Vincent tries to comfort him, and even he is just as confused and shocked as Jianhao is.
  • In addition, it’s even implied that Denise’s mom is contributing to this. So it seems as though Jianhao couldn’t done anything to prevent it.
• Elsewhere, Mr Alan is seen yelling at Teverly for failing to have Jianhao expelled, even though it’s not his fault Denise intervened. Yes, Teverly, the guy who has been smug, heartless, and hateful towards others (especially Denise) is shocked and upset at this. This is the first time we see his sympathetic side.

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