That’s Cunning! Shijo Saidai no Sakusen? 1996

A group of students heads to a university class hall for an exam, and among them are residents of the Sigma dormitory who orchestrate a cheating scheme. Kenji Kimura Tatsuya Yamaguchi, determined to graduate and pursue research under the highly regarded Professor Namazuda, refuses to cheat. After some time, Kimura’s high school friend, Yumi Morishita Namie Amuro, also begins to cheat, setting the stage for a tense clash between ambition, integrity, and the pressure to succeed.

During the examination, Professor Yusuke Migita Takeshi Masu, watching through binoculars, notices Kamei cheating. When Migita arrives at the hall, Kimura—who harbors feelings for Morishita—fears Migita has seen her cheating, but relief comes when Migita calls out Kamei instead, leading to Kamei’s expulsion. Kimura later tries to help Kamei re-enter the university, but Migita refuses.

Unbeknownst to most of the campus, Migita’s strict exterior masks a web of corruption. He colludes with the university’s chairman and a construction company president on a plan to demolish all the dormitories to make way for a hotel, a scheme designed to enrich a powerful few. A board meeting lays out the plan: the fate of the dormitories will hinge on the students’ performance in the finals, with punishment for those who fail to meet the grade threshold.

The next day, Professor Namazuda informs the dorm residents of the decision, casting a pall over everyone. Morishita is temporarily housed at Sigma after being evicted from her hostel because of her pet cat. She decides to spy on Migita, visiting his office under the guise of doing research. He asks her to shred some papers, and while she is there, Morishita stumbles upon Namazuda’s atomic theory papers—stolen by Migita to plagiarize for his own work. After overhearing Migita’s discussion with the construction company president about the hotel plan, Morishita realizes Migita’s corruption and the danger Namazuda faces. She is spotted by Migita’s assistant, who warns Migita while engaging with him in the library. Undeterred, Morishita rushes back to the dorm and warns the others, who then report Migita’s plan to Professor Namazuda.

In class, Migita warns that cheating will not be tolerated in the finals. Kimura, angry at Migita’s plan to eliminate Namazuda from the equation, joins a group of students rallying at Migita’s office to press the issue. Migita deflects and proclaims that he is trying to help the college, goading the students by calling them foolish. Kimura then proposes a bold challenge: if the Sigma dorm students achieve top grades, Kamei will be allowed to return. Migita agrees, but only if every subject earns an A, a demand that presses the students to the edge. With encouragement from Namazuda, who reveals his own history of cheating when he was a student, Kimura decides that the entire dorm will cheat in the final exams.

The finals arrive, and the dorm mates employ the strategies taught by Namazuda to seek success. Migita grows increasingly agitated as he sees that every Sigma dorm student has earned an A in every subject, convincing him that cheating must be happening. Morishita is again summoned by Migita to shred final-exam papers, but what she discovers is a test paper being prepared for shredding. When she tries to steal it, Migita forces her to shred the document. The Sigma dorm students manage to recover the shredded pieces and painstakingly reconstruct the final exam. Kimura memorizes the answers, and Morishita, pausing, confesses that she likes him.

On the day of the exam, the students feel confident, only to find themselves thwarted by Migita’s machinations. They attempt to cheat, but Migita blocks them. Chaos erupts as two invigilators fall ill due to something mixed into their food by Mr. Chin, and one invigilator is trapped in the electric room by Chin, who also cuts the power. A student named Kamei comes to their aid with a laser-sniper device, while the answers are supplied by Namazuda’s guidance. Migita cannot identify the source of the cheating, and the students struggle to complete the exam under pressure.

After the exam, the Sigma dorm residents and Morishita are asked to leave, while attempts at a strip search fail. Migita’s promise to protect Kamei is denied, and the university president—arriving with the conglomerate head and the construction president—in custody information reveals Migita’s true involvement. Migita’s own researcher corroborates the corruption and also exposes more of Migita’s plagiarism. The president declares that legal action will be taken and that the dormitories will remain, bringing relief to the students.

Migita’s researchers determine that all students cheated when papers are checked, and Migita, despondent, accidentally knocks over a chemical bottle, causing an explosion that injures him. In a quiet turn, Kimura confesses his love for Morishita, who decides to drop out and pursue a path as a junior high school teacher, intending to use the cheating method that Namazuda developed. The two share a final embrace, marking both an ending and a new beginning.