Art: 8Plot: 8.5
Characters: 9
Sex: 6
What can I say... this one really surprised me. It centers on Sen, who is in prison (called "Under Grand Hotel" by its inmates) for murdering his lover's husband. When he arrives at UGH, he immediately is introduced to Swordfish, a former (...) drug dealer and the king of the prison. Sword says he doesn't enjoy doing it with guys, but since there aren't any women around and these prisoners all have life sentences... you can figure the rest out.
The art is kinda blah. But Sword's unique look makes the story stand out a little more than it would've otherwise.
The plot is unexpectedly interesting. I judged it by its cover and thought it would be a nasty prison yaoi, which it still is, but the dynamics between characters are morbidly fascinating.
Speaking of characters, they're the only real reason to read this (if at all). Sword and Sen are both very deep, if formal development doesn't necessarily occur. They are defined amazingly well by their words and actions, and the reader quickly becomes sympathetic to Sen.
The sex is weird. Very, very weird. I guess that's to be expected from prison sex between "straight" guys (yeah, right). I gave it a really low score due to an incident with a mop handle. Let's not say anymore, shall we?
All in all, 31.5. Erm... better than I think it deserves. Oh, well.
Recommendation: for people who have always wondered about prison sex. Ooookay.
I LOVE THIS MANGA!! I read it over and over again, and am addicted with the creator Sadahiro Mika. She's awesome! *_* I am a sadist at heart. So prison is one of my fetishes. I may write a book with it in there in the future. Hehe. Anyways, this story isn't for everyone. I do hate the fact that Sen got raped all those times. That may have been overdone a bit. Normal in a prison though.
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