It sucks - 9/10
This is a perfect review of the series.
Manga is pretty much on point until it passes roughly ~80% of work. Most of the read is extremely enjoyable, fun, exciting, intense, erotic, feel-good experience that I had pleasure of familiarizing myself with for (almost) three days, before the work started showing signs of injury on better part of last day. Crazy adventures, situations, troubles, laughs and disasters our cast goes through in their lives is pretty much the definition of youth everyone would like to experience, maybe, to their own risk. Then, sadly, two things happen.
1) Prolongation
2) Bad ending
First, it draws out,
...
for a while, then, as many already said, worst ending happens, essentially enraging everyone and justly so. Why? Because it's not a proper ending, you can't even call it one. To be frank, it's so silly (in a bad way) I'm not even taking it as a genuine conclusion. It's just not believable whatsoever and it should be disregarded as such. That is not to say I'm attempting to delude myself into not accepting Akira Hiramoto's decision-making. It's there, yes, yet it can always be altered, buuuuuuuuuuut, that's the writer's duty, not mine.
Anyway, the ending itself is completely irrelevant in my eyes and I'd like to mention that if there was a reconstruction of aforementioned remaining 20% (to the better, of course), more precisely when the story started dragging, it would be 11/10 in a heart beat, that's how amazing the manga was. I shall mention several concise spoilers at the bottom of this text for few who wish to understand exactly why people dislike it so much without indulging into reading it all.
Now, I shall briefly display all volumes' ratings:
arc 1 - 10/10 - vol 1. - vol 9. <-- anime adaptation(ch. 1-88)
arc 2 - 10/10 - vol 10.- vol 17.<-- a 'would be' s2 (ch. 89-166)
arc 3 - 10/10 - vol 18.- vol.22.<-- best part of manga (ch. 167-218)
arc 3 - 6/10 - vol 23. & vol24.<-- starts dragging (ch. 219-238)
arc 3 - 7/10 - vol 25. <-- a false glimpse of hope (ch. 239-248)
arc 4 - 6/10 - vol 26. & vol27.<-- full standstill (ch. 249-268)
arc 4 - 1/10 - vol 28. <-- a complete catastrophe (ch. 269-277)
(22*10)+(6*2)+7+(6*2)+1/28=9.0 = 9/10
So, overall, we can conclude it's a great series, though, when ending is included, it ruins all work invested, and severely cripples established impression and rightly so.
Lastly, I shall now mention what I was dying to mention this whole time, and my overall perception on the whole thing. Those of you who do not wish to be spoiled and wish to read/continue reading the manga, which I still firmly believe it's worthy of such an action, please cease to feast your eyes on this God-given gift of content, and derail your attention elsewhere.
!CAUTION!WARNING! Spoilers ahead !CAUTION!WARNING!
Basically, while digesting from vol. 26 ahead there were so many errors it's not even worth hairsplitting every detail. I'll just mention 'no-no' moments which pop into my mind as I'm writing.
Mari vanishes without explanation and she's essentially never touched upon again, even though she's one of the main characters. Mari mentions she's dropping from school around end. No explanation. She was my favorite character and for some of you as well. Let that sink in.
None of the boys or girls are confirmed to end up together, it's simply left vague and unclear. Only pair that is successful out of all people is with Risa and that disgusting slob Andre.
No epic last scene wet t-shirt event or no full cast happily hanging around some sort of barbeque, beach or whatever.
Oh and the whole Chairman arc was unnecessary filler, if you just had him appear towards the climax of cavalry battle, it would take away nothing from the experience.
Most importantly, who does Kiyoshi end up with? It's what everyone wonders, right? When it comes to Mari, it's just discontinued like it never existed. Kiyoshi rejects Hana at very end and successfully confesses love to and is accepted by Chiyo but in such a repulsive, rushed and forced fashion it feels crappy, like a punch to the gut. To be honest, it was clear whoever Kiyoshi ends up with wasn't gonna satisfy everyone because the writer himself couldn't decide, nor care. Obviously, he would end up with one of them and whoever shipped one of the other two would be left, at least, pouting at the result, which is an okay, acceptable solution. Hell, I'd even be okay with harem ending. But even after that, KiyoshixChiyo also failed, because, well, because Kiyoshi wore Hana's panties, and that was too much for Chiyo. And, then, Chiyo becomes man-hater - the End. This... This, this was just sacrilege. After delaying this finale for two volumes just to not deliver it properly at all, it's better to scrap the whole thing and wish for a better end. Manga felt like it needed two-three more volumes at the very least though preferably, say, five volumes and a better, not forced, but smooth and satisfying finish which it failed to deliver.
tl;dr
kiyoshi x mari - no ending
kiyoshi x hana - no, at last moment (awfully unveiled)
kiyoshi x chiyo - yes, at last moment (awfully unveiled), and then no, wtf
gakuto x mitsuko - no ending
shingo x anzu - no ending
joe x satou - no ending
andre x risa - yay, who cares
Alternative TitlesSynonyms: Kangoku Gakuen Japanese: 監獄学園〈プリズンスクール〉 More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 28
Chapters: 278
Status: Finished
Published: Feb 7, 2011 to Dec 25, 2017
Demographic:
Seinen
Serialization:
Young Magazine (Weekly) Authors:
Hiramoto, Akira (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #30492 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #87
Members: 140,517
Favorites: 5,245 Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 83 / 86
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Your Feelings Categories May 15, 2018
It sucks - 9/10
This is a perfect review of the series. Manga is pretty much on point until it passes roughly ~80% of work. Most of the read is extremely enjoyable, fun, exciting, intense, erotic, feel-good experience that I had pleasure of familiarizing myself with for (almost) three days, before the work started showing signs of injury on better part of last day. Crazy adventures, situations, troubles, laughs and disasters our cast goes through in their lives is pretty much the definition of youth everyone would like to experience, maybe, to their own risk. Then, sadly, two things happen. 1) Prolongation 2) Bad ending First, it draws out, ... Jul 17, 2018
Prison school, a downhill chronicle.
This manga is the perfect example of what happens when the author runs out of ideas and begins experimenting with useless plot twists, destroying the character development and the whole story in the process. I am disappointed, the ending rambles and feels forced. Also, it will give you the impression it was incorrectly planned and misplaced. Perhaps Prison School lost the main essence in the middle of the manga, and the editor wanted to conclude it as quickly as possible. A shame because the story in the first arc is marvelous, creative, exciting, and amusing. The mangaka created a diamond, ... Mar 15, 2013
This manga is extremely funny. Several times I have busted a gut laughing. The reason I find Kangoku Gakuen so good is because of the characters. The main guys are all unique. The story becomes rather serious dealing with things such as betrayal, and humiliation; sometimes this is funny but at other times it is sad. The comedy is over the top, it's just hilarious. Another good thing about this manga is that you can feel the emotions certain characters are feeling. These characters (at least to me) can be something people can relate to; I have pooped my pants once (never in school). To
...
Mar 26, 2015
This is one of the funniest thing i've ever seen, read or even experienced. Period.
First of all the art is stunning, it's actually what lead me to read this. It doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl, the manga is just visually appealing from beginning to end (of course if you happen to like women this is, well some sort of pervy heaven xD); every single detail, every single action, everything is perfect. Then the characters: oh the characters. There's no such thing as a dull character here, they all have their thing that makes them unique and great in their own way, ... Dec 26, 2017
Prison School is the funniest manga I've ever read. It has great comedic buildup, serious characters getting into ridiculous situations, and stupid humor matched with realistic art. The characters are likable and the ships are good but I think its the art style that really set this series apart
It was quality entertainment up until around 200 chapters in when it got sidetracked and started to drag. It went downhill after that. The series just wasn't the same as the early chapters. They brought the romance up front and set the comedy aside. The last half of the series have been nothing but a drag, I ... Jan 5, 2018
This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS. It will be discussing the very big drop-off of humor and story that happened towards the end, as well as the horrendous ending that the readers received. I will, even with that being said, try and not spoil much. Just don't read the overall score, but honestly, I think I'd save your time if you do read it.
So I was going to just talk about the story, but I wrote too much about it. I'll use the format the reviewer gives me and try and make it as compact as possible. Art: Really good. I mean, ... Nov 17, 2018
Fuck Prison school.
Don't waste your time on this manga unless you want to experience the most cruel and sadistic joke that an author can play on his fans. Everything that makes this manga good relies on the suspense and hope that these shitty characters will eventually triumph. For the most part this works. I was invested in seeing things working out for the characters. Unfortunately none of that matters when you don't have any pay off because every relationship and plot thread that is being built up over the course of this manga is completely unresolved or ends terribly. Aug 9, 2014
It is 4:19 am as I write this review. It's been three hours and I've completed about 100+ chapters and this is some mature funny shit.
This manga is extremely mature as in lots of pantsu, big breasts and ero angles. If you like funny jokes about hurting (s&m) people this is the manga you're looking for. The story is about five males entering the prison as punishment for opeeping at the girls change room. The manga shows their struggle and their bond with each other as males. Jan 10, 2023
I cant even say how mad i am right now.
I watched the prison school anime and i really enjoyed it, it hit directly my humour. After i finished it i wanted to read the manga and i really enjoyed it till the last chapter. I loved the characters, the artstyle, the music (from the anime), i loved everything, it was one of my favourite mangas of all time, but the last chapter completely destroyed everything for me. The way that prison school ended was the worst ending i have ever seen in manga history. If it had ended one chapter earlier it would have been ... Aug 12, 2014
In some way, Prison School is a unique manga. Since the very first chapters it can be noticed that this story is pretty different from most of the typical japanese stories about sexually obsessed teenagers.
The school, where everything is happening, has more than a thousand female and only FIVE male students. Nevertheless, the story almost lacks any references to harem or any stereotypes that are often present in such kind of stories. After facing some plot twists, it's most likely that you want to keep on reading it with interest. And after facing some awkward situations, it's most likely that you laugh your head off. Though ... Mar 5, 2020
After finishing the anime, I excitedly started reading the manga, and it was amazing! As I read the manga and witness the development of the relationships the main characters have built, I started to feel more involved in the characters. I was anxious to see how they got out of tricky situations brilliantly, and everytime they succeeded, I celebrated with them.
Then the ending. Imagine cooking a big pot of ramen broth. You wake up early in the morning at 5am and start preparing the broth. Along the way you face many difficulties such as your flame dying out, but each time you managed to get through ... Aug 21, 2020
-!Spoilers bellow!-
-I will only talk about the ending- (sorry for the bad english, I am from south America) Prison School is a masterpiece 10/10. Great art, great characters, and a marvelous story. Well yes it has some flaws, but most of the complain i see is from the end of the series, I HATE IT, i almost screamed in frustration when i read that. But its the perfect ending, and is the fact that every one hates it that make it so brilliant, through the manga we follow the story of 5 douche bags, they are NOT HEROES, ... Sep 26, 2013
Hey guys. :)
This ... thing, that manga is just so so epic. You can't find look alikes mangas any better than this one. Well of course, I'm hasty that's for sure, it could still turn mediocre later, but in my opinion I guess not. Its fan-service, its art, characters and storyline are so unique that I think keeping up like that, on those high-levels would certainly come to a brilliant succes. Akira-sensei is back with this manga so he'll surely make his possible to not let it down. Anyway, for now at least (chapter 76 at this moment) I laughed my ass off, it's mind-blowingly awesome ... Jul 14, 2015
This is not for everyone, but with what this story does it's incredible how great this series is.
The art is great, and some times it looks almost Gantz realistic. But, what's really surprising is while this is a super uncensored ecchi series it has great characters, they're all interesting and they all have good development. The story is so ridiculous that it's hard not to like this. I have to stop reading multiple times because I'm just laughing my butt off so much, or because I actually hold my arms up and cheer whenever a character pulls off their goal. Something that is very rare ... Jul 13, 2013
Prison School is a masterpiece.
That may be a hasty thing to say considering that it is not completed yet. It could turn mediocre at one point in time, or the already high levels of fan-service could skyrocket to the point of no plot... It won't though. Prison school is ecchi manga with a awesome plot on the side. Our plot starts with Kiyoshi, a fun loving guy who wants to have a sweet girlfriend, and four other boys (with similar interests) going to an all-girls school that just recently became co-ed. During the opening ceremony they realize that they are the only boys in a school ... May 14, 2020
Prison School is a masterful entrapment of the run-of-the-mill generic rom-com readership. Most reviews of this manga criticize its ending; I think this is the ultimate proof of the absolute genius behind how it ends.
I say this without a hint of irony: If you read Prison School and are upset by the ending, you have been successfully trapped and summarily punished for your base thinking. Your preconceptions have been preyed upon. You have been played. I think to really appreciate, to really ENJOY the deranged ending of this manga you might benefit by reading and having an understand of common rom-com manga and their tropes. ... Sep 7, 2012
This manga is very entertaining, I think anyone who is a looking for a good laugh should pick it up. It contains extremely ecchi situations, but most of it is intended to add to the humorous, over-the-top atmosphere of it.
Another big plus of this manga is the artwork, the artist's talent is apparent from chapter 1. There is great attention to detail, and the characters are all very distinguishable from one another. Speaking of characters, this is another area where this manga shines. The characters are all very unique with their various quirks. Although some of their habits and fetishes are somewhat strange, it almost ... Jun 24, 2014
So to start this manga can get fairly ecchi and so if that kind of thing bothers you then don't read this. If you can look past that then this manga can be very enjoyable. It is incredibly funny and when I was reading through it I found myself laughing so much that it hurt. The characters, the scenes, the stupidity its all funny. However another great thing about this manga is the character development and how each character develops into a better, or weirder, person. It's quite a good tale of brotherhood and humor.
Jan 13, 2014
General: Kangoku Gakuen takes the perspective from 5 male's point of view's in which they attend an all girls private high school. The mangaka does a well enough job of trying to immerse you into this world of the characters by showing how much emotion and pain is shown from being in prison. As well as how cruel and unusual this school really is and is all captured by how detailed the artwork is. The artwork is most likely the defining part of the manga because it is not only done in great detail but also great style, giving off that somewhat realistic approach to
...
Jun 15, 2020
Three years.
It took me three years to return and finish reading this series. I remember how worn out I was throughout the whole Sports Festival Saga, it had the worst pacing possible, it felt like one of those manga when the editor ask the mangaka to stretch it because the manga is selling like water in the desert, however that saga is far from good, actually, before that saga I remember this series having a score of over 8 here on MAL, so yes, that saga alone was able to flunk this whole series. I stopped weekly reading it at chapter 250, so I basically put it ... |