wow, who would have thought that an Anime with this kind of story would be successful? I never would have fathomed such success. As of the time of me writing this, it almost has an 8.00 rating on MyAnimeList, crazy right? I know I can’t believe it also.
Well, let’s get on with this review.
WARNING, this show is rated R, please don’t watch unless you’re wearing your big boy or girl pants.
Story 5/10:
First and foremost, this series is not meant to be taken seriously, and I think a lot of people fail to recognize that before starting it. It’s pretty much a parody; it’s the unapologetic, over the top ecchi/comedy that manages to carry the ridiculous setting/plot line and the series sticks to its guns in that regard. Take out the fanservice you essentially have a thin, slice of life story about high school boys being, well, boys. If you’re completely opposed to sex jokes don’t watch. I don’t know what else you would expect after reading the premise.
Art 10/10:
If there is anything that this series outshines all others in, it’s the art. Obviously, it looks pretty well done, but to get a better idea of how skilled the mangaka’s drawings are all you need do is see a random page out of the Prison School manga as compared to any other random manga. This being an Ecchi work only enhances this. What I love most personally is that the character facial features tend to be of more “realistic” proportions, as in not the traditional super large eyes with a barely visible nose, if one exists at all.
On top of that, each significant character’s face is subtly distinct from one another where they can be somewhat distinguished from face alone (like Kiyoshi’s face compared to Shingo’s), as compared to completely relying on different hairstyle/color in other media. The appreciation of this becomes a little more apparent in the would-be characters introduced in a potential season 2.
Sound 8/10:
The OP/ED are not bad, but not something I would listen to by itself. The overall soundtrack chosen though for the actual episode content I feel was very, very well done. From well timed over the top, traditional orchestra to emphasize the comedic/parody aspects talked about above, to the Chinese instrumental music to accompany Gakuto and the Three Kingdoms, everything is well timed/appropriately chosen. Overall, the sound/music thoroughly enhances the entire comedic value this show has to offer.
Characters 7/10:
Character development wise there isn’t anything too significant to squeeze in within the given 12 episodes. More manga content would have to be adapted to see that. However, from the male protagonists perspective, what you get throughout the story is high school male bonding at its finest, with the plot doing everything it can to test said male bonds/friendships.
Character-wise, the MC (Kiyoshi) is used to connect to the viewers as he is the most “normal” of the bunch. The other male characters, though relatable in some respects, all have hilariously unique/original quirks that drive the story’s comedy. The girls likewise are all uniquely (sadistically) distinct from each other, though in some of the respects contain many cliche anime tropes. The best aspect of the characters though is the relationships in the unique rapport/wit built between each individual male prisoner/female overseer, from labels like “Brown Thunder” to “Masochistic Slave” lol.
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One response to “Prison School | Surprisingly successful Ecchi?!”
My friend told me about this series, I’ll have to check it out