Under Grand Hotel

Under Grand Hotel
By Sadahiro Mika

Overall: Pretty Much Awesome
Smex Factor: Sexy Sexy (sexy sexy sexy sexy)
Art: Different
Status: 3 Volumes; Complete

Review: There is so much sex in this series, sometimes I wonder how the manga-ka gets any plot in. And it's fairly graphic. And there's cussing and violence galore. And then MORE sex. Yet this still gets a masterpiece rating? CONTROVERSY!

Sen is sent to prison, where there is promptly rape, and then he meets the Shut-call (king of the convicts), Sword Fish. (I actually never understood if that was his real name and how that all worked and all that.) Also, Sword is black, Sen is Japanese, and they're in an American prison. So it's an interesting change of scenery from the usual.

The Under Grand Hotel is a nickname for the UGH (the prison) for people who are enjoying their time there. Ironically, this series is basically about a bunch of miserable people. Nobody's really happy there. Not even Sword, who practically runs the damn place (when he's not having prisoners killed for harassing Sen.)

The beauty of this is Sword and Sen's relationship. I mean, it grows from prison-bitch to "you are my everything" and it's definitely interesting to see how all the characters grow and change, especially Sword. And Sword and Sen have the most intense romance I have ever seen. It is DEVOTED, man. You hear a lot of "you're all I have left" in romances, but Sen and Sword are literally all they have left (each other, I mean). Neither of them have families, and they are in prison. Yeah.

And they fight, and they bicker, and they tease, and they fight some more... Make each other jealous and do horrible things to others and each other... But they're so....lovey dovey. Honestly. By the second volume, they're all over each other, all the time. There's so much "I love you" in this series, it's almost embarrassing. But I like the idea of such an intense and honest relationship growing from prison, of all places. And there's all these weird little tender moments between the two, that are....kinda cute, actually.

There's one scene I really like: They're in the basketball court area, and Sen asks (something along the lines of), "If we had met on the surface would you still have fucked me?" Sword says "Probably

......not." And they talk about how they never would have met, and that they're thankful that they got thrown in prison. Hm...

I didn't realize it until my third read-through, but the ending is potentially metaphoric. Think about it if you read it. (When you read it, AMIRITE?)

And it might be worth it to mention that the author was in love with Oz, that prison drama. Which is why she wrote this. Which I found pretty funny.