is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Akira Hiramoto. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine from February 2011 to December 2017. Yen Press licensed the manga for English release in North America.
Set in Nerima Ward, the story takes place in a renowned and very strict private secondary school previously reserved for women. But the establishment changes its policy and educates five young men who, by their behavior, will very quickly find themselves in quarantine. They will have to face all kinds of pitfalls to get out of this critical situation and escape the clutches of the Student Union.
A 12-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by J.C. Staff and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima, aired from July to September 2015. A live-action drama television series aired from October to December 2015.
By March 2018, the manga had over 13 million copies in circulation. In 2013, Prison School won the 37th Kodansha Manga Award in the general category.
Plot
Hachimitsu Academy, one of the strictest girls' academies in Tokyo, was originally built in 1961 as a high-ranking sports academy and boarding school for elite young women. As the years went by, the chairman of the academy, surnamed Kurihara, has then decided to admit male students into their system. Kiyoshi Fujino is one of these new boys, but he discovers to his shock that he and his four friends—Takehito "Gakuto" Morokuzu, Shingo Wakamoto, Jouji "Joe" Nezu, and Reiji "Andre" Andou—are the only male students among 1,000 female pupils. The draconian laws that are still in place make the school even worse, which punishes even the most minor infractions with a stay in the school's prison.
In April 2011, the five young men all commit voyeurism in the school's bathing area with the lecherous philosophy of "all for one, one for all". Their capture and "arrest" by the Underground Student Council causes the five boys to receive an ultimatum: either stay a month in the school's Prison Block or be expelled. The boys are incarcerated in the Prison Block together and Kiyoshi is overwhelmed by the discovery that all the other boys are masochists that revel in the punishments handed to them by their attractive but vicious supervisors.
Characters Main characters
Kiyoshi enrolled from the same middle school as Shingo. He is the first boy in Hachimitsu Academy to make contact with a girl when he befriends Chiyo, whom he develops feelings for. Although not very bright, he often comes up with successful plans when placed under high amounts of pressure. Because of several embarrassing mishaps, he becomes the target of Hana's "affections" in prison, but he does not reciprocate them. He is the only one of the five boys to have been sent to prison more than once. When the ASC takes over during his second imprisonment, he becomes an ally to Mari, who is also a prisoner. During the Sports Festival, Hana inadvertently makes Kiyoshi the school's biggest outcast and ruins his love confession to Chiyo. Kiyoshi realizes that he never had a real chance with Chiyo because he lied to her from the moment they first met.
Takehito, nicknamed "Gakuto", is an eccentric, glasses-wearing, nerdy student, having enrolled from the same middle school as Joe. He has a deep interest in the Three Kingdoms and speaks in an old-fashioned manner, often referring to himself in third person as "yours truly." While in prison, he is a regular target of Meiko's abuse. Despite his perverted behavior, he is shown to be an excellent strategist who employs tactics referenced from famed generals of either the Three Kingdoms or other ancient battles, a skill that has proven very useful in most of their plans. After his release from prison, most of the girls in the school treat him like an outcast. However, after the prison is destroyed, he becomes popular with the girls. His love interest is Mitsuko, who eventually rejects him out of frustration when he hesitates to choose between her and another girl.
Shingo is a pessimistic student who looks like a delinquent. His love interest is Anzu, and he is shown to be a strong pessimist. After Kiyoshi's breakout attempt, he completely disowns and singles him out until after the USC tricks him into breaking out. After the prison is destroyed, he, Joe, and Kiyoshi become the new outcasts of the school.
Jōji, nicknamed "Joe", is the "misfit" of the five. He is interested in ants, usually conceals his face with a hoodie, and is very physically weak, suffering from a bloody cough caused by a non-fatal form of severe stomatitis. Joe attended the same middle school as Gakuto. His love interest is Sato. After the prison is destroyed, he, Shingo, and Kiyoshi become the new outcasts of the school.
Reiji Andō, nicknamed "Andre", is an overweight boy with an interest in extreme masochism. He is fixated on Meiko and constantly craves "punishment" from her. A twisted love triangle eventually formed between him, Meiko, and Risa. Kate took advantage of this by getting Risa to use mind control on Andre to make him join the ASC's side, giving them a massive tactical advantage in the Sports Festival competition. Andre prefers Meiko, but by the end, he realizes that he only likes her as a sadomasochist, whereas he has developed genuine feelings for Risa. Andre and Risa eventually became a couple.
Underground student council The , short for USC, is an unsanctioned organization that enforces the traditional rules of the school code of Hachimitsu Academy. They enjoy a historically elevated status in the school, with their own designated school office and faculty influence. Though a vigilante organisation, the USC has more autonomy and student popularity in contrast to the official Student Council.
Mari is the president of the underground student council. She is the daughter of Hachimitsu Academy's chairman and the sister of Chiyo. A cold and calculating figure who seeks to uphold the school's traditions and rules. From the very beginning she immediately despises the boys, and the chairman's decision of integrating the academy. Much of this stems from her own resentment of her father's perverted behavior. In middle school, Mari helped Meiko stand up for herself when she was bullied by Kate, and the two have remained close friends ever since. She, like the rest of the Kurihara family, employs a strange philosophy to judge one's character. Her philosophy is, "Anyone who likes crows isn't all bad." After the prison is destroyed, she acknowledges that she is part of the problem. Therefore, as an act of atonement, she secretly leaves Hachimitsu Academy.
Meiko is the towering bespectacled vice president of the underground student council. She is put in charge of watching over the boys while they are in prison. In middle school, she was bullied for her large breasts. The strongest student in the school, and proficient in Judo, Meiko is a harsh disciplinarian over the boys, and often punishes them for the slightest infraction, with Gakuto being a popular target. Although a powerful and intimidating figure, she deeply fears displeasing Mari, which manifests itself in body-wide excessive sweating. Similarly, she enjoys performing calisthenics, and is often seen comically performing odd exercises with a large puddle of sweat underneath her. Aside from working out, she has been shown to have a knack for cooking. Because of her voluptuous/athletic physique, her school uniform barely manages to hide her body often leading to comical wardrobe malfunctions. It is revealed that, like Kate, Meiko also had a crush on Mari. The two argue while trying and failing to catch up to her before she leaves. Meiko was last seen sitting next to Kate, looking solemn and regretful.
Hana is the secretary of the underground student council. She mostly ends up in the worst situations with Kiyoshi, whom she eventually develops feelings for. She is also an adept martial artist, often utilizing her karate skills to brutally punish the boys if Meiko's harsh punishment does not work. Although she seems composed and competent, she is actually childish. She understands little about boys and often fails to adapt to unexpected situations. After her release from prison, she acts as Mari's spy for the Above Ground Student council. Her jealousy and inability to be honest about her feelings for Kiyoshi cause her to repeatedly torment and sexually harass him. She later tries to sabotage his love confession to Chiyo multiple times and nearly succeeds at the last moment.
Aboveground student council The , short for ASC, is Hachimitsu Academy's official sanctioned student council that manages the extracurricular activities and student clubs of the school. Compared to the vigilante rival Underground Student Council, they have a low status in the school and lower popularity, with their school office in a wooden shed in the school grounds.
Kate is the president of the aboveground student council and Mari's rival from middle school. She is the one who refers the USC to a prison sentence when they are found guilty of sabotaging the boys' sentence. She then continues to torment the USC once in prison. Proficient in aikido, and a master manipulator, Kate manages to turn the entire school against the USC, and quickly becomes a ruthless and persistent adversary to Mari and the boys, when the latter decides to help the USC. Mari deduces that Kate is a lesbian with a crush on her. Mari successfully seduces Kate and blackmails her with their sex tape. This made Kate hate Mari even more and become determined to destroy the USC on Sports Festival day. After the destruction of the prison, she slightly mellowed out and accompanied her "love rival," Meiko, in an attempt to catch up with Mari, who was leaving the school. She was last seen sitting solemnly and regretfully next to Meiko, both of them having failed to reach Mari.
Risa is the vice president of the aboveground student council. She is also shown to be very skilled at kendo, capable of fighting off both Meiko and Hana, as well as a proficient motorcyclist in spite of her young age and minor status. She has a strong love for Andre and employs sadistic techniques to please him. Unlike Meiko, she is not naturally inclined toward sadomasochism. Andre is touched by her care and concern, however, and they eventually become a couple.
Mitsuko is the secretary of the aboveground student council and Anzu's cousin. Kiyoshi refers to her as the Rube Goldberg' of Klutzes" because of her clumsiness. She writes manga as a hobby. She has romantic feelings for Gakuto and is extremely clumsy. Kate takes advantage of this from time to time. She is revealed to be Kate's ultimate weapon against the USC in the Sports Festival competition. Despite their mutual attraction, Mitsuko rejects Gakuto out of annoyance when he hesitates between her and another girl.
Other characters
He is the chairman at Hachimitsu Academy and father of Mari and Chiyo. He is wealthy but perverted. He often sympathizes with the boys. He is a self-proclaimed "ass-man", keeping various photos of female posteriors in his office, even looking at them while scheduling appointments with other characters, much to his daughter Mari's disappointment. He, like the rest of the Kurihara family employs a strange philosophy to judge one's character. His philosophy is, "Anyone who likes butts isn't all bad". He ends up in jail after the school prison is destroyed. He was last seen thinking to himself that, of Mari and Chiyo, he actually considers the younger, more innocent Chiyo to be the more mature one.