Reading "Prison!" and it gives me a sinking feeling the more I read it
Reading "Prison!" and it gives me a sinking feeling the more I read it
This is bad, this is bad! I got caught with some weed on me, and now I'm off to jail! Can I make some friends here in prison...? Cute but imprisoned ☆ Light fluffy prison comedy♪
This manga is supposed to be a cute and light-hearted story about everyday life, described as "Adorably trapped ☆ A comedy about a fluffy prison♪"...
But the more I read it, the more I feel that setting a cheerful story in a prison just doesn't sit right.
It's not only the main character being in prison for a minor drug-related crime that bothers me, but also the idea of trying to make something cute out of a really bad situation.
The prison guards and the other background characters are also kind of vague and undefined. It's like that uneasy feeling you get when you watch a horror movie and you know something's about to go really wrong. Maybe I've read too much scary stuff by Junji Ito or something...
I don't personally know anyone in prison, but because of how this manga makes me feel, I can't bring myself to keep reading it.
Eh, I don't think it's that big of a deal. We have plenty of comedy based on serious topics, in manga and other media - that doesn't make them any less serious or important.
Personally, I'd be more worried about a concentrated push of topics/narrative made by corporations or governments than one relatively unknown manga.Let's not get crazy and treat everything seriously all the time. Hell, sometimes it feels like people who've been through really bad stuff are more willing to laugh about it than those who didn't. Respect and thoughtfulness are important, yes, but so is humor - humans can find it in the worst of times, that's our strength.
As for manga itself, it's funny enough. Not really my type of thing long term but I didn't really find anything wrong with it. Never been to a prison though.
I'm liking it so far, it's pretty educational given that I know next to nothing about Japanese prisons. Horrific situations that are thinly coated over with cuteness are my jam, but I get why some people might think it's tasteless. If it's making you miserable, don't read the notes in chapter 3 about 'reflection rooms'.
Haven't read it, but this sounds like something that could be pretty great if it pulled a Madoka.
That would have instantly changed it towards brilliance