Ranked #533

Under (xGround) Grand Hotel (Manga)

Frank Darabont’s classic 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption gave us a protagonist who is innocent in all ways. It is Tim Robbins’ character Andy who is cheated on by a loveless wife, and when she and her lover end up murdered, two life sentences bring the kind man’s days of normalcy to a screeching, hellish halt. Three hours and one friendship with Morgan Freeman later, one of the greatest stories of survival and human greed has just been told.

Nearly a decade later, Under Grand Hotel draws countless parallels. Owari Sen is convicted of murder and sent to Level 3 of a United States federal penitentiary, called the Under Grand/Ground Hotel with limited fondness by permanent inmates that decide to make the most of their eternal stay. There he is the “pretty boy” fish and targeted by non-homosexual men deprived of women—bull fags, a facet of prison life—and gays alike before deciding to belong to the prison’s shutcall Swordfish in exchange for protection. Sen also drifts from job to job until the warden changes to someone decidedly more rotten and, as one of the few educated men in UGH, he is invited to become the new head’s secretary.

The difference is that while Sen is not completely guilty, he is not completely innocent either. While a Japanese exchange student at an American college, he did indeed sleep with a married professor… but who killed the husband? Does Sen really deserve a life sentence for murder? Why is he so drawn to blue eyes?

By no means do I intend to judge Shawshank and UGH by the same standards, or to suggest that UGH is in any way better than the highest rated movie currently on the Internet Movie Database. The two works are born of different media, nations, and intentions; and while I consider Shawshank a valid masterpiece, I do not hold the same regard for UGH. However, I do want all possible readers to understand that as a comic—especially as a yaoi—Under Grand Hotel is one of a kind.

Three volumes is a perfect length, as any less or more would have significantly changed the pacing. Unfortunately, it does take some modicum of suspension of disbelief to enjoy UGH to its fullest. At certain points it truly does seem to want to be the gayer version of Shawshank; from its beginning to final pages, the characters occasionally become awfully familiar. It is the curveballs and mishaps that change the plot for the better. While angered at Sen and Swordfish’s often devastating idiosyncrasies, you will appreciate the amount of effort that is put into making them imperfect. The end does come as a whirlwind and is somewhat unbelievable, but if over the course of three volumes you have allowed yourself to adapt to and love the main couple, you should be completely satisfied.

If you choose to view UGH under the lens of “yaoi,” it is quite unique in its more realistic anatomy and lack of gratuitous sentimentality. While affection is present and later the core of the story, this manga takes place in a prison. Deal with it. Swordfish, a gang leader and hardened criminal, is unafraid to rape, cheat, or murder. Neither is anyone else, for that matter.

The art is worth mention for consistency of dimension and use of difficult angles. Each pose is drawn with careful consideration. Perhaps more importantly, the characters are each given distinct personalities and expressions rather than cardboard cutout hairstyles/faces that make it hard to tell them apart. Here a full, diverse background cast is necessary for creating the atmosphere.

All in all, Under Grand Hotel is just a great read. These men are not gay for the mere sake of being so; they are desperate, human, and susceptible to gravity.

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Being an yaoi fan for a while now i've read from everything: good, bad, awful, a complete pain... and guess what? now i can add ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL GORGEOUS GREAT manga to my categories, because this one, my friend you don't wanna miss.

Story: Great!!! i don't give a 10 to this manga because it's lightly cliché: we've seen the strong guy and the weak guy falling, as well as one being protected by the other.. But don't worry, you won't complain here:D

The art, i'm not a big fan of the art in mangas, as long as there are faces, legs, arms, and everything that's normal, i think it's ok. At least there was a change of visuals with portraying an Afro guy:D

Characters: Loved every single one of them:D The SEME, the UKE/SEME (thank god they didn't put a super girly uke in here) the relations between them, the other prisoners..i really don't want to spoil the fun here, so everything was perfect:D

Overall, i need to pay attention to the fact that i was completely enchanted with this manga, and may not realise some flaws, i'm not saying there were any, but i gotta be more sctrit right' people are reading this:D SO I GIVE IT A 9.

and i finish this review saying that these series made me look into the work of the mangaka, and definitely gave the fun and enjoyment that i couldn't get froM yaoi in a long time:D read more