Prison School

Episode 9

After learning about the Underground Student Council's plan to expel them, the boys decide to turn the tables on their jailers by obtaining proof of the DTO. This is easier said than done, but our heroes have nothing to lose at this point. Gakuto, the group's lone computer geek, needs access to the corrections office PC in order to recover incriminating emails that have probably been erased. Shingo is certain he saw at least one correspondence pertaining to the operation during his brief stint as an informant. To bring their plan to fruition, the boys will have to distract the ever-vigilant Meiko long enough for Gakuto to steal her keys, make a beeline for the corrections office, download and install the recovery software, and use it to uncover the evidence they need.

The mechanics of the plan are equal parts ingenious and cartoonish. In order to buy Gakuto the time he needs, the prisoners take advantage of Meiko's pride by baiting her into arm wrestling matches with each of the boys. Although Gakuto only needs ten minutes, Meiko's got the strength to back up all her peacocking, and it's hard for any of the boys besides Andre to keep her at bay for long. After Andre exposes his chest in a show of masculinity, a single hair growing from his exposed nipple manages to give him an advantage. Even for a show that regularly features graphic crotch shots and blood by the bucketful, this gag is pretty grotesque, albeit very much at home. This development presents Meiko with a conundrum. Forcing Andre's arm down exposes the squirm-inducing hair, but not doing so means admitting defeat.

As usual, the pacing remains in top form this week. In trademark Prison School fashion, the stakes are given greater importance than the situation warrants. The risk of Meiko noticing Gakuto's suspicious absence is so palatable you can feel the tension radiating off the screen. As the heavy-hitting orchestral music plays over the proceedings, viewers are liable to sweat every bit as much as the rapidly-perspiring prisoners. When Meiko defeats all her opponents in just under ten minutes, viewers are left unclear on whether Gakuto will be standing there when she turns around to look for her lost keys. He makes it, but since he didn't have sufficient time to secure the data, the entire adventure is a bust.

The show's core strength continues to be its pacing. The series slows key events down to ridiculous degrees, enabling viewers to feel every nail-biting moment. The animation, artwork, and musical score combine to tell an engaging, expertly-paced story. However, there is one confusing moment toward the beginning of the episode, when Kiyoshi accidentally gets an up-close look beneath Meiko's skirt. Thanks to the censor bars, it's not immediately clear if he sees something completely unexpected or if he's simply surprised because Meiko is going commando. While the censor bar makes this moment more accessible to fans like me who are not interested in an X-rated level of fanservice, Kiyoshi's failure to clearly describe what he saw actually made me wish the censor bar hadn't been there. This is definitely a case of too much being left to the imagination.

This week's episode marks another riveting entry in the Prison School saga. Nothing of import is accomplished, but the goal is ultimately less important than the journey. Always ridiculous fun, Prison School continues to straddle the line between so-bad-it's-good and just-plain-good with finesse.

Rating: A-

Prison School is currently streaming on Funimation.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for two decades.