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Under Grand Hotel #Bunko 1
Under Grand Hotel, Volume 01
After killing the husband of his lover, Sen is sent to a prison nicknamed the "Under Grand Hotel", which houses some of the most violent and corrupt offenders. Good-looking and rather soft for prison, Sen is forced to seek protection from Swordfish, the proclaimed leader of the prison. But when their relationship turns from one of convenience to one that may be more involved, can they protect each other in a place where the law has no bearing?
360 pages, Paperback
Published June 23, 2010
5 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Mika Sadahiro
41 books82 followersSADAHIRO Mika: 定広美香
Her Doujinshi Circle is called "Affluenza".
Debuted with "Sein" in 1988 in Bessatsu Puff magazine.
Her career began with a few yuri fantasy series.
Alternate Penname: KIRISHIMA Ruka.
Her Doujinshi Circle is called "Affluenza".
Debuted with "Sein" in 1988 in Bessatsu Puff magazine.
Her career began with a few yuri fantasy series.
Alternate Penname: KIRISHIMA Ruka.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 18, 2019
4 Stars
I think a lot of the emotion might be lost in translation, but the art is stellar!
This volume I had to borrow from a friend but the second one is in the InterLibrary Loan pipeline...can't WAIT to see the librarian's face again when I go to pick it up.
I think a lot of the emotion might be lost in translation, but the art is stellar!
This volume I had to borrow from a friend but the second one is in the InterLibrary Loan pipeline...can't WAIT to see the librarian's face again when I go to pick it up.
July 6, 2011
Bought this at Anime Expo on Friday, read it yesterday and was absolutely blown away. This is not for the weak, the squeamish or those who like their yaoi with hearts and flowers. This is not cute schoolboy BL. It's beautiful, brutal, angry, scary and yet redemptive. It's men in prison doing what it takes to survive with their sanity--if not their dignity--intact.
I was actually drawn to this series initially because one of the leads--Sword Fish--is black, something seldom seen in any Japanese manga or in anime. Granted, his features are more stylistic than accurate, but he's still pretty hot. He's the shot caller and he takes no prisoners. Sen was the perfect foil for him, just as strong even though he was often a victim of the dog eat dog world of prison. He could be bent, but never broken. Sen isn't a typical uke; in fact I found him to be equal to the more hardened Sword Fish and in some cases just as vicious.
Under Grand Hotel is an intense and sometimes uncomfortable read, and yet the story and the art are difficult to stay away from or to forget. No matter what Sword and Sen do to each other and to others, you still want them to have a happily ever after.
I was actually drawn to this series initially because one of the leads--Sword Fish--is black, something seldom seen in any Japanese manga or in anime. Granted, his features are more stylistic than accurate, but he's still pretty hot. He's the shot caller and he takes no prisoners. Sen was the perfect foil for him, just as strong even though he was often a victim of the dog eat dog world of prison. He could be bent, but never broken. Sen isn't a typical uke; in fact I found him to be equal to the more hardened Sword Fish and in some cases just as vicious.
Under Grand Hotel is an intense and sometimes uncomfortable read, and yet the story and the art are difficult to stay away from or to forget. No matter what Sword and Sen do to each other and to others, you still want them to have a happily ever after.
January 8, 2012
"Loving you is the worst crime I've ever committed."
I LOVE UGH. I usually enjoy all Sadahiro-sensei's works but UGH has been one of my favorites for years now, even before it was licensed in the US (finally!). The plotline is unique and the way Sen and Swordfish's relationship is worked in the setting of prison life is thrilling. Plus the intimate scenes are hot as hell!
UGH has everything you would expect from both a love story and a prison movie, and it makes it work. Its one of those series that I love to discuss, love to re-read, love to reccomend, and always enjoy.
Sen and Swordfish are both strong men coming from two completely different backgrounds. Even they admit that if it weren't for prison, they never would've met much less have been together. The romance that occurs between them is completely unexpected but is very strong and pushes both men to do things for each other they never would've thought they'd ever do. For Sen that means standing up to gang members and learning to fight and for Swordfish that means protecting someone and caring about someone else's feelings.
Its a great read.
I LOVE UGH. I usually enjoy all Sadahiro-sensei's works but UGH has been one of my favorites for years now, even before it was licensed in the US (finally!). The plotline is unique and the way Sen and Swordfish's relationship is worked in the setting of prison life is thrilling. Plus the intimate scenes are hot as hell!
UGH has everything you would expect from both a love story and a prison movie, and it makes it work. Its one of those series that I love to discuss, love to re-read, love to reccomend, and always enjoy.
Sen and Swordfish are both strong men coming from two completely different backgrounds. Even they admit that if it weren't for prison, they never would've met much less have been together. The romance that occurs between them is completely unexpected but is very strong and pushes both men to do things for each other they never would've thought they'd ever do. For Sen that means standing up to gang members and learning to fight and for Swordfish that means protecting someone and caring about someone else's feelings.
Its a great read.
May 2, 2009
There is clearly seen where the inspiration for this manga came. The TV series The OZ was the main inspiration and the theme was pushed in to the yaoi land. The love story between Sword Fish, Afroamerican shutcall, and Owari Sen, Japanese youngster who simply was at the wrong time on the wrong place, is full of violence, raping and ton of prison sex. It ends happily ever after, but every story must have some nice plot and twists which shock readers to the bone. This manga is full of plot spiced with steamy sex scenes. There is also evil warden who made story even darker. The various inmates also did not improve morale of the prison. I enjoyed both three volumes and I was kind of sad that there are only three volumes. The last one was little rushed to my taste.
March 8, 2024
Dark, gritty, violent. Life in prison is no picnic for Sen.
August 8, 2011
The first yaoi I ever read was Ayano Yamane's Finder series, and it's still my favorite. The perfect blend of hard yaoi and beautiful illustrations, with an intriguing plot. Finally, I have found another series to equal it!
UGH is set in a prison. I'm surprised that this hadn't been licensed before, given the popularity of shows like Oz and Prison Break. Sen is sentenced to life in prison. The young student is targeted and seeks out a protector, Sword Fish. Sen pays for the protection with his body, but when he finds he no longer needs the protection, he still needs Sword Fish. Prison seems a natural fit for hard yaoi. And this is hard core - there is explicit, uncensored sex throughout and it is frequent. Readers should note there is violence, dubious consent and rape. The art style is very good. All characters are defined and well proportioned, and there is subtle shading to enhance the background. The mangaka is careful to keep a reader aware of the setting, without interrupting the story. Like Finder, the "relationship" grows into romance, despite being unrealistic (but who reads yaoi for realism?).
UGH is published by 801 Media, but the book is very different from their previous releases. Unlike most manga/yaoi, this book is miniature. It's 6 inches by 4 inches in size, and quite thick at 320 pages. The production quality is still high, but I do wish this had been in a larger format to make is easier to read text bubbles that are close to the middle. I fear this spine will crease more easily than standard books. Still, the images are easy to see. The retail price is also significantly higher than most yaoi (even expensive June titles), but I think it's worth it considering how long and in depth the story is.
Overall, this is a fantasic yaoi series and I have already preordered Under Grand Hotel Volume 2 (Yaoi). In fact, I ordered two copies of both volumes because I'll surely re-read this one many times!
UGH is set in a prison. I'm surprised that this hadn't been licensed before, given the popularity of shows like Oz and Prison Break. Sen is sentenced to life in prison. The young student is targeted and seeks out a protector, Sword Fish. Sen pays for the protection with his body, but when he finds he no longer needs the protection, he still needs Sword Fish. Prison seems a natural fit for hard yaoi. And this is hard core - there is explicit, uncensored sex throughout and it is frequent. Readers should note there is violence, dubious consent and rape. The art style is very good. All characters are defined and well proportioned, and there is subtle shading to enhance the background. The mangaka is careful to keep a reader aware of the setting, without interrupting the story. Like Finder, the "relationship" grows into romance, despite being unrealistic (but who reads yaoi for realism?).
UGH is published by 801 Media, but the book is very different from their previous releases. Unlike most manga/yaoi, this book is miniature. It's 6 inches by 4 inches in size, and quite thick at 320 pages. The production quality is still high, but I do wish this had been in a larger format to make is easier to read text bubbles that are close to the middle. I fear this spine will crease more easily than standard books. Still, the images are easy to see. The retail price is also significantly higher than most yaoi (even expensive June titles), but I think it's worth it considering how long and in depth the story is.
Overall, this is a fantasic yaoi series and I have already preordered Under Grand Hotel Volume 2 (Yaoi). In fact, I ordered two copies of both volumes because I'll surely re-read this one many times!
September 22, 2022
One of my absolute favorites
January 3, 2023
Trama un po' csoì, ma dubito qualcuno lo leggerà mau per quella. Molto e splicito e kinky apprezzato
October 11, 2010
Sen Owari receives a life sentence, for murder, which entitles him to becomes a guest of the government. He is incarcerated in the Federal Prison, Underground Hotel, level 3. This prison lies 30 metres below Long Island, buried so deep that the inmates can never see the sun. In their own inimitably twisted way, the inmates nickname their home the Under Grand Hotel. Welcome to the fun!
Sen's first night there, he overhears the sound of sex coming from the cell next to his, one of the occupants of which is Swordish, the "shot-caller" there, which means he's equivalent to the leader of the prisoners. Sen meets him the next morning, learning that he is in for being a drug dealer, as they exchange verbal jabs. Sword offers to meet Sen in the showers, but Sen doesn't show up - a combination of common sense, and being occupied with his cellmate, Brody, who proceeds to drug him and rape him in the laundry room with a broomstick handle! Sword comes to the rescue, and the psycho is disposed of Later, he meets Sen in the shower, and they swap some spit, and partake in some heated frottage beneath the hot water.
Whenever a murder occurs in the Grand Hotel, so does lockdown - for that night no one gets in or out of their cell. Which is rather convenient for new friends Sword and Sen, who are now rooming together. Sword wants to play a game, so they do - Othello. Sword wants to make it interesting, by betting, so they do. But Sen won't reveal his secret, which is what Sword is after, but he does agree to teach Sword Japanese if he loses. The two start to become closer, despite the fact that they are both straight. But as Sword says, considering that he was given a 200 year sentence, and Sen 80 years, this is all they have for a very long time, like for the rest of their lives.
When Sword leaves the cell for a three day familial visit, Sen finds himself alone - and unprotected. He tells himself that he is glad for the chance to do without Sword, but he drops his guard, and finds himself in a nasty situation with a few of the other inmates, who brutally rape him. Afterward he goes to Sword and asks to be made his, for his own safety, little realizing that that whole scene had been orchestrated for just that reason. Except it got out of hand, and Sword retaliates, making it clear that his feelings for Sen are not superficial, nor simply physical. Sen asks him to take him, which he does, and their relationship is consummated, albeit somewhat roughly. The next night, Sword is gentler, and their true honeymoon begins.
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose. Or is it that you become more vulnerable to losing what little you have? Can two supposedly straight men who have been sentenced to life without the sun find love in the harsh environment that is the Grand Hotel - or are they playing a game with one another? And how will the winner be determined?
This is a very strong beginning to a new series which deals with very explosive and violent subject matters - prison, and the men incarcerated there. At times painfully brutal, at others surprisingly tender, it focuses on the relationship between the black inmate Swordfish and the Japanese prisoner Sen. It is not all hearts and flowers by any means, but these are brutal conditions, and prisoners do not always exhibit the most civilized behavior under the circumstances. It is fascinating to watch Sword and Sen - the give and take, the back and forth, all the time watching their underlying feelings which they try to hold back for so long, but which must evenutally surface. I already like this series, and look forward to reading more. The artwork is well done, and even the most graphic scenes involving violence are not over done. The sex scenes are very good, and very heated, and leave you wanting more. This is a world where men must look to other men for all their needs, including love and sex. The perfect setting for yaoi fun!
You can also read this review here at Yaoi Radius.
Sen's first night there, he overhears the sound of sex coming from the cell next to his, one of the occupants of which is Swordish, the "shot-caller" there, which means he's equivalent to the leader of the prisoners. Sen meets him the next morning, learning that he is in for being a drug dealer, as they exchange verbal jabs. Sword offers to meet Sen in the showers, but Sen doesn't show up - a combination of common sense, and being occupied with his cellmate, Brody, who proceeds to drug him and rape him in the laundry room with a broomstick handle! Sword comes to the rescue, and the psycho is disposed of Later, he meets Sen in the shower, and they swap some spit, and partake in some heated frottage beneath the hot water.
Whenever a murder occurs in the Grand Hotel, so does lockdown - for that night no one gets in or out of their cell. Which is rather convenient for new friends Sword and Sen, who are now rooming together. Sword wants to play a game, so they do - Othello. Sword wants to make it interesting, by betting, so they do. But Sen won't reveal his secret, which is what Sword is after, but he does agree to teach Sword Japanese if he loses. The two start to become closer, despite the fact that they are both straight. But as Sword says, considering that he was given a 200 year sentence, and Sen 80 years, this is all they have for a very long time, like for the rest of their lives.
When Sword leaves the cell for a three day familial visit, Sen finds himself alone - and unprotected. He tells himself that he is glad for the chance to do without Sword, but he drops his guard, and finds himself in a nasty situation with a few of the other inmates, who brutally rape him. Afterward he goes to Sword and asks to be made his, for his own safety, little realizing that that whole scene had been orchestrated for just that reason. Except it got out of hand, and Sword retaliates, making it clear that his feelings for Sen are not superficial, nor simply physical. Sen asks him to take him, which he does, and their relationship is consummated, albeit somewhat roughly. The next night, Sword is gentler, and their true honeymoon begins.
When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose. Or is it that you become more vulnerable to losing what little you have? Can two supposedly straight men who have been sentenced to life without the sun find love in the harsh environment that is the Grand Hotel - or are they playing a game with one another? And how will the winner be determined?
This is a very strong beginning to a new series which deals with very explosive and violent subject matters - prison, and the men incarcerated there. At times painfully brutal, at others surprisingly tender, it focuses on the relationship between the black inmate Swordfish and the Japanese prisoner Sen. It is not all hearts and flowers by any means, but these are brutal conditions, and prisoners do not always exhibit the most civilized behavior under the circumstances. It is fascinating to watch Sword and Sen - the give and take, the back and forth, all the time watching their underlying feelings which they try to hold back for so long, but which must evenutally surface. I already like this series, and look forward to reading more. The artwork is well done, and even the most graphic scenes involving violence are not over done. The sex scenes are very good, and very heated, and leave you wanting more. This is a world where men must look to other men for all their needs, including love and sex. The perfect setting for yaoi fun!
You can also read this review here at Yaoi Radius.
June 14, 2015
Under Grand Hotel est une duologie qui se déroule dans une prison souterraine américaine : Under Ground Hotel. Quand Sen est incarcéré là-bas, il se rend compte qu'il doit absolument trouver un protecteur. Il va le trouver en la personne de Sword Fish et va accepter de coucher avec lui pour éviter le danger constant qui règne dans ce lieu où même les surveillants sont corrompus.
Je n'en ressors pas particulièrement emballée, de ce manga. J'en étais à compter les pages car rien de palpitant ne s'y passe, c'est toujours le même schéma : Sen se fait violer et/ou accepte de coucher avec tel ou tel personnage et/ou se fait tabasser, Sword fait son jaloux pour une raison x ou y, puis le défend suite à son viol ou son passage à tabac (quand ce n'est pas les deux en même temps ou si ce n'est pas Sword qui le viole. TROP CLASSE.).
Rajoutons par dessus qu'il n'y a pas de scénario, c'est de la drague, du sexe, des viols à foison et de la violence. Même si l'entrée de nouveaux personnages pourraient nous faire penser qu'il va se passer quelque chose, on est vite déçus. Désillusion, j'écris ton nom. Et mention spéciale au chapitre WTF qui est totalement incohérent et illogique. Mais je n'ai pas envie de vous spoiler.
Côté graphisme, c'est old-school. Et pourtant, ce manga n'est pas si vieux que ça (2011 en France, 2009 au Japon). Les expressions des personnages sont mal rendues, soit on est dans l'excès et on se demande ce qu'il arrive à nos personnages, soit ces derniers sont totalement inexpressifs, au bord de la dépression. Pour la proportion des corps, c'est pareil, soit le corps est beau, bien dessiné, bien proportionné, soit la planche d'après il perd 40 kilos et gagne un mètre avec des jambes à rallonge. Il faut faire un choix. Soit l'un, soit l'autre...
Bref, c'est un manga que j'ai eu d'occasion, donc du coup je ne regrette pas trop l'achat, mais il est clair que je ne lirais pas la suite !
Je n'en ressors pas particulièrement emballée, de ce manga. J'en étais à compter les pages car rien de palpitant ne s'y passe, c'est toujours le même schéma : Sen se fait violer et/ou accepte de coucher avec tel ou tel personnage et/ou se fait tabasser, Sword fait son jaloux pour une raison x ou y, puis le défend suite à son viol ou son passage à tabac (quand ce n'est pas les deux en même temps ou si ce n'est pas Sword qui le viole. TROP CLASSE.).
Rajoutons par dessus qu'il n'y a pas de scénario, c'est de la drague, du sexe, des viols à foison et de la violence. Même si l'entrée de nouveaux personnages pourraient nous faire penser qu'il va se passer quelque chose, on est vite déçus. Désillusion, j'écris ton nom. Et mention spéciale au chapitre WTF qui est totalement incohérent et illogique. Mais je n'ai pas envie de vous spoiler.
Côté graphisme, c'est old-school. Et pourtant, ce manga n'est pas si vieux que ça (2011 en France, 2009 au Japon). Les expressions des personnages sont mal rendues, soit on est dans l'excès et on se demande ce qu'il arrive à nos personnages, soit ces derniers sont totalement inexpressifs, au bord de la dépression. Pour la proportion des corps, c'est pareil, soit le corps est beau, bien dessiné, bien proportionné, soit la planche d'après il perd 40 kilos et gagne un mètre avec des jambes à rallonge. Il faut faire un choix. Soit l'un, soit l'autre...
Bref, c'est un manga que j'ai eu d'occasion, donc du coup je ne regrette pas trop l'achat, mais il est clair que je ne lirais pas la suite !
October 7, 2012
I've watched all six seasons of OZ, so I thought I couldn't be shocked anymore when it comes to series set in an all male high security prison.
I was wrong.
Mika Sadahiro sure doesn't pull her punches here. While the focus is different than it was in OZ, it's a bit as if OZ was just Beecher/Keller all the time, with all the fuckedupness, twistedness and fucking. There is a lot of fucking going on in there, so much so that I am actually not comfortable at the thought that this will probably be standing on our shelves next to the other manga. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a bad book - far from it, especially because there's never any pretense going on regarding how healthy and sane the behaviour of the characters is, and rape is called rape. But it's really extremely pornographic, much, much more so than your usual BL manga (at least the ones being published here).
But at least it's an adult book in more than just the sex - it's never fluffy, or pretty, or nice. But it sure as hell is interesting to read and has quite a lot of the elements that made Beecher and Keller so interesting for me. The possessiveness, insanity and abandon that accompanies the characters' love is quite a sight to see.
So, not really the type of thing I want to read on a Sunday morning (even though I did so anyway), but definitely interesting.
I was wrong.
Mika Sadahiro sure doesn't pull her punches here. While the focus is different than it was in OZ, it's a bit as if OZ was just Beecher/Keller all the time, with all the fuckedupness, twistedness and fucking. There is a lot of fucking going on in there, so much so that I am actually not comfortable at the thought that this will probably be standing on our shelves next to the other manga. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is a bad book - far from it, especially because there's never any pretense going on regarding how healthy and sane the behaviour of the characters is, and rape is called rape. But it's really extremely pornographic, much, much more so than your usual BL manga (at least the ones being published here).
But at least it's an adult book in more than just the sex - it's never fluffy, or pretty, or nice. But it sure as hell is interesting to read and has quite a lot of the elements that made Beecher and Keller so interesting for me. The possessiveness, insanity and abandon that accompanies the characters' love is quite a sight to see.
So, not really the type of thing I want to read on a Sunday morning (even though I did so anyway), but definitely interesting.
August 26, 2011
Don't read this if you're squeamish, repeat, do not read it. The first chapter alone involves a mop handle and a psycho. You know when you read something really disturbing and can't bring yourself to stop? Well, that's my case.
Long story short, Sen sells his body to the "boss" Swordfish for protection. One moment they are fucking and the next Sen is being raped by other prisioners. What I like about the story? Guess it's the hopelessness. There's nothing amiable about these guys. They are murderers, drug dealers and rapists, how can Sen and Sword find love in such an environment?
I'm too greedy to write a full review (I suck at it anyway) so if you like complex relationships, this one if for you.
Long story short, Sen sells his body to the "boss" Swordfish for protection. One moment they are fucking and the next Sen is being raped by other prisioners. What I like about the story? Guess it's the hopelessness. There's nothing amiable about these guys. They are murderers, drug dealers and rapists, how can Sen and Sword find love in such an environment?
I'm too greedy to write a full review (I suck at it anyway) so if you like complex relationships, this one if for you.
November 27, 2016
Wow. This is pretty graphic. And violent. I don't think I'd even dub this non-con. This seems like... rape. Since this is a prison setting, perhaps the rape thing will evolve, like in Oz. My one gripe is the constant references to them being straight--while continuing to fuck guys. Swordfish is pretty damn hypocritical IMHO. Still, Swordfish and Sen are hot together.
February 6, 2011
Very well drawn, very explicit, very hot.
August 27, 2017
2.5 stars, not a favorite for me. It's a hard read, especially the rape parts.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews