The second volume of “Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto” does get a little more creative in its antics. Where I was worried that seeing the title character effortlessly succeed in the face of any obstacle he faced, mangaka Nami Sano displays a little more inventiveness in showing us how he does that in this volume. Whether it’s displaying “Splinter Cell” levels of agility while being chased by an amorous housewife, or going head-to-head against a stylish thug in “the push game” while a police officer watches, I was more entertained by Sakamoto’s actions here than I was with the first volume. Granted, Sakamoto as a character treads a fine line between coming off as well-meaning or smug, and the humor can occasionally trend towards mean-spirited. At this point the series is basically an amusing curiosity that hasn’t quite come together yet.
Not so in the case of “Prison School.” Here’s a series that knows exactly how dumb and trashy it is and revels in that fact. The best part of all is that it’s all played completely straight! Where else are you going to find a series where one of its main characters utters the phrase, “For whom did I shit myself…!?” without a hint of irony. Or have another protagonist talk about his plan to crossdress as a schoolgirl -- complete with pigtails made from the hair of another male classmate -- as if he was planning an actual jailbreak. It’s all utterly ridiculous, and funnier due to how mangaka Akira Hiromoto handles the execution. I also have to admit to being impressed with how he manages Kiyoshi’s escape, disastrous date, and eventual redemption while also laying out a way for the five “prisoners” to come together as friends in a way that still comes off as plausible. Within the boundaries of plausibility for this series. It’s still a title about five boys being imprisoned by a “shadow student council” of three girls, one of whose clothes only seem to stay on through some miracle of friction. Definitely not for everyone, but it’s highly recommended to anyone who can appreciate something best described as “gloriously stupid.”
Comic Picks #218: Tezuka's Kickstarters
Comic Picks #217: Suicide Squad
Comic Picks #216: The Fade Out
Comic Picks #215: Bendis' X-Men
Comic Picks #214: A Silent Voice
Comic Picks #213: Sergio Aragones' Groo
Comic Picks #212: Molester Man/Onani Master Kurosawa
Comic Picks #211: The Goon (Full Return)
Comic Picks #210: Knights of Sidonia
Comic Picks #209: WonderCon Roundup!
Comic Picks #208: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Comic Picks #207: Secret Wars (and Hickman's Avengers)
Comic Picks #206: The Tipping Point
Comic Picks #205: Deadpool
Comic Picks #204: Mind MGMT
Comic Picks #203: Also the best of 2015?
Comic Picks #202: Best of 2015
Comic Picks #201: "Blade of the Immortal" -- From Front to Back
Comic Picks #200: "Daredevil" by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee
Comic Picks #199: Gantz
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