was expecting this to be a good series, don't care about it being the same as utena or not as long as it can bring out the 'interesting' thing in this kind of plot, but after reading it through the end, well even before reading the last volume I had already lost a bit interest of it since it looked like a half-ass story to me.
Worst thing is the last volume which conclude any interest left in me (although Tsuki is cute) seeing everyone mainly the boys were actually a good person just like how the saying of "blame the system not the person" works.....

There was so much here to exploit. The art was pretty, the characters were tolerable, and the set-up . The set-up was everything , and yet what do we get? A half-baked story about a girl who seems like the female version of Naruto saving a bunch of other girls in a not so very good battle manga. What you're just going to get rid of the overwhelmingly sexist environment of the school so quickly? What about the Iwahijiri - are they still pulling the same crap they did with the school? The list could go on... Also, a lot of the characters had random changes in heart, which I felt the author threw in to be able to end the story, rather than to be able develop a complex one that could have broken a lot of norms generally associated with shounen.

I really wish someone else had been put in charge of this story after the initial set-up. It's a fairly shallow read if you don't want something too meaningful, but for a story that could have been amazing, it just doesn't get there.

... Last updated on February 24th, 2012, 10:49am

After watching Utena, my rating on Shitsurakuen dropped.

And indeed, Shitsurakuen is using a lot of Utena's elements with no surrealism. The new elements that the author add are:
- Virtual reality unlike the projector in Utena
- Harem instead of one girl
- More shoujo-ai elements (Like the Utena Movie)
- The protagonist is given a glove instead of a ring like in Utena
- It hasn't to do anything with revolution or the world
- More stupid characters

Okay, the first thing you wonder is, why the girls attend and they do not simple leave to attend to another when they face such circumstances. It is never explained but it is letting you to assume that they probably have a scholarship and they must attend to this reputed school. Or they are spied and they are unable to tell to their parents. Either way, it is not excused so it makes it more stupid.

And let's see... Utopia is an Academy where all of the guys torture the girls and the girls cling on them. It's just so pathetic... They enjoy being puppets. Basically all of them act like Anthy from Utena. And one day, the girl that wants to become a knight and save Princesses appear and start saving them. (And yes, in a male uniform like Utena.)

Sora is kind of annoying she is repeating like 4757383845 times that she will save each girl. And all of the guys are trying to eliminate her, except this guy that is pretty much like Akio. (Without the amazing car scenes of course.)

Sora's harem has no development at all. Take for example, Kohaku; She is a girl with no personality whatsoever. She is just blushing whenever she is around Sora. The second girl? Pretty much the same. It was only Reiko as a tsundere that showed something better. And we have the mysterious girl that is an old friend of Sora (And apparently Sora's yuri interest that is LIKE Anthy) whom she needs to be saved and later she has also a symbolic presence.)

Of course, the fairytale-like plot is not missing from here either; We see some scenes where the knight save the princess, etc. Utena much, again?

I have to admit though, that the designs are better than the ones in Utena. Although the fights suck and neither Utena did had any good fights.

I know I did a lot of comparison to Utena but it is just so damn similar. Anyways, entertaining for a one time read.

Shitsurakuen is a good story with an ending that'll leave some people strongly dissatisfied, while other people won't mind it.

I have to say, the execution wasn't so great, but it could've been worse. There's a lot of stuff crammed in in some way, that makes sense at the moment, more or less, but it doesn't let you absorb everything. The manga really could have used a little bit less cramming.
I can't really remember much of the manga, even though I read it in one go and finished just now, but I'm one of those, who understand why the ending is as it is and I'm okay with it. There's a lot hidden in it and I'm really not up to talking about it, but I'm satisfied.

Give it a twirl and then decide whether it's worth buying, or maybe just borrowing.

... Last updated on April 15th, 2012, 6:36am

My first question is why would any woman , or man who has even a shred of decency, go to such a school? My next question is why is every single guy in this a complete a-hole?
I do like shoujo-ai manga but this is way to rediculous. I'm a guy and after reading the first three chapters i had to stop because it was making me so mad. No man who has any brain in his head would treat a woman, or any other living being, like that! There is also no woman who would go along with this "game" just because they get an education; they would definately get the f**k out of ther the second they sawhow woman were being treated and go to another school. This manga did a better job at making men look evil than the Lifetime tv network.

I was actually kind of interested in the setting this manga provided. It was a somewhat unusual take on fairy tales involving princesses.
However, as it goes on, the manga becomes more and more confusing. The plot lines get convoluted and start contradicting the main premise of the story. And eventually it all results in a confusing finale.



I just don't understand how this manga managed to shoot itself in the foot all the way up to the end.

Maybe I'm the dumb one. Maybe there was some important symbolism that I missed along the way, but even though I binged the entire thing from start to finish I can not for the life of me understand how everything got to the end the way it did. It's THAT confusing.

Seriously, this is probably not worth your time.

... Last updated on April 21st, 2017, 12:37pm

I enjoyed the series, thought that it was an interesting premise and even found the protagonist growing on me. Although she is ditzy, her moments of being very knightly do redeem her.
However, I found it all a bit rushed. There were lots of truly beautiful moments and you were skillfully manipulated along the same path and feelings of the protagonist- it really involved you.
However, the pairing at the end seemed abrupt, the romance underdeveloped and the story seemed wrapped up too easily.
It would have been nice to have had a little more to explore it all a bit deeper.

I loved this manga, I once gave it a ten, but now it's a nine. Once readers get to the last chapter they would think "WTF?!" The last two chapters messed up everything. I don't know if this manga should even be labeled as "shoujo-ai."

But the manga is superb as a whole. It might not be my top 5 best manga anymore, but it's still great.

Ok i get what others are saying. trust me i have been reading this for a while but around chapt 22 it wraps up the plot and it all makes a lot of sense. the randomness and the whole good vs evil mess that's so over done its a bit much at times all has a purpose. so if you can get through it, its a pretty good read.

... Last updated on July 1st, 2011, 12:36pm

Honestly this manga was good up until the last 3 chapters, then it turned to a horrid confusing mess, not to mention the ending. It was not worth the read when everyone are completely stupid.

... Last updated on March 28th, 2016, 3:13am