Kara Dennison
April 26, 2025 
Shonen Jump has closed the book on Ken Wakui’s Astro Royale. So now, there are spaces to be filled in the pages of the manga mag. The newest title to join the fray is Nice Prison, and it’s already a very strange read. From dubiously human inmates to supermodel prisoners, it’s a wild ride. And that’s only one chapter in!
What’s going on with this latest title? We’re taking an early look at Tatsuya Suganuma’s new series to see what we can discover!
Behind Bars
Nice Prison takes place in, as one might guess… a prison. Our heroine is Tera Adachi, a new young guard following in her father’s footsteps. But she’s hardly ready for Nobana-shi. Built atop a landfill, the “town” is inhabited almost entirely by prisoners. But these aren’t just any criminals. These are the worst, too tough for incarceration anywhere else. And they bully the guards mercilessly. Well, except for Horo.
Horo Mitsuboshi is what the guards call a “supermodel prisoner.” With handcuff-shaped glasses perched atop his nose, he keeps the others in line. The “how” is still a mystery… but we do find out the “why.”
Home Sweet Home
While Nice Prison stars predominantly prisoners, Horo is surprisingly nice. He was born behind bars in Nobana-shi and, despite the town’s nature, considers it his home. So he gets himself arrested on a technicality to come back and improve it. Within the first chapter alone, he’s restored one nostalgic venue in his hometown.
Compare that to Nobana-shi’s other prisoners. There are hardened criminals, a creepy clown, and a guy who might just be a cicada. But when Horo speaks, they listen. He’s determined to make Nobana-shi the welcoming place he remembers. Whether or not it was ever like that in the first place.
What’s Next?
From the get-go, it’s pretty clear Nice Prison is setting up to be a gag manga. That places it in good company alongside Me and Roboco and Super Psychic Policeman Chojo. And the odd couple of the earnest Horo and the young guard Tera has some promise. That said, this series also appears to have a fighting manga-esque trajectory. Nobana-shi’s cell blocks become more violent the smaller the number is. In other words, there’s a “super death row prisoner” down in Cell Block One. And Horo plans to take care of him.
The question now is: does Nice Prison have promise, or will it fizzle out early? Manga author Tatsuya Suganuma has penned two other titles so far: the one-shot Risky Magician and the two-volume Flying Darwin. Will this be the one to go long? There’s only one way to find out!
Read new chapters of Nice Prison every week.
