Nanbaka

Nanba is the world's most formidable prison, built to incarcerate criminals who are too slippery to stay in ordinary confinement. The four inmates who occupy Cell 13 are particularly cunning on that behalf, having escaped every other prison with a perfect success rate. There is Juugo, a specialist in locks who has spent the majority of his life in prison; Uno, a gambler with great intuition; Nico, an otaku whose body reacts strangely to drugs; and Rock, a bruiser with a love for food. The daily shenanigans of the four prisoners always cause trouble for the building supervisor, Hajime Sugoroku, who desperately tries to prevent them from breaking out of Nanba.

Nanbaka follows the comedic, sparkle-filled exploits of these prisoners and their guards. From three square meals a day to sports festivals, prison life in Nanba isn't actually that bad—and it is the closest these four have to a home.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

No background information has been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding background information here.

Episode Videos

Edit

Related Anime

Adaptation:	Nanbaka
Sequel:	Nanbaka 2
Other:	Nanbaka: Shusseki Bangou no Tsuita Baka-tachi!

Toyonaga, Toshiyuki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Takahashi, Tomoko

Producer

Sugi, Takuma

Producer

Herek, Samantha

Assistant Producer

Edit

Opening Theme

"Rin! Rin! Hi! Hi!" by Hashiguchikanaderiya (ハシグチカナデリヤ) hugs The Super Ball

Edit

Ending Theme

"Nanbaka Datsugoku Riron♪! (ナンバカ脱獄理論♪！)" by Juugo (Yuto Uemura), Uno (Tetsuya Kakihara), Rock (Ire Shiozaki), Nico (Daiki Kobayashi), Hajime Sugoroku (Tomokazu Seki)

Reviews

Aug 27, 2022

jRad522

Recommended

A description of Nanbaka is probably going to make it sound real dumb. This is likey because it really, really is. But the fact it is dumb does not preclude it from being entertaining, and I assure you that it is nothing if not that. I 100% recommend watching it if you are:
A.) In the mood for something funny.
B.) Unbothered by something being really stupid.
C.) Equally unbothered by anime being weird for weird's sake.

Story:
I can best sum up Nanbaka thusly: it is pretty much what would happen if you transformed the Looney Tunes into bishy anime twinks with FABULOUS hair and threw them into a ... facility that is simultaneously the worlds most secure prison and the worlds most liberal Montessori preschool. So like Tiny Toon Adventures meets Orange is the New Black. Specifically those two shows, because like Tiny Toon Adventures the characters seem to have the impulse control of infants and can pull seemingly whatever they want out of Hammerspace and like OITNB everybody is kinda compelling and pretty fabulous and kinda gay and in prison. If that doesn't sound fun to you, you probably won't like it. We would probably also not be friends, because it sounds like a whole bunch of fun to me.

Art: OH MY GOD REALLY GOOD! It is a joy to look at. The color is hyper-saturated, lime green and hot pink and crazy in the best way possible. It is exciting and surreal, which helps you suspend your disbelief over the antics of the ridiculous plot and characters. The art puts me in the mood to have fun, which the show then offers. 10/10, this is what art should do for an animated show: inform you by design alone what kind of show you are watching.

Sound: Also awesome. The opening song is pretty cool: rocky J-Pop paired with some fun imagery indicative of the mood of the show. The ending, however, is the shit. It's more or less chibi versions of the characters running around escaping from prison while they all sing a song together. I love it and watch it every time. It is charming and funny, and always made me want to watch the next episode.

Character: Over the top and too much, but so is the show and consequentially it more or less works. The main 4 are all pretty funny and engaging, although main guy (#15/Jyuugo) is kind of a sad sack these days. Everybody has more or less exactly one joke that they are used to tell over and over, but the joke seems to always land despite being repeated ad nauseam. They are either manic and adorably annoying, or unvarying serious to the point that they cannot themselves be taken seriously. Sometimes both at once (The Warden). Special shout out goes to Nico, the hyper kid who takes a bunch of drugs and is really into stupid anime, because he is basically me. I just wanted to hang out with him and smoke a blunt and watch G-Gundam (secretly the best Gundam despite what everybody else who has ever watched it beside me and Nico might say).

Enjoyment: Loads. This show isn't going to teach you anything. It's not going to tell you anything profound, it will just make you laugh a bunch. If that is enough for you, give it a watch. I did and do not regret it in the slightest.

Open

Gift

May 19, 2019

RalV26402

Mixed Feelings

This anime, for me, is the epitome of the 'well you had us in the first half' meme.

The tonal shift in the 6th episode gave me whiplash and made me feel like I had all of a sudden started watching a different anime.

At its best Nanbaka is a fun show about a group of lovable morons. The group dynamic was so fun to see and made me love all of the characters. At its worst it casts aside all of that for a much darker and more serious action type anime and in doing so loses all charm from the characters and any ...

Open

Gift

Jan 30, 2017

Plasmatize

Not Recommended

Many have heard the old proverb, "If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one". By extension, the more rabbits one chases at once, the harder each is to catch. Nanbaka takes this a step further: it starts going after one rabbit, then gets distracted by a bird and later a fish. It unfortunately fails to catch any of them, but at least it looks cool trying.

At its core, Nanbaka is a zany, colourful gag comedy in a prison setting! ...Or is it an action shonen? No? A character drama? In practice, it frequently switches targets when it may have been wiser to ... stick to one.

From the get-go, Nanbaka presents a fast-paced series of varied jokes, ranging from visual humour to ironic subversion to borderline non-sequitur. They weren't exactly original, and didn't get to me personally, but variety and quick pacing are handy tools for holding interest whenever a punchline doesn't quite hit the mark. At this point, I respected Nanbaka for what it was. It had a clear identity, and showed commitment to it.

However, the show quickly lost its focus from there. In my eyes, a lack of focus is one of the fastest ways to kill viewer interest, and often a sign of poor writing. Nanbaka soon falls into this trap; rather than continuing its gag comedy roots, it tries to take on multiple identities at once. As soon as the action and drama arrive, the pacing slows considerably and the jokes become less varied or frequent. This would be fine if the new elements meshed well, or were at least strong additions to the series, but instead, they just make things messier.

The action elements suffer from weak choreography. This is expounded on by mid-action cuts to narration by onlooking characters - an issue seen in many action anime. For once, Nanbaka could have made this trope work in its favour by filling the narration with its usual zany jokes. Alas, it's just the usual filler dialogue to stretch out the no-longer-action while explaining attacks that didn't really need to be explained and/or stating things that are obvious to the viewer.

Despite the action portion's weaknesses, the drama is where I find Nanbaka to be the least successful. At these points, the show suddenly takes on a more serious tone than the accompanying gag comedy and action. This results in a weird situation in which a viewer is simultaneously expected to take the show seriously while also not taking it seriously at all. It's not the tonal shifts that are the issue - rather, it's their frequency and the show's inability to sell them.

Furthermore, compelling drama requires compelling characters - something Nanbaka does not have. Most of them come down to one-dimensional quirks or hobbies and maybe the occasional simple backstory. They're too simple to be interesting on their own, and it makes investment difficult.

And this brings up what I believe to be Nanbaka's main weakness, and the source of nearly all its problems: it's characters. Even with its wildly differing subject matter, this show certainly wasn't doomed from the start. It simply lacked the tools needed to succeed. While there were several things that could have helped the show (improved action pacing and choreography, or a more memorable soundtrack to quickly and effectively shift tone), ultimately, I believe that characterization is the one key missing weapon it really needed to hit all its desired targets.

Stronger characters can create chemistry which helps to sell the comedy and elevate it from "gag" to "riot". In turn, these jokes can be a quick and effective way to show characterization. From there, these improved characters help to invest a viewer before the show switches to action, and when drama builds, the viewer will more readily buy into it. But without this depth of character, the act falls apart, undercut from its very foundations.

Despite all my criticisms of Nanbaka, one positive I can mention is the show's art. It has a unique, sparkly, insanely colourful style that immediately draws attention. I'll admit, this alone made it easier for me to sit through Nanbaka's weakest points. The style, however, is not nearly enough to carry the show on its own against its many weaknesses.

In the end, Nanbaka gets a tad too ambitious for its own good, and misses the fundamentals as a result. What could have been a notable series sadly ends up as a disorganized, zig-zagging mess, with no clear identity beyond its visual style. When it does manage to catch a rabbit, it's not a particularly tasty one.

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Trippy, Psychedelic, and Maybe a Little Bit Bizarre!

by keiyaku_

13 Entries · 42 Restacks

Comedy Is SUBJECTIVE

by Theannoy3rd1

50 Entries · 584 Restacks

ISTP MCs

by zhuumie

39 Entries · 4 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

View All

More news

Recent News

North American Anime & Manga Releases for January

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for January Week 1: January 5 - 11 Anime Releases Black Bullet Blu-ray [2021 re-release] Conception Blu-ray [E...read more

Jan 5, 2021 2:08 PM by ImperfectBlue | Discuss (8 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for November

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for November Week 1: November 5 - 11 Anime Releases Dragon Ball Z 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition Bl...read more

Nov 4, 2019 11:17 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (3 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Nanbaka Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Dec 27, 2016	57 replies	by jumbosan »» Dec 13, 2023 12:56 AM
Poll: Nanbaka Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Oct 11, 2016	87 replies	by jumbosan »» Dec 6, 2023 8:19 PM
Poll: Nanbaka Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Nov 8, 2016	58 replies	by Hyakkin »» Sep 9, 2023 1:15 PM
Poll: Nanbaka Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Oct 4, 2016	203 replies	by Goatilike »» Jun 7, 2023 5:45 AM
Poll: Nanbaka Episode 9 Discussion Stark700 - Nov 29, 2016	40 replies	by StateofOhayo »» Aug 25, 2022 8:21 AM

Recent Featured Articles

Is Anime Getting Dumber? Anime Then vs Now

Does it ever feel to you like anime is getting dumber? We take a look at some numbers and draw some conclusions to settle the issue once and for all.

by Littoface

39,299 views

Analysis

Nanbaka

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Juugo

Nico

Uno

Sugoroku, Hajime

Rock

Gokuu, Samon

Hyakushiki, Momoko

Hitokoe, Mitsuru

Tanabata, Seitarou

Tsukumo

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Nanbaka

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-