Nanbaka

Episode 14

Nanbaka needed a break from all the dramatic heavy lifting it's done lately. After all, it's supposed to be a comedy anime. It tells you that right in both this episode's title and dialogue throughout. It's a week filled with jokes, with nary a dramatic turn in sight. Its sole ominous moment turns out to be setup for another joke, one of the funnier ones in the episode as it turns out.

How you feel about this installment will depend on how you feel about Nanbaka's comedy in general. Comedy is one of the most subjective aspects of media. What makes one person laugh makes another groan. For me, this episode was a case study in how much Nanbaka feels like a "throwback" show. Its humor style is full of obvious fourth-wall breaks and "lol random" humor. That was far more common in anime comedies from the mid-2000s. There's still plenty of it today, but this specific combination feels dated. Maybe that's fresh for people who liked that style of comedy and have been missing it lately. Unfortunately, that's not me; I feel like I outgrew this kind of stuff in high school.

Still, there was a lot to make me laugh in Nanbaka this week, since the best jokes seemed to be poking fun at the show itself. I enjoyed the "meta" humor that was a bit more clever—not just "hey, guess what? we're in an anime!" but gags specific to this anime. One of the best came near the end of the episode, when Nico's strange ability randomly switches everyone's hair colors. This joke builds on the fact that everyone has pretty ridiculous hair in the first place, but at the same time, these 'dos all fit everyone's specific personalities and styles. The characters look odd when they have them switched, and most act horrified at how "weird" and garish their new hair looks, only to be reminded that their normal style is pretty weird too.

I also enjoyed the scenes with Kuu. I'm a cat person, and seeing how the guards and inmates react to Hajime's little fuzzball was fun. It also adds another dimension to the surly guard himself. Who thought Hajime was a cat man? It's not what you would expect from someone as grumpy and fun-spongy as him. This is another example of how Nanbaka's humor works best when it builds on what's already there. The cat might seem random!!!! at first, but it's actually there to play with our expectations of existing characters. Also, it's cute. You can't go wrong with cute.

The most surprising thing about this episode was how well the warden romance gags worked for me. I've complained before about how repetitive these scenes get, but this week, the show acknowledged and poked fun at that problem. The characters even say "Didn't something like this happen a few episodes ago?" The whole sequence also makes me wonder: is every guard in Nanba in love with the warden? (Save Hajime, the guy she actually likes, of course. Because this is a comedy anime.) I guess that would make sense, as she's not only a pretty girl but also the only woman around for miles. Still, I hope that doesn't continue to be her only character trait.

Nanbaka is indeed a comedy anime, which becomes a problem when its gags can feel like the most tired and repetitive part of it. Thankfully, this episode shows that it still has many new tricks up its sleeve. Not every joke lands—in fact, many don't—but enough do to remind you that Nanbaka can still do its job. Now, if only it can inject the regular episodes with some of its fresher gags.

Rating: B

Nanbaka is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rose is a music Ph.D. student who loves overanalyzing anime soundtracks. Follow her on her media blog Rose's Turn, and on Twitter.