Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy - Pinned Up Ink

Nanbaka

 

“A Colorful Prison Comedy”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you ever felt trapped in some shape or form? Perhaps you are confined to expectations that are clearly not what you want, or maybe you aren’t allowed to go out as much as your friends. The world is hardly fair, so we struggle against life's challenges every day. No matter how much we strive for equality, there will always be someone above or below you in whatever aspect, and that’s a cold, hard truth we must all swallow.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

But should anyone stop fighting for their freedom and what they want? Absolutely not! As long as what you desire isn’t illegal and doesn’t harm anything or anyone, you should be allowed to pursue your dreams to the best of your ability!

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

“Nanbaka,” also known as “The Numbers," is a 13-episode TV anime series that aired from the 5th of October until the 28th of December in fall 2016. It was produced by Nihon Ad Systems, DAX Production, Sony Music Communications, Crunchyroll, comico, Tokuma Japan Communications, and Nelke Planning, licensed by Funimation, and brought to life by Studio Satelight.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

The anime was brought to life under the direction of Shinji Takamatsu, with Mitsutaka Hirota handling series composition, while Tomoko Takahashi served as producer for the Japanese version and Justin Cook produced the English localization. Each episode spanned 23 minutes and featured the genres of action, comedy, and drama, earning a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

The anime is based on the web manga of the same name, which ran for 423 chapters from the 13th of October 2013 until the 25th of June 2022. It is the work of author and artist Futamata Shou, which was serialized in comico. It was digitally simulpublished in English via Crunchyroll on December 21, 2015.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

Nanbaka Season 2 was released as a 12-episode ONA series from the 4th of January until the 22nd of March, 2017. It was produced by Nihon Ad Systems, DAX Production, Sony Music Communications, Crunchyroll, comico, Tokuma Japan Communications, and Nelke Planning, licensed by Funimation, and brought to life by Studio Satelight, which was also based on the Web Manga.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

A single special episode titled “Nanbaka: Shusseki Bangou no Tsuita Baka-tachi!” (“Nanbaka: Idiots with Student Numbers!”) was aired on April 29, 2017. Produced by comico and done by the same studio, this 23-minute episode featured the genres of action and comedy alongside a school theme. It was announced on the official website for the anime that the "Nanfes" event in April would screen this previously unreleased special.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

The story is set in this world’s most formidable prison, Nanba, specifically built to incarcerate criminals far too slippery to be held within ordinary confinements. Here, the spotlight focuses on four very peculiar inmates occupying Cell 13, known to be extremely cunning and already having a perfect track record of escaping every prison thus far.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

Juugo, a lock specialist who has spent the majority of his life in prison; Uno, a gambler with excellent intuition; Nico, an otaku of all things whose body reacts very strangely to drugs; and last but not least, Rock, a good ol' bruiser with an unwavering love for food, make up the main cast. It should come as no surprise that these four get up to some form of shenanigans every day, which causes a great deal of trouble for the Nanba building supervisor, Hajime Sugoroku.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

Thus, his daily life is filled with desperate attempts to prevent the troublesome four of Cell 13 from breaking out of prison. This show is all about the comedic and sparkle-filled exploits of these dynamic characters trapped in the loop of prisoners and guards. But here’s the catch: this prison provides its prisoners with three square meals every day and even sports festivals, which is the kind of stuff you don’t find in every confinement establishment, so life at Nanba isn’t even that bad. What’s more, this place is the closest thing the four prisoners have to a home! 

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

Before you even think of starting to watch Nanbaka, you must promise you won’t take this show too seriously. This is a comedy among comedies and is meant to be seen as such, so if too many jokes strike you as wrong or inappropriate, you may not enjoy the show as much. If you approach it lightheartedly, it’ll be hilarious, stupid, and weird simultaneously, even if it makes no sense, and that’s part of the allure. This is a dumb show in a good way; it will no doubt keep you entertained for the entire run if you simply allow it to.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

This anime reminded me of the classic Looney Tunes shows because, for some reason, it featured a group of male protagonists with outrageously colorful and fabulous hairstyles. Throw those men into what is known as the “world’s most secure prison” while also being some kind of super liberal preschool, and you’ll have Nanbaka.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

To make matters worse, our cast of characters has the kind of impulsive control that babies have and can summon whatever they want from Hammerspace, which leads to all sorts of crazy situations. This nonsense works because the majority of the characters are compelling in their own right as well as flamboyant.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

If any of this absurdity appeals to you, you may commence viewing immediately. That's pretty much all I can say about the plot because it isn't a convoluted, overarching story; rather, it is a straightforward narrative that relies on its characters to carry it.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

If we are to dive even deeper into the character department, which we should because these people are just plain fun, you’ll find a plethora of over-the-top and extremely extra being confined to too small a place. All four main characters are engaging and absolute riots on-screen, commanding your attention and that of the supporting cast.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

They all have one or more signature jokes in their arsenals, which they will use repeatedly and still manage to make them land every single time. Whether they’re straight-up maniacs, likably annoying, or play the straight man unto death until they cannot be taken seriously anymore, everyone has unique quirks that don’t feel cliche either.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

For somebody who loves anime, Nico was an absolute treat—a hyper-otaku who enjoys weirdly stupid anime and whose use of drugs leads to quite entertaining shenanigans. In all honesty, he is the type of individual with whom one would enjoy relaxing and watching anime after a long day of work, and he is able to do so while performing behind the camera.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

If you saw any promotional material for this series, you’d already have guessed that the art and animation department is lit. It’s just fabulous on screen: the colors are hyper-saturated shades of lime green and hot pink all over the place, and with the best execution possible. Everything looks alive, surreal, and dynamic, occasionally distracting you from the unbelievable stunts of the plot and characters.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

They manage to do this in just the right amounts so that you can enjoy everything without any one aspect being overbearing. The art is vibrant and fun, making me want to jump into this pool of bright colors. It alone is enough to fully portray what this show is all about and even entice you into watching!

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

The sound and music departments are excellent, too. The opening theme is "Rin! Rin! Hi! Hi!" by Hashiguchikanaderiya hugs The Super Ball, a superb piece combining both rock and J-Pop, embellished with entertaining visuals that perfectly vibe with the show. The ending theme is "Nanbaka Datsugoku Riron♪!" by Juugo (Yuto Uemura), Uno (Tetsuya Kakihara), Rock (Ire Shiozaki), Nico (Daiki Kobayashi), and Hajime Sugoroku (Tomokazu Seki), sung by the voice actors.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

While this one isn’t that memorable, the visuals of the chibi characters running around while singing have their own unique charm as you exit each episode. The OSTs aren’t groundbreaking, but they enhance each moment to be in sync with the show’s atmosphere, and that’s more than enough. The voice actors have done a fantastic job bringing their wacky characters to life alongside their nonsensical charm, which is genuinely commendable from my point of view. Honestly, I have no complaints in this department either.

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

Overall, Nanbaka is a delightful and fun show meant to be taken as it is and nothing more. There are neither profound life lessons for you to walk away with nor mysteries to ponder; it’s all straightforward and wacky comedy designed to bring out laughs. If you are looking for a good laugh and a show you don't need to take seriously, Nanbaka is the one for you. Even if you aren’t, I’d recommend this show to most for its simplistic and colorful charms!

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

 

 

Please Like, Comment, Share or click one of the links below to read another post.

 

 

https://pinnedupink.com/blogs/random-thoughts-because-mondays-suck

 

https://pinnedupink.com/blogs/on-screen

 

https://pinnedupink.com/blogs/flashbacks

 

 

Nanbaka Season One: A Colorful Prison Comedy | Pinnedupink.com

RELATED ARTICLES

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published