Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
heycoolbook
i'm gonna start the review by saying, that i'm probably way over the intented demographic (i'm 28 yo), and that i only watched this because of my sister
so what can i say about nambaka? i felt asleep halfway throught episode 4, so that should tell you how was my experience watching this, i didn't laugh once in none of the 13 episodes, and as i previoulsy said, and to be fair to the mangaka, i'm probably too old for this kind of jokes, so the humour didn't click with me. The character design i'm not a fan of it, it's too bussy for my liking i guess? or i don't know what it is, but i can't come to like them, the constant use of sparks around character was another thing i didn't like, the colors were too bright for my liking, surprisingly the animation was alright, with some highlight in the…
Read at the sourceahart48
A rainbow colored story that starts off all laughs but becomes serious and makes your heart ache.
I originally added this anime to my watch list because I liked the bright colors and I think something this saturated in color is hard to come by. It took me a bit to get used to the art style-- almost every character had 2 tone hair and tattoos. But once you settle in, you might think the MC and/or his prison guard are quite attractive. (Male viewers- may I suggest you look to the female prison warden.)
I was expecting a story to make me laugh and that it does. However, as the story goes on there is a complexity and sadness to it. If you have ever found yourself feeling sorry for a villain then this anime is for you. The story touches on mental health in a way that I think most people can re…
Read at the sourceHirotara
Let me start off with this statement: This anime is quite literally one of THE most under-rated ones I've watched, it clearly does not get enough praise as it should have in my opinion.
The plot-line initially starts off as a comedic, non-serious, over-the-top anime series that's lighthearted and is simple overall. But what I didn't expect was how it so easily shifted from a comedic standpoint to a full-on serious, shounen-esk type of genre with actual high stakes without much effort. Not to mention, the serious story plot-points are actually really good in my opinion and it has a rather unique level of backstory for each character and even has a few wholesome moments in them too.
Character development is clearly there in terms for the protagonist and also the supporting cast. Like Rock…
Read at the sourceRalV26402
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 attachment I had to them.
Tl:dr, should have stayed a 'gag' anime.
Read at the sourceSeregosa
Pretty good anime, at least good enough to watch without feeling bored. There were a few laughs to be had here and there. I like most of the characters, although I pretty much hate hajime the guard, that bastard can go and die somewhere. I also dislike the female boss, she just can't stop being lovestruck all the time and it pisses me off, especially since I hate the one she likes.
The story is so-so, kinda average, nothing special at all. The art is pretty nice, I like the style although the colors feels a bit too flamboyant. The sound is great, well, at least the opening song, I was really fond of that one. The characters are nice in some ways, at the very least they feel kinda unique, but I feel like too much effort was put into making them too extreme, the author should learn some mod…
Read at the sourceanimesscythe
It's difficult to make a comedy series, mainly because sense of humor is subjective. Nanbaka's comedy was barely noticeable, and even if it was there, it wasn't really funny. But personally, the action and drama parts were better written than the comedy.
The story is mainly as the synopsis says. There's no story progression as such, and there's just a tournament arc filled with games at the beginning, mostly games where comedy can be introduced in. The action part was also mixed in there, the fights were well done, and the flashy artstyle did not interfere. The comedy part was mainly in the first half of the series, with some decent jokes, did not make me cringe, made me grin twice overall, was fairly enjoyable, so I'll take it; it was above average. The second half introduces character b…
Read at the sourcemvhcmaniac
Overall: 4/10
Nanbaka had vast potential as a pure comedy anime. The animation and characters were stellar, and all the anime needed to do in order for this to be a hilarious and entertaining watch was to follow the everyday life of these guys and observe how they interact with each other. But whoever is responsible for writing this managed to screw that up. By the end of the season, I felt as disappointed as I've ever been by an anime, which says something considering I've seen Gantz.
Story: 1/10
Watching this anime, I got the feeling that whoever wrote the material thought it was critically necessary to add some degree of a serious plot in order to make a good anime. The plot shows up about halfway through the season, and shatters everything that was good about the anime up until that p…
Read at the sourceAmishaelMA
I’ll put it simply: this is one of the most fantastic anime I’ve ever seen. I’d even go so far as to put it in my all-time favourite top three. It’s a rollercoaster ride that takes you from comedy to drama to mystery, and grips you from start to finish. The story is at times so ridiculously comical that it’s obviously a parody of the genre, and at other times so deep and heart-wrenching that you’ll wonder if you’re even watching the same anime as moments before.
That’s not to mention the sheer fabulousness of all the characters, and the setting. Steer far away from this if you don’t like sparkles, because Nanbaka does not stop sparkling. Ever. Even at the climax of the story each character is surrounded by glitter and bright colours. Some people won’t like the stark contrast between the…
Read at the sourceHalf-MagePrince
Have you ever wondered what's a prison feels like? How about a happy prisoners trying to escape a prison? Sounds unrealistic right? Well, of course!!! This anime tells us that situation. It has a happy go lucky vibe like Beelzebub and Assassination Classroom while you are watching this. This kinda reminded me of the Impel Down Arc of One Piece while watching the first episode.
The comedy is very funny. Been laughing so hard. The art is amazing where it comes to the point that you can't tell a boy from a girl based from their appearance. The anime is action-packed and very entertaining to watch. The prisoners are funny as hell. The guards are badass, funny and powerful. You cannot predict what will happen next unless you will predict in your mind.
Having seen both Seasons 1 and 2, all I…
Read at the sourceprotomug
So, one thing I hate is being promised chocolate but given steak. Let me explain: I love chocolate, and I love steak, but if you tell me you're gonna give me one thing, but I get the other, I'll still be disappointed. This is what Nanbaka did. I went in, having finished the first few episodes, being promised sweet comedy chocolate. I was primed to laugh at the goofy antics of Jyugo and crew, as they lay in a maximum security prison for petty crimes. And you know what? They accomplished what I thought they set out to do. The first few episodes may be some of my favorites from anime. The humor just resonated with me! It was goofy, witty, and most importantly, didn't take itself too seriously. Imagine my surprise when the main course was brought out. Lifting up the lid of the first half of th…
Read at the sourcektulu007
Nanbaka is a prison comedy series. The manga was originally written by Futamata Shou. In late 2016, Satelight began airing an anime adaptation. You may remember them as the studio behind Heat Guy J & Sousei no Aquarion. So, how does this one compare to their other works I've reviewed? Let's take a gander.
Story:
Nanba is, supposedly, the world's most formidable prison. With the toughest guards, the most inescapable perimeter, the sparkliest design and the finest dining and recreation services. We follow four prisoners, Juugo, Uno, Rock & Nico, who have escaped from prisons all over the world as they go about their lives and make trouble for the guards. Insert shenanigans here.
The biggest issue with this series is that it attempts to blend zany, really over the top comedy, with some m…
Read at the sourcePlasmatize
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, b…
Read at the sourceThe_Ruise
Nanbaka is an action dramady that definitely excels at the comedy aspect, but failed to impress me with its more serious plot-building episodes; which seem to outnumber the mostly or strictly comedic ones. I was just in it for the laughs, but it got totally serious after the tournament arc, after which it dove head-first into hidden dark sides and tragic backstories galore. These were never BAD by any means, just kind of mediocre. This being the case, it was never so dull as to make it difficult for me to finish watching an episode, or several in a row.
Read at the sourcexMissMelonx
If there's one thing about anime that I usually avoid, it's either slice of life or more spontaneous gag anime. The latter being the definition of this anime. I originally decided to watch it cause the character designs were interesting and as an aspiring character designer, I decided that I would give it a go and see what this show was really about.
Story: 6
Since this is a gag anime, usually the story isn't very serious or just has a basic scenario. However, similar to Katekyo Hitman Reborn ( originally a gag manga/anime that turned shounen after 20 eps), the story takes much darker turns here and there, but never fully explores the darker parts of the story, as it always returns to the lighthearted comedy at some point. There are many questions left in the more dark parts of the story,…
Read at the sourceTrashDax
In a world where people are born with nail polish...
Story:
Nanbaka is a complete mess. First it starts as a slice-of-life comedy, then it shifts to action shounen, then to drama, then back to comedy and eventually back to drama. I have no idea what the creators were trying to do, but it sure as hell wasn't entertaining the least bit. The main story (if you wanna call it that) is shortly mentioned early on, then forgotten for a good while, then brought back again all of a sudden. Maybe the episode writers should've talked to each other at some point.
1/10
Art:
The character design is a disaster. These guys are so flamboyant and feminine that it's ridiculous. And everything sparkles. Everything! This is what hell for the homophobic must look like. Animation is solid, the backgrounds look…
Read at the sourcejRad522
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 sho…
Read at the sourceStrawberryEmmie
NEVER TAKE THIS SHOW SERIOUSLY
Now that that's out of the way, I found enjoyment in this show though the hilarious imagery and funny jokes.
THE STORY is mediocre at best, but it's a comedy, so there's not much you can expect.
THE ART is great. It's the main focus of the comedy element and sometimes is a bit too lenient on it. The art by itself though colorful and wild is sometimes a bit eye bleeding.
THE CHARACTERS aren't varied. They are all just comic relief, which makes them seem bland overall.
OVERALL I liked this show, not to where I'll be recommending it, but it made me laugh and I think a comedy shows goal is to make you laugh and this show accomplishes it's goal.
Read at the sourcegnerkus
The action/comedy multi-genre is saturated with great shows and awful shows. The great shows are not only deliver brilliant action scenes through the quality of the technical aspects, they’re also hilarious and consistent with the comedy. The poor action/comedy shows either skimp on the quality of the art and sound involved or lack consistency in the comedy or both. Action/comedy shows are at their best when they’re funny or exciting but not when they drift off into needless drama.
Nanbaka falls between the two; it starts out great with an interesting premise and acceptable comedy. But it loses its focus along the way near the end of the series and slowly becomes boring.
[Repeated prison escapists]
Nanbaka is an action/comedy anime series based off a web manga originally created by Futam…
Read at the sourceNSpectre7
Hey folks, this will be a review for Nanbaka. I have mixed feelings about this show as a whole. The overall premise and layout was fun and enjoyable to watch. However the dramatic events that arise are really not that deep or extraordinary as some reviews have mentioned. Its those "deep" moments in the later part of the show that really kill the entire thing for me.
The story revolves around 4 prisoners in the most secure and top secret prison in the world. These four prisoners are well known for escaping prisons, Juugo especially. What seems to start off as a comedy show about escaping, and or making a home in this oddly comfortable super prison turns into a odd mix of mini stories. Each prisoner has some sort of semi tragic back story. However the main focus turns to Juugo as we discove…
Read at the sourceApomi
If you came here looking for an immensely meaningful plot that will make you see the world in a completely different way and make you wonder what the purpose of life is, then I'm terribly sorry... you came to the wrong place. Though, if you came here for a short show that will keep you entertained on times when you purely want to watch something simple, but just aren't into those moe-blobs or harem shows, then... nope, not that one either.
Nanbaka offers you the typical gag-anime humor consisting of popular shounen anime "special move" exclamations and pointless comical moments in the middle of serious fights, but then there is some drama that makes the show seem as it were trying to make the plot deeper, thus make it look like it doesn't know what kind of series it actually wants to be.…
Read at the source