Nanbaka

Episode 6

Nanbaka's tournament arc was already starting to feel tired. Unfortunately, this episode was a poorly-paced mess that only picked up in its final minutes. Nanbaka leaned on some of its most tired plotlines and jokes to round out the last battle of this tournament. As with the last several challenges, this final one is also based around an unusual task before becoming a standard shonen battle. Each team includes one guard and one inmate: Hajime and Jyugo respectively. Their opponents are from Building 4. The bulk of the episode's time is spent on the two guards' fight, to its detriment.

Yozakura, the guard of Building 4, is in love with the warden who loves Hajime. He puts all his resentment into the fight, seeing it as an opportunity to win the warden's love. It's very obvious from the warden's behavior that he has no chance; she's rooting hard for Hajime the whole time with her usual lovestruck gaze. The whole sequence shines a light on one of Nanbaka's most obnoxious repeating gags. The first few times the warden turned lovestruck with that cheesy saxophone music, it was surprising enough to be funny. Now that it's a key part of who she is, it's just tired. Camp runs on being both over-the-top and unexpected. It stops working as well when viewers see the jokes coming.

Even before this battle, "The Booster Episode" feels odd. Based on the title and the first several minutes, I expected it to be a recap episode. It features the guards relaxing while discussing the previous episode's battle, recounted through flashbacks. I'm not sure why the show reminded us of this when it's not connected to anything else in the episode. It feels tacked-on and unnecessary.

The episode finally starts to pick up in the last few minutes, when the action shifts to Jyugo's fight. The Building 4 inmate has the ability to spontaneously combust. He also has a history with Jyugo and reminds him of the man who put the unbreakable shackles on him. This fuels Jyugo's resentment in a way that's far more interesting than the guards' sloppy love triangle. Once again, Nanbaka ends on an intriguing cliffhanger to lead into the next episode. Too bad it took such a long, winding, tiring road to get there.

Rating: D+

There is a lot to enjoy about Funimation's broadcast dub. Comedies can be particularly tricky to translate, and even in subtitled form, it can feel like a lot is lost. So when an anime comedy gets a strong dub, it's something to really appreciate. It brings me that much more into the show, and Nanbaka's dub is so far, so good.

The cast is largely comprised of newer voice actors, whose credits consist of other Funi broadcast dubs. The big exception to this is Ian Sinclair, who plays surly guard Hajime. He does a great job, and his voice is immediately familiar for better or for worse. If you've seen the dub for Space Dandy, it will be hard not to hear Sinclair's performance through that lens. I loved Sinclair in that show, but Hajime is a much more serious character, who serves as the straight man to Nanbaka's legions of goofballs. Playing him like Space Dandy, with more sarcastic dialogue, changes the tone of the show a bit. I'm not sure how I feel about that change yet; it will take a few more episodes to see.

The inmates are a middle ground between grizzled tough guys and the sillier characters of the Japanese version. It tones down the performances in a way that might not work for some, but it made the show much better for me. I especially liked Justin Briner as Niko. Briner plays him as more awestruck and childlike, rather than the broad chibi caricature he is in Japanese. It makes Niko a far more endearing character to me.

How you feel about the dub will depend a lot on how you feel about the Japanese version's comedy. The dub tones down its excesses, moving it closer to other anime comedy dubs. If that's what you like, you should really appreciate it. Either way, give it a listen.

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.