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Nanbaka
Episode 10

by Rose Bridges,

How would you rate episode 10 of
Nanbaka ?
Community score: 4.0

Episode 10 of Nanbaka is a strange little installment. It mostly exists in the shadow of the previous episode, one of the best in the series. This one is…not the best, but it manages to succeed in spite of its "afterthought" status. Episode 10 ties up the remaining loose ends from the previous week, showing us where everyone stands now.

The first half focuses on the other three inmates of Cell 13 during Jyugo's solitary confinement. This is largely a return to the "non-stop hijinks" setup of the pre-New Year's Tournament episodes. Since Hajime is suspended for three days, the other supervisors have to take turns with the troublesome Building 13. They all clash with the Cell 13 dudes in different ways. However, behind the silliness is interesting character drama. It's all about the way the Cell 13 inmates bounce off each other when one member of their group is missing.

One thing that's very refreshing about Nanbaka, especially in comparison to similar shows, is how much its leads like each other. No, I don't mean in that way, though there's certainly no lack of ship bait. (Especially this episode, with Uno cuddling up to a Jyugo hug-pillow.) They're friends who all seem to really appreciate each other's presence and skills. That's why they're so good at coordinating prison breaks, even in as formidable a fortress as Nanba. The old-school, mid-2000s "fujoshi shows" that Nanbaka is a throwback to often made the protagonists hate each other or at least be really competitive. It allowed for more of the slapstick humor that the genre was known for, inspiring the yaoi paddles and other convention hijinks that fujoshi engaged in back in the day. Nanbaka has more of that rapport between the guards, but the main characters are clearly friends.

Without Jyugo though, that dynamic begins to fray. Everyone in Cell 13 is quick to sell each other out near the end of their segment. They all want to avoid Yamato's grueling physical training, but they could most easily do so by banding together. In an ordinary Nanbaka episode, that is what would happen. Here, though, the characters see the potential to pawn their friends off on Yamato. Uno does this with Rock, devising a strategy to get him to go but not the other two. Rock is only too quick to sell Uno out in turn, by telling Yamato and that he's lying. A cell divided against each other cannot stand, and everyone is stuck with Yamato.

Luckily, Jyugo comes back by the end of the episode. Before that, we get to see the immediate aftermath of Jyugo's confrontation with Musashi. Jyugo is somehow clueless as to what Musashi meant in telling his story, even though it's obvious to Hajime (and the audience). Hajime explains it to Jyugo in order to clarify for any audience members who missed last week's themes. It also provides a joke at the expense of Jyugo's dopeyness. The segment is brief and feels even more like an afterthought than the rest of the episode, but it shows how Nanbaka is skilled at juggling different tones. In this case, it combines exposition with humor. Besides summarizing last week's biggest moment, we also learn an important clue to Hajime's future arc: because Jyugo can't escape and kill the scarred man, Hajime will do it himself. I hope Hajime follows up on this. In the meantime, Nanbaka delivers up another joke by using the camera to suggest that Hajime might secretly be the scarred man (by zeroing in on his own scar) and having Jyugo look alarmed. It turns out that Jyugo was just shocked Hajime was smoking in a non-smoking area.

Jyugo has an emotional reunion with the rest of Cell 13, where he comes to an epiphany about how he gets by with a little help from his friends, bringing the episode full circle. We saw in the first half how poorly the inmates of Cell 13 handle themselves without all four of them together. Even with just one piece of the puzzle missing, they're not themselves. Now they're reunited, Jyugo, the missing piece, delivers the same lesson.

It might not affect the characters well in-universe, but Nanbaka seems to be at its strongest when it divides up its cast. The episodes focusing on Jyugo's powers have been the strongest, especially episode 9. Letting everybody act out of character makes for better drama and funnier jokes. I'm a little nervous about where the show will go now that all the drama of the New Year's Tournament has been put to rest. Next week's episode about everyone getting their rewards could prove to be just as entertaining, though. We will just have to see.

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.


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