Nanbaka

Episode 23

Jyuugo is seriously depressed. There were indicators of this early on in the show, arguably throughout his entire first-cour arc, but it's become more obvious in the second cour. Strangely, it's easier to see when he's out of focus. It was easy to dismiss his excess of feelings as melodrama or being "emo," as was so common in the older fujoshi anime Nanbaka emulates. (After all, the mid-2000s were the height of the "emo" craze.) It's only when he's in a group that we really see how Jyuugo has changed from his earlier self. He used to take the lead in battles, but not anymore. Now he's easily discouraged and pushed back. It's clear that all these revelations and Elf visits have taken their toll.

Nanbaka brings him back into the fold this week. Ruka mentions that Jyuugo is "the key," but doesn't explain what that means. Jyuugo suggests that he might have some idea, so the other inmates get to work on him. The Building 3 guys lay the pressure on thick, yelling at him when Jyuugo doesn't tell them his secret, but being Jyuugo's friend, Uno tries a different approach. He reassures Jyuugo that he is valuable and Uno cares about him. He also tells him that Jyuugo can reveal the truth in his own time, which actually makes Jyuugo more eager to spill than he was from the Building 3 inmates' pressure and insults.

In a way, these two responses model how not to talk to a depressed, anxious person. The Building 3 guys reinforce all the awful things that Jyuugo already believes about himself, which makes him just want to cower into himself, making it even less likely that he'll help in any way. Uno helps Jyuugo to feel valuable and reassures him that at least one person values him even outside of his fighting prowess. This makes him stronger and more likely to help. We see this through Jyuugo's flashbacks to the other Building 13 inmates encouraging him. They've developed a real makeshift family, and that's what keeps their most troubled member going.

Nanbaka has done something like this many times over with Jyuugo, but this is its most direct approach, which is probably why it feels new even though it isn't. It's also unexpected in a storyline that's mostly focused on supporting characters. It could be a sign that the plot is shifting back to our leads. There have been several hints that Jyuugo is important to Enki's cause, and the show has hinted that various baddies might be aware of Elf's plans. I'm eager to see where this goes. Jyuugo's story is far more interesting than any of Nanbaka's other ongoing plots.

The rest of the episode focuses on the Building 3 inmates. I'm finding it very hard to get invested in either of them. They were entertaining as comic relief in earlier episodes, but as focus characters, they're too unsympathetic. The episode sets them up as jerks with their behavior toward Jyuugo and only keeps pushing that further. Nanbaka has enough complicated jerks and jerks-with-hearts-of-gold, we don't need these one-dimensional jerks. There's just nothing to grab on to there.

This arc is just spinning its wheels at this point. While it's nice to get back to the main Enki plot, it won't be interesting until we learn more about what's behind it. Endless battle sequences might please some fans of the show, but Nanbaka's animation just isn't good enough for me to find them interesting on their own, and the show's camp isn't over-the-top or original enough to make them funny. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure this is not. Nanbaka needs to get back to plot motion and fast.

Rating: C+

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.