Nanbaka: Part One

Jailbreak sagas are typically harsh, but not so much in the absurd Nanbaka, based on Japanese comics. Longtime readers of American funny papers might note an echo here of gag-a-day strips from the Johnny Hart/Brant Parker factory such as B.C., The Wizard of Id, and Crock before this anime grows suddenly schizophrenically serious in latter episodes. The island-fortress prison Nanba is supposedly escape-proof, but four largely non-violent offenders in cell block 13—young pals who have served time in penal institutions worldwide—frequently try to break out or otherwise outwit their ferocious alpha-guard frenemy Hajime just for fun (these inmates actually enjoy this particular joint). The humor centers on protracted guard-vs-prisoner "New Year’s Tournaments," progressing from card games to bloody martial arts death matches (there’s a secret conspiracy to turn prisoners into super-powered mutants). Sometimes this is played for deadpan mock-melodrama but basically the series spoofs anime tropes and whatever else comes to mind (cross-dressing charas, the tragic backstory of one prisoner having been groomed from boyhood to be a movie actor ninja, etc.). At one point, even the narrator confesses to having no idea what’s going on (at least the sexiness and violence are presented at an unabashed Looney Tunes level). Presenting the first 13 episodes from 2016 in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-14, this offbeat series is recommended. [Note: Nanbaka: Part Two is also newly available.] (C. Cassady)