Nanbaka (original) (raw)

Imagine a battle manga with Ziggy Stardust as a main character. Wait! You don't actually have to do that. We already have Nanbaka, where everyone is a glam rocker.

*A spoiler free preview*

Oh, those Idiots with numbers. An oddball among oddballs, Nanbaka has become a series I'm faithfully following despite finding it a bit boring and awfully paced from time to time. I'm fond of the characters, love all the colors and sparkle and totally adore the art.

Nanbaka both is and is not what it looks like. If you come for the comedy, you won't be disappointed, but that's not all you will get. Be ready... for whirlwind of emotions, because this gig will be long and full of surprises; even a wacko comedy can be incredibly dark.

The characters are dazzling, hot and interesting and everyone is a badass in their own way. The Nanba prison is full of individuals with different motives, skills and stories we get to unfold one by one. The story arcs can become incredibly dragging with all those characters whose backgrounds we're going to have to discover on the way, bu there's always something interesting enough to keep you reading. While Nanbaka might not be the best at creating a harmony between comedy and drama, those parts sometimes work incredibly well while solo.

The art is dynamic and just phenomenal. Character designs are gorgeous and everyone is clearly familiar with both their masculine and feminine sides. The full-color format is fully utilized and shows the author's skills with coloring; be prepared to put your sunglasses on while reading. The characters are expressive and the best part of the whole series must be Jyugo's eyes; they change color from panel to panel, something the anime version couldn't bring to life.

Dazzling, odd and idiotic, Nanbaka is a series that does everything with style. Battle shounen with boarding school vibes, colorful characters and even more colorful art, stupid comedy and tearjerkers, it's definitely something worth checking out, like it or not.