Arakawa Under the Bridge

‘Never be indebted to anyone.’ (The Ichinomiya family motto.)

Kou Ichinomiya knows that he is perfect; intelligent, handsome and he’s already running his own companies while still a student at the best university… So how come this icon of perfection finds himself trouserless, climbing up the metal strut of the bridge over the Arakawa River? (He’s trying to retrieve his trousers which have been removed and slung up high by a group of juvenile delinquents.) And how come he hasn’t noticed the blue-eyed blonde girl fishing off the side of the bridge until she starts to hold a conversation with him as he dangles precariously overhead? And if he’s so perfect and accomplished, why does he find himself falling into the river? Rescued from drowning by Nino, the blonde girl, Kou is utterly confounded. His strict father has brought him up never to be beholden to anyone – and now he owes her his life.

Nino is a Venusian, or so she tells Kou. Which may – or may not – explain her refreshing – though utterly unorthodox – attitude to life. Before he knows what’s happening, Kou finds himself Nino’s boyfriend and part of the community of colourful characters living on the riverbank. Their leader spends his days dressed as a kappa (a water youkai) doing kappa-like stuff, and – even though Kou has spotted a zip at the back of his green bodysuit – the Chief insists that he is a kappa. (So maybe he is.) Renamed ‘Recruit’ (Riku) by the Chief, Kou makes himself a new home beneath the bridge and soon finds himself cast in the role of rival for Nino’s affections by Hoshi, a musician who wears a yellow star mask. Add to this mix Sister, a scarred, ex-military cross-dressing giant of a nun, who runs the riverbank chapel, Stella, a cute little English orphan who has followed Sister (and has the ability to shapeshift into a very powerful and butch alter ego), the young twins, who have escaped from a laboratory and wear helmets at all times to shield their powers, gorgeous Maria who runs a farm and has a cruel line in put-downs…

So…what becomes of Kou and his growing relationship with Nino? What happens when his businessman father tries to bring him back from his new-found friends? What happens when his father tries to redevelop the riverbank? There is a plot of sorts, but it takes second place to the depiction of this ‘other’ way of life that Kou has been introduced to by Nino. Divided into short chapters, Arakawa Under the Bridge meanders cheerfully onward, with little explosions of craziness erupting to unsettle and subtly alter Kou’s view of his place in the world (mass and ‘confession’ at Sister’s church; fire drill on the river bank; a visit to the hairdresser’s…)

Arakawa Under the Bridge (2010) has some striking visuals. There are recurring themes and images: the close-up of an astonished, blinking eye (usually Kou’s); fish (usually those caught by Nino); people glimpsed through a border depicting the abundant foliage growing on the bank; the bridge itself.  However, these clever instances of visual shorthand (and the use of many stills) are not always quite enough to disguise the necessity to eke out of the animation budget.

The studied craziness of this thirteen episode series (originally a seinen manga by Hikaru Nakamura) may not appeal to everyone. It has some serious moments when Kou ponders the meaning of life (usually at the start of an episode) which it balances with gag-type short sequences at the end of the episode and the – frankly creepy – live-action glimpses of an actor playing the Chief in full kappa costume, doing weird stuff. Yup; weird stuff.  There have, of course, been live action versions (a TV series and a film) and there is also an anime sequel due out soon from MVM. Arakawa is not as zanily off-the-wall bonkers as Excel Saga, neither does it mine quite the same broad vein of comedy as Baka and Test, although there are moments which bring both series to mind. If you like your anime plots to proceed along a logical path, then this is probably going to annoy and frustrate you. However…you might enjoy watching just a single episode at a time.

With no English dub available, there’s the chance to enjoy the performances of the original voice actors with a decent subtitled script. Hiroshi Kamiya (Levi in Attack on Titan) makes a likable Kou, managing to vary effectively the way he has to react to some new outrage or bizarre suggestion from the oddballs in the riverbank community. And Maaya Sakamoto brings just the right level of dotty but attractive otherworldliness to her depiction of Nino.

Some of the jazzier background music by Masaru Yokoyama is fun – but most of the rest has that deliberately ‘funny’ vibe that becomes more and more irritating as the series progresses. Less would have definitely been more here.

The Opening Theme is the catchy “Venus to Jesus,” by Etsuko Yakushimaru with striking yet suitably bizarre imagery, dominated by – what else? – fish. Episode 5 opens with “Nante Jibun de Kangaenasai na” sung by Miyuki Sawashiro who plays the acerbic Maria. The Ending Theme is the lively “Sakasama Bridge” by Suneohair.

Extras are a series of promotional slots, and trailers for other MVM anime titles.

In Summary

Arakawa Under the Bridge is decidedly different from other anime on offer at present, delighting in its off the wall sense of humour. I liked it! You might or might not, depending on your tastes in comedy (such a personal thing). Why not give it a try?