Arakawa Under The Bridge

It seems the shows I end up enjoying the most are often the ones I know the least about when going into them. I heard about this one on a reviewer's list of their favourite anime opening sequences from 2010, but not much was said other than something along the lines of it being quirky and charming, which is usually up my alley. It's an adaptation of a fairly long-running manga, and spans two seasons of 13 episodes each, both produced last year.

Young, successful business heir Kou walks along a bridge over Tokyo's Arakawa River one day and is set upon by a gang of 'eccentric' (says the fansub) youths, who somehow leave his pants attached to a column far above his head. While attempting to rescue them, Kou falls into the river and is himself rescued by Nino, a strange blonde who was fishing from the edge of the bridge. Kou's family motto says never to rely on anyone else, so he insists that she make a request of him in return - and she asks him to be her lover. In bewilderment, he agrees, and begins living on the riverbank under the bridge along with Nino and the other assorted nutcases that are her friends. The first of these that we meet is the chief or mayor of the area, who claims to be a 600-year-old mythical creature (a Kappa) despite obviously being a man in a costume, and who must give Kou a new name ('Recruit', or 'Ric' for short) before he is allowed to stay. Nino, for her part, claims to be a Venusian, and is named for the text on the front of her tracksuit (2-3, 'ni-no-san' in Japanese).

I really like this show, but I have a pretty hard time trying to define why, which I suppose is standard for me. Some of the characters are hilarious and lovable: in particular, Nino, who is forgetful, unhinged from reality, and disturbingly naïve for her age, and Star, a talentless musician in a yellow star mask who resents Kou/Ric for his relationship with Nino. The animation is fairly standard, certainly well-done but nothing unique, and is pretty much a straight adaptation of the manga's visual style, right down to Nino's peculiar, dead eyes. Ric's exasperation with almost everything the locals say and do is the source of much amusement, although a few of the characters are pretty stock-standard in this regard; e.g. P-ko, the river's fruit and vegetable farmer who fits the stereotype of 'cute and clumsy' and according to Ric is 'a walking catastrophe'.

I suppose the main thing that sucked me in is partly what I had heard about the show beforehand - that it is quirky and charming - and partly that it is damn funny. I really grew attached to the main characters and was eager to see further developments and new situations. There are some small story arcs, such as Ric's frustrating but endearing attempts to further the relationship with his 'lover', a planned commercial development on the riverbank in season 1 and a quest to fly everyone to Venus in season 2, but these arcs take a backseat to the day-to-day shenanigans. Most irritating, Season 2 comes to an abrupt end on pretty much a non-note, resolving nearly none of the tantalising suggestions of plot (including some hints of Nino's true past). Presumably the manga continues these threads, and I've sought it out and plan to read it. I have never actively read a manga before, but that's how much I want to know what happens. Hopefully there will be a third season of the show too.