Alternative TitlesJapanese: 荒川アンダー ザ ブリッジ
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 13
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 5, 2010 to Jun 28, 2010
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.821 (scored by 37433 users)
Ranked: #7002
Popularity: #162
Members: 70,580
Favorites: 672 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
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SynopsisKo Ichinomiya's family motto is "Never be indebted to anyone," but after losing his pants and falling into the Arakawa River, he quickly finds himself in debt to his savior, the cutely insane Nino (who happens to live under the bridge). To repay her, he vows to help her with her desire to "experience love." Along the way he'll meet the river's other residents, including a hot-blooded kappa, a Sister in drag, and a literal rock star. Sorry, Ko—when you fell into that river, I guess you really got in over your head!
(Source: NIS America) |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Arakawa Under the Bridge
Sequel: Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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cowwart
92 of 128 people found this review helpful
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13 of 13 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Animation |
5 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
From the time we are young, are parents all/ teach us certain things. No matter what these deal with, there will usually be a very common theme: what society wants us to do.
Yes, from a very young age, most of us will be told to continue the flow of society's ideas, and to never question them. But, what makes these ideas right?
This is the question that we are faced with while watching Arakawa Under the Bridge, a story about, well, living under a bridge. A bridge under which almost no laws will ever reach you, with the possible exception of public indecency...
We see a romance that blossoms under this bridge, as Ko, a man whose parents who have installed far beyond just the rule that society is always correct, is pulled into entering a relationship with Nino, a person who claims to be a Venusian, on his belief that anything that anyone does is solely for gain and must be repaid. This belief that his father installed in him, however, quickly begins to fade as he subconsciously begins to reject the notion that society is always correct, and slowly embraces his new life under the bridge.
Our story continues, with him continuing to meet more people under the bridge, and slowly coming to realize, yet again, that he can't really know what exactly is "right" and "wrong". Indeed, our story continues to progress in this vein, with Ko growing to accept the actions of the others all living under the bridge.
All of the residents of this area also have to have a job (with the acceptation of a couple), and they all help each other in whatever sane ways they can, before their actions degrade into insanity, one of the real main sources for comedy in Arakawa Under the Bridge. Indeed, one of the most enjoyable elements of the show was all of our unique characters interacting in unique ways.
All of these unique characters served to bring something special to the show; they all served a function for the community, while also bringing interesting elements the the show. They all have some kind of eccentricity that is very much ingrained in their character, or at least something that would render them unable to live in a regular society. These eccentricities were again, the source of nearly 100% of the comedy for the show, and the main thing that kept it interesting.
However, what really disappoints is how often the characters are left completely untouched in terms of development. We don't get any back story on some of the characters, and on others, we only get tantalizing hints. This is, for some, the most irritating element in the entire show; we can almost never figure out the pasts of some of the most unique characters that we have ever seen. It is truly disappointing.
If lack of characters development holds down the show the most, the next most irritating element is the art style. As it's shaft, we can really expect to see insanity in the rat as well, and so we do. It's really quite irritating to those who don't enjoy the Shaft animation style to b subjected to these incredibly well drawn scenes being forced down to mediocrity by terrible illustrations, which can really limit and interfere with the show for those who are not true connoisseurs of the Shaft art style.
Sound also was only a slight break from the weaker elements of this show. It was really fair: there wasn't anything that really weighed it down , but there wasn't anything that really aided it in this department either. The voice actors were average, the sound effects were average; everything really failed to go beyond the average bound. Our opening and ending were also really, well, average, leaving the anime with average sound.
While sound did not contribute to my enjoyment of the show, it certainly didn't hurt it. This show was highly enjoyable to anyone who liked the style of comedy, wasn't valued away by Shaft's art, and in general likes comedies and romances. I had a great deal of enjoyment from this show.
So, now the question is, will you enjoy it? The best way to determine that is, especially if it sounds interesting, watch a couple of episodes. By that point, you will have gotten a good taste of the random art interferences and random characters that contribute to the general eccentricity of the show. You will have also seen the types of jokes told; if they seem like they'll get old, then you should leave. The jokes will often repeat, especially if the are part of a character's intrinsic personality. In other words, you will like this show if you like the first couple of episodes, aren't thrown off by the random art you see there, like the characters, and don't mind the general premise of the show in this regard. If it sounds interesting, give it a try.
So long Arakawa Under the Bridge. It's been awesome!! read more
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gr33nhippo
21 of 38 people found this review helpful
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13 of 13 episodes seen
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
Produced by SHAFT under director Akiyuki Shinbou (Bakemonogatari, Zetsubou Sensei, Maria+Holic), Arakawa Under the Bridge expresses more of the director's enticement to mix a dark comedy with a colorful cast of characters. This combination has proven successful with previous hits Zetsubou Sensei and Bakemonogatari. Does the same hold for Arakawa, or has the director gotten too comfortable with the genre that he overlooked the basics?
Kou Ichinomiya was raised by his stern father to be the perfect businessman. At the young age of 22, he already leads his own company and has mass amounts of wealth. He obsessively follows his family's motto, which is written across his tie, of never being indebted to anyone for even the smallest of deeds. Unfortunately, one person's helpful deed changes Ichinomiya's daily life completely. After getting his pants stolen on a bridge, a blonde haired girl named Nino returns it to him; however, because of his family's motto, Ichinomiya insists upon some form of repayment - a new house, a million yen, a new car, anything. Nino requests for the young prodigee to be her lover. And so begins the crazy story that is Arakawa Under the Bridge. Kou moves into a new place under the bridge, where he is forced to communicate with the strange residents.
The first he comes into contact with is of course the blonde-haired Nino. Her strangeness stems from her belief that she is a Venusian - and thus, doesn't understand certain human acts. The two of them have a strange relationship as lovers due to this lack of understanding. Next is the village chief, a man dressed in a kappa outfit who thinks himself a real kappa. The village chief is in charge of giving the residents their names, and as a twisted joke, he gives the name "Recruit" to Ichinomiya. There is also Hoshi, a man who wears a star-shaped mask and plays a guitar... badly.
Among the most interesting characters of the crew, are Sister and Maria. Sister is a nun, a male nun... from England... who was a mercenary that fought in wars. He runs the village's "Church" where he hands out cookies while blasting his gun that he always keeps tucked under his nun uniform. Maria is a seemingly sweet lady who runs the village's farm. Her true nature is anything but sweet though, as she says the harshest things imaginable to the other villagers making them feel lower than dirt. Basically, her personality gives off the impression that she thinks the lives of others are worth less than the grass they stand on, and that they are not worthy of taking in the oxygen around her.
Other characters include P-Ko, Stella, the Brothers, and Shirai. P-ko is a clumsy red haired girl who has a fascination with vegetables. Stella is an orphaned kid who Sister took care of back in England where he also taught her how to wrestle, making Stella a little girl to avoid. The Tetsujin brothers are apparently on the run from men from the "laboratory". They hide their faces with metal cans to conceal their identities and/or super powers.
The story follows Recruit (Ichinomiya) as he learns how to deal with the unusual residents under the bridge. It is through these characters that Arakawa is given life; however, there isn't much else to the story since it is a comedy. The art direction isn't far off from other SHAFT titles, but don't expect anything as visually appealing as the vibrant eye-candy of Bakemonogatari. The music is also good; nothing really special though.
Arakawa Under the Bridge shows that Akiyuki Shinbou and SHAFT continue to lead the anime industry in creating dark comedies as well as unique casts of characters. The humor is entertaining and certainly unique, just as was Bakemonogatari for those familiar. Unlike Bakemonogatari though, Arakawa focuses a lot more on the comedy that it doesn't create a strong lasting impression. It was a very enjoyable watch, but it is hard to give the show high praises because it did not leave this heavy impact. The characters were superb, the animation and music decent, the comedy golden, but something was missing that could have made this show much, much stronger. The thing is, the staff probably wasn't aiming for something strong - it is a comedy after all - and it is in that section that Arakawa shines. I look forward to season two.
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Recommendations
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Similair humor and randomness.
It's SHAFT, it's a quirky cast, it's the same main voice actor (KAMIYA!!), it's random culture references, and it's witty/ridiculous humor everywhere. If you liked one of them, the other comedy would probably make you laugh just as much. Note: Arakawa under the Bridge has a romantic plot (Nino <3) but Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei does not.
Characters are almost the same. Feeling and tons of iuseless talks...
Almost the same humor, randomness, story (life of a guy surrounded by a bunch of weirdos) and all
Similiar in humor and randomness and lot of weird people
just replace the classroom with riverbank
Same producers, art and voice actors. Both of them are good and funny.
The same random humor and voice actor.
It got a really similar feel to it!
Same absurd kind of humour and the main characters have a similar feel to them.
Let's not beat around the bush - Arakawa is Zetsubou Sensei with a fresh coat of paint. If you've run out of SZS and need more, you should be watching this. You might just end up liking it more.
Both are presented in quite similar style,and filled in comedy,the seiyuu of both main characters are same so if you really enjoyed the comedic expression of Ichinomiya Kou a.k.a Recruit in Arakawa,u will surely enjoyed the same from Itoshiki Nozomu in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei.
Similar humour and random out there dialogue.
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Both series start with the meeting between the protagonist and an odd yet characteristically deadpan girl he forms an arbitrarily romantic relationship with and follow up with his dealings with various increasingly odd people and their problems. Having the same production studio, director, and lead seiyuu, they often feel quite similar, despite Bakemonogatari possessing a seriousness and sequential arc structure Arakawa consistently avoids.
It is obvious that if you liked Bakemonogatari you should watch Arakawa Under the Bridge. The main character of the both series is voiced by the same actor, which gives the impression that we have to deal with the very similar story.
Another thing that is in common is the way the story is being told. It is almost the same. The key factor is the fact that Bakemonogatari was made by the studio that has also made the Arakawa Under the Bridge. Both series will rather not be liked by the most of the viewers because the storyline is made for more intelligent people.
The only difference is shown using the art style, which is rather similar to the standard anime shows in Arakawa Under the Bridge. But it should make it easier to watch for non otakus.
Both are done by SHAFT, hence it's shafty. When, Bakemonogatari focuses on very little amount of characters and analysis them in depth using clever and witty dialogues, Arakawa under the Bridge raises the madness of the characters by far and the number of the cast is significantly larger with bother-line retarded and nonsensical conversations. Still, they are very similar in the fact that both focuses mainly on dialogues of individual characters. Oh, and eye rolling scenes too.
Thus, both looks great.
Arakawa Under The Bridge follows the legacy of Bakemonogatari with exactly the same style, same director, same elite main voice actors. However, this show is one or two notch(es) down from Bakemonogatari on romance, plot, and characters. Afterall, good learning material for funny Japanese chatter.
Both are random-esque animes that tend to shift from situation to situation, involving comedy or general mishaps between the protagonist and his girlfriend or friends. While Bakemonogatari does have a more concrete ending, Arakawa has a much more lighthearted feel to it and will keep you laughing for quite a while. The happy-go-lucky feel is present in every single minute of the anime.
Similar humor and character developments. Emphasis on a very small area of the anime's locale. The person that voices the main character in Arakawa (Kou) also voices a main character in Bakemonogatari (Hitagi), and does an amazing job. The all around feel of both anime's are very similar, funny, and enjoyable.
When i started watching Bakemonogatari it almost instantly reminded me about Arakawa. Art and characters, their humor and actions, and random plots. Both are really good and funny.
-Male main character meets strange female character
-Both male main character share the same VA
-MANY other strange characters
-Same producer: Shaft
-Same humor
Oh God, that randomness and humor in both of these series.
Shaft is involved in both series and brings unique comedy into both of these series that are sarcastic and out of this world.
Both series meets a strange girl and becomes a couple with them. The protagonist in both series are quite similar in terms of personalities and even a bit in appearance.
Both series are outrageously funny and a must watch.
Both anime excel in Extreme Trash-Talking
Like seriously some of the most outright fascinating dialogue possible
Both anime were Produced by Shaft--really awesome group
Neither of these anime involve the typical --school nonsense
Both of these anime really get their Substance from all characters that are not the
Main Character
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Opening Theme#1: "Venus to Jesus (ヴィーナスとジーザス)" by Etsuko Yakushimaru
#2: "Title nante Jibun de Kangaenasaina （タイトルなんて自分で考えなさいな)" by Maria (Miyuki Sawashiro) (ep 5)
Ending Theme"Sakasama Bridge (逆様ブリッジ)" by Suneohair
Fansubbing Groups
Which fansubbers do you like the best? Click + to approve of their subs for this show. Click - if you don't think they did such a great job.
Zettai [Zettai] (Brazilian Portuguese)
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