Arakawa Under the Bridge

Kou Ichinomiya is the son of a wealthy businessman who holds a firm belief in his elite status. As such, he is determined to avoid becoming indebted to anyone; but one day, after a run-in with some mischievous kids on Arakawa Bridge, he ends up falling into the river running underneath. Luckily for him, a passerby is there to save him—but now, he owes his life to this stranger!

Angered by this, Kou insists on paying her back, but this may just be the worst deal the arrogant businessman has ever made. The stranger—a stoic, tracksuit-wearing homeless girl known only as Nino—lives in a cardboard box under the bridge and wants only one thing: to fall in love. Asking Kou to be her boyfriend, he has no choice but to accept, forcing him to move out of his comfortable home and start a new life under the bridge!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Episode 4 of Arakawa Under the Bridge was longer than the airing block it was scheduled for, so the epilogue and opening were cut out and streamed online instead.

Episode Videos

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Arakawa Under the Bridge
Sequel:	Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Nino

Main

Sakamoto, Maaya
Japanese

Ichinomiya, Kou

Main

Kamiya, Hiroshi
Japanese

Hoshi

Supporting

Sugita, Tomokazu
Japanese

Maria

Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki
Japanese

Sister

Supporting

Koyasu, Takehito
Japanese

Village Chief

Supporting

Fujiwara, Keiji
Japanese

P-ko

Supporting

Omigawa, Chiaki
Japanese

Billy

Supporting

Tachiki, Fumihiko
Japanese

Stella

Supporting

Saitou, Chiwa
Japanese

Amazoness

Supporting

Kobayashi, Yuu
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Kubota, Mitsutoshi

Producer

Kohara, Makoto

Producer

Ooshima, Miku

Assistant Producer

Shinbou, Akiyuki

Director

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Opening Theme

	1: "Venus to Jesus (ヴィーナスとジーザス)" by Etsuko Yakushimaru (eps 2-4, 6-13)
	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) (eps 5)

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Ending Theme

"Sakasama Bridge (逆様ブリッジ)" by Suneohair

Reviews

Jul 1, 2010

cowart72

Recommended

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!!

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Jun 28, 2010

8thSin

Mixed Feelings

'Arakawa Under the Bridge' is about Ichinomiya Kou, an elite (someone who holds a high ranking position or works in a blue-chip company. A "winner" in Japanese society) who's been taught to never get indebted to anyone, gets careless one day over Arakawa and gets saved by a girl. The girl's name is Nino, who turns out to be a denpa-kei (people with "overactive imagination" or nutcase, e.g. Nodame) who claims to be from Venus, and doesn't want anything in return. After a long debate, she tells Ichinomiya that there is one thing that he can do for her: "Let me fall in love." ...

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Oct 10, 2023

MeanEYE

Not Recommended

Preliminary (4/13 eps)

This show is not going to be liked by everyone. It's based on the idea that constantly screaming and overreacting is funny, which it is not. Most of the story is nonsensical, which is completely fine if that's the goal of it. But characters are not well written or acted. In general we are suppose to observe this egoistical character grow up and change into more reasonable and down to earth one. Problem is, he keeps screaming non-stop. Well, everyone is screaming non-stop.

I tried watching it because I kind of like the premise but it's taking a real effort not to close tab every time ...

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According to the official website, the length of Arakawa Under the Bridge episode 4 was extended beyond the limit of the airing block, so the cold open part and the ...read more

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Poll: Arakawa Under the Bridge Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) BitchMaster - Jun 20, 2010	113 replies	by kirA_-_ »» Jan 18, 4:43 PM
Poll: Arakawa Under the Bridge Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 ) tsubasalover - Jun 6, 2010	89 replies	by kirA_-_ »» Jan 18, 4:10 PM
Poll: Arakawa Under the Bridge Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) BitchMaster - May 30, 2010	122 replies	by kirA_-_ »» Jan 18, 3:47 PM
Poll: Arakawa Under the Bridge Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Boursk - May 23, 2010	148 replies	by kirA_-_ »» Jan 18, 3:20 PM
Poll: Arakawa Under the Bridge Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) BitchMaster - May 9, 2010	116 replies	by kirA_-_ »» Jan 16, 12:02 PM

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Arakawa Under the Bridge

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Hoshi

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Arakawa Under the Bridge

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Information

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Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

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Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

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