At least this is the case for Kou, a self-proclaimed part of the “elite.” From the day he was born Kou was taught to never be indebted to someone. For the most part Kou does a pretty good job of it too, that is until he loses his pants and falls into the Arakawa River. Now we have one indebted Kou, and a savior named Nino that wants Kou to help her experience love. He accepts, and begins living under the Arakawa Bridge with a group of bizarre social misfits.
It sounds a bit absurd I know; but this absurdity is what makes it so great. Arakawa Under the Bridge uses a unique mix of absurdism and slapstick humor with a few deeper messages added along the way to bring you a really nice comedic experience overall. The story itself is lacking as show isn't episodic but can appear to be that way at times because of the absurd things happening. The story really takes the backseat and suffers to let everything shine through in this anime.
As for the artwork found throughout this series... well, this is SHAFT we are talking about here. They are a studio known for their odd visuals and cinematography. You know, the people that brought you Bakemonogatari and Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. Although it is less experimental in art style than the previously mentioned series, it is still up to standard with any of their works and at times can even make for some really nice scenery porn.
The Arakawa Bridge is called home by a village chief that thinks he is a Kappa, a killer nun, a literal rock-star, a Martian, two runaway guinea pigs from a laboratory, and of course the main character Kou. All of the characters are as absurd as they sound and maybe even more. They are the focal point in which many, if not all of the jokes in Arakawa come from. As you can tell the cast of characters found throughout Arakawa are not your average run of the mill people, and although they lack depth they are definitely the highlight of the show.
The sound in Arakawa Under the Bridge is suiting. The soundtrack wasn’t mind-bogglingly amazing but it was still good. The background music enhanced the comedic moments so they did their job quite nicely. The opening of Arakawa Under the Bridge is definitely more satisfying visually than musically and I felt the same way about the ending too. As far as sound goes the voice acting was definitely the highlight, the voice actors did an absolutely incredible job making the jokes told in the show that much more memorable.
It is true that people often think of themselves as “the normal one.” But after watching Arakawa Under the Bridge I think it is safe to say that normality is relative. It constantly wears this theme on its sleeve while presenting is odd, yet surprisingly pleasant form of absurdist comedy. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be the first to say that I don’t like absurdist comedies. I have just never found them that funny, but Arakawa Under the Bridge was a pleasant surprise. I found myself laughing from the beginning of one episode to the end, which is a huge win in my book. I strongly believe this anime is a must watch for all comedy lovers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Story- 4
Art- 8
Characters- 8
Sound- 8
Enjoyment- 9
Overall- 7.4
