Arakawa Under the Bridge Episode 1

What better way to kick off the season of spring then to spend it fishing next to your loved one! Ichinomiya Kou has been driven with a single mantra to follow in life, “To never be indebted to anyone.” As I watched that opening sequence, I thought to myself “Well that's impossible you're basically in debt from the moment you're born.” That question was quickly answered in a flashback, revealing Kou's father in a baby bonnet and stroller ordering his son to pay the tab that's been running since his birth. So how does one make a story about an individual who never wants help from his fellow man interesting? Easy, give him a debt he has to pay that amounts to the cost of his own life. Enter Nino, a girl fishing under the same bridge that Kou's been griping over for some time because of the absence of his pants. I would think if a group of misfits stole an article of my clothing and hung it over an extremely high place (ex. flagpole, telephone wire) then I would be indebted to those delinquents with at least a severe punch to the face. Kou should have definitely held up his one rule that time, but that would erase our sympathy for the fellow. As Kou pursues his pants alone, Nino offers her assistance. Our hero refuses Nino's aid as he succeeds to pull his pants off the pillar it was being hung. This in turn causes the piece of concrete to topple over and crash in the river, pinning Kou's body in the process. As he laments over his last breath and a life wasted, he realizes that perhaps he does need the help of another. No sooner than experiencing this epiphany, he is pulled out by none other than Nino. Because of the severe asthma attacks that would overcome Kou, he must repay this debt at any costs. When asked what is the one thing she desires, Nino responds simply “Fall in love with me.” And because lovers live together, Kou is now forced to switch his residence to the lovely area under the bridge. With this setup, the true gags, laughs, and awkward situations can truly begin.

This first episode, produced by SHAFT, was appealing to the eye. The color scheme felt like watching a colored cloud, especially the close-ups of Nino. The humor is definitely there, and although I am not fluent in the Japanese language or culture, this series is not that difficult to laugh at. Understanding it is a whole other story, don't try to make sense of it! The zoom-ins on Kou's face are hilarious, but do get stale after the third or forth time. I can see how a person can be overwhelmed by the absurdity of a man in a Kappa costume, but get a hold of yourself man! Towards the middle of the first episode, our protagonist acquires a new name “Recruit”, so keep that in mind when reading further reviews on this show because I will add that to my repertoire of names for our lead man.

As I pointed out earlier, the constant zoom-ins on Recruit's face were getting tiresome for me but the silliness of his situation had me going. Top that off with Nino's magnetic personality, and we've got the makings of a gag anime to be watched this spring. The relationship between these two remind me of Sayonora Zetsubou-sensei's Kafuka and Zetsubou-sensei. While Kou and Nino may not represent two ends of a spectrum, one continues to be reminded of his