Arakawa Under the Bridge

Ko 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.

Arakawa Under the Bridge (2010) is a Japanese seinen anime comedy produced by SHAFT and aired on TV Tokyo, adapted from a manga. Its two seasons total 26 episodes of roughly 24 minutes each. Ko Ichinomiya (voice of Hiroshi Kamiya), a proud young man whose family motto forbids owing anyone anything, falls into the Arakawa River and finds himself in debt to Nino (voice of Maaya Sakamoto), a cheerfully unhinged woman who lives under a Tokyo bridge. To repay her, he takes on her odd request to experience love, and each episode is a loose, episodic run of riverbank encounters. The voice cast includes Keiji Fujiwara as the village chief and Takehito Koyasu as the Sister, a character in drag. The series surrounds Kou with a hot-blooded kappa, a literal rock star and other misfits on the margins of city life. Its tone is deadpan and gently absurd, mixing warm slice of life with surreal, bizarre humor. Fans of Gintama, Nichijou and Mononoke will find a similar mix of eccentric ensemble comedy and oddball charm.

• Mononokesurreal slice of life comedy with eccentric outsider characters and a gentle absurd tone
• Gintamaquirky urban outcast comedy with offbeat romance and a deadpan absurd register
• Nichijouabsurdist slice of life comedy about an odd ensemble living on the margins of everyday life

Release Date

2010-04-05

Episode runtime

24 min

Rating

7.0 / 10 (46)

What is Arakawa Under the Bridge about?

A proud young man who loses his pants in the Arakawa River becomes indebted to a cutely insane riverbank dweller and sets out to help her experience love.

What is Arakawa Under the Bridge like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Arakawa Under the Bridge as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.

Is Arakawa Under the Bridge violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Arakawa Under the Bridge.

Which shows are like Arakawa Under the Bridge?

Shows with a similar feel include Mononoke, Gintama, and Nichijou.

How long is Arakawa Under the Bridge?

Arakawa Under the Bridge: 2 seasons, 26 episodes.

Is Arakawa Under the Bridge still running?

No, Arakawa Under the Bridge has ended.

Where can I watch Arakawa Under the Bridge?

In United States, Arakawa Under the Bridge is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies.