Arakawa Under the BridgexBridge – 01

Welcome back to the Arakawa family, nutters style~

Guests: Overcooled & Kyokai

Overcooled: After season one took everyone by storm, it wasn’t surprising when they announced a season 2. Kyokai and I were about as excited as one can get to start watching this.

Kyokai: For evidence you can always check our fall review, where we not only fangirled but were ready to draw blood to blog this. :3

Warning: the following contains a lot of fangirling, uncontrollable laughing fits and sudden outbursts of…I don’t even know what anymore. Instead of a summary, you get to see our thoughts IN REAL TIME as we watched the episode together. Except, well, it’s not real time anymore because it’s been edited. YOU GET THE IDEA. If you REALLY want a proper summary… fine: Nino and Ric switch houses, Ric runs into a crazy Amazonian..thing, there is an epic marathon, and Nino dreams about her parents.

Kyokai: I’ve been dying to see Arakawa 2! Let’s get this show on the road!

Overcooled: Oh, this is glorious.

Kyokai: Oh god, I love this!

Overcooled: Those opening sequences always get to me. They’re so deep

Kyokai: Yeahhh, simply gorgeous

Overcooled: and then Nino ruins it

Kyokai: Wow, a dream? Holy shittttt. LOLLLL! That was too good.

Overcooled: Awww, I like this opening!

Kyokai: Oooooh, new costume. I love it. Plus some outer planetary stuff.

Overcooled: Arakawa always has sexy visuals.

Kyokai: Oooh it’s heaven for my eyes. I think the singer is the same as the previous one.

Overcooled: Me too.

Kyokai: Mariaaaaaaaa! I missed youuuu! And the Amazonian….

Overcooled: I really hope…and yet not hope…that man-woman is in the show LOL

Overcooled: AWWW THE KISS IN THE OPENING

Kyokai: Awww, I missed Hiroshi Kamiyaaaaaaaaaaaannnn and Sakamoto Mayaaaa <333333

Overcooled: KAMIYAN YOU JERK, YOU MADE NINO CRY.

Kyokai: Lol, poor Nino!

Overcooled: Mmmm seiyuu heaven <3

Kyokai: She’s so adorable… *squishes Nino plushie*

Overcooled: OMG THIS IS JUST LIKE I REMEMBER IT

Kyokai: This is so screencap worthy HAHAHAHAAAAAAAA

Overcooled: Every second is gorgeous~

Kyokai: I can’t get enough of this. Oh man, his wildest dream!

Overcooled: Omg please move in with him

Kyokai: JACKPOT DA ZE~

Overcooled: LOL, Ric’s lucky day. He finally gets some more action

Kyokai: HAAAAA?!

Overcooled: LOL NINO

Kyokai: SHIT NOOOOOOOOOO! As expected of Nino. All dreams gone to hell.

Overcooled: Damn girl, you got him whipped

Kyokai: I remember this room…that drawer is so nostalgic. First time Nino came out of it… <333

Overcooled: I bet it smells like her mwahaha <—(instance where I predict the future #1)

Kyokai: ahhahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa look who’s there

Overcooled: HOSHIIII

Kyokai: *rolls on the floor laughing at the song*

Overcooled: He needs a character song single

Kyokai: Srsly he does! Rabu rabu rabuuuuu~

Overcooled: LOL WTF WAS THAT ACCENT?

Kyokai: GANSTA accent

Overcooled: OMG YES PKO

Kyokai: P-koooo

Overcooled: I forget her seiyuu’s name but I love her LOL

Kyokai: Me too, I love the spontaneity of her.

Overcooled: omg the vegetable

Kyokai: Looks like Chief…. LOL. Hoshi…………what’s he doing………?

Overcooled: By the way, his boots are sexy

Kyokai:Yep, MANLY

Overcooled: Omg I wasn’t the only one who thought of the scent thing

Kyokai: Her smell. You so proved it lollll… Chief’s zipper’s off LOLLLLLL

Overcooled: Omg sancho

Kyokai: Zannennn~ you sexy collarbones

Overcooled: Arakawa…so good…I’m dying

Kyokai: LOLLLL

Overcooled: This is so funny, and I like…never laugh at comedies

Kyokai: There’s a reason why we love this. Ric’s monologues are the best

Overcooled: I KNOOOWWW

Kyokai: hahahahaaa—haaa? Stella’s clothes or Nino’s kiddie ones?

Overcooled: Dayum

Kyokai: Sleepwalking again

Overcooled: She’s gonna sleep-murder him

Kyokai: I knew it. Her sleeping face: Kawaiiiii~

Overcooled: XD

Kyokai: Poor bastard (Ric got kicked into the drawer to sleep)

Overcooled: I do that in my sleep too

Kyokai: hahahahaaaaaaaaaa I would love to do that. Poor Ric

Overcooled: OOFURI LOL

Kyokai: I need to watch that show

Overcooled: Seeee, it’s a sign? XD

Kyokai: SISTER, I MISSED YOU

Overcooled: I love Sister

Kyokai: It’s like a happy reunion

Overcooled: OHISASHIBURI ARAKAWA

Kyokai: HAI HAIIII, OKAERI~

Overcooled: 8D …Now Ric…please don’t get ambushed by Stella

Kyokai: I hope Maria shows up

Overcooled: ME TOO, I WANNA GROW UP TO BE JUST LIKE MARIA

Kyokai: AMAZONIAN ALERT

Overcooled: NEW CHARCTER

Kyokai: Oh mannnn…

Overcooled: KOBAYASHI YUU?

Kyokai: This is the one who voiced Chihoro in Occult

Overcooled: YEAH! AND RIO IN SORA NO WOTO! I LOVE HERRRRR

Kyokai: Must be her. SHE IS AWESOME.

Overcooled: I’D RECOGNIZE IT ANYWHERE

Kyokai: Where did she go………….

Overcooled: …lol nothing happened to him…

Kyokai: Damn it, the random blondie…Kenpachi’s seiyuu?

Overcooled: …wait, kyokai, wtf is happening? why are they doing all this random stuff? XD Oh well, no complaints

Kyokai: I dunnoooo

Overcooled: Go marathon if you want to XD

Kyokai: OH SHIT. CHIEF IS ACTUALLY FLASHHHH.

Overcooled: Oh…my…goodness

Kyokai: AMMUNITION WTF! Sister, omae~ Oh god his explanation

Overcooled: This is…I don’t even…words are…..

Kyokai: Hahahahaaaa

Overcooled: lolwut I thought the horse was talking

Kyokai: Same here XD And oh wow…

Overcooled: O.O Shiro-san, sugoiii~

Kyokai: Check out Whitey!

Overcooled: AWWWW

Kyokai: Poor him…..the number one gone. It’s sad

Overcooled: I love this so much I can barely even focus

Kyokai: I’m trying my best too. As expected of Hoshi…Ohohohohooooooooo competition! Shit, he always eggs him on

Overcooled: I hate when Hoshi belittles him -_-

Kyokai: OH MAN HE JUST USED THAT LINE FROM TTGL! KAMINA!

Overcooled: lawl I know. POWER UP DA ZE

Kyokai: YOSHHHH

Overcooled: It’s like Mario Kart

Kyokai: Check out the Chief doing yoga or something…….

Overcooled: Wow, it really does..look like a crab…<_<

Kyokai: DAMN IT HOSHI

Overcooled: OMGGGGGG

Kyokai: HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAA

Overcooled: AHHHH MARIO KART YES IT REALLY DID HAPPEN ROFL

DUN DUN DUUUUN DUN DUN DUN-DUN DUN! DUN DUN DUUUN DUN DUN DUN-DUN DUN!

Kyokai: DAMN IT, HOSHI NO BAKA! This is tooo goooodddddd. It would be fabulous if Nino just walks in and wins

Overcooled: Sister, so pro! I feel like working out now

Kyokai: Oh goddddd, one-legged race. I love him all worked up……………Oh Nino’s the cheerleader GO RICCCCCC! WINNNNNN!

Overcooled: KAMIYAN~

Kyokai: FFFFUUUUUU- WHITEY

Overcooled: qq

Kyokai: NAZE? Naaazeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee? LOLLLLL, Jiraya samaaaa…He’s so dead

Overcooled: Nino always knows how to cheer him up~…sort of

Kyokai: Oh yesssss. Sort of

Overcooled: omg sister

Kyokai: His scar’s gonna open if he works too hard

Overcooled: Mmmm so pretty

Kyokai: Again that scenic scene. Ooohhhhhhhhh… Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh….

Overcooled: WOOOOSHHH

Kyokai: The satellite! Memories returning…….O.O

Overcooled: LOLI NINO

Kyokai: Oyaji! Kaasaaaaaaannn! Wow, she remembered.

I sure hope that jellyfish isn’t related to her

Overcooled: Kekeke this is going to be good

Kyokai: …and then she’s gonna forget when she wakes up T.T

Overcooled: The preview is with Hoshi O.O

Kyokai: Too good. Chief’s gone

Overcooled: I can die happy….

Kyokai: Hoshi’s getting all the attention. Seriously, this just reminds me how much I missed this show. I mean, if you look at it nothing much happened but stillll SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD

Overcooled: Nothing happened…but EVERYTHING HAPPENED

Kyokai: Exactly! It was like reunion with family

Overcooled: It was everything you could ever want from season 2. The jokes are just as good as ever

Kyokai: AND THEN SOME. Same for all the characters

Overcooled: Arakawa has some of the best characters…original, funny, and interesting XD Plus…NINO’S PAST!!!

Kyokai: Last season was Ric’s father, This season it’s going to be Nino’s family. I just want to go huggle SHAFT for doing this

Overcooled: <3 AGREED. I’m excited about Nino’s past, this could turn out veryyy interesting

Kyokai: I am just wondering If she’s really from Venus……Knowing Arakawa, it could actually happen since they add in some very weird twists

Here, have a Fresh Fish:

So, how’s my mime behind an invisible wall going? Good?

You too can prevent the spread of rabies.

OH SISTER. I like how you have missiles lying around at home

…Yeah, this is just cute lol

Not exactly the typical face of someone about to kick a man into the ceiling

End Thoughts:

Overcooled: It’s always hard to do follow-up talk about comedies. It’s just jokes, right? No deeper plot to discuss, no character development…But somehow Arakawa manages to have the most beautiful, solemn moments in-between the hilarity and still get the desired response. It’s not JUST a crazy comedy series, it does a little bit of everything and does it WELL. So there is always a LOT to talk about when it comes to our beloved Arakawa.

I’m usually very critical and picky with my comedies. For one thing, it is rare for me to laugh at ALL during comedies. I’m generally unaffected, and the best you get is a smile or a chuckle. It’s HORRIBLE because I wish I got more into comedies and actually laughed more. That being said, this episode of Arakawa alone made me laugh more than any episode of any anime ever has…I know you think I’m crazy because it was episode 1 and no way episode ONE could be that good but it was. IT JUST WAS.

Although the type of humour is a bit off-the-wall for some, it really tickles my funny bone. Off of humour, Arakawa also gets you extremely attached to all of the characters. The beautiful animation and darling seiyuus help, of course. Let’s not forget Omigawa Chiaki amongst the big stars, because I LOVE her voicing of P-ko to bits. That woman did a spot-on job of playing Maka in Soul Eater, and needs MOAR PRAISE! Anyways, if you somehow aren’t compelled by the picturesque opening sequences hinting at darker, more serious aspects…I…have no idea how to please you…

Kyokai: HHHHNNNNNNNGGG, I feel loving nostalgia~ Arakawa has been one of the shows that I absolutely loved from the time it started in spring. I roared and whooped in amazement when I found out that a second season was releasing in fall. I mean just after a few months, SHAFT actually does something for their audience and releases something in TIME?! Shock and horror indeed after that loooong wait for the last episode of Bakemonogatari. If only it had been some other show but oh man, then they go and announce the animation of Kizumonogatari…. There’s a very satisfied fangirl sitting right here, writing her heart away to SHAFT and the awesomeness of Shinbo… <333

From our conversation, you can very easily typecast us as fangirls of this show. It dishes out and we eat and laugh like maniacs. Watching this episode was like meeting an old friend after years and remembering how awesome it was to spend time with them and remember the good old memories. Not to mention, the OP’s sung by the same Etsuko Yakushimaru, who immortalized “Venus to Jesus” in the previous season. In marketing term, you call this “Recall” in consumerism, even if you package something with different coloured paper, the way a product looks, feels, smells will always remain registered in our brain and whenever we will see it again, we would recall it clearly and if it’s something we love, double the fun of that Recall. And that is exactly what happened with Bridge x Bridge.

As expected of SHAFT, amazing OP animation

I don’t know where I commented this but when I saw the Amazonian at the end of the first season, my suspicion of Nino actually being from another planet got proving wind. As it’s Arakawa anything can happen but it would actually make sense because Nino is sure not normal. Also, her strength is evidence, as we are not talking about Durarara!! here neither Shizu-chan for that matter, who can easily uproot trees and send multi-coloured gangsters flying off in a whirlwind. There are more possibilities to look forward to now. Sakamoto Maaya makes Nino brilliant and Hiroshi Kamiyaaan~ is the best choice for Ric. Put them together and you have a bombastic duo that would get you rolling on the floor with ease. And this is just the beginning; the truly stellar seiyuu cast makes every episode a treat to watch with the situational comedy and different identity cover that everyone sports.

Of course, we’ll be following this religiously and wait with bated breath for each episode every week! As there was no ED this episode, hopefully we will be able to listen to Suneohair’s “Akai Court” in next one (yep, the same singer of previous ED). I can bet someone in SHAFT became lazy and that’s why the ED was not completed by air-time. XD Anyway, I see Ric-kun getting into trouble because that Amazonian is SO after him; seems like we will get more information about Nino finally. So, I will say, gambatte ne, Ric-kun, but I think you will always be egged on by Hoshi to more competitions. So, keep the spirits up and repeat after me: Orewo dareda omotte agaru?!