Arakawa Under the Bridge...
Since my local video store doesn't carry *any* titles distributed by NIS America, I had to order a handful of NISA releases from an online retailer. Among the titles that I have recently purchased is Arakawa Under the Bridge...
Arakawa Under the Bridge seemed like something I might like to watch, so, I thought I would give it a try. NISA tends to release noteworthy titles that might not otherwise find a home in U.S. distribution. NISA is also noted for releasing their titles with lots of goodies -- in this case: a full-color, 32-page hardcover art book featuring character art, descriptions, and commentary, interviews with the staff, and special episode information. I chose this title because I like weird and I like comedy and Arakawa Under the Bridge certainly sounds like the best of both worlds.
By the way, NISA is apparently into distorting their cover art. I've done what I can to remove the distortion, but, until I get around to actually scanning the cover art, my modestly reworked cover image will have to suffice.
Volume 1
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.
Volume 2
Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder by the banks of the mighty Arakawa, they go ahead and get weirder by a whole lot. Rec, Nino, and the rest of the riverside residents return, and with the addition of another batch of nutty citizens the insanity gets turned up to eleven... thousand.
Now Rec has to deal with a sci-fi loving comic nerd who's convinced he's a captain in the Earth Defense Force, and the less said about the Amazon woman living upstream with her demonic "female" Amazon followers, the better. On top of that, Rec struggles with the pressing issues of romantic expression, media obsession, weight loss, weight gain, beach parties, haunted houses, interplanetary travel, and the ever-present threat of global thermonuclear war!
By the way, NISA is apparently into distorting their cover art. I've done what I can to remove the distortion, but, until I get around to actually scanning the cover art, my modestly reworked cover image will have to suffice.
