Arakawa Under the Bridge 05

With the introduction of P-ko, it feels like all the main players are here. P-ko’s intro scene was great, and I fell in love with the character immediately, but it was the the conflict between Star and Riku that got me most excited in this episode. The setup is complete, let the plot move forward!

No clue as to why this was in there.

New OP (“Come Up with a Title On Your Own,” sung by Miyuki Sawashiro as Maria) this week, completely Maria focused. Or, more specifically, Maria-attacking-Sister focused. The song was a fast paced and dancy tune. I’m not too knowledgeable about music, and I can’t give it a classification, but it felt kind of old-timey. Miyuki Sawashiro’s vocals really made the song for me, as her voice got deeper and more intense as the 90 seconds ticked down.

Some shots from the new OP

The actual animation sequence wasn’t anything to write home about. Most of it was statues of Sister getting abused in various ways including the classic tub-to-the-head that was so common in Tsukuyomi Moon Phase (or so I’ve heard, anyway). I wish Maria’s dance scene had gone on a bit longer.

I believe the OP will be just a one-off thing, though. It was sandwiched by Maria’s introduction scenes (end of the previous episode and the beginning of this one). I like how she’s presented as a playful sadist. She’s not necessarily as ill-meaning as Stella, but she enjoys using her words to make others struggle nonetheless. Her puffed up cheeks are adorable. I feel bad for Sister, though.

So P-ko, the red-headed girl from the ED, is finally introduced. She’s the gardener of under the bridge. She’s also very clumsy and easily upset, so she fits in to this gang of misfits nicely. Her over-the-top banana sliding scene was just flat-out hilarious. P-ko reminded me a lot of other Shaft roles played by Chiaki Omigawa: the easily excitable and self-conscious Jun and Nazuna from Natsu no Arashi! and Hidamari Sketch Hoshimitsu, respectively. Like with those characters, her honest naivete made her an endearing character that you just want to hug.

As an aside, I'm watching Soul Eater right now, which is the only non-Shaft show featuring Omigawa's voice.

The main thrust of the episode was the realization that Riku is pretty useless under the bridge. Almost everyone else has a job of some sort, even if it’s as minor as singing songs during parties in the case of Star. Star latches onto this right away, as does Maria. But Nino had the most enlightening thing to say, which was that everyone did their jobs because they wanted to. And for that reason, it’s okay for Riku to do what he wants without feeling the pressure to be productive.

That said, Nino is VERY good and dedicated at her job.

Obviously, Riku’s pride doesn’t allow him to accept this, but he can’t change that his skill set isn’t well suited for life under the bridge (though I wonder how useful a hairdresser and an aesthestician – a cameo by Yuko Goto – are under the bridge either). It’s fortunate, then, that Star comes to him the next morning with something that he can handle, which is music.

Alright Star, you asked for it!

Star might have thought that he could win some easy points by competing against a numbers man, but his plan backfired, as Riku is quite confident when it comes to the violin. I loved the side of Riku shown in this scene; he was a confident top-class star in the world from where he came, and he’s not afraid to show it off. I also loved the subtle touch of the shot of Riku’s eye (if you haven’t noticed, there have been a LOT of cuts to Riku’s eye in this show) looking bored right before he goes inside to get his violin. The dude doesn’t lack for confidence.

I’m excited to see how the duel will play out next week. Again, it feels like the setup is complete, and the story is ready to go forward now. Surely Star will prove to be but a stepping stone in Riku’s journey to Nino’s heart. Of course, this will happen regardless of who “wins” this music battle. Nino’s insistence that you should do what you want had gone ignored by everybody, but there is truth to her statement. I’m hoping next episode will have Riku learning to understand that a little better and fall in love with her a little more. And seeing Riku try so hard to win her affection will have an effect on Nino as well.

Nino can be quite proud, too... about her hair

This episode in particular had a ton of great screenshots, far more than I could be bothered to take and put up. Random Curiosity always has a lot of screenshots, so I recommend you take a gander to Divine’s post on this episode to check them out..