Arakawa Under the Bridge 12 – God from Machine

So this episode actually concludes the father-taking-over-under-the-bridge saga. The title of episode 99 (the last story-based episode), “Conclusion,” pretty much puts the nail in that coffin. The way the story ended was a bit unexpected and abrupt, but it was a strong episode nonetheless, with the 1st half being as funny as I’ve seen the show be, and the 2nd half being extremely heartwarming and sugary sweet.

There were so many great shots of Nino this episode, I've decided to stack this post with them.

As written in Tenka Seiha, this felt quite anticlimactic. As I had wondered about after the last episode, the Chief did indeed disappear for a reason. But him being a very rich/influential figure in the business world was too much of a deus ex machina. Too convenient. Same goes for Riku’s father’s sudden change of heart after hearing that ringtone. Instead of the confrontation between father and son I was looking forward to, we were instead given a man acting behind the scenes and a calm conversation between Nino and Riku’s father.

But I don’t want to take away from what a great episode this was. The whole falling star gag was absolutely hilarious. The moment Maria stepped into the picture, I could tell exactly where she was going with it. Never really found her sadism all that funny, but I guess I enjoyed seeing Star being the victim. And just how heartfelt and honest everyone was about wishing upon the falling Star and Riku. I appreciated the call backs, with the metal headed brothers wishing for the destruction of the lab, and Stella wishing for world domination.

"When he feels full, I feel full."

And thanks to the Chief’s backroom dealings, Nino’s wish does come true! But, in a sense, Nino actually made her wish come true with her conversation with Riku’s father. Well, the conversation itself actually didn’t do all that much. Nino seemed surprisingly lucid during it, probably moreso than at any other point in the show, as she was explaining the contrast between her worldview and the one that Riku used to have and his father currently has. Her line, “When [Riku] feels full, it makes me feel full,” felt very motherly. Which is fitting, because it was the fact that she reminded Riku’s father of Riku’s mother that was responsible for his decision to stop the development project.

Nino's hair is the best hair I've seen on anyone in anything, ever.

That leaves me wondering again why Riku’s mother is no longer a part of their lives. Riku’s father’s reminiscence of her tells me that it was under sad circumstances, either death or her leaving him. The latter seems somewhat more likely, given Riku’s father’s hope that Riku would be able to make things work with his lover, unlike himself. And again it felt a little too convenient, given that we never really got to know Riku’s father’s character other than as a malicious villain. Then there’s the question of the phone number from the end of last episode. Clearly the phone number was genuine, but why did it get forwarded to a time broadcast that time, why didn’t Riku’s father answer it that time, and why did Riku decide to call that number again?

Nino reacts to the ringtone.

It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. But then again, it doesn’t really have to. The final scene as Nino answers Riku’s call was exceedingly sweet, with Riku inadvertently declaring his love for Nino to her. It was wonderfully directed, with the orange hue of the dusk sunlight giving everything a softer, more romantic feeling. The shots were framed very well in classic Shinbo style, and I loved the parallel imagery of the two lovers’ shadows as they (kind of) talked on the phone.

Good framing and a wonderful transition between the 2 shots.

With the main conflict resolved, I can only guess that the next, final episode will be an irrelevant gag filled one, like what Shaft did with Natsu no Arashi! I’m still hopeful that there will be more development into the relationship between Nino and Riku, as we were left hanging only partway complete. But even if that doesn’t happen, if the show can finish strong with a very funny episode, I’ll be happy. With Shaft, there’s always hope for a 2nd season, after all.

Nino regrets not having learned to use a cell phone from Riku. Given her well documented case of anterograde amnesia, I doubt it would have helped.

Notes:

• The pre-OP scene was narrated by Riku and Nino for the first time. It featured imagery of Nino looking up at Riku, the very opposite of what we’ve consistently been shown in the series thus far. Nino’s narration also made it seem like she was looking for help from Riku. The episode itself still had Nino saving Riku, but I’m hoping this is a sign that the next episode will have a little bit of the opposite, to balance things out more in this relationship.
• The last episode number was episode 100, the post-ED Arakawa talent show gag, and it featured Riku for the first time.
• The preview actually featured the Kappa taking off his mask for some Kappa Noodles! And Nino actually said something very preview-like, which was quickly negated by Riku’s comments, which means that, yes, we have no idea what the next episode will be about.
• Random Curiosity has a good assortment of screenshots, as usual.