Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge

"Random", "Over-the-top", "Weird", and "Hilarious" might be some of the descriptions one might come across when reading about the Arakawa Under the Bridge franchise. With the plot's groundwork having been laid out in the first season, Bridge x Bridge showcases more of its eclectic cast's daily life and misadventures with a little character development every now and then, if one pays attention. As Bridge x Bridge is the second season of the original Arakawa Under the Bridge, viewing of the first season is required for full enjoyment. That said, Bridge x Bridge will satisfy most fans of the first season with its ever quirky characters ... and humorous hijinks.

Story (no spoilers):
Aforementioned, the story starts off where the first season left off in the banks of the river Arakawa. Bridge x Bridge seeks to develop character relationships whereas the previous season developed the background for the show. One strong point about Bridge x Bridge is that it is very consistent in its quality of humor and episodic storytelling. The bulk of the comedy revolves around the cast's interactions in their daily lives, their penchant for randomness, and Kou's reaction to everything around him from a normal man's point of view (in other words, it's the same as the previous season's type of humor). This approach might be hit-or-miss, depending on how much the viewers will take a liking to the characters, but it will still end up bringing some laugh out loud moments at least every now and then for most.

Characters:
Oh, where to begin. The personalities of Arakawa are what makes the show truly enjoyable. Each character has a unique and silly personality to his/herself that tends to create hilarious moments when combined. Bridge x Bridge gives more screentime to characters neglected previous season, including Billy, an ex-gangster, Jacqueline, his love interest, and Amazoness, a bulky woman with a personality of a schoolgirl. The show's main focus is comedy, so unfortunately, character development is pushed to the side apart from a few moments of the characters' pasts being revealed (especially Nino's). This is rather disappointing since the show offers so many mysteries and questions about its characters, yet answering very few. In this respect, Bridge x Bridge unfortunately brings less satisfaction in the previous season which delved in detail about Kou's history. Nonetheless, the characters are still a joy to watch.

Art and Animation:
The animation in Bridge x Bridge is a typical SHAFT affair: usually passable with some moments of brilliance and occasionally being surreal. Notably absent from this season is the stock "Kou blink" animation used so often in last season, giving more time for actually animated scenes - always a nice thing. As for the art, Bridge x Bridge features a colorful style that will probably have no problem hooking your attention when you see it. Character designs are also quite nice on the eyes; every single character is visually distinctive from one another and their odd designs match their personality perfectly.

Sound:
The OP "COSMOS vs. ALIENS" is a strange (but very charming) little song that might take some getting used to, while the ED "Akai Coat" is a nice indie rock tune. Both do a fine job of setting the mood for the show. Voice acting in this series is very well done: Kamiya Hiroshi's stern straight man voice for Kou Ichinomiya, Maaya Sakamoto's soft voice for Nino, Miyuki Sawashiro's sweet but haunting performance for Maria all gets top scores. As for the soundtrack, the music does well to match the mood of moment, which is usually quirky and sometimes over-the-top, but also with relaxing atmospheres that pop up every now and then (and the cold opening for every episode). Overall, SHAFT did a very nice job in the sound department.

Enjoyment:
Despite the main plot progressing very slowly, a unique story with unique characters and even stranger presentation (as per SHAFT) are several reasons why Bridge x Bridge kept me excited every week to see a new episode. If you've enjoyed the first season, the second season is highly recommended as well. I'd recommend the entire Arakawa Under the Bridge series to anyone looking for an original, funny anime that isn't afraid to stand apart from the conventions of typical anime characters.

(Helpful or Not Helpful, feedback on this review is very welcome)

I know nothing about the Anime Industry. I'm just a casual watcher. So, when a second season doesn't advance too much from the first one I do not know who to blame, the manga creator or the anime scripters.

I know the premise of the series was to be a comedy, over romance or character development.
Despite this, the first season offered us some development in the story, pointing out there was actually something else aside from the absurd idea of people living happily under a bridge.

Dad may be accepting his son is achieving something he never could. The relation between the main characters going deeply with ... both accepting they want to be with each other forever. Some very powerful mysterious guy who is interested in keeping things as they have always been under the bridge.

The second season barely explores those main arcs in order to give the comedy more importance. The thing is the comedy gets old fast and some arcs are just not that funny, you can giggle once or twice, maybe, if you are used to absurd comedy. To be honest, I think the only funny arcs were when the Amazonian woman was introduced, the Sister training system arc and the independent movie arc with P-Ko.

Nino stays the same, sadly no character development, she stays as the first season ended (If you think this is a spoiler, I'm just assuming you already watched the first season) realizing she likes Recruit for real.

When you think things are going ahead with an important announcement that could affect Nino and the rest of the cast, early in the second season, nothing happens. I don't know if they run out of manga material, but part of the rest of the season is about how they prepare for this event. And you expect the event to come out because it would make clear some of the mysteries around Nino, it never, never happens.

The second season ends, worst than the first, because it ends in the same way, meaning zero further development in the relation between the protagonists and the main arcs not being explored at all.

11 years after the second season, and 6 years after the last publication of the manga, it is pretty obvious the anime makers didn't make the best choice by not giving the series some real character and story development. Again, who to blame, the mangaka or the anime producers and scripters?

What a disappointment...

The season started off with such promise but completely faceplanted. Maybe I expected too much from the start... A deepening of Nino and Riku's relationship, clarity on Nino's current situation and her past, Riku resolving issues with his father, Riku's growth as a person through seeing different ways of living and interacting with life under the bridge, but instead we get... nothing. Just unfunny gags that run ad-infinitum. I guess it wouldn't be a problem if they show didn't tease some sort of serious plot and actual character growth then just compelely ignore it. In season one it felt like a quick pace, ... even if some gags were bad, they didn't overstay their welcome, but this season they can encompass entire episodes. We never make it to Venus, and not a Nino hair windmill to be seen (at least in the latter half of the season). Too many bad characters got too much screen time.