arakawa under the bridge – 02

The first episode was nice, so let’s see how they keep the fun going in the next episode.

Opening theme:

“Venus to Jesus (ヴィーナスとジーザス)” by Etsuko Yakushimaru

Ending theme:

“Sakasama Bridge (逆様ブリッジ)” by Suneohair

Ichinomiya sets up his room and Nino pays a quick visit to give him some fish she caught. It doesn’t take too long for it to dawn on him that he never had a girl in his room  before. He tries to think of something to talk about and, once more, ends up realizing how different Nino is from the average person.

Later on, he wishes he could take a bath and notices that Nino is actually bathing right next to him. He half heartily tries to sneak a peak only to find that she had a towel on the whole time. Eventually, he, too, ends up taking a bath in the oil drum she used and it surprises him when she washes his hair for him. Just like in the first episode, Ichinomiya thinks back to a time his father washed his hair for him and, of course, later asked for repayment. After he’s finished with the bath, he tells Nino he’ll pay her back and she is more than happy to inform him that she did it simply because she wanted to do it and that she was happy he let her.

It wasn’t long afterward that Ichinomiya finds out from Whitey, another interesting resident, that everyone is throwing him a welcome party. He introduces himself with the intentions of clearly separating himself from the rest of them, but Nino is quick to remind him that no one wants to hear about the things he had. She tells him they want to know about the person he is now and Ichinomiya comes to realize that nothing gives him the right to distance himself and put anyone else down. The next scene comes about on Sunday. Ichinomiya wonders why Nino is up so early and she responds that she’s going to mass. Ichinomiya expects a beautiful Sister only to have his expectations die on him when he finds that mass is only a five minute service held by a imposing man dressed like a nun. The Brother wishes Ichinomiya good luck with Nino, and, after thinking about, Ichinomiya realizes that he’s the first person to say a positive thing about their relationship. The Brother reminds Ichinomiya that Nino chose him and, while it may take some time, the others will warm up to him as well.

–
This episode felt a bit more dramatic than the first. Ichinomiya still does a lot with his internal monologues, but there were a few times Nino reprimanded him here that brought on some idle moments of self-reflection.

Of course, the comedy was still alive thanks to a lot more of the cast making an appearance in this episode, but I was really pleased to see how they balanced the character interaction and the laughs. If I had to compare it to anything, I’d have to say this reminds me of N.H.K with it’s style of humor/drama with not nearly as much emphasis put on the drama.

With the opening and ending theme making their appearances, one more important thing to mention is the music. This is one of the cases where I feel like the theme of the series and the music compliment each other really well.