Review of Arakawa Under the Bridge

So, this show is a random humor enthusiast's heaven. It is sometimes funny, sometimes stupid, and often both. That could be the end of my review right there, but there's always more to talk about. For example, the art. The art is great. It is produced by shaft, directed by Akiyuki Shinbou, and is typical of Shinbou/shaft. If you are unfamiliar with shaft/Shinbou style artwork (most famous for Bakemonogatari), it is basically a collage of unconventional anime styles, that shifts around depending on the story. Lots of random fast cuts to land/city-scapes, sudden changes in the detail of animation, etc. It all is used ina way that seems to compliment the zany and random story. Also, in a great innovation, we now have windmill hair!!!

The music is fun, even though the lyrics are silly. I'm a huge fan of the OP, not just for the song, but for the artwork that goes with it. The characters? Well, they are a bit cardboard, more or less used as gags to perpetuate the random humor. The story? Once again, just used to perpetuate the random humor. There is an underlying message in this show, that we don't have to do what society tells us, and sometimes it's better just to be ourselves, no matter how crazy that is :) Not a particularly deep message, but it goes well with the focus of the show.

Enjoyment? Well, here's our problem. Everything in this show is sacrificed for the sake of random humor. Now personally, I wasn't too amused. I have trouble finding stuff amusing just because it is random. I mean, sure, when it's completely left-field, randomness is funny, but in this case it became a constant barrage of randomness and ceased to be terribly funny. It was still often funny despite this, but just as often it was stupid. My brain definitely turned off as I watched this.

Many have recommended it to all Bakemonogatari fans, and I can't really agree with that. Bakemonogatari was a much smarter, character driven, and creative anime. Many fans will be dissapointed. That said, if you like Bakemonogatari, you might like this, so give it a chance. If you like random humor, then you will love this show. If you only like intelligent anime, then this show isn't for you.