I’m writing a review for this live-action adaptation of Arakawa Under the Bridge to raise awareness of it. Up until recently, I had no idea that one of the most outrageous anime series I’ve ever watched had been turned into a drama.

Probably one of the best anime-turned-dramas out there, everything from the cast to the comedy is nearly perfect. This drama could have easily missed the mark with such an absurd story plot and it would have been very understandable because it’s not easy to portray such outlandish characters. Surprisingly, this was not the case. Not just in their visuals but in their manner of being, everyone was very appropriate for their characters, I could almost feel the actors’ teamwork to really bring the story to life.

Something that I really liked about the drama that was not very clear in the anime was the way the creators were able to really focus on the character’s back stories (except for the kappa leader and Nino who remain a mystery just like in the original story). I can only speak for the first season of the anime, but there is a lack of clear emphasis on the human side to them. Most of the time they seem to be completely outer-worldly with their ridiculous mindset, yet the drama adaptation was able to successfully present them as the misunderstood and socially challenged individuals who were able to create their own reality and accept each other as best as they can.

This could be said about any drama ever created, but Arakwa Under the Bridge may not be for everyone. The comedy is very different, some of it may be irrelevant to non-Japanese or even completely go over your head if you’re not very familiar with the culture. It’s not a very long series, 10 episodes of about 25 minute each, so I do believe it’s worth giving it a try. It’s unique, and hilarious, it’s definitely nothing like you've ever seen before.

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