arakawa bridge x bridge twelve & thirteen

Sometimes you just know that some things were never meant to be. I am, of course, referring to the so-called second season of Arakawa Under the Bridge. I’d planned on reviewing the last two episodes together because they share the same story: The Battle to be King Under the Bridge. When I’d planned on watching Episode Thirteen, the sound to my laptop disabled itself. It lasted for over a week and there was nothing I could do to fix it (or at least everything I tried wouldn’t work). Finally, for no particular reason other than to further mystify me, the sound worked again. And so here it goes for the end of Arakawa Bridge x Bridge.

In episode twelve, Recruit and Hoshi were the last two standing against P-Ko and eventually lost to her simultaneously. P-Ko then advanced to face off against the heavy weights: Last Samurai, Ninohei, Maria, Stella, Sister, and the Mayor. She eventually loses to the Mayor, feeling that if she really loved him, his wish being fulfilled was more important than her own. In the end, however, Sister and Maria are the victors of the round and move on to fight each other from the title of King Under the Bridge. Despite Sister’s skill and array of arsenal, it’s no surprise that Maria wins (for no one can escape that poisoned tongue of hers) and thus becomes Queen of Arakawa, her one wish to be fulfilled by the other residents Under the Bridge.

And that decree is to care for her sheep.

There’s a role for the women – to make clothes for the sheep so they won’t be cold, and a role for the men – to act like dogs. Now any shepherd will tell you that dogs can be invaluable in herding the sheep and watching out for predators, but I’m pretty sure Maria enjoyed her orders beyond its practicality. Oh well, it could have been worse.

Unsurprisedly, there was no mention or hint to Nino’s past and she spent the better part of both episodes asleep. Only at the very end of the thirteenth episode (and the season) does the focus shift back to Nino and her concerns for what I can only assume to still be her imminent departure for Venus.

So far there hasn’t been any news (that I can find) of a third season airing, and it’s hard to tell from the epilogue after the ending credits. And, to be honest, if a third season does air, I’m not likely to review it. This past season was difficult and disappointing as the bar was set quite high by the first season. And not to say that the second season was complete crap (because I did enjoy parts of it) but it presented an interesting plot that it never followed up with.

At the end of all things, I can’t say that Arakawa thrilled me this time around, but it did make me laugh. It’s too bad those laughs didn’t last very long, and if the new season were more interesting, those laughs probably would have been forgotten by now.