I didn’t plan on it or anything, but the last few manga I’ve read have all been comedies. So when I first started Arakawa Under the Bridge volume 5, I was a little worried I was having comedy burnout or that this volume just wasn’t funny. I just wasn’t cracking up. I mean, it was nice to see the Metal Brothers’ individuality, but a love letter to Stella ends predictably.
But as soon as we see Rec, Hoshi, and Last Samurai “transform” into non-magical girls, I got that old Arakawa feeling back. It was just the opening gags weren’t to my tastes.
The real drag in the opening is a tea party led by Last Samurai and the Mayor, with Hoshi and Rec trying to determine what is “wabi-sabi”. And then the latter pair try to find the balance between wabi and sabi of the world. Jisho defines the former as “aesthetic sense in Japanese art centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection”, with “wabi” being rustic simplicity and “sabi” being elegant simplicity. P-ko didn’t understand what Last Samurai meant by this when he ran off, but the whole thing just made no sense to me. When I was reading, I wasn’t sure if wabi-sabi was a real term or something Last Samurai made up that Hoshi and Rec were pretending to understand. (There were no translation notes.) Combined with a cat chapter that seems to have gone to the wayside, the first 70 pages or so were rather lackluster.
Fortunately, other characters’ LOL-worthy romantic attempts help steer the manga back on track. Shimazaki tries to become closer to her beloved and becomes the riverside resident Lady Spy, P-ko turns into a zombie after going to confess to the Mayor, and Amazoness has a change of heart.
But as these and other gags play out, Nakamura does something amazing. The residents of Arakawa River continue to work on their rocket ship to Venus, and…you start to think that maybe, must maybe, that idea isn’t so farfetched after all. Manga Artist and other characters hint they’ve found or nearly found out Nino’s backstory, and the few tidbits readers are treated to are juicy bits of info. Meanwhile, the residents start facing their upcoming separation and — gasp – if the story is turning serious, and if their life is a manga, could this be the end?!
Fourth-wall breaking aside, I am amazed at how Nakamura can effortlessly turn Arakawa Under the Bridge from one that tickles your funny bone to pulling at your heartstrings. On one hand, we have everyone working together to make sure Nino sets off with a smile. Yet during the trip, the characters try to prove they’re the real protagonist and get the happy ending worthy of being the lead. Both of these are happening while mysterious characters are seen in shadow talking about their sins and Nino is separated from Rec and company. You would think you might get whiplash from all these different moods, but Arakawa Under the Bridge handles them like a smooth roller coaster.
A roller coaster I don’t want to get off of. So despite the lackluster beginning, Volume 5 becomes another solid entry into the series, and the rather dramatic finale is a great reward for those who pick this volume up.