Arakawa under the Bridge OP 2 – Maria
May 3, 2010
Episode 5 of Arakawa under the Bridge hasn’t been translated yet, so I present here the second OP, featuring Maria. Given that Maria was barely introduced until the final minutes of the last episode, some might be wondering if she deserves to take over the opening credits. Let me just say that this OP really impressed me, and elevates Maria significantly in the ranks of the under-bridge denizens. The vocal performance is solid, as is to be expected from Miyuki Sawashiro (e.g. Celty, Durarara!!, and Shinku, Rozen Maiden).
The song has a campy feel, as if they are hearkening back to songs from the 1920s. The animation itself has some really nicely rendered sections, especially of Maria dancing around. No subs yet, but the imagery clearly draws on her (abusive) relationship with Sister. At one point the bullet-head twins are seen heating Maria’s bathwater. First they were part of Hoshi’s gang, then Stella’s, now this? I’m starting to feel sorry for those two. Update: Apparently the twins run a bath service for everyone under the bridge.
Abandoned Factory Anime Review 
May 3, 2010 at 2:41 am
Hard for me to find a way to describe the sound perfectly, but it seems like it’s got it toes in showtunes or something of the sort with a seductive atmosphere layered on top. That Sawashiro is able to showcase her singing talents here is a bonus and overall, I like this one more than OP1 by a hair.
May 3, 2010 at 3:43 am
Sawashiro has got a great voice, so it is really cool that SHAFT invested in a second OP for a secondary character. It really gives her a chance to shine. The song is better than a lot of the “character songs” that I have heard, which usually don’t get animated.
May 3, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Lol, that OP kinda reminded me of Maria†Holic opening.
That’s some hillarious opening I must say, I wonder if they’re going to stick to it or is it 1-episode-special.
May 4, 2010 at 12:32 am
The statues being abused was definitely reminiscent of the same sort of thing in Maria-Holic’s OP.
I wish we got to see Maria dancing more, though. And Miyuki Sawashiro’s voice is just so… womanly. It got better and better as the song went on.
June 29, 2010 at 5:33 pm
Ha ha thhe lyrics are more abusive than you think.