Arakawa under the Bridge 10: fire drill

Sister thinks the Mayor is a great man, but WHY?

Episode 10 of Arakawa under the Bridge begins with a fire drill, and ends with a declaration from Nino. In between Ric will learn of the great respect that the mayor commands under the bridge, and of the plot his father has instigated to drive Ric from the village.

One way Sister tries to keep his flock safe is by running an annual fire drill. Given the success the bucket brigade demonstrates in putting out the supposedly controlled fire, they should practice more regularly.

During the fire drill Ric berates the mayor relentlessly, but the rest of the village (and most notably Sister) show that they have great faith in the mayor. Although Ric is at a loss to explain why, there is no doubt that the mayor is able to pull the village together as a team when he tries, and later in this episode, Ric even finds himself oddly soothed by the mayor’s reassurances.

But things really heat up (hah ha, get it?) when Ric discovers that the Ichinomiya group is preparing to tear up the river bank for some ill-defined construction project. Ric is absolutely correct that this is really a plot by his father to destroy the community he has found.

Ric can tell that this represents the beginning of the end.

People have been wondering, as we get closer and closer to the final episode of Arakawa under the Bridge, how the plot will develop. After the spying mission a few episodes ago, most suspicions were centered on a plot regarding Ric’s (Kou’s) father. Now a government agent has arrived to politely ask the under-the-bridge residents to leave. A run in with Maria was enough to intimidate the “paper pusher” into departing as quickly as possible, but the next time might involve the police. Society (ranging from the Patriarchy, that is Kou’s dad, to business and the government) is against them, but Nino declares that she will not budge. The preview shows a sumo match, indicating, perhaps, that the fight will begin in earnest.

Cherish that innocence while you can. One hour with Maria can leave you damaged forever.