What do you think?
Rate this book
Arakawa Under the Bridge: Omnibus #1
Arakawa Under the Bridge: Omnibus, Vol. 1
“Could you help me fall in love?”
Kou Ichinomiya, a young man born with a silver spoon in his mouth and raised with the mantra “never owe anyone” suddenly finds himself deeply indebted to a young homeless woman, Nino, who lives on the Arakawa river bank and claims to originally be from the planet Venus. When Nino rejects all of Kou’s mundane offers of money or housing, Kou is at a loss for how to repay his debt, until Nino suddenly asks him to teach her about love. A daunting task, but the over-achieving Kou is determined to return Nino’s favor. And so begins Kou’s life under the bridge, along with a band of eccentric characters who have formed their own little community outside the boundaries of typical Tokyoite life…
Kou Ichinomiya, a young man born with a silver spoon in his mouth and raised with the mantra “never owe anyone” suddenly finds himself deeply indebted to a young homeless woman, Nino, who lives on the Arakawa river bank and claims to originally be from the planet Venus. When Nino rejects all of Kou’s mundane offers of money or housing, Kou is at a loss for how to repay his debt, until Nino suddenly asks him to teach her about love. A daunting task, but the over-achieving Kou is determined to return Nino’s favor. And so begins Kou’s life under the bridge, along with a band of eccentric characters who have formed their own little community outside the boundaries of typical Tokyoite life…
366 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2017
10 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Hikaru Nakamura
87 books67 followersHikaru Nakamura (中村光) is a Japanese manga artist who is mostly known for "Saint Young Men" and "Arakawa Under the Bridge". According to a magazine article in Nikkei Entertainment from August 2011 she is the 9th most successful manga creator by sales since 2010 (5.54 million copies sold).
She is married to the voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya and has one child.
She is married to the voice actor Hiroshi Kamiya and has one child.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
April 8, 2020
rating: 1 star
I really really did not like this at all. I didn't hate it but it was such a struggle getting through it. I pushed . I spend days trying to read but it was boring and the non boring parts were more annoying than anything else. I did not like a single character, they all seemed late and stupid. It is werid not not in a way that I could have enjoyed. I hope someone else enjoys this more than I did.
I just regret investing my time and money into the book.
I really really did not like this at all. I didn't hate it but it was such a struggle getting through it. I pushed . I spend days trying to read but it was boring and the non boring parts were more annoying than anything else. I did not like a single character, they all seemed late and stupid. It is werid not not in a way that I could have enjoyed. I hope someone else enjoys this more than I did.
I just regret investing my time and money into the book.
December 23, 2017
“Could you help me fall in love?”
I loved and adored the anime of this show and I kept hoping that one day someone would license the manga in either English or German so I could read it. And thankfully someone did! Thank you Vertical!
This volume combines the first 2 volumes, and I definitely loved it. Say hello to Kou, or as he is now know thanks to the mayor/(fake) kappa: Recruit. Yep, poor Kou. He tried a stupid thing on the bridge, had to be saved by a very not-impressed Nino, and doesn’t want to owe anyone anything (thanks to traumas by his dad). So he asks her what she wants, and she wants to fall in in love. He decides to help her and thus starts living in Arakawa.
Which is the start of many hilarious situations. From a dangerous mass with a gun-wielding “Sister” to getting milk/eggs from the Arakawa farm and getting chewed out by a man hating/sadist named Maria, every day brings something new for Kou/Recruit. At times he wonders if he wants to continue staying here, and I don’t blame him, the place is bonkers. :P Plus dangerous at times, especially with Sister and later on Stella.
I am not too sure how I felt about people treating Kou/Recruit. At times I thought they were acting quite shitty. Yes, Kou/Recruit has quite a big ego, doesn’t really get how life works without the use of all his money or all his achievements, but he does try his best, and I do see that he has a very kind personality. Well hidden of course, and mostly thanks to his dad.
For instance the name? Everyone has a pretty good name, but Kou gets to be Recruit (and he even had an option of an even worse name when he asked for a Japanese name). Then there was the time when everyone just barged into his little home under the bridge when the rain season swept away all their homes. They didn’t care much about the fact they were just breaking/entering. :[
And there are other times as well. I am not too sure about the anime and if they got more friendly, but I hope for Kou’s sake they do. He does his best at least. And he is very kind towards Nino (though also confused considering the girl thinks she is a venusian).
The relationship between Nino and Kou is adorable, and I hope that they will grow together more, and maybe get more romantic. Though given how Kou is (and how he doesn’t even know how things work) and how Nino is (and how she is totally oblivious), I am guessing it will take some time. But I have patience, and I will enjoy all the little moments when they pop up.
I do like the cast of characters, even if they are a bit mean at times. We have people with all sorts of weirdness/personalities. From a guy who wears a star mask and plays guitar, to a girl who adores vegetables and is kind of dangerous, to a sister who isn’t a sister and who loves weapons.
It is also fun to see how they do their things in Arakawa. Bathing in a steel drum, eating fish from the river, grabbing whatever is findable to use for homes. It seems quite relaxing, and if anything, I wouldn’t mind living there. Maybe start up a library/book store (in exchange for food/services). Hopefully though I would be treated better than Kou is.
I am also wondering when the dad will be making an appearance in the manga. He is quite the disturbed character (sorry, if you treat your kid like this? There is something wrong in your head, you just don’t do the things he did here), so I am curious to see how things will go in the manga. So far it seems to follow the anime (from what I vaguely remember) pretty good.
I could go on, but I will finish with my review. I really enjoyed this one, the art is pretty good (sometimes a bit wonky though), I liked that we also have some (more philosophical) colour pages.
And while I am waiting for the next omnibus to come out, I guess I will be rewatching the anime. I need more Arakawa!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I loved and adored the anime of this show and I kept hoping that one day someone would license the manga in either English or German so I could read it. And thankfully someone did! Thank you Vertical!
This volume combines the first 2 volumes, and I definitely loved it. Say hello to Kou, or as he is now know thanks to the mayor/(fake) kappa: Recruit. Yep, poor Kou. He tried a stupid thing on the bridge, had to be saved by a very not-impressed Nino, and doesn’t want to owe anyone anything (thanks to traumas by his dad). So he asks her what she wants, and she wants to fall in in love. He decides to help her and thus starts living in Arakawa.
Which is the start of many hilarious situations. From a dangerous mass with a gun-wielding “Sister” to getting milk/eggs from the Arakawa farm and getting chewed out by a man hating/sadist named Maria, every day brings something new for Kou/Recruit. At times he wonders if he wants to continue staying here, and I don’t blame him, the place is bonkers. :P Plus dangerous at times, especially with Sister and later on Stella.
I am not too sure how I felt about people treating Kou/Recruit. At times I thought they were acting quite shitty. Yes, Kou/Recruit has quite a big ego, doesn’t really get how life works without the use of all his money or all his achievements, but he does try his best, and I do see that he has a very kind personality. Well hidden of course, and mostly thanks to his dad.
For instance the name? Everyone has a pretty good name, but Kou gets to be Recruit (and he even had an option of an even worse name when he asked for a Japanese name). Then there was the time when everyone just barged into his little home under the bridge when the rain season swept away all their homes. They didn’t care much about the fact they were just breaking/entering. :[
And there are other times as well. I am not too sure about the anime and if they got more friendly, but I hope for Kou’s sake they do. He does his best at least. And he is very kind towards Nino (though also confused considering the girl thinks she is a venusian).
The relationship between Nino and Kou is adorable, and I hope that they will grow together more, and maybe get more romantic. Though given how Kou is (and how he doesn’t even know how things work) and how Nino is (and how she is totally oblivious), I am guessing it will take some time. But I have patience, and I will enjoy all the little moments when they pop up.
I do like the cast of characters, even if they are a bit mean at times. We have people with all sorts of weirdness/personalities. From a guy who wears a star mask and plays guitar, to a girl who adores vegetables and is kind of dangerous, to a sister who isn’t a sister and who loves weapons.
It is also fun to see how they do their things in Arakawa. Bathing in a steel drum, eating fish from the river, grabbing whatever is findable to use for homes. It seems quite relaxing, and if anything, I wouldn’t mind living there. Maybe start up a library/book store (in exchange for food/services). Hopefully though I would be treated better than Kou is.
I am also wondering when the dad will be making an appearance in the manga. He is quite the disturbed character (sorry, if you treat your kid like this? There is something wrong in your head, you just don’t do the things he did here), so I am curious to see how things will go in the manga. So far it seems to follow the anime (from what I vaguely remember) pretty good.
I could go on, but I will finish with my review. I really enjoyed this one, the art is pretty good (sometimes a bit wonky though), I liked that we also have some (more philosophical) colour pages.
And while I am waiting for the next omnibus to come out, I guess I will be rewatching the anime. I need more Arakawa!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
October 30, 2017
Since I couldn't stand the anime, this was a pleasant surprise. It nicely balances humor and the idea that everyone has a psychological reason for living under the bridge.
April 12, 2020
Honestly probably the funniest shit I've ever read.
I've been aware of Arakawa Under the Bridge for ages due to the SHAFT anime, which I happened to have never seen in my life. Curiously, I did watch the short Saint Oniisan anime and later learned the manga was by the same author (which in retrospect makes a lot of sense to me). At some point, I was in a Books-a-Million and saw this manga, and so decided to flip through it. I had to struggle to fight against my laughter when I read the mayor's introduction, what with the zipper and everything. I've read the first chapters of this volume probably too many times, disconnected from the volume as a whole: first in Books-a-Million, then online before I ordered the volume from Rightstuf, then when the box arrived and I flipped through the book and got caught reading the first six-ish chapters again, and lastly in the course of actually sitting down and reading this thing.
I don't quite understand the manga's structure, as it seems to have run in a bimonthly magazine yet all the chapters are like 8 pages. I assume it ran in clumps of several chapters, as many chapters tie together to the point that they may as well be about 20 pages. But the relative brevity allows for the absurdity of the manga's humor to be less taxing on the reader than, say, trying to read a short tankobon of a 4-koma manga in one sitting and really feeling the burden of reading a couple hundred little comic strips. This book is an omnibus collecting two volumes of the manga, totaling 47 chapters (plus 2 little extra chapters), but the pacing is quite nice. Much of these two volumes seems to consist of introducing the various weirdos living under the bridge, as many manga dedicate their early volumes to introducing the cast. Despite there being 47 chapters, we aren't drowning in 47 characters. Rather, we meet our hero Kou (aka Recruit) at about the same time we meet Nino, then we get the mayor, then others trickle in (Shiro, Hoshi, Sister, and later P-ko, Stella, and Maria, with the Metal Bros never really getting much focus). Between chapters, Kou more or less seamlessly integrates among the bridge denizens, but on the actual pages he's the designated straight-man to their wackiness.
I feel there isn't really much that can be said of this manga without merely pointing out bits that made me laugh, so I'll save that for future volumes because I'm afraid I'd have little to write about when the time comes.
The author's married to fucking Shinji from Fate/stay night, which is just hilarious (and how did I not know he was Araragi from Monogatari? And Ryucommander from Kyuuranger!? The Araragi thing makes sense because SHAFT and it looks like the dude voiced Recruit in the Arakawa anime anyway, but still.).
I've been aware of Arakawa Under the Bridge for ages due to the SHAFT anime, which I happened to have never seen in my life. Curiously, I did watch the short Saint Oniisan anime and later learned the manga was by the same author (which in retrospect makes a lot of sense to me). At some point, I was in a Books-a-Million and saw this manga, and so decided to flip through it. I had to struggle to fight against my laughter when I read the mayor's introduction, what with the zipper and everything. I've read the first chapters of this volume probably too many times, disconnected from the volume as a whole: first in Books-a-Million, then online before I ordered the volume from Rightstuf, then when the box arrived and I flipped through the book and got caught reading the first six-ish chapters again, and lastly in the course of actually sitting down and reading this thing.
I don't quite understand the manga's structure, as it seems to have run in a bimonthly magazine yet all the chapters are like 8 pages. I assume it ran in clumps of several chapters, as many chapters tie together to the point that they may as well be about 20 pages. But the relative brevity allows for the absurdity of the manga's humor to be less taxing on the reader than, say, trying to read a short tankobon of a 4-koma manga in one sitting and really feeling the burden of reading a couple hundred little comic strips. This book is an omnibus collecting two volumes of the manga, totaling 47 chapters (plus 2 little extra chapters), but the pacing is quite nice. Much of these two volumes seems to consist of introducing the various weirdos living under the bridge, as many manga dedicate their early volumes to introducing the cast. Despite there being 47 chapters, we aren't drowning in 47 characters. Rather, we meet our hero Kou (aka Recruit) at about the same time we meet Nino, then we get the mayor, then others trickle in (Shiro, Hoshi, Sister, and later P-ko, Stella, and Maria, with the Metal Bros never really getting much focus). Between chapters, Kou more or less seamlessly integrates among the bridge denizens, but on the actual pages he's the designated straight-man to their wackiness.
I feel there isn't really much that can be said of this manga without merely pointing out bits that made me laugh, so I'll save that for future volumes because I'm afraid I'd have little to write about when the time comes.
The author's married to fucking Shinji from Fate/stay night, which is just hilarious (and how did I not know he was Araragi from Monogatari? And Ryucommander from Kyuuranger!? The Araragi thing makes sense because SHAFT and it looks like the dude voiced Recruit in the Arakawa anime anyway, but still.).
June 11, 2022
**Arakawa Down By The River Omnibus 1: or the VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER is a cavalcade of curious/crazy/heartfelt characters** I was really impressed by this because it manages to be one of the most uniquely funny series I’ve read in a long time from the start. A bunch of people otherwise ignored by Japanese society have a community under and around a bridge in Tokyo. One day a young guy who has been drilled by his cruel family to never incur any debts to anyone finds himself life indebted to an odd young woman who claims to be from Venus. From there he actually creates a small house on one of the bridge pylons and there’s just so many surrounding characters as the girl Nino and him behave a little bit like a couple but mostly she wants to find out what love is all about supposedly as an alien learning this but it’s pretty clear things are not intended to be supernatural. Despite the kappa guy/mayor. This reminds me of a much sweeter version of something like Cromartie High School. It has very goofy characters but great sense of pacing.
This book was an Omni collection so I guess I can count it as two volumes. Both get four star shaped heads out of five.
This book was an Omni collection so I guess I can count it as two volumes. Both get four star shaped heads out of five.
December 31, 2023
I read this after reading Saint Young Men. It helped me understand the humor a bit more I think. I can easily see how some would call it boring but this is my cup of tea. The humor is… is dry the right word? I don’t know but I can’t wait to read the rest of it. The characters are mysterious and dumb in a good way. I love how the government just ignores these people who have a whole ass farm under the bridge and Rec was able to build his own abode. I love Sister and his skewed view of religion. I am entertained.
May 8, 2023
the star ⭐️ is actually the moon 🌚 what a shocking turn of events lol
and tbh kids are pretty scary so i get his fear 😰 id rather battle a dozen soldiers than face middle schoolers 🗿
alr so storywise: it’s a bit bizarre but i like it? haha
my fav charac in the cast (other than kou) is probably the buff sister XD their parts were pretty fun to read abt
and tbh kids are pretty scary so i get his fear 😰 id rather battle a dozen soldiers than face middle schoolers 🗿
alr so storywise: it’s a bit bizarre but i like it? haha
my fav charac in the cast (other than kou) is probably the buff sister XD their parts were pretty fun to read abt
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2018
probably one of my favorite manga comedies I've read this year.
my only complaint is that I'm not a big fan of Maria. she's literally the least charming of the characters they introduced, and I'm hoping I'm not going to have to bear with her too often
my only complaint is that I'm not a big fan of Maria. she's literally the least charming of the characters they introduced, and I'm hoping I'm not going to have to bear with her too often
September 7, 2022
My review in two words: FEVER DREAM! Lolz! This first volume was a trip. I think I will continue by watching the anime. I struggled to get through a few parts of the manga. I feel like the anime would be a little more fast paced.
November 15, 2022
Just started reading Arakawa Under the Bridge by Hikaru Nakamura and I’m really enjoying it. It is a weird one and the art did initially put me off, but it’s just weird enough that I’m more intrigued than anything. Can’t wait to continue it.
December 29, 2017
What a strange manga. But I couldn’t put it down.
January 23, 2018
It reminds me of Gintama, which is always a good thing!
May 24, 2018
This book is hilarious, it reminds me of Gintama. 4.5/5
February 18, 2020
I want to meet the mangaka. What a brain. This manga is just awesome.
September 15, 2020
Hilarious with a super relatable main character.
November 2, 2020
Why do people review this so highly? I found it so juvenile & boring. I’m 34, maybe it’s just not for my age group. This one was so dumb.
September 15, 2021
I think I have never read something as chaotic as AUTB lmao but I'm loving it!
May 15, 2022
This is a full-on fever dream.
August 8, 2022
Surreal romantic comedy with a cast that doesn't stand out.
August 8, 2022
Sort of LOL.
October 28, 2022
Tis funny
March 6, 2023
Fun story , loveable characters too
January 17, 2025
2⭐️ I didn’t like this
April 13, 2025
Gag-dense and pretty successful at it! Some real Loony Toons energy in this one
December 7, 2025
Insane
July 27, 2023
silly little story i love them 🫶🫶🫶 anime club throwbacks 💀
February 27, 2024
The heir to the most powerful company in Japan has grown up with the family motto drilled into his head: never owe anyone. So when a girl who lives under a bridge saves his life, he has to do anything she says in order to repay the biggest debt of all. She wants to know what it’s like to fall in love, so he agrees to be her boyfriend and live under the bridge with her. He’s re-christened as “Recruit” or Rec for short, and he meets the rest of the residents with their strange behaviors. Nino, his new girlfriend, claims to be from Venus; the Mayor is a man in a kappo costume; Hoshi wears a star mask that hides his secret identity, which is a moon mask; Sister is a man dressed like a nun who might have a secret-agent past in England; and so many more interesting people. Everyone has a job and contributes to the community, except Rec, who now must find a way to be useful and not continue to be indebted to all these people.
This story is a little weirder than the creator’s other series, Saint Young Men, so this would probably only appeal to readers who love the other series. There is a colorful cast of characters here yet again, and some of them make this reading more enjoyable, but they aren’t enough for me to keep reading. Other readers who enjoy this quirky sense of humor will most likely attach themselves to one of these lovable odd-balls or want to stick it out to see what else Rec will need to do to get out of everyone's debt.
There are a few instances of smoking and alcohol use.
Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
This story is a little weirder than the creator’s other series, Saint Young Men, so this would probably only appeal to readers who love the other series. There is a colorful cast of characters here yet again, and some of them make this reading more enjoyable, but they aren’t enough for me to keep reading. Other readers who enjoy this quirky sense of humor will most likely attach themselves to one of these lovable odd-balls or want to stick it out to see what else Rec will need to do to get out of everyone's debt.
There are a few instances of smoking and alcohol use.
Sara's Rating: 6/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12
Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.
August 3, 2024
Strange Love
Vertical Comics didn't have a real rating system for their books so Kodansha has not given it one now after consolidating the group but with gun humor, some violence and limited bath time nudity this book is probably rated around Teen since no one actually dies in this series nor are the character insults to one another very bad.
Kou Ichinomiya is cursed with good looks, great smarts, lots of money, and a family belief that the only way to live life is never be in debt to anyone else. So when an accident puts his life in danger the last thing he ever thought would happen is the self proclaimed Venusian girl named Nino saving him and leaving him the ultimate debt of his life. After offering her things that would improve her life (in his mind) and being rejected multiple times she asks for help in falling in love. Knowing he has to repay his debt to her his life is going to change as he moves into a new world contained under the bridge that almost took his life already.
With a cast of unique and ever expanding characters Kou (now renamed Recruit by Mayor Kappa) and Nino live day by day in the quest for love even as he does his best to get used to a life unlike any he has experienced in the past. Hopefully they will both continue to grow as a pair as well as individuals. :)
Vertical Comics didn't have a real rating system for their books so Kodansha has not given it one now after consolidating the group but with gun humor, some violence and limited bath time nudity this book is probably rated around Teen since no one actually dies in this series nor are the character insults to one another very bad.
Kou Ichinomiya is cursed with good looks, great smarts, lots of money, and a family belief that the only way to live life is never be in debt to anyone else. So when an accident puts his life in danger the last thing he ever thought would happen is the self proclaimed Venusian girl named Nino saving him and leaving him the ultimate debt of his life. After offering her things that would improve her life (in his mind) and being rejected multiple times she asks for help in falling in love. Knowing he has to repay his debt to her his life is going to change as he moves into a new world contained under the bridge that almost took his life already.
With a cast of unique and ever expanding characters Kou (now renamed Recruit by Mayor Kappa) and Nino live day by day in the quest for love even as he does his best to get used to a life unlike any he has experienced in the past. Hopefully they will both continue to grow as a pair as well as individuals. :)
December 14, 2022
Don’t even know where to start with this one! It was weird but in a good way. I loved all the weird characters and silly events. You have to suspend your belief of real expectations and desires in life to enjoy the vibes of Arakawa. There are moments that had me LMAO! Kou Ichinomiya is the heir to one of the most successful company in the country but in Arakawa none of that matters. In all it’s silliness I think the message it sends is that it doesn’t matter what backgrounds or standing we come from, at the end when all of this is over those materialistic things does not matter. Definitely looking forward to volume 2!
May 18, 2018
I was so bored of this
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews