Hikari

12

PG-13

Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru

Seaside Cafe is hardly what comes to mind when one thinks of a maid cafe. Hastily rebranded to jump in on the maid trend, Seaside Cafe carries no tea, offers very little in the way of service, and only gets customers from the local shopping district. Despite the cafe's humble offerings, this is where Hotori Arashiyama chooses to secretly work after school. Balancing high school, work, family, and a love life can be difficult, and Hotori manages to stumble through without the slightest bit of grace. With the help of her friends and family, she tries to navigate her way through the wild world of adolescence where barely anything normal occurs.

TV Fall 2010 7.45

13

PG-13

Arakawa Under the Bridge

Kou Ichinomiya is the son of a wealthy businessman who holds a firm belief in his elite status. As such, he is determined to avoid becoming indebted to anyone; but one day, after a run-in with some mischievous kids on Arakawa Bridge, he ends up falling into the river running underneath. Luckily for him, a passerby is there to save him—but now, he owes his life to this stranger! Angered by this, Kou insists on paying her back, but this may just be the worst deal the arrogant businessman has ever made. The stranger—a stoic, tracksuit-wearing homeless girl known only as Nino—lives in a cardboard box under the bridge and wants only one thing: to fall in love. Asking Kou to be her boyfriend, he has no choice but to accept, forcing him to move out of his comfortable home and start a new life under the bridge!

TV Spring 2010 7.56

13

PG-13

Arakawa Under the Bridge x Bridge

On the beautiful banks of the Arakawa River, it is lively as ever. Now known as "Recruit," Kou Ichinomiya has adjusted to the troubles his unconventional neighbors brew daily. However, the atypical scene is about to get even rowdier when their community adds a couple of oddball enthusiasts: a tall, muscular woman calling herself Amazoness, followed by her loyal Tengu henchmen; and Captain, self-proclaimed Commander of Earth's Defense Force against Venusians. In spite of all the commotion, Recruit gradually learns more about his lover Nino and the story that shaped her.

TV Fall 2010 7.71

12

PG-13

Koufuku Graffiti

The path to becoming a fine wife begins with being an accomplished cook—at least, that is what Ryou Machiko's late grandmother had led her to believe. For a middle schooler, Ryou's cooking skills are incomparable; but recently, though Ryou's food looks appetizing and smells inviting, the taste has not been delicious. Just when the dejected art student comes to terms with the possibility that she might continue living alone for the rest of her life, her aunt tells her that Kirin Morino—Ryou's second cousin—will begin staying with her every weekend since the younger girl has joined a cram school in Tokyo and aims to attend the same school as Ryou. Surprisingly, with her cousin's arrival, Ryou finds that her cooking has vastly improved—apparently, it is not her prowess in the kitchen, but the sharing of the experience with those closest to her that seems to make the flavors shine.

TV Winter 2015 6.8

PG-13

12

7.12