Abenobashi Mahoh Shotengai | |
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| | Alternate title : Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
Studio : GAINAX Co., Ltd.
Also involved: Madhouse Studios
Licenced by : ADV Films
Length : 13 Episodes
Year : 2002
Genre : Science-Fiction - Fantasy - Comedy
Synopsis :
Also known as it's full Japanese title of Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai, we get another completely new production for Gainax. Abenobashi is pretty much about two friends: Sashi and Arumi. These two grew up together, and as they get ready to enter high school, they discover that times have changed and Arumi is going to be moving away from Abenobashi because her father wants to expand his French cooking skills, and get away from the run down and constantly renovated Abenobashi District.
It turns out though, that Sashi and Arumi's parents were owners of special items and statues, which hold great importance to the district itself. When the final statue is broken, what will become of the district? From here Sashi and Arumi are swept into different magical worlds that reflect variations on Abenobashi. How will they find their way home? And what role do Sashi and Arumi's parents play in all this?
Added : 2002-08-13
Synopsis by : Specky
Last update : 2007-03-11
Last update details : Modify info
Score : 8.46
Number of reviews : 13
Link(s) :
Official #1 : Abenobashi Official Website (English)
Official #2 : ADV Film's Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi Website (English)
Official #3 : Gainax's Abenobashi Website (Japanese)
Official #4 : Star Child's Abenobashi Website (Japanese)
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Megumi Hayashibara - "Treat or Goblins"
Ending #1 : Megumi Hayashibara - "Anata no Kokoro Ni"
Release(s) :
There are no release available for this anime.
Hits : 31085
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Posted by : Edvin
Posted on : 2008-07-10 
I started watching Abenobashi purely because I fell in love with the ending theme. So to me, the music is already a 10/10.
As for the rest of the anime, I swallowed it whole and loved it. Each episode, Abenobashi is a spoof anime, making fun of a lot of the classics. But at heart, it's a very heartwarming and thoughtful coming-of-age anime. Think of it as a less serious version of Evangelion -- a standalone episode doesn't tell much about the theme, but the series in its entirety really took you on a tour of Sasshi's psyche, and how this boy grew up to be a man. Take it from me -- watch it slowly, learn something about Japanese post war culture, then watch it again. The nostalgia factor and the Samurai mindset really shows through.
The show itself has various artistic styles, but the animation is always kept smooth. I'm normally very hard to be pleased in this area, but I find no fault in the art and animation in Abenobashi. It's lively, colorful, and most importantly, it fits what it is meant to do.
Abenobashi Mahou Shotengai receives my seal of approval. To me, this masterpiece reaches the poetic height that few are capable of achieving. If you're also a lover of this series, feel free to PM me. I'd love to chat more with you.
Posted by : fingrid
Posted on : 2007-08-03 
You cannot say much about the series as a whole because almost every episode is an individual spoof of some video game / anime series and much stuff just weird just like the dinosaurland episode. The personal anime experience and how familiar you are with the episodic themes defines how much you can enjoy of the series, though I feel like the later part was a bit worse than than first half. The best parts were the parodies of Dragon Quest, older Gaiking and some kind of World's strongest championship with Chinese influence. The Omnyou-jin conclusion was just great. You could underline the comedy description, there isn't much plot advancement or any at all. The series doesn't take itself too seriously so it's much about the gags Sashi pulls up.
The series is repetitive. Every dimension has the place called Abenobashi which features practically the same habitants of which you're supposed to get tired of. There is some guy with blue chin, a trio of two girls and a transvestite and replicates of Sashi and Arumi's family members. There isn't any sane characters in the series. Sashi is constantly making up childish tricks and Arumi's losing his patience over and over because of it.
Sounds? Intolerable. If you get past the average openings and endings, the voice acting is original but somehow disgusting. Those childish high-pitched voices get to your head and Sashis boring tone (supposed to sound like a nerd) just drives you away. All the characters sound so awkward that, when put together, it's a mess. It's the most prominent reason you aren't gonna rewatch this.
I don't mind the graphics if it just fits in and shows enough details. The parodies bear a good resemblance to the originals. It is seen in RPG status effect mockage, I like how Sashi gets petrified and Arumi pushes him back to the wise man to heal. Gaiking isn't badly drawn either. Other than that, there is very little variation in the drawing style. It looks kinda low-budget stuff. I wouldn't expect a Hollywood spoof with slasher horror and Die Hard spoofs if it was as cheap as it looks like.
The only reason to watch it to the end is the most cunning ending ever. It fools you into thinking it will end poorly, but it changes at the last possible (and surprising) point. There aren't many anime series with a decent ending, but Abenobashi has one. I could be wrong, because I was so happy it finally ended. Breaking the Abenobashi universe rule with that Omnyou wizardy and casting away the goblin as a key character needed for a dimension change was disturbing and damaged the plot concept a bit. There's no point in anything and most of the jokes are already seem many times before. I still recommend it, because its parody value is priceless and you Gaiking mecha fans, go watch the Gaiking parody, it's diamond.
Posted by : EvilGrainOfRice
Posted on : 2007-04-28 
Abenobashi is possibly one of the funniest animes I have ever seen. A comedy/drama series from Gainax (the FLCL folks), this anime executes its various parodies with style and piss-in-your-pants gut-busting hilarity. Every episode or so another "genre" is attacked with insane situations and wonderous cliches. Even the music in the background refelcts popular themes of that genre.
Both of the main characters, Arumi and Sashi, are quite endearing and likeable. As their realtionship grows and fleshes out more, we began to really feel for them. Sashi's desire to pretect Arumi is especially endearing.
It's too bad, then, that the anime is hampered down by bad drama and a useless plot that adds little to the comedy. Entire episodes drag away from the parody, and the end result is a really boring, seemingly irrelevant episode. Why Gainax had to inject plot into what could have been merely inspired lunacy is anyone's guess.
Overall, the anime gets a 7. Good solid comedy that could have been more if the plot wasn't so useless. Still worth a look if you love comedy, or enjoy parodies.
Posted by : ladyarakune
Posted on : 2005-07-10
Well, this anime will really mess with your head. The different magical worlds play as a parody of anime, with weird and wacky worlds. Sashi and Arumi are really funny together as neither of them knows very much about anything but both claim to know all the rules.
The plot moves along smoothly, it
Posted by : wutang44
Posted on : 2005-06-20
Overall, this series is about as strange as FLCL and Excel Saga on a good day. It's all about Arumi and Sashi, two friends, and how they keep trying to get home. The problem is, they're trying to leave home behind.
Anyway, a goblin had transported the two to an alternate version of their home, Abenobashi district, and they have to fight their way through the zany world to find the goblin and make him take them home. Only problem is, the two just end up going to another alternate home. Each locale is crazier than the last, and all of them seem to have something in them that Sashi is an expert on (this is explained a little later in the series). Between episodes involving yellow fighting suits, panty-thief goblins, big-busted "Sisters" and a world where getting shot makes you into an ignored side-line character, this show has many aspects that make most peoples' jaws drop. Also, there are a few reccuring themes, such as the "Abeno-Angels" (I'll let discover this one on your own :P).
Between episodes such as these, there are serious episodes which help to fill in the blank spots in the plot. While boring to some, these episodes are crucial to maintaining some semblance of a storyline. They can also get quite emotional, as with the episode involving two one-sided loves and the efforts involved to try and change that.
A few episodes might make you sad, some episodes definitely made me cry, but the majority of the episodes will make you laugh till you drop. Even the Western accent Sashi has in the English version adds to the hilarity, as he is almost never seen without his cowboy hat (when not in some costume or another).
This is a good anime to watch if your desire is to relieve stress, laugh off some troubles, or just laugh. While not always family-friendly, definitely a must see for Excel-lovers.
Posted by : Caireen 
Posted on : 2005-06-11
This is possibly the funniest anime I will ever see! Admittedly there isn't much of a storyline (although it does come into play a little towards the end), but quite honestly that isn't necessary for you to enjoy this wacky, crazy and utterly hilarious anime, which proceeds to take the p*ss out of every anime genre, RPG and even Hollywood itself!
Animation: Bright and crisp animation. The Abenobashi Shopping Arcade is nicely designed, as are the characters. I'm sure the character distortion is supposed to be there, but you do have the incredibly ugly (Kouhei), along with the incredibly beautiful (Mune, Mune) but this just adds to the enjoyment! Overall, it did have a feel of Fooly Cooly (FLCL), but maybe a little too much!
Sound: The opening song is so catchy, with the wackiest lyrics I've heard to date! I love the way every single letter of even a well known character is pronounced, and thought it rather amusing to hear Megumi Hayashibara singing "Willo-the-Wisp", wisp came out Wiss-up!
The ending theme left little impression on me.
The voice acting was brilliant. I'm not sure how hard it is for a Japanese person to use an Osaka accent, but Aya Hisakawa (Sailor Mercury) did a splendid job as Mune, Mune. I don't know how right I might be, but to me, someone from Osaka and the way they talk, is like a Cockney from London (England)!!
Story: Well, there isn't much of an overall story. Basically, the Abenobashi Shopping Arcade is being closed down. Sasshi and Arumi are childhood friends and Arumi is moving away to Hokkaido. I guess being a child, Sasshi can't come to terms with all the termoil in his life and thanks to some strange magic, Sasshi's imagination sends them to alternate versions of Abenobashi.
That's the basis of the story, but it's the worlds they visit that make this the funniest parody of everything that is anime, RPG's and American movies!
I want to mention one or two of those worlds here, as they left such a deep impression on my funny bone!
The Milky Way world: this had to be the best p*ss take of anything and everything mech/mecha imaginable, from Gundam to Power Rangers! When Arumi loses her panties, I thought I would die from laughing, as she modestly tries to cover herself inside a giant mech, with Sasshi sitting right underneath her! The entrance of something looking like a fat distorted Eva, well I fell off my seat laughing. As long as you have a little knowledge of a lot of mechs, you'll never see them in the same light again *lol*
The Hong Kong Combat Shopping Arcade: OMG! So funny, everyone from Street Fighter to Dragon Ball Z was there and Sasshi's fighting suit that only made the punching noises, you can't beat such wonderful parodies. When Sasshi is fighting in the ring and turns into Super Saiyan Gohan, he makes a Kame Hame Ha! and the resulting action was so funny that I thought my sides would split, it just doesn't come funnier than this!
Characters: Sasshi is a sweet little kid with the filthiest mind I have ever come across! He had more nose bleeds than anyone in anime! He's so full of enthusiasm for all these worlds they visit, but his concern for his Grampa is so sweet.
Arumi is NOT your typical young girl, other than the fact she's not really into RPG's!! She's hates cute things and loves nothing more than beating the crap out of Sasshi. She's extremely funny and a little hard headed.
Mune Mune and the other Angels are such a laugh. I have never seen such an ugly drag queen before *lol*
Kouhei is probably my favourite character and you may need to cover your ears in the Hollywood world, he swears something awful! I don't quite know what it is about him I like, maybe it's the cute pink bunny suit from the magical girl world!!
The rest of the characters are all very amusing, from Sasshi's strange "Rei Ayanami lookalike" sister, to Arumi's Dad who keeps spouting French.
Enjoyment value: First time enjoyment of this anime is full marks, 10/10, but I think some of the initial hilarity would be lost from repeat viewings. While the first 10 episodes were infact hilarious, the last 3 were not quite so funny and it took a more serious turn and although it had a rather unexpected and pleasant ending, I'm a little disappointed that the creators added an almost shoujo type perfect ending.
You can't take any part of this series seriously, so just sit back and enjoy the fun!
Posted by : Onery
Posted on : 2005-05-12
Abenobashi!!!!!! You'll learn to love it!
A anime which has crazy random acts of stupidity and illogical logic! Now, just humour me for a bit. Go to the top of this page and have a look at the pictures given for this anime. Looks dull, don't it? DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU!!!!! I was put off by those pictures thinking that this anime wouldn't be fun to watch. Reading the sypnosis was a lifesaver though...
If you love Excel Saga, you MUST watch this! The music is coordinated perfectly, with some conflicting themes (eg a happy tune being played in a serious moment). The animation is one of the smoothest I've ever seen in an Anime! And the humour, right up there with Excel Saga, maybe even better!
Trust me, go visit this shopping arcade and I assure you that you'll have one heck of a time. What are you waiting for? GO!
Posted by : idjota
Posted on : 2004-05-26
Another crazy comedy for Gainax and Madhouse.
For me it was a story of how Sashi is trying to escape from reality by traveling through different worlds and trying to protect Arumi from knowing the truth. This brings many funny episodes, like a whole episode spent on chasing some kind of a monster that stole Arumi's panties. However the end is not that funny, rather, it's depressing.
I think that this anime is worth watching and after people see it they will agree with me.
Posted by : atikiN
Posted on : 2004-04-09
This was a solid 4 star anime. It had a interesting plot with a lot of funny moments. It was a very easy watch and I finished it in two sittings.
The story is interesting. The characters travel through fictional, game based worlds, embarking on adventures and trying their best to complete the objective in each world to get home. The story gets deeper as the episode numbers get higher, there are a number of interesting twists and turns that will catch you off guard.
There are two main characters and a number of minor ones that we see throughout the show. I was getting a little sick of some of the things the main female character was doing but that quickly changed after watching episode 8. There
Posted by : keitarou
Posted on : 2003-06-11
When I think of enjoyable comedic animes, my mind floats to two main competitors, Azumanga Daioh and Abenobashi. They are the leading two representations of pure comedic genious! I won't bother comparing the two, because the types of comedy each goes for are.... not comparable.
Abeno is outstanding! Graphics are perfect for it's style, music is phenomenal and correct for the pacing of the show, and the storyline is dead on! You don't get the full effect of just what a great series you've watched until the very last episode though. The last episode will take your opinion of the show and smack you upside the head with it! It's so very poignant that you'll reach an even higher level of appreciation for the show after you've seen it. I said that this was one of the funniest animes I've ever seen... but during the last episode, I cried a little...
It's that good.
Posted by : macerboy
Posted on : 2003-04-26
This anime has to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life. Some episodes will make you cry because you're laughing so much(episode 12 did that to me). The characters all add to the humour and it's funny to see how they turn out in the different worlds that Sashi and Arumi travel to. The humour is along the lines of FLCL and Excel Saga... so you have to be really into anime to get a lot of them... and for some people the humour may be just too weird for them to find it funny. The animation is great, I especially love when the characters are drawn extra cartoony... it just looks funny.
The only problem I found with this anime is a few of the middle episodes. In these episodes a plot was being developed and things became a bit more serious. Even though these episodes explained the reason things were happening I just found it to be out of place. If you have a crazy anime like this there is no need for plot... especially a serious one like this is.
Overall I give this series a 8 out of 10. I highly recommend it to anime diehards.
Posted by : Kaiser
Posted on : 2002-08-21
Again being a GAINAX fanboy, I was glad to see something new by them and I was not disappointed. Abenobashi is pretty damn hilarious as the two main characters travel in a world of cosplaying parents and relatives and other weird people.
The art is fluid, bright and colourful. The story line is humorous and goes about to spoof alot of famous anime series... DBZ and Evangelion to name a few. If you've seen your share of anime and movies then you'll find a wealth of inside anime and cultural jokes. The animation is unique but still fluid top notch quality. Music is interesting especially the opening theme which is very catchy, storyline is a bit weird and definitely random.
If you liked Excel Saga craziness with FLCL type of quality, you should look into Abenobashi. Worth a watch and will give you lots of laughs. 7/10.
Posted by : bluestorm6
Posted on : 2002-08-19
This anime is pure magic. (Mahou) hehehe... Anyways, with the art resembling that of Furi Kuri(FLCL), and parodies like Excel Saga, you just can't go wrong. This is a very compelling series where every episode is better than the last. I especially enjoyed this anime because of how funny the main character is (Sashi).
Bottom line: Original anime at its best.
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