"Abenobashi mahô shôtengai" (2002) TV series

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Hiroyuki Yamaga

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2002 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Animation | Comedy

Plot:

Two kids whose families own businesses in a shopping arcade that's scheduled to shut down are thrown into a series of dimensions, each one a parody of some form of anime or video game, and try to find their way home.

Plot Keywords:

Anime | Mushroom | Spoof | Surrealism | Cult TV

Cast

Jessica Boone

...

Arumi Asahina (unknown episodes)

(more)

Series Directed by
Hiroyuki Yamaga		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
John Ledford	....	executive producer (8 episodes, 2002)
Mark Williams	....	executive producer (8 episodes, 2002)
Masafumi Fukui	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Toshimichi Otsuki	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Taiji Suinou	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Hiroyuki Yamaga	....	producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Shirô Sagisu		(unknown episodes)

Series Cinematography by
Hitoshi Yamaguchi		(unknown episodes)
Jin Yamaguchi		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Direction by
Hiroshi Kato		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Tadashi Hiramatsu	....	storyboard artist (2 episodes, 2002)
Hiroyuki Imaishi	....	storyboard artist (2 episodes, 2002)
Masayuki Kojima	....	storyboard artist (2 episodes, 2002)
Harumi Takahoshi	....	color designer (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Kazuya Tanaka	....	sound director (unknown episodes)

Series Animation Department
Tadashi Hiramatsu	....	character designer (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Gainax
• Mad House

Distributors

• ADV Films (2003) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi" (USA)

Runtime:

24 min (13 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:15

Company:

Gainax

Trivia:

The martial arts sensei panda in episode 4 is a reference to Genma Saotome from "Ranma ½" (1989).

Quotes:

[last line of the series]
Sasshi: Well, being human, having your health is what's most important.

A fabulous anime

I disagree with the comment left by 'garfnerkopin97'. Saying that Gainax started leaving its fingerprints on the series near the end makes it sound like production was taken over by them from another team. But the entire series is made by Gainax, so of course it's going to have it's fingerprints all over it. Saying "This series was ruined by poor characterization and by being a Gainax product" doesn't make any sense. It's IS a Gainax product, it couldn't ever be anything else. It's like saying a mate of mine would have been better off if he'd had different parent's. If he's had different parents, he wouldn't be him. Gainax wrote and produced Abenobashi, if someone else did it, it would be something else like Cold Mountine or whatever.

I also hardly think the ending of this anime was "epic". In fact compared to most of the episodes, the last one is pretty calm and collective. I think the subs are better than the dubs, and that the series is funny and fantastic all round. So yeah, I like this anime, but hay, everyone's entitled to their opinions I guess. What do I know, I'm just some guy on the internet.