Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi - DVD

Sasshi and Arumi are two twelve-year-old childhood friends growing up in Osaka's traditional Abenobashi commercial district. As urban re-development threatens to tear down the historic storefronts, Arumi's family prepares to move across the country to Hokkaido. Just as the two come to terms with their impending separation, a freak accident involving the district's sacred guardian statues shatters the boundaries of reality. Sasshi and Arumi are instantly catapulted into a mind-bending multiverse of parallel dimensions, each modeled after a distorted pop-culture genre—ranging from sci-fi mecha and high-fantasy RPGs to hardboiled noir, prehistoric adventure, and dating sims. To find their way back home, the duo must navigate a gauntlet of absurd parodies, bizarre monsters, and the mysterious, recurring presence of the enigmatic sorcerer Euphemium and the shapeshifting beauty Mune-Mune.

Produced by the legendary Studio Gainax (Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL) alongside Madhouse (Trigun, Cardcaptor Sakura), 2002's Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (Abenobashi Mahō Shōgetsu-gai) is an iconic, hyper-energetic satire of anime tropes and Otaku culture. Directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga (Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise) with animation direction by Kenji Tsuruta and Kazuya Tsurumaki (FLCL), the series pairs rapid-fire visual comedy, dynamic parodies, and Osaka-dialect banter with a surprisingly touching core story about childhood grief, nostalgia, and accepting change. Released on DVD by ADV Films, this complete collection includes all 13 episodes in dual-language audio presentation.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga (Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise, Mahoromatic)
Original Concept: Gainax & Hiroyuki Yamaga
Studios: Gainax / Madhouse
Music: Shiro Sagisu (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Bleach)
Cast:

• Tomo Saeki as Sasshi Imamiya
• Yuki Matsuoka as Arumi Asahina
• Rikiya Koyama as Euphemium
• Aya Hisakawa as Mune-Mune
• Kōji Ishii as Masa-Jii
• Ryuuzou Ishino as Yuta Imamiya

Spoken Languages: Japanese Audio Only, No Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: アベノ橋魔法☆商店街 (Abenobashi Mahō Shōgetsu-gai)
Runtime: ~325 Minutes (13 Episodes)
Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga
DVD Release Year: 2003 / 2005 (ADV Films Thinpak / Volume Releases)
Original Air Date (Japan): 2002
Publisher: ADV Films / A.D. Vision
Rating: TV-MA / 15+ (Contains Parody Violence, Suggestive Comedy, Ecchi Themes, & Crude Humor)
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Anime, Comedy, Parody, Fantasy, Dimension Travel
Themes: Multiverse Surfing, Otaku Culture Satire, Osaka Dialect, Childhood Nostalgia, Growing Up

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.