Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
ObiSeanime
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is a true masterpiece of anime. I had no idea at all what this was one was about and put it on one weekend as some background filler while I did some drawing … I didn’t draw a thing I just sat there and took this excellent anime in for all it’s worth.
There are other reviews telling you all about the characters and the settings and the plot - so I just want to tell you how this show made me feel. This show took me on a ride that I did not expect at all and I am grateful for it. The way it pokes fun at and parodies almost everything about anime is exactly the sort of thing I enjoy. Those who can step back and laugh at themselves and the things they love have a special power - and this show absolutely has that power locked down.
Anime fans will recognise…
Read at the sourcekkjana
Okay so this one is a big hear me out for me... I feel like i'm one of the few people that liked it so much. I like the nosense humor, i like the references and parodys, i like all the characters on it (specially the two protagonists), and i specially like the art (kinda reminds me of fooly cooly and it fits the anime so perfectly).
Every episode was so fun to watch, and even tho i am not a fun of ecchi, it didn't bother me here, cause they make it more for humor reasons and not for fanservice, and it actually works pretty well.
The protagonists are so charismatic, i like their friendship so much and how it's developed trough out the episodes. I have nothing bad to say, don't get how it didn't get more famous. Maybe it's just not what most people are looking for, but i highly recommend…
Read at the sourceSgtSalamander
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is a trippy, funny, horny, absurd, surrealist odyssey, dripping with the inimitable charm of early 2000s anime. It is admittedly a difficult task to give it the right rating, because while it definitely has the trappings of greatness, a series of bizarre decisions and unusual creative choices ultimately end up making the whole thing a little hard to pin down in terms of a comprehensive rating. We begin with the story, which is utterly unique as the isekai of isekais, years before there was even a glimmer of the genre boom that was to come. Accidentally falling through worlds upon worlds, unable to find their way home, Sasshi and Arumi have to navigate their way through various dimensions and unravel the mystery of what's really going on in order to return…
Read at the sourceCaptainKenshiro
Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai is hailed as one of the best isekai and anime comedies by the elitist crowd within the anime community, for three reasons:
1-It’s retro, that means older, and thus better.
2-It’s about anti-escapism, a commonly praised theme and message among that part of the community and a reason to consider everything with it as better.
3-It’s made by Gainax, the once upon a time best anime studio.
Well, unfortunately, I gotta say I’m quite dissatisfied with this title all things considered.
Not in terms of visuals though, because, for a 2002 anime, Abenobashi is pretty well animated. It maintains a good artwork and well done special effects, and since almost every episode takes place in a different world, the backgrounds are always changing and are interesting to look…
Read at the sourceSagaiko
I loved the story, its unique blend of genres, including comedy, fantasy, and drama. What sets it apart is its exploration of multiple parallel worlds, each parodying different anime genres (the alternate worlds Arumi and Sasshi visit are caricatures of different anime tropes) and pop culture references, providing both comedy and commentary on the medium itself :D. The series combines humor with deeper emotional moments as the protagonists confront personal issues.
My favorite part of this series is the art. The animation features a vibrant and expressive art style. The character designs are well-suited to the comedic and fantastical elements of the series. As the story shifts between different parallel worlds, the art style adapts to match the themes and aesthetics of each setting. I lov…
Read at the sourcebboy_X
Ah, the Abenobashi Shopping Mall Arcade. I remember my initial run in with this series as an adolescent-child at a friend's house. Despite being only in elementary school, my friend managed to have a copy of this DVD in his possession. This was back when paying twenty dollars for a DVD containing only three or so episodes was the norm. But I digress, even at a young age, though my face was beet-red during all of Mune-Mune’s scenes, I still noted the elasticity of the characters, the warm vibe, and varied artstyle this show had. I was eager to continue watching this other-worldly show as soon as I got home, but alas I hadn’t the slightest clue of what the name of the show I just witnessed was. So for years, this anime lived rent free in my head until I stumbled upon it by accident some poin…
Read at the sourcenightmaresinclr
This anime immediately struck me as a spiritual successor to FLCL, one of my favorite animes, and for that I do think it delivers. An extremely fun, goofy, and visually spectacular adventure that manages to tell a serious story without taking itself seriously at all. The art and music are definitely the highlights, every frame containing something exciting and colorful. For that alone, artistically this is a masterpiece - However, I think the story failed to resonate with me quite as hard as something like FLCL, so I feel like it just misses a 10/10 for me, though that may change in the future.
My few complaints center around the story and characters. The ending felt a bit out of left field, and arguably contradicted what I thought the message was: not completely, but I think it did under…
Read at the sourceJa025
Magical☆Shopping Arcade Abenobashi short review by Ja025:
Interesting: Confusing story that doesn’t provide you answers until the end – weird but interesting and even touching development, if you’re patient enough.
Notable: It will make you wonder what are you even watching at some points.
Annoying: Weird sexualized violence is the only way Arumi can interact with Satoshi in uncomfortable/awkward situations. Quite weird but probably less weird than the director’s meeting where they approved this to be added to anime.
Frustrating: It takes some time to understand what is going on and why (like 10 episodes).
Obvious: This fusion – confusion might discourage you from watching it till the end. Also lots of medium strength ecchi.
Why the score: It sorta comes together at the end so I’m will…
Read at the sourcePixelB
Honestly, the story starts off pretty well, but it definitely leaves much to be deserved when you get through to the actual plot of the story. The story involves the MC jumping through to a bunch of worlds to avoid some real world problems he has, but the story derails for around 10 whole episodes doing nothing but jumping worlds, when this story could have been more of a coming to age sort of thing.
In the end, you could literally watch episodes 1, 2, and 12 and 13 and this story would be complete. You could say that this entire show could be a one and a half hour movie, instead of the 13 episode mess that it is.
While having an episodic story isn't terrible, and there are many classic examples which are great, you need the episodic episodes to be good, obviously. Since there is not much…
Read at the sourceNimurai
This is a great anime.
It's well done, the main characters are some of the best characters I have ever encounter. If you only count those characters their same age, I would say this are the best ones.
How the story is told, and the 'edition' is formidable.
If I had to complain about anything in it, that would be the last chapter. I didn't like the way it was told the resolution of the story. That aside, the homage to pop culture and anime culture are a bit dated, so if you are less than 25yo, you would need to watch old anime and movies to enjoy them.
(If you never watched anime from the 80s or 90s, I don't know what are you doing reading this. Just go enjoy yourself.)
Read at the sourceSidewinder51
One of the go to motto is ignorance is bliss. in layman's terms i can be happy if i do not know the ugly truth. since this anime focused on this concept not only was this relate-able but i felt myself at several points laughing/ silently wishing if only that were true for me. Being an adult you miss the joys and innocence of a kid. now, some may say the ending was cheap or a w.t.f.(as the kids would say) but i disagree. to understand what i mean aside from actually watching the show you would have to break it down each line and do self reflections.
Sure there was cheap production because we hardly saw new faces or heard new voices but the ending message and the stories plot made it worth watching....
if i were to recommend this to a person i would not put an age restriction(despite the n…
Read at the sourceDOWA
Abenobashi is good.
i need to start that the premise is found of two friends that go to a magic world is
ok. ~~~ but the story go more that this and tells about the mature
in the two main characters he have classical relation of opposite sides but the good friendship is developing by be knowing the emotion of the two also story is....... what i can say ......... GAINAX STYLE taking something funny innocent & simple in a good developing series with self - improvement
for negative ....
the first half series episodes ( 6 episodes ) are auto-conclusion and don't really have the message of the maturity ...... but the first 6 episodes still funny~~~~
also are like~ ................. a... 60% funny , ecchi , rule of cool the rest is the developing character that also the message of the story i…
Read at the sourceRyntaia
Ohh...how do you begin to define something like Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi? To me, this show is a perfect example of a good idea that was poorly executed. The idea of trying to get home via world jumping from genre to genre in a parody attempt--that's some fun shit! But this show tries way too hard to have it both ways. It wants to have both its genre parody, AND its 'shocking' and serious drama. So, as you can imagine, SPOILERS AHOY!
I'm gonna start with the ART, because it's the most positive aspect about the show imho.
ART: 9
For what it is, that being a 13 episode sort-of parody show, the animation in this is pretty great. It's not necessarily perfect, and in some shots its flat out lazy, but it works for the character design and the fast-paced manner that most of the jokes…
Read at the sourceFear_the_Reefer
It’s a tale stretching back through countless generations of Japanese mythology... The legend of Shitenno, the Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhism. There’s the dragon of the east, the bird of the south, the tiger of the west, and the turtle of the north. By placing statues or other representations of those four animals at the four different points that they’re associated with, you can bring good fortune to your home... Or even to an entire town. One such location is the Abenobashi Shopping Arcade, a long-lasting and culturally rich town that’s finally teetering on the edge of relevence, and drawing nearer to it’s end, to the great dismay of Arumi Asahina and Satoshi “Sasshi” Imamiya.
Having spent the first twelve years of their lives in Abenobashi, these two best friends are about to enter a…
Read at the sourceWahmphi
Story:
Abenobashi jumps from hamfisted comedy to serious plot moments and back again, giving the series a very uneven tone and pacing. It would have done better to excel at one or the other rather than try to do both. That being said, the plot's central premise is interesting enough to keep a viewer engaged from episode to episode, even if it does get wearying at times.
Art:
The art is bombastic and cartoony, full of bright colors. It's a more than capable vehicle for the zany humor this show presents, but it doesn't really stand out either.
Sound:
This series is full of cartoony, western sound effects, adding to the madcap style of the show. The characters are well acted and convincing. Do not watch the dub. Not because I dislike dubs; I love dubs. I watch most series with dubs but Abe…
Read at the sourceTenshiAmber
This anime is particulary fun to watch for everyone who are not afraid of vulgar humour and parody. Two main protagonists travel around a weird world of various anime styles and genres like mecha, shoujo, adventure and etc.
I disliked this anime probably because of lots of vulgar humour which is not very appropriate for me, but it was really fun to watch at times, and the complicated backround story was quite interesting.
I recommend this anime for people, who have tasted a lot of different anime genres, because this anime allows you to see most of anime genres from an amusing perspective.
Read at the sourceAnnoKano
“The times, they are a changin’” once sang Bob Dylan, in a song about a revolution against the old guard of established capitalists, about to be replaced by the creative and political youth. They would bring about a change for the better and create a world where the common man remains in control and the Capitalists are kept on a short leash. Needless to say Dylan was, as every generation since has been: completely wrong. The vanguard of Capitalism is now more powerful and in more control than it ever was, and the common man who has yet to file within its ranks is being squashed and squeezed by its weight.
Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai is about a community about to fall victim to the turning wheel of progress- a small group of local kids whose parents all work in the aging local shopping arc…
Read at the sourceArizzle
Gainax lives up to its name with this early addition to its collection of energetic and fast paced works, Magical Shopping Arcade, which proves to be as clever as it is quirky. With good character development and a fresh way to keep up the flow of a story with a strong background, Magical Shopping Arcade proves to be a fun experience, with few mistakes until its disappointing ending.
For an early-2000 anime, Abenobashi stands out in animation. Although its unfair to compare it to others for the sole sake of it being developed by Gainax, it's still worth mentioning the work put into its art style. With each new episode presenting a different atmosphere comes a new form of animation each time, from super-deformed to 3D-space with the main characters drawn in. Being drawn well and animated f…
Read at the sourceyacques
Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai
First when I heard this anime's name, it made me think of a bunch of cute magical girls with pink hair and super round eyes casting spells and fighting against evil. Something I totally wouldn't watch. Then I noticed the producer is Gainax, which immidiately made me intrested of the series. So, watched it and I'm happy I did.
ABOUT:
Abenobashi tells a story of two childhood friends, Arumi and Sasshi. They live in the peaceful city of Osaka spending time with each other and just hanging around. However, Arumi is going to move to Hokkaido with her family and Sasshi's pretty shocked when he finds it out. After few strange incidents these kids get sucked in different worlds. Time and period changes every time but the city and the people in it remain, although thei…
Read at the sourceaburame
Although the story seemed rather disconnected until the later episodes, the idea of the whole series and how it was delivered was interesting. The story was well delivered considering it all came out in a short number of episodes.
Most of the episodes were entertaining to watch, got a few good laughs in! Overall a good anime to watch for its short length
Read at the source
