Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi

Aired: 2002

An original anime set in the old Abenobashi shopping district in downtown Osaka. Co-produced by Madhouse and GAINAX as a 13-episode TV series, directed by Hiroyuki Yamaga with screenplay by Satoru Akahori, character designs by Kenji Tsuruta, and music by Shiro Sagisu. When childhood friends Sasshi and Arumi discover that the last of four guardian spirit beasts protecting their shopping district has been destroyed amid redevelopment, they are suddenly transported into bizarre alternate-world "Magical Shopping Arcades." Hopping through parallel worlds that parody different genres — from RPGs and sci-fi to romance — the two search for a way back home while exchanging witty banter in Osaka dialect. Winner of the Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival. ©GAINAX/Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai Production Committee