![]() ![]() then a Hong Kong martial arts movie version. Sasshi and Arumi find themselves trapped in a warped version of Abenobashi, as if it were an RPG, with everyone they know recast as NPCs.īut once they fight their way through the game's plot in grand slapstick style, thinking they will then return home, they find themselves transported to an outer space version of Abenobashi. Before their eyes, the neighborhood changes. Well, none of that really matters, after Arumi's grandfather is hospitalized in an accident that destroys the last of four "guardian" figurines that bound the shopping district. Worse, Arumi and her family are moving to Hokkaido. But the arcade and the neighborhood around it are now slated for redevelopment one by one, the old familiar buildings are being torn down. Thus shall it be!"Īrumi and Sasshi are two twelve-year-olds who have grown up together in the Abenobashi shopping arcade in Osaka. Despite these antisocial tendencies, it's the social failure Shinji that chooses to reject Instrumentality, asserting his individuality and reuniting with his friends while facing reality and all of its struggles."All things extant in this world: Gods of Heaven, Gods of Earth, let everything be as it should be. Protagonist Shinji Ikari constantly ran away from his problems as well as from other people, who he feared hurting or being hurt by. This choice to continue living in the fantasy world of isekai was definitely something that many viewers didn't expect, and in many ways, it's the opposite of the ending in the TV version of Neon Genesis Evangelion.Ī fellow Gainax production, the now legendary Evangelion was as much a psychological exploration of its characters as it was a mecha anime series. He realizes this by the series' conclusion, but instead of turning back to reality to face his problems head-on, he turns his back on reality. In being such a deconstruction of isekai, it also ended up reversing the ending of one of Gainax's most popular and iconic anime ever.Īs mentioned previously, the various realities in Abenobashi are born out of the psyche of Arumi, as these escapist ideas keep him from accepting and dealing with the realities confronting him in the real world. Likewise, the lack of any real reincarnation into these different worlds further separates it from its more modern ilk, as does the flipping of the power fantasy concept. This makes the story, fun and wacky as it is, a much more mindful affair than many modern isekai. He doesn't realize this initially, but this journey is in many ways a psychological exploration and avoidance of his personal trauma. These realities, which range in themes from dating sims to fantasy, are all born out of the mind of Arumi. They soon find themselves transported away from their home to a series of different realities, all of which are somewhat humorous in nature. ![]() The plot revolves around two children named Arumi and Sasshi, who live in the soon-to-be renovated eponymous Abenobashi shopping area. The series' intro was the catchy banger "Treat or Goblins" by Megumi Hayashibara, and the show was later adapted into a manga series. Abenobashi was a 2002 anime created by the illustrious studio Gainax, with the animation handled by both Gainax and the equally as well-known Madhouse. ![]()
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