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Abenobashi: Magical Shopping Arcade, Vol. 2
As Sasshi's neighborhood is being demolished as part of an urban renewal project, the crazy and carefree twelve-year-old, along with his best gal pal Arumi, find a portal to parallel universes when their section of the city is leveled.
208 pages, Paperback
First published November 9, 2004
About the author
Satoru Akahori
183 books21 followersSatoru Akahori (あかほり さとる Akahori Satoru, Born 赤堀 悟, March 8, 1965 in Handa, Aichi, Japan) is a Japanese scriptwriter, novelist and manga author. He is best known for the Saber Marionette, Sakura Wars and Sorcerer Hunters series, which comes in anime, novel and manga forms.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
May 10, 2014
The thoroughly frantic adventures of Sasshi and Arumi continue in the second and final volume of MAGICAL SHOPPING ARCADE ABENOBASHI! These friends have already tumbled through a bunch of parallel universes that each reflected a particular obsession for the geeky Sasshi, and they're not done yet as they encounter worlds dominated by everything from sports fetishism and Harry Potter to martial arts movies and comic books and everything in between! The further they get, the stakes get higher and the odds of escape get slimmer. But by the time they discover why it's all happening, Arumi may lose all her trust in Sasshi...because he might not want to go back home, anyway!
As the ABENOBASHI anime ran its course, the humor gave way to serious themes...we understood what was at stake and what Sasshi and Arumi were fighting for, even as they literally fought each other at one point. In the manga, when we finally discover how a tragic romance started it all, the jokes simply don't let up! In the hands of a good writer, comedy can be awesome, but in the parody-loving world of the ABENOBASHI manga, the jokes tend to overwhelm the story. More than once, even after a particular critical point I can't spoil here, the plot is almost lost in the silliness. Inside jokes dominate, almost making the conflict in the story (what makes us care for the characters in the first place!) fall to the wayside, and only the most seasoned manga fans will understand and appreciate every reference.
If you can wade through the sea of puns of self-knowing parody, though, ABENOBASHI is still a fun-filled ride. Again, the trick is not to take it seriously; if you can't do that, then this just isn't for you. It may not be for everyone, anyway...the humor gets horn-dog juvenile and lowbrow often, which is an advisory unless you like that sort of thing. (I do, but like all things, I take it in moderation! If your favorite movies include classics like PORKY'S and CADDYSHACK, you'll most likely get behind this!) Fans of the ABENOBASHI anime will see even more changes in the second volume that make the manga a fresh experience. Whether you're already a fan or not, you should find a lot to enjoy...or at the very least laugh at! :D
As the ABENOBASHI anime ran its course, the humor gave way to serious themes...we understood what was at stake and what Sasshi and Arumi were fighting for, even as they literally fought each other at one point. In the manga, when we finally discover how a tragic romance started it all, the jokes simply don't let up! In the hands of a good writer, comedy can be awesome, but in the parody-loving world of the ABENOBASHI manga, the jokes tend to overwhelm the story. More than once, even after a particular critical point I can't spoil here, the plot is almost lost in the silliness. Inside jokes dominate, almost making the conflict in the story (what makes us care for the characters in the first place!) fall to the wayside, and only the most seasoned manga fans will understand and appreciate every reference.
If you can wade through the sea of puns of self-knowing parody, though, ABENOBASHI is still a fun-filled ride. Again, the trick is not to take it seriously; if you can't do that, then this just isn't for you. It may not be for everyone, anyway...the humor gets horn-dog juvenile and lowbrow often, which is an advisory unless you like that sort of thing. (I do, but like all things, I take it in moderation! If your favorite movies include classics like PORKY'S and CADDYSHACK, you'll most likely get behind this!) Fans of the ABENOBASHI anime will see even more changes in the second volume that make the manga a fresh experience. Whether you're already a fan or not, you should find a lot to enjoy...or at the very least laugh at! :D
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review