Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Why do we escape reality? Why do I fantasize so much? What does FLCL even mean? And why can’t the pelican be seen from the street?!?
Gainax is, or was, one of the most creative anime studios ever, the origins of both Trigger and Khara, producing hit after hit, most notably the much discussed Neon Genesis Evangelion. Adolescence and growing up were always analyzed as the themes, whether it’s Shinji, FLCL’s Naota, or Gurren Lagann’s Simon, paired with a difficult to explain plot, insane action, and pure escapism… right? I think Gainax’s anime have been a bit misunderstood; despite being about a boy growing up, they’re never about being truly mature, but rather about feeding your inner child. We find proof of this for today’s video essay in Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, often forgotten among the NGE’s and TTGL, but featuring all the same pre-Trigger charm. Strikingly similar to FLCL but in reverse, Abenobashi follows Sasshi and Arumi, the former an immature boy and the latter an overly mature girl. Together, they’re thrown into mystical, Onmyōdō explained chaos, jumping from one indulgent fantasy to the next, for Sasshi at least, as they’re exactly what a young boy loves; giant robots, pretty women, dinosaurs and more. It’s slowly revealed that there’s a reason for these vapid, escapist fantasies; that’s exactly what they are to Sasshi, the adolescent boy refusing to grow up and face Arumi moving away by keeping them away from the real world. Suck in pointless, excessive stories unworthy of analysis, Gainax does exactly what they do best, over the top anime, as part of a meta-narrative about escapism and its dangers… only for Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi’s ending to drop a nonsense twist and counter itself. Except, maybe not. Have we been misunderstanding shows like Evangelion, FLCL, and Gurren Lagann this whole time? Has it always been about keeping the inner child alive? Let’s discuss
0:00 Part 1
11:54 Part 2
32:36 Part 3
44:44 Part 4
52:20 Outro
#anime #videoessay #gainax #professorviral
Why do we escape reality? Why do I fantasize so much? What does FLCL even mean? And why can’t the pelican be seen from the street?!?
Gainax is, or was, one of the most creative anime studios ever, the origins of both Trigger and Khara, producing hit after hit, most notably the much discussed Neon Genesis Evangelion. Adolescence and growing up were always analyzed as the themes, whether it’s Shinji, FLCL’s Naota, or Gurren Lagann’s Simon, paired with a difficult to explain plot, insane action, and pure escapism… right? I think Gainax’s anime have been a bit misunderstood; despite being about a boy growing up, they’re never about being truly mature, but rather about feeding your inner child. We find proof of this for today’s video essay in Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, often forgotten among the NGE’s and TTGL, but featuring all the same pre-Trigger charm. Strikingly similar to FLCL but in reverse, Abenobashi follows Sasshi and Arumi, the former an immature boy and the latter an overly mature girl. Together, they’re thrown into mystical, Onmyōdō explained chaos, jumping from one indulgent fantasy to the next, for Sasshi at least, as they’re exactly what a young boy loves; giant robots, pretty women, dinosaurs and more. It’s slowly revealed that there’s a reason for these vapid, escapist fantasies; that’s exactly what they are to Sasshi, the adolescent boy refusing to grow up and face Arumi moving away by keeping them away from the real world. Suck in pointless, excessive stories unworthy of analysis, Gainax does exactly what they do best, over the top anime, as part of a meta-narrative about escapism and its dangers… only for Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi’s ending to drop a nonsense twist and counter itself. Except, maybe not. Have we been misunderstanding shows like Evangelion, FLCL, and Gurren Lagann this whole time? Has it always been about keeping the inner child alive? Let’s discuss
0:00 Part 1
11:54 Part 2
32:36 Part 3
44:44 Part 4
52:20 Outro
#anime #videoessay #gainax #professorviral
