

25 minSeason 1 • Episode 26
LatestOh! Edo Rocket is a stage play written for the Gekidan Shinkansen theater troupe by Kazuki Nakashima. It was adapted into an anime TV series in April 2007, directed by Seiji Mizushima and produced by Studio Madhouse. It is a comedic story often breaking the fourth wall, that involves a firework maker in medieval Edo and his efforts to build a rocket to carry an alien back to her people on the moon. The series made its North American television debut on the FUNimation Channel on November 15, 2010.
Writing
Nakashima's theatrical roots explode into gleeful fourth-wall demolition.
Production
Madhouse flexes with period detail that then gets gloriously wrecked.
Sound
Score whiplashes from traditional shamisen to J-pop bangers.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Gekidan Shinkansen's hyper-theatrical style—think kabuki meets rock opera—shaped Nakashima's later Kill la Kill and Promare.
The real Tamaya firework dynasty still operates in Tokyo; the anime's self-aware jokes about 'anime-original endings' directly nod to the stage play's different conclusion.