If you know Akihabara, the Tokyo neighborhood full of neon lights, arcade cabinets and anime stores, then you immediately understand what Molly's Arena wants to be. The arcade at Osdorpplein is the only one of its kind in the Netherlands: a place where you can spend hours on rhythm arcades, then order a bowl of ramen, all surrounded by floor-to-ceiling anime aesthetics.
The cabinets on display here are not the random grab-and-go items you find at a bowling alley. Taiko no Tatsujin, Bandai Namco's iconic drumming game, is there. As is Tekken Faded Retribution, also from Bandai Namco, for those who would much rather smash an opponent into the air than drum to size. Konami is well represented with Sound Voltex 5, a lightning-fast music game with buttons and dials, and Nostalgia, a piano-based rhythm game that looks bland but isn't. You play with a rechargeable card. Credits don't expire, so you don't have to use it all up in one afternoon.
The space in the Osdorpplein shopping center is divided into an arcade area with seven cabinets and a separate area for the ramen bar. The interior breathes Japanese pop culture: anime bundles are named after One Piece, Naruto and Dragon Ball Z, the three franchises that have now raised generations. It feels like a fan converted his living room, but bigger and with better lighting.
Credits don't expire, so you don't have to finish everything in one afternoon.
Osdorpplein is a neighborhood not often in the spotlight, but Molly's Arena fits right in. No trendy street needed when the place itself tells the story. The credit bundles are called One Piece Deal (35 credits), Naruto Deal (70 credits) and Dragon Ball Deal (100 credits). As if at checkout, you already have to choose which anime shaped you the most.