FLCL: Shoegaze

23 years, 5 seasons, and a lot of misses later, FLCL is over. It's a bittersweet moment for me since I managed to find FLCL at all the moments when I really needed something that spoke to what I was feeling. As anyone who understood the original FLCL can attest to, moving from adolescence to young adulthood is a truly terrifying time. Fitting then that the last two entries, Grunge and Shoegaze, come the closest to recapturing the original's message of "It's going to be okay."

Now don't get me wrong, the original FLCL is untouchable compared to the four sequels, but I still feel like ... there's a little bit of unique FLCL-ness in the sequels. Many rightfully hold the original series as the best, but often discount the other four seasons for not being as well composed as the original. Given that the original FLCL was broadcasted all the way back in 2000, I think that the disappointment is misplaced. The people who made the original grew up in a dark and cynical time in Japan, while those who made the newer seasons likely never felt an entire world falling out from underneath them. I'd argue then that instead of just being a cash-grab sellouts of FLCL (even if that is likely the reason it was created), Alternative, Progressive, Grunge, and Shoegaze offer new perspectives and a whole new set of uncertainty that kids and teens struggle with today. And since the series is about the awkward, gross, terrifying moments that happen in adolescence, I can't help but feel that if the newer FLCLs were released without the expectation to live up to the original they'd be decently received shows.

For what it's worth, Shoegaze does begin to recapture some of the magic that the original imparted, although I can agree that it falls well short of how wildly consistent the original was. Three episodes is no where near enough to tell the scale of story that Shoegaze tried to present, with the last episode playing fastball with character development, backstory, action, and an ending all at once. Which is more than I can say for both Alternative's and Progressive's meandering attempt at six episodes. I do have to give Shoegaze credit for leaving the zany changes in artstyle, countless innuendos, and Haruko for the original, and instead giving us a straightforward story that naturally finds humor, heartbreak, and joy along the way.

The characters are Shoegaze's best aspect, with a simple coming of age tale between two highschoolers seeming to be ridiculously tame for FLCL, but works so well when you contrast it to it's direct prequel, Alternative. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I think Shoegaze manages to both redeem and satisfyingly conclude whatever Alternative was trying to say. Adding on to the fact that this is the only "true" sequel to a FLCL season, the inclusion of Alternative's cast of characters is a pleasant touch instead of a weight that would drag the show down like I expected it to.

I've given FLCL Shoegaze a 7/10 on my list, but a 6/10 in this review since I have two different scales that I use. That being said, I do think this is a good show and worth your time, if only for the fact that it's supposedly the last FLCL to be made. If you managed to make it through Alternative and Progressive to get to Grunge and Shoegaze, the last two will undoubtedly be better viewing experiences. Even though it doesn't perfectly emulate the one-in-a-kind experience that the original presents, Shoegaze presents it's own, tamer experience that I think anyone with an open mind can come to truly appreciate.

A quick story that would've benefitted from a little more time to tell it!

Definitely more meaningful from having seen Alternative before it - it's a direct sequel series that reflects on the question "What do you do when you can't live up to other's expectations?" For the new characters, it asks "What would you do to shake up the world you don't belong in?"

Both are interesting questions to ponder! It gets through them to some extent but would've benefitted from a little more fleshing out - though, it is fun to try and put the pieces together from the juuuuuust enough detail you get in ... about 60 minutes of story.

Harumi is a fun character that I hope other people enjoyed, as they were an unexpected source of conflict! I liked them as the chaos-redhead much more in this story than I would've seeing Haruko crowbarred in when she doesn't really have enough humanity to tell this type of story. Also uhhhh man their backstory is harsh!

Definitely worth a watch if you enjoyed Alternative, and I'd say it's great at being its own little niche of coming of age FLCL (though what that means to you may vary).

Fourth time's the charm, right? Surely Adult Swim and Production IG will get it right! Serving as the direct sequel to FLCL: Alternative, this is set to be the final FLCL series by Adult Swim. Will the sequel project go out with a bang or a whimper?

We follow our protagonist Masaki and an eccentric girl named Harumi, who have locked themselves in a strange tower. Masaki has the ability to see these strange ghost-like beings that seemingly no one else can. The two venture into this mysterious tower to find the answers they're both looking for.

The series starts out with quite a bit of promise, ... surprisingly. It has this "Boy Meets Girl" vibe, with the two being completely polar opposites. With Masaki being the quiet, reserved type while Harumi being outgoing, eccentric, and unpredictable. This leads to a somewhat charming relationship that helped drive the series forward. As the story goes on, Harumi helps push Masaki out of his comfort zone. Masaki was somewhat of an outcast due to his ability to see these ghost-like beings. But when he told others about it, they thought he was crazy, leading him to lead a lonely life. Harumi seemingly accepts Masaki, regardless. This leads to Masaki beginning to open up and start feeling things he hasn't before. This is where Shoegaze excelled, as it was able to keep the spirit of the original series and the "coming of age" theme, while still being original.

While not completely required viewing, watching FLCL Alternative prior to this will help fill in the gaps with this story. As this does partially focus on the protagonist from the prequel, Kana, who is now 27 and jaded with the world. The events at the end of Alternative are a huge part of what happens in Shoegaze.

If you haven't noticed, I've yet to mention Haruko. That is because she does not appear in this series, making it the first to be Haruko-less. Harumi stands in as her sort of spiritual successor, as she has the same kind of vibe and mannerisms. And honestly, the show is likely better for it as it helps make it feel more original.

For some positives, both visually and musically it's close to the original and arguably one of the best out of the four sequels. Good character designs and it properly implements the music of the pillows well, unlike Grunge. It brings a lot of great pillows tracks and it reminds you of just how good of a band they are.

Where Shoegaze fails is its final episode. The story becomes muddled, poorly written, and nonsensical. It attempts to introduce elements in the final 10-15 minutes, making it feel like a mess. When the viewer begins to ask questions like "What's going on? Who is that? What is happening?", you know the writers have failed. There's a difference between leaving things up to interpretation and the story just not making sense. This is the latter. Like all the sequels, it misunderstands the elements and themes of the original while still attempting to emulate them. Strangely, this is another series with only three episodes. While the first two sequels had six episodes, both Grunge and Shoegaze have three. And I believe the series suffered for it. The limited run time is, I think, a partial factor in the bad final episode.

Ultimately, Shoegaze is a series that leaves you thinking, "what if?". A lot of missed potential here, as Shoegaze was, at least for the first two episodes, was able to get the "coming of age" theme without copying the original. But the ending was fumbled, leaving the viewer with more questions than answers, such as "Why did I even watch this?". Like most FLCL sequels, Shoegaze will ultimately fall into obscurity.

FLCL is a series that was groundbreaking and influential, and its effects are still felt even today, not just in Japan, but the entire animation industry. With four bad sequels, I believe it's finally time to give it the rest it deserves.