FLCL

Maybe im over exaggeration about this anime but this is best anime i've ever watch. Ignore the crazy moment its all about manhood and what becoming adult feels like. Sure it doesn't have to be the darkest anime ever but flcl is the best in its own way. I love how the story is full of symbolism of how painful life is going to be and maturing up. With the story and soundtrack, it is extremely powerfully emotional without pouring emotion out like clannad. It is emotional of nostolgia and metaphore. The art is beautiful of how they draw the landscape color pallete and character ... design. It has a iconic feel of real life and how life feels repeatable. Animation is insane explosion goofyiness, all done by hiroyuki imaishi and yoh yoshinari one of my favorite animator. Sure its funny random and wierd well for me first time watching it, i like it but just put your mine into it of why it is good to you.

Incoherent, confusing, emotionally convoluted, essentially without structure, superficially random at first glance, FLCL is seemingly neither narrative driven nor character driven but rather is some sort of instinctual impulse, a kind of cathartic expression of adolescence. FLCL is musical, complimented by its heavy heart felt soundtrack, courtesy of the Pillows. You're never struck by the impression of having started a story by the beginning or having finished one by the end, as much as feeling like you've chanced by the midway point of some kid's transition from childhood to early adulthood, observing as it happens; and if attentive enough catching your reflection in ... it too.

To avoid the possibility of being misconstrued, nothing said so far should reflect negatively onto FLCL. It is everything that it has been described as due to being almost entirely personal to its creator in its endless idiosyncrasies, Kazuya, by his own admission; with explicit references and in-jokes that only the man guilty of their genesis could actually capture and understand, put together with its speeding pace and general unwillingness to elaborate on the particulars, making sense of FLCL seems like an impossibility; and partially this is true, but it is also mostly inconsequential to FLCL's ability to achieve its goals.

This intimacy is what either makes or breaks the show for viewers, FLCL is driven by the desire to make you remember the more melancholic moods of early adolescence, the lack of direction, the disillusionment, the loneliness. It isn't meant to give you a narrative, it isn't meant to make you think, it just wants wants to leave an emotional impression, a melancholic microcosm about what coming of age really feels like; and it would be entirely dishonest to say it fails.

So FLCL. Weird shit. I had no idea what was going on, but I enjoyed every god damn second of this show. Never did I understand what happened in an episode, but it always left me smiling. Don't know why. But this show is magical.

Story: what story? it wont start to develop until episode 4, but thats really not what the show is about. This is a show about watching a kid try and force himself to grow up. He struggles with it for a while, but eventually realizes that he is still just a kid.

Art: Everything is crisp, and it throws in ... some really interesting scenes that I've never seen before.

Sound: I love the music in this anime. Definalty in the top 5 for anime soundtracks. Some of the songs are still stuck in my head, and I like them that way.

Characters: they develop over the course of the 6 episodes and show that what you see isnt always what you get. Some of them get lost on their ways. Some know exactly what they want to do, even if you don't. It's super vague i know, but there is no way I can explain it properly without spoiling the show

Enjoyment: This show is the fucking best. That is all.

Overall: If you haven't watched this shit, put it at the top of your list. You will love it, or you will hate it, but if you do one thing, you should watch this show.

Excuse me sir, can I have some more??

Pros:

- Awesome characters, not a bad one in sight!!
- Anime is on crack but im ok with it
- Action scenes are soooo HYPE
- Soundtrack tis sweet
- Style up the booty, one of a kind
- Unique experience
...
Cons:

- The story is hard to follow, like seriously you blink and you'll miss it
- It is short

Summary:

Like a delicious cake this anime is short and sweet. However it does leave an impact of wacky silliness and pure badass with frown slapped on your face as you realize its over. The characters are lovable and the action surges a tingly feeling running up and down your spine. I would love there to be more so i could rate it higher. For now I will be sitting with a half empty stomach begging for seconds.

Story: 8
Middle school, a period of uncertainty, immaturity, boredom, and all out hell. I'm sure we all have some pleasant memories of this time in our life, but I think for the most part was pure and utter insanity. This is where FLCL begins, a boy, Naota, whose life is bland and surrounded by an endless fog from an iron shaped factory.
Then in comes a woman riding a yellow scooter who whacks him over the head with an electric guitar and promptly moves in with him and his perverted father and grandfather.
Welcome to hell- er I mean, puberty Naota.
And so continues this story ... of growing up and realising what libido actually means. Because every time Naota gets turned on a giant robot pops out of his head and it must be defeated by either Haruko Haruhara's guitar (say that name ten times fast if you dare) or by the other robot, Canti, that also emerged from his cranium.
If you haven't gotten the idea yet, this story is probably the most random thing you will ever come across. For six episodes you have exciting battles, comical dialogues, bawdy innuendos (mostly of the phallic variety), and several very touching and deep moments.

Art: 10
Gainex studio never ceases to amaze, the artwork and animation is crisp, smooth and outstanding. Even when the characters are drawn simply (to enhance the comedy) the shading and colour is stunning. On two episodes there are scenes that seem to drop the whole high quality animation claims, but it was still good, I didn't like it... you'll know when you see it.

Sound: 10
The background music is primarily done by 'the pillows' and sounds fantastic. Not actually my favourite type of music, but it fits. Voice acting is great, notably Stephanie Sheh and Kari Wahlgren.

Character: 8
YAY CANTI!!! My favourite character is the one that doesn't speak at all. I give full credit to the animation department for bringing a monitor faced robot to such life and vibrancy. Haruko Haruhara is hilarious and... can't say anything else but amazing and more than she seems. Naota is surprisingly not a whiny character, he's a rather sharp and entertaining 11 year old boy, that is hard to do. I love Mamimi's story and psychological makeup, I find her mental retardation rather fascinating and endearing, especially how she makes sense of the world in her own unique way.

Enjoyment: 6
Now I'll let the cat out of the box, I really didn't like this series very much. It was entertaining, but there were far too many sexual innuendos and too much crude humour for my taste. Also I really don't like randomness, I find such things actually rather irritating, so I'll probably never watch this show again.

Overall: 9
Despite my personal reservations, this series easily passes the 9 mark. It is well made and interesting to say the least. At times, it was quite sweet and beautiful in it's metaphors of growing up that really touched my heart, and then were immediately followed by some barely risible humour. Available for free viewing at http://www.hulu.com/flcl and also purchasable from amazon for a reasonable price. I highly suggest the dub.
Gainex has always put out good shows, though the closest one to being anything near my personal tastes has been Evangelion. Just not a fan of this studio yet, though I'm sure I'll find something eventually from them I'd like, send me suggestions!

Parental Caution
Rated PG-13 (bahaha! This makes me laugh, no this show is totally R).
-As stated above, tonnes of phallic jokes (if you don't know what phallic means look it up via Websters).
-Some toilet humour.
-Relatively mild language.
-No actual immodesty that I remember... odd.

Phew... After reading some reviews of FLCL, I decided to pick it up. After seeing it, I can say that it does deliver lots of comedy, however by the end of the series, I could not find myself completely drawn to the overall story of FLCL. I, therefore conclude that FLCL is a "hit or miss/love or hate" type of Anime. On to the review.

STORY... Hmm... It's kind of tough to say things about the story when you've got a boy, robots, aliens, secret agents, and a bunch of other crazy stuff. In essence, there's no meaningful story. But with all the mentioned factors, the ... series does provide a hysterical, outrageous comedy that will have you laughing your butt off. Alright, here's a little insight of the story- a boy named Naota whose brother has left for America, so his brother's girlfriend is left with Naota. Then Naota suddenly meets a woman named Haruko and when he learns that aliens pop out of his head, it's only the beginning of the chaos approaching... There is so much going on in the series that it's kind of hard to tell what's really going on. Haha... And much has been left open for interpretation by the audience. Now, if you're a serious Anime watcher, like you go for the more meaningful and deeper stories, it's sad to say that FLCL might not be to your liking. But if you're just looking for a laugh, FLCL definitely delivers. So note to self: don't be too serious when watching this.

ANIMATION... The visuals are top notch. The animation is so fluid that it radiantly vibrates and contributes to the crazy, hilarious atmosphere of FLCL, especially during comedy scenes. It's also fast paced to provide excellent action scenes that at times can be breathtaking. I'd give the Animation 5 stars.

SOUND... The soundtrack is also excellent and it fits the series very well. You can say it's "psychadellic?" Or "funky?" Some songs may have been overused in some scenes, but the series only lasts 6 episodes, so you won't be annoyed too much. One of the more memorable songs was the ending theme song. It's catchy. Also, the voice actors did great on their part. A great job in the Sound category.

CHARACTERS... The characters are good. The most likeable though, would have to be Naota and Haruko. Naota because he's still just a kid growing up and trying to accept the changes happening around him. Despite the short series, he undergoes character development that is likeable. And Haruko, simply because of the comedy she provides. Most of the laughs will be coming from her. There are a number of side characters and they perfectly fill their role because they too provide loads of comedy. The whole cast doesn't disappoint.

OVERALL SCORE: 8/10= Awesome

STRENGTHS
+ Outrageously funny.
+ Some of the best quality animation you'll ever see around.

WEAKNESSES
- Not much of a meaningful story because there's too many things going on.
- TOO MUCH has been left open for interpretation.

Note: It's due to the strengths and weaknesses that FLCL is a "hit or miss/love or hate" type of Anime. I recommend this if you're looking for a good, no make it a great laugh. As for people who are serious Anime watchers who like deep and meaningful plots, then this IS NOT for you. Once again, note to self: Don't be too serious when watching this.

This is the first time im writing a review so please be gentle Q.Q
Fooly Cooly is one of those anime series that tries new things and i admire the creators in doing so. The story is about a young boy named Naota and he thinks that all adults are children with authority. But over the course of the anime he learns more things as he grows up. The main theme in this anime is basically growing up. And along with all of that, a lot of randomness. A LOT.

The main reason why i gave this anime such a high score is because it is doing ... something new. Something different. Instead being one of the many school life animes where the main character is surrounded by beautiful girls. And in the end their risk made the anime very well done.

The second reason is the music. Holy crap the music is amazing, if you are into alternative bands like All American Rejects you are definitely going to love the music. Every scene has some alternative music playing, and somehow they give the anime a different auras in each scene. Unlike orchestra battle music to make things super epic, orchestra is only able to do that. Make things epic. Alternative music has more different effects. Certain alternative will make the scenes more tone down and calm, and some alternative will just straight up make the scene even more crazy.

The last reason is the art. In the anime the creators used a whole bunch of different art styles like manga style and even south park style. Yea south park, no joke. I find it amusing and interesting how they use these different styles. Also the colors used in each scene is perfect, it really shows the mood in each scene. Vibrant colors show the randomness and light heart in the scene. And the gray and blue colors show the distress in the scene.

The only aspect i don't really like is how we don't get to see that much character development. But that is a childish comment since the anime is only 6 episodes. And they did their best making each 6 episodes the best they could.

FLCL is another piece of work from our boys over at Gainax. It was released in 2000 & proved to be a hit amongst audiences, garnering it a place in history. Is it deserving of that though? Lets take a look. For the record, this review will most likely contain massive spoilers for the series, so read at your own risk.

Story:

FLCLs story starts us off down by a river underneath a bridge. A boy named Naota & a girl named Mamimi are hanging out with each other & talking. After Naotao makes a comment about how doing homework at home isn’t “cool”, & Mamimi fondles ... him for a bit, they decide to walk home. Before they can get home however, a crazy alien on a vespa named Haruko quite literally crashes in on their day & hits Naota on the head with her bass guitar, which is later revealed to create a gateway for robots & all sorts of zany things to pop out of Naota’s head. Haruko then proceeds to do things that manipulate Naota into helping her meet Atomisk, a being with a power that she wants to harness for herself because she simply wants to become powerful. Naota ends up stopping Haruko by the end & releasing Atomisk's power so that Haruko can’t obtain it. The series ends off with Mamimi taking a shot of Naota holding Haruko’s bass guitar & starting a career in photography, Naota coming to the realization that he has quite a ways to go in life before becoming a mature individual, & a final shot of a string on Haruko’s bass guitar being strummed by an invisible force.

I did skimp out on some details in my synopsis. For starters, I don’t want to explain the entire series in one essay, giving you absolutely no reason to watch the series, but I’d also like to lay to rest the myth that “FLCL has no plot” by explaining the basics of what you need to know. Now, I will admit, FLCL isn’t very direct about what its plot is, in fact the plot really doesn’t become abundantly clear until episode 3 of the series, so first time viewers may end up being confused and not understanding what the story is, so I do understand why some may say “FLCL has no plot”. I’d also be lying if I said the plot was the strongest element of this series. It’s definitely a good plot for sure, & creates plenty of scenarios for great character dynamics & amazing action sequences (more on those later) to take place. However the plot definitely takes a backseat compared to the rest of the series. It’s also impressive that this story only had 6 episodes to work with & yet it still managed to cram as much as it did under the hood & has more to offer me than a certain 110 episode sci-fi series I’ve seen.

Characters:

Given the fact that FLCL only has 6 episodes to work with, it’s impressive how fleshed out & memorable our main cast is. I will start with a negative though, the side characters are kind of lackadaisical & suffer from being unmemorable. This isn’t to say they’re bad, rather they really don’t have much to offer outside of 1 character trait & gag to the story overall. Now back to the positives, Naota is a child who lives with a very dysfunctional family & a father who was never really the best care-taker or most mature individual out of people Naota knew, so Naota has an obsession with being mature & has always had trouble looking up to adults. The only one he could ever look up to really was his older brother, but his older brother went off to play baseball in North America, so Naota is back to being by himself with nobody he can really look up to.

Mamimi is somebody who craves attention & suffers from getting bullied in school. She also struggles with knowing what she wants to do or where she’ll go in life (until episode 6 of the series). She was once the girlfriend of Naota’s older brother, & Mamimi loved Naota’s older brother & sort of relied on him to give her attention, which is why Mamimi hangs around Naota so much, & fondles him. Given everything that has happened to her throughout the series, how lonely she feels, & how lost she is in life. Mamimi decides to take revenge by feeding a robot dog she found down by the river (which turns out to be the core needed to power Kazuya Tsurumaki’s hand & unleash atomisk). Mamimi is a pretty shitty individual when you break her down, & she also does a lot of terrible things throughout the series, but FLCL wouldn’t be the same without Mamimi, so her presence is very much welcomed.

Haruko is the arguable antagonist of FLCL. She’s a crazy alien who pops into Naota’s life seemingly nowhere (though we see an establishing shot of Haruko on her Vespa beforehand). Speaking of, her main mode of transportation is a yellow Vespa, & her weapon of choice is a Bass guitar. As I mentioned earlier, Haruko is a power-seeking individual who manipulates people into helping her get what she wants. Haruko is an asshole, but her zany antics are part of what makes FLCL so great. When the scenes aren’t revolved around her, the series is very grounded in reality & centered around the life of Naota & how he goes about it. But then Haruko rears her head and then a bunch of insanely bombastic & awesome action sequences play out. It’s a nice contrast.

Our final character to discuss is Ninamori. Ninamore is kind of like the girl version of Naota, but don’t take that as me saying she has no stand-out traits. Ninamori, like Naota, is concerned about maintaining a mature appearance, as well as not having much trust in the adults around her. Ninamori goes through her own arc (offscreen) about coming to grips with understanding her parents & their living situation (her mom & dad are going through a divorce in the series), what maturity really means, & becoming an overall better person for it.

FLCL may be a 4 character cast with some side characters sprinkled in there for good measure, but I love this cast, they’re all fun to watch, (well, the main characters anyway) bring their own schtick to the series, & create great character dynamics.

Art:

FLCL is a masterpiece in terms of animation quality. There’s a sense of fluidity to the bombastic action sequences that just make them a joy to watch. Even the tamer scenes with not a lot of action going on there’s a nice attention to detail in the movements of the characters to where even scenes like those are fun to watch. So Gainax not only took advantage of the fact that FLCL was an OVA that wasn’t held back by TV animation, but also learned to manage their money for once. Good on ya Gainax.
Backgrounds are good but nothing spectacular. There was a good deal of effort put into the backgrounds, & they’re all nice to look at, but they’re not the most impressive displays of background art I’ve seen. Though they’re good enough to the point where they do more than just “get the job done”. The directing tricks in FLCL are also really good. Some of the episodes have what I’ll call “Matrix cams”, what I mean by that is that the camera will zoom in & spin around the characters, these are used sparingly thankfully, & they show restraint. The camera work in the action scenes also gives them a grandiose sense of scale & tension in the air while watching them. I wish Kazuya’s talents weren’t wasted on the Eva Rebuilds.

Sound:

The music is by the pillows, it fits the scenes perfectly, & they’re great to listen to, do I need to say anything else? 10/10!

The voice acting is incredible. I watch the English dub of this series, & these actors all do great work. Kari Wahlgren as Haruko brings out her zaniness perfectly. Barbara Goodson is a bit of an odd choice for Naota, but she does a good job making Naota sound a bit like a brat, which is part of character. Everyone else also does good work & plays the rolls great.

Overall:

Have I done my job & convinced you that FLCL is one of my all time favorite things? I can only hope I have. FLCL is a piece of work that will stay with me forever. From the bombastic & exciting action sequences, great characters, amazing music, awesome directing, I could just go on and on about why FLCL is one of my favorite things ever made. But I think I’m gonna call it here because I don’t want this to become unbearably long. In spite of my few criticisms, I’m giving FLCL a full 10/10. It’s by far my favorite OVA of all time.

This will be my first ever review on here, so bear with me if my writing isn’t the greatest. Also, I will avoid spoilers except in the ending category.

“Nothing Interesting Ever Happens Here”. That was a fat lie because THIS SHOW IS WEIRD AS HELL!!!

FLCL is a 6 episode OVA that is about quite a few different things. I’m not just talking about themes though, I’m talking about different reasons to watch. I’ve rewatched this show many times in a short period of time after my first watch, and was able to enjoy it for different reasons each time. Some of the thing I was ... able to come up with were, great underlying themes and development, phenomenal music, and dumb fun. I think that is the major part of what makes the show so great, there are a multitude of great reasons to watch, I feel more so than other shows. Now onto the actual qualities that can apply to all shows:

Characters - FLCL has some of my favorite and I think some of the greatest characters of all time. The show follows 4 main characters, Naota, Haruko, Canti, and Mamimi along with Ninamori in episode 3. These characters excluding Haruko and Canti, who are comic relief, each have different issues they struggle with that are dealt with throughout the show. Naota deals with wanting to grow up and not being able to have much fun with his life. A lot of his development is pushed on by Haruko, which is why Haruko has a great character as well. Mamimi I feel is the deepest character, she deals with the loss of her boyfriend, Takkun, who moved to America and is Naota’s older brother. As a result, Mamimi latches onto Naota and calls every living thing she can find and name, “Takkun”. Ninamori’s problem was that she was dissociated from her parents. Haruko and Canti are the comic relief characters that tie into the development of Naota and Mamimi respectively.

Plot - I want to start this section by saying that the plot was EXTREMELY confusing to put together which is why it is unfortunately the worst aspect of the show. This show is definitely more character oriented because sometimes it can seem as if the plot is non-existent. It’s still a very good plot though so don’t look over it, unless you want to. Naota and Haruko basically use the power of electric guitars to fight robots that spawn out of Naota’s head and eventually, one that wants to destroy Earth. There is a lot more detail, but I feel as if that would be spoiling.

Aesthetics (music, art, animation) - As great as everything is about this show, the music still manages to be the best part somehow. The OST by The Pillows is the stuff of legends. After watching The Pillows became one of my favorite bands of all time that I couldn’t stop listening to. The art and animation also look very good as well. Not even relative to its’ time, FLCL has smooth animation and a colorful palette that help play to the whimsical action and comedy in the show. FLCL is truly a feast for the eyes and ears.

Ending - The ending of the show was great. At the end, Naota has a fight with Haruko over the power of Atomsk and after the battle, Haruko returns to space saying the words to Naota “you're still a kid”, which reflects on one of the biggest messages of the whole show, enjoy life, especially as a younger person. Naota isn’t the only one whose development gets closure though, Ninamori is dealt with in episode 3, and Mamimi’s development isn’t necessarily solved, but it is certainly put into a better state.

Subjectivity - At the time of this review, i have watched FLCL about 5 or 6 times, all in a matter of about 3 months. Yes, that was a while ago. I wasn’t a big fan my first watch, but when I watched again for whatever reason I liked it a lot more, so I watched it again and absolutely loved it.This doesn’t mean you have to watch it multiple times to love it, this is just how I was. My friends even began to make jokes about how much I would mention FLCL after I watched it. FLCL was truly my most amazing anime watch of all time.

There are many different ways to watch that can result in a lot of enjoyment, and that is probably my favorite quality about this show. Thanks for reading if you did, this was quite fun to type and I hope that those who watch enjoy as much as I did! :)

Okay so I'm writing this not as a person whose seen FLCL for the first time, but as a person whose rewatched it probably around 5 times at this point, and I just wanted to make a some sort of love letter to one of my favorite anime and pieces of fiction I've ever had the chance to experience.

FLCL to the anime community alone is already such a critically acclaimed show that's been talked about ever since it came out. It's wacky, funny, crazy, filled with amazing panels of animation, and most importantly, music from the pillows that could make anyone hyped out of their ... mind, but behind all of that is a heartfelt story about a boy and his journey through maturity involving some of the most significant people he'll meet in his entire life.

I don't want to go further into the plot than that because I highly recommend everyone to give this show a try, even if it doesn't seem like your type of show. What I love about this show is that despite how deep and philosophical it can be, you can choose to ignore that and enjoy FLCL as just a weird and wacky anime, because honestly that's enough.

This show has affected me on many different levels regarding stuff like how I act, how I deal with problems, and in general, just how to go through with my life. It's characters are so relatable and I personally learn a lot more about them when I rewatch the show again. The story is touching and inspiring especially to someone like me, whose pretty much similar to Naota with me being on my own journey to maturity. I also can't forget to emphasize more on the music. The entire FLCL soundtrack is amazing and it wouldn't be possible without the pillows, who after falling in love with this show, became one of my favorite bands of all time. The music is so good at times that in lots of scenes where the music is used to complement the scene, it feels more like the scene complements the music, if you get what I'm saying.

Now, as you can tell, I am really emotionally attached to this show. In one of my rewatches actually, I think the latest one, I teared up after finishing it, and to remind you, that was like my 5th time watching the show, and the ending isn't specifically sad. I still don't really know what got me to almost cry there but that just goes to show how much I love this show. FLCL is a damn masterpiece and I will standby that till the day I die. If there's the most important lesson I learned from this show, it's that life is weird and can be overwhelming at times, but you know what, that's okay, because we only have one life, so do something cool with it.

I consider Fooly Cooly a stable of the anime culture. It's one of those anime that is unforgettable. Wild, unpredictable, crazy, and cool.

Story: One thing is for sure, the story was hard to follow personally. Still this was not a killer, but somehow made the overall enjoyment cool.
Art: I will never forget when the show started to run out of finance in the middle of a episode and had to downgrade.
Sound: The songs by The Pillows in the show is amazing and spot on, and in a way shaped FLCL into what it is. Or maybe its ... the other way around?
Character: They added Canti because the director thought it would be cool to have a human like tv head medical robot that can transform. 10/10
Enjoyment: Its pretty Fooly Cooly.

This is my first review; I had no intention of ever writing reviews, but after seeing this show I felt I needed to talk about it.

The first thing about this show is the most obvious: it is weird. If you can't handle intense levels of strangeness, this is not for you. It is an unapologetic, fast-paced, fourth-wall breaking, and random anime that will make you constantly ask the question "what is going on?". The first episode alone introduces a bass-guitar wielding pink-haired girl and two robots growing out of a horn on main character's head after he was hit with said guitar.

The art style ... is the best example of the show utilizing its own strangeness. The main art style is excellent, and it changes seemingly every five minutes to something else. One scene will be made like a manga, another will be more vibrant and colorful, one will be purposefully badly animated, and one scene will (without warning) replicate South Park. It constantly changes, but these visual changes are contained to individual scenes and work to enhance the mood of the individual scene, and it is an incredible visual experience.

The next best thing of the show is the soundtrack. The music is done by a band that sounds similar to The Pixies. The songs were surprisingly atmospheric and always kept me hooked to what was happening. I would recommend the show to anyone just based on the experience you get from sights and sound of the show; it creates what can only be described as an artsy "trip". And then there's the story and characters.

At first, I enjoyed the show as a quick, fun anime that looked and sounded amazing and required little to no thought. Then, around episode 3, I started caring about the characters and what was going on. Without trying, the show made me feel invested in the insane world and made me re-evaluate how I felt about every character: I became invested in the choices of the main character, I came to pity a character I hated at first, and I began to question my opinion of my favorite character. As I started the last episode, I was genuinely concerned about what was going to happen and what the protagonist's decisions would lead to, and I was thinking about the show's meaning without ever intending to. The show actually made me start thinking about the deeper meanings of the character interactions and plot developments.

I won't say what I think the show is about because I think the strongest part of the plot and characters is getting the individual viewer to think and form their own opinion. I just wanted to be entertained, but I was invested in the story and concerned about the outcome.

I've said little about what actually happens with the plot and characters because I think it's best to experience this show for yourself; and that's what this show is, a subjective experience, and I don't think any two people would have the same experience watching this show. If you want to dissect every frame and word-choice for deeper meaning, go ahead; if you want to just sit back and try something new, go for it. Maybe you'll find a surprisingly endearing tale that hits close to home, maybe you'll just be entertained, or maybe you'll think think the show is a mess and its fans are pretentious. Whatever the case, check it out and see for yourself.

From a technical standpoint, FLCL (or Fooly Cooly) is as marvelous as any other Studio Gainax work. The animation is colorful and in constant motion. The show relies heavily on sakuga animation to create some awe-inspiring action scenes, a niche that Gainax is very fond of blowing a lot of time on, like in other works such as Evangelion and PSG.

Unfortunately, the show does lack in some rather important areas. Fooly Cooly's story is mostly told through the abstract; plot and character are told mainly through interpretive imagery.
The story itself is practically non-existent. The total of six shows have a mish-mashed plot that ... when put together are barely able to come out in the end with a stable conclusion. Though I didn't really care that much about the absence of the story, I found myself several times rather irked that even simple points in the story would be left behind to make room for other plot points that may not be explained/gone into further depth with. From an overall standpoint a lack of story can many times not hurt your show as long as your point in conveyed in some way. It's hard to figure out most of the time, but as aforementioned Fooly Cooly is able to show some more obscure themes through it's use of visuals.

The characters, in my opinion, are the main Achilles' heel of the show. The main cast all have very diverse mindsets, although many times these mindsets can range from antagonistic to downright nihilistic. It is hard to truly figure out the thoughts of these characters due to their ever changing personalities. Emotions that help you connect with them, like benevolence, kindness, and even weakness are pushed aside for honestly pathetic innuendo and simple jokes. Due to this it was extremely difficult for me to get invested in the character's plights or relationships. The only character I felt I empathized with for the most part was Naota, whose story is told as a story of maturity and self-growth- a development that I was very ready to connect with. Yet even the main character, Haruko, had a personality that was changed not by her experience, but instead was shifted to fit to whatever situation she was thrust into, and left no notable impact on her. Even at the end of the show, all of the events that had taken place around her seemed to just become null and void, and it was basically just like how she had started off.

To the casual, FLCL is a show that supplies eye-candy visuals and beautiful landscapes. However that is basically it. In my opinion, where the depth of the show is can really only be found by those who wish to delve deeper into the abstract mind of the creators. Not a downright terrible show, but still a short-lived firework from my perspective.

This series seemed insane once I first came across it. But I soon got indulged in the craziness which would soon become the awesome.

STORY: The story is confusing at first, but watching it through a lot more will get you to greater understanding.

ART: Sketchy art, with colors most likely describing Naota's current feelings. Cool yellow, dark blue-grey, and dusty brown. Sounds like an amazement-devoid emotional hole to me.

SOUND: Sound effects and voice acting make the plot stand out harder.

CHARACTER DESIGN: Sketchy-looking eyes, postmodernistic noses and mouths, and eyebrows. Made of pure awesome.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: Naota's maturity stays steady, as his understanding of the world around him ... that is happening becomes much clearer. Mamimi's feelings towards Naota's brother decline as she realizes he may never be coming back. Other character's character may either be not changing or changing without us even knowing.

MUSIC: The pillows are the best band to ever exist in the world of punk-alternative. Their coltribution to FLCL is beyond expectations.

FANSERVICE: Known as "women" in my review of Puni Puni Poemi. Fanservice i this series is heavy, with panty shots, mild nude scenes, and the perverted character builds of Gaku and Kamon.

WATCHABILITY: Your mind will tell you to stay still once you see the crazy kind of excitement before you.

PROMOTION: Adult Swim did a good job with promotion. It got good ratings the first time around, and they instantly fell in love with it, airing it whenever they have time sometimes.

OTHER: The eyebrows, man.

OVERALL: An excellent series for anyone begging to be sucked into the awesome before them. 10/10.

FLCL is a series that i have watched many times and will watch many more.

As i'm writing this i'm looking at the row of 10's above me and i'm thinking, "have i rated it too highly?" But looking at the categories, i just can't seem to bring myself to reduce any.

The Art is fantastic, it is brilliantly done in it's own unique style, so vibrant and colourful, and yet somehow subtle.

The Sound, well the thing that stand out to me is that most of the soundtrack is from a J-Rock band called The Pillows. Their songs contain lyrics in both English and Japanese. ... They portray different moods, which perfectly fit different parts of the show.

The Characters are brilliant, every one has a strange personality. From Naota's nonchalent maturity to Haruko's extraterrestrial attitude. From Canti's obedient grandure to Mamimi's captive freedom, each character adds their own weird element.

Enjoyment, well all i have to say is that i watch it over and over again. It is the anime i always come back to.

I have left Story until last not because it is the worst aspect of FLCL, but because it is incredibly random, and at times not followable, a least the first time you watch it. Which i think is what puts a lot of people off. For this reason i have given it 9.
For me it isn't important, because i think the whole point of FLCL is the relationships between the characters. The story, while still very good, moving and hilarious at times, is sort of a sub-plot to the main point of the show. Or at least that's how it feels to me. I see FLCL as more of a lesson in life.

Part of me wishes it was longer, a full series, but at the same time i think this might ruin it, and that it is just the right amount of random.

Overall it is an outstanding contribution from those who brought us Evangelion.

Ride on shooting star...

Nothing interesting happens in the life of 12 year old Naota. Things liven up quickly, though, when a woman on a vespa runs him over and bashes him on the head with a guitar. The next day, Naota finds himself with a huge, mysterious horn sprouting from his head. To top it all off, he can't seem to avoid running into this maniacal woman, until finally she shows up at his house and becomes the family maid. Now Naota must deal with affectionate older women, giant robots, and aliens, all while facing newfound feelings of love and the pressures of growing up.

FLCL is exhausting, but ... in a good way. Storyline, audio, and animation - everything is relentlessly energetic and intense. A lot happens in just 6 episodes, so you'll want to watch with care. The soundtrack is incredible and filled with tracks by the now-popular (but at the time relatively unknown) band "The Pillows." The animation is among the most creative and experimental that I've seen: you won't find any impressive attention to detail or original character designs, but it really does play out like a work of art. As for the storyline, FLCL took some time to get into (and to understand), but this is typical of Gainax productions. By the second half you come to realize that, at heart, FLCL is a beautifully done coming-of-age story that happens to be funny as hell and full of alien robots.

As mentioned, a lot happens in 6 episodes, and although you'll get the gist of things, there are so many hidden jokes and references that the series has high re-watch value. Overall, I was impressed, though I didn't walk away feeling that I had just seen one of the greatest anime series of all time. Maybe it's just something about Gainax (see Neon Genesis Evangelion review), but I felt that FLCL was good but overrated. Animation and audio are certainly among the best I've encountered, but the story is nothing special and is slow to start (it took 2 episodes to really get into it, but there were only 4 left after that). The main plot with Haruko and Medical Mechanica is pretty basic and serves more than anything as a vehicle for developing and delivering the more interesting story of Naota's coming-of-age. I could easily see the Medical Mechanica plot being replaced with something better and, as a result, FLCL being something really great. As is, FLCL was impressive, but not worth as much praise as it gets.

Animation: 8.5/10
Audio: 8.5/10
Storyline: 7.2/10
Overall Score: 7.6/10 (Very Good)

Check out snapshots and downloadable episodes/OST at my blog, http://animefiend.blogspot.com

i love Fooly cooly its such a hilarious and kinky not to mention random gainax anime (then again gainax is known for stuff like that)

haruko harahara if that is her last name, just is an instant win and i would hang out with her and even do it with her anytime!! OH YEAH!!!. this anime is chock fullof random stupidity and stupid humor is considered good and i am a big fan of stupid humor or just random humor, it may feel slow in the begining but it hits you in the face with so much haruko being weird it makes you laugh 1 minute ... later

i use to watch this all the time on adult swim and nowthat it "was" on toonami (current) i grew on it and i loved it so much since iws like 13 i believe is when i first saw it

While this initially looks like a chaotic cheaper animated short series relying on confusion and hysteria to keep its flow, it is anything but that in truth. It moves quick, it breaks the fourth wall, the soundtrack and animation keep it hyperventilated and frantic. It has many elements that could prevent it from being a substantial series. Somehow amid the craziness, we are actually given a thoughtful piece on youth, growing up and purpose.

I'm not going to go into a full breakdown character by character or episode by episode. If you want something short, amusing, very different and strangely touching, you should check this ... out.

It's one of my favorite series of all time, it may even top the list. It makes its point and ends, no extras, no sequels/prequels so far, just tells a different story in a different way and stands on its own. This may be the greatest strength of FLCL, it doesn't try to do more or expand more on what it is. This is so refreshing in our sequel-laden, super-special-directors-uncut edition society.

Buy it, rent it, download it, whatever...it's the length of most movies and more satisfying if you give it a chance.

FLCL - Furi Kuri / Fooly Cooly

ABOUT:
FLCL is not for you guys who want to watch an anime with a clear plot from the beginning. Not at all.
FLCL is a pretty unique story of an ordinary boy, who lives in an ordinary world, with his father and grandpa, they're having their living with the bakery they have downstairs. And there is this girl (who used to date the main characters - Naota's - big brother) who likes to hang around with Naota. So far it seems like they're living a normal life. Until a certain girl with a vespa appears. She's not like them. She's ... come here, in their little, peaceful town, to solve some personal things and basically; to mess up their lives, in a way or another.
The storyline is quite fascinating, it doesn't come all together right away. It doesn't make any sense! At first, that is. Actually, I'm not sure if it does make any sense ever. It opens up little by little, and it's not something you can guess right from the start. Every time I watch it through, something new seems to open up to me. That's why I like it. You have to use your mind to get an hold on it. Or then, you can just turn your brain to the OFF -mode and watch it. Whatever you prefer. It's still good.

ART:
The art is not something you see everyday. At least I haven't seen something like that very often.
The background art is amazing - it's beautiful and overwhelming, if you just have the time to look at it. There's so many things to look at. The background art is what makes you FEEL it, what makes you truly fall in into the story.
And what's the best - it's not all the way just beautiful and nice to watch. The art changes so many times (depending on the mood of the anime) that you really can't get bored of it!

SOUND:
Soundtrack of FLCL is made by The Pillows (japanese pop/rock band). And it's not a bad choice. At all. Can't actually think of a better choice. It just fits in perfectly.

CHARACTERS:
Naota: He's the main character in here. He's where it all begins, basically. He's 13-old boy who's depressed because he's brother left home to begin a better life. Naota feels like he's left behind and doesn't really know the purpose of his life. At first, he seems to be a sissy kind of type, but he will gain his courage at the end.
Mamimi: She's actually the most depressing character in here. She's feeling down because Naota's brother left her living all by herself. She's from a poor family (actually I don't know if Mamimi has a family at all). She really doesn't have any friends but Naota. She smokes a lot and she seems to be drowned in her own world. Yet, she's really cute and innocent. She doesn't really care about the future or what she's going to do at all, she lives day by day, but clings on to everything she feels she can trust or be happy with.
Haruko: Haruko's the type of 'girl' who comes and does whatever she likes. She came there to do something, she came there to achieve something what's really important to her. Haruko's the crazy one, you can never find out what she's going to do next. You don't really even know if she's human or not. She's the one who's going to mess everything up, sometimes acting like a good girl, sometimes something far beyond.
Canti: Canti's a robot. What else can I say? He's such a cute character, Mamimi thinks he's a god. Canti's innocent and he does every housework in Naota's family. But yet, he has hidden powers inside him....

OVERALL:
I think this is definitely worth your time. I liked this so much I immediately became a lifetime fan. There are so many things that fit together - art, comedy, characters, music, storyline. The most important things to me, at least. I have watched this series couple times over, and I'm still not bored of it. You also have to watch FLCL at least couple of times to notice all the little details in it. Watch the series and find out whether you hate it or love it!

This show is mostly one of the funniest shows that I seen. Alright, so the characters are really out there but what I think is the crazy thing is, the one person that is seen as ‘normal’ is the main character, Naota. Unfortunately, I think he’s a little two bland of a character at least in the beginning. He always says nothing ever happens in the small town he lives in but yet, all around him, strange things that aren’t normal are happening. It makes me want to slap him upside the head! Of course, if I did, then something else may come out of ... his head then.

Haruko is a pretty cool character and as you keep watching, you find that she isn’t just a comedy piece. She actually seems to be rather smart and has some good info. As Naota and her get closer together, I feel that she helps him to except becoming an adult but yet still being a child.

Mamimi, I think, is an adult that never grew up. She seems to not be all there and in turn, it does make her a bit creepy to me. I don’t really see what Naota sees in her and even at one point; he seemed to be forcing himself to actually like her. I think she was just a substitute for his brother.

The artwork is really out of control, sometimes shown with a runny eggs look and other times almost normal (if you can say anything about this show is normal.) Now someone was a good boy and actually paid attention to their camera angles, sometimes it’s just a simple flip of where they are sitting and sometimes it’s just the angle in the battle scenes. Another little piece that’s interesting is that they used sort of a manga panel style once in a while. It shows off a bit of different styles from super realistic to runny eggs to even American pop culture like South Park.

When we go into the thought of English Dub or Sub, Dub I think is the way to go. The voices match the Japanese dub pretty well and they do keep the real intention of the show. Of course, they do change a couple little things but most of them were actually cultural differences and not much else. The music is wonderful and the pillows seem like the perfect band for this show. They are somewhat out of control and crazy but also has a controlled feel.