FLCL: Grunge

Do you guys remember back in the day, way back in the “modern” internet era, where it was all small, enclosed forums and isolated communities that you don’t have to find, but they find your way around to you instead? Back when TV was the main media consumption device. That golden era of the early 2000s.

I feel like the perfect representation of that weird liminal nostalgia in Anime is the original FLCL, it was so mystical, so relatable, and weirdly bittersweet, and then some spin-offs were announced but the facade of nostalgia dulled out and all hype prior to its release was met with nothing ... but disappointment. But this time felt different, this time it’s not a pretentious spin-off, it’s a full-on reboot, or maybe I’m snorting under-treated copium over here.

You thought 3D was bad? I think you just haven’t seen FLCL: Grunge then, this was a master’s piece, a perfect blend between 2D and 3D that was fully 3D but sold the 2D vibes better than most 2D animations. It was super animated and super-expressive; it felt larger than life.

I love retrospective narrative direction, which is probably why I fell in love with the words of the likes of Tarantino, this reboot was composed of such, three episode telling the same events, only through the scope of three different characters, each perspective adds in tons of layers on the plot with so many convoluted sub plots mixed in that makes you beg to rewatch another time.

One of the most common criticisms around the spin-offs before was that they ruined Haruko’s character, they either made her way too over the top and thus appeared very try hard and forced, or they dulled it up below the notch, however, this one is as crazy and unpredictable as the original, it kind of gives it a run of her money.

The Pillows return, I think that’s it, that’s the real selling point, or at least it is for me. The whips of nostalgia as the first notes kick in and you come to realize it’s The Pillows is very chilling, very sad in a way, but also very happy, as if you’re meeting an old friend after many years of separation.

I feel like this reboot is an anomaly, it defined the stereotype, it beat the odds, and most of all, it pays respect to the original work.

Overall: 8.48/10.

I was feeling meh the first 2 episodes but in my opinion, the final minutes of the third episode captured a magic feeling that the very first FLCL gave me. A very flawed and questionably animated sequel but ultimately I enjoyed the feel it was going for on the third episode. I think it could've been better for the first 2 episodes though. None of the jokes really landed for me and the dialogue felt a bit stiff at most parts, Haruka and Orinoko were definitely the highlights for me. I also think people are a little too harsh on the amount of CGI in ... the animation personally, as it conveyed a distinct unpolished, or clumsy feeling that fit the grunge theme for me. I think overall I'd prefer this one over FLCL progressive.

"FLCL: Cringe"
That is better fitting name for this trash.
Any imaginary efforts of the authors are simply drowned in the demerits of this show. It's not even about the style and graphics (that are genuinely bad), because there's nothing inspiring about this show. The characters are just a set of talking and yelling heads and based on images of original show. Dialogues are just a random combination of words and hackneyed tropes which make absolutely no sense.
The creators tried to present this show as an alternative version of the original, however, they didn't really bring anything of their own. The original concept of adolescence and ... adulthood, coupled with dystopia, was replaced by random nonsense. things just happen, but the authors didn't have the talent to present them in a fascinating way. It's not enough to just make supposedly "crazy" scenes.
Going back to the visual - yes, it's disgusting. Low framerate of horrible 3D CG, lacerated scenes and acidic palette in combination look just awful. There are small patches of successful solutions, but there are too few of them.
In the end, the authors didn't even bother to write new tracks in the grunge style, lol! Most of it are just old tracks and their arrangements.
The most annoying thing is that when you watch it, you don't feel like your soul is dying like with other bad titles, but you realize with your mind that this show simply doesn't have a single point to exist.