And then I kept watching.
FLCL is that rare anime which toys with many unconventional styles, in its animation, its sound, and its story, and manages to pull it off. Rather than being different for the sake of being different, or "edgy," it does so in order to better tell the story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Story: 8
The synopsis doesn't quite capture how ridiculous the story seems at first. The viewer is dropped into a world with confusing characters and confusing plot, and left to figure it all out for themselves. When the story is finished, however, it's surprisingly coherent. Many elements of the plot are fleshed out, and the characters' motivations all make sense. Each of the things that happens correlates nicely with the others, and at the end of the day, it tells a compelling story. What really makes the show, though, are the characters.
Character: 10
The characters are everything that a serious story should strive for. They are flawed. Imperfect. Detestable, lovable, relatable, round, ever-changing. The author did an impressive job of fleshing out each of the important characters, and avoiding the trap of polarizing them. There aren't any perfectly moral characters, and there aren't any obviously evil characters to rally against. The protagonist, a twelve year old boy, matures throughout the show. He finds himself powerless, lacking guidance, feeling betrayed, and unsure of what love really should be. He receives conflicting advice from people who can, from a certain perspective, be seen as having his best interests in mind. He can be sympathized with even while he engenders anger at his bad decisions.
The homeless girl who's his brother's lover, the father who seems nice but has many faults, the enigmatic Vespa woman who physically hurts him several times, they all have an influence on each other and the protagonist. They have clear and believable reasons for their actions, even in an insane world.
The supporting characters have their merits, too. They may be undeveloped, they may not change throughout the show, but they add comic relief and drive the story along.
Art: 9
I am seldom a fan of art which is different for difference's sake. FLCL is certainly different; while much of the show is drawn in the typical anime 2d method, it also incorporates 3D panning, and—believe it or not—a voiced, animated manga reading. Then, it defends its own art in a tongue-in-cheek way, which is just one of many self references it makes. I found the art to be refreshing and beneficial to the telling of the story, and it added substantially to the humor.
The quality could have been higher, if given a bigger budget. My one concrete criticism is the ending animation, which is a stop-motion of unfiltered real photos. I found this jarring enough, and then, near the end, real people are shown. This tended to break my immersion, and rather detracted from the storytelling.
Sound: 7
The sound was good. It wasn't wonderful, but I liked it. The music was well-fit most of the time, and it had enough variety for a 6-episode show. The voice acting could have been a little better. I watched the show in Japanese, as I couldn't stand the dub, and the Japanese was at least believable voice acting, though it fell short of the truly engaging stuff found in some other shows. Specifically, one of the main characters tended to have a playful, nasal tone (including the na -> nyaa and corresponding cat face) far too often.
Enjoyment: 9
I really enjoyed this show once I got past the first episode. I was connected with the characters, and amused by the art. The characters were really the highlight of this OVA, and I was impressed by their depth.
Overall: 9
FLCL is a unique gem. I plan on rewatching it, maybe twice. I was certainly confused enough the first time around, but it came together. The characters were amazing, and the art and sound were sufficient to highlight them. The plot didn't intrinsically matter very much, but it was cohesive enough to work, and it served as a vehicle for the telling of the story. It was in the telling that the true mastery was brought out.
