Story: 7/10
The story is a sort of mixture between a coming of age "Bildungsroman" and absurdism. It oddly enough reminds me a bit of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Both plots are rather similar with an alien coming to Earth and showing an unsuspecting human a fun time before Earth is to be destroyed in ridiculous fashion by extraterrestrial forces. In FLCL a giant steam iron vs. a giant bulldozer in Hitchhiker's. However, Hitchhiker's begins with the Earth being destroyed, while in FLCL...well I won't spoil it. Both stories show a random and pointless universe that is essentially a giant joke. The writing isn't quite as clever as Douglas Adams admittedly. If it was, then children would be forced to watch FLCL in school instead of reading Hitchhiker's Guide.
Art: 8/10
The art is pretty damn good as would be expected from Studio Gainax and captures the frantic energy of the series quite well. The art style often changes to spoof various series including Lupin the 3rd, South Park, and many others. There are also several scenes where it reverts to manga panels that are very well done.
Sound 10/10
The soundtrack is by The Pillows, and is without question the highlight of the entire series. This soundtrack is an absolute masterpiece and I would highly recommend going out and buying it if you can find it. If it isn't available anymore for some reason, I'm sure you could just download it.
Characters 6/10
With all the randomness, the character development is kind of left behind. Hariko is a selfish, crazy, psychobitch. Naota is a generic angsty teen becoming a young adult. Kante...is there. The father is a lecherous pervert and a complete idiot. Of course you could argue that Naota matures some by the end and is beginning to become more confident and assertive. Despite its insanity this is supposed to be a coming of age story right? Of course, like most works of abstract art it is heavily subject to viewer interpretation.
Enjoyment: 9/10
This is a short and highly enjoyable series. You can choose to watch it repeatedly and try to analyze it like an art house movie, or you can just turn your brain off and embrace the random. Either way, you will probably have some fun with this one.
Overall 7/10
I personally don't consider FLCL an artistic masterpiece or the greatest anime of the early 2000s. There are far more thought provoking series, more emotionally moving series, funnier series, and more exciting series. However, that doesn't mean you should simply skip this one. FLCL is still a unique viewing experience for you and your mates. If you are bored and are looking for something different, I'd give it a watch.
