This passion project from the studio that made Evangelion is fading into obscurity. Unjustly so.
When Fooly-Cooly, or FLCL, first appeared on Western TV screens, it was a complete experiment. A show with such a surreal plot and chaotic characters is far from "friendly" to an unprepared viewer. But despite everything it managed to attract a respectable amount of attention and became a cult classic. Nowadays, however, it is not talked about as much as it used to. Many other shows with similar or even more bizarre plots have appeared. Modern anime studios can easily produce animation as complex as Gainax did 20 years ago. So is FLCL destined to be forgotten? Perhaps, but that would be a shame.
FLCL is one of those anime series that embodies the time of its creation. Everything from the art direction to the soundtrack says this is a 2000s anime. The soundtrack, provided by the band The Pillows, is a gem. Kazuya Tsurumaki, the director of the series, wanted this anime to feel more like a commercial. And it shows. A lot of the songs actually have lyrics in them, so many scenes play out like some sort of OVAs or music videos. A very rare thing in modern anime.
The series also has some very good characters. Haruko, the second main character, may be psychotic, but she actually has good motivations for being like that and even goes through a well-written character arc. Her rough relationship with Naota is a joy to watch and definitely cements itself as the heart of the story. Speaking of Naota, he is immediately relatable as a protagonist. Bearing the burden of looking after Mamimi, he has to learn how to stay happy and a bit childish even when the whole world wants you to be as serious as possible.
FLCL has its problems, though. Its storytelling, overstuffed with strange lore, can definitely be hard to follow. It may take a second viewing to make sense of it all. But that's what makes the show so cool. It can be different every time you watch it. And even if you don't get the message, you definitely feel it. At its heart, it's an energetic, over-the-top story about how important it is to be a kid sometimes.
This passion project from the studio that made Evangelion is fading into obscurity. Unjustly so.
When Fooly-Cooly, or FLCL, first appeared on Western TV screens, it was a complete experiment. A show with such a surreal plot and chaotic characters is far from "friendly" to an unprepared viewer. But despite everything it managed to attract a respectable amount of attention and became a cult classic. Nowadays, however, it is not talked about as much as it used to. Many other shows with similar or even more bizarre plots have appeared. Modern anime studios can easily produce animation as complex as Gainax did 20 years ago. So is FLCL destined to be forgotten? Perhaps, but that would be a shame.
FLCL is one of those anime series that embodies the time of its creation. Everything from the art direction to the soundtrack says this is a 2000s anime. The soundtrack, provided by the band The Pillows, is a gem. Kazuya Tsurumaki, the director of the series, wanted this anime to feel more like a commercial. And it shows. A lot of the songs actually have lyrics in them, so many scenes play out like some sort of OVAs or music videos. A very rare thing in modern anime.
The series also has some very good characters. Haruko, the second main character, may be psychotic, but she actually has good motivations for being like that and even goes through a well-written character arc. Her rough relationship with Naota is a joy to watch and definitely cements itself as the heart of the story. Speaking of Naota, he is immediately relatable as a protagonist. Bearing the burden of looking after Mamimi, he has to learn how to stay happy and a bit childish even when the whole world wants you to be as serious as possible.
FLCL has its problems, though. Its storytelling, overstuffed with strange lore, can definitely be hard to follow. It may take a second viewing to make sense of it all. But that's what makes the show so cool. It can be different every time you watch it. And even if you don't get the message, you definitely feel it. At its heart, it's an energetic, over-the-top story about how important it is to be a kid sometimes.
