FLCL

Furi Kuri

Also Known As: Fooly Coolly

Genre: Action/Comedy

Format: 6 OVA

Allegiance: Gainax

Director: Tsurumaki Kazuya

Vintage: 2000-2001

Intelligence Agency Report by: Djudge

Naota’s life in Mabase is the epitome of drab. Nothing exciting ever happens there, period. His family is about as immature as one can get and now his brother’s just left to play baseball in America. Just when things couldn’t get any worse, he gets run over by a beautiful, if psychotic, girl who, after a strange exchange of words (and guitar blows) speeds off. In the wake of this strange meeting, Naota then sees his world turned upside-down as robots start spontaneously popping out of his head and wreaking havoc on the town. It seems that the scooter-riding stranger is back and she has answers to what’s happening to Naota. So much for boring days…

Field Agent Report by: Djudge

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio

9.00
9.50
9.25
9.25
9.75

Overall

9.50

(not an average)

Having coming fresh off the heels of watching the hyperactive, and occasionally senseless, Komodo no Omocha, I began to develop the sense that I would never again see such an outrageous blend of varying atmospheres. After watching FLCL, I once again became aware of the fact that anime continuously reinvents itself; in this particular case, for the better.

As in previous Gainax titles, FLCL revolves heavily around the development of the relationships between the characters in its story. In this particular venture, the main character, Nandaba Naota, is faced with interacting with intrusive personalities on his journey through adolescence. It is through these relationships that the real meat and potatoes of the plot are fleshed out. From the eccentric housemaid Haruhara Haruko to Naota’s enigmatic older brother Tasuku, each of the characters in the FLCL universe leaves their mark on our unsuspecting protagonist.

One other additional trait FLCL possessed worth mentioning is the set of remarkable rock tunes provided by The Pillows. Looking back at how the songs were implemented with near perfection into their respective scenes, it’s very feasible to say that FLCL is as much a treat for the mind and eyes as it is for the ears.

Overall, FLCL provides a great wealth of anime goodness for a select few of the overall viewer base. Those who see it will definitely have conflicting opinions on just exactly how effective Tsurumaki was in his directorial debut. However, the fact remains that they have all seen a prime example of how far anime can go as a viable art medium.

Field Agent Report by: Dave K

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio

7.50
9.50
9.75
9.25
10.00

Overall

9.75

(not an average)

Have you ever seen or heard the phrase “OMG! WTF?! BBQ!” That very well could have resulted from a person watching FLCL. The anime is seemingly nothing but mindless insanity, with seemingly being the operative word.

There is definitely a hidden purpose to FLCL, and while on the outside it may be all insanity and what not; on the inside FLCL is symbolic of an adolescent wondering about sex. The story itself is pretty basic and can probably be told in but a few sentences, but that’s because FLCL is more about the development of the characters, then about the development of the plot.

With one aspect already lacking FLCL had to be good everywhere else to keep itself as an upper echelon anime. So right off the bat we are hit with some excellent artwork and animation. The vivid colours and unique character designs make FLCL a surprising piece of eye candy. If you understand Japanese conversation, then FLCL is one of those anime you can just sit back and listen to. The seiyuu work is absolutely brilliant and the music (done largely by The Pillows) fits the series like a glove. FLCL definitely has one of the best OSTs available.

So while FLCL may lack in the plot department a bit, it more then picks up the slack and defines itself with an amazing cast of characters, excellent animation, voice acting and one of the catchiest sound tracks ever. If you haven’t seen it, then what are you waiting for? If you have, well check out the manga.

Field Agent Report by: The Macaque

Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio

3.00
4.25
4.00
9.00
5.50

Overall

4.25

(not an average)

FLCL, Fooly Cooly, Furi Kuri. A dear child has many names, but sometimes even the dearest of children can make a big mess, causing frustration and nervous breakdowns to the entire family.

When I first heard about FLCL, it claimed to be everything Neon Genesis Evangelion was, and then some. So, when I'd finally came around to seeing this OVA, I was stunned. Stunned to the bone as to how a talented crew of GAINAX employees could end up making this horrid piece of dung.

The inconsistencies in FLCL would surely outnumber the mistakes made by the US government in Iraq, but since we're not talking politics over anime, it's not such a well founded argument. FLCL just happens to be cluttered with surprise plot changes which often surpass reason and logic, thus leading the viewer into disbelief from the very beginning. Some argue that this is where FLCL hits a home run, but to others like me, it's more a matter of losing sight of the ball altogether.

When GAINAX sat down to design this project, they sure had a blast. Apparently they threw their brains out the window, and concentrated on having fun at the viewer's expense. Everything in Furi Kuri seems randomized. Events do not carry on to a logical follow up, nor do any past events have any significance in the future. Even as the animation is nicely executed, the lack of a storyline makes it way too messy to watch. Allegely Anno left the production (resigning as one of the lead animators) half-way through, due to disagreements over the plot, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was true. Robots jumping out of a young boy's head in a random fashion has never been this confusingly presented.

Smart people will by now know that I'm not fond of this OVA at all, but there is one aspect of this anime which I actually did enjoy. The animation is in my opinion very refreshing and extremely inventive at times. It's as if the entire show was based on a few sketchy drawings by the directors, and then a bunch of high-school kids produced a story out of them, while stumbling upon a few very taleted artists along the way. Randomness to the second degree.FLCL is not about thinking outside the box, it's more about thinking inside the can. Toilet humor to the third degree. The downfall of dadaistic poetry if you ask me.