Forum - View topicFLCL (OAV + TV).
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DetektiveL
 Posts: 3 |
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Sorry Amasa, but I'm gonna have to disagree with your post. D: While yes, FLCL is very crazy, and it may seem senseless at times, there is a point and message to the entire series, you just have to pay attention to get it. The most prominent theme of the series is growing up. This is evidenced in Naota and Ninamori's actions, and to a degree, Amarao and Mamimi. Naota begins the series as a cynical kid who tries to act cool despite his age. He goes on about how the town he lives in never changes and everything is completely normal. But then Haruko comes into his life. When he first meets her he thinks she a dumb adult who doesn't know how to grow up. As the series goes on however, he gets exposed to strange experiences that make him change the way he thinks and acts. One of the many references to this is when Mamimi buys a sour tasting drink, but refuses to drink it because of it's sourness, and because of it being an indirect kiss from her. Later on after protecting her (I think) she offers him them same drink after drinking half of it again, and he takes it this time. They also use the same type of reference when he talking with Amarao (spicy bread, sugar in his tea, etc.). Anyways, I could go on for hours about it really, but I won't because I'm tired and a bit incoherent right now. 
The point is that the show isn't pointless. The plot is just hidden underneath the craziness, and it's up to you the viewer to figure out whats going on. I'd urge you to try watching it again because it really is a wonderful series, and while it is quite crazy, I was never really confused or I never thought any of the stuff they threw into the story was pointless (even the South Park parody ).
But, I'm sure since you couldn't even finish watching the show, I guess you wouldn't be up to watching it. :/ |
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Space Pirate Kid
 Posts: 75 Location: QLD, Australia |
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i totaly agree with that ^ . its only 6 eps long anyway so i dont think they would have bothered to make a 'wow, omg best plot ever' type storyline!
anyway its just a bit of fun, not everything has to so serious and structured. |
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Samurai-with-glasses
 Posts: 628 |
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Please attack the show and not the person. While Mamimi would not mind you calling her a stupid character, I suspect more...3d...people will take offense. FLCL weirdest? Not really, I've seen weirder. (One of) the best? Without a doubt. Its plot isn't actually half as meandering as stuff like Pani Poni Dash or other gag comedies-on-crack; and its animation, while amazing and encompasses quite a large variety of styles, isn't "groundbreaking" or "absolutely weird" or whatever. |
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epixeltwin
 Posts: 325 Location: Montreal, Qc, Canada |
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I am pretty sure that the Manga is an adaptation of the anime. And if you watch the anime and try to ask yourself: "How would I adapt this into a manga series?", you might understand why the manga is so hard to follow. The anime is just so deep and complex and has a lot of emotional elements relying on mood, voice-acting, colors, so it's normal that a manga has a hard time to convey all the feelings it needs to. |
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Andrue
Posts: 79 |
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i have wanted the flcl dvd just to hear the commentary by the creator. that show is bizarre beyond belief. i cant find it anywhere I've looked.
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varmintx
 Posts: 1204 Location: Covington, KY |
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Buy's got it for a lower price then Amazon (though still not as low as when it first came out). I also doubt you'll be able to get the shirt now, but you should still try.
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D_man71200
 Posts: 36 Location: Virginia Beach, VA |
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I have to agree no one bits bobobobo |
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Andrue
Posts: 79 |
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i heard of bobobo before it got licensed in america because some video game magazine said it had a video game that played backwards. and you lose abilities and stuff. i really want to find it.
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Andy26
Posts: 41 |
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With one episode Toonami has managed to tarnish the names of two of my most beloved institutions. The Original FLCL, as well as the entire genre of music which we collectively label grunge.
I had early hopes while watching the show when it opened with a track containing that distinct sound of Sawao Yamanaka of "The Pillows". My hopes quickly turned to despair though as the episode played on. The heavy handed approach that was taken in attempting to link this universe with the original is unsettling at best and just blatantly disrespectful at worst. To hear Haruko mumble out some catchphrase material was just sad. " Taro?" - No Haruko, Never Taro-Kun, not here. (All love to Kari Wahlgren btw, she did her best with a terrible script). Fittingly the town we find ourselves in with this series is basically a garbage dump, covered in flies, foul odors, and foul people. The character design of the mayor appears as if he were a leftover model from a different project that "Mont Blanc" might have worked on. The members of the Yakuza, being faceless drones struck me more as laziness than an artistic expression. Where the original FLCL was groundbreaking in its use of digital animation at the time there was little excitement around the CGI in this episode. The sudden switch to ultra violence was a bit of a shock and just unnecessary, it feels more like Castelvania or Attack on Titan in those moments. There are so many themes that could be explored and were merely hinted at. The hopelessness of Shonari, realizing that one day he too will likely end up a drunk like his brother. I really wanted to latch into this story right there but then it switched to a fish biting someone's crotch. This episode was a failure from the opening lines of dialog and continued to disappoint throughout. Another attempt to capture lightning in the bottle that does nothing more than water down the FLCL universe. Leaving behind another obstacle when recommending FLCL to people, having to navigate them away from the other three entries in the series' universe. I have been vocal about my displeasure with Toonami and their lack of quality programming recently. Surprisingly people seemed to come to their defense, citing the rising costs of content and how it is cheaper to just create their own shows. I agree that those are real issues but if FLCL Grunge is the best they can do with their money then they should save it and put Family Guy back in the lineup. Here's how I'd grade it: Story and Dialog = F Animation = D (The execution was just so poor) Music/Sound Design = A- (Clearly biased "Pillows" fan) I would not recommend this show to a friend, would wait in line for the soundtrack though. |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11304 Location: Frisco, TX |
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I've spruced up the opener to include info for all sequel and prequel shows of the franchise. So consider this the main thread for all things FLCL-related, including the currently airing Grunge.
Please be aware of the almost 16-year gap between the two most previous posts. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 23817 |
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I'm way overdue for a rewatch of the original Fooly Cooly. I've never seen any of the sequels, but from what I've read, none of them stand up to the first.
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Andy26
Posts: 41 |
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will admit that the second episode is quite a bit better than the first. I was critical of that one and stand by my criticism but will hold off on dismissing the entire series for at least one more episode.
This entry focuses largely on Shonari and begins to address some of the thematic elements that were hinted at in the first episode. It would be difficult for any writer to approach racism and bullying with subtlety and it doesn't appear that an effort was made to do so here. Clearly these are issues that are intended to be the driving developmental plotline for Shonari and his older brother Dainari. Artistically, some of the backgrounds stood out to me. The bamboo forest that finds Shonari and Orinoko in a couple of scenes is aesthetically pleasing and the CGI of the characters plays well in this setting. I'd like to see how other animation styles would hold up against it. It is with these scenes also that some character development actually occurs. I think the decision to retell the same story from a different characters perspective was risky but in this usage it did help the overall story. The elements I didn't like in the first episode still exist here but having the opportunity to take a parallax view of the events did make for a slightly more cohesive story. Amarao has a larger presence here and more of the heavy handedness of the writers trying to link this series into the existing FLCL universe was apparent. It is understood, his thing is his eyebrows, let's move on already. Speaking of moving on I think this series could be so much better if it had chosen to exclude Haruko from the lineup. In the original series she was Haruko, that was her identity and she didn't need to be anything else. Attempting to turn her into a call girl or Yakuza boss or anything else is not needed. She was such a strong character whose mysterious origins and motivations were part of her strength. Overall I think this is an improvement but the bar was so low I don't know if that is saying much. Here's how I'd grade it: Story and Dialog = C (Still weak but in comparison better than the first episode) Animation = C (The backgrounds were nicely executed in scenes) Music/Sound Design = A (I can't get new music from The Pillows where I am at currently so it is a treat to hear some as well as some of my favorites from the previous series) |
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Andy26
Posts: 41 |
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FLCL Grunge - Episode Three
24 Sep 2023 The third episode in the 'Grunge' universe has proven to be the best entry. This one follows the story of Orinoko, the sole female of the trio, and provides the most developed character in this universe. I do admire the writing for her, in the decision to make her a determined and hopeful character as opposed to suffering and living in despair, dependent on one of the other (i.e. male) leads. The series has maintained a heavy hand when it comes to references to the original series, distractingly so. One scene where this is not the case however of a triumphant Orinoko, katana in hand, atop the garbage pile. The silhouette shot from behind is very reminiscent of the iconic image of Naota, holding his bass of which Mamimi snapped the picture "Goodbye Mabase". The backgrounds of the cavernous area beneath the garbage dump were very well done. The quiet beauty of the scenery played well with the somber development of Orinoko's character. Having already lost her mother you can't help but feel her despair as she watches her fathers health declining rapidly. Haruko was even slightly less insufferable in this episode. The interactions between her and Orinoko were nice and almost makes you believe that Haru has a sympathetic spot for someone other than herself. Perhaps if that side were explored more she wouldn't have been so forgettable for me. The final minutes of the show find so many references to the original series it becomes nauseating to try and keep up with them all. Someone who has not studied the original will not "get" the references and they might be better off for that. I don't know if I'm supposed to walk away thinking of this series as a prequel to the original, is Orinoko on her way to Mabase? I'm sure any number of fan theories could be applied but I'd rather leave it as a one off universe that is not in any way associated to Naotas world. This episode was not terrible and I think the entire series could have been so much better had it followed some of this direction. Here's how I'd grade it: Story and Dialog = B (Not bad, I felt for Orinoko and rooted for her success) Animation = B (The 3-D/2-D interactions were a little clunky in places but where they were right, they were well done) Music and Sound Design = A (There was someone in there that wasn't the pillows? Who was that?) |
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Andy26
Posts: 41 |
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I have to give credit where it is due. So far, FLCL Shoegaze is really good. There have been some lackluster performances to come from the partnership between Adult Swim and Crunchy Roll and my expectations for this offering were very low. After seeing the first episode I'd have to say, this one may be a hit.
Taking place in the universe of FLCL Alternative, the story begins ten years after the events that found Kana an unexpected and reluctant heroin. The decision to bring her character back, this time working as a crisis negotiator, seemed like the correct way to tie the events from Alternative to Shoegaze. The plot finds two highschool students, Masaki and Harumi, within the strange tower that suddenly appeared in town and appears to be central to the apparitions that haunt Masaki's vision. With anarchic intentions the two protagonists siege the tower which goes into defensive mode, barricading them inside. The contrasting personality's play well together as Harumi's sadistic flirtations keep Masaki on his toes, dancing between anxiety, embarrassment, and validation. The apparitions that only Masaki can see started appearing after the last incident with Medical Mechanics are a great vehicle for tipping the hat to previous incarnations of the FLCL universe. The flickering images that dance across the bodies of these entities range from different live action stills to screenshots of previous shows. The writing is well done and the dialog between Harumi and Masaki is believable, two teenagers trying to figure out such lighthearted topics such as mortality, desperation, and ambition. It flows well and the sexual innuendo seems more shocking than it really is and will lead the viewer to wonder if they are the real pervert. The music sounded like it was all new songs by The Pillows, and really fit in with the moods of the episode. The art style was very polished with backgrounds reminiscent of the original FLCL, almost watercolor in appearance, not quite finished around the edges. I look forward to seeing where this journey goes from here and again have to give credit where it is due, Toonami pulled in all the right talent to get this one done. I'd grade it with an 'A' across the board and recommend it to anyone, whether they have seen the original series or any of the spinoffs or not. |
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Snomaster1
Subscriber Posts: 2813 |
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Recently,we've seen the end of the most recent "FLCL" series called "Grunge" and "Shoegaze." For the most part,they are what you'd probably expect from "FLCL." It's an extremely weird allegory of growing up and finding your place in the world mixed in with sci-fi. Some characters return like Haruka and Kana who get mixed up with all new characters.
"Grunge" tried to experiment with computer animation while "Shoegaze" goes the traditional route. To be honest,"Grunge" was largely hit or miss with me,while "Shoegaze" did a bit better with traditional animation. While I don't think that the latest entries in the "FLCL" series are as bad as others thought they were,I simply thought they were too short. While most entries in this series were largely six episodes long,both "Shoegaze" and "Grunge" are at a brief three episodes. It feels like they ended far too soon for me. I'd have liked to have gotten to know the characters a bit more if they were at their typical length. For the most part,it feels like you got a new book and are so involved with the story and it's characters only to have it end so abruptly. You'd probably feel upset about that and that's how I feel. You feel like there was more to tell from these series,but it felt like they just wanted to get themselves over with as quickly as possible without giving us a whole lot to work with. For example,I'd would have liked to know where the rock people from "Grunge" originally came from. From my perspective,they look like the Thing's Japanese cousins and I would have liked to have known a little more about them like what planet they're from and why are they on Earth in the first place. But sadly,the brief length of these series leaves us with more questions than answers. Given how popular "FLCL's" been in the U.S.,it wouldn't surprise me if one day,the Japanese themselves decide to have an "FLCL" series set in America. I admit that it might be a long shot,but I also wouldn't count something like that out. As for "FLCL Grunge" and "Shoegaze,"I'm not going to be too hard on them. To me,they're decent shows that were too brief for my taste. I simply wish there was a little more to them,because there could have been so much more than what we got. |
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