FLCL
(column for 4 Color Review)

Although arguably less underground than comic books are at this point, anime has still managed to attain a bizarre place in American culture. Long a fixture of children's television programming since the early '70s and a large element of video gaming since the first Nintendo system, anime for one reason or another still doesn't seem to have a large enough of an audience outside of afternoon and Saturday morning TV to be considered totally mainstream- or at least the media powers that be don't seem to think so. However, even if most anime is distributed independently straight to DVD/video and most Americans don't think about it one way or another, the anime cult is legion and growing rapidly. (Mostly in the suburbs, but that's a phenomenon to focus on another time). There seems to be enough of an audience to keep folks in business, anyway.

Certainly, one of the difficulties anime faces in breaking through to the American mainstream is that it's not exactly for everybody. Often strangely paced and structured, often monumentally inscrutable, often shrill, often sexually skewed, often shockingly violent, anime is decidedly and proudly a Japanese product through and through. The sense of humor is obtuse. Much of the references go over most gaijin heads; and it's more often than not simply just very, very, very bizarre. Of course, these aspects of anime are what lead many people to fall in love with it.

With that in mind, it is with great pleasure that I can present to you the downright strangest, most abnormal, nihilistically pointless, irrepressibly jovial, and invigorating anime I have ever seen: 'FLCL,' or Furi Kuri (but it's said "Foolee Coolee").

Originally a six-part OAV (Original Video Animation, same thing as straight-to-video here) series in Japan, 'FLCL' is produced by Gainax, the same company responsible for the better known 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' and 'Gunbuster' series, and is six episodes of absolute mayhem. The meaning of the title is never explained outright, but at any one time it could be referencing: a strange disease, sex, titty twisters, or merely a play on the English word "freaky."

It's almost impossible to pigeonhole 'FLCL' into a pat description, and therein lies part of its charm. The series as a whole appears to be a thinly veiled metaphor for the awkwardness and psychological complexity of blossoming teenage sexuality, but imagine a slapstick teen angst drama with satirical and surreal sci-fi touches and fighting robots, and you get a little closer to the spirit of the thing.

Without giving too much away, here's a brief introduction to each episode:

EPISODE 1
The time appears to be the present, and a city called Mabase is home to a massive factory shaped like a clothes iron called the Medical Mechanica Plant. Naota, a shy and small student, is suddenly hit by an energetic woman on a Vespa scooter. The woman, Haruko, becomes a maid in Naota's household, and Naota starts growing a phallus from his forehead that turns out to be a robot. Later on, there's a huge robot battle, and Haruko joins in using her bass guitar as a weapon.

EPISODE 2
Kanchi, the robot that grew from Naota's head in the first episode, is now the newest member of Naota's household. This episode concentrates a lot on Mamimi, Naota's older brother's girlfriend. Still, there's much wackiness, and another epic robot battle wherein Canti swallows Naota and mutates into a super robot cannon.

EPISODE 3
The point of this episode apparently is to show 'FLCL's themes from the female point of view. One of Naota's school friends becomes afflicted with a head growth, and there are more zany hijinks that also somehow manage to be exceedingly cool.

EPISODE 4
The main plot comes into focus. It involves a mysterious government organization fighting some kind of inter-dimensional war. More about Haruko is learned, and more stuff grows out of Naota's head, which leads to more fighting.

EPISODE 5
Naoto and his dad duel for Haruko. There are a plethora of anime parodies (and South Park), and everything escalates into complete insanity and the most monstrous giant robot yet. Some plot is thrown in there somewhere, and, as usual, there's lots of yelling and arm flailing. FLCL should probably be viewed ONLY with subtitles. The constant screeching isn't nearly as annoying in Japanese, and I can only imagine how irritating the dubbed English will sound.

EPISODE 6
So far, this is the final episode of FLCL. Some plot elements are resolved…I think. It's kind of tough to tell. There's a machine eating giant robot dog and a super powered individual called Pirate Lord Atomsk involved.

Besides the rigors of sexuality, FLCL also uses its surprisingly well-rounded and infinitely likeable characters to explore other common adolescent issues such as parental discord and suburban malaise; giving it a little more depth than most anime.

However, where the series really excels (and where most anime excels) is in its style. A breakneck onslaught of over-the-top goofiness, action and sensuality seamlessly mixed with graceful and moody cell and CG animation and soft, watercolor-esque backgrounds, FLCL is an anime with ADD. Never content with being straightforward, FLCL bounces around at an unpredictable and stupefying pace. One minute it's warm, charming and evocative, the next it's a ridiculous cartoon, then it'll become moving manga.

Although perhaps too outlandish to win anime any new converts, FLCL will no doubt please most fans of the genre. I haven't seen anything this fun, capricious, original, imaginative, ferocious, and satisfyingly weird in a long, long time. A lot of people say that anime is just a lot of porno and robots…and to some extent that's true, but FLCL's charms are impossible to resist. Take the acid test.

© 2002 Andrew Duncan | All rights reserved | Do not reproduce without expressed consent of author.