FLCL (2000) (V)

User Rating:

8.8/10   

Director:

Kazuya Tsurumaki

Writer:

Yoji Enokido (writer)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A 12-year old boy named Naota one day meets a strange woman, riding a Vespa and wielding a big guitar. As soon as she appears, mysterious things start happening.

Plot Keywords:

Vespa | Bullet Time | Anime | Sex | Dream Like

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jun Mizuki	...	Naota Nandaba, Takkun the Cat (voice)
Mayumi Shintani	...	Haruko Haruhara (voice)
Izumi Kasagi	...	Mamimi Samejima (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Blum	...	Miyu Miyu, Masashi (voice: English version) (as David Lucas)
Chiemi Chiba	...	Kitsurubami
Melissa Fahn	...	Eri Ninamori (voice: English version) (as Heather Lee Joelson)
Yukari Fukui	...	Junko "Miya-Jun" Miyaji (voice)
Barbara Goodson	...	Naota Nandaba (voice: English version)
Hiroshi Ito	...	Shigekuni Nandaba (voice)
Mika Itô	...	Eri Ninamori (voice)
R. Martin Klein	...	Saku, Additional Voices (voice: English version) (as Bob Marx)
Steve Kramer	...	Shigekuni Nandaba, Train Announcer, Martians Baseball Player, Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Dave Mallow	...	Amarao (voice: English version)
Joe Martin	...	Kamon Nandaba (voice: English version)
Suzuki Matsuo	...	Kamon Nandaba (voice)
Chris McDougall	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Akira Miyashima	...	Gaku (voice)
Tara Murphy	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Kôichi Ôkura	...	Amarao (voice)
Ryan Ragland	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Luis Reyes	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Stephanie Sheh	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jessica Straus	...	Junko Miyaji (voice: English version) (as Jessica Stenuis)
Kazuhito Suzuki	...	Masashi (voice)
Mark Takeuchi	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Rick Tetzlaff	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
L. Villa	...	Kitsurubami (voice: English version)
Kari Wahlgren	...	Haruko Haruhara (voice: English version)
Maggie Weidner	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Yuriko Yamaguchi	...	Ninamori's Secretary (voice: English version)
Shizuki Yamashita	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Agnes Yoshida	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)

Also Known As:

Fooly Cooly (USA)
FuriKuri (Japan)

Runtime:

30 min (6 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Spain:15 | Canada:18A | Australia:M | USA:TV-14 (cut version) | USA:TV-MA | UK:12

Company:

Gainax

Trivia:

The moped driven by Amarao is not a Vespa but a Japanese moped called a Rabbit. According to the director it is much rarer then a Vespa.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In episode 4 when Haruko pulls the Flying V out of Naota's head, you can see six tuning pegs on the headstock; in episode 6 when Naota strums a string on the same guitar, the sound is that of a bass guitar.

Quotes:

[Ninamori watches Canti eat curry]
Eri Ninamori: Why is that thing eating? What is it anyway?
Kamon Nandaba: That's just our TV.
[Canti gets up]
Eri Ninamori: Why is it walking?
Kamon Nandaba: Well, uh, it must be a TV-Walkman.
Eri Ninamori: Sony brand?

Movie Connections:

References Robot Keiji K: The Movie (1973)

The greatest anime of all time.

At first glance, FLCL seems like a foolish attempt at putting too much randomness into an anime. Indeed, it's impossible to summarize the show without making it sound completely stupid: "It's about an alien woman who hits a boy with a guitar, and robots start popping out of his head." Yeah, that's gonna make people want to see it (not). But then again, it's also one of the most artistically perfect pieces of work ever.

The best short summary I can come up with it is that it's a coming-of-age story about a wacky woman who takes advantage of a 12 year old boy. But that doesn't explain half of it. It perfectly molds hidden themes into a beautiful story. The style of this anime is incredibly unique. It completely departs from the classic realistic anime style, and seems to emulate more American cartoons by not letting the characters show very exaggerated characteristics at times.

While it indeed is filled with craziness, there is an obvious and very strong structure to the plot. Every scene is intimately connected to every other scene, and it works perfectly. There are inherent themes about love, friendship, jealousy, and the discovery of all those as one grows up. I've read someone write that watching FLCL is like falling in love for the first time again, and it's a great description. After all, as a coming-of-age story, those are the feelings that the main character Naota is going through himself.

The music is simply the best in anime, period. Every major sequence has rock music by The Pillows in the background, and every time, it seems to fit perfectly with the scene. While the music is excellent by itself, it strengthens the emotions that FLCL is trying to deliver in those scenes.

At just 6 episodes, it's short. But because of its shortness, the plot structure is incredibly tight, allowing it to have such great connections within. FLCL is simply an excellent work of art. Don't look at it as the best anime ever created. Look at it as a beautiful piece of art that chose anime as the medium to deliver itself in.