Hee hee... great review. If I were Haruko, I would have felt proud when you mentioned the One Glaring Exception to the semi-realistic cast of characters. I just finished watching this series, and though I didn't understand a damn second of it, I loved it all the way through. In fact, that's my only complaint... they should have made it a little more comprehensible. A little, though; I'm not suggesting anything radical.
"Religion isn't the cause of wars, it's the excuse." —Mycroft Next
FLCL actually does have a fairly surprisingly logical, concrete plot if you dig under the surface. It doesn't become clear until the end of the series, or even until you watch the whole set over again, but it's there, and it really adds some nice, artistic depth on top of everything else. Style & substance together is the perfect creative synthesis, but this show hides its substance beneath its flamboyant, over-the-top presentation style (which is enjoyable in its own right), and leaves its unveiling up to the scrutinous viewer.
You gotta remember that they created FLCL primarily for the purpose of testing all their shinny new animation technology. That's the reason that the animation is so good (and a little inconsistent), the show is so short, and the HSQ is so high.
This series is what a good trip is supposed to look like.
After having watched the series 100+ times I can easily say that FLCL has a rather simplistic story and does a bloody good job of telling it in an amusing manner. It takes a few watches to understand the plot and even now I find new stuff every time.
Greetings, fellows. I am back from the abyss...and I still watch this series.
Dammit, Gainax. You're gonna make me miss my weekly deadline.
Testing all their shiny new animation technology? I thought the show was made so the writers could cheer themselves up after working on Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Pinkie Pie and flugelhorns are a bad combination.
@Demetrios You\'re right, which is why this anime is such a wonderful clusterf**k of a show: They were just trying to find they niche again after \'\'that show\'\'.
And they created something rather good out of it too. Guess something good can come from depression.
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That is the only proper way to describe FLCL...Or more accurately, Furi Kuri. This is probably one of the stranger works
from Gainax and is actually one of the more light-hearted ones. Of course, Rather than shovel you shit that you probably know from reading the article, I will just sum it up in three Categories: The Pros, The Cons...and the HSQ
Pros:
Let's start with the presentation. First off, the animation is done by Production IG and Gainax. It's self-explanatory. The animation is gorgeous. Of course, it's not perfect; there are some flaws, but the animation is so manic, psychotic, and smooth that you probably will ignore it in favor of Stuff Blowing Up. That...and the soundtrack...is...is...DAMMIT!
The characters are also very well done and are appropriately deep. While not as frighteningly complex as Evangelion's cast, They have the appropriate depth to help you understand them and their development through the story...
While the Characters aren't complex, the Actual story is more or less an Allegory. It uses tons of symbolism and many...many Freud Was Right Moments. Of course...that just adds to its hilarity and pure madness...
Cons:
Too damn short. Could have used a few more episodes to further flesh out the characters...
While the characters remain Semi-realistic (With one Glaring exception), The story is convulted to the core. Purposefully insane and random, it is a Space Opera...and is more or less just a vehicle for the development of the Characters. While I understand that Gainax wanted to be creative on this one, They could have at least given it a better background story. Of course...that is the only bad part...But I am Biased and Horribly Slanted.
HSQ:
There are many...MANY action scenes. Most of them are improved by the fact that they were probably animated whilst the creators were intoxicated. Be Warned...There are plenty of these to go around.
If you like a Random, Amusing, But none too shallow series, Go ahead and watch it...But really, it is really a Love It Or Hate It Series. Of course...I fall on the "Love It" side of the coin.