FLCL
Anime series about an alien and giant robots.
FLCL (Japanese: フリクリ, Hepburn: Furikuri; pronounced in English as Foolycooly) is a Japanese anime series. Kazuya Tsurumaki directed and created it, Yōji Enokido wrote it, and the FLCL Production Committee—made up of Gainax, Production I.G, and King Records—produced it. The story follows Haruko Haruhara, an eccentric and hyperactive alien, as she battles the intergalactic corporation Medical Mechanica on Earth. Her conflicts often cause massive destruction and upend the lives of those around her. The original series was released as an original video animation (OVA). It centers on Naota Nandaba, a quiet twelve-year-old boy whose suburban life and fixation on acting grown-up are thrown into chaos by Haruko's arrival. The six-episode OVA ran in Japan from April 2000 to March 2001, alongside a manga and novel adaptation.
In 2016, two new seasons totaling twelve episodes were announced, co-produced by Production I.G, Toho, and Adult Swim. The second season, *FLCL Progressive*, debuted on June 2, 2018, on Adult Swim's Toonami block. The third season, *FLCL Alternative*, premiered on September 7, 2018. In Japan, *Alternative* was released as a theatrical film on September 7, 2018, and *Progressive* as a theatrical compilation film on September 28, 2018. The first episode of *FLCL Alternative* aired unannounced on April Fools' Day 2018 at midnight ET on Toonami in Japanese with English subtitles, part of Adult Swim's annual stunt. In 2022, Adult Swim ordered two more seasons: *FLCL: Grunge* and *FLCL: Shoegaze*. Both premiered in North America in 2023.
**Plot**
**Season 1**
The first season is a coming-of-age story about Naota Nandaba, a twelve-year-old working-class boy living with his widower father and grandfather in the Japanese city of Mabase. His life is interrupted by Haruko Haruhara, a Vespa-riding maniac who runs him over, revives him with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (without chest compressions), then hits him on the head with her left-handed electric bass guitar (a blue vintage Rickenbacker 4001). She then stalks him. After Haruko weasels her way into his home as a live-in maid, Naota learns that the head injury opened an "N.O." portal. Giant robots from Medical Mechanica emerge through it periodically. The first robot is hit on the head by Haruko and becomes a friendly service bot named Canti.
Quick Facts
- Ja Romaji
- Furikuri
- Genre
- Comedy · Science fiction · Surrealism
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The first season of FLCL is a coming-of-age story that revolves around Naota Nandaba, a 12-year-old, working-class boy living with his widower father and grandfather. His life in the Japanese city of Mabase is interrupted by the arrival of a Vespa-riding maniac named Haruko Haruhara. She runs over Naota then revives him with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (without chest compressions) before hitting him on the head with her left-handed, electric bass guitar (a blue, vintage Rickenbacker 4001) and proceeds to stalk him. Finding Haruko weaseling her way into his life as a live-in maid, Naota discovers that the head injury she caused created an 'N.O.' portal, from which giant robots produced by a company known as Medical Mechanica emerge periodically.
Reader's Guide
FLCL is a Japanese anime series that gained a significant cult following and was widely acclaimed, despite its short length. The original six-episode OVA series was released in Japan from April 2000 to March 2001 and debuted in the United States on Adult Swim in August 2003. Director Kazuya Tsurumaki said he tried to 'break the rules' of anime when making FLCL, for example, by choosing a contemporary Japanese band to provide the soundtrack, and patterning the style more after 'a Japanese TV commercial or promotional video', creating a work that is 'short, but dense-packed'. The series spawned multiple sequels: FLCL Progressive (premiered June 3, 2018), FLCL Alternative (premiered September 8, 2018), and two additional seasons ordered by Adult Swim in 2022 titled FLCL: Grunge and FLCL: Shoegaze, both premiering in Northern America in 2023. The series is noted for its obscure pop culture references and symbolic use of an iron-shaped building representing the destruction of thought.
Did You Know?
- The series was originally released as a six-episode OVA from April 2000 to March 2001.
- The Medical Mechanica building is shaped like a large iron, symbolizing the destruction of thought by smoothing out the brain's wrinkles.
- For the English localization, a reference to the discontinued Japanese soft drink Cheerio was changed to Crystal Pepsi, a discontinued American soft drink.
- FLCL Alternative is speculated to be a prequel to the original series, based on a tweet by Adult Swim's Creative Director Jason Demarco.
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