“FLCL: Progressive” follows “Hidomi” and “Ide,” as the two teenagers learn about life, love, and a little something called “N.O.” Joining them on this adventure is the extraterrestrial investigator, “Haruko” and a newcomer, the otherworldly being, “Jinyu.”
“FLCL: Alternative” focuses on a group of high school best friends, Kana, Mossan, Pets, and Hijiri. Nothing much happens in their town until Haruko and a strange mecha come to visit. Kana just might have the power to save the world, but it’s locked up tight inside her head. Haruko might just know how to shake it loose.
I may as well start by infuriating a plethora of anime fans. I am writing this review with next-to-no previous knowledge of the “FLCL” saga. I know that FLCL stands for Fooly Cooly, but have no idea what that means. I know that the first season aired in 2000 and became sort of a sensation. Why it took 16 years for the follow-ups to arrive, I have no clue. Neither do I have much of an idea of what unravels in the visually-spectacular, narratively-incomprehensible “FLCL Progressive” and “Alternative” (the second and third seasons, respectively). Perhaps connoisseurs can enlighten me.
Stay with me here, as I try to decipher this. Haruko, a Vespa-riding, portal-opening entity — who befriended and consequently involved 12-year-old Naota in a series of events centering around robots and a “space-manipulating being” called Atomsk — returns in form of a school teacher. This time her target is the 14-year-old, headphone-sporting Hidomi. There is, however, an issue. You see, Haruki has split herself into two, creating Julia, who now stands in her way (the only way to defeat her? Why, eat her, of course!). Also, those headphones are rather pesky. Long story short — I won’t even delve into Medical Mechanica, the Interstellar Immigration Bureau or the “N.O.” portals — Hidomi engages in a romantic relationship with Ko Ide, a boy she fancies, while Hidomi continues her hunt for Atomsk. This insane charade continues through the explosive “Alternative”, in which Haruko mentors high school student Kana.
Hidomi’s character is quite intriguing: introverted-but-confident, possessing powers she nonchalantly utilizes. There are shades of a coming-of-age tale, as the series assumes distinctive perspectives of three protagonists who are each at a crucial point in their maturing. Aside from that, it’s a non-stop assault on the senses – anime gone surrealist to the max – crammed with symbolism and inventive touches (an adoption of a variety of animation techniques, rapid shifts in tone and momentum) that either begs for intense scrutiny or simply requires you to fall into its stream-of-consciousness non-narrative.
Experimental to an extreme, “FLCL” will not be for everyone. If you love giant robots, plenty of sexual references, sudden outbursts of violence, animation — and particularly anime — then this very well may be your cup of tea. As an admirer of Hayao Miyazaki, Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Oshii, and Katsuhiro Otomo, I’ve seen my share of trippiness. “FLCL” lets it overtake the entire narrative and runs with it, expecting you to keep up.
Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD February 4th
