Synopsis: Naota is a normal Japanese 6th grade boy (if not a little cynical however), but when his older brother leaves for America to play baseball, he leaves his homeless 17 year old girlfriend Mamimi behind. Mamimi is sending mixed signals to Naota, and Naota doesn't know what to do about her. But to make matters worse, Naota's world is totally turned upside down when he is run over by a woman on a Vespa moped and then she hits him over the head with her guitar. She calls herself "Haruko", and her prescense changes Naota's life to insanity...especially when he starts growing a horn out of his forehead....
SCORE: 94%
HOLY SHIT.
That's one of few phrases that can describe this anime. I was truly amazed by the animation, but mostly by the crazed theme of this series, and trying to figure out what it all meant...if it meant anything at all!
Plot: To be honest, I have come across some truly bizarre anime lately because of my anime club at my college. But this anime is truly bizarre. And that's perfect for me...the more weird it is (without being extremely gross) the more I tend to like it. Considering this is from the same company that made Eva, it's no wonder it's crazy. This anime has truly seemed to have push the boundaries of animation, but it also has pushed the boundaries of logic. After I watched this anime, and considering Naota's age and his inner conflicts with his feelings, the whole series almost seemed to be a weird take on Naota growing up. After all, Naota is right before that age when all these weird things start to happen. All the jokes are utterly hilarious, serious scenes are touching and cute, and the right in your face sexual temptations sent at Naota are downright wrong and cruelly funny.
There is absolutely nothing else I can tell you about the plot, because I'd give it away, and I'm still trying to figure out the details myself. But the plot is there, and it's good!
Visual: It pushed insanity, and it seems to have pushed the limits of animation also. FLCL seems to have a style like most anime, but it's very radical, and the rendering of most noses are different. Somehow, the stylization of this anime is very, very original and very fluid, yet it preserves an air of simplicity. This is a very good thing, because there are often anime that have so much shine, highlights, overcomplicated and stiff eyes, hair and clothing, that it gets very distracting and annoying. There doesn't seem to be a moment when the animation doesn't work like it suppose to. Some of the explosions and comedy scences are utterly amazing and really hit right on. FLCL utilizes some CGI, but it works extremely well, so if you don't like CGI in animation, at least give this anime a chance anyway. The CGI truly works. Also, the spoofs of other anime styles and other animations work very well and are very funny! Some brief clips of animation were used more than once, but they weren't out of place, and worked well, and it also took me a few times watching the anime over to even notice some of the reused footage.
Sound: At last! An anime with some very modern, rock sounding music (instead of high pitched Jpop, Orchestra or cheap computer songs). The music of FLCL is wonderful and crisp and even though I love Orchestra-type music for anime, it seems overused, and this soundtrack was a breath of fresh air. This is one of my fav soundtracks now, that I will have to download before long.... The sound effects seem to have really hit their cues and filled their purposes well. Everytime Haruko hits something with her guitar, it sounds so hilarious and authetic (or even painful as the case may be). The voices were well picked and fit their roles well. Naota's voice was especially good, and Haruko's couldn't have been any better.
The Dub: Pretty damn good! And I mean that! I'm still attached to the original Japanese, but the dub is still really damn good! However, this anime is defintely "Japanese" so to speak, as many jokes are play on Japanese language and culture, and the story defintely havppens in Japan, so the educated thing to do is to watch this series in Japanese. But still, the dub isn't bad at all. ^_^
Dub Letter Grade: A+
Extra Rants and Bitching: This anime was by Gainax, who are most popularly known for their previous series, Eva. Most people that know me, know I have no affection for Eva. However, this series may have the same insanity of Eva, but is funny, not serious, with likeable characters. This series is what saved me from not despising Gainax.
Even though many anime have strong female characters, they still tend to fall short of what I would want a female character to act like. Haruko is described as a tomboy, but I think she's just truly herself. Haruko may be considered slutty to many, but it seems she uses her appeal for reasons, but doesn't overflaunt it. She never yells like a little bitch about how everyone should see how pretty she is and never giggles like a fucking dumbass school girl! She is selfish, but at least she knows it, and it makes her a realistic character. Haruko's character is quite cruel, and she is disgustingly gross in habit, but she seems to be someone who is truly herself. She knows what she wants, is determined to get it, and she isn't just another bimbo whining and bitching for attention. I couldn't help but feel sorry for Naota. I wonder if he understood it any better than I did by the time it was all over! His conflicting feelings made me feel so sorry for him and made him such a dear and adorable boy! Being the way he is makes him seem like such a real character. It must be hard to be the only one in your life who's sane. I HATE Mamimi! It's funny how an anime could have characters I like so much, but others I utterly hate! She's a bimbo, and yes I know she's homeless, but still! She's not stupid, but she should never have treated Naota as some kind of replacement for his older brother. That is so utterly unfair and pisses me off! For being homeless, she sure is selfish. But this annoying character is what she needed to be for this anime, so *sigh*. At least she was quietly selfish. She sure seems to be a little out there....
Score Comments: All in all, I'd give this anime a 100%, but since it may just confuse too many (although that's not a bad thing), and nothing can be pefect (cruel, but true), and it's a bit short lived, I'll give this anime a 94%! This anime is meant to confuse and make you think, and it knows that it's attitude can be so utterly wrong, stretching the limits of what is allowed, and...well...I love it! I'll shine this anime up and put it on an altar! Puffy's mallet isn't anywhere to be seen for this review, and she can actually take a break this time.
Websites:
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