[Quotidian] FLCL, a review

First, I feel like I have to justify the inclusion of an anime review in this blog.  There are two main reasons behind FLCL's inclusion: the first is that anime has subtitles (and, therefore, requires reading) and the second is that I've been meaning to keep track of the endless hours that I waste in a slightly productive way.

Anyway, here we go.

{Other people love reviewing FLCL}

FLCL is notorious for being deliberately obtuse and being a little bit hard to handle.  The animation style jumps around depending upon what affective content is being dealt with, and the perspective constantly fluctuates to imitate the sort of shots that are more akin to experimental films produced by emotionally-ladened high schoolers.

So, what specifically makes this anime so difficult to deal with?  I'm sure a huge list could be written, but one major aspect is that it is constantly referencing past anime and making puns that I'm sure are clever if you were fluent in Japanese.  As an ardent lover of puns (both good and bad), I sincerely wish that I had a good enough grasp on the language to appreciate them.  As it stands, most versions can be paused every 10 seconds or so to read what the puns are referencing.  Obviously, there is much lost in both translation and pausing every 10 seconds, and most people (including myself) would rather watch an episode in its entirety without catching every single reference.

{Seriously, guys, "never knows best"}

Besides the barrier that exists due to the transition from Japanese to English, FLCL also draws on English in a way that only foreign features can.  English is used sporadically throughout to give FLCL a little bit more street cred; to make it seem deeper.  As a fluent English speaker, you may find (as I did) that English is used rather liberally and without any consultation made to an English-speaking authority.  For example, one character, Mamimi, smokes a cigarette down by the river.  On the cigarette is written "never knows best."

There are evidently some pretensions that exist within this series (though it is not nearly as bad as Ergo Proxy).  I alluded to issues of perspective before, and believe me when I say that they are both a boon and a bane for the viewer.  If you are either really patient or really impatient, then you may enjoy the animation style.  It shifts continuously to allow for different effects; at one part, for example, it shifts between a traditional animation style to a presentation of a number of frames from a manga. 

I actually enjoy the visual experimentation that constitutes FLCL.  The voice-overs and narration, however, are a little bit harder to swallow.  They remind me of the sort of monologue that is drawn directly from the aforementioned emotionally-ladened high schooler's journal.  On the up side, the narration is authentic to the sort of angst that many teenagers experience; on the down side, it gets pretty annoying.

{Please tell me why this is happening}

So, why would anyone want to watch FLCL?  And why on Earth is it so popular?!  Let me outline 5 reasons why.

1.  It is only 6 episodes long.  22 minute episodes, that is.  This was a deliberate move by the producers, according to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, to make FLCL styled "more after 'a Japanese TV commercial or promotional video', creating a work that is 'short, but dense-packed' [sic]."  So, even if you find it difficult to watch an episode, you can remind yourself that it is only 132 minutes (approximately) of your life, and that you've probably spent the same amount of time watching something worse.  Whenever I recommend this series, I like to tell people that it is hard to get through the first half, and that they should just power through the second half.

2.  It has all of the prerequisites of an anime.  There are cats, robots, guns, adolescents, and girls with short skirts.  All of these elements are combined in a way that is self-aware without being trite.

{Honourable mention is a tie between samurai and ninjas}

{Naota touches himself}

3.  Robots come out of Naota's forehead/FLCL is unique.  As mentioned above, FLCL manages to use the tropes of anime without being hackneyed.  FLCL, for example, is the only anime that I know of that has robots sprouting out of a character's forehead during periods of sexual frustration (I imagine that there may be some spin-offs with robots sprouting elsewhere).  Furthermore, FLCL is a visual journey that leaves you spinning.  Each episode not only offers you something different, but it also provides more fodder to use for your PSYCH 101 anlysis.  Not to mention, familiarity with FLCL is required to be considered hip with the Otaku crowd -- because one should always be concerned with how their nerdy peers perceive them.



4.  The soundtrack doesn't suck.  I don't know how many times I've committed hours of my life to a series just to have the annoying intro song stuck in my head on repeat.  Luckily for you, The Pillows are neither a high-pitched girl band nor are they a similarly high-pitched boy band.

5.  FLCL is a fantastic coming-of-age story.  The whole reason why FLCL is one of my favourite anime (if not my favourite) is because it is a giant metaphor for growing up and becoming comfortable with oneself (and ones sexuality).  A lot has already been said by others about why the robots springing out of Naota's head are a representation of his maturation process, and I have even made reference to this in an essay where I parallelled Japanese acceptance of robotic sexuality with their acceptance of post-humanism in general (LAWLZ, English degree).  Basically, the content of the show is worthwhile, even if it is difficult to sit through.

With all of the above being said, I'll just leave you with just one more note: if you've watched anime before and you haven't seen FLCL, you should watch it; if you haven't watched anime before and you want to see FLCL, you should watch it with the help of some fun-inducers.

Kerri, the literacy narwhal's, rating of FLCL:

{4.5 unicorns out of 5 think you should watch FLCL}