FLCL

FLCL Production Committee

Company type	Joint venture
Industry	Anime production
Founded	2000
Founder	Kazuya Tsurumaki
Area served	Japan, North America
Key people	Kazuya Tsurumaki (director), Yōji Enokido (scriptwriter)
Products	Anime series (FLCL)
Parent	Gainax, Production I.G, King Records

is an anime series developed and helmed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, with the script penned by Yōji Enokido, and produced under the FLCL Production Committee, which comprises Gainax, Production I.G, and King Records. The narrative centers on the unpredictable alien Haruko Haruhara and her clashes on Earth with the interstellar corporation Medical Mechanica, frequently resulting in widespread devastation and upheaval in local communities.

The initial FLCL installment was a six-episode original video animation (OVA) released in Japan from April 2000 through March 2001, accompanied by adaptations in manga and novel formats. The story focuses on Naota Nandaba, a reserved twelve-year-old whose everyday suburban existence is disrupted by Haruko’s arrival.

In 2016, two additional seasons totaling twelve episodes were announced as a joint venture between Production I.G, Toho, and Adult Swim. The second season, titled FLCL Progressive, debuted on June 3, 2018, within Adult Swim's Toonami programming block; the third season, FLCL Alternative, followed with a premiere on September 8, 2018. In Japan, both seasons were showcased as theatrical compilation films: Alternative premiered on September 7, 2018, and Progressive on September 28, 2018. Notably, the first episode of FLCL Alternative was broadcast without prior announcement at midnight ET on April Fools' Day 2018 on Toonami, featuring the original Japanese audio with English subtitles as part of Adult Swim’s annual prank.

In 2022, Adult Swim commissioned two further seasons: FLCL: Grunge and FLCL: Shoegaze, both of which premiered in North America during 2023.

Season 1

The debut season of FLCL chronicles the experiences of Naota Nandaba, a twelve-year-old boy residing in the working-class town of Mabase. His routine existence is altered by the arrival of Haruko Haruhara, a woman who rides a Vespa scooter. After she strikes Naota with her electric bass guitar, she takes up residence in his home as a maid. This incident triggers an "N.O." portal from which enormous robots manufactured by Medical Mechanica emerge. The first robot, after being struck on the head by Haruko, transforms into Canti—a benevolent service robot capable of absorbing Naota and changing form.

Haruko asserts that she is an alien investigator affiliated with the Galactic Space Police Brotherhood; however, Commander Amarao of the Interstellar Immigration Bureau suspects her of pursuing Atomsk, a formidable cosmic entity partially contained within Canti. Each time Naota is absorbed by Canti, Atomsk’s influence on Earth intensifies. Medical Mechanica endeavors to utilize their factory as a doomsday terraforming apparatus to capture Naota and Canti. Their scheme collapses when Naota becomes Atomsk’s vessel and frees him, effectively neutralizing Medical Mechanica’s threat. Following this, Haruko departs into space alongside Atomsk, allowing Mabase to return to its normal state.

Progressive

Several years later, Haruko reappears as a middle school instructor who sets her sights on fourteen-year-old Hidomi Hibajiri through Hidomi’s classmate Ko Ide. She encounters resistance from Hidomi’s headphones and Julia Jinyu—a stoic counterpart of Haruko generated during her earlier attempt to seize control over Atomsk. Haruko consumes Julia to regain her strength and manipulates Ide to get closer to Hidomi. This rekindles the conflict between Medical Mechanica and the Interstellar Immigration Bureau, who have been reverse-engineering Canti’s technology to harness N.O. channel energy.

Atomsk resurfaces on Earth once more; however, Haruko fails again as Julia manages to escape. Ultimately, Haruko relinquishes her fixation on Atomsk while Hidomi and Ide initiate their relationship. Meanwhile, Mabase begins recovering from the destruction caused by Medical Mechanica’s previous actions.

Alternative

Haruko takes on the role of mentor to Kana Koumoto, a high schooler navigating the path to adulthood as Medical Mechanica launches its invasion of Earth. While supporting Kana through personal struggles triggered by a friend's journey to Mars, Haruko is unexpectedly transported to a distant planet via Kana's reverse N.O. portal, which is used to eradicate Medical Mechanica's facilities. This storyline is set chronologically before the other seasons.

Grunge

In the mob-controlled town of Okura, Haruko devises a plan to infect Medical Mechanica with a virus and capture Atomsk. She manipulates three young workers—Shinpachi, Shonari, and Orinoko—before making her move to seize Atomsk atop one of Medical Mechanica’s plants. This season takes place between Shoegaze and the original season.

Shoegaze

Masaki, a teenager capable of perceiving ghosts invisible to others, explores a sealed tower alongside Harumi after intervention from the Bureau of Interstellar Immigration. Kana Koumoto, now 27 and employed by the bureau, assists in their release. The tower extends into N.O. space and serves to reunite their dimension with another that split off ten years earlier. Following emotional upheaval that triggers a failed fusion attempt, a massive serpentine creature emerges. During the end credits, Masaki travels through N.O. space to a Mars colony with help from Atomsk, a worm-like entity.

Production

The inaugural FLCL season was helmed by director Kazuya Tsurumaki and created under the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records.

Tsurumaki sought to defy conventional anime norms by choosing a modern Japanese band for the soundtrack and adopting an aesthetic reminiscent of Japanese TV commercials, resulting in a brief yet densely layered production.

Marc Handler, serving as localization director and scriptwriter, highlighted difficulties in adapting obscure pop culture references; for instance, Japan’s discontinued Cheerio soft drink was substituted with the similarly defunct American Crystal Pepsi for English-speaking audiences. In response to critique, Tsurumaki remarked that understanding every detail should not be a primary concern in FLCL.

The design of the Medical Mechanica headquarters resembles a large iron, symbolizing the corporation’s intent to obliterate thought by "smoothing out" mental wrinkles. This conceptual symbolism required explanation during English localization since direct translation did not effectively communicate its ideological meaning.

Original video animation

The six-episode OVA series originally aired in Japan from April 26, 2000, through March 16, 2001, and premiered in the United States on Adult Swim in August 2003. Despite its brief run, it developed a devoted cult following and received critical praise. The show continued airing on Adult Swim with reruns featured on the Toonami block between October 2013 and January 2014 and again in April 2018 to promote Progressive and Alternative. It is also accessible via platforms like iTunes, adultswim.com, and Funimation’s streaming service.

In Japan, Gainax released six DVD volumes containing one episode each, along with a complete DVD box set on August 13, 2005. North American distribution included three DVD volumes from Synch-Point and an out-of-print DVD box set released January 23, 2007. In January 2010, Funimation secured licensing rights and issued DVD and Blu-ray Disc editions in February 2011. The series was also distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment as both a three-disc DVD collection and Blu-ray release; licensing in the United Kingdom was handled by MVM Films. The series aired on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim from August 4 to August 13, 2003.

Novels

The anime's screenwriter, Yoji Enokido, authored a novel series spanning three volumes, with illustrations by Kazuya Tsurumaki and Hiroyuki Imaishi, published under Kadokawa Shoten. These novels, released in Japan from June 2000 through March 2001, adapt all six anime episodes and introduce additional content not found in the original series. Tokyopop issued English translations in North America between March 2008 and March 2009.

Manga

A manga adaptation consisting of two volumes was created by artist Hajime Ueda, featuring a simplified art style alongside modified pacing and storyline elements. This adaptation was serialized in Kodansha's monthly Magazine Z from December 1999 until March 2001, with the volumes published in October 2000 and August 2001 respectively. Later, Kodansha reissued the manga in bunkoban format as two separate box sets under "Kodansha Box" during May and June of 2007. Subsequently, edited tankōbon box sets were released in early 2012.

Tokyopop released English-language editions in September and November 2003. In March 2011, Dark Horse Comics announced an omnibus edition that included remastered story pages, scripts, and bonus color inserts, which became available on May 16, 2012.

Soundtracks

Throughout the series, six theme songs performed by Japanese rock band the Pillows are featured. The battle sequences are accompanied by tracks such as "Advice," "Little Busters," and "I Think I Can." Each episode has a distinct opening theme: "One Life" for episode 1; "Instant Music" for episodes 2 and 3; "Happy Bivouac" for episode 4; "Runners High" for episode 5; and "Carnival" for episode 6. The closing song for every episode is the series’ signature track, "Ride on Shooting Star."

Geneon Entertainment released three original soundtrack albums that combine the Pillows' music with compositions by Shinkichi Mitsumune. The first album, FLCL No.1: Addict, contains songs from episodes one through three and was issued in Japan (October 2000) and later in the United States (January 2004). The second album, FLCL No.2: King of Pirates, features music from episodes four to six along with several audio dramas performed by the anime’s voice cast; it was released in Japan (July 2001) and the US (September 2004). The third compilation, FLCL No.3, consists of original vocal versions from the band’s LPs and was made available in both markets in 2005. A fourth soundtrack titled FooL on CooL generation, containing music from Progressive and Alternative, debuted in September 2018.

{{Track listing   headline        = FooL on CooL generation   total_length    =50:34   extra_column    =Arranged by   title1          =The Pillows - Spiky Seeds   length1         =3:07   title2          =The Pillows - I Think I Can   length2         =3:00   title3          =The Pillows - The Third Eye   length3         =3:58   title4          =The Pillows - My Foot   length4         =4:58   title5          =The Pillows - You Stood There, Like an Angel   length5         =3:12   title6          =The Pillows - Freebee Honey   length6         =3:35   title7          =The Pillows - Non Fiction   length7         =3:20 } }

Reception and legacy

FLCL has been widely praised, recognized for its distinctive "surreal" and "bizarre" aesthetic, rich symbolism, unconventional storyline, and the soundtrack provided by the Pillows. Its avant-garde techniques feature cutout animation similar to that seen in South Park, alongside camera effects inspired by The Matrix.

Christopher McDonald from Anime News Network commended its humor, visual style, and music, noting only minor issues with the DVD presentation. Robert Nelson of THEM Anime Reviews awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, emphasizing its engaging entertainment despite its atypical narrative structure. Chris Beveridge at Mania gave it an A− grade, praising the series' experimental nature and rapid pacing. Brian Ruh highlighted its pioneering animation methods.

Davis Smith, a columnist for IGN, gave the series a 9/10 score for its storytelling, animation quality, and soundtrack, describing it as both enjoyable and emotionally resonant.

Between January and February 2012, Hayden Childs from The A.V. Club released a six-part essay analyzing FLCL as a surreal exploration of adolescence, focusing on its impressionistic portrayal of growing up.

Giancarlo Volpe, director of Avatar: The Last Airbender, disclosed that his team was required to watch every episode of FLCL. Furthermore, Tatsuki Fujimoto, creator of Chainsaw Man, referred to his own work as a "wicked version of FLCL" in a letter expressing gratitude after achieving three million copies sold.

Awards and acclaims

On August 12, 2003, a Time Warner press release noted that FLCL ranked 42nd among ad-supported cable programs targeting adults aged 18–34. That same year, it secured third place for Best Animation Film at the Fantasia Festival. On February 24, 2007, it earned "Best Comedy Series" and "Best Short Series" honors at the inaugural American Anime Awards. In November 2007, Anime Insider placed it fourth among the top English-licensed anime titles.

Sequel seasons

On August 31, 2015, Anime News Network announced that Production I.G had obtained the rights to FLCL from Gainax with plans for either a continuation or remake. Initially, Hideaki Anno's studio Khara intended to acquire these rights but withdrew after Gainax increased the asking price.

Adult Swim's Toonami revealed on March 24, 2016, that they were collaborating with Production I.G to produce twelve new episodes divided into two seasons: and , which would serve as sequels to the original series that debuted in 2003.

Adult Swim characterized FLCL Progressive as centering on Hidomi, a teenage girl entangled in a struggle between Medical Mechanica and Fraternity factions, with Haruko returning as a pivotal character who helps unlock her latent abilities.

The sequel preserved original character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamato and retained series creator Kazuya Tsurumaki as supervisor. Hideto Iwai handled scriptwriting while Katsuyuki Motohiro acted as chief director alongside various episode directors. Production I.G led animation production with support from Production GoodBook and Signal.MD. The Pillows contributed once again to the soundtrack alongside composer R・O・N from VERYGOO.

For FLCL Alternative, much of the key staff returned with Motohiro continuing as chief director and Yutaka Uemara directing individual episodes. Animation production was managed by Production I.G in collaboration with Revoroot and NUT.

FLCL Progressive premiered on Toonami on June 3, 2018, concluding on July 7, 2018; meanwhile, Alternative debuted September 8, 2018 and finished October 13, 2018. Both seasons received theatrical screenings across Japan in September 2018. Notably, the first episode of Alternative was aired early on April Fools' Day on Toonami in Japanese with English subtitles. Toonami postponed English-subtitled broadcasts of both seasons until November 2018 to coincide with their Japanese theatrical releases. Warner Bros. issued the DVD for Progressive on October 1, 2019, followed by DVD/Blu-ray releases for Alternative on February 4, 2020.

In celebration of Toonami’s 25th anniversary in 2022, Adult Swim commissioned two further seasons—FLCL: Grunge and FLCL: Shoegaze—both debuting in 2023. On October 7, 2023, Adult Swim announced there are no plans to produce additional seasons beyond these.

External links

• FLCL on Funimation