FLCL Is An Anime's Answer To Golden Age MTV

(Welcome to Ani-time Ani-where, a regular column dedicated to helping the uninitiated understand and appreciate the world of anime.)

We have covered many anime in this series, hopefully providing plenty of choices for your first anime, and shows to watch after that to learn more about the possibilities of this wonderful medium. From new shows that have made a splash, to older classics that marked the medium forever, there truly is enough to watch at anytime, anywhere. This is to say if you have followed this column for the past couple of years, you should have a pretty good understanding of anime and enough points of reference for "FLCL."

Pretty much like all other anime I've covered here before, it is not imperative to have watched anything before experiencing "FLCL," but the experience is improved if you understand some of the many, many references in this short 6-episode OVA. And like most other OVAs covered here before like "Gunbuster," "The 08th MS Team," and "Legend of the Galactic Heroes," the format — anime released straight to video, free of TV broadcast limitations — is a big part of what makes this such a unique and special show.

What's "FLCL" about? That's not an easy question to answer. The original show (two sequels came in 2018) followed Naota, a sixth grader living in a city where, according to him, "nothing amazing happens." One day, Naota is hit in the head with a bass guitar by a pink-haired psychopath in a yellow Vespa. Naota's forehead bump grows into a huge horn from which large robots and other strange constructs magically spring forth. From there, this becomes one of the weirdest, most rule-breaking anime there is, with a killer alt-rock soundtrack, and a spirit of rebellion and love of cool that brings to mind the golden age of MTV.

"FLCL" doesn't always make sense, and that is kind of the point. Once, at an anime convention, creator Kazuya Tsurumaki explained that he wanted the show to be a counterpoint to the notion that you needed to be smart to understand "Evangelion." The same wasn't true of "FLCL." "I want to say that it's okay to feel stupid," he said.

Indeed, "FLCL" is the anime equivalent of a vibes movie, a story densely packed with information, worldbuilding, and symbolism. Meanwhile, the tone, the joke-a-minute pace, deep-cut references, and the eclectic visuals make it extremely easy to just go along for the ride and laugh with the ludicrous and exhilarating things on the screen.

In many ways, "FLCL" is the closest to an MTV anime, a show that shares the iconic network's sense of punk rock rebellion, and its penchant for fast editing, everything-goes attitude and disregard for rules, and a killer soundtrack filled with guitar riffs. The visuals break apart constantly, and the show changes visual styles in every other scene — including a cut-out scene animated in the style of "South Park."

When it comes to anime, "FLCL" is closer to a full-length Daicon anime, referring to the Daicon III and Daicon IV opening animation short film, produced by amateur animators who would later found Gainax (the studio behind "FLCL"). That animated short not only looks stunning but contains more references per second than you can count, just as "FLCL." The OVA pays homage to everything from John Woo, "The Matrix," "Gundam," and "Evangelion" (including a fantastic cameo from Hideaki Anno). Like classic MTV shows, it feels like an anime made for its specific time, for people deeply invested in the culture, aware of the classics and the newcomers, and that rules.

The inventive, eclectic animation also serves to illuminate the meaningful, emotional coming-of-age story of "FLCL." At the core of the mecha shenanigans, and an abundance of phallic imagery is the story of a boy who meets a girl and also struggles with growing up because he finds that all adults in his life suck. "FLCL" doesn't outright tell us this, of course, but it uses allegory and imagery to present its take on growing pains, like using a liking for sour soda and spicy food as signals of adulthood.

Like "Evangelion," "FLCL" uses mind-melting visuals to tell a complex yet also simple story, as it perfectly captures the moment when you realize that adults aren't special, they don't have some secret key to understanding life but are as lost as you. No one knows how to navigate life, they just do the best they can.

"FLCL" is not only a spectacular coming-of-age tale but a poignant exploration of the pains and struggles of the creative process. Sure, the meta jokes where characters jump out of the screen to talk about the making of the show (even its animation) are funny, but they also have a lot to say about the difficulties of making animation, the joys of breaking the rules, and the specifics of what is expensive or hard to do. Everything is connected for the sake of the story in "FLCL," from the story to the dialogue to the visuals, and it makes this a unique experience.

Whether you're absolutely new to the medium of anime and want to check out what all the cool kids who watched Adult Swim were raving about in 2003, or are by now a seasoned anime veteran with knowledge of every genre from shonen anime to sports anime, horror anime, to classic sci-fi epics to whatever "Dance With Devils" was, "FLCL" is a show that deserves to be experienced, because believe me, it is an experience unlike anything else. 

If you're a completionist, "FLCL" is also a great anime to watch as part of an unofficial Gainax trifecta of cool, bombastic, and deeply weird shows together with "Evangelion" and "Gurren Lagann." Like the former, "FLCL" is also highly influential, both in Japan and in the US. Shows like "Teen Titans" and "The Legend of Korra" have drawn inspiration from it, with "The Legend of Korra" director Giancarlo Volpe even making his crew watch every single episode of "FLCL" as homework.

This is the epitome of vibes, a show that doesn't need to be understood to be enjoyed, a show that dares say it's okay to be stupid.

Watch This If You Like: "Space Dandy," "Gurren Lagann," "Neon Genesis Evangelion."

"FLCL" is streaming on Funimation and Hulu.