FLCL

About FLCL

Looking for background on FLCL (フリクリ)? This action, comedy and mecha series by GAINAX and Production I.G (2000) starts out like this. The setup: Naota is a detached sixth grader afflicted by the pangs of puberty. He's fooling around with his brother's ex-girlfriend when a crazed girl on a motor scooter runs him over, brains him with a bass guitar, and moves into his house.

Further in, this pink-haired girl, Haruko - who claims she's an alien - hurls Naota into the middle of a mega-corporation's concealed agenda. Oh, and now giant battling robots shoot from his skull. Mix in mind-bending animation and tunes that echo through your cerebellum to top off the trip that will have you falling hard for FLCL.

In an action series like this, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. Voice work is led by Mayumi Shintani as Haruko Haruhara and Chiemi Chiba as Kitsurubami. If you count yourself among viewers who like fast, high-impact fights, put it on your list. With 6 episodes in total, there is enough room for the story to develop.

Production & Appeal

GAINAX and Production I.G is the studio behind FLCL, and its direction shapes everything from character design to motion. Within the action category, fight choreography, pacing and sound design carry much of the weight. A 7.9/10 score points to a dependable, well-liked series. On the casting side, Mayumi Shintani voicing Haruko Haruhara gives the lead role a recognizable voice. Released in 2000, it competed with that season's other new series for attention.