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Plot Synopsis

No plot synopsis or other information available for FLCL

Story & Characters

<b>Plot</b>
Put simply, this is <b>FAST</b> and <b>INSANE</b>. It's also very funny (in some parts of animation, it goes from animation to manga-style with commentary from characters afterwords, like fourth-wall breakage). The story revolves around a 12-year-old boy, Naota, with a rather solumn mood for his age and his strange set of circumstances (which soon goes from strange to weird). His older brother went to the U.S. to play baseball, his older brother's girlfriend (Manimi) is using him as compensation (she flirts with him), his dad and granddad don't act like adults (his dad is a pervert and grandfather is a nutcase), and now a girl, Haruko, has arrived into town with a sonic boom (literally, she topples over several cars in her opening sequence). After her arrival, she slams Naota with her scooter, and then her bass guitar, and THEN does CPR on him (in front of Manimi). Later, he has this "horn" on the spot where he got hit. That "horn" is in fact the finger of a robot (Canti) that later becomes the house "maid," for some weird reason. And all this in one episode...
In another episode, Haruki, quite literally, pulls out a bass guitar from Naota's head.
And in yet another, Naota sprouts cat ears (on top of his hair, so he has two sets of ears, one normal, one cat-like). C-R-A-Z-Y.

<b>Characters</b>
Each of the characters has their own quirkiness about them that makes them unique, not to mention the main weapons used for fighting (guitars; electric...bass...guitars). Also, Canti literally eats Naota, turns into a cannon of sorts, and uses Naota as reusable, "live" ammo (pun not intended).

Naota has a solumn mood that everything is ordinary in Mabase (the place where the entire series takes place). (That is, until Haruko arrives...) Manimi is heavily love-lorn; she mistakens Canti for a God, and then attempts to kiss it. Haruko has a loose-cannon, off-the-wall, wild personality. She also waves around her bass guitar like a lethal weapon on a high thats completely berserk (the fight sequences are crazy and <i>weird</i>).

Rating

8 (good)

Art

At first glance, the artwork looks a little bad. However, upon closer inspection, everything is hand-drawn, giving everything an unusual vibrance to it. Add to that the use of digital tools make everything appear very crisp and colorful.

Also, all the character's colors match that character's personality or background, Naota wears dark or drab colors that symbolize his personality, Haruko has weird and wacky clothing for her loose-cannon attitude, Manimi wears clothes that look like a high school uniform (except the skirt looks like a mini).

Also, transition is good, which is nice when you consider that the fight scenes have people going everywhere (either running or flying) with rampant destruction as well (mainly collateral damage).

Rating

9 (very good)

Sound

<b>Dubbing</b>
Both the English and Japanese dubbing are really good. Naota, in English, almost always has this solumn, quiet tone that fits his character. Haruko, in both languages, has this half-crazed, frantic, almost sarcastic tone of sorts that works for her.

<b>Music</b>
Most/All of the tracks are performed by "The Pillows." One song, "Little Busters," is played during most of the episodes ending sequences ("aftermath," although right before the ending song "Shooting Star"). One song, "Yorii Gallop," is just plain hilarious to listen to. It sounds like a strange fusion between some famous classical pieces (in a way) in a franticly paced tempo. Some pieces don't sound good alone, but put in the anime, fit the mood.

Rating

8 (good)

Presentation

<b>Originality</b>
Even if it is short, it ranks high on originality. All the characters are far from mundane, the weapons and "enemies" are as strange as the characters, and the story is actually a bit complex (as are some jokes, amazingly enough). You have to watch it a few times to get everything (thankfully, for marathon watchers, it is butt-friendly since it is only 6, half-hour episodes spanning a little under 3 hours).

<b>Humor</b>
Some of the jokes and gags used in here are somewhat cliche', but its done in such a way that it's funny again. Other gags are just funny regardless , such as when Naota needed to bat a meteorite in the shape of a "sinker" baseball using a bass guitar that Haruko pulled out of his head is either funny or weird, or some combination of the two. Another is when a robot in an episode ate super-spicy curry and needed to go to the bathroom.

Speaking of which, Canti ate some of that curry (even though he has a TV for a head, I am not joking when I say "TV for a head"), and where <i>does</i> that stuff go?!

<b>Overall</b>
For a person that wants a plot that moves on overdrive, quirky characters, weird plot, and/or strange jokes, Furi Curi (FLCL) is just the ticket.

Rating

9 (very good)

Final Verdict

8.50 (very good)

Reviewed by AtmaCashino, 2y 34wk ago