Customer Reviews

FLCL (Fooly Cooly) - Vol. 2

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Naota, the young teenager who is the central character in this imaginative series finds himself in the envious position of having two women dote on him. One of these is Ninamori, the young daughter of the mayor of Mabase, and the other is Haruko, an attractive 'alien' who has moved into his house as maid. Or this would be an envious position if Ninamori didn't want him to play the cat in the school play - Puss and Boots. And the perpetually effusive Haruko loves Naota for the space warp between the hemispheres of his brain.

Ninamori has her own problems, a philandering father, a home that is falling apart, and a desperate need to hide her feelings behind a veneer of adult maturity. Like Naota, life has become too complicated and efforts to reign it in wind up creating new monsters that spring unbidden from one's brain. Haruko is that shaman who brings these things to the surface. Whether they be creatures from outer or inner space, we don't know, but like a mad psychiatrist, Haruko presides over their birth and their final demise.

In the second episode on this DVD a baseball game becomes Haruko's metaphor, as she and Naota play on opposite sides in the game. Despite having his brother's bat, Naota seems unable to play, while Haruko, who hits equally well with both bat and base guitar, is apparently the next best thing to Mickey Mantle. Naota's frustration includes not just his failure at sports, but a dark jealousy over Haruko's relationship with his father. He hides behind his powerlessness, unwilling to take any risks, while Haruko keeps telling him that nothing will happen until he swings the bat.

This is possible the zaniest series in modern anime. Haruko runs the gamut from being an object of innuendo to acting like one of those Zen masters that leap out of nowhere to hit you with a stick until you learn to avoid the beating. She has her own agenda, which might include saving the earth or turning the unsuspecting Naota into something greater than his own expectations. As of yet, the bemused viewer has no clue.

Again, the series benefits from extensive director's commentary. Not that this ever quite explains anything, but it provides many reassurances that it is the series, and not the viewer, that is insane. Outstanding are and music fill out the bill, making FLCL a must see for the anime aficionado and amateur psychologist alike.

Simply the most amazing piece of artwork ever developed. From the stylized use of digitized manga to the amazing group of animators that worked on the projects. Tsurumaki's vision and depth is amazing (especially since he is right handed). Oh, and don't forget the amazing fight scenes with some of the most fantastic robots you can imagine.

Watch as Naota finds his way from elementary school to adulthood with the help of Haruko and fights his way through his own feelings to discover that he should just be himself. On the path he has to fight his way through a myriad of amazing Medical Mechanicca robots.

This disk also has my favorite "fight scene" of all time, as Naota finally swings away! The imagery and concept are amazing, and the animation is breathtaking. Couldn't pick better music either - The Pillows' music fits perfectly.

Even though each disk is only 2 episodes, there is also an hour of commentary from Tsurumaki (director) that is nearly as riveting as the show itself. Also, a LOT of the nuances in the show are directed at Japanese culture and the anime biz. Even if you don't understand it all until afterwards, it is still an amazing show.

Buy all 3 of them right now, because you will be begging for more the moment it ends.

This series is some of the best television you
will find. It is one of the rare times that
the script expects the viewer to be able to
follow a story without conventional plot points
or clichés. The graphic style is refreshing
and unusual. Like "The Prisoner" or "The Singing
Detective" this series is best understood after
viewing the entire series. While there are
some subtle culture references that we in the U.S.
may miss, the story is universal and very human,
despite Anime and Sci-fi trappings.

After a brilliant first DVD, Gainax, I.G. and Synch-Point makea second that is just incredible to house the 3rd & 4th episodes of this 6 episode OVA series. While the stories through episode 3 provide fun little scenarios with some of the most brilliant, crazed action and music in any anime, they really just boggle the audience while delighting them. But, like any decent story, the writer will put out the pieces, then tie them together, which they do into episode 4 as Hara-haru's history shows up as a human boyfriend working for a central intelligence organization dealing with aliens on earth. Into episodes 5 & 6, on the 3rd DVD are most all of the answers needed to rope up a great excuse to make fantastic anime fun.

Each episode of FLCL has a very strong motif. In episode 3, it is predominantly about 'Puss In Boots' while episode 4 is a great nod to baseball. There is something fantastic to watch in every scene of FLCL. This is not an anime to ignore.

This is a must-have for anyone who is a fan of anime. I was blown away by this oustanding series. Its got everything, top-end animation, great music, deep storyline, comedy, robots coming out of peoples heads and then battling intensely. From the very first episode I saw, I knew it was the best show I have ever seen. I give it 5 out of 5 stars and then a hundred more. I suggest buying it the nanosecond after you finish reading this.

This series is, in short, a great masterpiece that showcases skill within confusion.

I don't even have the words to describe what you're thinking of buying.

Its a three DVD series, six episodes. Each episode has an english audio track, a japanese, and finally the director's japanese explanation track. It can often be worth rewatching with the director's track going, he explains a lot of japanese nuances.

That is where 90% of the confusion comes from actually. Most of the show makes sense only to a person from japan, because thier culture is so different. the other 10% is from scenes and dialog that actually are intended to cause confusion.

The story is that of a grade school boy growing up....realizing that the most grown up thing he can do is just be a kid (instead of trying to act like an adult).

Its animation is TOP NOTCH, and will often drop your jaw. the audio and soundtrack are awesome. The english dub is actually quite good...but I often find myself also viewing the japanese subbed version.

Do yourself a favor and buy this while you can. the company that distributed this set only printed a limited number of copies due to its lack of marketability. I had trouble finding all three. Buy them while you can.

I have to admit that I was a little dumbfounded after watching Volume 1 of FLCL and was debating on whether or not I should view Volume 2. But there was something about it, just some momentary little flashes of brillance that made me push on to this installment. Volume 2 seems to hold back a little on the insanity, or maybe it just seems that way because I've become adjusted to the surreal and crazy format. Anyway, the first of the two episodes on this disk concerns Ninamori, a classmate of Naota, who on the surface, seems to have it all. She's popular, rich, and her dad is the mayor! But beneath it all, her family is breaking up because of her cheating father and in a shojoesque turn, she's not such a good girl as everyone thinks. But maybe her crush on Naota will help her come out of her shell. Or maybe some horrifying alien coming out of her might do the trick!

The second episode is a take-off of baseball, with the alien Haruko opposing the former team of Naota's brother. With her pitching, there's no way any human can even get a hit. Maybe if Naota would lower himself to get some coaching on his swing from Haruko, things would change. That's if Naota doesn't take a swing at his bum of a father first. Imagine the nerve of the old pervert massaging Haruko with the stubble of his beard! On top of that, there's a bomb heading straight at the Earth!

The animation and vivacity of FLCL is just beautiful. It might not make much sense plot-wise, but it's one of the most stimulating anime I have ever seen. The characterization alone is light years beyond what passes for emotion and nuance in other productions. One of the funniest scenes is where a flying Naota, after being ran over by Haruko's Vespa scooter makes a slow motion Matrix bullet time approach to a kiss with Ninamori! The somewhat serious scenes are handled with just as much finesse as the surrealism of the comedy and action. Great experimental show!

I was completely blown away by FLCL. The way it combines such an insane cast of characters with surreal yet understated environments is fantastic. the mecha battles (!) are also of top quality, because they were directed by the same person who did the famous giant-robot fights in Neon Genesis Evangelion. This anime has odd pacing, moving at an amphetamine-rate one minute than slowing down drastically. this just makes it even better, as the slow parts let you absorb the beautifully rendered backgrounds (a rarity in "non-movie" anime).

FLCL is the god, poetry, and life of animes. Not to mention, the DVDs look beautiful. Backdrops and animation are beautifully done. A must have.

FLCL is a life changing production

I said I would stop with the first Disc, because of the cost. But it turns out that there are only six episodes, so it, in the end, does not cost an arm and a leg. Just an arm. I mean, six episodes split up among three DVDs. That still, in the end, costs a lot. Let's face it, the music is cool, the artwork is amazing and the story is nonsense. It is just pure fun. Maybe even more fun if you do drugs. In these episodes we have baseball but only one robot. And it does not even come out of Naota's head. Then there's the cat ears and the curry.
The extras are nice, such as the outakes, but in the end it still costs too much! Still, only one disc left to go.