Customer Reviews

FLCL (Fooly Cooly) - Vol. 3

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I would be hard pressed to find a more confusing anime than FLCL, and that's saying a lot for this genre. Then again it isn't all that surprising coming from studio GAINAX, those who brought us all the way to The End of Evangelion. FLCL is certainly one of their more "down to earth" films at it's heart and is surprisingly simple to analyze once you either ignore or accept the mayhem. The second to last and last episodes are on this DVD which bring this series to an acceptable and nevertheless ambiguous conclusion. In the fifth episode they show their true colors applying more Matrix inspired "bullet time" fight scenes and successfully parodying everything real or animated including South Park. But that is simply for the enjoyment of those who know the references. And in true GAINAX fashion the writer, director and animator lose their last inkling of sanity in bringing this production to a finale. To get a sense of this (and this is not a spoiler) simply look at the cover of this DVD, taken from a frame in the last few scenes. Overall I do wish the series was longer, but I think that would lose some charm if that were the case. Frankly I think it is some of the best animation Production IG has done along with some of the most imaginative storytelling(?) I have seen. To cap it off, a warning to those light of heart, and a shameless promotion: I highly and humbly recommend this series, the last episodes will without a doubt blow your mind.

The stylistic achievement is simply stunning. Very few, if any, TV anime ever reach this level of eye-candy gorgeousness. Gainax's FLCL combines the palette subtleties of the best of Studio Ghibli with its own distinct character designs, action gestures and emotional expressions. Hilarious manga-style sequences AND this volume's 'Brittle Bullets' features a riff on South Park's faux-construction paper style.

If you've never seen FLCL before, just relax, have an open mind and let this bizarrely wonderful world take you in. Let the stream-of-consciousness story wash over you like a KoolAid waterfall. You'll want to see it again just to make sure you saw what you saw the first time.

This DVD contains the last two episodes of the ridiculously hilarious show FLCL.

In the first of these two, Brittle Bullet, we see more action with General Amarao, who first appeared last episode. For those of you not too great with names, that's the guy with red hair and huge dark green eyebrows which occasionally fall off. His confrontation with Haruko is just one of the things to look forward to in this episode. The others include Kitsurabami (his assistant) getting a crush on Canti, Naota going off the deep end a little, a huge fake gun fight, a a giant gunslinging robot that comes out of Naota's head and starts shooting a 100-ft. long shotgun at Haruko, who's wearing a ridiculous bunnygirl suit and toting a slingshot.

The second episode is FLCLimax, and it is indeed the climax. In this one, everything that has been growing throughout the series will come out to create a truly insane sequence. At its core (very, very deep) FLCL is a love story about Haruko and Naota, and we finally see the resolution of that in this episode. I'm not going to tell you how it ends, but I'll leave on word: Atomsk. Oh, and did I mention another Manga sequence?

Ultimately, while this series is constantly bizarre and often innappropriate, I still find it one of the most hilarious and wonderful series I have ever seen. Perhaps this is because it transcends everything else I have ever seen, becoming something that does not really fit into any category. Whatever it is, it is a great show, one not to be missed.

The first time I saw this was at an anime club viewing. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it. There is a lot on the screen at one time. However, I wasn't at all annoyed by the liberal use of slapstick humor and character distortion. This anime manages to be both ridiculous and adult in its sensibility. Let me clarify that:
Imagine taking Peanuts, old Warner Bros. cartoons, Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Dr. Who as concepts. Then combine all of them in a parallel dimension of modern Japan. Set this to a highly sexualized, but not explicit, comming-of-age story. With aliens. And robots. I hate doing reviews that boil down to, "It's like X combined with Y." Rather, think of this as a setup, to get your mind in the mood. FLCL itself is a true original, however.
Technical notes: Though most will, of course, prefer subtitles, the English dub is very well executed. Graphically, this is very dense. Unlike many animes that try to squeeze as much screen time out of a cell as possible, FLCL is a collage of movement, lighting, and changing "camera angles." The soundtrack by the Pillows is impressive. None of that corporate jpop, made-for-twelve-yr-olds filth. This band is seriously good.
This is a great, highly original anime, and one of my favorites. Great for adults and adolescents. Particularly good for those who appreciate sci-fi along the lines of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchet.
On a final note, I have to disagree with "Karl." It would seem from his suggestions that he's probably more of a hentai fan. And there's nothing wrong with that. :) But, I doubt that it was plot that he found lacking in this series...

Words cannot describe the final two episodes of FLCL. The unbelievible sensation of your jaw 16 inches from your face will make you watch them over and over agian. Which is necessary because after your first time, you will find yourself lost, saying: What the #$%@ did i just watch? The show may seem a bunch of random crazyness, but that is only the first layer. Below this is a very plot-driven twist of jelousy, pain, acceptence, denial, love, and growing up. I am not a fan of anime, but this is much more than anime. It is not crazy people fighting creatures for no reason. This is genius....
-Brian Artusio

FLCL was surprisingly a good anime. It's name (Fooly Cooly) might throw some off. Just think of the name as the creators way of expressing the uniqueness of this anime. I'll admit that I don't prefer to many animes that have alot of gimicks and comedy. I usually prefer more serious animes such as Serial Experiments Lain, but this FLCL has definately put forth the effort. So why did I only give it a 4 star rating if I have nothing negative to say about it, some may ask. The reason is simple. It's just to damn short.

i've seen a lot of diffrent anime in my years of watching anime and i've some good (cowboy bebop, yu yu hakusho) and some bad (digimon, transformers armada)but flcl is one of those that makes you think, the vast styles like the manga scenes and psudo-matrix revolutions are very original. it takes time to figure ot the plot, but you'll get it (eventually) the soundtrack is one of the best in anime and the robot fights are superb. the movment and constent changes in speed during the fights makes you lean on the edge of your seat. just the concept of a 6th grade boy caught between a high school girl and a nineteen year old alien toting a bass that can warp things through other peoples head makes fooly cooly worth seeing over and over.

An adolescent boy, living in a quiet river town in which nothing ever happens, sees his world turned inside out when he encounters a dangerous, and seductive, guitar playing alien on a Vespa Scooter. She strikes a blow, which causes a robot to spring from his forehead and, when a satellite falls to earth, threatening to destroy the quiet river town, he knocks it out of the ballpark with the mighty stroke of his guitar, revealing himself as the Pirate King. Remarkable? The key to fully enjoying this animated masterpiece is to remember that we are looking through the eyes of a man/child struggling to come to terms with a world that is, at times, maddeningly confusing. The artwork, the animation, the dialogue, the music, the homage to Lupin III and South Park, make this Three (3) Volume Series a "must have" addition to your video collection.

Out of all 6 episodes, I have to say the 5th episode is my favorite and it's on this DVD,along with episode 6 (my 2nd favorite episode) here are some reasons these 2 are my 2 favorite episode:

Episode 5 Brittle Bullet: A great episode! It spoofs "Lupin the 3rd" and "South Park" in the begining then the rest of the episode is all about shooting stuff.

1st: It's Naota and Haruko VS. Canti and Naota's Dad. During that battle one of Amaro's teamate is trying to kill Canti.
2nd: Haruko and Amaro have a gun battle at a barber.
3rd: A a giant hand type thing comes out of Naota's head and is armed with A giant rifle, 2 giant Pistols, and a giant..... you get it. My overall rating 10/10

Episode 6 Fully Climax: Not much to say about this episode. Naota runs away with Haruko. Haruko activates the MM factory, and Naota gets all of Canti (Atomsk's) powers and battles Haruko.
Then Haruko leaves earth, and Mamimi grows up and leaves Mabase and yadda yadda yadda. My overall rating 9/10

This DVD also fetures Commentary on both episodes by the Director.
Ride on shooting star music video by The Pillows
3 diffrent alternet credit endings
An image gallery
Out-takes (lol)
and last, anime trailers.

Enjoy the last 2 episodes of FURI KURI-FLCL-FOOLY COOLY- or however you say it.

This has got to be one of, if not _the_ best anime I've seen. It seems to stimulate a part of the brain that's not normally given much attention, so it's hard to accept at first. The music is top-notch, the animation is high quality, and it runs the gamete of emotions--sadness, laughter, happiness, anger, confusion...

In some way, it reminds me of Fear & Loathing in LV (the movie) as it shocks and confuses you so much the first few times that you don't see the cool story and little details until later viewings.

And under all that, there even is a nifty story (even if not altogether original in anime).
check it out. at only ~2.5 hours total for the series, even if you don't like it, well, you hardly lost any time at all!

If only I could find Haruko biking around my home town...