Pharonic Fantasy Theatre: I'm Not Quite Dead Yet

I said in my last post that this blog was on hold for a while. Well, a while has passed and it’s time to do a review again, because I don’t want to go on the cart just yet. It’s going to be a (relatively) small review, because my life is still very busy and it will probably be another while before the next review proper, so here goes. I just had to review today’s title – I was anticipating its release this month: I have always wanted to see it and it has been a long time out of print (and at stupid used prices online – DAMN YOU AMAZON SCALPERS!). Well, now it’s finally available, I’ve watched it and I love it. Prepare yourself for

FLCL

OVA, 2000-2001

Director: Kazua Tsurumaki

Story

Naota is your typical Japanese 12 year old… except for the fact that an alien lady shows up one day, crashes into him with her Vespa scooter and whacks him upside the head with her Rickenbacker bass guitar. And the fact that his brain is now missing. Oh, and the fact that he now has robots springing out of his head. How does it all tie together? Hell if I know!

Review

Wow, is this an awesome anime series. I know that the statement I just made is not a very eloquent or objective thing to say about something, but I’ll say it again. Wow. This OVA is one of the most creative, unique things I have ever seen... in any medium. My plot synopsis and other reviews of this show make FLCL seem like nothing more than some spastic animated comedy, but it is so much more than that. It is in fact many things at once: comedic and dramatic, wistful and witty, hyperactive and tranquil, bizarre and natural, realistic and fantastic, comfortable and unsettling. There's enough ocular candy to make any animation enthusiast's eyes bleed, enough humor to tickle the funny bone of anyone in a funk, and enough convoluted themes and symbolism to make over-analytical academics positively orgasm in delight before writing whole books and dissertations (Susan Napier, I'm looking at you!). Even the soundtrack is unique and extraordinary, consisting almost entirely of rock music by Japanese rock band The Pillows. In short, FLCL is the whole of anime wrapped up into one big happy package and shoved into your brain for the ultimate animated high. And this is as it should be, as it was Japan’s two greatest animation studios who brought you this thing – Production I.G. and (mainly) Studio Gainax.

Ah, Gainax. After showing teenage girls being eaten alive by giant gruesome cyborgs and depicting the entire world being turned into orange tang in End of Evangelion, the maestros at Mindfuck Factory, Inc. must have wanted to do something lighter and less traumatizing. First they tried making His and Her Circumstances, based on a shojo rom-com manga, but the original author threw a tantrum about their emphasizing the comedy over the romantic melodrama. So they decided to do something lighter and original (so they wouldn’t have to deal with bitchy creators). And FLCL is both very light (in tone, not density) and original (in story if not homages and references). This Ova shows Gainax getting back to their roots as the preeminent superfans of anime, using their patented Gainax Homage System^™ in their references to their favorite animated classics: 1) Reference a trope or show 2) Mercilessly parody it 3) Celebrate it 4) Turn it up to 11.

Another way Gainax (and Production I.G.) makes this show so bold and innovative is through their awesome animation. Different art styles and animation techniques are combined to give the viewer a one-of-a-kind experience. Only Gainax would suddenly turn a scene into a manga, complete with panels… during a dinner conversation. Just like with everything Gainax has ever done (where they have a budget, anyway) their love of animation itself is reflected in their work for all to behold.

However (as I said in my earlier Gunbuster review – also Gainax!) well animated crap is still crap. What makes FLCL truly special are the great themes running through it. The main theme of this show seems to be that adolescence suuuuuuuuuucks. And it does. Anyone who has gone through puberty will be able to sympathize with Naota, what with all of the changes his body goes through and his increasing alienation from those around him. Oh, and his dealings with women (well, maybe men will be able to sympathize with him more). In any other story (not just anime) Haruko would be this wonderful, carefree girl who showed up in the morose hero’s life to bring him out of his shell and show him how to believe in himself, love life, teach him all about the wonders of sex, and etc. etc. etc. Well in THIS story Haruko does help Naota develop and come out of his shell, but although generally nice and sometimes maternal she is far from a wonderful dream girl – in fact she is self-serving, weird and can be downright vicious and infuriatingly enigmatic. And as far as sex goes, she DOES teach Naota a thing or two – namely that sexual desire can be painful and confusing, as well as make robots randomly pop out of your head.

Well, before I start overanalyzing this thing and have something pop out of my head, let me conclude by saying that Gainax made another anime classic when they put together FLCL. It is over a decade old at this point and it still seems fresh and modern. If you like Studio Gainax or Production I.G., watch this. If you like weird anime, watch this. In fact, if you like anime at all you should probably watch this at least once to witness a group of animation masters practice their craft, completely unfettered by corporate concerns or audience expectation. This is quite possibly the greatest anime OVA ever.

Screenshots