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FLCL
フリクリ
(Furi Kuri)
GenreComedy-drama, Slice of Life, Surreal humor
Original video animation
Directed byKazuya Tsurumaki
Produced byHiroki Sato, Nishizawa Masatomo
Written byYōji Enokido, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Music byThe Pillows
StudioGainax, Production I.G
Licensed by
Released April 26, 2000 – March 16, 2001
Runtime23 minutes
Episodes6
Novel series
Written byYoji Enokido
Published byKadokawa Shoten
English publisher
ImprintKadokawa Sneaker Bunko
DemographicMale
Original runJune 2000 – March 2001
Volumes3
Manga
Written byHajime Ueda
Published byKodansha
English publisher
MagazineMagazine Z
DemographicSeinen
Original run2000 – 2001
Volumes2

FLCL (フリクリ, Furi Kuri, pronounced in English as Fooly Cooly) is an original video animation series written by Yōji Enokido, directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records. FLCL follows Naota Nandaba, a twelve-year-old boy living in the fictional Japanese suburb of Mabase, and his interactions with Haruko Haruhara, who arrives in the quiet suburb, drawn by the industrial town houses and the Medical Mechanica building.

The English adaptation of the series was first licensed by Synch-Point which released the DVDs and soundtrack, but these went out of print in 2006. In January 2010, Funimation Entertainment announced that they would be re-releasing the series on DVD and releasing it for the first time on Blu-ray. The series aired in Canada on G4techTV Canada's Anime Current block, and in America on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim several times. It currently airs on the channel's Toonami block as of October 26, 2013. The series is also available via Hulu, iTunes, and on Funimation's website.

Plot

Main article: List of FLCL characters

FLCL revolves around Naota Nandaba, a 12-year-old, working class boy living with his widower father and grandfather. His life in the city of Mabase is interrupted by the arrival of Haruko Haruhara, who runs over Naota with her yellow Vespa 180 SS scooter, gives him CPR, then hits him on the head with a blue vintage Rickenbacker 4001 left-handed electric bass guitar.[1][2][3] Naota discovers that the blow to his head created an "N.O." portal, from which giant robots produced by a company known as Medical Mechanica emerge periodically.

Naota later finds Haruko working in his house as a live-in maid. It is later discovered that Haruko is an investigator for the Galactic Space Police Brotherhood. Haruko uses Naota for her search for the Pirate King, Atomsk. She is at odds with Medical Mechanica, a monolithic industrial corporation. Naota is being watched by Commander Amarao, a special agent of the Bureau of Interstellar Immigration, who believes that Medical Mechanica is out to conquer the galaxy. Naota is ultimately drawn into a three-way battle between Haruko, Amarao and Medical Mechanica.

Production

FLCL's localization director and script writer Marc Handler stated that localization of the script was the hardest part of the show. The in-jokes in the show included obscure pop culture references that had to be decoded and transferred to English audiences. One example was a reference to Cheerio, a discontinued soft drink in Japan, for the English release the choice was made to use a discontinued American soft drink, Crystal Pepsi.[4] Director Kazuya Tsuramaki responded to criticism of FLCL, stating "comprehension should not be an important factor in FLCL."[5]

The Medical Mechanica building featured in the town is a symbolic representation of the Japanese belief that the wrinkles of the brain allow thought and if you were to remove those wrinkles, the person would be devoid of thought. For English localization, the Japanese team had to explain the concept because a direct translation of script did not convey the ideology.[6]

Episodes

FLCL is directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G,[7] and Starchild Records.[8]

Tsurumaki has said that he tried to "break the rules" of anime when making FLCL, for example, by choosing a contemporary Japanese band to provide the soundtrack, and patterning the style more after "a Japanese TV commercial or promotional video", creating a work that is "short, but dense-packed".[9]

Template:Japanese episode listTemplate:Japanese episode listTemplate:Japanese episode listTemplate:Japanese episode listTemplate:Japanese episode listTemplate:Japanese episode list
Episodes
No. Title English airdate
a^ : The Japanese title is actually an alteration made by Haruko on the phrase "furi kuri, furi kura" (フリクリ. フリクラ). The episode's title is not meant to have any actual significance.[10]

Release

File:FLCLBox.jpg
The collection box released in North America by Synch-Point.

Six DVD compilations, each containing one episode, have been released in Japan by Gainax.[11] In addition, a DVD collection box, containing all six DVD compilations, was released in Japan on August 13, 2005.[12] Three DVD compilations were released by Synch-Point in North America. A DVD collection box, containing all the DVD compilations of the English episodes, was released on January 23, 2007, but have since gone out of print.[13][14][15] In January 2010, Funimation Entertainment announced that they had acquired the license for the series and would be releasing it on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in February 2011.[16] Shorty after, it has been released in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment on a 3-disc DVD set and on Blu-ray Disc.[17][18] It is also licensed in the United Kingdom by MVM Films.[19] The series also aired in North America on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block from August 4[20] to August 13, 2003.[21]

Other media

Novels

A three-volume novel series was written by screenwriter Yoji Enokido and published by Kadokawa Shoten. The novels were released in Japan on June 2000, October 2000, and March 2001 respectively.[22][23][24] The English-language versions were published by Tokyopop and were released in North America on March 11, 2008; September 9, 2008; and March 10, 2009 respectively.[25][26][27] Each of the books covers two episodes, it is similar to a companion guide for the anime.[citation needed]

Manga

A two-volume manga was created by artist Hajime Ueda. The manga interprets the series with all of the key elements intact, and tells the events of the anime with a crude artwork and unsteady pacing. Jack Kotin defended the unique artstyle of the manga, saying "It can be crudely drawn at times, but this style fits in well with the overall story and atmosphere...".[28]

The manga was published by Kodansha and serialized in monthly Magazine Z. The two volumes were released on October 23, 2000 and August 23, 2001 respectively.[29][30] The manga was re-released in bunkoban format with the two volumes labeled "Jō" (上, First) and "Ge" (下, Final) in two individual box sets titled "Kodansha Box". Jō volume was on May 7, 2007 and the Ge volume was released on June 4, 2007.[31][32] An edited tankōbon version of the manga that was released in box sets, were released on January 10, 2012 and February 9, 2012 respectively.[33][34]

The English-language editions of the manga was released by Tokyopop on September 16, 2003 and on November 4, 2003 respectively.[35][36] On March 2011, Dark Horse Comics announced to re-release the manga in omnibus edition.[37] The omnibus edition was released on May 16, 2012 and includes remastered story pages, a remastered script, and bonus color pages.[38]

Soundtracks

Six pieces of theme music are used for the episodes; five opening themes and one closing theme, all by the Japanese rock band, The Pillows. The battle themes are "Advice", "Little Busters" and "I Think I Can"; the opening themes are: "One Life", used in episode one, "Instant Music" in episodes two and three, "Happy Bivouac" in episode four, "Runners High", in episode five, and "Carnival" in episode six. The closing theme of each episode is "Ride on Shooting Star". Geneon Entertainment has released three original soundtracks encompassing the songs, with the soundtracks titled Addict (released on January 20, 2004), King of Pirates (released on September 7, 2004), and FLCL No. 3 (released on June 7, 2005).[39][40][41] The remaining music was written by Shinkichi Mitsumune. Three soundtrack CDs were released in Japan and later distributed to America.

FLCL No.1: Addict

Untitled

FLCL No.1: Addict (フリクリNo.1 アディクト) is the first soundtrack from the anime series FLCL. The album contains tracks that were featured in the first three episodes of FLCL.[42] Most of the music is by Japanese rock group The Pillows. The rest is by Shinkichi Mitsumune, a composer.

No.TitleArranged byLength
1."Last Dinosaur"The Pillows & Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki0:23
2."Ride on Shooting Star"The Pillows & Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki2:21
3."Sad Sad Kiddie (Off Vocal Version)"The Pillows & Tatsuya Kashima2:04
4."Carnival (Off Vocal Version)"The Pillows & Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki1:37
5."Runners High ~FLCL Ver.~"The Pillows & Tatsuya Kashima1:38
6."Instant Music"The Pillows & Tatsuya Kashima3:16
7."Stalker (Off Vocal Version)"The Pillows & Tatsuya Kashima2:35
8."Rever’s Edge (B-6)" 2:49
9."Stalker Goes to Babylon" 4:03
10."One Life"The Pillows & Tatsuya Kashima4:08
11."Pain (A-7)" 2:42
12."Comedians' Galop from The Comedians by Kabalevsky" (listed as Kabalevsky from "Clown" ~ Gallop in the tracklist)" (Composed by Dmitri Borisovich Kabalevsky) 1:38
13."Hybrid Rainbow"The Pillows & Tatsuya Kashima3:58
14."Selfish-b (B-6)" 2:13
15."Pink (A-6)" 1:39
16."Beautiful Morning With You (Off Vocal Version)"The Pillows & Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki1:35
17."Sleepy Head (Off Vocal Version)"The Pillows & Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki1:04
18."Bran-New Lovesong (Off Vocal Version)"Pillows & Tatsuya Kashima1:58
19."Come Down (Off Vocal Version)"The Pillows & Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki2:06
20."Advice ~FLCL Arrange Ver.~"The Pillows & Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki2:13
21."Little Busters"The Pillows & Tatsuya Kashima3:43

FLCL No.2: King of Pirates

Untitled

FLCL No.2: King of Pirates (フリクリNo.2 海賊王) is the second soundtrack from the anime series FLCL. The album contains tracks featured in the last three episodes of FLCL.[42] Most of the music is by Japanese rock group The Pillows, the rest by Shinkichi Mitsumune. This volume features several audio dramas, with the cast of FLCL playing the various parts. Due to the dramas included, this album acts as a sequel of sorts to the anime.

No.TitleArranged byLength
1."Crazy Sunshine"The Pillows & Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki4:06
2."White Ash"The Pillows1:19
3."Taxi (Drama)" 10:00
4."Nightmare (Karaoke)"The Pillows, Zin Yoshida, and Tatsuya Kashima1:02
5."Patricia (Karaoke)"The Pillows, Zin Yoshida, and Tatsuya Kashima1:38
6."Memory of Summer"Shinkichi Mitsumune2:21
7."Blues Drive Monster"The Pillows3:25
8."Funny Bunny"The Pillows, Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki, and Tatsuya Kashima.3:37
9."Mamiko (Drama)" 3:04
10."Ohgiri (Drama)" 4:55
11."Harumi"The Pillows1:51
12."High Risk"Shinkichi Mitsumune1:46
13."Weekend"Shinkichi Mitsumune2:37
14."Being Bitten (Drama)" 7:17
15."Another Morning"The Pillows4:36
16."Last Dinosaur"The Pillows3:44
17."I Think I Can"The Pillows, Zin Yoshida, Jun Suzuki, and Tatsuya Kashima.2:59
18."One Life" (hidden track)The Pillows4:10

FLCL No.3

Untitled

FLCL No.3 (フリクリNo.3) is the third soundtrack from the anime series FLCL. The album is a compilation of the first two soundtracks, Addict and King of Pirates, featuring only music by the Japanese rock group The Pillows.[42] Unlike the previous two soundtracks, the songs are the original vocal versions from the band's LPs.

No.TitleArranged byLength
1."Sad Sad Kiddie"The Pillows3:12
2."Sleepy Head"The Pillows3:02
3."I Think I Can"The Pillows3:00
4."Blues Drive Monster"The Pillows3:26
5."Carnival"The Pillows3:50
6."Come Down"The Pillows2:09
7."Crazy Sunshine"The Pillows4:08
8."Stalker"The Pillows2:37
9."Nightmare"The Pillows1:43
10."Funny Bunny"The Pillows3:37
11."Beautiful Morning With You"The Pillows5:43
12."Advice"The Pillows2:15
13."Runners High"The Pillows2:46
14."Hybrid Rainbow"The Pillows4:00
15."Little Busters"The Pillows3:46
16."Last Dinosaur"The Pillows3:46
17."Ride On Shooting Star"The Pillows2:22

Reception

FLCL has received positive reviews. Christopher McDonald of Anime News Network called it "downright hilarious" and "visually superb" with great music, citing the packaging of 2 episodes per DVD as the only weakness of Synch-Point's original release.[43] Robert Nelson of T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews gave the anime 4 out of 5 stars stating, "FLCL may not have a straightforward or deep plot. It may not have complex characterizations. Hell, it may not have any meaning. But FLCL does succeed in its true objective. It is fun to watch!"[44] Chris Beveridge of Mania gave it an A- stating, " FLCL is something that allowed those involved to try a wide variety of styles and techniques and does come off as quite experimental. But nearly everything worked in their favor and you end up with three hours of nearly break neck speed action, comedy and commentary on modern life."[45] Brian Ruh praised the series stating, "It was very frenetic and kept pushing the envelope on what was possible in Japanese animation."[46] On August 12, 2003, Time Warner press release noted the success of Cartoon Network, FLCL "ranked No. 42 among all shows on ad-supported cable among adults 18–34".[47] Also in 2003, FLCL won third place for Best Animation Film at the Fantasia Festival.[48][49]

On February 24, 2007, FLCL was nominated for "Best Cast", and won "Best Comedy Series" and "Best Short Series" at the first American Anime Awards show.[50] Anime Insider ranked FLCL 4th in their list of the best English-licensed anime of all time on November 2007.[51] Avatar: The Last Airbender director Giancarlo Volpe says the staff "were all ordered to buy FLCL and watch every single episode of it."[52]

References

General
  • "List of FLCL episode titles" (in Japanese). Gainax. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  • "FLCL - Full Episodes and Clips streaming online". Hulu. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  • FLCL: Groundworks (in Japanese). − An official artbook.
Specific
  1. ^ "Synch-Point: Production – FLCL index". Synch-Point. Archived from the original on June 26, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
  2. ^ FLCL Ultimate edition liner notes
  3. ^ FLCL DVD 1 (Inside jacket) (DVD). Synch point. 2002.
  4. ^ "Anime Tourist Interview: Behind the Scenes of FLCL". Anime Tourist. Archived from the original on 2004-03-05. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  5. ^ "FURI KURI". Production I.G. Archived from the original on 2002-12-20. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  6. ^ "Interviews: Anime Tourist Interview: Behind the Scenes of FLCL". Anime Tourist. Archived from the original on 2004-01-16. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  7. ^ "FLCL". Work List. Production I.G. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  8. ^ "FLCL". Starchild. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  9. ^ PULP : : The Manga Magazine : : 6.03 FLCL
  10. ^ "Director's comment" FLCL: Groundworks, pg.19
  11. ^ "FLCL – Goods" (in Japanese). Gainax. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  12. ^ "Amazon.co.jp: フリクリ DVD-BOX" (in Japanese). Amazon.com. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  13. ^ "FLCL Ultimate Edition Details". Anime News Network. September 5, 2006. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  14. ^ "Amazon.com: FLCL – Ultimate Edition DVD Collection". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  15. ^ "Notice: FLCL Ultimate DVD Collection". The Right Stuf International. August 29, 2008. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  16. ^ "2010 Roll-out Riot: Day 3 of 5 – FLCL | The Official Funimation Blog". Funimation Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
  17. ^ "Flcl Collection (Slimpack)". Madman Entertainment. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  18. ^ "Flcl Complete Collection (Blu-Ray)". Madman Entertainment. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  19. ^ "FLCL Collection - MVM Entertainment UK". MVM Entertainment. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  20. ^ "Cartoon Network Takes Prime, Total Day Crown for Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11". Time Warner (timewarner.com). 2006 (Reproduced from a release dated August 12, 2003). Retrieved August 1, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "FLCL on Cartoon Network in August". Anime News Network. 2003-06-29. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  22. ^ "フリクリ 1" (in Japanese). Kodaka Shoten. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  23. ^ "フリクリ 2" (in Japanese). Kodaka Shoten. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  24. ^ "フリクリ 3" (in Japanese). Kodaka Shoten. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  25. ^ "FLCL Volume 1 (v. 1)". Amazon. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  26. ^ "FLCL Volume 2". Amazon. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  27. ^ "FLCL Volume 3 (Fooly Cooly)". Amazon. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
  28. ^ "FLCL, Volume 1 - Teenreads". Teenreads. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  29. ^ "フリクリ（１）" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  30. ^ "フリクリ（２）" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  31. ^ "フリクリ（上） 講談社BOX" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  32. ^ "フリクリ（下） 講談社BOX" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  33. ^ "フリクリ（上）" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  34. ^ "フリクリ（下）" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  35. ^ "FLCL Volume 1". Tokyopop. Archived from the original on May 8, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2012. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; October 3, 2003 suggested (help)
  36. ^ "FLCL Volume 2". Tokyopop. Archived from the original on May 8, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2012. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; October 5, 2003 suggested (help)
  37. ^ "Dark Horse Adds Angelic Layer, Tokyo Babylon Omnibuses". Anime News Network. March 7, 2011.
  38. ^ "FLCL Omnibus TPB". Dark Horse Comics Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  39. ^ "Amazon.com: Fooly Cooly OST 1: Addict". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  40. ^ "Amazon.com: Fooly Cooly OST 2: King of Pirates". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  41. ^ "Amazon.com: FLCL (Fooly Cooly) OST 3". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
  42. ^ a b c "フリクリサントラ全巻セット（No.１~３）" (in Japanese). Gainax. Retrieved December 24, 2011.
  43. ^ McDonald, Christopher. "FLCL DVD 1 review". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
  44. ^ Nelson, Robert. "FLCL". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  45. ^ Beveridge, Chris (March 3, 2011). "FLCL Complete series". Mania. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  46. ^ Ruh, Brian (February 22, 2011). "Brain Diving The Filth and the Furi". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  47. ^ "Cartoon Network Takes Prime, Total Day Crown for Kids 2–11, Kids 6–11". Time Warner (timewarner.com). 2006 (Reproduced from a release dated August 12, 2003). Retrieved August 1, 2006. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. ^ "Damon Packard Wins Major Award at Fantasia". Film Threat. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  49. ^ "Cool News FANTASIA 2003! Festival Winners Announced!!". Ain't it Cool. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  50. ^ "American Anime Awards Winners". Anime News Network. February 24, 2007. Retrieved August 10, 2007.
  51. ^ "Top 50 Anime". Anime Insider (50). Wizard Entertainment: 63. 2007. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  52. ^ "Audience Questions and Answer Part 2 at the San Diego Comi-con 2006" (WMV). Flaming June. Retrieved May 7, 2008.

Further reading

Wikiquote has quotations related to FLCL.
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