Im writing this review from the perspective of someone who loved FLCL Progressive. I genuinely think Progressive earns the name FLCL. Alternative needs a rewatch before I give my full thoughts but the point is Im speaking as someone who doesnt think the existence of these sequels is an abomination upon mankind. What the fuck is this? Lets go back a bit. Im of the firm belief that we were going to get sequels to FLCL no matter what. Its not Adult Swims fault its Gainaxs for not selling the rights to Hideaki Anno and/or Kazuya Tsurumaki so they could sit on the rights until they croak. I think Adult Swim were the best people to order new FLCL seasons. Theyre uber fans of the original and understand how inevitable FLCL sequels should be made. The question of whether or not they should exist is an irrelevant one. Ultimately they exist and we should judge them on their own merits since they clearly have no intention of surpassing the original. Thats why I liked FLCL Progressive. Then in March 2022 two more seasons were announced. ANOTHER batch of FLCL sequels raises several questions. Did Adult Swim consider Progressive/Alternative a success? Were they HAPPY with the middling reception? Do they actually not want these and were forced to make them by either American or Japanese investors? And the elephant in the room why was one of them animated in CGI? Ive been saying this since the animation style was revealed: its not that bad. This isnt the worst anime CGI can get weve got ExArm and Tesla Note to prove that. Theres a style to it that makes it shine. But just because the sun shines doesnt mean its heat doesnt piss me off from time to time. The problem lies in how that style clashes with the FLCL style so it feels like its struggling to keep it together. But I dont think the animation is the problem. If this was in 2D Id mightve given this a 5/10 but probably wouldve kept the score the same. The animation is not Grunges problem its the writing. People hate Progressive and Alternative because they are named FLCL. But youre supposed to let the FLCL branding become an afterthought while watching it. They arent meant to be direct sequels its just an anthology sort of deal. Theres a line you dont cross and FLCL Grunge hopped on a Vespa and blasted through that line: they incorporated characters and locations from the original with NO subtlety towards it. In Progressive its a wink to the audience but in Grunge its in your face. The fear of God was felt in my bones when I realized that in the trailer and the show confirmed by suspicions. By including these references in the plot its telling the audience that they should be thinking about the original FLCL while theyre watching it. Which is the last thing a sequel should be doing? A good sequels characters environment and storytelling should be able to stand out on their own without forcing comparisons to the original. This is such a monumental step backwards and I dont know why Adult Swim approved of this. The characters are uninteresting. Shinpachi is a worse version of Naota Shonari is part of a clan of rock people that stick out like a sore thumb since theyre the only fantasy species in this world Orinoko doesnt stand out when weve had plenty of other anime girls like her in the past. If the FLCL sequels have done anything its bastardize Haruko Haruhara. What once was a mysterious but fascinating character for anime fans has now become an annoyance. These sequels fortunately dont explore her backstory but we now have more Haruko than we ever needed. What Im trying to say is that its old. Finding out that the series was only 3 episodes last week was a shock. I didnt understand why the series was so short or why every episode took place on the same day from 3 different perspectives. And having seen all of it...NO IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE Theres nothing special about this night theres nothing special about these characters theres nothing special about this animation and thats a big problem because FLCL is one of the most special anime ever made. If youre going to have a THIRD completely unnecessary sequel to one of the most beloved anime of all time then you goddamn better provide something special. Progressive was special. Alternative was special. People will tell me Im wrong but I will die on that hill. Grunge THINKS its special when there is nothing special about it. Anything this provides is something I can find elsewhere in anime. It fails to have a purpose in existing as an anime dont even get me started on its failure to exist as a sequel to FLCL. At least FLCL Shoegaze looks good.