Even now the very idea of following up FLCL seems pretty surreal. This is a show that meant a lot to a lot of people and any sequel spinoff or extension has the unenviable task of both living up to the expectations of those who watched the original and also updating its sensibilities for a world that has drastically changed in the decade plus since it aired. Yet despite the waves of anxiety the very announcement generated its irresponsible to not give Progressive the praise it deserves. Progs protagonist is smartly a new face for the franchise. Hidomi is similar to original FLCL protagonist Naota in one very important way which is that she is a teenager struggling with what is undeniably for many people the most difficult phase of their lives. To be fair that applies to a lot of anime protagonists what makes Hidomi interesting is her sheer stoicism. Putting on an apathetic air is something that will be familiar to a lot of teenagers and exteenagers Hidomi works on the same basic principles here that similar characters do elsewhere in the mediumwhen she actually does show emotion it means a lot morebut above and beyond that we learn bit by bit that this girl is weird. Its made pretty explicit by halfway through the series that Hidomi is actually aroused by violence and more than once in the horrifically surreal dream sequences that open each of the first three episodes and later while being forcibly transformed into a genki girl its complicated she seems to express a desire for the world to end. In other words as far as depressed millennial and Gen Z teens go shes fairly typical in what I must imagine is a deliberate decision. 880https://i.ur.com/7HzL7OI.png Hidomis demeanor is a far cry from Harukos but as a depiction of a depressed teen shes spot on. Shes also at times dryly funny such as here deathglaring a crab. There are of course other characters but the big one is returning antagonist Haruko who sets up shop as Hidomis homeroom teacher and the second episode casts her as a sort of evil youth camp preacher its really pretty spooky to see her class under her spell reminiscing over things that didnt happen while looking at a yearbook full of crude crayon drawings and I suspect that more than one old fan of the franchise will find themselves perhaps just slightly eerily reflected in that classroom. Its probably no surprise that Progressive is not overly keen on tipping its handthis is FLCL after allbut what is surprising is where the series eventually goes. Its not quite an attack on the original and its not disrespectful enough to be called a skewering but Prog definitely views its predecessor with a suspicious cocked eye. Haruko is never portrayed even remotely sympathetically here until the very end of the series and her characterization here peels back the eccentric mannerisms that endeared her to so many revealing them as alternately the manipulative or defensive mechanisms of an ultimately pretty insecure person who uses a quirky shell to get what she wants or deflect criticism respectively. That is a harsh take on a very beloved character so its probably not a surprise that for the reason of Harukos character arc alone Prog is not going to sit well with everyone but its important to note that this kind of pickapart isnt doable without having a fair amount of love for the source material in the first place. You cant criticize a character like Haruko without understanding her and Prog understands her very well. Part of that understanding comes in the form of Jinyu. Jinyu is an interesting character who we learn about halfway through the series is in fact a sort of splitoff being formed from Harukos personality. Shes stonefacedly stoical well meaning and occasionally actually wise and she drives a 50sstyle car instead of a Vespa scooter. She also has Kaminastyle geometric shades in what I must imagine is some kind of visual gag about her character. She is in many senses Harukos opposite and provides an interesting foil to Haruko up until the latter eats her reuniting the two halves. 880https://i.ur.com/7P0MdXz.png This is the first and last time Jinyu looks anywhere near this cool. Somewhat less surely placed in the story is Ko Iide Hidomis classmate and main love interest. Hes certainly a likeable character at least if you have a soft spot for idiots and I very much do and Harukos attempts to manipulate him into being the next Naota are interesting but on his own he almost rather seems especially in the second half of the show like a damsel in distress. Which is a strange complaint to make about a male character but its the truth. So where does all this go? Well a strange surreal romp that lives up to the original as best it can. To be sure it is not as outthere animationwise and not as welldirected but to be even surer rather few things are and its hard to complain when there are so many gorgeous individual moments. The last two episodes especially look fantastic with 5 being drawn in a different art style completely and looking lovely for it and 6 just being a treat. 880https://i.ur.com/nsTYn4Y.png The 5th episode is drawn entirely in art styles that arent the norm for the series and is probably the visual height of the show. Other than said romp and the metatextual angle about its relationship to the original which some will love others will loathe and I suspect many will just not care about it doesnt do a ton else which is maybe the shows only major fault. It also kind of makes Progressiveeven moreso than usual for this sort of thinga game of expectations. If you were hoping for something to surpass its predecessor a la Diebuster you were probably disappointed. But as someone who went in not really knowing what to expect at all I found its rough relationship with the audience refreshing the extra tidbits of worldbuilding intriguing and its main protagonist incredibly relatable and in a weird way fun. Prog is not the original FLCL it wont enter your life like Haruko did to Naota and fuck it up and then leave you wondering what happened. Prog is more like an old friend whos changed a lot since you last saw them but theyre still the same person underneath. For that reason any fan of the original owes it to themselves to at least give the thing a shot even if you dont like it its hard to argue that it doesnt inspire strong feelings which to me is what FLCL is all about.
87 /100
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