Not getting poetic while talking about FLCL is a sin. If you asked what was my favorite studio back in the day oh boy Gainax. Those guys were the bomb. I have a personal bias towards groups of people who gather and decide to do shit out of passion. Gainax was a family of individuals who just loved animation and wanted to partake in this creative medium and make history. For some time they did just that. Oh man DAICON opening animations inspired a whole generation of people to get into anime and otaku culture. Meanwhile those animators would provide some of the best anime to date to fulfill the desire they instilled within the community. But what does that have to do with FLCL? Basically FLCL is DAICON in its final form DAICON V. Its the Gainax spirit that traveled 20 years in time in order to have its vision perfected its greatness exposed in all glory. FLCL is not only the encapsulation of what animation is capable of but also of the studio itself. It almost feels like every step taken envisioned its realization. Gainax is the only studio out there whose entire identity can be found in a single title. Now without further masturbatory ado lets proceed to the art piece itself. Fooly Cooly is a cool title that fools the viewer into thinking it stops there. If EoE wore everyone out FLCL was chill time. That is not to say the work is any less thoughtful. Actually FLCL is perhaps the most thoughtful and maturely conceived and presented Gainax title I can think of. Just think about this. Most people who like FLCL like it cause its cool and fun to watch. Some people hate it beyond belief cause of its supposedly pretentious nature and nonsensical script writing. However there is a legion of hardcore fans such as myself who pinky swear there is much more to it than meets the eye and in hiding its true nature it actually ties to the overarching theme of reaching genuine maturity. Why is that? Cause Naota is a pretentious cunt. Naota is the central figure and thematic pillar of this narrative. He is a pretentious kid who thinks every single adult around him acts like a child and should grow up. He thinks being serious all the time and schooling others proper behavior is acting mature. We all know hes full of shit. But for some reason the absolute majority of people who think FLCL is no big deal relate to Naota to unhealthy degrees due to thinking just like him of everyone in the cast. Haruko is annoying as fuck Mamimi is a tacky bitch Naotas school friends are hyperactive sickos etc. This is where FLCL fishes you. If you think like Naota youre supposed to learn just like he did that no ones hot shit and silliness is not the opposite of maturity. To go to such lengths to prove a point to act condescending while misinterpreting reality and making a fool of himself to humbly apologize for his behavior and admit hes just a kid with a brother complex to confess to this alien woman of his fondness of her etc. Angsty teenagers who miserably fail to comprehend mature adults and their ways to deal with life and its hardships are so commonplace it surprises me most people miss this obvious point FLCL attempts to make. Naota is just like an inattentive viewer who misjudges the series genuine take on growing up. Like the creator himself said its ok to feel dumb. What is normally taken as a response to EoE and general outlook on FLCL I think its pretty much him alleviating for everyone who just doesnt get the message. With that out of the way where was I? Oh yeah FLCL is godlike. Another misconception about the show is about its supposed bad writing. To claim FLCL is badly written is as outlandish as its understandable after all anything that is not obvious will be labeled as so by a handful of people ever. Believe it or not but FLCL actually shits on Evangelion in terms of writing. If you want a coherent storyline filled with instances of foreshadowing and proper use of what had been previously established well welcome aboard. There are so many scenes that connect in ways people barely see. So many details they dont pay attention to. Not their fault the anime in spite of its loud surface is pretty subtle about its message and plot threads. Maybe watching it 10 times unveils a whole lot who knows. All you need to know is that everything is fully realized to the extents it needed to. Its a rule of cool after all not hard scifi. It just amazes me how smartly written it is despite its fundamental nature. To me FLCL isnt just the chill time I mentioned. I think its a direct response to EoE. I always saw the movie as kinda tryhard in its display of emotions its subtext and Shinjis final selfrealization. Anno truly wanted to give the series a proper closure but its needless to say EoE is the most selfserious title Gainax ever created almost going against the studios general feeling. FLCL is the ultimate break from that a lets show people you dont need to be serious to teach real wise lessons. In a way Id say EoE is Naota surrounded by the oppressive atmosphere that is only as oppressive as you allow it to be by being dense fuck who cant see beyond your bellybutton. And by breaking from that it restores what Gainax was all about while ultimately giving closure to its big arc in animes history. I avoided talking about the audiovisual presentation cause that just felt unnecessary. Even a total retard would attest its undeniable beauty. There is a lot of eyegasm sakuga and visual storytelling to be dissected. Gainax is best known for its aesthetic and if there is something that looks sounds and FEELS wholly free spirited and zany that is FLCL. My favorite character is Mamimi but quite honestly Haruko is Fooly Cooly embodied. That is because this series hits you in the head with a fucking guitar and you get all mad and shit but ultimately have to admit how cool it is. Haruko is the mature alien gal who treats Naota like the little brat he is and in the end he knows hes just that. FLCL blew me away and made me feel like a bratty idiot... and I loved that feeling. Being vulnerable towards it made it all the more inspirational and respectable. I was left awestruck by how humble and wise it is deep down despite its purposeful loud and silly exterior... like Haruko. The parallels dont end here but I really need to finish this. How can I end this in the coolest manner possible? I cant... Im just a kid after all.