FLCL. FuriKuri. Fooly Cooly. Nyow.
So. Anime. This is my first time covering a Japanese cartoon on the site, so let's get a couple things out of the way.
A lot of people who are resistant to watching anime cite its strangeness as a reason for its inaccessibility. They're afraid they won't "get it", or they think animation is for children and are turned off by the more adult themes, or they saw a bunch of out-of-context clips one time and think they can write off all of it.
To which I say, anime is not a genre. It's a medium, and like all artistic mediums it includes several subsets and genres. Some of it is aimed toward children, but a lot of it is for adults and while some anime can seem culturally strange, most of the stuff that makes its way over to America is mainstream enough that even a casual viewer should be able to understand and enjoy it.
This being said, there is some truly whack-a-doo stuff coming out of Japan, and a lot of it is inaccessible unless you know some things about Japanese culture, and even then it can seem pretty wild. I've refrained from talking about anime on this site for that specific reason; even in 2015 it's still regarded as a subculture in America (and in a lot of Japan), and I didn't want to alienate anyone.
Then I thought, screw that, there's some really great anime out there and I want to be able to freely talk about my favorite stuff without feeling like my average reader won't "get it". I spent most of my time when I was between the ages of thirteen and twenty inhaling anime and manga, and it's had a profound influence on my personal style. So today, we're going to be looking at a series that is undeniably strange, artistically fascinating, emotionally resonant, and a superb example of what anime can be.
Here's something I love. Here's Studio Gainax's "FLCL".
A lot of people who are resistant to watching anime cite its strangeness as a reason for its inaccessibility. They're afraid they won't "get it", or they think animation is for children and are turned off by the more adult themes, or they saw a bunch of out-of-context clips one time and think they can write off all of it.
To which I say, anime is not a genre. It's a medium, and like all artistic mediums it includes several subsets and genres. Some of it is aimed toward children, but a lot of it is for adults and while some anime can seem culturally strange, most of the stuff that makes its way over to America is mainstream enough that even a casual viewer should be able to understand and enjoy it.
This being said, there is some truly whack-a-doo stuff coming out of Japan, and a lot of it is inaccessible unless you know some things about Japanese culture, and even then it can seem pretty wild. I've refrained from talking about anime on this site for that specific reason; even in 2015 it's still regarded as a subculture in America (and in a lot of Japan), and I didn't want to alienate anyone.
Then I thought, screw that, there's some really great anime out there and I want to be able to freely talk about my favorite stuff without feeling like my average reader won't "get it". I spent most of my time when I was between the ages of thirteen and twenty inhaling anime and manga, and it's had a profound influence on my personal style. So today, we're going to be looking at a series that is undeniably strange, artistically fascinating, emotionally resonant, and a superb example of what anime can be.
Here's something I love. Here's Studio Gainax's "FLCL".
"FLCL (Forget Logic, Consume Liquor)": The Rules
For our practice game, we drank Midori Sours, which apart from lending the evening a distinctly Japanese flavor, provided us with the sweetness and sourness indicative of adolescence and youth!
It's tasty, too.
It's tasty, too.
Look at how green it is! It's so pretty!
Easy Mode
1. Drink for Title Drops. That's the full title, "FLCL" (pronounced "Fooly Cooly").
2. Drink when they drink
3. Drink for Daddy Issues
4. Drink when someone is called by a nickname. This gets tricky because of honorifics and crap, but generally if someone's first name is shortened or manipulated, that counts.
5. Drink when someone eats something
6. Drink when a robot appears in a scene. You should be aware at the time that it is in fact a robot.
Medium Mode
All the above rules apply. Also...
1. Drink when someone talks about things being "ordinary" or "strange".
2. Drink for gunfire. This only applies to one episode, but man it's a great payoff.
3. Drink for references to other cartoons or anime. Some of them are obscure, but it's mostly easy to tell.
4. Drink when Haruko "uses" her guitar.
Hard Mode
All the above rules apply. Also...
1. Drink when someone says the words "sweet", "sour" or "spicy".
2. Drink for allusions to sex
3. Drink when the song "Little Busters" plays. This is mostly only here because I love that song.
4. Drink when someone's body does something it shouldn't be able to do.
5. Drink when you see a cat.
1. Drink for Title Drops. That's the full title, "FLCL" (pronounced "Fooly Cooly").
2. Drink when they drink
3. Drink for Daddy Issues
4. Drink when someone is called by a nickname. This gets tricky because of honorifics and crap, but generally if someone's first name is shortened or manipulated, that counts.
5. Drink when someone eats something
6. Drink when a robot appears in a scene. You should be aware at the time that it is in fact a robot.
Medium Mode
All the above rules apply. Also...
1. Drink when someone talks about things being "ordinary" or "strange".
2. Drink for gunfire. This only applies to one episode, but man it's a great payoff.
3. Drink for references to other cartoons or anime. Some of them are obscure, but it's mostly easy to tell.
4. Drink when Haruko "uses" her guitar.
Hard Mode
All the above rules apply. Also...
1. Drink when someone says the words "sweet", "sour" or "spicy".
2. Drink for allusions to sex
3. Drink when the song "Little Busters" plays. This is mostly only here because I love that song.
4. Drink when someone's body does something it shouldn't be able to do.
5. Drink when you see a cat.
Uh...yeah! That counts!
The Players
Our players for this game are...
Krissy Pappau: "I don't know where the truth ends and the lies begin." (Medium)
Bride of Buggerlas: "Go on and prove that you love me!" (Easy)
Velma Jinkies: "Now, Cantido-sama! Bless me with your kiss!" (Easy)
Shirley Whiskas: "Relationship? How do you MEAN?" (Hard)
Dijan De Nero: "Where are your eyebrows? Why did you take them off?" (Hard)
Vicky the Raptor Queen: "I'm about to overflow." (Medium)
Krissy Pappau: "I don't know where the truth ends and the lies begin." (Medium)
Bride of Buggerlas: "Go on and prove that you love me!" (Easy)
Velma Jinkies: "Now, Cantido-sama! Bless me with your kiss!" (Easy)
Shirley Whiskas: "Relationship? How do you MEAN?" (Hard)
Dijan De Nero: "Where are your eyebrows? Why did you take them off?" (Hard)
Vicky the Raptor Queen: "I'm about to overflow." (Medium)
Abstract, Not Random
This first time I saw this show in its entirety I was thirteen years old and it was on Adult Swim. I, like everyone else who watched the show at the time (mostly guys) was blown away. None of us could figure out what we were seeing, but we loved it. Something about the show spoke to the confusion and chaos rumbling around inside our little bodies that struggled to be described in words.
Which is why I'm ashamed for not realizing before that "FLCL", at its core, is a coming-of-age story.
Which is why I'm ashamed for not realizing before that "FLCL", at its core, is a coming-of-age story.
Seriously, all I had to do was pay attention.
The plot of "FLCL" feels convoluted, and most people get distracted by it. The story follows twelve-year-old Naota, who finds himself dealing with his older brother's spaced out ex-girlfriend Mamimi after said brother moves to the U.S. to become a kick-ass baseball player. Just as he's settled into the malaise that's encompassed his life since his brother's departure, a beautiful and unpredictable woman riding a vespa and wielding a guitar comes out of the sky and hits him over the head with her instrument. He survives.
"I wanna be her so bad." -Vicky the Raptor Queen
The woman, Haruko Haruhara, worms her way into Naota's home by getting herself hired as a housekeeper, and once she gets herself situated Naota finds that his brain has been transformed into an interdimensional portal for alien space pirates, which emerge from his head whenever he feels acute stress to do battle with each other. One robot sticks around and acts like an ambassador, kind of, and Mamimi mistakes him for a God, and...
Okay, I'm going to stop explaining the plot, because the plot DOES NOT MATTER.
The actual structure of this story is nonsensical, and it's that way on purpose. The creators of "FLCL" have no illusions that you'll follow the chain of events (at least not on a first watch-through). They're more interested in style and theme. Style the show has in spades, and it's that sense of experimentation that led a lot of folks to believe that the writers were just writing down whatever came into their heads. That they were making shit up.
This is clearly not what's happening. "FLCL" is made with too much craft and knowledge of the art form to be the random scribblings of Japanese writers. So, beneath all the action, what's actually happening?
Well, a few things. The major themes all hinge on the experience of going through puberty and becoming an adult, specifically as a young boy. At the beginning of the story Naota is no longer a child, but he doesn't feel comfortable being called a grown-up either, especially since his immature father and his brother's absence have forced him into becoming the man of the house. The aliens emerging from his brain are abstracted forms of the chaos inside him, the battling desires to stay young and grow older. There's some blatant phallic metaphors happening too; the robots appear at the worst possible times and do a lot of damage, and the young women of the show are fascinated by the growths that emerge from Naota's forehead and his desperate attempts to hide them.
Okay, I'm going to stop explaining the plot, because the plot DOES NOT MATTER.
The actual structure of this story is nonsensical, and it's that way on purpose. The creators of "FLCL" have no illusions that you'll follow the chain of events (at least not on a first watch-through). They're more interested in style and theme. Style the show has in spades, and it's that sense of experimentation that led a lot of folks to believe that the writers were just writing down whatever came into their heads. That they were making shit up.
This is clearly not what's happening. "FLCL" is made with too much craft and knowledge of the art form to be the random scribblings of Japanese writers. So, beneath all the action, what's actually happening?
Well, a few things. The major themes all hinge on the experience of going through puberty and becoming an adult, specifically as a young boy. At the beginning of the story Naota is no longer a child, but he doesn't feel comfortable being called a grown-up either, especially since his immature father and his brother's absence have forced him into becoming the man of the house. The aliens emerging from his brain are abstracted forms of the chaos inside him, the battling desires to stay young and grow older. There's some blatant phallic metaphors happening too; the robots appear at the worst possible times and do a lot of damage, and the young women of the show are fascinated by the growths that emerge from Naota's forehead and his desperate attempts to hide them.
"The show became how I started to understand my sexuality". -Shirley Whiskas
Meanwhile, the show is also investigating the nature of industrialization in post-war Japan, and the influences on the country from foreign powers. Naota's town, Mabase, is visited by a mysterious building shaped like an iron, headquarters for a company called "Medical Mechanica". Its arrival brings smog, polluted water, and an ever-present feeling of numbness to Mabase's citizens. You can't make a symbol much more direct than that; check out the picture below to see how the threat of globally accepted convenience dominates this small town.
Fear the power of modern appliances!
Seem like I'm reaching? The show is littered with examples of the Japanese characters losing touch with their roots and relying on conveniences brought to them from overseas. Most notably, in the sixth and final episode, Naota's teacher leads the class in a lesson on how to use chopsticks. And she sucks at it, so much so that she has a complete panic attack in front of her students, who grumble about how much easier it is to just use sporks.
"Oh!" said Bride of Buggerlas. "I know about sporks and Japan!" Indeed, an urban legend states that General McArthur popularized the spork in Japan during the post-war occupation. While denying the Japanese chopsticks, he feared to give them forks and knives, fearing the Japanese citizens would reappropriate them as weapons and rise up against their occupiers. The spork was seen as a compromise, civilized enough as a utensil but too useless to be used to do much of anything else. There is little to no evidence that supports this story, but it's still popular enough to stick in people's heads, and even without that piece of faux history the spork is a symbol of convenience and modernization. It's a common gripe amongst older Japanese that the youth of the country can't hold chopsticks correctly.
None of this is handed to you on a plate. The creators of FLCL are carefully coding and sheathing their intentions underneath layers of anime references, poop jokes and sexual innuendo. And none of it would mean anything if there wasn't a beating heart underneath.
"Oh!" said Bride of Buggerlas. "I know about sporks and Japan!" Indeed, an urban legend states that General McArthur popularized the spork in Japan during the post-war occupation. While denying the Japanese chopsticks, he feared to give them forks and knives, fearing the Japanese citizens would reappropriate them as weapons and rise up against their occupiers. The spork was seen as a compromise, civilized enough as a utensil but too useless to be used to do much of anything else. There is little to no evidence that supports this story, but it's still popular enough to stick in people's heads, and even without that piece of faux history the spork is a symbol of convenience and modernization. It's a common gripe amongst older Japanese that the youth of the country can't hold chopsticks correctly.
None of this is handed to you on a plate. The creators of FLCL are carefully coding and sheathing their intentions underneath layers of anime references, poop jokes and sexual innuendo. And none of it would mean anything if there wasn't a beating heart underneath.
"The whole thing is a puzzle. Deal with it." -Vicky the Raptor Queen
Manic Pixie Dream Bitch
I mentioned earlier that this show is about puberty from a young boy's perspective. I stand by that statement; the show is made for a male audience and the experiences discussed are shown through a male lens, with the exception of one episode centered around Naota's classmate Ninamori where we get a small hint of what girl puberty might be like (and if the episode is any indication, Ninamori is going to have a hard time as a teenager).
"She reminds me of Hermione from Harry Potter". "Nah, Hermione wasn't this petty." -Krissy and Dijan de Nero
What's great about "FLCL" is that because of its specificity and attention to character, I can glean that all the female characters have things going on in their lives without Naota around, so I often don't NEED to see things from their perspective. There are three female leads in the show, and each of them are active, unique and have a profound influence on Naota without devoting their entire beings to him. And the character who's the best example of this is Haruko.
I'm having a hard time choosing a screenshot for her, they're all so good!
It's an old cliche that women might as well be aliens in the eyes of young men; in this case, the woman who catches Naota's eye actually IS an alien. Haruko bursts on the scene in a flurry of noise and excitement, and of course to bored, nihilistic Naota she's the most interesting thing he'e seen all his life. Early on in the anime Naota makes a few mental comparisons between her and his brother, which points to a strong sense of hero-worship mixed in with the sexy feelings he also develops for her later. Haruko loves making Naota feel uncomfortable and encouraging his desires to be more carefree and wild, although it's unclear to Naota whether her interest in him is because of him as a person or because of the robots that come out of his brain.
We've discussed the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" trope on this site before; an MPDG is a quirky, free-spirited woman who exists in a story to help the male hero overcome his emotional issues and show him a way to live life to the fullest. Haruko Haruhara is NOT an MPDG. Although her character functions in similar ways in "FLCL" to a pixie, her actions give her depth and autonomy.
First, Haruko doesn't just say she's a free agent; she is one. She comes and goes at a whim, and has been doing this all her life. Her arrival in Mabase was predicated on a personal mission that she doesn't let anyone in on, even the one person who's most deeply involved. Not a single character on the show can tell her what to do, except for a commanding officer of some kind that we never see.
We've discussed the "Manic Pixie Dream Girl" trope on this site before; an MPDG is a quirky, free-spirited woman who exists in a story to help the male hero overcome his emotional issues and show him a way to live life to the fullest. Haruko Haruhara is NOT an MPDG. Although her character functions in similar ways in "FLCL" to a pixie, her actions give her depth and autonomy.
First, Haruko doesn't just say she's a free agent; she is one. She comes and goes at a whim, and has been doing this all her life. Her arrival in Mabase was predicated on a personal mission that she doesn't let anyone in on, even the one person who's most deeply involved. Not a single character on the show can tell her what to do, except for a commanding officer of some kind that we never see.
He either IS the cat, or he's communicating to her THROUGH the cat, I'm not sure.
Second, while Haruko does grow attached to Naota throughout the show, the narrative makes it clear that not only does she not reciprocate his feelings, she never can. What's more, Naota doesn't NEED those feelings to be reciprocated. We see the story mostly through his eyes, and while he spends a lot of time denying he has feelings for Haruko at all, once he acknowledges how he feels he owns it. He sees the issues with pining after this unattainable woman and simply lets how he feels for her inform his own story and his progress to becoming a man. We see an antithesis to Naota's response in Amarao, who fell for Haruko when she had a different pseudonym and has never managed to let go. As Shirley Whiskas points out, because Amarao never let go of his obsession, he never matured. He is doomed to live as an incomplete man.
And his eyebrows are HUGE.
It's easy to see that Haruko is a strong character because she's literally the coolest person ever, but most of the characters in "FLCL" are well developed and have their own storylines. Mamimi struggles with the same abandonment issues as Naota, but by intentionally altering her sense of reality and retreating from her markers of the real world and her home life. Ninamori struggles to prove that she's more of an adult than her philandering father, and nearly loses friends by holding everyone to her standards. And through it all, Naota attempts the impossible; to stay the same in a world that's rapidly changing all around him.
It's deep, man. This show about robots and super spicy curry is deep.
It's deep, man. This show about robots and super spicy curry is deep.
"This anime is so good at explaining human nature, I can't stand it." -Shirley Whiskas
Sub vs Dub
I'm writing about "FLCL" and I can't help feeling like it's coming out dry. The truth is, I can't write about this show without spoiling it horrendously OR sounding like a maniac. All I can really say is that it's one of the most visually stunning and imaginative pieces of art I've seen in my life, it's hilarious, and there are moments from it that still inexplicably make me cry. Hopefully you can judge for yourself if this is something you'd enjoy, and you'll check it out sometime.
But when you do, should you watch the show in subtitled Japanese or in English? Good question.
The practice of dubbing and localizing Japanese cartoons has a long and storied history that requires a lot more time to discuss than I have right now, but the basic gist of it is that until about five years ago, most dubs were shit. American studios didn't have the budgets or incentive to hire decent voice actors or create faithful translations, so a lot of the stuff they brought over just didn't sound right in English, and some of the shows were changed entirely to "better suit" an American demographic. If a show got brought to Toonami or Adult Swim, maybe the English actors sounded weird, but the dub was still better than most. Other shows weren't as lucky.
But when you do, should you watch the show in subtitled Japanese or in English? Good question.
The practice of dubbing and localizing Japanese cartoons has a long and storied history that requires a lot more time to discuss than I have right now, but the basic gist of it is that until about five years ago, most dubs were shit. American studios didn't have the budgets or incentive to hire decent voice actors or create faithful translations, so a lot of the stuff they brought over just didn't sound right in English, and some of the shows were changed entirely to "better suit" an American demographic. If a show got brought to Toonami or Adult Swim, maybe the English actors sounded weird, but the dub was still better than most. Other shows weren't as lucky.
Maybe someday we'll talk about this festering piece of garbage that I loved with all my heart.
Shirley Whiskas is a strong supporter of the "FLCL" dub. She grew up with it, and hadn't watched the Japanese version much apart from some clips, and I will say that she remembers lines of dialogue from this show much more accurately than I do. And "FLCL" has a good dub, they put a great deal of effort into crafting solid performances in a show that easily could have been phoned in. Even more impressively, a lot of the English actors SOUND like their Japanese counterparts - they did their homework in a big way.
I watched the dub first, and watched the subtitled version on every re-watch afterwards because when I was younger I was a sub snob. I thought the Japanese audio would be automatically "better" than the American one, and while now I acknowledge that with this show it's not necessarily true, I still enjoy watching this show with Japanese performers. It's such a Japanese story, filled with in-jokes and other things that don't translate, and while I can't claim to get all the references I don't feel distracted by changes the American translation made to the script.
Because both audio tracks are so strong, we decided to alternate between the sub and the dub as we watched the series. Bride of Buggerlas strongly prefered the sub; she soaked in a lot more of the plot by reading the dialogue and used the words as an anchor. Velma Jinkies, on the other hand, seemed more drawn in by the visuals and was more engaged while the dubbed episodes were playing.
I watched the dub first, and watched the subtitled version on every re-watch afterwards because when I was younger I was a sub snob. I thought the Japanese audio would be automatically "better" than the American one, and while now I acknowledge that with this show it's not necessarily true, I still enjoy watching this show with Japanese performers. It's such a Japanese story, filled with in-jokes and other things that don't translate, and while I can't claim to get all the references I don't feel distracted by changes the American translation made to the script.
Because both audio tracks are so strong, we decided to alternate between the sub and the dub as we watched the series. Bride of Buggerlas strongly prefered the sub; she soaked in a lot more of the plot by reading the dialogue and used the words as an anchor. Velma Jinkies, on the other hand, seemed more drawn in by the visuals and was more engaged while the dubbed episodes were playing.
"I'm having difficulty understanding the plot, but I'm enjoying the scenes." -Velma Jinkies
So because both language options are A+ choices, you can't really go wrong. Watch the dub if you're new to anime or if you want to immerse yourself in the world. Watch the sub if you're okay with multitasking and want to listen to the words the way they were originally spoken. Either way, you're in for a treat, an epic story unfettered by logic.
"What...the...fuck..." "The coolest shit in the fucking world, that's what the fuck!" -Velma Jinkies and Shirley Whiskas
The Results
This drinking game works very well with the rules it currently has, but after your fourth midori sour you might start to feel a little bit of diabetes coming on, so it's best to switch to something else. If you'd like to try out some more rules, here's a couple to start with.
Drink when steam comes out of the iron.
I'm kicking myself for not including this rule in the original set. The iron is possibly the most important set piece in the show, so ignoring it isn't wise.
Drink when someone indulges in a vice
I'm mostly talking about smoking, but I think Grandpa Nandabe has a porn addiction that gets mentioned sometimes. See what else you can find!
Drink for stuff that doesn't translate.
There's a ton of jokes that don't make sense in English. And some cultural references that might seem a little...off color for American viewers.
Drink when steam comes out of the iron.
I'm kicking myself for not including this rule in the original set. The iron is possibly the most important set piece in the show, so ignoring it isn't wise.
Drink when someone indulges in a vice
I'm mostly talking about smoking, but I think Grandpa Nandabe has a porn addiction that gets mentioned sometimes. See what else you can find!
Drink for stuff that doesn't translate.
There's a ton of jokes that don't make sense in English. And some cultural references that might seem a little...off color for American viewers.
"So Dad's a Nazi now." -Bride of Buggerlas
So October kind of snuck up on me this year, but I'm super pumped for Halloween! We're going to keep the anime ball rolling for a little while longer with a personal favorite of mine that, while not exactly scary, should fit in with the holiday spirit.
I mean, it's got ghosts in it.
Like what you see? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, at For Your Inebriation and @KrissyPappau respectively. You'll get weekly updates, behind the scenes drunk talk, and other chatter!
For Your Inebriation is written by Krissy Pappau (Hollis Beck). All "FLCL" images are owned by Gainax and FUNimation Entertainment.
Special Thanks to my patrons, Caroline Kittredge Faustine, Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin and Antonia Beck! Your support helps me keep this blog up and running. Join their ranks today and donate to my ongoing Patreon campaign!
For Your Inebriation is written by Krissy Pappau (Hollis Beck). All "FLCL" images are owned by Gainax and FUNimation Entertainment.
Special Thanks to my patrons, Caroline Kittredge Faustine, Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin and Antonia Beck! Your support helps me keep this blog up and running. Join their ranks today and donate to my ongoing Patreon campaign!
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