FlCl
Anime Staff
-Director: Kazuya Tsurumaki (Evangelion)
-Script: Yoji Enokido (Evangelion, Super Sailor Moon S Movie)
-Original Manga: Hajime Ueda
-Character Design: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Evangelion)
The Anime Review By Moggy
If I had to pick, out of the chests of anime I posses, the one series
that entertains me the most, it would have to be this one. I have so many
wonderful things to talk about with this anime, that its very difficult to pick
a point to begin. So I shall toss a coin....and it appears that mechanics wins!
The production of this piece is splendid. The animation is a vibrant, and
original style that still posseses that anime feel, yet is richer and more
fullfilling. Even using typical anime minimalism, the characters present
feelings without resorting to the typical gimmicks of anime. No hatchmarks or
mushroom bubbles to display emotion here. Every bit of surprise, awe, sorrow,
love, and anger is done with the right amount of shaping of the characters
normal features. While the anime standards do not bother me, I like that the
animators decided to go the extra mile and not use them. It makes the
characters more dynamic and enjoyable.
Speaking of characters, there's quite a few in this story, and every single
one is full fleshed out, except for four. There is a character for everyone to
love (my personal fav being the sombre Mamimi). The fleshed out characters are
enjoyable and fit into even the spastic story quite well. It is argued that
characters make the story, and that stories make the characters, but this is one
of those instances were the characters are so well done, its hard to see which
argument applies to FLCL. Why the four characters are not fleshed out is a
mystery, but I suspect it has to do with the one negative, that some may see as
a positive: the length of the series.
FLCL is only six episodes long. Its a mini-series through and through.
That doesn't mean the story is incomplete, it just leaves you wanting more. Of
course, the story is wild to the point that many will have trouble seeing the
point of the story. I waver from saying that there is nor real point, to saying
that the point is not what you expect. The more I watch it, the more I'm
inclined to lean towards the latter. FLCL contains everything from action,
comedy (in spades), and even a romance that doesn't spoil the whole series. Its
paced well, if a slight bit on the hectic side, but that can be passed of to the
general insanity of FLCL. There's plent of insanity in it, but otherwise, it is
a good anime for almost anyone to watch. But I do warn you, when you reach the
end, you will want more. At least it is not a series that drags on longer than
it should.
On a final note, one that is important to American audiences, the dubbing
in FLCL is impeccable. This in of itself is amazing. Many of the jokes in FLCL
are of a kind that you would need to be Japanese, truely born and raised in the
culture, not raised on the anime, to understand. Also, some of the puns are
language based, and when translated do not make sense. The enormity of the task
of sucsessfully dubbing FLCL in english does not become apparent until one
watches the japanese version. Not only did the production team make the dubbing
fit seamlessly, they also managed to rework the dialouge so that the jokes made
sense to an American audience, without killing the story.
All in all, FLCL is an outstanding anime that even non anime fans will
enjoy wathcing. Of course, when it is finished, don't hope for more. 10 out of
10.
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