When the credits started to roll during the sixth and final episode of FLCL, I was speechless as to describe what I thought about the show.  I could not come to think of any words that expressed what I was feeling.  It certainly was not confusion, because I would have said confusion.  It certainly was not stunned awe, for the same reason mentioned before.  I had seen a few Gainax series before, but this series was not their ordinary fare.  I would have to say that I was truly FLCL’ed.

Perhaps that part of the brilliance of the show’s title.  It really is an experience beyond words, and one must resort to sound effects to describe the resulting emotion.

FLCL, or Fooly Cooly, or Furi Kuri, depending on how one writes the Romanized title, is an odd name for the six episode OVA.  Mostly seen as an experiment by Gainax studios, FLCL is what will live on as director Kazuya Tsurumaki’s masterpiece.  Tsurumaki has done some fantastic work, including Diebuster, the ending episodes of His and Her Circumstances, and the first half of End of Evangelion, but FLCL is the director’s brainchild.  This was his original work, much as how Neon Genesis Evangelion was Hideaki Anno’s and Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi was Hiroyuki Yamaga’s, and this is the work that declared him a great director.

Tsurumaki’s directorial style has always been a frantic, manic reach for the extremes of animation.  With FLCL, Tsurumaki was given the reigns to experiment freely with new techniques and new styles, and his ridiculous product is a show that contains bullet-time sequences, manga-esque style of animation—reminiscent of His and Her Circumstances’ first episode—profound sexual innuendos, a satellite’s near collision with earth creating shock waves similar to an atomic bomb, robots emerging from the protagonist’s head, bass guitars used as clubs, Looney Tunes styled comedy routines, and, of course, the gigantic menacing iron on a nearby hill.  All of these elements run throughout the course of the show for one simple reason, these elements were fun and needed to be in the show.  These elements added a level of entertainment usually unattainable in any other show.

FLCL as a story is so overshadowed by the style of its presentation, that it may not be obvious to some that this is a simple boy-meets-girl scenario.  It is not as complex as some would lead many to believe, and many of the shows symbols are nothing more than sexual innuendos that are there to make an audience laugh, rather than think, save for maybe some interesting ideas with left-handers.  Our protagonist, Naota, meets space-alien, nurse, rocker—and left handed—Haruko, and falls slowly in love with her, but she unfortunately loves someone else.  Although who she loves is a mystery until the end, the audience often overlooks that this is a conventional love tragedy.  It is just presented in such an unconventional way that it is overshadowed to a point of non-recognition.

Is that a weak element to FLCL?  Absolutely not.  FLCL was an experiment in visuals and structure, not story conventions.  Within a span of six episodes, only so much story could be worked on, and sticking to the basics worked best.

Within that short time span, however, is six great episodes.  Every single episode is great.  From the first episode’s calm beginning to its sudden plunge into absurdity, to the fifth episode’s frantic and hilariously fantastic air-soft gun episode, FLCL has not a single weak episode.  Each episode has unflinching structures, interesting and varied visuals, and a new concept of insanity to work through.  Tsurumaki brings interesting ideas to the table, and each episode has a splendid arc that never cheats on itself.  Each episode works its own magic, and each character has his or her story played through.

Gainax has always been known for the unique, vivid, and—as some describe—frustrating storytelling.  FLCL is not much a story as more of a series of events that happen to the characters, and people of the frustration category will pounce unjustly at the series.  As Naota first mentions, near the beginning of the show, that nothing really special ever happens in his town.  FLCL is the story of the odd occurrences in his town, and the female that brought them there, not a tightly controlled emotional journey of a sojourning protagonist.  Gainax knows exactly what they are making, and what they made is a comedic masterpiece.  Even if it is a by-product, Gainax’s rationale for FLCL allows it to exist and to be taken seriously… well, enjoyed seriously.

Besides, FLCL is too well animated to only be considered just a test run for Gainax.  Rumor has it that Gainax spent a 26 episode anime budget on the 6 episode OVA.  The result is computer drawn animation that looks amazing.  Tsurumaki has a very good prowess for generating beautiful visuals, and FLCL looks better than the newest of computer assisted series.  FLCL’s style always attracts the viewer’s attention, instead of distracting away from the show.  Plus, the show has a brilliant scene of cinematography and even the most hectic of shots are still visual sensible.  The audience does not have to hit pause to understand the dynamics of a fight.  What is more interesting is how well the combination of very simple compositions work with the right computer effects.  I cannot think of a more interesting shot than Haruko jumping up to attack on a rooftop, and the sun being blotted out by her body.  The shot is both unrealistic and hyper realistic at the same time.  The effect is uncanny.

Should an experimental, test-drive of an anime series be within the halls of great anime?  I think with FLCL, there is no other answer than yes.  Tsurumaki’s FLCL will live on because it is such an enigma to many fans.  Its hyperactivity allures and entertains, while the story alludes and mystifies audiences.  Others will see what interesting things Gainax was attempting to do, how much of a stylistic masterpiece it is, and how style can overshadow conventions.  FLCL is not about anything in particular, other than a hilarious ride from episode to episode, from visual style to visual style.  There are some explanations in the plot, but that is to allow Haruka’s lost love to be revealed.  FLCL is a specific experience that a few series have attempted—and failed—before and after its release, but with FLCL and Kazuya Tsurumaki, the combination works, and works very well.