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An outrageous mixture of science-fiction action, mecha misadventures, sinister coporate plots, and broad slapstick comedy, FLCL ("Fooly Cooly") has been a fan favorite since the six-part OAV debuted in 2000. The four-disc Ultimate Edition includes all the episodes, an additional disc with music, a rock video, and poster art, plus a booklet, a rubber bracelet, and a postcard to send in for a free T-shirt.
Things have been going badly for sixth-grader Naota since his older brother Tasuku left to play pro baseball in America. At the opening of the series, he complains, "Nothing amazing happens here. Only the ordinary." Then Haruko, a girl from outer space, charges in on her motor scooter and clobbers him with an electric guitar. Her arrival upsets Tasuku's old girlfriend Mamimi, who regards bugging Naota as her prerogative. The fragmentary plot quickly dissolves into a string of chaotic events involving the main characters, Naota's lecherous father and grandfather, and various mecha (which grow from horns on Naota's head). Looming over the town is the mysterious Medical Mechanica factory, which looks like a giant iron. The freewheeling nuttiness of FLCL helped set the pattern for Dokkoida?!, Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, and other reflexive comedies. The episodes feature references to everything from Doraemon and Gundam to South Park. The bold graphic style of the animation shifts radically from scene to scene, including two sequences done as manga pages. The extras include commentaries, outtakes, and storyboard comparisons. FLCL is a bizarre series that will delight otaku who value comedy and action over coherency. (Unrated, suitable for ages 14 and older: violence, risqué humor, brief nudity. tobacco use) --Charles Solomon
Customer Reviews:
your head is empty.......2007-07-23
Anime can be pretty weird -- just look at series like "Paranoia Agent" and "Boogiepop Phantom." Really weird, sometimes impossible to totally understand.
But for sheer strangeness and kookiness, the winner has got to be "Fooly Cooly (FLCL)." Even as it pokes fun at typical anime, it tells the surrealist story of a very odd coming-of-age, complete with strange plots, oddball characters, and robots sprouting out of a young boy's head.
Naota is a young boy living what he sees as an oppressively dull existance, in a quiet city dominated by the Medical Mechanica building. The closest thing to excitement is fending off the advances of his brother's troubled girlfriend Mamimi.
Then sudenly a girl on a Vespa runs him over, resuscitates him with a smooch, and then bashes him over the head with a bass guitar. That evening, Naota finds that instead of a bump, he has a horn growing out of his head, and no idea what it is or how to get rid of it.
Despite his efforts to avoid her, Naoto's kooky father has hired the crazy Vespa girl, Haruko, as a housekeeper. To make matters worse, his "horn" turns out to be a robot and a giant mechanical hand -- springing out of a channel in his head. And you thought YOU had problems.
The five episodes that follow don't get any more normal, as Naota must deal with the Mayor's daughter getting his strange power, cat ears, more robots, baseball, bombs, the Pirate King Atomsk, seaweed eyebrows, and the interplanetary Medical Mechanica which may or may not be intent on galactic domination. It all clashes in the final episode.
For newbies, "FLCL" is probably the WORST anime to start with. It's a parodic mishmash of anime in-jokes -- giant robots, fanservice, boy falls for kooky abusive alien girl -- and a storyline that is bizarre to the point where you may not be able to understand what's going on. But oh, is it a fun ride.
As if the plot weren't hyperactive enough, the animation is exaggerated and crazy, full of distorted faces and wild robot battles. Lots of action and overdramatic dialogue ("OH NO.... OOOOOOOOO... an American GIRLFRIEND!"). As if it weren't funny enough, the director sprinkles in homages to other shows, ranging from other anime to "South Park."
And the characters are as bizarre as the story itself. Naoto starts off as a typical bored preteen, but slowly gains confidence and guts as he gets immersed in the weirdness. Haruko is a completely off-the-wall kook who is apparently an alien. And there's a bunch of other weird characters -- troubled pyromaniacs, wistful robots, preteen pervs, and a guy from Interstellar Immigration.
"FLCL" is perhaps the strangest anime in existance. It's also enough to blow the top off of your head, with the strange characters and wildly surrealist plot. Fooly Cooly!
great gift for a teenager.......2007-06-08
i got htis for a borthday gift for my brother-n-law and he loved it.
great purshase.
well worth the price!
FLCL : at long last........2007-05-13
I looked for years to find these DVD's for a reasonable price, so you can imagine my suprise when i found this. It comes with a bonus DvD filled with concept art and extras, plus a sweet booklet with even more background on all the characters and animators of the show. You can also send in for a free shirt with the coupon inside, and they give you a complimentary set of post-cards, perfect for any diehard fan. Overall, the price may seem a bit steep, but trust me when i say, you'll never find the show any cheaper and in as cool a casing. Pick it up.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better..........2007-04-27
Okay, first let me start off with two things...firstly, if you haven't already watched this series then you are "seriously" missing out. Secondly, If you are going to by FLCL in any form...BUY THIS ONE!
(Sorry for the caps but figured it'd be the only way to get my point across.)
Let's start off with the DVD's themselves...The first three dics contain the full, albeit short, series of FLCL. All 6 episodes are right here, so you can't miss a thing. I'll be the first to admit that this is my all time fave series ever. But it's what Gainax brings to the table in the discs that makes it all so blasted good. The plot is original, the art style is colorful, and the whole thing just makes you want to be a part of it.
Now, I own the original US releases of the series on DVD...However, after reviewing my original releases and these new releases I've noticed that Gainax really cleared it up even more than it was at first. The lines are sharp and the colors are gorgeous! Definately they've retooled the screen resolution. And for those of us that can't afford a fancy-pants HD TV or whatnot, listen up. I've got a battered and beaten floor model RCA 24" TruFlat (flat tube, not flat panel) and the series looks absolutely beautiful on it. The sound design is also top notch and superbly preserved on the discs, no loss of sound resolution here.
Next...my favorite...the fourth disc, the "FLCL Test Type" DVD. This fourth disc came in the package and I found myself saying, "Huh? What's this? Another disc!?" Immediately I tossed it into my DVD player to see what it was. I'm greeted with a sampling of 5 music videos of sampled and synched bits from the series. They did an awesome job making them too. Especially the "Come Down" video. They even play the extended song with never before released lyrics in it! Speaking of lyrics, you can also change the subtitles on the bottom of the screen in the music videos to "english" or "karaoke" subs, very cool. The galleries on the disc are packed with illustrations and art from the series. It's amazing how much they put into this.
Next up, the extras...In the box you get, the series in a new, and beautifully designed case with blue Canti on the front and a slip cover with red Canti on it. There's even a black silicon wristband in the box bearing the "Never Knows Best" quote on it from Episode.2 "Firestarter". Then you get 6 collectable post cards and a sticker sheet of various FLCL logos. Then the coup de' grace, the booklet. The booklet has everything you need to know about the series, from interviews with the animation crew, to character bios, background info, and both manga forms that appear in the series. The only problem I have is that they still didn't change the booklet's manga parts to exactly what you hear in the series.
(There is also a postcard that you can mail in to get a free t-shirt in the box, so keep that in mind too. Even if you don't wear the shirt you can mat it and put it on your wall or something.)
Finally the box itself is very well done. The graphics are sweet. They really convey the feeling of FLCL on it. Also, this box is sturdy and tough. So now you don't have to worry about damaging anything inside the box unlike your other series that come in flimsy paper slip covers.
If you're going to buy FLCL, you should buy it in this boxed set. For the price of $55.99 you can't beat it. This definately ranks among my top 3 best investments of all time! So what are you waiting for? BUY IT NOW!
Certainly Reccomended.......2007-04-08
To date, I have found a single person who does not like FLCL, and I can certainly understand why. This anime can't be for everyone, and it has to be totally expected that there will be a group of people who just don't like it. I think, though, that those people are in the minority, especially after the quality of this release. I never owned legally the episodes, but when I saw this, I knew it was time to delete my bootlegs, and it was absolutely worth it.
Oh, and to address the issue brought up by the reviewer below: two and a half months after ordering, I just recieved an email telling me that my t-shirt has been shipped. They're going, but slowly.
Customer Reviews:
Nothing ever happens.......2007-07-19
Anime can be pretty weird -- just look at series like "Paranoia Agent" and "Boogiepop Phantom." Total confusion.
But for sheer strangeness and kookiness, the one on top has got to be "Fooly Cooly (FLCL)." As it pokes fun at anime conventions, the first volume tells the weird story of an atypical coming-of-age -- surreal storytelling, oddball characters, and robots sprouting out of a young boy's head.
Naota is a twelve-year-old boy living what he sees as an oppressively dull existance, in a quiet city dominated by the Medical Mechanica building. The closest thing to excitement is fending off the advances of his brother's troubled girlfriend Mamimi.
Then sudenly a girl on a Vespa runs him over, resuscitates him with a smooch, and then bashes him over the head with a bass guitar. That evening, Naota finds that instead of a bump, he has a horn growing out of his head, and no idea what it is or how to get rid of it.
Despite his efforts to avoid her, Naoto's kooky father has hired the crazy Vespa girl, Haruko, as a housekeeper. To make matters worse, his "horn" turns out to be a robot and a giant mechanical hand -- springing out of his head.
Things don't improve much in the second episode, where the now-tamed robot is being used for household duties and errands, including fetching Hustler and moving boxes. Naoto isn't pleased with this weird twist -- or with Haruko's continued presence -- but he's powerless to stop either one.
Then the troubled Mamimi sees the robot (wearing a pair of dark wings), and mistakes it for the Dark Flame god Cantide from her favorite pyromaniacal video game. And Naoto finds that he's got some new horns -- and they're about to set off a massive robot battle.
For newbies, "FLCL" is probably the WORST anime to start with. It's a parodic mishmash of anime in-jokes -- giant robots, fanservice, boy falls for kooky abusive alien girl -- and a storyline that is bizarre to the point where you may not be able to understand what's going on. But oh, is it a fun ride.
Even the animation is done in an exaggerated, crazy way, full of distorted faces and crazy robot battles. Lots of hyperactive action and overdramatic dialogue ("OH NO.... OOOOOOOOO... an American GIRLFRIEND!"). And it's sprinkled with hysterical little metafictional moments, like the characters griping to the audience about doing "slow motion" shots.
And the characters are as bizarre and spoofy as the story itself -- Naoto is a typical bored preteen, who idolizes his big brother and wants a quasi-normal life, while Haruko is a completely off-the-wall kook who says she's an alien. And Mamimi makes the story even more bizarre -- and a little poignant -- as a lonely pyromaniac.
The first two episodes of "FLCL" are enough to blow the top off of your head, with the strange characters and wildly surrealist plot. Fooly Cooly!
I'll remember this........2007-04-27
This Anime means a lot to me (this is Elisa's teenage son). FLCL and my Ramones Cd's and hackey-sack, learning how to play guitar, the Beatles, discovering Classic Rock, these things all remind me of growing up with my friends. FLCL is very nostalgic. I hate how people bash this Anime for not having a plot. It's all there if you know the significance of the little things. But I guess with this, you either get it or you don't. Of course, probably not everybody loves this anime for the same reasons. It's got soul, though. And the music is great. I loved Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo too; I don't see why people shouldn't also like FLCL. You've just got to remember how it was to be immature and inexperienced. To be a kid, you know? Who cares who's laughing? There's nothing wrong with listening to Lead Belly and the Ramones. And I don't think there's anything wrong with reading Bukowski as well as Stephen King. FLCL rocks.
Overrated.......2007-03-30
Okay, the animation quality is great. CG quality actually looks good in some scenes (it seems trendy nowadays to pause a picture, turn it around a bit in a 3D-type motion, and unpause it - you've seen it in commercials, and here it is in anime).
But the plot! (Or lack thereof.) It's ... well ... a quick summary would be "Twisted Metal meets Plymptoons meets a soap opera". And the love aspect seems artificial ... if Naota's brother had never existed, there would be no reason for Mamimi to be in this anime supporting him (is she really?) Then there's Haruka, an alien, but don't be expecting Lum now! She carries around an electric guitar (what, is it trendy to have them now?) that sounds more like an electric saw for some reason. She also has some VERY flawed logic - one does not apply mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on someone who just got nailed by a moped, then proceed to smack the victim on the head with a guitar as they stir.
Well, as if the unsympathetic characters weren't bad enough, there's even more flawed physics and utter nonsense (why, oh why is Gainax so obsessed with apocalyptic themes and "cool looking mecha"? Is it trendy?). And to turn a Japanese street-punk soap opera into a sentai show midway seems ... well ... indecisive! Which audience are they trying to capture? The shoujo fans, or the "Yeah, let's see blood and guts and mecha" fans? Make up your minds! Now, mecha sprouting from a horn growing off of a lump on someone's forehead??? (Are they nuts? Or is it that the animators are turning more and more to drugs for inspiration?)
This anime's main purpose seems to be to showcase the Japanese punk rock band du jour (The Pillows), and to bewilder the viewer while they're at it. My guess is that they tried to combine the soap opera sweetness of KareKano and the cool mecha and futuristic look of Evangelion in hopes of appealing to both. But the result, Furi Kuri (which, incidentally, means "to fondle someone's butt" in slang Japanese), reveals that they're incompatible.
(Why do they come up with such names for their anime recently? First KareKano, now FuriKuri...I expect the next Gainax anime to be called ChumbaWamba - oh, wait, that's taken. Must be trendy.)
Only the animation style, which reminds me of Bill Plympton's cartoons (which I'd rather watch anyday!), is the saving grace of this anime. Perhaps I simply don't get the symbolism this anime may be trying to administer during the thirty minutes it's on ... much the same way as I don't get WWF or WCW wrestling ... or maybe Gainax should be more straightforward in the future. (But symbolism is trendy, I suppose.)
This anime DOES leaves room for questions, and for a diversity of opinions from its viewers, too. However...
Hey, the animation was kinda cool. But I like meat AND potatoes, not just potatoes. -- Eric Gaede
Just awful nonsense.......2006-10-15
After enjoying "Cowboy Bebop" and "Samurai Champloo", someone recommended checking out "FLCL" aka "Fooly Cooly." If you enjoyed those previous titles, I would suggest steering clear of this particular anime. The art is interesting enough but the story is simply lacking, the characters are completely and utterly undeveloped. It almost seems like they are making fun of you for watching their anime. This the first dvd of three and has 40 minutes of programming. I read somewhere that this was not even a real show and that they threw it together to test out new animation techniques-- if you've seen all 6 episodes and are still wondering "what the heck was that" this does not seem to be untrue. Please I strongly suggest you skip watching this program because it is, simply put, garbage.
Amazing.......2006-10-09
This is the best anime ever!!! I can say that from the bottom of my heart. It is more a story about coming of age and of dont take what u got for granite. It may not be there tomorrow. Fooly Cooly is about Naota(a 12 year-old boy) and a 20 year-old girl named Haruko. Its confusing but addictive.
Customer Reviews:
Actually, I don't know.......2007-03-28
I like Naruto, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, Samurai 7, The Princess of Tennis, Wolf Rain and etc. I don't like Inuyasha. I have tried 3 times to watch this FLCL - which is one of the most popular series. I stopped during the 1st episode because I didn't understand anything. 6 months passed...... I tried to watch again last week. During episode 4, I fell asleep. Ok..... I was thinking.... ????. Again, yesterday, I finished watching the last 2 episodes which should give me the answer based on the other people reviews. But I didn't get any answer. I am so sure that I am missing "something". I love the song very much. :)
Please avoid this series.......2006-10-15
After enjoying "Cowboy Bebop" and "Samurai Champloo", someone recommended checking out "FLCL" aka "Fooly Cooly." If you enjoyed those previous titles, I would suggest steering clear of this particular anime. The art is interesting enough but the story is simply lacking, the characters are completely and utterly undeveloped. It almost seems like they are making fun of you for watching their anime. This the third dvd of three and has 40 minutes of programming. I read somewhere that this was not even a real show and that they threw it together to test out new animation techniques-- if you've seen all 6 episodes and are still wondering "what the heck was that" this does not seem to be untrue. Please I strongly suggest you skip watching this program because it is, simply put, garbage.
A great FLCL ending.......2006-07-11
Out of all 6 episodes, I have to say the 5th episode is my favorite and it's on this DVD,along with episode 6 (my 2nd favorite episode) here are some reasons these 2 are my 2 favorite episode:
Episode 5 Brittle Bullet: A great episode! It spoofs "Lupin the 3rd" and "South Park" in the begining then the rest of the episode is all about shooting stuff.
1st: It's Naota and Haruko VS. Canti and Naota's Dad. During that battle one of Amaro's teamate is trying to kill Canti.
2nd: Haruko and Amaro have a gun battle at a barber.
3rd: A a giant hand type thing comes out of Naota's head and is armed with A giant rifle, 2 giant Pistols, and a giant..... you get it. My overall rating 10/10
Episode 6 Fully Climax: Not much to say about this episode. Naota runs away with Haruko. Haruko activates the MM factory, and Naota gets all of Canti (Atomsk's) powers and battles Haruko.
Then Haruko leaves earth, and Mamimi grows up and leaves Mabase and yadda yadda yadda. My overall rating 9/10
This DVD also fetures Commentary on both episodes by the Director.
Ride on shooting star music video by The Pillows
3 diffrent alternet credit endings
An image gallery
Out-takes (lol)
and last, anime trailers.
Enjoy the last 2 episodes of FURI KURI-FLCL-FOOLY COOLY- or however you say it.
FLCL Volumes 1-3.......2005-11-07
This series must get an award for simple originality. None of the characters follow the same anime stereotypes we've come to know as anime fans. The conflict is everchanging but never out of reach. You always know what is going on, in other words. And to add to that, it has a great J-pop soundtrack. If you're tired of those stories about a male Japanese boy surrounded by many beatiful women--and who isn't--this is where to go to regenerate your love for this type of anime.
wow.......2005-10-01
Words cannot describe the final two episodes of FLCL. The unbelievible sensation of your jaw 16 inches from your face will make you watch them over and over agian. Which is necessary because after your first time, you will find yourself lost, saying: What the #$%@ did i just watch? The show may seem a bunch of random crazyness, but that is only the first layer. Below this is a very plot-driven twist of jelousy, pain, acceptence, denial, love, and growing up. I am not a fan of anime, but this is much more than anime. It is not crazy people fighting creatures for no reason. This is genius....
-Brian Artusio
Customer Reviews:
Much worse than I ever imagined.......2006-10-15
After enjoying "Cowboy Bebop" and "Samurai Champloo", someone recommended checking out "FLCL" aka "Fooly Cooly." If you enjoyed those previous titles, I would suggest steering clear of this particular anime. The art is interesting enough but the story is simply lacking, the characters are completely and utterly undeveloped. It almost seems like they are making fun of you for watching their anime. This the second dvd of three and has 40 minutes of programming. I read somewhere that this was not even a real show and that they threw it together to test out new animation techniques-- if you've seen all 6 episodes and are still wondering "what the heck was that" this does not seem to be untrue. Please I strongly suggest you skip watching this program because it is, simply put, garbage.
Nu-anime at its worst........2006-02-18
Why do I call this nu-anime? Because its like nu-metal, its watered down anime made extremely stupid and annoying to appeal to the masses, just like nu-metal. FLCL is overrated by a bunch of fat, zit-faced goth girls in high school who can't get laid, listen to nu-metal, play DDR, hate American cartoons for no good reason, and think Hayao Miyazaki is god. Male FLCL fans are pretty much the same but 100 pounds lighter. FLCL belongs in the "nu-anime" category, along with InuYasha, the Boondocks, Samurai Deeper Kyo, and the various anime s*** thats aired on Adult Swim.
Back to the show, there's nothing special about it, its basically like Excel Saga (at least that show was funny) but extremelly stupid and annoying (like SpongeBob). You basically have this retarted alien girl who hits everything with a guitar and can't play it for s***, she "spices" up the lives of everyone in the town it takes place in. The rest of it is a bunch of retarted pop-culture references mixed with "insane" scenes and a HORRIBLE J-pop soundtrack, yet there's legions of fickle Americans who think this is genious.
If you want to watch REAL anime, not this pop garbage, watch these instead:
Akira
Armitage: OAV series
Ghost in the Shell
Doomed Megalopolis
Ninja Scroll
Hellsing
Steamboy
Astroboy
Transformers
Wicked City
LaBlueGirl
Watching this show doesn't make you different from the jocks or preps, it makes you retarded.
WHAT IS THIS COMING OUT OF MY HEAD?.......2005-11-21
I have to admit that I was a little dumbfounded after watching Volume 1 of FLCL and was debating on whether or not I should view Volume 2. But there was something about it, just some momentary little flashes of brillance that made me push on to this installment. Volume 2 seems to hold back a little on the insanity, or maybe it just seems that way because I've become adjusted to the surreal and crazy format. Anyway, the first of the two episodes on this disk concerns Ninamori, a classmate of Naota, who on the surface, seems to have it all. She's popular, rich, and her dad is the mayor! But beneath it all, her family is breaking up because of her cheating father and in a shojoesque turn, she's not such a good girl as everyone thinks. But maybe her crush on Naota will help her come out of her shell. Or maybe some horrifying alien coming out of her might do the trick!
The second episode is a take-off of baseball, with the alien Haruko opposing the former team of Naota's brother. With her pitching, there's no way any human can even get a hit. Maybe if Naota would lower himself to get some coaching on his swing from Haruko, things would change. That's if Naota doesn't take a swing at his bum of a father first. Imagine the nerve of the old pervert massaging Haruko with the stubble of his beard! On top of that, there's a bomb heading straight at the Earth!
The animation and vivacity of FLCL is just beautiful. It might not make much sense plot-wise, but it's one of the most stimulating anime I have ever seen. The characterization alone is light years beyond what passes for emotion and nuance in other productions. One of the funniest scenes is where a flying Naota, after being ran over by Haruko's Vespa scooter makes a slow motion Matrix bullet time approach to a kiss with Ninamori! The somewhat serious scenes are handled with just as much finesse as the surrealism of the comedy and action. Great experimental show!
FLCL Volumes 1 - 3.......2005-10-10
This series must get an award for simple originality. None of the characters follow the same anime stereotypes we've come to know as anime fans. The conflict is everchanging but never out of reach. You always know what is going on, in other words. And to add to that, it has a great J-pop soundtrack. If you're tired of those stories about a male Japanese boy surrounded by many beatiful women--and who isn't--this is where to go to regenerate your love for this type of anime.
Still more of the same FLCL goodness.......2005-09-23
It doesn't get much better than this, great animation, all the elements needed to draw in a wide variety of people. My absolute favorite anime. Just don't come looking for a plot.
DVD:
- Fushigi Yugi :The Mysterious Play OVA Boxed Set
- G.I. Jane [Blu-ray]
- Ghost In The Shell - Solid State Society
- Grave of the Fireflies
- Irresponsible Captain Tylor - Collection Boxed Set
- Judith Krantz's I'll Take Manhattan
- Kiki's Delivery Service
- ''KILL THE GOLDEN GOOSE''
- Kite Pencilboard
- Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro (Special Edition)
DVD
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