FLCL: Volume 2 (UK) (DVD)

Introduction

I'm a sucker for anime at the best of times, and can happily while away the hours lost in animated fantasies from the other side of the world. But even I can find familiarity breeding contempt, the repeated use of clichés and stereotypes wearing down my patience, and when I've just seen the umpteenth sci-fi action series with a dark conspiracy at its heart, I begin to question just what it is about anime that I love. Volume 1 of FLCL answered that with stunning vehemence a couple of months ago. It was the landmark series from GAINAX and Production I.G that still has fan forums buzzing. It may have taken 8 years to get to British shores, but it still has an energy, freshness and originality that most new series still can't get close to, and its debut was one that simply blew me away. Volume 2 couldn't come fast enough.



Adolescent ennui takes centre stage in FLCL, with 12-year-old Naota resident in a quiet dead-end town whose only point of interest is a giant steam iron of a factory that regularly pumps fumes out over the town. His older brother is in America playing baseball, and he's left behind reflecting on the dreariness of existence in a town where nothing ever happens. He spends his time hanging out with his brother's girlfriend Mamimi, although since he left, Mamimi, who is at something of a loose end and lacking many friends of her own age, has been showing a rather oppressive interest in Naota. And the days slowly pass by…

Until one day, a girl on a scooter appears carrying a bass guitar. She introduces herself by running down Naota, and then reviving him with some indecently applied mouth to mouth, only to clout him once more with the guitar. Her name is Haruko, and she claims to be an alien. And nothing will ever be the same again. Soon, she's piloting her Vespa into Naota's dad, in order to move in ostensibly as a housekeeper, but more to keep an eye on Naota. For suddenly, Naota's brain has vanished and he's sprouted a horn in the middle of his forehead. Only it's not a horn, it's actually a robot trying to get out!

Volume 2 of FLCL contains 2 more episodes and a host of extra features.

Picture

With two years invested in making just 6 episodes of animation, you would expect something special, especially from the combination of GAINAX (Evangelion) and Studio I.G. (Ghost In The Shell), and you won't be disappointed with FLCL. The transfer is excellent, with the 4:3 image coming across with absolute clarity and depth of colour. The only time you will notice any aliasing or compression artefacts is if you pause the disc; in normal playback it looks excellent. There are also no signs of NTSC-PAL transfer issues. I'd be hard pressed to distinguish it from a native PAL transfer.

The animation itself is astounding. One criticism of anime that is occasionally justified is that it isn't always that animated, with creators using tricks to make static scenes look dynamic, with plenty of talking heads and pretty landscapes, as well as a lower frame count to save on the budget and the sanity of the animators. There's none of that with FLCL. I have never seen television animation from Japan so dynamic and vibrant. The animation is fluid and of a constant high frame rate. There is always motion on screen, something to marvel at, and there is an energy to the characters and the onscreen action that indicates a theatrical level budget.

Sound

You have a choice between DD 2.0 English and Japanese with optional subtitles and signs. The dialogue is clear in both versions and the stereo offers a nice degree of separation to the effects. The music is something special, with a soundtrack commissioned from the Japanese rock group, The Pillows, and diverse enough to warrant three official soundtrack CDs. The English dub has stood up well to the test of time, and sounds just as well performed and solid today, when compared to current efforts. I of course opted for the original language track, and personally I found that the American accents didn't suit the animation as well.

Extras

Just when you feel like whinging about the low episode count, FLCL almost mitigates it with a nice hefty extras section, with more than just the animated menus, jacket picture and trailers (Black Cat and Trinity Blood).

Both episodes get a commentary from director Kazuya Tsurumaki, interviewed by two unnamed commentators. He talks volubly about the show, the characters and the points of interest therein, although I did feel that the commentary for episode 3 was a little gappy. It's a clear, informative track that is light and easy to listen to, a valuable addition to the disc. This is subtitled in English quite naturally. Note that you have to select it from the Setup menu, as it isn't listed in the Extras.

Also on this disc are the Australian trailer (which is surprisingly identical to the FLCL trailer that MVM have been using on their discs of late), the original Japanese closing, and Cast Profiles for two of the characters.

Not listed in the extras, but available through your remote is a fourth audio track. It's an effects and music only track, which offers you the chance to hear those tunes from The Pillows without anyone talking over them.

Conclusion

I could just say more of the same and be done with it, as this second volume of FLCL offers more of the same brilliant animation, more of the same originality, more of the same inspired characterisations, and more of the same surreal stories, but that would be doing it a disservice. FLCL is a show that transcends its medium, and truly offers something you've never seen before, and probably haven't seen since either. As a result, each episode is like a carefully polished gem, unique, rich and fascinating. There's more crammed into one FLCL episode than most series manage in their entire runs, and no two FLCL episodes are alike, each offering a different but equally fulfilling experience.

That said, the characters, themes and style do remain constant in the series. Volume 1 not only set up the basic premise and introduced the characters, but also had something of a focus on the alienation and boredom felt by teens in society. Volume 2 builds on that, but if it can be said to have a distinct theme in the two episodes, it would be that of the dysfunctional family. Episode 3 focuses on Naota's classmate Eri Ninamori, who is class president, and upstanding student. It's a status that she works hard to maintain, even harder now that her parents are going through a divorce. Her father is the town's mayor, but she sees her parents' antics as increasingly childish, and resolves to act in what she considers an adult manner to compensate. That means putting on a school play to the best of her ability. She's playing the female lead in Puss in Boots, and she is determined that Naota takes the title role. It's just serendipity that Naota is currently nursing a pair of cat ears that he resolves to keep under his hat, and that Haruko is getting a kick out of stroking. There's more to Eri's interest in Naota than just the play, and that becomes clear when to avoid the press frenzy outside her dad's home, she comes around to Naota's for a curry and some privacy.



Episode 4 returns the story to Naota, who is trying to figure out where he stands with Haruko. She introduced herself as an alien from outer space, well she introduced herself with a bass guitar to the head but that is beside the point. In this episode we finally meet Amarao, the inevitable Man In Black, with an odd fashion in eyebrows, and a couple of wise words of advice about Naota's older girlfriend. But is she? She may be getting close and personal when it comes to coaching Naota in the wise ways of baseball, a game that she has taken a shine to ever since she started playing against the local team and kicking their arses, but her relationship with Kamon, Naota's dad is beginning to rub him the wrong way. Kamon is apparently rubbing Haruko the right way, with an innovative line in chin stubble massages, and on more than one occasion Naota interrupts a delicate moment between the two. All of a sudden he is confused about how he feels about Haruko, and how she actually feels about him. All he knows is that suddenly he's jealous of his own father. Meanwhile an out of control satellite is on a collision course with the town.

All that I said about the first two episodes can be applied here in triplicate; it's bizarre, surreal and unique. FLCL's strength is the mood and emotion, with brilliant characterisations, excellent animation and a soundtrack to die for. The episodes are rich and lush, and there is so much going on that you can watch them again and again without ever getting bored with them. It's free styling guerrilla animation that has energy, pace and creative brilliance, without ever pandering to audience expectations or establishment conventions. With only six episodes, you may feel a little hard done by, especially given the quality of the show, but they are jam packed, and the characters so well-written and rounded, that you always feel as if you're just glimpsing aspects of a complete world, and that the characters keep on living their lives when the end credits roll. What really hit me with this second volume is just how sexy and edgy the show is. The characters have a frisson, a hint of danger to their interactions that made me think that the show was on the verge of jumping a BBFC rating or two. It's only ever implied, or indeed nothing happens, but you're always left with the feeling that the characters want it to.



I don't even care about the release format now. Value for money can mean more than just quantity. With FLCL you have an animation of such quality that you get much more with just one episode than some series offer in their 26 episode runs. It's a truism that you get what you pay for. But in my view, paying full price for a show of this quality is still netting you a bargain, as you'll be returning to this show again and again when this week's Naruto is a distant memory.