FLCL Progressive

Several years after the events of the original FLCL it returns for this series; set in the same town but with, mostly, new characters. Hidomi Hibajiri is a fourteen year old girl who always wears cat-eared headphones and has strange dreams is the new lead. Her life, and that of those around her are about to get strange when Haruko Haruhara returns to town on her Vespa.

I won't attempt to describe the plot; anybody who watched the original will know to expect the bizarre. I can understand why some viewers didn't enjoy this; at first I wasn't sure I would. Thankfully once I got to know the new characters I found myself enjoying it more and more. The story provides plenty of surreal moments, laughs and action. The animation might not be as good as many new series but I felt the style matched to original which for me was more important. Overall I found this to be a welcome return to the world of FLCL so would recommend it... as it is only six episodes long you won't waste much time if you don't like it.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

Honestly, I thought FLCL Progressive is just as good as the original FLCL. True it doesnt have the same vibe as the original series. But I was still on the edge of my seat the entire time I was watching it. It isnt as WTF as the original but it is still worth checking out.

Unfortunately, this sequel of a personally beloved work has met my negative expectations. I find it hard to interpret the validity of the critiques I have with FLCL Progressive due to measuring it up to the original series in my mind. With that said, I really don't see much value to this franchise installment that makes it stand out on its own. Where FLCL Progressive stands out is on some of the animation sequences and its quirky personality; unfortunately, I can't say either of these qualities are outstanding enough to outright recommend it.

While some sequences of animation were spectacular, the animation typically ranged from ok to lazily inoffensive most of the time. Reception of this quality of Progressive is going to be a bit mixed among viewers. I can understand why anyone else may praise the animation of Progressive, however, due to my indifference of the subjective quality of most of the animation in Progressive I find myself needing to look elsewhere for the worth of this series.

To me, the personality of the show comes off as a straight attempt to replicate the chaotic tone of Haruko's presence from the original FLCL series. To be fair, Progressive does have a different tone when Haruko is not in or influencing a scene, but these moments tend to be more intermediate than anything. FLCL Progressive's personality is a mere shadow of the tone and themes of the original FLCL series for the sake of its appeal. As harsh and dismissive as that sounds, the coming of age metaphors and additions to the "lore" and world-building seem to lose all meaning when the story of FLCL itself was always self-aware that it never really mattered. Judging from the credits sequence of episodes 1-5 and the way Haruko is presented throughout the series, FLCL Progressive seems to expect viewers to have already have watched the original series. This is where the problem with tone and narrative arises, in my opinion. When continuing a story that acknowledges that it doesn't matter in a literal sense, you create a purposeful progression of pointlessness. FLCL Progressive's narrative may not always be clear, similarly to the original series, but interest to understand and create one's own meaning from it all isn't something that could be maintained through replication. The main times I found interest in Progressive's narrative is during the dream sequences that prologue episodes 1-5. Despite any value those sequences may have, they're mostly inconsequential to the rest of the Progressive series.

Trope attributes aside, the characters of Progressive are more or less un-offensive. Although, a concerning problem is if any interesting or even significant character growth happens in Progressive at all. It's a somewhat debatable topic and honestly, it's more at the back of the mind rather than a major issue. Main characters Hidomi Hibajiri and Ko Ide are presented with plenty of depth to work with; however, with a narrative that expresses coming of age themes, there's still much to be desired when it comes to challenging their mindsets. While I may not be bothered by the characters, I do see a huge missed opportunity in having audiences connect with Progressive's rehashed tones and themes through the characters. Relatable or simply memorable characters can have a huge impression on viewers just as much as much as the quality of the story. With an uninspired tone, FLCL Progressive gains little from the way it portrays its cast of characters.

I want to say The Pillows did a fantastic job with the music again, but there were a few tracks I found there were utterly forgettable and wondered to myself if they were done by The Pillows in the first place. The noticeable new tracks were phenomenal and the usage of old tracks from the original series is pretty nostalgic. However, some of the old tracks from the original series did feel very out of place in certain scenes. While these tracks may be out of place, I'm unsure how much this critique is overemphasized due to how well the original series uses its music in comparisons.

As much as I want to ridicule Progressive for trying to mimic the tone of the original FLCL series, I don't want to demonize it for being not as good as something else I love. It is possible to appreciate the animation that I said I was indifferent about. This is also the case for the tone and narrative that I said was pointless. Unfortunately due to this series being a "progressive" continuation of the original series, FLCL Progressive asks to be directly compared to a work that it never had a chance to compete with, as far as most of the fans are concerned. FLCL Progressive sets itself up for failure, so I can't recommend it.

Fortunately, the series is short and the urge to satiate one's curiosity shouldn't be too cumbersome to those who are still interested in checking it out. I don't know if being a more unique work from its predecessor would make FLCL Progressive a more enjoyable experience, but that approach may have been less self-defeating. If that is indeed the approach the future FLCL Alternative will take, then the reception will hopefully be more positive.

My first reaction when I heard that they were bringing FLCL back was one of excitement, which quickly gave way to fear. It turned out to be exactly what I was worried about.

It's really difficult not to compare it to the original. It is a sequel nonetheless. In reality, there is no comparison. The original was incredibly unique, emotional, character-driven, well thought out, and had an amazing soundtrack. Progressive is none of those. It is very generic, bland, and lacking any kind of interesting characters or development. While The Pillows are back to provide most of the soundtrack, it is mostly reused from the original and their new tracks lack emotion, even just as background music.

The animation quality is pretty low and varies drastically from episode to episode. The voice acting is seriously lacking, but it's hard to tell if it's the acting or the crappy script. The story is confusing and boring at best. Much of this stems from the poor character development which is virtually nonexistent. I had absolutely zero emotional attachment to any of them and still do not understand what their motivations were at all.

It is clear that FLCL was meant to start and stop at a certain place for a reason. It was planned from the start to be a 6 episode mini-series. Progressive is only non-canonical filler and it feels just like that. It is virtually impossible to bring back this kind of show almost 20 years later and try to capture that same lightning in a bottle. For many people, the original series is up there with some of the best anime and they truly have fond memories of watching it for the first time. Progressive only cheapens that.

Honestly, I think if the next installment, Alternative, wasn't already made, it would have been cancelled after how seeing how bad Progressive turned out. Overall it is not the worst thing that I've ever seen, but it is most definitely on my list of most disappointing sequels and things that should never have been made. Completely unmemorable and forgettable.

Compared to the original, the animation is incredibly disappointing, and in all honesty... every episode just feels like pedo bait on top of some more pedo bait... so in a nutshell, FLCL: Progressive is just your average, mediocre, completely forgettable anime series, just with a bunch of the original series' weirdness thrown into the mix), which FLCL really didn't deserve to turn into.

(On the bright side, at least The Pillows don't disappoint - the ending sequence is really rad.)