Rating: 
Summary: Wildly entertaining. Best in series.
Review: I have owned this DVD for only a few days, and I have had it on almost constant replay. I can't count how many times I've seen it in the space of only a week. The voices are very well done. The music is great. The characters are endearing and charismatic. The art varies from extremely detailed revealing detailed expression and emotion that is a triumph in animation to simpler forms remeniscent of other older Japanese cartoons that I'm not so fond of.
I like the first two episodes best because they focus more on the characters and less on action. Parts are laugh-out-loud funny. The concepts upon which this show is based make you truly question the sanity of its creators.
Director commentary with English subtitles adds interesting details about the making of the show.
Definitely not for kids. It's full of pretty strong inuendos.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent series, lousy DVD
Review: $22 for only two episodes a disc? I think NOT.
Rating: 
Summary: An engaging series that's only downfall is it's length.
Review: 3 Stars and a title like that? - Well, I'm reviewing the DVD itself and I thought a high price like that for mediocre video quality is just a big slap in the face to the anime community. I really did enjoy FLCL - one of my favorites in fact - but for a 9 episode series like this, you could buy it imported from Hong Kong for a mere 12 bucks. Ofcourse, it doesn't come with your english dubbing but you get the entire FLCL in one simple DVD. Where it belongs. Try a goole search.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfortunately, few fail to comment on this.
Review: Despite FLCL being an outstanding series, the three DVDs are a complete letdown.
I'm not even sure why i haven't seen anyone talk about the poor video quality throughout the six episodes, since it'd be near damn impossible for it to be "just my disc". There's two main problems i noticed that either span an entire episode, or affect a big chunk of it's running time. One is a horrible sharpness that creates blocky lines, rendering the animation something straight out of ms paint. The second being a blurred image, appearing as if a home vcr recording.
What really bothers me is that i'm quite sure i catched a glimpse of a few parts of FLCL when it aired (or might still be airing) on Cartoon Network, and i'm pretty sure CN's episodes were completely flawless.
It's a shame that FLCL fans have no other official alternative in the US. As is i dislike the idea of making the most out of a 6-episode series by releasing it in three separate DVDs, but the lack of respect for the fans shown in the quality of this product alone can definitely be considered the kick in the gonads.
Rating:
Summary: Outrageous action, Hilarious characters: It DOES make sense!
Review: Weirdly beautiful, FLCL is to anime what James Joyce's "Ulysses" is to the English language: a combination of all conceivable styles produced by absolute masters; proving conclusively that pastiche, done right, can be a great art from. And FLCL is done right. The first thing people notice about FLCL is the style, or should I say, styles, as the animators at Studio IG combined every animation style that popped into their heads (including some childish and crude ones), added some brilliant innovations of their own, and assembled all so that every scene -- every scene -- has something weird, beautiful, quirky, striking, or all of the above. The next thing you notice is the action: many scenes, especially the signature battles between robots and a crazy girl armed with a Rickenbacker bass guitar, are so frantic, frenetic, energetic and complex, that you really have to watch it over and over to understand what's going on. But never fear: FLCL is so much fun you'll ENJOY watching it over and over. (Buy it, don't rent it.) You have to trust me: with patience and attention you'll realize that there IS logic and continuity in this complex, multilayered tale. Reviewers who say FLCL is incomprehensible are just wrong-- FLCL is very comprehensible, just too fast and complex for slower people. After you start to figure out the storyline, you can pay attention to the wonderful, hilarious characters and their relationships, which are beautiful and true. Although FLCL's action is hard to follow at first, and based on a couple of absurd premises, still, the characters react to these events in ways that are entirely truthful, given their personalities. Starting from the end of Episode 4 (there are two episodes per DVD), the writers show the relationships between the characters evolving in ways that, we realize later, are inevitable and true to how people really act. You have to respect the writers at GAINAX: these guys may be crazy, but (unlike Hollywood screenwriters) they in fact do have insights into human nature, and they show relationships evolving in realistic ways, no matter how absurd the robot battle scenes may be. Smart adults can enjoy this. And as a bonus, the action scenes are livened by a really terrific rock'n'roll soundtrack by Japanese band the Pillows; the music is cut into the action onscreen with more skill than I've ever seen in any animation, resulting in action/music montages that blew me across the room. The English dub, by the way, is excellent, the best English dub I've ever heard on any anime. No famous pretty actors, just great voices and a great translation. "Ukelele no goood!" I'm still laughing. Emotionally repressed Naota, ditzy unstable Mamimi, crazy hot alien Haruko with her bass guitar, wannabe tough-guy Amarao, and horny hippie Kamon, are classic characters and you'll get a kick out of them all. Especially Amarao-- "Those eyebrows!" Buy this DVD. Buy it, and watch it over and over till you figure it out. It's worth every minute.
Rating:
Summary: What Does Furi Kuri MEAN???
Review: Watch the TV and just relax. This review is coming from a recent convert to new anime (late twentieth century - early twenty first), so fanboys can skip over this slate of praise. I'm a film fan. Kubrick, Lynch, Gilliam... etc. The folks at GAINAX floored me with this totally interpretive tale of boy meets bassist. The animation style is varied and full of quirky homages of faves and influences ranging from Lupin III to South Park and many others in between that I'm sure I never caught. The English voice cast is eerily in sync with the original Japanese. The music, a la The Pillows is by far the best J-Rock soundtrack I've ever heard, evoking Pixies, Smiths and others. Production value is consistent throughout the short six-episode series. As far as the story goes, you'll probably be left wondering just what the hell happened to you, but that's not a bad thing. This three-hour romp through an alternate reality is SUPPOSED to confuse while tackling coming-of-age issues, mild sexual tension and medical disorders that result in robots popping out of peoples' heads. I can't call it weird, because the term seems crude in context. Much the way dada should be appreciated in its own context, FLCL should be approached with no expectations. Let it take you for a ride. Just don't be suprised if you're left hyperventilating and drooling on the couch afterward. Doctor's reccomendation: Watch it again. Side effects: Aversion (or attraction) to wandering housekeepers. :)
Rating:
Summary: Save up and BUY
Review: For those of you who feel that by seeing the first episode, you have a pretty good grasp on an anime. This is not the case with FLCL. The plot is a twisting, rich, powerful story which will require you to see the whole series at least twice. The first time through, most people will become brainfried and decide that the director was on the shrooms. However on the second time through you will see a fascinating tale full to the brink with imagination. Lets divide this series into sections of strong points and weak points. Plot: 5 stars- This is an amazing plot, but I've already babbled to much on this. Graphics: 5 stars- The whole thing is beautifully done with delicate or crazy ( first and last episodes) colors and movement. When the animators put in South Park into it I was about to send him my college savings, it was brilliant. Humor: 5 stars- Great sense of humor from every aspect. From sarcastic to ...another funny thing the humer is dead on for teens, not widdle kiddies. Can't think of anything else: 5 stars- WOW. just wow. In my opinion ( which, by the way, has never helped anyone with anything) this is the greatest anime of all time. Save up and buy all three discs. You won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Absolute candy for the eyes and ears!
Review: I caught my first episode of FLCL on "Adult swim"...it took me all of 5 minuits to get hooked! This series is possibly the most imaginitive and visualy stunning Anime I've seen to date. To put it in a nutshell, this series is all MTV could have been if it weren't a commercial vehicle for second rate talent and brainwashing pre-teens with leftist garbage. The sound track rocks, some of the visuals borrow from Pink Floyd; The Wall, and some of the most stunning "camera" movements are utilized. The artwork quickly shifts from cartoony (including direct comic book stylization) to extreamly well drawn. Even though a polar opposite, this is probably the best anime since Cowboy Beebop. In short, this whole show rocks! If you like Anime, this series is a must!
Rating:
Summary: FLCL actually has a plot!
Review: I know all you people may say this anime doesn't have a plot, but it actually has a very intricate storyline. It is bizarre, but if you PAY ATTENTION it makes sense. Haruko is a 19 year old member of the Space Police who comes to earth chasing a being composed entirely of energy known as Atomsk. Although she is a member of the space police, Haruko is very self centered and wishes to capture Atomsk so that she can consume his energy and steal his power ( Atomsk has enough power too steal planets). When she finds that he isn't on earth, she opens inter-dimensional transport waves in Naota (main character's) head by hitting him with a guitar. Transporting stuff across the galaxy is a huge gamble, but at the end of the first episode, Haruko manages to pull Atomsk out of Naota's head. Now Medical Mechanica, the space Police affiliates on earth, are trying to destroy Haruko and recpature Atomsk (who posses the robot known as Kanti). Below all this chaos is the story of Naota's coming of age.
THAT'S THE PLOT RIGHT THERE, PEOPLE!!!
Rating:
Summary: Ride on Shooting Star!
Review: Furi Kuri is NOT a joke! It is very funny and I luv it with all my anime heart, but don't downgrade it...
I've heard people say its about growing up, and I guess that's pretty much true, but the first time I saw it I was too busy trying to figure out what was going on. After watching each of the 6 episodes more than 6 times to the point you can say the lines along with the characters, it doesn't lose its brilliance. Its light and just entertaining to watch, the Pillows music is Awesome in itself. FLCL is one of my favorite animes (thought its too short! *tear*)
I HIGHLY recommend it... especially to teenage anime-fanatics!
^_^
|
