FLCL
Gainax is one of he most interesting animation studios in Japan or the world for all that matters. There is a genuine sense of randomness about them. It was set up by a bunch of hyper-enthusiastic students with no business sense. As a result, Gainax is its own worst enemy. Their most famous production is Neon Genesis Evangelion, a groundbreaking series they created when they were on the brink of bankruptcy. It's probably fair to say that Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the continuous milking of the franchise, are the reasons Gainax still exists.
However, it is the series they created five years after this, FLCL, that gets the much coveted "Funny Little Men's thumbs up"®. It's only six episodes, but what a six episodes they are. This is Gainax at their best, managing to finish a project without running out of money or firing the director halfway. Yes, sometimes pigs really can fly.
At first glance, FLCL (pronounced furi kuri) looks like someone loaded a bunch of animation drawings in a bazooka and shot them in your face. The animators who made this definitely watched a lot of MTV and it's easy to think that FLCL is really just some visual fireworks full of obscure cultural references. Mind you, even as a visual fireworks display, it's pretty cool. But amazingly, there is an actual story-line underneath all this seemingly randomness, and a rather sweet one at that.
It's the coming of age story of Naota, a twelve year old boy whose life gets turned upside down when Haruko Haruhara, a selfish twenty-something girl comes barging in. As it is a coming-of-age story, the whole series is steeped in sexual imagery. Haruko herself for instance personifies raw, uncontrollable sexual energy and it's easy to see why Naota is at once attracted and repelled by her. However, the series doesn't just deal with sexuality, it's also about responsibility, masculinity and being true to yourself. It manages to do all this without ever becoming cheesy or juvenile. In short, a real coming of age story that isn't afraid to show some ugly bits.
The animation and direction are crazy and imaginative. Often much more cartoony than you'd expect from Japanese animation. We can't deny that it is all a bit self-indulgent, but the whole thing is done with so much pizzaz and spirit, it's easy to forgive them. FLCL is known for its excellent soundtrack, mostly provided by the Japanese underground band The Pillows. "Ride on shooting star", the end tune, is a favourite on our iTunes.
FLCL is cool, it has the don't-give-a-f**k attitude of a punk-rock band and Haruko Haruhara is one of the most memorable lead characters ever. The soundtrack alone makes this a worthy watch.