FuriKuri... FuriKuri... FuriKuri... There isn't really any easy way to introduce this show and adequately describe just what it is. No matter how one tries, it all just comes back down to the name... FuriKuri... FuriKuri... FuriKuri FuriKuri FuriKuri! It is the only word that fits this show in the midst of all its madness. It is the only word that adequately describes just what FuriKuri is... It's FuriKuri. Of course, being that it is a Gainax show, right off the bat, you know you can expect it to be an imaginative experience, and calling FLCL "imaginative" would be like calling calling a bad Jim Carrey movie only mildly obnoxious. Ultimately, FLCL is another memorable and enjoyable release from Gainax's genius brigade, although one has to kind of wonder just what exactly they were on when they came up with the story.

Getting down to it, FLCL begins in the quiet town of Mabase, where the only interesting sight is a gigantic iron-shaped "Medical Mechanica" factory. Our story begins with our protagonist, Naota, doing his homework underneath a bridge by the river, while his older brother's girlfriend, Mamimi, practices swinging a baseball bat nearby. The madness ensues only a mere few minutes later, however, when atop the bridge, Naota's fateful meeting with Haruko Haruhara, a self-proclaimed alien, commences... Well, it's a stretch to call it a fateful meeting, technically, she ran him over with her Vespa, then proceeded to bash his head in with her guitar, but wouldn't all "fateful meetings" be much more interesting if they happened that way? At any rate, by the wonderful lack of realistic physics in this show, Naota survived this random assault, and not long afterwards began to sprout a weird horn from his head. It wasn't soon after that when monsters began to pop out of his head completely, and finally, his life was drained of its predictability. Now you see exactly why I couldn't describe this show in the first paragraph, and I was hardly scratching the surface of all there is to FLCL here. This is a show that has to be experienced, not just talked about.

Haruko, possibly the craziest character in the history of anime.	Part of the insanity of FLCL are the strange bumps on Naota's head, and what comes out of them.

Considering that this is a rather recent title to come out here in the states, and only came out in Japan a couple years ago, the animation quality is fantastic. To top that off, Synch-Point did a great job of preserving it when releasing it on DVD here. Those who've seen Evangelion, as presumably all Gainax fans have, will immediately recognize the character designer's art style. The whole zany cast was conceptualized by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, who once again has lived up to his reputation as an artist and then some. In addition to basic animation to go with the plot, they didn't skimp on using other visual tricks to keep the viewer's attention, including much more three dimensional sequences, creating a real Matrix-parody effect, and occasionally changing the entire animation style for a few minutes at a time, just for the humor of it. FLCL has accomplished something other shows, like Excel Saga, have tried and failed at: creating a solid, flowing and enjoyable story while interlacing it with a huge amount of humor, some of which is subtle, and much of which is blatant. I feel that as a result of all this, any otaku could watch this show, forget about it, then come back years later and find themselves appreciating much of the more obscure or subtle humor even more. FLCL stands as a perfect example of the quality writing Gainax is known for.

To fans of Japanese Rock music, FLCL is a real treat to the ears. The entire show's soundtrack consists primarily of pieces of music, some of which are instrumental, and most of which include vocals, by the rock group "The Pillows." Their sound and style fit the fantastically odd pacing and atmosphere of FLCL perfectly. Through its soundtrack, FLCL stands as another of the few anime shows out there with a more dynamic soundtrack and manages to incorporate it flawlessly.

Now, moving along, Synch-Point is a new translation company, and as such, they need to make more releases in order to ensure enough profit to ground them properly in the translation world. So they decided to release the whole six-episode show across three DVDs, with two episodes on each. However, before this makes you think twice about buying this show, keep in mind that the episodes are half an hour each, and you get plenty of extras. So no, Synch-Point isn't trying to rip us off, putting only two episodes on a DVD in this day and age. In addition to a high quality overall translation, within the DVD case they included a wonderful little booklet of liner notes explaining many aspects of the humor and production of the show, much akin to a souped-up version of the liner notes sheets Animeigo is known for including in their releases. In addition to that, within the book they also included a full english translated version of the short manga-esque interlude that occured towards the end of the first episode, involving Naota's discussion with his father and grandfather about Haruko's moving in and becoming their maid. If that wonderful booklet wasn't enough, Synch-Point went the extra mile and even included an image gallery, director's commentary, and dub out-takes from both episodes included on the DVD. Whatever you do, don't allow the small number of episodes on each DVD to turn you away from FLCL, it is a comedy and so very much more, truly worthy of the Gainax name. Synch-Point may just be establishing itself as a translation company, but so long as they continue to make high quality releases like this, they'll easily become a shining star of the anime translation world, right up there with Animeigo. If you like series devoid of anime cliche, ripe with parodies and constant barrages of off-the-wall comedy without losing sight of its plot, then FLCL is the show for you.

Distributor: Synch Point
Creator: Production I.G. / Gainax
Released: 2000

Video Quality: A+
Audio Quality: A+
Presentation: A+
Content: A+
Overall: A+