Background
In March of 2022, “Toonami,” the late-night anime block on Adult Swim, announced that the cult classic, “Fooly Cooly” (FLCL), would be getting two new seasons; “FLCL Grunge,” and “FLCL Shoegaze”. The announcement of the new seasons raised many eyebrows, as the prior two seasons, titled “Progressive” and “Alternative,” had been criticized by old fans of the series. Around the time of their respective releases, many said that they missed the point of the original. Skepticism grew amongst fans as it was announced that Grunge was to be fully 3D animated, the first time the series has not used traditional 2D animation. The announcement to shift to CGI animation in Grunge caused backlash from fans. Many say that FLCL is known for its hyperactive 2D animation, and CGI could lead to less expressiveness in the characters.
Carlyle Edmundson, a writer for Screen Rant, said “The animation of FLCL was a big part of its original success, as it often used gags about art style and tended not to shy away from cartoony physics if it served a joke.”
Despite the initial skepticism, it was only a matter of time before the premiere of the new seasons.
FLCL Grunge
“FLCL Grunge” introduces the viewers to a brand-new town called Okura, which is on a planet that is so polluted that it’s practically made of trash. Due to the horrendous living conditions and atmosphere, many of Okura’s citizens leave via space shuttle, but only the wealthy can afford this move. The first character the audience is introduced to in this season is Shinpachi, nicknamed Shin. Shin works at a sushi restaurant owned by his father where their specialty is turning the toxic fish that inhabit the heavily polluted waters into sushi that is safe to eat.
The mayor of Okura arrives at the restaurant and enters with his date, who is revealed to be Haruko Haruhara, the main antagonist of the series. Shin encounters Haruko behind the restaurant, who forces him into a kiss, awakening an N.O. portal in his head. N.O. portals work similarly to a Gachapon machine where someone uses the machine until they get the prize they want. N.O. portals can be opened if an N.O. holder feels any strong emotions, though not every character can do this. Haruko uses it to pull things out until she can bring out Atomsk, the pirate king, and take his power.
Aside from Shin, the other two protagonists have smaller roles, but their conflicts also tie into the finale. Shonari, an alien species composed of rocks, lives his day-to-day life cleaning up messes made by his alcoholic brother Dainari, who is a Yakuza gang member. Shonari went through a lot of emotional trauma as a kid and later states that he has lost hope in himself and has come to terms with the fact that he will inevitably end up like his brother. Dainari continues to make money as a Yakuza gang member in an attempt to make enough money for Shonari to afford a ticket out of Okura and have a better future.
Orinoko, the final protagonist, is the daughter of a blacksmith who makes knives and swords for the people of Okura, as well as a close friend of Shonari and Shin. She spends a lot of time searching for iron ore in the scrap yard, where she first meets Haruko and helps her fix her iconic yellow Vespa. Orinoko also deals with trauma from her past, including the death of her mother.
FLCL Shoegaze
“FLCL Shoegaze” starts by showing the world created after the ending of “FLCL Alternative”. During the climax of Alternative, the universe gets split into two separate dimensions, which explains why Haruko is noticeably absent. The viewer is introduced to a new protagonist named Masaki, who claims to have been seeing ghosts around the town he grew up in when he was little.
Masaki becomes fed up with his current situation, and attempts to create a bomb using supplies from his classroom. This is where the viewer is fully introduced to the secondary protagonist, Harumi. The duo ends up working together to blow up the top of the Tsuganei Tower, which from Masaki’s perspective, is the resting place for a giant ghost bird that only he is capable of seeing. Masaki’s goal is to uncover the truth about the giant bird, but Harumi’s reasoning for teaming up with him is, at this point, a mystery.
When the duo arrives at the tower, they are caught by the Bureau of Interstellar Immigration, where the viewers see the return of chief Tsukasa Kanda and Kana Koumoto, both making their first appearances in FLCL Alternative, Koumoto being that season’s protagonist. Throughout Shoegaze, Masaki and Harumi are constantly pursued by the Bureau who try to stop the duo from setting their plan into action.
Are “FLCL Grunge” and “FLCL Shoegaze” Worth Your Time?
It’s no surprise that seasons four and five don’t live up to the original hype, but they are by no means bad. The fourth and fifth seasons of the series both continue the tradition of having the soundtrack provided by “The Pillows,” a Japanese rock group. The soundtracks of both seasons remain stellar, and The Pillows never fails to give each season of FLCL a memorable soundtrack. If you’re planning on watching Grunge and Shoegaze without watching the previous seasons, you’ll be left scratching your head. Despite these two seasons ending seemingly on cliffhangers, Cartoon Network’s senior vice president, Jason DeMarco, confirmed that these would be the last seasons of FLCL.
“Adult Swim considers Grunge and Shoegaze ratings successes and is very happy with their performance. We won’t be making any more,” says Jason DeMarco.
Grunge and Shoegaze still retain the silliness of the original FLCL, and both seasons are just as action-packed as before. The characters this time around are less memorable, especially with the short runtimes of both seasons with little room to expand upon the new characters, they still however, have their moments and you’re probably going to remember at least one of them once you’re done watching.
For fans of the original, these seasons are mediocre at best, but both still have their unique charm and are worth watching if you plan on binging the whole series. Shoegaze is undoubtedly better than Grunge, due to it not riding on the coattails of the original in an attempt to pander to older fans. Shoegaze is very different from the original series, it is a decent follow-up to Alternative, and both work hand in hand as a decent enough modern take on the FLCL story.
Overall, seasons four and five are still worth a watch, even if they aren’t nearly as good as the original, they still have moments that fans of the original may appreciate, while also having elements of modern anime that newcomers will enjoy.
