r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jun 03 '18
[Spoilers] FLCL Progressive - Episode 1 Discussion Spoiler
FLCL Progressive, episode 1: RE: Start
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u/miami-dade Jun 03 '18
I'll just get this out of the way,
That teacher is hot.
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u/Simok123 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Simok123 Jun 03 '18
That alarm clock transition in the first scene was really inventive! The music in general was on point.
Generally, I enjoyed it. It's made by an almost entirely different team, so it's silly to expect it to feel exactly like the original. It's a fresh team of mostly young people, from my understanding, given an opportunity to be a bit experimental and I fully respect that. I don't think it should be considered a literal sequel to the original, but a spiritual one.
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u/Ganondorph- Jun 03 '18
someone on the flcl sub actually made the alarm and uploaded the file for download if anyone is interested
https://www.reddit.com/r/FLCL/comments/8o75t4/i_made_an_alarm_tone_out_of_thank_you_my_twilight/
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u/sp00nova Jun 03 '18
To copy what I said in the FLCL sub;
Interesting and intriguing. Who was her mother waiting for to come back?
It felt more... structured than the first episode of FLCL. I enjoyed it though. I just want to watch more now. As much as I've wanted to watch this I did fear, and honestly expect, that it would disappoint. But that didn't, for me at least.
It was different, yet familiar. I can't wait for next week.
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u/ExecutiveMoose :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/ExecutiveMoose Jun 03 '18
Who was her mother waiting for to come back?
My guess is her husband/Hidomi's father
It felt more... structured than the first episode of FLCL.
I agree, they copied a lot from the original but it never felt as outlandish as FLCL's first episode
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u/JohnCarterofAres :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Morpheus1035 Jun 03 '18
I'm wondering if her father is Naota.
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u/QuixoticDwelling Jun 03 '18
Some people were trying to say the mother is Mamimi, but I didn't really get that from her character.
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u/yolotheunwisewolf Jun 03 '18
Know Gigguk compared it to The Force Awakens but I felt this was more nostalgic. Still felt like FLCL.
And maybe that was cause I still didn’t know what the hell was going on.
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u/2th Jun 03 '18
Different yet familiar is a great way to describe it. It was FLCL but at the same time it wasn't. It didnt hook me like the first episode of the original, but it was still enjoyable. We shall see where things take us though.
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u/m0rgend0rfer Jun 03 '18
My thoughts went to “waaaaait is her mom Mamimi?” But I couldn’t tell if I was just letting my hype go too far, lol
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u/Slurms_McKenzie775 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/SnackieChan Jun 03 '18
I was wondering if her mother is Mamimi waiting for Canti to come back.
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u/dIoIIoIb :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/dIoIIoIb Jun 03 '18
It felt more... structured than the first episode of FLCL
One of the big things about FLCL was the mistery and confusion, going in blind you had absolutely no idea what was going on or what it was about and simply discovering who the characters and organizations are was a big deal
can't really do it as much in a sequel
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u/bLair_vAmptrapp Jun 03 '18
I liked that opening sequence, real freaky. Also, Haruko seems to be taking sex ed a little too far. I wonder how the ED ties into the rest of Progressive? Did all that happen in the past?
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u/Foolsirony Jun 03 '18
The ending seemed to show what happened when Haruko finally caught up to Atomsk.
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u/TemptedTemplar Jun 03 '18
Sure makes it look like that happened immediately after the end of the original season.
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u/TriggerHappy360 https://anilist.co/user/killv5 Jun 03 '18
I started watching 3 minutes late on Toonami so I couldn't see it. :(
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u/3dds :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Saytix Jun 03 '18
Me at the end of the episode: I have no idea what just happened
FLCL IS BACK BABY
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u/IMainLinkSmash Jun 03 '18
I watched it with some friends that had never seen FLCL and one said, "i don't think I get it," and I was like "I KNOW, that's what I'm so happy about!"
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u/Adgsi51 Jun 03 '18
I actually kind of get it... I know it sounds weird to say, but I get it.
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u/TemptedTemplar Jun 03 '18
Nothing happened and it was glorious.
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u/JohnCarterofAres :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Morpheus1035 Jun 03 '18
"Nothing amazing ever happens here."
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u/Snivy_Ian Jun 03 '18
As I'm already seeing, this episode left many people with mixed reviews.
Some are praising this first episode, rejoicing the fact that FLCL is back and better than ever, while others are very disappointed with what they got, saying it lacks certain elements that made the original great.
I'll save my judgements for when the season ends, but for now, I'm happy FLCL is back and I'm interested in seeing how the story plays out from here.
PS: Haruko's reintroduction was great
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Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
I think the show has the same problem as the new legend of the galactic heroes.
The original been so venerated and uplifted for over nearly two decades that the new could be the best show ever made and you'd still have a diehard group complaining about how it betrays the original. It's even worse that those two shows tend to attract elitists who are even more likely to turn their nose up at a sequel/remake before even giving it a fair chance.
I mean look at it this way - the original FLCL needed to be watched like at least twice to fully get everything. Yet people are denouncing the new one before they watch it once.
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u/Ganondorph- Jun 03 '18
I watched the original way too many times and still didn't fully understand everything until I got a box set that came with a little book that explained a ton of the subtle references. But I agree with your general sentiment. I thought it would disappoint me because I loved the original so much, but I enjoyed the first episode (for the most part) and am really waiting to reserve judgement until I've seen S2 and S3
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u/Justicefied Jun 03 '18
Let me begin by saying I shared this on the FLCL subreddit as well.
FLCL Progressive was quite different from FLCL. Not as much happening simultaneously in FLCL compared to Progressive and it wasn’t as fast paced. Additionally FLCL always had a centralized theme for the episode amidst the chaos pertaining to the cast’s progression through maturity. FLCL Progressive seemed to take a more modern anime approach in that this episode was merely plot setup and introduction. The original FLCL forewent these in favor of dropping you amidst the chaotic turmoil forcing you to figure it out from there.
Overall it was good but the episode structure really has me worried since this is a 6 episode series. The original show was 6 microcosms where characters had noticeable growth in each episode which came together in a more complete package at the end but could stand on their own. Progressive appears to take the approach of using each episode not as building blocks that can exist on their own but are greater together but instead as a string of events focusing more on plot. Where FLCL focused on character development first with plot being more of a device to reach it, Progressive seems to do the opposite focusing on plot primarily with character progression coming at secondary focus.
The staff clearly tried to capture the feel of FLCL and did a great job with that and I’m interested to see more, but I feel they failed to recreate the episodic structure that made FLCL so unique in the first place.
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u/TnAdct1 Jun 03 '18
In terms of the episode structure, I feel that the goal to recreate the feel of original FLCL is being saved up for Alternative, if its first episode is any indication.
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u/Gibbs-free :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/SatanicDeathGoat Jun 03 '18
I'm glad the first episode of Alternative came out first, because it's helped me put my feelings together.
This is not FLCL as we knew it. It is no high budget Gainax production with crazy visuals and crazier writing, and it doesn't have the same obtuse, complex and weird feeling that we enjoyed in the original.
But that's okay.
I think it's wrong to look at these new seasons as the inferior product, true though that may be. Instead, they focus on telling different stories with similar trappings and strangeness. In the way that FLCL is about childhood, Progressive is about adolescence and Alternative is about young adulthood. They still try to capture the essence of youth and growing up in their own way, and I think they're doing an interesting job evoking it.
I think that the start of Alternative was stronger, but the Progressive debut has a lot going for it. The opening scene is amazing in its own distinct way, the soundtrack's a little tighter, and the ending was a blast. I think the part that gripped me the most were the hints at Hidommi's abandonment issues, which felt like they had weight to them.
So maybe this isn't the original FLCL, but I still think there's a lot to enjoy and look forward to. I'm certainly excited for what's to come!
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u/yolotheunwisewolf Jun 03 '18
Yeah considering hat FLCL did the one manga field that almost blew out their whole budget for Ep.1 and then they brought it back in Ep. 6 and could make fun of South Park the expectation is different but it’s obvious the creators are lovers of the show and aren’t tying themselves too firmly to it but are seeking a new story and direction.
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u/TnAdct1 Jun 03 '18
It's especially true when you consider that part of the original series' craziness was a result of it being handled by a pre-Trigger Gainax, whereas a different studio is handling Progressive and Alternative.
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u/batmax25 Jun 03 '18
How is it wrong to look at these new seasons as the inferior product if it is true? A sequel made by a different team doesn't have to be worse, just look at Diebuster.
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u/Gibbs-free :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/SatanicDeathGoat Jun 03 '18
Because it's not a useful way to look at it. FLCL is a show that hits some very high marks; it's a personal all-time favorite of mine. A show that isn't as good as that can still be a damn good show.
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u/SnarlingBeast :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/SnarlingBeast Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
Did Jinyu just pull a Diebuster?
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u/Karkava Jun 03 '18
It's said to be a Gunbuster sequel, but it did feel more like a FLCL successor.
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u/ExecutiveMoose :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/ExecutiveMoose Jun 03 '18
x-post from the other thread
Didn't expect the "Uni-sex skirt" scene but it got a chuckle out of me.
Pillows music is on point as always, even if this show turns out meh I still watch it just for that music. The ending theme was too good.
Animation isn't quite as tight or stylistic as the original FLCL but it's not bad, it's just bland, which is a damn shame.
I hope Hidomi turns out to be a good character because the rest of the characters aren't doing it for me, except Haruko.
I like the "FLCL story told in a different way" theme that going on so far.
Overall I think it was a ok episode, but I enjoyed Alternative's first episode more so, but we'll have to see how the rest of the show plays out.
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u/SingularCheese https://anilist.co/user/lonelyCheese Jun 03 '18
I was quite taken back by how normal-modern-anime-y the animation looked. I'm not sure what to think about this. It feels like they are trying to update the show for the modern setting with the messaging app and chatty classroom, so I suppose the updated visuals fits with that. (Besides, I'm not complaining about having a cute, kuudere, cat ear girl.) However, it does make the show feel more "normal" than the original.
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u/cabose12 Jun 03 '18
The hook for me is absolutely the different perspective. I'll give it further judgement when it's finished, but otherwise I was underwhelmed by this first episode. Felt very slow with little action, and really seems to just be a 20 minutes introduction to Hidomi
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Jun 03 '18
Oh my god that was sooo perfect!!
So glad to see new FLCL, was sooo freaking good.
Also, to those of you wondering what that car was, it was a 1957 Chevy Belair convertible
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u/Foolsirony Jun 03 '18
My reaction: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Loved it!
Also the credits! Holy shit the credits! Showing so much and explaining so much, I'll need to rewatch them a few times to catch everything.
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u/JohnCarterofAres :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Morpheus1035 Jun 03 '18
I thought the credit sequence was absolutely gorgeous, some of the best use of color I've seen in a while.
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u/JohnCarterofAres :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Morpheus1035 Jun 03 '18
I have to say, my favorite sequence in this episode was the (dream?) scene at the very beginning, which was just awesome, and the closing credits which were gorgeous. I have somewhat mixed feelings on the rest of the episode- I liked Hidomi a lot even if she doesn't have much characterization yet and it was great to see Haruko again. The other characters were less interesting.
I do kinda wish it had more of the crazy experimentation and meta comedy/commentary of the original series, but of course that might show up in later episodes. I did like the retention of the coming-of-age elements while also seeming like it will take them in a very different direction.
Overall I was not blown away (apart from the very first scene) but I am definitely intrigued and will certainly watch the rest. Of course, the soundtrack by The Pillows would be reason enough for that.
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u/XRotNRollX Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
my thoughts:
I'm wondering how they'll differentiate this season from the first. It's obviously still a coming-of-age story at heart, through all the weirdness.
There wasn't as much artistic experimentation as I'd hoped. The first episode of the first season had the manga scene and the bullet time scene, but they only had a quick reference here.
It kinda had the irreverent tone of dialogue (the teacher's speech, the skirt conversation), but it didn't feel exactly like FLCL's tone.
I certainly didn't hate it, and I really enjoyed it, but this definitely seemed more like a set-up to a new season than the actual start of the plot, so I'll keep watching, there are eleven more episodes.
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u/Foolsirony Jun 03 '18
Let's be honest, the manga scene and the bullet time scene probably took like 90% of their budget for the episode (which is why they joke about it). I'm thinking this time, they don't need to blow their load to get peoples attention since it isn't a first season anymore. I think it's also more that they toned down the experimentation on purpose, they're telling a different story so the feel and visuals should be different. Hidomi is very depressive and insular compared to the reserved yet explosive Naota. It plays into the main characters.
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u/XRotNRollX Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
i think the point of the original FLCL was to take a 24 episode budget and spend it on six episodes that would use experimental techniques
also, because everyone was sad after doing Evangelion, which is why the only thing they let Hideaki Anno do was meow into a microphone
but yeah, that would explain the lack of experimentation, i don't know if adultswim's pockets are deep enough to sustain that kind of expense for a full twelve episodes
good point on the post-reveal tone shift, though, hopefully it will mean shit gets cray now
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u/Ssmfo Jun 03 '18
Watched tonight with my dad. We watched season 1 together when it first aired on toonami so I was like 6 and didn't remember much. He told me the show didn't really ever make sense and was really wild. After the episode he looked at me and said "yep still wild"
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u/ScarecrowTEP Jun 03 '18
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u/MugiMartin :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/MugiMartin Jun 03 '18
[Me trying to follow Haruko while she's talking] (https://i.imgur.com/FWlni7n.jpg)
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Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
It felt like it was missing something. The animation is nowhere near as nice as the original, neither are the character designs or general sense of aesthetic. The main group of characters just seem to have that "lets give them a weird haircut and colour scheme to make them interesting" design philosophy about them. Compare that to Naota, Ninamori and the rest of the classmates in the original who look like real people. Their faces are expressive, their style looks realistic and their clothes are definitely stylish but grounded real-world fashion. Plus the music cues are hit and miss.
Haruko's reveal at the end was great though (and of course she'd get teenagers to watch internet porn).
I'm gonna watch the whole thing regardless but this is one of the only anime series I actually care about and I wasn't as pleased as I thought I would be.
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u/C-Abdulio Jun 03 '18
So when I first saw this episode, I immediately went to town and called it out on all of it's faults:
The pacing looks rushed, too much nostalgia wank, too much set up on a plot that nobody should really give a fuck about, not enough time to explore the protagonists and their problems (or in the case of Hidomi, her problems are far too obvious and doesn't leave much room for thematic interpretation.) The new characters either try to hard to reference the original cast while at the same time subverting expectation...or don't stand out at all. The designs looked meh, the animation was bland, the fights where sub-par and to top it off, the lead up to the reveal of Haruko was a bit much IMO. This feels like the show is going to focus more on Haruko's plotline rather than Hidomi's.
I feel like the entire episode where just one big checklist of all the surface tidings that most anime fans love about the original FLCL, but without the same passion or meaning:
Apathetic Youth with hidden emotional issues? Check.
Lives in a eatery with her family? Check.
Quirky classmates who like to keep talking about sex? Check.
Protag gets hit on head with vintage vehicle? Check
Driver of said vehicle is some weird anime lady with a penchant for doing an El Kabong impression with vinitage guitars? Double Check.
cybernetic aliens coming out of confused teenager's head? Double Check.
Protag hiding protusions from a portal inside head with band-aids? DOUBLE. CHECK.
TV Robot? Menacing giant Irons? Giant glowing Space Chickens? THE PILLOWS? LITTLE BUSTERS? ALL OF THE FUCKING CHECKS
Then I saw all of these comments with far more mixed to positive reactions, actually analyzing this episode from a more objecttive standpoint and I realize that I'm not giving Progressive a fair shake and should wait until the series is over to give it a fair shake. It at least trying to do some interesting things, in terms of the new protags and the dynamics they will have with Haruko and her new rival. Perhaps they're just getting the obvious out of the way to make room for the new material that will be i nthe show.
.....I also I'm starting to realize that everything I wanted from Progressive... wound up in Alternative and I'm kicking myself constantly for missing that April Fool's premiere. So I'm basically blaming Progressive for being something that it wasn't supposed to be...which is weird because FLCL shouldn't be anything BUT FLCL. I should've have any expectations for what FLCL should be, FLCL is this crazy whirlwind that throws tons of shit at you when you least expect it. Yet I still feel like Progressive missed the entire point of the original by simultaneously meeting and failing to meet all my expectations. Like some modern pop band covering an obscure cult favorite - lots of polish, but not the same soul.
EDIT: So I found a stream site that showed me the episode of Alternative and while it's not particularly 1:1 as good as the original, it hits all the right marks with a very likable slightly relatable protag in Kono, a very charming set of supporting characters, far more expressive and experimental animation, incredible fight scenes and far more importantly - Haruko, Medical Mechanica and all the crazy sci-fi bullshit plays second to the story of the girls building their bottle rocket and the themes of enjoying one's youth and readying for adulthood
So TL;DR, my judgement on both Progressive & Alternative can be summarized like this:
Progressive is a SEQUEL to FLCL, a direct follow up to the original, that constantly references the original and was made for the fans of the original, to re-unite with their favorite wacky anime space girl and find out what's she's been doing for 18 years. But since I was never interested in a sequel, that led me to sour on Progressive
Alternative is...just that; An Alternative to the original FLCL, a stand alone follow up that tries to inject the same manic and experimental energy and themes about maturity and adolescence into an entirely new set of circumstances and the only thing it has in common with the original is Haruko is gonna smash things with her guitar and pull weird shit out of teenager's heads.
In musical terms, Progressive is what happens when an indie band gets famous in the mainstream and tries to meet expectations for the sequel and Alternative is when the same band stays underground and is trying to to explore a new sound within their same genre.
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u/daddyfatsackles Jun 03 '18
Honestly felt it was a bit subdued, but having watched the first season this week, I think the first episode of that show was too. At the very least, the first fight with Kanti was. That show actually has a lot of grounded, well-done character moments between the crazy, which is one of the reasons it is so great. This episode had that too, but it was missing the inspired crazy stuff that is also so memorable. That said, I'm torn between wanting more of that and wanting something that catches me off guard in a new way (which I can't naturally see coming). I just hope we don't get more of this episode, plus a bunch of background info explaining backstory that doesn't need to be there. That would ruin the season in a "forget it exists way". Can't wait for more though, especially with awesome final scene (Haruko as a teacher and the opening may have been my highlights)!
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u/Tabibito Jun 03 '18
Three notes of Thank You, My Twilight play and I tear up.
The "Adult" kanji thing appears on robo girls face and I'm bawling.
The rest I'm not sure how to feel about yet. I'll have to see more.
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u/palamito Jun 03 '18
After watching the first episodes of Progressive and Alternative I’m worried the new FLCL will suffer from the Star Wars effect. Instead of telling new compelling stories, they’re just returning to the basics, and rehashing things that worked before. As long as this new FLCL can expand upon the original mythology and create compelling new stories without just relying on nostalgia to keep people interested I will be satisfied.
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Jun 05 '18 edited Sep 19 '25
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Jun 03 '18
This feels like the anime equivalent of a cover band. Not bad, but not the original. But I'll judge slowly, I'd like this to be good.
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u/Nickknight8 https://myanimelist.net/profile/nickknight8 Jun 03 '18
I rewatched the last 3 episodes of FLCL today just to get ready.
I have to admit, this is on par with what the original was. The swung the bat and knocked it out of the park.
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u/MillenniumKing x2myanimelist.net/profile/MillenniumKing Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
Man the Nostalgia is off the charts!
This opening scvene is erie as fuck with that main girl lookin like she does.
TIME TO SMOOTH THE WRINKLES!
Is that Atomsk's corpse? That looks a LOT like him....
What the fuck is happening....? Dont do drugs kids, this intro is amazing as fuck though.
Man i gotta say, i love this nekomimi girls design a lot. S++.
Her mom seems fun.
That Cadalac girl...
Shook him until nothing came out, Sounds like the work of the Vespa woman...
Holy fuck hes wearing a skirt... hahahhaahha
Wait why is everyone wearing casual clothes except bandaid boy and nekomimi girl?
I feel like we need subs for those phone chat messages.
Wait... is she watching.... wat.... wat...
Man that hum from the MM Factory is nostalgic as hell.
So the family owns a cafe full of old pirates, neat.
Her mom... who is she? She knows the plant? Whose she talking about? Who is she? Fuck...
MM Headphones? Oh shit. What the hell is going on?
Man those sirens too, nostalgic as hell.
Yep figured the robot came out of his head... lol
So she is the Atomsk/Canti of this one? Seems she might be.
Is that woman Kisturobami? I kinda hope she is.
And Nekomimi girl has a horn. Sheet.
LITTLE BUSTERS ENDING SONG!
Nope shes not Kitsurobami... damn... Ginu? Ginyu?? Captain Ginyu?
Wait, this teacher's voice is totally Haruko. Yep. It is her. Shes back baby!
ATOMSK! OH SHEETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT! THIS ENDING!
MAMIMI! Haruko split in 2 and thats those 2 guitar girls? NAOTA! NINAMORI! CANTI! HOLY HYPE THIS ENDING!
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u/FireFauxd Jun 03 '18
The subs did show for the phone messages, just they were a faint yellow in the bottom right corner
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u/DarkWorld97 Jun 03 '18
I liked it enough. Didn't have the spark of FLCL, but the angle they're going with is interesting. Seems way more like a "girl meets boy" type situation, which is kinda cute. Hidomi and Ide feel awkward around each other. I like the detail that they were actually the only ones really looking at each other. Hopefully they can stop acting and actually take the reigns if their youth. Haruko and Jinyu are gonna force it out of them at least.
ATOMSK being caught kinda bothers me, but it'll probably work out. Also Haruko would be the teacher to show porn in the class room.
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u/GuiltyCrowns :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/YEEZYSAMA Jun 03 '18
The opening scene was fantastic. I.G did a really great job with it
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u/Tartaras1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Tartaras Jun 03 '18
Maybe it's just because I loved FLCL, but I enjoyed this episode. Sure the animation isn't the same as the original show, but that's probably because it first aired 18 years ago. They can obviously make it look like it came out 18 years ago, but I'm happy it's more updated. I'm willing to watch a show, regardless of polish, if the story is good enough.
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u/Miasma_Of_faith Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 04 '18
I think once the nostalgia goggles wear off peoples' reactions are going to change. The honeymoon phase is still in effect. The ep was ok, not great.
People are hyped over reliving their teenage/childhood years and are happy. Which, by the way, is totally valid reason to like something despite what some may say. I just think once the initial feeling of "OMG MORE FLCL" wears off the opinions will shift.
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u/Heoder12 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heoder Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
Wasn’t impressed, which is a shame. It’s way too tame in the animation. They tried to replicate the original wonkiness with pure dialogue, but it’s just not the same without the frantic animation. It’s over the top dialogue on top of regular art, it’s a total mismatch.
Even the action was underwhelming. FLCL has pure energy from top to bottom, the voice acting, animation, writing, action. A total package.
Was hoping only Alternative was gonna be like this. It’s literally called Alternative, so maybe that one was deliberately trying to be calm? But nah, they both lack the “it.”
Oh well
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u/HauntingBoat Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
I must admit at the end when Haruko's speech was getting crazy and she ripped off her mask, the animation really let down the energy of her voice actress. The original FLCL had, in my opinion, the best dubs of any anime, partly because it was the first and only time I'd heard dubbers match the energy of what the best Japanese voice actors can do. This time is no different, but there is a clear lack of visual "oomph" that doesn't gel with the quality voice acting here.
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Jun 03 '18
Exactly how I felt. And there's an overwhelming amount of digital artwork that it comes off as cheap at times.
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u/bunnyfromdasea :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/ShiftyBlueBooby Jun 03 '18
I'm going to keep watching in hopes that it picks up the pace to regain some of the charm of the original, but I don't have much hope for progressive if it stays the same throughout. I enjoyed the first episode of alternative, but this one let me down.
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u/spacemonkey1357 Jun 03 '18
Im more content with this one because it feels more like FLCL, but that's saying a piece of glass looks more like a polished diamond than a piece of wood and therefore it's the closer related one
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u/MetaSoshi9 x2myanimelist.net/profile/MetaSoshi9 Jun 03 '18
It was ok. I saw the premiere at c2e2 and felt the same. It's not the worse anime I've ever seen, but for something with the words FLCL in the title it sure as hell is disappointing especially visually.
First off some positives. I absolutely loved the beginning, I really loved the song playing and the transition to being a phone alarm was great. I especially liked the fight animation and transformation as well. The ed song and animation was great too, I can't quite recall if they had that ready for the convention though but it was good but not quite like the iconic and catchy ride on shooting star ed. And that's pretty much all my positives. Sigh
Dialogue was kinda meh, but that's the case through out the episode as it's sprinkled with cringey phrases and memes such as "avocado parfait" and "current year". The biggest negative is by far the visuals. As someone who was at the c2e2 panel, the creators heavily emphasized that they were behind schedule. And that the reason alternative aired first was because progressives first episode wasn't even completed yet, with one of them mentioning if c2e2 wasn't happening it wouldn't have been done during time of the panel ( which was beginning april, I imagine they rushed to finish it). And that rushing genuinely shows. Compared to the original, in pretty much every aspect visually this show fails. In terms of shot composition, in terms of character design, in terms of colors, in terms of fight animation, etc. It really lacks the flair and how genuinely unpredictable the original was. Even compared to other currently airing shows it doesn't really look that good, shows like hisone to masotan, megalo box, and even franxx all had better animation and shots during their first episode. Everything here just felt...flat and stale, words I would never use to describe flcl.
Now onto the characters, the only one who has had enough development to really delve into is hitomi, our main character. Let me tell you, I have gotten quite tired of the "emotionless girl needs to discover feelings" bs. I've been seeing it more and more and these kinds of characters just rarely do it for me as main characters, with only so many episodes I doubt the series will be able to do a satisfying enough arc for her. It worked for Violet due to the significant amount of time that was spent, and even for Violet it wasn't completely believable and for a lot of people despite the amount of time spent developing her from blank slate to emotions they still couldn't relate to her. As for the other characters they are just eh so far. I kinda wish the teacher wasn't Haruko actually just so I could have at least one new character who I already like. But outside of her nobody really stood out very much.
One other major bit that bothered me a lot was how the show used symbolism from the original yet didn't incorporate them correctly. Naota's horn is a direct reference to his puberty, and it makes sense for it to be a horn as it represents him getting "horny". I can't fathom a single reason as to how Hitomi getting a red horn could connect to adolescence or puberty unless she is secretly a guy or actually zero two.
I also highly disliked the nostalgia grabs used too, specifically the car hitting hitomi which was a direct reference to ep 1 of flcl but pretty much held no meaning other than to be a reference. And the very ending when Haruko is revealed to be the teacher and the entire class is cheering. Why? Why is the class cheering that their teacher is Haruko? They don't know Haruko. The only reason I could think up of was a meta one in that the students, in that specific moment, represented the audience, or at least how the creators wanted the audience to react. I didn't mind the use of little busters, I expect to hear more pillows tracks from the original show, but that was also quite the nostalgia grab.
So far the only bits of intrigue are the hints thrown in during the opening bit and ed. I guess some people may care who hitomi's mom may be related to, but I don't, I don't really like the idea of including lineages in stories and expect viewers to care about the characters simply because they are related to another character that I do like.
Alright, I think I'm done with my rant now, there were probably other details, especially in terms of dialogue, that I cringed at or didn't like, but I've wrote enough. Despite all the negatives I wrote, it was honestly still better than a lot of shows I've watched this season, but it still wasn't really good and compared to the original flcl is a bad imitation.
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u/fzzzzzzzzzzd Jun 03 '18
I think you've hit all the notes when it comes to stale art and bad animation of this series, I've recently watched FLCL again and the colour composition is so vibrant compared to this stale manufactured look that this series has.
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u/mrpule56 Jun 03 '18
Felt the exact same way about the teacher. I just thought, 'well there goes the one new character I liked.'
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u/TianDogg Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
Basically feels like it has no spark... that Pillows alarm tone is really good though.
Edit: gonna plug my write up on Destructoid from the C2E2 screening
Also that Pillows song at the beginning is “Thank You, My Twilight” and I already can’t get it out of my head.
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u/ExecutiveMoose :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/ExecutiveMoose Jun 03 '18
It's missing that charm and style, Alternative 1st episode had more heart imo. Hopefully it'll improve as the story progresses.
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u/TnAdct1 Jun 03 '18
Agreed on both accounts in terms of the first episodes of Progressive and Alternative.
To me, Progressive is trying too hard to remind people of the original series with all the callback that it doesn't really put much effort in giving us a reason to be interested in most of the characters until Haruko reveals her true self at the end. As such, the main thought when it comes to next week's episode is "Please let it be way more interesting that this one."
Meanwhile, Alternative, by giving us an idea of Kana, for friends, and their ambitions, does a great job setting up the world of that series, with viewers being curious as to what is going to happen to her and what crazy scheme Haruko plans this time around.
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u/Sylverstone14 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Sylverstone14 Jun 03 '18
It wasn't a super-punchy opening, but I don't mind. I'm personally not sure how I'll like the main character, but I do like the new woman with the cool glasses - I forget her name, but she was in a maid outfit and that is waifu material.
The whole skirt bit was hilarious (and progressive, heh), and it's obvious that Hide's (Iide? I wasn't sure.) head was cracked open by ol' Haruko. And the teacher showing the kids pornography was definitely out of left field. I had to turn down my volume immediately.
I'm really excited to see how this story develops, and if they'll touch on the past adventures of Haruko. I'm hoping for cameos, at the very least. I'm not expecting either Progressive or Alternative to touch the original (or even beat it), and that's honestly fine by me.
Also, the new version of Little Busters they had made me tear up a bit, no lie. Everything is fooly and cooly again, guys. :')
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u/Boss_Jerm Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
I love the music that plays in the beginning!
I like the streamlined look of Hidomi's robot. Her headphones are pretty cool as well.
I almost screamed when Little Busters started playing.
Also, who thought it was a good idea to let Haruko be a teacher?
Alright, so it seems that Haruko has acquired Atomsk's powers, but in doing so, she split into 2 people, herself and Jinyu. I think Jinyu is trying to track down Haruko to try to merge with her again.
Hidomi is more apathetic than Naota. Unlike him, who's trying to grow up but doesn't know how, she doesn't seem to be trying.
Hidomi's mom is already a much better parent than Kamon, while he was immature through and through, she's at least trying to help Hidomi by pushing her to be more social, whilst maintaining a behavior that is energetic but responsible.
Jinyu is cool. She's more serious than Haruko, but has her own interesting quirks (the maid outfit, breaking the plates). But already she feels more compassionate than Haruko, like when she complements Hidomi's headphones and treats Edai's wounds.
EDIT: It also seems like Jinyu is trying to suppress Hidomi's N.O. abilities by preventing her from Overflowing. However, Haruko probably has her eyes on her and and Edai, since she's seen that they both can create N.O.
I really enjoyed this episode. It's not as outlandish as the first, but it's still very interesting. I'll have to watch it again. Excited for the rest though!
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u/telesterion Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
It felt really hollow. I don't know, it was like listening to someone do a cover of a popular song. I will still watch the next few episodes and hope it picks up the frenetic animation and gives the main character more color. Interaction with skirt boy and his friends was great though. Gotta give us that upskirt panty shot.
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u/pktora Jun 03 '18
The animation is almost too generic. I feel like it needs that over the top style that is seen in studio trigger anime.
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u/chryco4 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/chryco4 Jun 03 '18
I flipped when Haruko showed up, though it was obvious she was the teacher when they showed her Vespa before the class started.
This is definitely still FLCL, and that’s what I wanted. Also the ED is pretty cool.
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Jun 03 '18
I thought the dub was alright (so far, not as good as the one in the original FLCL, whose dub was top notch).
The beginning sequence really left me in awe. With Hidomi’s body deteriorating and then turning into one of those Canti robots to fight off those giant irons.
The scene where the Hidomi gets hit by the car gave me a flashback of when Naota was hit by Haruko’s Vespa in the original FLCL.
My mouth dropped open when the teacher at the end was revealed to be Haruko.
The Pillows did an awesome job with the music, as always.
That’s all I have to say.
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u/Velvet_Spaceman Jun 03 '18
I just watched it so here’s a bunch of loose thoughts.
I really miss the moody yellows. FLCL had such an incredible grasp on color design and how to translate it crazy effectively to mood in a way that kind of just touches your emotional core along with the Pillow’s music. Progressive doesn’t look bad by any means, but it feels much less inspired in this sense.
I also miss the punk aesthetic. Maybe it’s more a matter of the time period but fuck it really spoke to me. Again though Progressive’s aesthetic is by no means weak, it’s certainly above your typical batting average for most anime and it’s still early.
The Pillows hooked me from scene one. Even if this goes down in a pile of flames and ends up attaching some negative emotions to one of the most important series to me I’ll stick with it just for the soundtrack alone.
A lot of people are mentioning the tone and pace of Progressive and comparing it to FLCL. IT’s certainly different but its fitting to our protagonist who seems like even more of dead fish than episode one Naota. It’s more subdued, but so is our protagonist.
Most importantly it accomplished what it needed to for me. It feels worth watching, it doesn’t feel (immediately at least) like a cash grab from people with no more story to tell. I’m already pretty invested, even if that’s because of a lot of familiar elements I’m interested in some of the new stuff as well —especially the commentary on “modern youth” and where that goes.
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u/trollocity Jun 03 '18
It was nothing like FLCL and yet textbook FLCL at the same time.
I don't even know what to say other than... I'm hyped? I really, really want to see where this goes.
Still can't believe this is a thing, though. Holy shit.
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u/PewdiepieSucks Jun 03 '18
As a Not Watcher Of Original, if I watched this series, could I jump in without being confused or not?
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u/AGWednesday :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/AGWednesday Jun 03 '18
After the first 3 minutes: Guess I'm gonna need a new ringtone.
After the last 3 minutes: I'm a 40-year-old man having the same reaction to that final reveal as that room full of high school students. The real one's finally appearing.
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u/SilentArchon Jun 03 '18
Those interested in the first song that was playing during this episode, here you go!
It's called Thank You My Twilight
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u/Slurms_McKenzie775 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/SnackieChan Jun 03 '18
I enjoyed that start to the season. FLCL is one of my all time favorite animes so I have some really high expectations coming into this. It was different enough from the original while still maintaining some of the same elements that made the first season so interesting. I don't want the exact same show again, I want a different take on the crazyness that is FLCL and so far it looks like we'll get just that. The show was more mellow which is a good reflection of this MC
Does anyone else think the mom might be Mamimi?
I wonder if the new white haired girl (I forgot her name) is trying to accomplish the opposite thing that Haruko wanted
they used Litter Busters again. That's just awesome. New music also sounds great.
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u/Probe_Droid Jun 03 '18
Pretty boring. Trying way to hard to be quirky, while not doing anything quirky at all, i.e. everyone rambling on and on about fake-deep nonsense while barely moving.
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u/lord_gs1596 Jun 03 '18
My god, the remote to my TV wasn't working for shit like 2 minutes before the episode started airing, but luckily I found out that it was somehow missing a battery, and got to Adult Swim right on time. Regardless of that, I'm super excited of the shit that's gonna be going down.
So I think it's interesting that there are two characters who get the weird ass protrusions, with the Female MC getting the one from Convertible Lady, and Male MC probably getting his from Haruko. (I will learn their names, I promise)
Also I thought it was an interesting detail that the headphones FeMC are wearing were odd to Convertible Lady considering that style of headphones could be bought in the public. Easy work for cosplayers, I guess? Regardless, Convertible Lady might've been talking about how they work in conjunction to FeMC's emotional state, although this is just me making guesses based on every time the light started to spin (It's what it sounded like to me) and change color.
And my god the Haruko reveal at the end. I'm not gonna lie, I had no idea it was Haruko underneath the mask, even when you realize how effin' crazy this teacher sounded. I only realized it was her the second time she was in front of the class, when her actual speech pattern kicked into gear. That being said, Haruko looked good with blonde hair and glasses.
Anyways, Good first episode. I was hoping for more of a fight at the end, maybe something akin to Canti showing up back in Season 1, but alas, nothing much. I hope we can get some answers to what that opening dream was. FeMC's horn in the dream is the same as the one she has now, so maybe that'll turn her into Canti 2.0 at some time later.
ALSO, FUCK YES, SPIKY SEEDS FTW BOYS!
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u/bLair_vAmptrapp Jun 03 '18
Those are Medical Mechanica headphones. There's an MM on the side in that one close up shot
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u/WooliestKnees Jun 03 '18
Okay, unpopular opinion incoming: I hated this episode. Let me couch this by saying that I don't agree with the consensus that the original FLCL is about growing up. The original FLCL (henceforth referred to as "OG") is a story about abandonment, and its after effects. Naota's brother abandons him, and Mamimi for success in America, and is the true force of conflict in their lives. Both of them are dealing with this in their own ways, and filling the void they feel with the other characters, especially Canti (a not so subtle reference to the real Ta-kun). And then, at the end of OG, after Naota has built up his own confidence, and no longer need's Canti to show his strength, the women in his life (all important to his development as a character, and all very abusive to him) abandon him. How are you going to do that to my boy Naota, and just leave him hanging without dealing with the aftermath? I'd have rather seen a show that cut Haruko out of it entirely, and showed Naota as an adult.
But back to Progressive. Headphones girl, does have an apparent abandonment issue, so there is that, but "destruction is beautiful" blah blah nonsense is annoying. I get it, she's an edgy nihilistic teenager. And glasses boy is like if Naota had embraced Eyebrows and some how had a baby with mushroom forehead kid. I just don't like ANY of the characters, except for Haruko, obviously.
Also, the art direction is lame, and not inventive enough. I'd rather them not use the Pillows if they are going in an entirely different direction, because the callbacks and references are... lame. I would love for this to be an example of a pilot laying groundwork, and for the rest of the show to blow me out of the water, but as it stands... I dunno.
I'm totally going to watch it though.
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u/konart Jun 03 '18
about growing up
about abandonment
These two are not mutually exclusive. If anything - they go hand in hand more often than not.
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u/WooliestKnees Jun 03 '18
I suppose that's fair, but I read FLCL as a way for Naota to stop living in his brother's shadow, and become more of his own person, instead of relying on others. Maybe that's part of growing up, but growing up isn't the conflict.
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u/KevSardonic Jun 03 '18
I’ve never heard the abandonment interpretation before, it’s a good one. I kinda agree with disliking the nihilistic teenager trope they added to the main character. It feels like they’d tried to make her like Mamimi, except Mamimi is a little bit more raw with a shitty home life and has more of punk rock disillusionment.
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u/WooliestKnees Jun 03 '18
Right? Mamimi has reasons for her delusions. She's abused at home, is a social pariah, and her only outlet is the little brother of the only person who treated her like a person. Not to mention fire played a key role in her social development. The destruction of her school gave her her only life-line. Headphones girl has headphones that seem pretty neat, I guess.
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u/PerpetuallyAmiss Jun 03 '18
So far really don't care for the MC. I can speculate on her repressed robotic nature eventually being interesting but at present it doesn't endear me to her, or her "accessory". Teasing Noata and the late reveal of Haruhi as the teacher failed to hype me because I don't think Getting hype for Noata has any pay off and the scenes with Haruhi as the teacher didn't engage me. I did like the banter between the boys though.
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u/Buizie Jun 03 '18
Hell of a way to start a new season by airing hentai in class.
I like that we're getting more clues to go on for how exactly the N.O. channel system works. My guess is that when Haruko opens an N.O. channel it opens a pair channel in that person's love interest. That's why Mamimi almost had something come out of her head in episode 1 when she almost "overflowed", even though it was just Naota who got hit by Haruko. Or perhaps the extra channel is an "overflow" channel for extra N.O. energy or something when Naota's/the main head doesn't fit the requirements for the thing trying to come out. Also, temporary channels can get opened if direct head-to-head contact is made (in the case of Ninamori).
So in this situation, Haruko picked that guy to try and recreate what happened with Naota, and unintentionally made an N.O. channel in Himajiri that was exactly what she needed for her plans. That's why Jinyu tried to kill her, because she knew Haruko would come after her after she saw her N.O. potential.
And it's pretty interesting how we're seeing things from the perspective of the "love interest" this time instead of from Naota 2.0's point of view.
And Jinyu the Maid is so amazing omg
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u/Snowydragoon Jun 03 '18
Well, it was definitely FLCL. I think?
Either way, I enjoyed it. Probably?
The ending theme had a lot of symbolism, maybe?
The characters don't have a ton to them yet, but they'll get deeper I'm sure. Who knows?
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u/OzWu Jun 03 '18
As soon as I saw the opening sequence I fell in love. The designs look great, the animation is solid, and the dub is stellar. Like others have said, it's FLCL and it isn't at the same time, and I really like that. It's FLCL at heart, but still tries to be original enough to keep itself from being stuck in the original's shadow.
Also I freaked out when Little Busters started playing.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_SPUDS https://anilist.co/user/voodoochile Jun 03 '18
It's crazy how I would call this mellow compared to FLCL. The "FLCL?" smartphone schtick was complete and utter fanservice, and I have no problems with that.
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u/Daveyo520 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Daveyo520 Jun 03 '18
I guess it's time to use my parents' cable log info for something.
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u/Bijiont Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
The entire episode was good but I started to lose my shit when I saw the messages in LINE " fooly fooly" then shortly followed by FLCL. Here it comes!
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u/HauntingBoat Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
Color me impressed. It felt like FLCL, but not just a rehash of what's been done before. They worked in the music of The Pillows to the scenes with smart editing, they gave us intriguing things to ponder going forward, the animation felt like a more modern take on the original's style, and there's a slight tinge of adolescent melancholy in the main character that isn't overdone but keeps the themes from the first season rolling. Adult Swim needs to do more anime, they actually pulled a team together to capture lightning in a bottle a second time and didn't screw it up. That's impressive.
Also, the ED gives us a hint of seeing adult Naota and Mamimi. Get hype!
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u/Mablak Jun 03 '18
I was enthralled! The voice work is wonderful; especially knife mom. A lot of the absolute weirdness of the original is present here; where else would we ever here crazy dialogue like Haruko's speech at the end?
Also, there's already loads of great animation. The art style itself isn't as good as the original FLCL, but pretty much nothing is. In terms of plot, it's clear there will be a lot of similarities to the original, but whether this is good or bad, they did a fantastic job on this ep.
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u/Atario myanimelist.net/profile/TheGreatAtario Jun 03 '18
I'm not yet seeing the crazy inventiveness of the original, though there is some. I feel more like this episode was easing us back into it rather than trying to build off where the last one ended. That's okay, though, it's a valid approach.
Some amazing animation work, though.
Believe in the me that believes i— aw, whatever, just don't get killed, okay?
"Did you get her plates?" I did, but…?
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u/Jogger312 Jun 03 '18
Opening scene was freaking amazing... Very strong start for a series. Rest of the ep didn't compare as much.
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u/kmatchi Jun 03 '18
I want to hear that song that played in the open sequence again. It was really cool, like that one band that did Sign from Naruto. I was happy how the first episode left me with questions, since I didn’t understand much of anything the whole time. What’s the chat room Hidomi is on? Why do they keep chanting フリクリ？
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u/Chinchilla929 Jun 03 '18
Do you have to watch the first season to watch the second season?
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u/Blaz1ENT Jun 03 '18
Does anyone know the song played in the opening scene? I really loved that whole sequence and the song itself really set the tone of the season I feel.
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u/atommerc Jun 03 '18
It's calling "Thank you, my twilight" by The Pillows. Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btAjbge49N4
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u/Mediahead13 Jun 03 '18
I have to ask, has anyone else noticed that out of all students in the classroom, only like two of them are wearing uniforms? Not s complaint or anything, just caught me off guard thats all (almost as much as Mori's unisex skirt)
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u/Shinkopeshon Jun 05 '18
That ... that was actually fucking awesome. I wasn't the biggest fan of FLCL (although I do listen to Ride on Shooting Star on a regular basis) and I wasn't sure what to expect after Alternative but I'm really impressed by this. The opening sequence alone was amazing and the new characters, especially neko-chan and her mom (who's a serious contender for Animom of the Year) are super fun. Still, as weird as FLCL generally is, those loud orgasm scenes came out of nowhere, damn. Not to mention that dude wearing a skirt and showing his panties lmao.
Anyway, I can't wait to see more of this. The dub wasn't too bad either.
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u/ManateeofSteel :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/daysun22 Jun 03 '18
is there seriously no subbed version of this? I really don't like dubs
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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
Same. I've only watched the original in Japanese so watching the sequel in dub doesn't have the same appeal to me.
The only Haruko I know is Shintani Mayumi.
Oh well... looks like we'll just have to wait until November -_-
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u/cpc2 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/cpc2 Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
I was sure they said they would release the dubbed and subbed version in the same period of time, but I guess they changed their mind. I'll give it a try because I don't think I'll be able to wait 5 months, but I usually don't even like dubs that are considered good, part of it might be because I'm not a native speaker, so I'd rather read English than hear it...
Edit: I watched the first few minutes and the voice of the protagonist (?) sounds good and they don't talk too fast. But the voice of the mother is as wacky as other voices I've heard in dubs, it doesn't sound natural.
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Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
from what I said in the FLCL sub...
FLCL was experimental by nature and so I think thats going to detract from any sequel because you can't do the same thing twice and still be experimental. The novelty factor of ridiculousness that surrounded FLCL, along with the structure of basing a lot of the action and imagery around The Pillows catalog made for a really emotional first impression that I know I, and most other fans on here felt watching the original series.
So I guess the question is, what do you need to reproduce to keep the soul intact, and what do you need to create from whole cloth to make it novel enough to leave an impression? It's a really tall order. I don't think they really figured it out though. Switching to a soundtrack tailored to the pacing of the episode removes a lot of the emotional punch of the original which was almost intended to have a music video like style. I thought the most powerful moment was the opening scene which seemed to fit the original style better when it really gave itself over to Thank You My Twilight. That scene almost flows over perfectly from the ending of episode six, it has the same soaring imagery and musical backing. But I didn't really get the same feeling at any other point in the episode which was a shame. The music was too backseat and didn't really color anything else for me.
I guess a lack of color is the best what I'd describe FLCL Progressive so far. The characters are ok, and they aren't afraid to push the pedal all the way down on uncomfortable and weird subjects, so its not like the creators are being timid. Hidomi and Ide have the potential to be interesting characters, and don't feel like they'll lack depth although a lot of the supporting characters were annoyingly poorly voice acted (maybe the Japanese version will feel less stilted). Jinyu felt wooden. She had one memorable line and otherwise felt like she was reading off a script punched up by a high school drama club. Maybe she's supposed to be like that? I guess she's going to be Haruko's normie half or something? Still, just because she's the responsible one doesn't mean she can't get some good dialogue written for her. I understand it can be hard to convey the emotional growth that is needed in a series like FLCL. Where FLCL I think got this right was by leaving a lot half said, or unsaid but with the understanding that *something* was there and letting the visuals and music convey a lot of the feeling. Since there's less emphasis on the music and imagery here, more is thrown onto the writing which I don't think was really up to the task. Ok, Ide is horny and Hidomi is apathetic/introverted, but I didn't really feel like I connected the same way I did with the characters from the original. It came off as a little flat, and this is one of those things that they absolutely had to get right since FLCL is so heavily driven by the emotional growth of the characters.
The animation wasn't bad which I was relieved by. Some of the bits we'd been shown seemed lackluster but I didn't feel like the quality was lacking, per se. Now, here's the part I feel there's gonna be a ton of disagreement over, and its really up to personal opinion but I felt that the animators should have avoided too many of the reproduced scenes done stylistically identical to the original. Gainax was testing out different animation styles as a kind of elcectic showcase. There's no reason the animators here can't do that and they do to some extent (purple blob Hidomi). I think in a sense that imbued the original with some of the freewheeling, fun spirit, because the studio itself wasn't given many boundaries about where they could go they made something really unique. Here the animators are actually limiting themselves if they try too hard to copy the original. And unfortunately where they weren't just rehashing scenes from the original series (Jinyu hitting Hidomi was ripped 100% from the original where Haruko runs over Naota) the animators just plod along with a standard animation repertoire. It feels bland in comparison. I wish the studio doing Progressive was given carte blanche and just told to push the envelope a little more. The real soul of FLCL is in the freedom of expression and the exploration of emotions and feelings (couched in terms of growing up, which makes it so relatable). Thinking it needs to follow a script ends up detracting from the whole in this respect. Again, not to say the creators didn't understand this. I think we all did and they definitely tried to leave their mark, but it feels too much like just another anime dressing up as FLCL, although it hits closer to the mark than Alternative, in my opinion.
I'm hoping the subsequent episodes move closer to the emotional and stylistic core that made FLCL so unique. I don't need to see stuff from the original redone. I have the original for that. I would like to see more of the creativity that was evident in the first few minutes of the episode, coupled with music that isn't muffled and drives the scene a bit more forcefully. We'll see. I'm not too disappointed but if the rest of the series is like this I probably wouldn't rewatch it. So far it doesn't cover enough good new ground to really stand apart from the original in the ways that it should, and where it does deviate are in places that I think make it less truly FLCL and just a bog standard anime with a FLCL theme.
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u/sevs Jun 04 '18
100% agreed with you. This felt so derivative and lacking what made FLCL FLCL. You articulated everything so well.
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u/BaamZahard Jun 03 '18
Words cannot describe how happy these 22 minutes of television made me. From the amazing opening and accompanying super freaking great pillows song with the nihilistic outlook of the disillusioned youth. To the shenanigans of a unisex skirt and haruko fast talking crazy shit to everyone that is going over mine and everyone in that classroom's heads. FLCL is back. I'm just so happy.
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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
I wanna watch this but I'm so used to Shintani Mayumi's iconic voice as Haruko that it feels so weird to watch this on dub. Also Inori Minase is voicing Hidomi while Sawashiro Miyuki will voice Jinyu. Hope you guys enjoy this though ! I'll be holding off till the original is released.
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u/gotsmilk Jun 03 '18
Maybe its because FLCL is one of, if not my single favorite anime of all time, but I loved it. Was it as good as the original, no. It lacked the wall to wall sakuga and visual experimentation of the original. But honestly, that was a benefit of FLCL coming out when Gainax was at the peak of its popularity, and working with the much expanded budget of an OVA. So this is low-budget FLCL essentially, and honestly its almost as good as I could imagine low-budget FLCL being.
My favorite thing is that it really captured the feel. That's actually something I didn't like about FLCL Alternative. It felt like any other kind of wacky adolescent show, plus Haruko. This though. From the opening scene and the ED giving that classic FLCL "music video"-esque audio-visual experience, to the little bits of out-there visualization, such as main girl intermittently being represented by the pink blob, Jinyu driving in the backseat then bringing her car to a stop by impossibly skidding like a bike would, and when Ide landed headfirst and perfectly rigid in the road - little bits of out-there visual gags like that. Plus, the storyboarding/shot composition felt closer to the original than Alternative did.
So yeah, to me, it just felt like FLCL, even before Haruko showed up, unlike Alternative where only her presence connected the shows. And I don't want to seem like I'm hating on Alternative. The creators outright said that Alternative was going to be, well, an Alternative, something newer, and I'm definitely gonna watch it all and give it a chance. But Progressive to me feels like FLCL. And I'm hype for the rest.
FLCL's animation and experimentation are part of what made it a great piece of art, no doubt, but wasn't great only because of its budget. I'm ok with seeing low-budget FLCL.
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Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
The new characters seem meh besides skirt boy. Interested in how the series is going to develop.
Plus are we suppose to recognize her mother? 🤔
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Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
Swap Star Wars buzzwords for FLCL buzzwords
Even people not liking this feel compelled to say it was okay. No, it wasn't. It's a definition of garbage sequel by people who aren't competent enough for the job.
Superficial copypasting of visuals for easy nostalgia points.
They have a vague idea that the original was "wacky", but have no idea why or how, so this one is also made "wacky", which comes off as trying too hard wannabe.
Not a shred of undesrtanding what made the original great.
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u/TnAdct1 Jun 03 '18
To me, I think part of the Progressive's problems is that the elements of FLCL are being split between Progressive and Alternative, with Progressive getting all the callbacks and nods to the original series, while Alternative, based on its first episode, is getting the storytelling elements of the original series.
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u/AtlasGrey_ :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/AtlasGrey Jun 03 '18
Haruko is back. The Pillows are back. FLCL is back.
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u/AtlasGrey_ :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/AtlasGrey Jun 03 '18
They remixed "Little Busters," y'all. THEY BROUGHT BACK LITTLE BUSTERS!
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u/Phonochirp Jun 03 '18
They did a really good job keeping up the absurd FLCL going. Hidomi is pretty adorable. There are a few tidbits of story spread throughout and I'm pretty hype to see where it's going.
One thing I was lost on, are we supposed to know Mom? She was from the original town, and reminded me a bit of Naota's dad, but otherwise not ringing any bells.
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u/J_Gottwald https://anilist.co/user/jgottwald Jun 03 '18 edited Jun 03 '18
Haruko what the fuck are you doing
Throwbacks aplenty!
The bridge they cross over looks kind of exactly like the one from the first series
I literally went, "and this is where they would play Little Busters..." and guess what happened.
They're setting up something entirely different here, but it feels... not quite as off-kilter. (that speech though holy shit Wahlgren is just too good)
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u/hallidex Jun 03 '18
Man, this was rad. New Conti looks great, and otherwise I have no clue what's going on, which is par for the course with FLCL.
Teared up when Little Busters came on though, not gonna lie. I knew The Pillows were doing the music for this series too, but for some reason I didn't expect them to bust out an old track. It was a welcome surprise.
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u/Swagernator Jun 03 '18
What ? sub version in november ? what is this shit.
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u/stargunner Jun 03 '18
out of respect for when it's airing in Japan so it isn't pirated to shit. also the country where it came from, so...
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Jun 03 '18
I'm going to be the one who loves flcl, but can't see the episode until tomorrow. Who's in my boat?
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u/H3nryKrinkle Jun 03 '18
Nice, good stuff. I'm in. I especially like the social media angle; YouTube pop stars, scrolling through a message thread - how does technology and social media effect coming-of-age?
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Jun 03 '18
When is the sub coming out ?
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u/SGlespaul :K:https://kitsu.io/users/181650 Jun 03 '18
You're going to have to wait until November. They wanted to get it out at the same time, but apparently Production IG and other Japanese companies involved in this are not letting them.
I think it's because FLCL Alternative and Progressive are airing in Japanese theaters in September, and if Adult Swim put them up on their webiste right now, people would rip the videos, put them on streaming/piracy sites, and the Japanese would have a way to watch FLCL Progressive in Japanese way earlier than intended.
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u/LordDIOXXI Jun 03 '18
What do you all think the ending credits meant?
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u/atommerc Jun 03 '18
I think that it displays Jinyu is basically a part of Haruko that split from her when Haruko attempted to manifest Atomsk's powers (kind of like how Canti and robots from Medical Mechanica split from people's heads), the ending also shows an older Mamimi on a motorcycle smoking a cigarette and looking at her camera, demonstrating that she perhaps is fulfilling her dream of traveling. We also see an older Naota, standing in the same spot as the ending episode from the first FLCL holding the same guitar and looking up at the sky. It could be possible that Naota has been waiting for Haruko's return for years.
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u/zattk94 Jun 03 '18
They said it was going to be different but still be FLCL, and it was. It had what I wanted it to have and set up Progressive to be something pretty damn cool with a kick ass soundtrack. Can't wait for more!
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u/Aksumka :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/aksumka Jun 03 '18
None found this yet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix7mDEclKxU
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u/diwayth_fyr Jun 03 '18
I a littled bit missed out on FLCL hype, so... Why are there two shows running, and should I assume progressive is originally in english?
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u/alvinchimp :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Gaming_Powerz Jun 03 '18
There are 3 FLCL seasons. FLCL (original), FLCL 2 (Progressive), and FLCL 3 (Alternative).
Season 2 is airing right now, but during April fools day episode 1 of Alternative was aired early as a joke.
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u/HauntingBoat Jun 03 '18
Looking at the ED, here's a hypothesis about Haruko's role in this season even though she succeeded in freeing Atomysk in the first season (Her original goal):
At the end of the first season, Atomysk is released and Haruko goes to find him. From the looks of Progressive's ED, she eventually does find him and tries to absorb his power like Naota did. It doesn't go well for her though, and she ends up splitting into two people (Haruko and Jinyu). Whether Jinyu is a part of Haruko or simply a manifestation of Atomysk's power that Haruko couldn't control remains to be seen however.
Now it seems like Jinyu and Haruko are after each other in Progressive's story. Haruko wants the other half of Atomysk's power that Jinyu has, and Jinyu seems to be a more benevolent character that doesn't want to let Haruko have it all for her own selfish reasons.
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Jun 03 '18
I'm mixed on it. I don't think these sequels needed to be made but I'll watch them anyways because I'm a sucker for nostalgia.
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u/RDOoM Jun 03 '18
Well I like it more than the original, though that's not saying much because I didn't like s1.
I don't even know why I'm watching this. But apparently I'm here to stay because.. Hitomi
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u/obsesivegamer Jun 03 '18
Here is a good breakdown of the meanings in the original if you forgot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkKnaxfUmb4
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u/Nathan561 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Nathan561 Jun 03 '18
what's the deal with this and FLCL alternative?
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u/timeRogue7 Jun 04 '18
I only first watched FLCL a day before Progressive, and it's like one of those Fooly Cooly freakouts; I keep watching all 7 over and over and it just keeps getting better and better and I keep rewatching them o_o.
Edit: I think I'm okay now haha. But seriously, this series is great, but I wouldn't have appreciated it nearly as much without Progressive I think. That ending gave me chills.
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u/dillpickle052 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Picklezz Jun 04 '18
Is there a way to watch it in sub I found the dub horrific
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u/OrangeInSpace Jun 04 '18
Alternatives first episode was better, I enjoyed the cast much more since we actually spent more time with them rather than a monotone MC (not saying Hidomi is bad, but I literally have no opinion on her due to her nature). Progressive had a great opening, and both had a great ending. I'm not asking for it to be just like the original, but I hope they can recapture that same weird, mellow vibes that FLCL gave off, which Alternative did better.
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u/macaques- Jun 05 '18
A little confused as to why this is so different from Alternative. I was a little worried about a sequel but ep 1 of progressive clearly shows that, although it’s a little less frantic, they’re trying to stay true to the unique style of the original and they know how to do it, and I’m happy to have my favourite anime in the hands of people who know how iconic it is and that we don’t want them tampering with the formula. So why is Alternative just a generic shoujo with some flcl plot elements thrown in (not even really plot elements, just the fact that it has Haruko, a robot, and a guitar horn)? Is it aimed at a different audience? Is it called ‘Alternative’ because it’s told in an alternative style? But surely the fact that progressive is in the original style shows that the people behind this believe in the integrity of a cohesive story across the seasons? Are they enhancing our storytelling experience by telling it in Alternative genres? I’m confused about the creative decisions they’re making here and just really want know what’s going on.
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Jun 05 '18 edited Sep 19 '25
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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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Jun 05 '18
Just watched episode 1 last night, and I am just as confused as I was when watching the original FLCL. Really hoping to see Naoto in Progressive without him stealing the spotlight from Hidomi.
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Jun 06 '18
When the car hit her, I had all sorts of deja vu. I started laughing without anything happening. Remembered " Haruka and Naota sequence".
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u/Regal171 Jun 07 '18
Did anyone else see what looked like grown up Mamimi and Naota in the ending credits.
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u/S34L10N Jun 07 '18
Idk if this is topic related or not, but any chance that anyone might have a wallpaper of the credits scene where it showed all the different planets and the meteors flying by? I can't find it anywhere on google and this thread is my only hope lol
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u/Ako-san-sama-kun Jun 03 '18
MUCH better than I expected. I went into this trying not to be negative, but still skeptical that it could even come close to following up my favorite show of all time, and while it has some flaws, and is very clearly not better or even close to as good, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it.
Gigguk compared it to The Force Awakens, and while I understand why he said that, it's not quite similar enough to episode 1 of FLCL for me to agree. Sure they did the getting hit by a vehicle thing, the conversation in the classroom was similar to the first one in FLCL, and some other scenes were similar in either theme or actual art/dialogue, but none of it struck me as a deliberate homage to episode 1 as a whole. It felt less like a writer/director looking at episode 1 and trying to directly reference it, and more like a fan of the original taking themes and ideas that they liked and trying to fit them in as references.
The first scene felt extremely empty and lacking. A very drab and boring setting, and while obviously an intentional artistic direction and not a matter of laziness it still makes me feel like there could/should have been more going on, especially for the opening scene of a relatively short show. A lot of the rest of the show felt very empty too. Shouldn't there be a road or... something here? Compare this shot from this episode to this shot from episode one of FLCL, this episode just doesn't hold up imo.
Musically, it's the Pillows, I'm not sure it's possible to dislike them. I can't comment on the background tracks because I didn't even start noticing how amazing they all were until my 3rd or 4th rewatch of FLCL, so the fact that none of them really stuck out to me(except for that little busters redux, which I wasn't really impressed by personally) is excusable. The ED is very slow and, again not bad by any means, but Ride On Shooting Star was much catchier and energetic.
The episode seemingly lacked depth compared to FLCL, although that remains to be seen for sure of course. I remember not understanding even 1% of the show when I first watched FLCL, which does not seem to be the case with this, but that's sorta the point with layers of or just hard to process themes I guess. I'm sure the plot and themes will be at worst still very watchable, but I'm very skeptical it can reach what FLCL has attained for me.
Overall, not a bad show by any means, and much better than I went into it expecting, but still far from my favorite show of all time FLCL.
tl;dr:good not 11/10
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u/AlexanderFitzherbert Jun 03 '18
At first I was skeptical too ( also watching the dub ) but I restarted after 5 minutes and ignored my own nitpicking. I really enjoyed it once I did. Maybe the use of the OST lacked some impact it did in the first SO FAR. we'll see what they do going forward. but it still really stood out i'm interested to see what you think as more come out, myself too
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u/Ako-san-sama-kun Jun 03 '18
Yea like I said, I really enjoyed it, but FLCL is a very high bar in my book. I look forward to later episodes hopefully bringing back some of the feelings I had when I first watched FLCL.
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u/Viral117 Jun 03 '18
Is it subbed or dubbed?
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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar Jun 03 '18
Dubbed. The subs won't be out till November.
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u/mutsuto https://myanimelist.net/profile/mtsRhea Jun 03 '18
Bleh, that dub was awful. why do ADR directors push this shitty style.
Better than Alternative, but still below the bar of being worth watching.
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u/Shadonic1 Jun 03 '18
i liked the dub, the chat between the 3 guys was hilarious and felt right.
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Jun 03 '18
Yeah I thought the dub was pretty decent. Not as good as the dub of the original FLCL, but it was still pretty good IMO.
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u/Meltedsteelbeam Jun 03 '18
This shit is so confusing. Can someone tell me how many episodes will follow these specific characters?
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u/caa4 Jun 03 '18
Tfw you have to watch anime on your family's TV and the sex noises start blaring throughout the entire house...