Dave Baranyi
2018-04-25 23:52:08 UTC
I just got around to watching the first episode of “FLCL Alternative” which was broadcast earlier this month. The actual series is supposed to be broadcast starting September 7 according to the official website. ( http://flcl-anime.com )
What we have here is an “alternative re-telling” of the classic Gainax OAV “FLCL” but done by Production I.G. The protagonist of the original series, Naota, has been replaced by a fairly ordinary high school girl who, along with three of her girlfriends, gets caught up in alien shenanigans while trying to build a giant bottle rocket.
The first episode of “Alternative” attempts to capture the spirit of the original series in look, feel and music, but Production I.G. has decided to go with a “cute girl club” approach. This means that the entire coming-of-age story from the original series is out the window from the get-go.
I wasn't terribly impressed with the first episode of “Alternative”. Production I.G. worked hard to give the same sort of “death by nostalgia” feel that “CCS Clear Card” has done, but it didn't work for me. (It hasn't been working for me in “Clear Card” either.) I'll watch the rest of the series once it comes out but I'm not looking forward to more “Azumanga Daioh meets FLCL”. My initial rating is C.
BTW – Production I.G. is also releasing a “sequel” to “FLCL” called “FLCL Progressive” which will start on September 28. The sequel is set long after the original and from the preview on the official page it looks like Production I.G. will once again focus on “cute girls”.
Dave Baranyi
What we have here is an “alternative re-telling” of the classic Gainax OAV “FLCL” but done by Production I.G. The protagonist of the original series, Naota, has been replaced by a fairly ordinary high school girl who, along with three of her girlfriends, gets caught up in alien shenanigans while trying to build a giant bottle rocket.
The first episode of “Alternative” attempts to capture the spirit of the original series in look, feel and music, but Production I.G. has decided to go with a “cute girl club” approach. This means that the entire coming-of-age story from the original series is out the window from the get-go.
I wasn't terribly impressed with the first episode of “Alternative”. Production I.G. worked hard to give the same sort of “death by nostalgia” feel that “CCS Clear Card” has done, but it didn't work for me. (It hasn't been working for me in “Clear Card” either.) I'll watch the rest of the series once it comes out but I'm not looking forward to more “Azumanga Daioh meets FLCL”. My initial rating is C.
BTW – Production I.G. is also releasing a “sequel” to “FLCL” called “FLCL Progressive” which will start on September 28. The sequel is set long after the original and from the preview on the official page it looks like Production I.G. will once again focus on “cute girls”.
Dave Baranyi