23:02 Actually, if you look closely, the pair of glasses that Ninamori was wearing in Naota’s bedroom were real. During some of the close-ups of her face, you can see light reflecting off of the lenses. Ninamori either removed the lenses from her glasses for the play, or had a spare frame on hand. Either way, I think it demonstrates that Ninamori found a deeper sense of nuance with her situation. She’s introducing her peers to the idea of her glasses, without putting herself so far out there that she can’t backpedal if things go poorly. Simultaneously, she’s also created a great alibi for herself if Naota ever tries to expose that secret in the same way that he exposed her for rigging the votes.
That's one bit of symbolism that I've never been able to come up with a satisfactory interpretation for. That line, "they're fake," cut to black makes me feel something, but I can't put my finger on what.
@@chetmcmasterson I see it as 1. Like this comment states, being able to show part of herself to people but not the whole truth. Learning to put herself out there more but at the same time acknowledging that not every part of her needs to be on display for everyone. And 2. A nod to naota (and the audience) that while he rejected her, she wants him to know that the moment they shared and her opening up to him was real and special.
I've always wanted to understand better the importance of the glasses. I feel like it's not something she wears in school but does at home, like her family situation. Now she's taken the concept of the play as a chance to try on what she wants to hide even though she could still hide it. It's an "unforced error" of vulnerability and also a deniable wearing of glasses (she could say they're only stage props if she changes her mind).
I forgot where it came from but someone said that shoes are a common thing to be taken from students when they’re being bullied by their peers in Japan
@@ItsJr makes sense, since in japanese schools students remove their shoes and leave them in cubbies or lockers at the entrance and wear uniform slippers. So it's not too hard to access someone's shoes while they aren;t around.
I just found your channel, I’m nearly 40 years old, I work full time and I have a family that takes up the rest of it. I have been craving rewatching all of my childhood/teenage favorites, but I just don’t have the time. Your series has let me relive all the highlights and emotions of watching all of my favorites from bebop, akira, even the behemoth that is Evangelion… Your videos are among the absolute best content on this platform.
Thank you, I'm glad these videos were able to capture those emotions. Hearing they accomplished that means a lot. Wish you the best in parenthood! I know it can be a hard but rewarding time.
@SockSensei also, you never really mentioned it in the video but her bass is specifically a Rickenbacker Bass, which is a very unique and iconic style that's been used by bands like Möterhead and REM, as well as being featured in media like Scott Pilgrim VS The World
the reason its a vespa and she hits them- is the pain of connection- the wasp leaves her stinger where ever they go; effecting them regardless of her intent. its the same for nouta's brother- he stung mammimi and left his stinger behind- its such an oddly fitting metaphor with several uses- FLCL has a ton of these multiple meaning metaphors. too many-because being a kid is overwhelming confused and not always as innocent as we pretend. every episode gets to feel chaotic- but each one is well themed enough to also feel linear and like somethings being learned- even if youre still to young to fully appreciate it. FLCL is my favorite anime for a reason.
Cool remark, but it might be Vespa mainly because the director had a similar one and wanted to include it. The same goes for all the robots, Tsurumaki just really pushed to add them. It's not that there are no meaning or subtext, it's that those things were built upon the foundation of just cool looking stuff.
What I love about the show was it didn’t overstay it’s welcome. It’s a coming of age story, and each episode pushes him toward the final resolution. He ends as still a kid, (no major time skips) but with the wisdom that he is a kid.
Even if there is a double meaning in English, that doesn't mean it was intended in Japanese. Evangelion famously used Christian imagery because they thought it looked cool.
someone else said it. Wasps DON'T leave their stingers in. Sorry to say it, cus that was a way more badass explanation than just the director had a vespa he loved - which is still neat.
FLCL was one of the first anime I ever watched as a kid (besides like... Pokémon or Digimon), on its original adult swim run with Eureka 7 and Case Closed. It's insane to think it's only 6 episodes, it always seemed like there were more back in the day. I recently revisited it last year for the first time as a adult and had a whole new appreciation for it. It's such a trip, but it's so fun, incredibly stylistic, and just a great story. Also has one of the best soundtracks in all of anime.
I watched flcl 3 times in 3 different stages of me life... And everytime i watch it, it makes less sense and gives more feelings than anything. I watched it first when i was kid, barely 7. Loved it so much that i kept the disc in a special case that i still own. I watched it again as teen, in the age of C-virus... 19 years old ... Going thru the stuff i own because of the sheer bordem. I thought i actually understood what the popsicle tart it was trying to convey. And now as 25 year old kid... I didn't go to my first day of my job as a teacher.. in my own old primary school. With my old teachers all there and my old neighborhood. im afraid. I close my eyes even under the sheets because i literally dont know how i got here. I remember it was like yesterday, its 2008 and my ma & i getting going to the market place just to get Naruto Shippuden cd's. I still live there and i don't... No, i won't let go. I can't. So i watch flcl... I'm a filly functional human being with a fiance, a job and even a huge network of people. But it's a mask i no longer can sustain. I really want to just... Be.
It's funny you say 25 year old kid...like he says In The video that's pretty mature of you. It's amazing at all stages of life you feel you know everything, then you get older and realize it wasn't true. This cycle never seems to stop.
So.. at 25 I thought I was an adult. At 26 I had a relationship that I thought was gonna be for life (but I kind of knew it wasn't), I lost my mother to cancer soon after... My whole life being not expected of much from her point of view. Then my girlfriend at the time left me, meanwhile I moved almost a thousand miles away and started from scratch, from sleeping in a garage with no heat in the northern winter, caring for our dog, welding outside in the cold, sleeping 3-4 hours a night, paying my mom's bills and mine and securing an apt. Then my dog died shortly after, an accident that happened when I wasnt there. Got involved with some chicks who I had no business attaching myself to. And damn, I'm 30 now and I'm much better off. I make more damn money than I ever have in my life. I entrusted my little brother to make due on Mom's last wish to have her ashes spread in a lake in her home country. I said goodbye to the dog that literally kept me alive, and made a good promise to always try my best in his memory. Look man, at 25 you are I think at the biological age of where your brain is fully done forming. At 30 you start to use all the facets of having a fully formed and conscious brain. From that bro, I know that now that I have probably a decade to learn things I thought I knew in its actual entirety this time, not just what is the most important and most useful. I fully let go of thinking when am I going to understand life, something in me broke, without a fight and without a sound; I just quietly accepted I will always be learning and always exploring a concept in my daily life. And honestly, that's ok. It's like getting mad at the rain, or trying to question why gasoline smells good but it's so bad for you. Some things just are, not good nor bad : they just exist. And that's ok. I hope this helps in a way. I know it wasn't tailored or had a lot of metaphorical concepts or bullshit like that. But idk, I was lost the whole time before adulthood and now I feel like I'm not, but I remember how it feels. Good luck buddy. Just do your thing man
I'm a 25 year medical doctor who has to take what appears to be the most important test of my life I have been anxious, to say the least But reading this comments have been amazing, it has given a whole new perspective of the moment of my life I'm in Because all feels so definitive you know? But reading that life is constant change, I don't know man it takes some weight out of my shoulders
I've watched the show multiple times throughout my life and each time it feels more special. I understand it more, and I click with more of the characters. As a kid and a teenager, I saw the allure of Haruko, the way she embodies freedom and a wild way of taking and doing whatever she wants sounds like nothing but fun. As an adult, it becomes clear she's abusing Nauto, bending his emotions purely to serve her own goals. It's fascinating how she transitions almost to a villain, or at least she's seen that way by other characters.
This anime gets the "Most Screenshotable and Quotable Anime of All Time" Award. Thank you for helping me organize some of my thoughts on this show. Now I can safely consider it my favorite anime of all time.
This was a fucking masterpiece. Watched the evangelion explanation and the rebuild evangelion explanation in one sitting. One of the best videos I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Congrats Sock Sensei, this is the peak of youtube video essays.
I watched foolycooly during a very transitional phase of my teenage life, and I still remember listening to the Pillows song "Bran new lovesong" and thinking to myself _"that must be what college sounds like"_ Now on the final stretches of college, I still stand by my opinion on the matter.
@MorganNull-uj6uu From my experience, you realise how much your individual life has begun once you're in college. The ideals, imagery, stories about college life; partying, social lives and the like do not reflect on your story. Many who thrive on that lifestyle, or what they perceive it to be are doing so as a way to openly rebel against what they felt held them back, a way to fight order with chaos but in the end, they will not grow from those experiences, not truly. It's as you said, college is a bridge on your path to achieve what you want. Despite what the public deems the value of a degree to be these days, it's your plan and goal that matters. You are in school and have a path that comes into view thanks to that effort and that, is what is truly worth something.
I watched this show when it aired 20 years ago, every Saturday night on Toonami, I was 11. It was one of the most impactful and personal shows for me. Thanks for this bro.
Amazing video. A very insightful interpretation, very clearly explained, which is not easy with such a crazy material as FLCL. Let me just add one personal note: I do believe that Ninamori's glasses in the scene in Naota's bedroom are real. In some shots we can even see corrective lenses in her glasses' frames. The glasses she wore on stage were a different pair. This only shows that despite everything, she still doesn't want to reveal to everyone else the secret that she revealed only to Naota. This represents how close and important for her is their personal relationship.
Im featuring this video essay in my weekly anime news segment. Magnificent work. To me this series was one long Pillows music video and pure psychological id with a coming of age tale hidden in there. I enjoy your deeper dive and I learned something even as someone who has watched the OVA 3 times in my life (probably due for a rewatch soon).
Someone in my wow guild said the same thing about it being one long pillows music video actually last night when we were talking about it. My favorite anime ever, love it.
I never thought he would make this flcl is one of those animes where it goes under the radar of alot of people due to how short it is and with other bigger animes
I loved this show, still good to this day. Liked the throw back to Lupin the III when the dad was dressed as him during the pellet gun fight and even had the same walther P38.
Please Sock Sensei, keep making content like this! You’ve been able to explain parts of my favorite anime that I could never make sense of, and articulate things about them that I never could!
Ngl, that last part, its something i've felt with this show, but for some reason i haven't been able to explain to my friends :( Great video my guy! :D
Fooly Cooly has been one of my favourite anime since i watched it way back when. I never really understood it, but something about it stuck with me. ANd now i have a newfound love and appreciation of the show becuz of this video. thanks
Fantastically written, expertly organized, and just so damn good. This was easily the best analysis to one of my favorite animes of all time! Kudos especially on that ending monologue! Well done & bravo!
This show had so many crazy concepts I got so overwhelmed I stopped watching it. I'm glad you uploaded this video, it helped me understand what I was watching.
I happened to watch this while I was going through puberty. It always resonated with me, and some of the subtext came though on later rewatches. Your recap and analysis really put it into words for me. Thank you for getting the reason I love this show off the tip of my tongue.
Best lessons from this video: 23:33 32:00 38:28 42:00 jus cus I mad relate to it as a teenager 45:54 definitely the best one, because it's the one that's a undeniable fact. Whether you like it or not. Fooly cooly made me not not ashamed of puberty
Thank you for timestamp of lessons in teenage self-reflection😇💓. I think all people experience the lesson differently, but does not want to hear it first because of youth and ego of the center of the world.
I watched this for the first time when I was 7 and rewatched it just last year. Your video puts into perspective a lot of things that went way over my head as a kid and the little things I missed on my rewatch. in other words, you're awesome and I hope you keep making content like this
The sequel seasons remind me of when a band/rapper makes a sequel to one of their classic albums and it doesn't even come close to holding a candle to the original. Coincidentally, the FLCL sequels are named after music genres.
This is a really great vid. Loved the way you broke everything down and kept it moving, and even having seen the show like 6 times I still came away with a few things I hadn't picked up on before. Good stuff.
I don't know if this is a comment addressed later in the video -- and I might forget by the end of it but at 14:20 the "Space Patrol" get mentioned. I'm not entirely sure if there's a loosely interwoven Gainax/Trigger-Cinematic Universe, but I thought it might be worth mentioning that Trigger made another series called "Space Patrol Luluco" with some similarities that might be **spoilers**: The main character of that series ends up visiting several other worlds like InfernoCop/LittleWitch/KillLaKill, and the fact she ends up with wacky space powers and a scooter to-boot makes me think that it's actually something true about her character.
hands down this is one of the best videos i've seen in a long time, a great explanation and breakdown of what one of the best animated works of the 2000's is about. hope nothing but the best and your continued success on this platform man this shi was fire!
I recently watched the entire show in a single day, and even if I didn't understand the story in its entirety, I still took a lot away and it quickly became my favorite piece of media in general. I'm so glad I saw this video, now I can process this show in peace.
I saw Ninamori's scene in the play differently: When she shows that her glasses are fake she does it on a stage in front of a crowd and says it to him when he has several other people within earshot. I saw it as her getting her guard up and telling Naota that if he reveals any of the private emotions or weaknesses she told him about/allowed him to see she'd be ready with a counter argument for the public. She's a true politician and able to see and head off embarrassment before it gets to her. In the clip at 21:00 you can see she has actual lenses in her glasses so we know she needs them, she was laying her cards on the table with Naota trying to get him to like the real her. After that it was clean up/cover up. That it until later on when Naota doesn't use her faults/weaknesses against her and also doesn't make a big deal out of their fight, they remain friends or more. By the end of the show she is much more nonchalant. Still stuck up and teases Naota for playing kids' games, but also likes candy and toys and illegally riding around in a car driven by her kid friends. She does a 180 but still clings on to some elements of her poser life as a wunderkind. She acts aloof towards things she would like to the point of stopping herself from participating so she's constantly missing out, she's not wearing glasses but I honestly think she needs them so if she has contacts she's trying to maintain an image, finally in the last scene she shows that she understands she came on to Naota too strong. Instead of chasing him she buys him a drink and tries to get him to chase her like he did with Mamimi and Haruko
My introduction to Flcl was definitely interesting, adult swim was playing the whole series and when I clicked onto the channel it started on the last episode when naota and haruko are fighting on the giant hand so I saw the ending of the series first without knowing any of the whole story and the rest of my night was spent watching the full show, that experience as well as FLCL on its own have left such a great impact on me
Namimi's face after Naota saves the town from the satelite, besides just being miffed that he's becoming more definitively himself, looks form me like a look of someone disapointed that their shitty town didn't end. 'Not only "my man" is leaving again, the world also didn't end to at least make the suffering disapear '
8:25 I always wondered if the English voice actress sold this line the right way. From her expression, and the fact that she's calling him "Takkun", it almost seems as though she's imitating Mamimi because she think's it's what Naota likes. Hearing the Japanese actress, it almost sounds like she's emulating the childish way of speaking that Mamimi uses. That said, it's hard to gather those kinds of details when you're not a native speaker lol.
This show has and always will resonate with me. Having fallen for the pixy dream girl in freshman year I allowed myself to be wrapped around her finger. I don't look back on those memories sadly though in fact I thank her for being MY catalyst of growing past being a child and learning many new emotions. Thanks for this video man
This show is so good it honestly makes me emotional thinking about it. The fact that something so pivotal was made 24 years ago at the turn of the millennium and we haven't really seen anything like it since, its actually somewhat painful, like knowing you'll never reexperience childhood.
48:19 That's the crux of life, being mature is being able to be what you want and/or need to be to get through each moment and day. Sometimes that's fun, sometimes it's not, but that's ultimately up to you.
I just finished the breakdown since my first initial comment I wanted to say you did a beautiful flawless job. I think I cried a little bit like absolutely wonderful job dude thank you so much for this experience.
One of the most memorable & still my favorite anime of all time. The scene where he swings & hits the baseball out of the city with the pillows playing in the background will make me tear up, idk why, it’s just that special to me….
I'm a sucker for good coming-of-age stories. I've consumed a lot of them over the years. I love that mix of bittersweet nostalgia it often brings. FLCL is one of the very, very best. Up there with Stephen King's Hearts in Atlantis (the book, not the movie!) You did it justice here.
Lovely breakdown. I had a clip of this show stuck in my head for many many years from when it aired in the US and wasn't able to figure out what it was until like 2018 and was finally able to watch it fully for the first time. Been a huge part of my life since then, there's something about this show that just stays in the heart.
This show had such a grip on me when I first saw it way back in the day on Toonami, man. The story, the characters, the absolute banger of a soundtrack that still gets regular plays on my Spotify, I didn't understand a single bit of it at the time, but having watched it through a few more times since my teenage and early 20s, it's absolutely one of my favorite anime, definitely in my top 10, and I relate to Naota in a lot of ways. This video was a great breakdown of the show's themes. Well done!
ill never forget this being my intro to anime alongside fullmetal alchemist and shin chan. such a nostalgic masterpiece, watching it as an adult opens ur eyes to alot of things u missed as a kid such as harukos abuse
I personally don't really care for the demonization of Kamon in this video. I believe he probably understands Naota better than anyone else in the show, and he gives him the space and independence Naota wants, maybe even needs. In the scene discussed at 43:00, Kamon's rant is about how other children were criticizing him with no experience of their own as a Hamster caretaker, an analogy for what Miyajun was doing with him at that moment - criticizing him as a father when she is not a parent herself. Kamon is a single father of two, his wife having gone missing many years before the show begins. Naota's needs are likely very complicated, which is probably difficult to navigate for Kamon. Is he a perfect father? Certainly not. But the criticisms are not well thought out enough, in my opinion, to be so harsh on him.
I grew up with this show and i love seeing content about it. This was uniquely beautiful and cathartic. It was like the stretching of a muscle I didn't know had been tense for all these years or like a breathe of fresh air for the first time having only known city smog for your whole life. Thank you
And to think this series was only 6 episodes long, yet you extracted enough depth to fill 3 seasons of a shounen anime. Growing up watching this on Adult Swim I certainly was in awe of this series, but at the age of 16 I had no idea for the most part what most of the plot of the show meant. You really have a special ability to break down any series you talk about and extract things that your average Anime consumer wouldn't have caught, but nonetheless always make it very interesting from start to finish. I wish I could just drop my entire MAL list of watched anime on your plate and see you break every single series down like you do
Pure Masterpiece. still have the tapes we recorded them on day one and treasure them. All our legendary inspirations from gainex went nuts and we loved every second. one of my few 9 outta 10s and basically perfect : D
I watched and enjoyed FLCL a while back but had trouble connecting the underlying themes of coming of age and adulthood to the crazy robots and electric guitars lol, this video really made everything click for me, great stuff! : )
Seen a few episodes many years back... Was actually trying to remember the name and how to find for a bit now... And then your video gave me the name, backdown, and very detailed and well told! Thank you... Ok... I have to simply wonder to many times in my life! First find an icon with an image that draws my attention... Then luck into finding information for a show I couldn't remember enough to search for on my own, then snowballed into a really good walkthrough of the show I think at best I saw x5 episodes of, to be given through the script a serious self reflection - to thr final of having the likes of a true life South Park rap up of what I learned today! One - outstanding video! Two - life is stranger than fiction! Because the storm of what emotionally I just sat through and everything else to fall from what is a few short minutes of a web posted video... Best analogy I could give - is like an upgrade, paradigm shift - or finishing a good book! You told the full story and included the subtext!
One of my favorite scenes was in the classroom where everyone is eating souplike food with chopsticks, and complaining at how difficult it was, saying a spork would be better. No one does anything about it though. Naoto stands up and walks out and is asked if he’s “going to get some”. This is all of the top of my head, but I remember thinking that his standing up to a norm was met with some shallow understanding of why he wouldn’t just follow the group. Naoto wasn’t going to “get some”, he just wasn’t going to accept eating a liquid substance with chopsticks just because everyone else was.
This is by and large the best explanation of FLCL. This video and the show are worth watching over and over, and this video made me emotional by further understanding my favorite show of all time. Amazing video.
The best analysis I've seen of this show. I went into it blind a couple years ago and felt like I grasped the meaning but couldnt articulate it into words. Also shared much of the confusion about the plot (remember, I only saw it once haha). Now I can rewatch it and maybe pick up a few more details! I feel like the best art is the kind that keeps on giving over and over.
Fondling her yum yums? Fondling her cupcakes!?!? FLCL is in my top 3 of all time. One of the best english voice acting cast ever. Also flcl "you do it like this.. with your hands". I think this may be my favorite animation experience of all time
thank you brother, saw the anime and i knew that was something more that i coud grasp, some detais i picked but you showed me the stuff i lost between the visual effects and the craziness i got drown to, thank you
i remember watching this show as a kid and taking it at surface level, about 14 years later now, wow i did not know my life related to naota's story so much. thank you for the new perspective
It still feels like I’ll never grow up. I’m constantly learning and changing while stumbling through life. I’ve been married for 6yrs to an amazing woman and our first kid is due in August and I still feel like I’m figuring myself out. I’ll be turning 33 in April. It’s surreal. I remember thinking my mother was so old at 33. I know I’m going to continue to grow and learn and stumble, but I’ll be doing so with a loving family every step of the way. I guess in the end…you just gotta keep swinging that bat.
I truly believe with all my heart that this show is Magick i’m 30 years old. I’m pretty sure I first caught my eyes on the show around the age of 13 although I never finished it just watching episode one changed my life forever and I shortly found out that other dudes my age that had seen the show we all eventually turned into dudes that were kind of looking for the same kind of woman and none of us knew this until I pointed it out even years later I mean my last girlfriend Susan I think she was the most iconic like the haruko character like out of all my exes she was definitely most like her, but I didn’t even notice that until I started watching this again cause I heard there was new series coming out This show is legend to anybody that hasn’t watched this. Everybody kind of has their own experience, but the idea is that none of the part that makes the show magic is logical. None of it makes any sense. All we know is that you watch the show in your life changes forever. It’s fucking awesome .
23:02 Actually, if you look closely, the pair of glasses that Ninamori was wearing in Naota’s bedroom were real. During some of the close-ups of her face, you can see light reflecting off of the lenses. Ninamori either removed the lenses from her glasses for the play, or had a spare frame on hand.
Either way, I think it demonstrates that Ninamori found a deeper sense of nuance with her situation. She’s introducing her peers to the idea of her glasses, without putting herself so far out there that she can’t backpedal if things go poorly. Simultaneously, she’s also created a great alibi for herself if Naota ever tries to expose that secret in the same way that he exposed her for rigging the votes.
good catch
That's one bit of symbolism that I've never been able to come up with a satisfactory interpretation for. That line, "they're fake," cut to black makes me feel something, but I can't put my finger on what.
@@chetmcmasterson I see it as
1. Like this comment states, being able to show part of herself to people but not the whole truth. Learning to put herself out there more but at the same time acknowledging that not every part of her needs to be on display for everyone.
And
2. A nod to naota (and the audience) that while he rejected her, she wants him to know that the moment they shared and her opening up to him was real and special.
I've always wanted to understand better the importance of the glasses. I feel like it's not something she wears in school but does at home, like her family situation. Now she's taken the concept of the play as a chance to try on what she wants to hide even though she could still hide it. It's an "unforced error" of vulnerability and also a deniable wearing of glasses (she could say they're only stage props if she changes her mind).
I always took her fishing her shoes out of a river as a sign that Mamimi is getting bullied, not that she washes her clothes there.
I forgot where it came from but someone said that shoes are a common thing to be taken from students when they’re being bullied by their peers in Japan
she was getting bullied your right
@@ItsJr makes sense, since in japanese schools students remove their shoes and leave them in cubbies or lockers at the entrance and wear uniform slippers. So it's not too hard to access someone's shoes while they aren;t around.
"What is she doing?"
"Looks like she's peeing"
As a young teen, I was so absolutely confused by this anime with a Rickenbacker bass lol
I just found your channel, I’m nearly 40 years old, I work full time and I have a family that takes up the rest of it.
I have been craving rewatching all of my childhood/teenage favorites, but I just don’t have the time.
Your series has let me relive all the highlights and emotions of watching all of my favorites from bebop, akira, even the behemoth that is Evangelion…
Your videos are among the absolute best content on this platform.
Thank you, I'm glad these videos were able to capture those emotions. Hearing they accomplished that means a lot.
Wish you the best in parenthood! I know it can be a hard but rewarding time.
Mate just get your kids, wife, or other family mebers into anime and watch it together as a family time activity.
One note: It's not a Fender that she pulls from his head. It's a Gibson Flying V.
Ah that’s my fault thanks for the catch
@SockSensei also, you never really mentioned it in the video but her bass is specifically a Rickenbacker Bass, which is a very unique and iconic style that's been used by bands like Möterhead and REM, as well as being featured in media like Scott Pilgrim VS The World
@@soundsofstabbing3627 Rickenbacker 4001 Azureglo!
Dont the inlays make it a 4003? (Lets not forget Geddy Lee!)
Thank you. Id hate to think of that V being called a fender for eternity!
the reason its a vespa and she hits them- is the pain of connection- the wasp leaves her stinger where ever they go; effecting them regardless of her intent. its the same for nouta's brother- he stung mammimi and left his stinger behind- its such an oddly fitting metaphor with several uses- FLCL has a ton of these multiple meaning metaphors. too many-because being a kid is overwhelming confused and not always as innocent as we pretend. every episode gets to feel chaotic- but each one is well themed enough to also feel linear and like somethings being learned- even if youre still to young to fully appreciate it. FLCL is my favorite anime for a reason.
Cool remark, but it might be Vespa mainly because the director had a similar one and wanted to include it. The same goes for all the robots, Tsurumaki just really pushed to add them. It's not that there are no meaning or subtext, it's that those things were built upon the foundation of just cool looking stuff.
Bees leave their stingers, with parts of internals and die.
Wasps sting multiple times, they keep their stingers.
What I love about the show was it didn’t overstay it’s welcome. It’s a coming of age story, and each episode pushes him toward the final resolution. He ends as still a kid, (no major time skips) but with the wisdom that he is a kid.
Even if there is a double meaning in English, that doesn't mean it was intended in Japanese.
Evangelion famously used Christian imagery because they thought it looked cool.
someone else said it. Wasps DON'T leave their stingers in. Sorry to say it, cus that was a way more badass explanation than just the director had a vespa he loved - which is still neat.
FLCL was one of the first anime I ever watched as a kid (besides like... Pokémon or Digimon), on its original adult swim run with Eureka 7 and Case Closed. It's insane to think it's only 6 episodes, it always seemed like there were more back in the day. I recently revisited it last year for the first time as a adult and had a whole new appreciation for it. It's such a trip, but it's so fun, incredibly stylistic, and just a great story. Also has one of the best soundtracks in all of anime.
is it the same as the background music in the video? I wanna know were I can find it, it's so harmonic
@@einschneiderchen The Pillows are a great band~
do you know what the track at 10:00 is? I listened to the flcl soundtrack but couldn't find this one
pls it haunts me
(in a good way)
7:11 it's flectonic plipalawava syndrome, a disease where children grow horns from trying too hard. One of my favorite lines
Waiting, frothing at the mouth even
Truth
I watched flcl 3 times in 3 different stages of me life...
And everytime i watch it, it makes less sense and gives more feelings than anything.
I watched it first when i was kid, barely 7. Loved it so much that i kept the disc in a special case that i still own.
I watched it again as teen, in the age of C-virus... 19 years old ... Going thru the stuff i own because of the sheer bordem. I thought i actually understood what the popsicle tart it was trying to convey.
And now as 25 year old kid... I didn't go to my first day of my job as a teacher.. in my own old primary school. With my old teachers all there and my old neighborhood. im afraid. I close my eyes even under the sheets because i literally dont know how i got here.
I remember it was like yesterday, its 2008 and my ma & i getting going to the market place just to get Naruto Shippuden cd's.
I still live there and i don't... No, i won't let go.
I can't.
So i watch flcl...
I'm a filly functional human being with a fiance, a job and even a huge network of people. But it's a mask i no longer can sustain. I really want to just... Be.
It's funny you say 25 year old kid...like he says In The video that's pretty mature of you. It's amazing at all stages of life you feel you know everything, then you get older and realize it wasn't true. This cycle never seems to stop.
So.. at 25 I thought I was an adult. At 26 I had a relationship that I thought was gonna be for life (but I kind of knew it wasn't), I lost my mother to cancer soon after... My whole life being not expected of much from her point of view.
Then my girlfriend at the time left me, meanwhile I moved almost a thousand miles away and started from scratch, from sleeping in a garage with no heat in the northern winter, caring for our dog, welding outside in the cold, sleeping 3-4 hours a night, paying my mom's bills and mine and securing an apt.
Then my dog died shortly after, an accident that happened when I wasnt there.
Got involved with some chicks who I had no business attaching myself to.
And damn, I'm 30 now and I'm much better off. I make more damn money than I ever have in my life. I entrusted my little brother to make due on Mom's last wish to have her ashes spread in a lake in her home country.
I said goodbye to the dog that literally kept me alive, and made a good promise to always try my best in his memory.
Look man, at 25 you are I think at the biological age of where your brain is fully done forming.
At 30 you start to use all the facets of having a fully formed and conscious brain.
From that bro, I know that now that I have probably a decade to learn things I thought I knew in its actual entirety this time, not just what is the most important and most useful.
I fully let go of thinking when am I going to understand life, something in me broke, without a fight and without a sound; I just quietly accepted I will always be learning and always exploring a concept in my daily life. And honestly, that's ok.
It's like getting mad at the rain, or trying to question why gasoline smells good but it's so bad for you.
Some things just are, not good nor bad : they just exist.
And that's ok. I hope this helps in a way. I know it wasn't tailored or had a lot of metaphorical concepts or bullshit like that. But idk, I was lost the whole time before adulthood and now I feel like I'm not, but I remember how it feels.
Good luck buddy. Just do your thing man
Dunno man, the experiences make the person.
You are free to be, so just be.
Be what you want to be.
I'm a 25 year medical doctor who has to take what appears to be the most important test of my life
I have been anxious, to say the least
But reading this comments have been amazing, it has given a whole new perspective of the moment of my life I'm in
Because all feels so definitive you know?
But reading that life is constant change, I don't know man it takes some weight out of my shoulders
I've watched the show multiple times throughout my life and each time it feels more special. I understand it more, and I click with more of the characters. As a kid and a teenager, I saw the allure of Haruko, the way she embodies freedom and a wild way of taking and doing whatever she wants sounds like nothing but fun. As an adult, it becomes clear she's abusing Nauto, bending his emotions purely to serve her own goals. It's fascinating how she transitions almost to a villain, or at least she's seen that way by other characters.
This anime gets the "Most Screenshotable and Quotable Anime of All Time" Award.
Thank you for helping me organize some of my thoughts on this show. Now I can safely consider it my favorite anime of all time.
This was a fucking masterpiece. Watched the evangelion explanation and the rebuild evangelion explanation in one sitting. One of the best videos I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Congrats Sock Sensei, this is the peak of youtube video essays.
This video deserves more I grew up with this show I have been the main character at more then 1 occasion
FLCL came out at a time where I related so much to it. Felt tailor made and thus was my favorite anime for a very long time.
I watched foolycooly during a very transitional phase of my teenage life, and I still remember listening to the Pillows song "Bran new lovesong" and thinking to myself _"that must be what college sounds like"_
Now on the final stretches of college, I still stand by my opinion on the matter.
@MorganNull-uj6uu From my experience, you realise how much your individual life has begun once you're in college. The ideals, imagery, stories about college life; partying, social lives and the like do not reflect on your story. Many who thrive on that lifestyle, or what they perceive it to be are doing so as a way to openly rebel against what they felt held them back, a way to fight order with chaos but in the end, they will not grow from those experiences, not truly. It's as you said, college is a bridge on your path to achieve what you want. Despite what the public deems the value of a degree to be these days, it's your plan and goal that matters. You are in school and have a path that comes into view thanks to that effort and that, is what is truly worth something.
I watched this show when it aired 20 years ago, every Saturday night on Toonami, I was 11. It was one of the most impactful and personal shows for me. Thanks for this bro.
30:48 Hey, I'll have you know that's a Gibson Flying V, damn it!
great video ❤
One of the most stylish guitars ever~
Amazing video. A very insightful interpretation, very clearly explained, which is not easy with such a crazy material as FLCL. Let me just add one personal note:
I do believe that Ninamori's glasses in the scene in Naota's bedroom are real. In some shots we can even see corrective lenses in her glasses' frames. The glasses she wore on stage were a different pair. This only shows that despite everything, she still doesn't want to reveal to everyone else the secret that she revealed only to Naota. This represents how close and important for her is their personal relationship.
Im featuring this video essay in my weekly anime news segment. Magnificent work.
To me this series was one long Pillows music video and pure psychological id with a coming of age tale hidden in there. I enjoy your deeper dive and I learned something even as someone who has watched the OVA 3 times in my life (probably due for a rewatch soon).
Someone in my wow guild said the same thing about it being one long pillows music video actually last night when we were talking about it. My favorite anime ever, love it.
@@mangohavoc6428 the music alone makes it 10/10 for me
I never thought he would make this flcl is one of those animes where it goes under the radar of alot of people due to how short it is and with other bigger animes
it's so shorts that adult was able to air all of it in single evenings a lot of times. I watched it so much as a kid on TV just staying up till 3 am,
I remember watching the Blue Ray release with my dad and I consider this to be my introduction to anime
@33:05 Love the Lupin the 3rd reference, the iconic boxing glove gag.
I loved this show, still good to this day. Liked the throw back to Lupin the III when the dad was dressed as him during the pellet gun fight and even had the same walther P38.
"It's clear this means more to her than he could ever understand:"
*untranslated moonspeak*
"words that ring as truth."
Please Sock Sensei, keep making content like this! You’ve been able to explain parts of my favorite anime that I could never make sense of, and articulate things about them that I never could!
This analysis gave me a greater appreciation of a show that I already loved
Ngl, that last part, its something i've felt with this show, but for some reason i haven't been able to explain to my friends :(
Great video my guy! :D
I remember watching FLCL on adult swim and i absolutely loved it because it was unique at that time in my life very good video thank you
I'm convinced your mispronunciation is a feature of your channel. Literally every name, my dude. Every. Name. lol. Subbed.
Booroo 😂
Fooly Cooly has been one of my favourite anime since i watched it way back when. I never really understood it, but something about it stuck with me. ANd now i have a newfound love and appreciation of the show becuz of this video. thanks
Fantastically written, expertly organized, and just so damn good. This was easily the best analysis to one of my favorite animes of all time! Kudos especially on that ending monologue! Well done & bravo!
My all time favorite anime, hands down. Thanks for covering it!
This show had so many crazy concepts I got so overwhelmed I stopped watching it. I'm glad you uploaded this video, it helped me understand what I was watching.
This is a old anime and its still my top 5. Any episode i can watch all day. Excellent video one of the best brakedowns ever
I happened to watch this while I was going through puberty. It always resonated with me, and some of the subtext came though on later rewatches. Your recap and analysis really put it into words for me. Thank you for getting the reason I love this show off the tip of my tongue.
Best lessons from this video:
23:33
32:00
38:28
42:00 jus cus I mad relate to it as a teenager
45:54 definitely the best one, because it's the one that's a undeniable fact. Whether you like it or not.
Fooly cooly made me not not ashamed of puberty
Thank you for timestamp of lessons in teenage self-reflection😇💓.
I think all people experience the lesson differently, but does not want to hear it first because of youth and ego of the center of the world.
I watched this for the first time when I was 7 and rewatched it just last year. Your video puts into perspective a lot of things that went way over my head as a kid and the little things I missed on my rewatch. in other words, you're awesome and I hope you keep making content like this
The sequel seasons remind me of when a band/rapper makes a sequel to one of their classic albums and it doesn't even come close to holding a candle to the original. Coincidentally, the FLCL sequels are named after music genres.
This is a really great vid. Loved the way you broke everything down and kept it moving, and even having seen the show like 6 times I still came away with a few things I hadn't picked up on before. Good stuff.
I don't know if this is a comment addressed later in the video -- and I might forget by the end of it but at 14:20 the "Space Patrol" get mentioned. I'm not entirely sure if there's a loosely interwoven Gainax/Trigger-Cinematic Universe, but I thought it might be worth mentioning that Trigger made another series called "Space Patrol Luluco" with some similarities that might be **spoilers**:
The main character of that series ends up visiting several other worlds like InfernoCop/LittleWitch/KillLaKill, and the fact she ends up with wacky space powers and a scooter to-boot makes me think that it's actually something true about her character.
hands down this is one of the best videos i've seen in a long time, a great explanation and breakdown of what one of the best animated works of the 2000's is about. hope nothing but the best and your continued success on this platform man this shi was fire!
I recently watched the entire show in a single day, and even if I didn't understand the story in its entirety, I still took a lot away and it quickly became my favorite piece of media in general. I'm so glad I saw this video, now I can process this show in peace.
WITH THE KIDS SING OUT THE FUTURE MAYBE KIDS DONT NEED THE MASTERS 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣
JUST WAITING FOR THE LITTLE BUSTERS....
OH YEAAAAAAAH!
YEAH YEAH YEAH!
IROASENAI KIDNAP MUSIC
TE TO TE GA SHITTE RU!
"Wildly Fucked Up" Is a superb term to use to describe my boy Noata Abuse ...
I saw Ninamori's scene in the play differently: When she shows that her glasses are fake she does it on a stage in front of a crowd and says it to him when he has several other people within earshot. I saw it as her getting her guard up and telling Naota that if he reveals any of the private emotions or weaknesses she told him about/allowed him to see she'd be ready with a counter argument for the public. She's a true politician and able to see and head off embarrassment before it gets to her. In the clip at 21:00 you can see she has actual lenses in her glasses so we know she needs them, she was laying her cards on the table with Naota trying to get him to like the real her. After that it was clean up/cover up. That it until later on when Naota doesn't use her faults/weaknesses against her and also doesn't make a big deal out of their fight, they remain friends or more. By the end of the show she is much more nonchalant. Still stuck up and teases Naota for playing kids' games, but also likes candy and toys and illegally riding around in a car driven by her kid friends. She does a 180 but still clings on to some elements of her poser life as a wunderkind. She acts aloof towards things she would like to the point of stopping herself from participating so she's constantly missing out, she's not wearing glasses but I honestly think she needs them so if she has contacts she's trying to maintain an image, finally in the last scene she shows that she understands she came on to Naota too strong. Instead of chasing him she buys him a drink and tries to get him to chase her like he did with Mamimi and Haruko
I lost my shit at your description of Naota and Mamimi’s relationship 😂 “Wildly fucked up” 5:18
My introduction to Flcl was definitely interesting, adult swim was playing the whole series and when I clicked onto the channel it started on the last episode when naota and haruko are fighting on the giant hand so I saw the ending of the series first without knowing any of the whole story and the rest of my night was spent watching the full show, that experience as well as FLCL on its own have left such a great impact on me
Namimi's face after Naota saves the town from the satelite, besides just being miffed that he's becoming more definitively himself, looks form me like a look of someone disapointed that their shitty town didn't end.
'Not only "my man" is leaving again, the world also didn't end to at least make the suffering disapear '
8:25 I always wondered if the English voice actress sold this line the right way. From her expression, and the fact that she's calling him "Takkun", it almost seems as though she's imitating Mamimi because she think's it's what Naota likes. Hearing the Japanese actress, it almost sounds like she's emulating the childish way of speaking that Mamimi uses. That said, it's hard to gather those kinds of details when you're not a native speaker lol.
Excellent. Connected a couple dots that have lingered in silent, disconnected loneliness for years.
This show has and always will resonate with me. Having fallen for the pixy dream girl in freshman year I allowed myself to be wrapped around her finger. I don't look back on those memories sadly though in fact I thank her for being MY catalyst of growing past being a child and learning many new emotions. Thanks for this video man
This show is so good it honestly makes me emotional thinking about it. The fact that something so pivotal was made 24 years ago at the turn of the millennium and we haven't really seen anything like it since, its actually somewhat painful, like knowing you'll never reexperience childhood.
Bro I could've sworn that it made more sense that the person outside the window washer dad at 20:26
48:19 That's the crux of life, being mature is being able to be what you want and/or need to be to get through each moment and day. Sometimes that's fun, sometimes it's not, but that's ultimately up to you.
18:57 Arakawa under the bridge. I never caught the "homeless under here" reference until just now
I just finished the breakdown since my first initial comment I wanted to say you did a beautiful flawless job. I think I cried a little bit like absolutely wonderful job dude thank you so much for this experience.
One of the most memorable & still my favorite anime of all time. The scene where he swings & hits the baseball out of the city with the pillows playing in the background will make me tear up, idk why, it’s just that special to me….
I'm a sucker for good coming-of-age stories. I've consumed a lot of them over the years. I love that mix of bittersweet nostalgia it often brings. FLCL is one of the very, very best. Up there with Stephen King's Hearts in Atlantis (the book, not the movie!)
You did it justice here.
Lovely breakdown. I had a clip of this show stuck in my head for many many years from when it aired in the US and wasn't able to figure out what it was until like 2018 and was finally able to watch it fully for the first time. Been a huge part of my life since then, there's something about this show that just stays in the heart.
This show had such a grip on me when I first saw it way back in the day on Toonami, man. The story, the characters, the absolute banger of a soundtrack that still gets regular plays on my Spotify, I didn't understand a single bit of it at the time, but having watched it through a few more times since my teenage and early 20s, it's absolutely one of my favorite anime, definitely in my top 10, and I relate to Naota in a lot of ways. This video was a great breakdown of the show's themes. Well done!
ill never forget this being my intro to anime alongside fullmetal alchemist and shin chan. such a nostalgic masterpiece, watching it as an adult opens ur eyes to alot of things u missed as a kid such as harukos abuse
I personally don't really care for the demonization of Kamon in this video. I believe he probably understands Naota better than anyone else in the show, and he gives him the space and independence Naota wants, maybe even needs. In the scene discussed at 43:00, Kamon's rant is about how other children were criticizing him with no experience of their own as a Hamster caretaker, an analogy for what Miyajun was doing with him at that moment - criticizing him as a father when she is not a parent herself. Kamon is a single father of two, his wife having gone missing many years before the show begins. Naota's needs are likely very complicated, which is probably difficult to navigate for Kamon. Is he a perfect father? Certainly not. But the criticisms are not well thought out enough, in my opinion, to be so harsh on him.
I grew up with this show and i love seeing content about it. This was uniquely beautiful and cathartic. It was like the stretching of a muscle I didn't know had been tense for all these years or like a breathe of fresh air for the first time having only known city smog for your whole life. Thank you
And to think this series was only 6 episodes long, yet you extracted enough depth to fill 3 seasons of a shounen anime. Growing up watching this on Adult Swim I certainly was in awe of this series, but at the age of 16 I had no idea for the most part what most of the plot of the show meant. You really have a special ability to break down any series you talk about and extract things that your average Anime consumer wouldn't have caught, but nonetheless always make it very interesting from start to finish. I wish I could just drop my entire MAL list of watched anime on your plate and see you break every single series down like you do
This video came at a good time. Was the 1st time i watched it, and it's good to see i sort of understood the show at the end.
Great video
Pure Masterpiece. still have the tapes we recorded them on day one and treasure them. All our legendary inspirations from gainex went nuts and we loved every second. one of my few 9 outta 10s and basically perfect : D
Lol my brother and I recorded the first airings on tape as well. 2003 was a great year for anime on adult swim
I watched and enjoyed FLCL a while back but had trouble connecting the underlying themes of coming of age and adulthood to the crazy robots and electric guitars lol, this video really made everything click for me, great stuff! : )
I first seen this anime on Adult swim back in 2003 I was 13. it's crazy how relatable this show is to anyone during the teenage years.
Seen a few episodes many years back... Was actually trying to remember the name and how to find for a bit now... And then your video gave me the name, backdown, and very detailed and well told! Thank you...
Ok... I have to simply wonder to many times in my life! First find an icon with an image that draws my attention... Then luck into finding information for a show I couldn't remember enough to search for on my own, then snowballed into a really good walkthrough of the show I think at best I saw x5 episodes of, to be given through the script a serious self reflection - to thr final of having the likes of a true life South Park rap up of what I learned today! One - outstanding video! Two - life is stranger than fiction! Because the storm of what emotionally I just sat through and everything else to fall from what is a few short minutes of a web posted video... Best analogy I could give - is like an upgrade, paradigm shift - or finishing a good book! You told the full story and included the subtext!
Never thought id see someone cover this gem in 2024, beautiful work man!
man, thanks for the answers I did not know I needed after 20 years
Ive watched and rewatched this show as a teenager (between 13-20), and i still never caught some of the themes youve conveyed here. 10/10
i love your style and overall work on these videos i cant wait to see you grow dude.
One of my favorite scenes was in the classroom where everyone is eating souplike food with chopsticks, and complaining at how difficult it was, saying a spork would be better. No one does anything about it though. Naoto stands up and walks out and is asked if he’s “going to get some”. This is all of the top of my head, but I remember thinking that his standing up to a norm was met with some shallow understanding of why he wouldn’t just follow the group. Naoto wasn’t going to “get some”, he just wasn’t going to accept eating a liquid substance with chopsticks just because everyone else was.
It wasn't soup, it was something like ramen, they were taking bits out of the broth. Was still funny how he gets annoyed and just walks out, though.
This is such a fantastic reading of FLCL and all its symbolism. Really well done essay
This is by and large the best explanation of FLCL. This video and the show are worth watching over and over, and this video made me emotional by further understanding my favorite show of all time. Amazing video.
It's a coming of age story.
where everything is blown out of proportion, because Puberty is weird, and scary.
Fkn terrifying.
The best analysis I've seen of this show. I went into it blind a couple years ago and felt like I grasped the meaning but couldnt articulate it into words. Also shared much of the confusion about the plot (remember, I only saw it once haha). Now I can rewatch it and maybe pick up a few more details! I feel like the best art is the kind that keeps on giving over and over.
There are a lot of video essays about flcl. This is one of the best ones
42:31 she didn't "just walk away " she left them money she helped him the only way she thought she could
26:37 idk how many times I've watched FLCL but this is the first time I've noticed the baseball bat in this scene
Fondling her yum yums? Fondling her cupcakes!?!? FLCL is in my top 3 of all time. One of the best english voice acting cast ever. Also flcl "you do it like this.. with your hands". I think this may be my favorite animation experience of all time
thank you brother, saw the anime and i knew that was something more that i coud grasp, some detais i picked but you showed me the stuff i lost between the visual effects and the craziness i got drown to, thank you
i remember watching this show as a kid and taking it at surface level, about 14 years later now, wow i did not know my life related to naota's story so much. thank you for the new perspective
No way!! I remember recommending this forever ago in a live! so excited to see your interpretation of one of my favorite shows
This was an awesome video. Thanks for making and sharing it.
This had so much more depth then I first imagined. Great video
I've been waiting for you to upload,I really like the long videos
I’m glad you do
just watched the cowboy bebop one, cant wait for this loved FLCL. Gonna watch lain and Evangelion next.
Love this! I love seeing newer fans explore the older stuff I grew up with. Enjoy.
"And you don't seem to understand..."
@@matten_zerolol lain?? Great op!!
Found your channel through the Lain video, and ravenously devoured all the "making sense of" videos, great job on them.
It still feels like I’ll never grow up. I’m constantly learning and changing while stumbling through life. I’ve been married for 6yrs to an amazing woman and our first kid is due in August and I still feel like I’m figuring myself out. I’ll be turning 33 in April. It’s surreal. I remember thinking my mother was so old at 33. I know I’m going to continue to grow and learn and stumble, but I’ll be doing so with a loving family every step of the way. I guess in the end…you just gotta keep swinging that bat.
Wait….. I watched this as a young adult and had NO IDEA about the puberty stuff this show so clearly has!
I truly believe with all my heart that this show is Magick i’m 30 years old. I’m pretty sure I first caught my eyes on the show around the age of 13 although I never finished it just watching episode one changed my life forever and I shortly found out that other dudes my age that had seen the show we all eventually turned into dudes that were kind of looking for the same kind of woman and none of us knew this until I pointed it out even years later
I mean my last girlfriend Susan I think she was the most iconic like the haruko character like out of all my exes she was definitely most like her, but I didn’t even notice that until I started watching this again cause I heard there was new series coming out
This show is legend to anybody that hasn’t watched this. Everybody kind of has their own experience, but the idea is that none of the part that makes the show magic is logical. None of it makes any sense. All we know is that you watch the show in your life changes forever. It’s fucking awesome .
what a really great breakdown of the series and what’s really going on. can’t wait to watch it again
Well done. I have watched this so many times over. One of my all time faves.
Cool video and really like the ending message 👍
Keep up the good work!
ive been looking for this for so long thanks so much dude
Thanks!
Thank you!
This anime has held a special place in my heart for years. Awesome summary
Finally, it makes sense! Amazing analysis.
All of your making sense vids are BANGERS
You put into words what feeling was. Good man.