List of FLCL episodes

Last updated

The episodes of the Japanese original video animation series FLCL were directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, [1] and Starchild Records. [2] The English adaptation was licensed by Synch-Point, [3] [ needs update ] which released the DVDs and soundtrack. [4] After Synch-Point went out of business, Funimation licensed and re-released the series on Blu-ray and DVD. [5] [6] The story follows Haruko Haruhara, a sociopathic alien drawn to the fictional Japanese suburb of Mabase by the Medical Meccanica building while weaseling in the lives of twelve-year-old Naota Nandaba in the first season and fourteen-year-old Hidomi Hibajiri in the second season as pawns in her agenda to acquire the being called Atomsk.

Contents

The first-season episodes aired in North America on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block from August 4 [7] to August 13, 2003. [8]

Six pieces of theme music are used for the episodes; five opening themes and one closing theme. All the theme songs are by Japanese rock band the Pillows. The opening themes are: "One Life", used in episode one, "Instant Music" in episode two and three, "Happy Bivouac" for episode four, "Runners High", utilized in episode five, and "Carnival" in episode six. The closing theme is "Ride on Shooting Star", the series' main theme song, used for all episodes. Geneon Entertainment has released three original soundtracks encompassing the aforementioned songs, with soundtracks titled Addict , released on January 20, 2004, King of Pirates , released on September 7, 2004, and FLCL No. 3 , released on June 7, 2005. [9] [10] [11]

Six DVD compilations, each containing one episode, were released in Japan by Gainax. [12] In addition, a DVD collection box, containing all six DVD compilations, was released in Japan on August 13, 2005. [13] Three compilations were released by Synch-Point in North America. A DVD collection, containing all six was released on January 23, 2007. [14] [15] The series was re-picked up for distribution by Funimation in 2010 and released again on DVD and on Blu-ray in February 2011. [16]

In 2016, two new seasons totaling 12 episodes were announced as a co-production between Production I.G, Toho and Adult Swim. [17] [18] The second season, FLCL Progressive, premiered on June 3, 2018, on Adult Swim's Toonami block, while the third season, FLCL Alternative, premiered on September 8, 2018. In Japan, Alternative and Progressive had theatrical screenings in September 2018. The first episode of FLCL Alternative unexpectedly premiered on April Fools' Day 2018 at midnight on Toonami in Japanese with English subtitles.

Two additional seasons were ordered by Adult Swim in March 2022, which were announced on Toonami's 25th anniversary, titled FLCL: Grunge and FLCL: Shoegaze. [19] Grunge aired from September 10 to 24, 2023, while Shoegaze premiered on October 1 of the same year.

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedTitle
First airedLast aired
1 6April 26, 2000 (2000-04-26)March 16, 2001 (2001-03-16)FLCL
2 6June 3, 2018 (2018-06-03)July 7, 2018 (2018-07-07)Progressive
3 6September 8, 2018 (2018-09-08) [lower-alpha 1] October 13, 2018 (2018-10-13)Alternative
4 3September 10, 2023 (2023-09-10)September 24, 2023 (2023-09-24)Grunge
5 3October 1, 2023 (2023-10-01)October 15, 2023 (2023-10-15)Shoegaze

Episodes

Season 1 (2000–2001)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected by [lower-alpha 2] Written by [lower-alpha 2] Storyboarded by [lower-alpha 2] Japanese release dateEnglish air date
11"Fooly Cooly"
Transliteration: "Furi Kuri" (Japanese: フリクリ)
Masahiko Ōtsuka Yōji Enokido Kazuya Tsurumaki, Hiroyuki Imaishi,
Yoh Yoshinari
April 26, 2000 (2000-04-26)August 5, 2003
22"Fire Starter"
Transliteration: "Faisuta" (Japanese: ファイスタ)
Ken AndōYōji Enokido Masayuki June 21, 2000 (2000-06-21)August 6, 2003
33"Marquis de Carabas"
Transliteration: "Maru Raba" (Japanese: マルラバ)
Shouji Saeki Yōji EnokidoShouji SaekiAugust 23, 2000 (2000-08-23)August 7, 2003
44"Full Swing"
Transliteration: "Furi Kiri" (Japanese: フリキリ)
Masahiko ŌtsukaYōji EnokidoNobutoshi OguraOctober 25, 2000 (2000-10-25)August 8, 2003
55"Brittle Bullet"
Transliteration: "Burabure" (Japanese: ブラブレ)
Shouji SaekiYōji EnokidoHiroyuki ImaishiDecember 21, 2000 (2000-12-21)August 12, 2003
66"FLCLimax"
Transliteration: "Furi Kura [lower-alpha 3] " (Japanese: フリクラ)
Masahiko ŌtsukaYōji EnokidoKazuya Tsurumaki, Tadashi Hiramatsu,
Hiroyuki Imaishi
March 16, 2001 (2001-03-16)August 13, 2003

Season 2: Progressive (2018)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleAnimated byDirected byWritten byStoryboarded byOriginal air date
71"Re:Start"
Transliteration: "Saisuta" (Japanese: サイスタ)
Production I.G Kazuto AraiHideto IwaiKazuto AraiJune 3, 2018 (2018-06-03)
82"Freebie Honey"
Transliteration: "Furihani" (Japanese: フリハニ)
Production GoodBookToshihisa KaiyaHideto IwaiToshihisa KaiyaJune 10, 2018 (2018-06-10)
93"Stone Skipping"
Transliteration: "Mizukiri" (Japanese: ミズキリ)
Production I.GYuki OgawaHideto IwaiYuki OgawaJune 17, 2018 (2018-06-17)
104"LooPQR"
Transliteration: "Rarirure" (Japanese: ラリルレ)
Production I.GYoshihide IbataHideto IwaiYoshihide IbataJune 24, 2018 (2018-06-24)
115"Fool on the Planet"
Transliteration: "Furupura" (Japanese: フルプラ)
Signal.MD Kei SuezawaHideto IwaiKei SuezawaJune 30, 2018 (2018-06-30)
126"Our Running"
Transliteration: "Awaran" (Japanese: アワラン)
Production I.GHiroshi IkehataHideto IwaiHiroshi IkehataJuly 7, 2018 (2018-07-07)

Season 3: Alternative (2018)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleAnimated byDirected byWritten byStoryboarded byOriginal air date
131"Flying Memory"
Transliteration: "Fura Memo" (Japanese: フラメモ)
NUT Yutaka UemuraHideto IwaiYutaka Uemura, Hiromi TaniguchiApril 1, 2018 (2018-04-01)
(April Fools, Japanese)
September 8, 2018 (English)
142"Grown-Up Wannabe"
Transliteration: "Tonaburi" (Japanese: トナブリ)
Revoroot Yutaka UemuraHideto IwaiKiyotaka SuzukiSeptember 15, 2018 (2018-09-15)
153"Freestyle Collection"
Transliteration: "Furikore" (Japanese: フリコレ)
RevorootYutaka UemuraHideto IwaiNobukage KimuraSeptember 22, 2018 (2018-09-22)
164"Pit-a-Pat"
Transliteration: "Pitapato" (Japanese: ピタパト)
NUTYutaka UemuraHideto IwaiJun Shishido, Hiromi Taniguchi,
Yutaka Uemura
September 29, 2018 (2018-09-29)
175"Shake It Off"
Transliteration: "Furisute" (Japanese: フリステ)
RevorootYutaka UemuraHideto IwaiKeisuke KojimaOctober 6, 2018 (2018-10-06)
186"Full Flat"
Transliteration: "Furufura" (Japanese: フルフラ)
NUTYutaka UemuraHideto IwaiToshiro FujiiOctober 13, 2018 (2018-10-13)

Season 4: Grunge (2023)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboarded byOriginal air date
191"Shinpachi"
(Japanese: シンパチ)
Hitoshi TakekiyoTetsuhiro IdekaHitoshi TakekiyoSeptember 10, 2023 (2023-09-10)
202"Shonari"
(Japanese: ショウナリ)
Hitoshi TakekiyoTetsuhiro IdekaHitoshi TakekiyoSeptember 17, 2023 (2023-09-17)
213"Orinoko"
(Japanese: オリノコ)
Hitoshi TakekiyoTetsuhiro IdekaHitoshi TakekiyoSeptember 24, 2023 (2023-09-24)

Season 5: Shoegaze (2023)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byStoryboarded byOriginal air date
221"Furu-Bari (Full Barricade)"
(Japanese: フルバリ)
Yutaka UemuraKenta IharaNaoto UchidaOctober 1, 2023 (2023-10-01)
232"Gene-Bato (Generational Battle)"
(Japanese: ジェネバト)
Yutaka UemuraKenta IharaFumie MuroiOctober 8, 2023 (2023-10-08)
243"Far-Fre (Far Friend)"
(Japanese: ファーフレ)
Yutaka UemuraKenta IharaTaku KimuraOctober 15, 2023 (2023-10-15)

Compilation films

In September 2018, Toho theatrically released the FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative sequel seasons as compilation films. They are exclusive to Japan.

No.TitleDirected byWritten byJapanese release date
1"FLCL Alternative: The Movie"
Transliteration: "Gekijō-ban Furi Kuri Orutana" (Japanese: 劇場版 フリクリ オルタナ)
Katsuyuki Motohiro (chief)
Yutaka Uemura
Hideto IwaiSeptember 7, 2018 (2018-09-07)
A film compilation of the FLCL Alternative television season.
2"FLCL Progressive: The Movie"
Transliteration: "Gekijō-ban Furi Kuri Purogure" (Japanese: 劇場版 フリクリ プログレ)
Katsuyuki Motohiro (chief)Hideto IwaiSeptember 28, 2018 (2018-09-28)
A film compilation of the FLCL Progressive television season.

See also

Notes

  1. The first episode of FLCL Alternative premiered unannounced in Japanese audio with English subtitles on April 1, 2018 at midnight ET as part of Adult Swim's April Fools' stunt. The date reflects the proper first run broadcast of the series.
  2. 1 2 3 Information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.
  3. The Japanese title is actually an alteration made by Haruko on the phrase "funi funi, funi kura" (フニフニ. フニクラ). The episode's title is not meant to have any actual significance. [20]

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The fourth season of the FLCL anime series, titled FLCL: Grunge, is produced by Production I.G and Adult Swim's production arm Williams Street. Grunge was animated by MontBlanc Pictures, with direction by Hitoshi Takekiyo and screenplay by Tetsuhiro Ikeda. It aired from September 10 to September 24, 2023 in the United States on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block. In addition to contributing towards the soundtrack of the season, the Pillows performed the ending theme song "Vivid Venus". Grunge is a prequel to the original FLCL series from 2000.

<i>FLCL: Shoegaze</i> Season of television series

The fifth season of the FLCL anime series, titled FLCL: Shoegaze, is produced by Production I.G and Adult Swim's production arm Williams Street. Shoegaze was animated by NUT, with direction by Yutaka Uemura and screenplay by Kenta Ihara. It premiered on October 1, 2023 in the United States on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block. In addition to contributing to the soundtrack of the season, the Pillows performed the ending theme song "About A Rock'n'Roll Band". Shoegaze takes place 10 years after the events of FLCL Alternative and before the remaining seasons. Shoegaze is the only season of FLCL not to feature the series main protagonist, Haruko Haruhara.

<i>FLCL</i> (season 1) Season of television series

Retroactively known as the first season of the FLCL series, all episodes of the 2000 Japanese original video animation series were directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records. The English adaptation was licensed by Synch-Point, which released the DVDs and soundtrack. After Synch-Point went out of business, Funimation licensed and re-released the series on Blu-ray and DVD. The story follows Haruko Haruhara, a sociopathic alien drawn to the fictional Japanese suburb of Mabase by the Medical Meccanica building while weaseling in the lives of twelve-year-old Naota Nandaba in the first season and fourteen-year-old Hidomi Hibajiri in the second season as pawns in her agenda to acquire the being called Atomsk.

References

  1. "FLCL". Work List. Production I.G. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  2. "FLCL". Starchild. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  3. "FLCL". Production. Synch-Point. Archived from the original on 2005-01-01. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  4. "Geneon announces new soundtracks". News. Anime News Network . Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  5. "Funimation Adds Gainax, I.G's FLCL Anime on Blu-ray/DVD (Updated)". News. Anime News Network . Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  6. "Watch FLCL – Watch Anime & Live Action Streaming Episodes & Video Online". Funimation . Retrieved 2012-09-01.
  7. "Cartoon Network Takes Prime, Total Day Crown for Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11". Time Warner (Time Warner). Retrieved August 1, 2006.
  8. "FLCL on Cartoon Network in August". Anime News Network. 2003-06-29. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  9. "Fooly Cooly OST 1: Addict". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  10. "Fooly Cooly OST 2: King of Pirates". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  11. "FLCL (Fooly Cooly) OST 3". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  12. "FLCL – Goods" (in Japanese). Gainax. Archived from the original on 2007-12-16. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  13. "フリクリ DVD-BOX" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  14. "FLCL Ultimate Edition Details". Anime News Network. 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  15. "FLCL – Ultimate Edition DVD Collection". Amazon. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  16. "North American Anime, Manga Releases for February 2011". Anime News Network. 2011-01-15. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
  17. "Toonami to Co-Produce 2 New FLCL Seasons". Anime News Network. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  18. "ANIME EXPO 2017: FLCL 2 AND 3 FIRST DETAILS, RELEASE WINDOW ANNOUNCED". IGN. July 2, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  19. Otterson, Joe (March 17, 2022). "Adult Swim Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Toonami, Orders Two New 'FLCL' Seasons and 'Housing Complex C' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  20. "Director's comment" FLCL: Groundworks, pg.19

General references