Chaos reigns supreme in this fan favorite anime. Mopeds, guitars, giant robots, battles, and romance, FLCL has it all. With more randomness than a random number generator and more comedy than a stand-up tour, this anime has captured the hearts (and sanity) of anime fans for years.

Article by William Gray

Originally aired in America between 2000 and 2001 on Toonami, this show captivated a niche of the anime community and has refused to give them up, even 18 years later you can still find people at anime conventions walking around in Lord Canti cosplay.

Following the adventures of Naota, an elementary school student as he spends his days at school, home, and out in the town with his older brother’s ex-girlfriend Mamimi. Everything changes when an alien, Haruko Haruhara, crashed into Naota’s life (literally and repeatedly) causing him to sprout robots from his head.

The first robot he sprouts is humanoid with a TV for a head and is named, by Mamimi, after the god in a video game she playsーLord Canti. The other robots are part of Medical Mechanica, an alien organization that has a presence in the town (in the form of a factory in the shape of an iron). Lord Canti is later revealed to be a somehow weaker form of ATOMSK, the Pirate King, and the reason for Haruko being in town.

Another faction of the story is an unnamed group that is trying to stop Haruko. It is hinted at that Haruko had been to Earth before when the leader of this group was a child and tried to use him to pull the robots through, but his head didn’t work as well as Naota’s. This organization doesn’t seem to like Medical Mechanica or ATOMSK, but their goal is just to stop Haruko from completing her task.

While the show does have a vaguely defined plot, it mostly revolves around Naota’s interactions with the people around him, primarily Mamimi and Haruko. The show keeps you entertained with its zany antics, incredible amount of random details to notice, and the relatability of having no idea what is going on in your life.

The other portion of the show that grabbed a lot of attention was the soundtrack made by a relatively unknown band The Pillows who have since gained a huge fan base of their own, partially due to the show. All of the music in the show was made by the band, giving the soundtrack a consistent flow.

Due to the fanbase’s love of the show, the sequels are being released after a 17-year wait. FLCL Progressive (the second season) is slated for release on June 2. FLCL Alternative (the third season) is being released in September, but no definitive date has been released yet. The Pillows have been slated to do the soundtracks for both of the sequels, to the delight of fans everywhere.

Featured image credit: Production I.G. and GAINAX Co.