Is Flcl Progressive a Reboot or a Continuation

October 13, 2022 Post a Comment

FLCL: Progressive Season Review

"Wait. What was the reason for doing all this?"

This is a spoiler-free review of FLCL: Progressive, or FLCL 2. Below are links to reviews of the individual episodes. Every review after episode 1 has spoilers, so please read with caution. FLCL: Progressive is streaming on Adult Swim and available for purchase on Google Play, iTunes, and Amazon.

Episode 1: "Re: Start" Review
Episode 2: "Freebie Honey" Review
Episode 3: "Stone Skipping" Review
Episode 4: "LOOPQR" Review
Episode 5: "Fool on the Planet" Review
Episode 6: "Our Running" Review

It's not easy to make a sequel to a beloved anime, especially one that's legend has steadily grown over the last 17 years. Regardless of how you feel about its hallowed status, there's no debating that FLCL is a one-of-a-kind experience with its short runtime and enigmatic plot. Attempting to recreate that perfect storm so many years later is a tall order, and although Production I.G. don't quite pull it off, Progressive is an admirable effort and probably the best FLCL follow up we could expect in the year 2018.

Progressive makes a solid first impression through the introduction of its new protagonists Ide and Hidomi and Haruko's mysterious counterpart Julia Jinyu. Whether it be Ide's romantic obsession or Hidomi's matter-of-fact facade, the first episode artfully jump-starts the story beats that will follow them through the show. The conflict surrounding this group does provide a compelling core for the series, but never quite reaches a satisfying conclusion despite some excellent moments. In particular, I had hoped for a deeper explanation about Haruko and Jinyu's strange relationship, but perhaps leaving things unexplained is just the FLCL way.

Sadly I did not feel as strongly about the side characters who increasingly dominate the show's runtime following the premiere. Characters like Aiko, Mori, and Marco – friends of Ide – all have some good moments, but those moments rarely feel important to the central plot. The worst offenders are the members of Intergalactic Immigration, who are heavily featured in the shows latter half but do next to nothing before being all but forgotten in the final moments. Compared to the original FLCL, which managed to craft subplots that not only stood on their own but also served as anchors for the main plot, these scenes feel forced and filler-ish in a show that is already short.

The relationship between Hidomi and her mom builds slowly toward what is probably the season's best moment.

However, not all the subplots are completely disposable. I have to make special mention of the relationship between Hidomi and her mom that builds slowly toward what is probably the season's best moment. Their resolution outshines all the Progressive's romances and also embodies what I believe to be one of the show's core messages: that it's okay to rely on people around you. Nearly every character is keeping a secret of some kind, whether it be a crush, a dream, or a job. These secrets lead to emotional and physical pain for our characters until they finally open up and share the burden with those around them, which happens to be a quite literal lesson for a certain character.

This is just one of many possible interpretations of the show's events, and I'm sure fans will find other ways to break down Progressive's minutiae, but I feel they will find there isn't nearly as much to dig into this time around. The original FLCL is remembered for its trademark weirdness, but it manages to wrangle all that weirdness to deliver a coherent message by the end. Progressive attempts to replicate that magic, but just can't consistently match up.

There are standout moments, especially in the show's latter half where it exhibits some truly impressive animation chops. Unfortunately those moments are rare, and for the majority of the show the plot, animation, and dialogue all feel mostly pedestrian, a word I would never dream of using to describe FLCL. Even the meta-references that attempt to lampoon the original feel far too tame. If the show had committed fully to these gags maybe they could have broken out from under FLCL's shadow, but instead you get a sequel that apes its predecessor's structure without the same style.

One facet of the show that does deserve a special mention is the stellar soundtrack from the Pillows, a mix of old and new tunes that show the band hasn't missed a beat since they signed on to score the original show 17 years ago. I never thought any song could usurp the legendary "Ride on Shooting Star", but the spacy new ending theme "Spiky Seeds" might be even more of an earworm. I highly recommend checking out the entire original soundtrack, whether you are a fan of the show or not.

Verdict

As a standalone project Progressive is a functional short story that is unlikely to spark much excitement, and when compared to its predecessor, it feels like a misguided imitation. Progressive does have moments of brilliance thanks to certain characters and some great animation sequences, but it is unlikely to be remembered as fondly as its inspiration. Individual episodes seem to be building toward something greater, but when its all said and done, they add up to a mostly middling finale.