Cocona is your relatively average middle school girl. She works hard in class, has a best friend, and lives with her elderly grandmother. Then, one day, she meets Papika–a girl on a hoverboard escaping from a science lab outside of town–and is promptly pulled into the surreal worlds of Pure Illusion. Before long, Cocona and Papika are full blown magical girls, going from one acid trip of a world to the next in a race to gather special magical stones before an evil cult and their own set of magical girls do.
Note: This review contains major spoilers for Flip Flappers.
Image source: TVアニメ「フリップフラッパーズ」公式 on Twitter
Honestly, the surface level plot is the weakest aspect of the series–not because of what it shows but because of what it doesn’t. Many episodes start in media res and never really explain how we got there. Instead, we just have to accept that Cocona and Papika are in the middle of some personal drama despite everything being fine at the end of the previous episode. It literally feels like whole episodes are missing.
This is a problem the series as a whole shares as well. While we know the state of things in both the past and present, we never learn how the transition between the two occurred. How did young Cocona and Papika get out of Pure Illusion–and why didn’t they remember each other? How did the lab turn into a cult? How did Dr. Salt start his own rival organization? How did Dr. Salt gather all his allies–and while we’re at it, what are their back stories? Who is the brain inside TT-392? How was Mimi separated into the various magical stones?
Image source: TVアニメ「フリップフラッパーズ」公式 on Twitter
These are just a few of the vital questions the anime never bothers to answer. While annoying to say the least, it is somewhat forgivable because creating a complete plot isn’t the goal of the show–it’s merely the framework for creating a stunning visual experience and exploring the anime’s main theme.
Flip Flappers is first and foremost a visual spectacle. Each new world is an acid trip of bright colors and mind-bending surrealist fantasy. Most are more than a little familiar. One world might as well be called Wonderland while the next draws its inspiration from Mad Max. Another world is a forbidden-lesbian-love-story-turned-horror-tale and yet another is centered around giant mecha battles. Each world has its unique visual style and more than a few will make your eyes bleed-especially when it comes to the action scenes.
But for all the oddly themed worlds and magical girl battles, Flip Flappers is really a story about personal agency. Cocona, as a girl who has had to grow up with only one living family member, knows just how precious family is. Thus, she has built her whole life around keeping her grandmother happy. She works hard in school and never gets in trouble; she plays by the rules and does exactly what is expected of her.
Image source: TVアニメ「フリップフラッパーズ」公式 on Twitter
However, as she nears the end of middle school, she faces the first big choice in her life: what high school to attend. Neither her grandmother or teachers have any preference. She is an excellent student and could go to any school she wants–and herein lies the problem. Cocona has been completely reactionary in her life so far. She has let others make all the choices. She doesn’t know how to think for herself.
So it’s not surprising that in the series’ climax Cocona goes along with her mother’s insane, reality-altering whims. It’s so much easier to just follow the rules than think for yourself. The problem is, due to her adventures with Papika, Cocona has actually started to find things that she finds truly important–namely Papika and Yayaka. With her friends’ lives on the line, Cocona has to stand up to her mother–and exercise self-agency for the first time in her life. And by the time the world is saved and the final credits roll, Cocona is ready to make her own choices–for better or for worse.
Image source: TVアニメ「フリップフラッパーズ」公式 on Twitter
In the end, Flip Flappers has simply out-of-this-world visuals and a solid theme to back it up. If you’re willing to ignore the massive amount of things left unexplained, you’ll certainly enjoy the psychedelic ride.
Flip Flappers can be streamed on Crunchyroll, HIDIVE, and AnimeLab (AU/NZ)
Top image source: TVアニメ「フリップフラッパーズ」公式 on Twitter
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