{"id":630,"date":"2018-10-22T22:00:25","date_gmt":"2018-10-22T13:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/?p=630"},"modified":"2018-10-22T15:00:40","modified_gmt":"2018-10-22T06:00:40","slug":"flcl-alternative-is-far-more-like-the-original-than-progressive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biggestinjapan.com\/index.php\/2018\/10\/22\/flcl-alternative-is-far-more-like-the-original-than-progressive\/","title":{"rendered":"FLCL Alternative<\/i> is Far More Like the Original Than Progressive<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"

2018 has seen not one, but to sequels to classic 90s Gainax anime FLCL. But while <\/span>FLCL Progressive<\/span><\/i><\/a> took the slapstick hijinks and over-the-top action of the original and turned it up to 11<\/a>, <\/span>FLCL Alternative<\/span><\/i> instead focuses much more on the themes and personal drama surrounding the characters–i.e., what made the original so much deeper than how it appeared on the surface.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

FLCL Alternative<\/span><\/i> is the story of ordinary high school senior Kana. She spends each day in relative happiness with her friends Hijiri, Mossan, and Pets. But all this comes to an end on the day when the pink-haired Haruko arrives, pulls a guitar right out of Kana\u2019s forehead, and uses it to fight an alien robot. Now, even though Kana doesn\u2019t realize it, the end of the world is nigh and she may be the only one capable of preventing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like the original, <\/span>FLCL Alternative<\/span><\/i> is, thematically, about lies–the ones we tell others and the ones we tell ourselves. It is also about the secrets we keep from those who are supposedly our closest friends. And after all, what is a secret but a lie of omission?<\/span><\/p>\n

Outside of the introductory episode, which simply sets the stage, each episode focuses on a secret or lie directly relating to one of the four girls. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Kana\u2019s lie is that she likes Sasaki–i.e., the boy she is supposed to like. She has kept him safely at arm’s length–in the \u201cwill they, won\u2019t they\u201d zone–but when Haruko starts seducing him in earnest, Kana is forced to either confess her feelings or let Haruko steal him for good.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the twist is that, when forced to confront her own feelings, she discovers that she doesn\u2019t actually want to date him. What\u2019s most important to Kana is preserving the status quo–and having to deal with a boyfriend for the first time would certainly shake things up in an unwanted way. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

For Hijiri, her lie is that she\u2019s already an adult. A published fashion model, it\u2019s no doubt she already has one foot in the working world. Because of this, she acts more mature than she really is–as is expected from a \u201cprofessional.\u201d But this bleeds into her personal life as well. She all but dismisses the boys at her school and instead has a college-aged boyfriend. But in front of him, she feels the need to keep up the act and be the stereotypical \u201ccool girl\u201d who isn\u2019t upset by anything–up to and including being dumped by her boyfriend who then asks her to return a necklace he gave her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, on the inside, she is hurting, and through her friends\u2019 meddling–and an attack by a transforming robot car–decides that it\u2019s okay to just be a highschooler. There is no hurry to grow up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Mossan\u2019s episode deals with her secret dream, her family situation, and why she\u2019s decided to keep both secret from her supposed best friends. To Kana and the rest of the group, Mossan has always just been a reliable, hardworking presence. However, unlike the other girls, she is actually dirt poor and from a large family. <\/span><\/p>\n

She dreams of being a fashion designer–and has labored in secret to become one. She has spent countless nights slaving over a sewing machine and countless evenings working on construction sites. And, as she is one of the few allowed to compete in a fashion design competition, it\u2019s clear her hard work has paid off. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having come so far on her own, it\u2019s understandable that she has such a resistance to Kana and the others trying to help–especially because it\u2019s not like Kana bothered to ask before \u201chelping.\u201d But despite this, by the end, Mossan\u2019s happy to have her friends with her in her moment of (albeit stolen) glory.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Pets\u2019 episode is by far the most interesting thematically. After bumbling into Hijiri and Mossan\u2019s secrets–making everything worse before it gets better–Kana discovers Pets secret when Pets suddenly disappears from school. From there we learn that, despite how she seems at school, Pets\u2019 home life is terrible. Her mother is obviously an abuse victim, she rarely sees her controlling father, and her room is bare–she isn\u2019t allowed personal belongings.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the two finally meet again face to face, Pets tears into Kana, talking about how selfish she is–how Kana tramples over the feelings of her friends because she thinks she knows better than them. But beneath this is an accusation: Why did you never try to find out about me?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Pets is Kana\u2019s oldest friend. They\u2019ve been together since elementary school when Pets first approached the chronically alone Kana. But Kana never recognized this cry for help for what it was. Kana, perfectly fine with the outer trappings of friendship never delved deeper–even as Pets made personal sacrifices in the hopes it would encourage Kana.<\/span><\/p>\n

And in the end, Pets moves away with her abusive family–punishing Kana by neither making up with her nor saying goodbye. However, she does take Kana\u2019s hairpin while leaving her own–showing that while she hasn\u2019t forgiven Kana, she is still connected to her. It\u2019s just too bad that the purposefully oblivious Kana once again misses the message Pets tries to send her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

As the individual episodes delve into the secrets and lies of the four school girls, the series as a whole is tied together by the one huge lie that Kana tells herself: that things will continue on as they always have.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is why Kana has never noticed any of the problems facing her friends–Hijiri\u2019s trying to grow up too fast, Mossan\u2019s struggles to obtain her dream or Pets\u2019 abusive homelife. Kana likes the outward face her friends present. It\u2019s safe. It\u2019s nice. It\u2019s fun. Everyone gets along perfectly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Kana remembers all too well her lonely school life before she met Pets. She has no want to ever experience that again. Thus, she overcorrects and tries to create no waves in her friendships. She doesn\u2019t want to know anything that could lead to a conflict between her and her friends–a conflict that could end with her being alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

But here\u2019s the thing, it\u2019s only a matter of time till she is alone again. Whether it\u2019s graduation or the impending end of the world, she and her friends will soon be going their separate ways. No matter how much she butts into her friends\u2019 lives in a mad attempt to reset the status quo, she\u2019s only treading water. And deep down, she knows this.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: [adult swim]<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why, in the end, Kana realizes that she needs to accept that some people are just not going to like her–that she can\u2019t just keep the peace forever if she ever wants truly meaningful relationships. It\u2019s alright for her to be mad at her friends–to feel hurt that Pets left without ever saying goodbye.<\/span><\/p>\n

Of course, she never would have made that realization if it weren\u2019t for the constant guidance of Haruko.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

While change is one of <\/span>FLCL Alternative<\/span><\/i>\u2019s pivotal themes, it\u2019s interesting that Haruko claims that she does not. As she puts it, she has been 19 forever. However, this is as big of a lie as any other in the series.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Haruko we see in <\/span>FLCL Alternative<\/span><\/i> is vastly different from the Haruko we see in either <\/span>Progressive<\/span><\/i> and the original <\/span>FLCL<\/span><\/i>. Haruko has always used people as little more than stepping stones to reach her own goal–capturing ATOMSK. In <\/span>FLCL<\/span><\/i>, she emotionally manipulates a young boy, stepping into (and out of) the roles of mother and lover as it suits her. In <\/span>Progressive<\/span><\/i>, she throws subtlety out the window and makes putting humans in mortal danger her tool of choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

The closest we get to real humanity from her is at the end of the original when she purposefully does not ask Naoto to join her in chasing after ATOMSK–freeing him from being used as her tool and allowing him to have a normal life. However, in <\/span>Alternative<\/span><\/i>, she takes up a new role–one of a wise mentor.<\/span><\/p>\n

While she can still be slapstickishly violent and\/or downright silly at times Haruko is there to help Kana from the get-go. She gives emotional support and words of advice when needed. She protects Kana when things get violent. But most importantly, she teaches the tough lessons–even if that means temporarily casting herself in the role of the villain. While Kana clings to the status quo, Haruko is there to upset it and make Kana see the truth underneath. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Now does Haruko have an ulterior motive for why she is helping Kana? Sure, but it\u2019s not a selfish one. Rather, Haruko genuinely wants to use Kana\u2019s powers to save the earth from its impending destruction. <\/span><\/p>\n

There is a simple reason that Haruko is so far removed from how she appears in other parts of the franchise: this is Haruko without her obsessive drive to capture ATOMSK at any cost. She lacks her tracking bracelet and doesn\u2019t even mention him in this series. It seems that she has found meaning in fighting Medical Mechanica–and keeping the earth safe. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Perhaps this Haruko has once again merged with Jinyu (as her hair and eye color would suggest), leading to a calmer, more balanced person. After all, Jinyu was focused on protecting ATOMSK\u2019s freedom by stopping Haruko and Medical Mechanica in their attempts to capture him. Fighting Medical Mechanica on Earth to keep it free does seem like something Jinyu would do.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"Image source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n

Over the course of the three series, we have seen Haruko evolve. She begins in <\/span>FLCL<\/span><\/i> as a once good police officer corrupted by her obsessive love for ATOMSK and his power. In <\/span>FLCL Progressive<\/span><\/i>, we see her at her most evil, when she is literally split into her best and worst parts. And finally, in <\/span>FLCL Alternative<\/span><\/i>, we see her transformed back into the good person she once was–though perhaps a bit older and wiser. It is a fitting cap to her redemption arc and, should this be the last we see of <\/span>FLCL<\/span><\/i>, a great note for the franchise to end on as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

FLCL Alternative<\/span><\/i> can be seen on <\/span>Adult Swim<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Top Image Source: \u5287\u5834\u7248\u30d5\u30ea\u30af\u30ea\u516c\u5f0f 10\/31 Blu-ray BOX\u767a\u58f2\uff01<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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