Fooly Cooly-thon: Reactions to Episode 1

Once upon a time, after a really moody modem decided to finally get it's shit together and provide internet for a very anime-hungry AvatarHippo. He got to hop on one of the strangest rides the world of Japanese animation had to offer.

With dips, tips, tilts and turns to behold in the show and in my anger and respect for the show, the first episode did not disappointing.

Let's hop on the crazy train because yes... this was one hell of a rewatch.





To summarize my feelings of the episode, I thought it was good. It made me think about a few things... But mostly it was just insanity happening and not knowing what the hell was going on.

Seriously, after watching the series two times beforehand, it still hardly prepared me for the total barrage of wat flying out of the screen and speakers of my laptop.


But, in the end, I think the whole episode turned out very well.

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Isn't that the million dollar question?

While I did watch this anime for the first time in English  I look back and ask myself... why? I don't get very much enjoyment out of the English voice actors because it sounds like a copy and paste version of the Japanese voices but in English and it just sounded SO annoying on a rewatch. I prefer English dubs who's voice actors create a unique interpretation of the character they portray (while of course sticking to what is important). With that all said, I don't think the voice acting on the English side is really BAD, you do see the effort put into it at times, but I definitely did not get as much enjoyment from it as much as I did the original Japanese voices.

The episode establishes the characters personalities pretty well but, as mentioned earlier, the episode REALLY makes you feel like you are trapped in a washing machine spiraling watching a lecture on astrophysics. Honestly, you don't know what is going on visually and you hardly understand a thing they are saying half of the time because it just throws you into the situation with all of the context unknown.

Watching the first part of this episode actually kind of angered me because the action started up pretty quickly and I didn't even really understand what the action I was supposed to be following was.

Vague example: with the introduction of Haruko to the mix, sure, her quirkyness and... otherworldly nature are shown to the audience in pure raw form. But at this point everyone at the moment w just talking about anything and everything at a pace that makes me feel like I am trying to count the number of steps taken in an Olympic track race.

     

But then again... We are talking
about a character that goes from this

To this more than often. It must
be her hobby or something

Luckily, the diverse and sporadic animation style kept me thoroughly entertained throughout with it's frequent shifts in style and medium, it's use of expressions and the just overall wtfness of the whole picture you are looking at.

I have the weirdest boner right now...

However, despite how I am making the show to be, the creators look like they are really trying to send a few meaningful and mind-provoking messages to the audience and present a serious narrative to the audience at the moments where it is necessary.

Even though some of them are REALLY in your face about it...

The characters are also introduced very well too I believe. Whether they do it by shrouding them in mystery making the audience question their motives or planting little pieces of their past to make you curious about the ways that they act or even caricaturing their personalities, facial expressions and attitudes to make the audience question why it is they are acting or reacting in that matter.

Ooooh man... Feels incoming...

Some of the images are really
well done as well

 

Obby :D

Many angry fucks are given.
Can you guess what they are? :P

Overall, the first episode paints this show as a series of extremes. And... I think I am okay with that if the episodes can end with good feelings and impressions like this.

The characters, setting and the intertwining of all the attitudes and feelings from each of the characters are REALLY getting me invested in what all of this about

FLCL, you make me really ask what is fooly cooly and with that, you are holding up really well so far. I hope you won't disappoint on this watch!

Look forward to the next entry to Fooly Cooly-thon soon! See you then!

- AvatarHippo