Several years after the events of the original FLCL it returns for this series; set in the same town but with, mostly, new characters. Hidomi Hibajiri is a fourteen year old girl who always wears cat-eared headphones and has strange dreams is the new lead. Her life, and that of those around her are about to get strange when Haruko Haruhara returns to town on her Vespa.
I won't attempt to describe the plot; anybody who watched the original will know to expect the bizarre. I can understand why some viewers didn't enjoy this; at first I wasn't sure I would. Thankfully once I got to know the new characters I found myself enjoying it more and more. The story provides plenty of surreal moments, laughs and action. The animation might not be as good as many new series but I felt the style matched to original which for me was more important. Overall I found this to be a welcome return to the world of FLCL so would recommend it... as it is only six episodes long you won't waste much time if you don't like it.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
Plot summary
Many years have passed since Naota and Haruhara Haruko shared their adventure together. Meanwhile, the war between the two entities known as Medical Mechanica and Fraternity rages across the galaxy. Enter Hidomi, a young teenaged girl who believes there is nothing amazing to expect from her average life, until one day when a new teacher named Haruko arrives at her school. Soon enough, Medical Mechanica is attacking her town and Hidomi discovers a secret within her that could save everyone, a secret that only Haruko can unlock.
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A return to the surreal world of FLCL
Honestly I actually enjoyed it
Look, I have watched the original (see my review) and I enjoyed this as well. The animation isn't as bad as people claimed it to be and I think it had aged pretty well from the original.
The only thing which I didn't like was that it never answered any of my questions about the old characters from the original. Or what ever happened to Hidomi's father?
It is pretty much the same message as the original (growing up and taking responsibility) just with new characters except Haruco.
So yeah as a whole it is worth the watch.
Like an echo of FLCL, it's lost clarity in the reproduction
Where the original FLCL was something you either loved or hated, "Progressive" is a like an echo of the original.
While trying to reproduce and capture the original feel (and fans) of FLCL, "Progressive" fails, making it feel even more "less than" which is a shame considering the story, though a trope filled mess, has some originality and enjoyable points.
Taken on its own it's an interesting watch, but most will feel disappointed if they were expecting a true continuation of the joy and insanity found in the original.
Pro's:
- English Dubbing.
- "Some" of the art is higher quality, making it feel newer.
- Enjoyable and unusual story.
Con's:
- It's not FLCL, don't get your hopes up.
- Art quality dips at times.
- Much is the story is predicable.