Episode 1: "Fooly Cooly"
(Japanese Title: フリクリ - "FLCL")

Warning! This page contains "spoilers" for Episode One of the FLCL animated series and may ruin the enjoyment of this episode for those who have not yet seen it. This page is intended to be read by none other than those who have already seen the first episode of FLCL in its entirety.

NaotaAh, the first episode of an animated series. Here is where we meet the characters for the first time; where they leave their first impression on us. And, boy, speaking of first impressions, if the first two and a half minutes of this series didn't convince you of FLCL's uniqueness, nothing will.

In those two minutes we met Nandaba Naota and Samejima Mamimi. This episode actually reveals more about Mamimi than it does Naota; but Naota is the main character and has the entire rest of the series for character development. That's not to say that Mamimi won't undergo her own development… anyway, let's review what we know about Mamimi.

Later in the episode, Naota's father will ask, "Is Mamimi's family poor, would you say?" This is a good question; we don't see much of Mamimi's family neither in this episode nor elsewhere in the series, and it could be hypothesized that she is an orphan or a runaway.Mamimi Pretty much all we get is in Episode 3: "My mom and dad both came to see me [in a school play] together. So it's a good memory," perhaps hinting that her parents are divorced? Yet Mamimi can afford luxuries such as a cell phone, cigarettes, and, as we'll see next episode, video games; she doesn't seem to be poor. That being said, she's often hanging out under a bridge, and is rarely seen in other clothing besides her school uniform. And why was she picking up day-old bread from the Shigekuni Bakery? (Shigekuni is the given name of Naota's grandfather.)

Mamimi is a girl of vices. Desperate for affection (which she perhaps does not receive from her family?), she clings to "Ta-kun" in the absence of her boyfriend, Naota's older brother. And, of course, there's the cigarettes. Mamimi has a very strong personality, and we'll find out more about it later. We'll also figure out why Mamimi calls Naota "Takkun," which at this point in the series, doesn't really seem like a big deal, but…

Mamimi asks Naota "Why do you always carry around a bat?" Strange, because after this episode, you won't see it much.

If you have access to this episode on DVD right now, pop it in and go to the line, "There's more than half left, Chief;" it's about three minutes in. What happens right after that? Pay attention with both your eyes and your ears, it happens quickly… See? What did I have to tell you about having to pay attention? ☺ FLCL is rife with these quick hints; you need to stay on your toes.

Naota's refusal of the sour drink here, and his acceptance at the end, is the introduction to the theme of strongly flavored foods. I'm serious; this is a theme throughout the series. As you continue to watch, pay attention for mentions of food, specifically what Naota likes and does not like.

You're probably thinking that the Medical Mechanica plant bears a certain resemblance to a steam iron. What do irons do?

As for the "iron's" steam, I haven't yet quite deciphered the significance of it. I'm still working on it. The fact that we see it quickly fading away when Naota first hears Haruko's Vespa has to be a clue. (Speaking of which, "Vespa" is an actual motor scooter manufacturer; an Italian company, but their products are sold all over the world. Here's their web site.)

Haruko and her VespaOh, wow. Haruko. She makes a heck of an entrance, doesn't she? If this is your first time watching FLCL, the show probably stopped making sense right about here. Who is she? What's with the Vespa? And, most of all, why did she hit Naota in the head with a heavily-modified left-handed Rickenbacker bass?

Don't worry about making sense of that right now; or the rest of the episode, really. It will come together, and I'll help you understand it, I promise. ☺

At the end of the odd scene in the bus, after Naota says "You're doing the slow motion?" the Japanese text on the screen below the red X reads "It's wrong." (I am translating all Japanese text that appears in the series for those who watched FLCL on its television runs and don't have access to DVD subtitles.)

After Haruko vroomed away (pardon me while I butcher the English language), Naota called her "a stupid adult that doesn't know how to grow up." This line is important. Naota is probably the youngest human character in the series; yet he often finds fault in the immaturity of others.

Ninamori, Masashi and GakuThe next scene shows Naota in school, with his friends (from left to right), Ninamori Eri (usually just called Ninamori, her surname), Masashi, and Gaku. These friends will play important roles in their own rights in FLCL's unfolding; right now they're just there to spread the rumors going around town about the appearance of "The Vespa Woman," and to tease Naota about his bizarre bandage. The stolen "super spicy curry bread" is another mention of flavorful food. (The quick dictionary scene shows us that the definition of "vespa" is wasp or hornet.)

The sign outside the hospital reads "MM Branch Hospital: Brain Surgery, Respiratory Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology." Note, if you please, the Medical Mechanica logo. (It's also on the back of the case for DVD 1. Did you notice that that logo appears on the robots that will come out of Naota's head later?

The sign over the Nandaba family's bakery reads Bread Shigekuni, and the sign on the door reads "Due to circumstances… closed for the time being. -Management." This circumstance is probably Naota's father's injury.

Wow. Naota dumps on Mamimi pretty hard in the phone scene, don't you think? "Go out with your friends," as I'm not your friend; then hangs up on her. Ouch. Maybe he's just having a bad day. Soon after was the jet and the letter again, for a slightly longer interval.

The comic scene… What can I say? A hyper-active, pun-filled, hyper-active bit of hyperness. The wordplay scenes between Naota's father and Haruko were probably one of the hardest to translate parts of this entire series. In fact, on the subtitle track, some lines have even been left untranslated; whether this was an error, or Synch-Point just gave up and left the burden of translation to the viewer, is unclear. This scene makes slightly more sense if you remember that "kuri" is a Japanese sound effect for tweaking something; breasts, for example… This comic scene does not actually appear in the FLCL comic.

Yes, Haruko was talking to the cat. She somehow communicates to somebody using Miyu-Miyu. Who is she communicating with, though? This is one of the mysteries of FLCL that does not seem to have an answer… But if you can, watch this scene again and pay attention to what she says. Naota's line coming down the stairs is "Aw, she's playing with my head…" She certainly is, in more ways than one.

"Never knows best." I'll leave it at that.

"You know… he has a…" And finally we can see what that airmail envelope contained. The picture says something like "I got me a blonde gal!" with "GET" in English. Look quickly… That Polaroid of Naota's brother from the teeth down is all we're going to see of him. And did you catch Mamimi's reaction? That "hpmm" in the English dub was outstandingly voice actressed.

I have not yet deciphered why Mamimi falls unconscious right before the robots appear. If you have any theories, I'd be interested in hearing them. As for how the robots pop out of Naota's head, why they're fighting to the death, why Haruko takes her guitar upside the red one's head and turns it blue… Again, it will be explained later, I promise.

The sign on the bakery door reads "Store reopened as of today. -Management." During the "You have to roll the bread smooth" scene, you can see him in the lower right corner of the screen, sans cast.

The last scene of this episode ("But I said I don't like sour stuff") sums up the entire series. Really. Again, I promise it'll make sense in the future.

So that's episode one. Phew! Writing these things are going to be a lot of work, I see…
Page Update History
9 Jan 04: Initial Creation
10 Jan 04: +Pictures
2 Feb 04: Divorced?
3 Mar 04: Japanese title