FLCL Progressive is an original anime that is the sequel to the original FLCL from way back in 2000. It is only six episodes long. The original FLCL had a high quality fluid animation style, and that is sadly not continued here. In contrast, Progressive is a lot blander, albeit more consistent. Things seem to move slower, there are a lot of static scenes, and at times, can even feel generic.
The story expects the viewer to already be familiar with the concepts of the original. Unfortunately, it throws away a lot of the symbolism that made the original so well loved (and also unfathomable at times), for a more typical, coherent, affair. It follows Hibajiri Hidomi, a middle school student with her most striking physical characteristic being her neon glowing headphones (complete with cat ears). She is a person of few words, acting distant and shows no emotion. In a somewhat familiar scene, she is smacked on the head by a vehicle.
Thankfully, it is not a retread of FLCL’s plot but is similar. Hidomi has dreams of apocalyptic, and at times, freaky stuff, which is somehow a premonition of what is going to happen. The return of a familiar character, as well as dialogue teasing others, can feel like a cheap way to ride the popularity of the original without trying to stand on its own legs. As well as that, while familiar elements of robot battles and guitar smashing return, they just aren’t as flashy or exciting to watch.
As the season goes on, it turns into what basically is a story between Hidomi and her classmate Ide falling in love. The symbolism is much more obvious and the story played straight when compared to the original. While there are still moments of where you have no idea what is happening, they are much fewer in frequency. Haruko was one of the star characters, and a new character is introduced as the equivalent of her. If you were interested in the Medical Mechanica portion of the story, then Progressive expands on that quite a bit more. The giant iron makes plenty of appearances and you even get to see the inside of one. The N.O. Channel from the characters’ heads where it pulls objects from another space is constantly used as a plot point during the climax.
The climax not only deals with Hidomi’s love for Ide, but also her insecurity of her family. It had been hinted time and again how her father had left them, and her mother is only keep the café open to wait for his return. It also focuses on Haruko’s never ending chase of Atomsk and the lesson that both Hidomi and Haruko learn is the same: you must fight for what you want. Everything else that happens within the last two episodes are confusing and hard to try and discern from. Overall FLCL Progressive cannot escape any comparisons made with the original. Unfortunately, it is subpar in almost every way. The animation style is not as visually interesting and the story contains a lot less subtext than what’s being shown on screen.
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