Just to preface, I think this is my 5th or 6th rewatch. For me it's more the kind of anime that you feel instead of analysing. Even though I didn't understand shit initially and it took me a couple rewatches just to realise that this is a metaphorical convoluted coming-of-age story, I instantly fell in love with FLCL. It's the kind of media I come back to every now and then whenever I feel lost in life. It's somehow therapeutic, and yesterday I decided to come back to it again because I needed this.

That being said, I took edibles before watching it, to get a new experience, and for some reason it put me into a really introspective mood. I tried my best to put the pieces (as much as my stoned mind allowed me to lol). I wanted to know some of your opinions and whether I got right.

So for starters, I'm trying to make sense of the lore (further movies aside because I don't want to rewatch them and honestly they were forgettable to me). Medical Mechanica is some kind of alien organisation which disguises itself as a factory on planer Earth, just to carry out their sinister plans to conquer and destroy it. Haruko is a rogue member of Galaxy Patrol who's sent to Earth to prevent it, albeit she has her own motives; she's obsessed with Atomsk, the mighty pirate lord, and it's presented as if she's in love with him but by the end you realise that she wanted his power (perhaps both interpretations can coexist?). Atomsk is captured by Medical Mechanica and she wants to unleash him. Naota, for some reason, becomes the host for an intergalactic portal that sends matter lightyears across (Haruko sought him out specifically, so he must emit some kind of energy, and it's the physical assault that helps prepare his head to activate). It doesn't come naturally for everyone and I suppose it feeds on people's emotions and insecurities to work. Medical Mechanica sends enemy robots through this portal to Earth and I assume Haruko is assigned there to lure them on Earth so she could provoke a fight? At some point she calls for a satellite to fall in there as a last ditch effort to destroy Medical Mechanica along with the entire Mabuse but sees Naota's conviction and joins in to save the city. Her boss, the eyebrow guy, clearly doesn't approve of her methods and attitude (albeit being attracted to her somewhat?) and they clash, which is why Haruko goes rogue. So the first robot who comes out is later named Canti and he's kinda weak and pliable so he gets made into a servant, but later by merging with Naota he can use his powers to fight. In their final attack, Medical Mechanica sends some kind of robot core that could grow and merge with their "factory" to destroy Earth and Mamimi unknowingly cultivates it with her own insecurities. During the final fight, Atomsk is unleashed and possesses Naota who wins the battle, after which the newly freed Atomsk flees. Haruko follows him, leaving Naota behind. Albeit the boy keeps saying that nothing happens in this town, it's clearly changed.

Now for the questions:

1. I never quite got Canti's character. Is he actually a manifestation of Naota's personality, so his growth reflects Naota's and even helps it throughout the story? He initially does not have a name but then gets proclaimed the god of black flames by Mamimi, who sees him as a saviour and protector. It's clear that she wants one in her life, but does it mean she projects this role onto Naota? What happens to Canti after the main story?
2. The Ninamori subplot is one of my favourite parts of FLCL, honestly. But I've only just paid attention to the fake glasses thing. What is it supposed to mean? After sharing her real feelings with her parents, Ninamori changes both in attitude and in looks. When we see her wear glasses for the play, it seems like an ultimate act of honesty and opening up to the world, but then it gets subverted by the fact that the glasses are fake. Were they fake all along? I doubt that, because Ninamori has no reason to pretend in front of Naota and he definitely caught her by surprise. Was it a signal from her to her parents in the audience, showing them that she's not afraid of standing up to them anymore? It's like a performative act but still dishonest, and she doesn't wear glasses after that. Does that mean Ninamori takes control of her life and chooses which parts of herself to disclose to others and how?
3. "Swing the bat" is another interesting theme. On the hand, Naota looks up to his older brother and misses him greatly, but on the other hand, he is constantly treated as a replacement by everyone around him. He's forced to fulfil Mamimi's emotional needs and cater to his granddad by becoming a good baseball player. It seems frustrating and wrong, and yet Naota is encouraged to "swing the bat" which later saves everyone. Does it symbolise his desire to emulate his brother to be "strong" that he later twists by taking agency and using the bat to save the city, not play baseball, which was expected of him?
4. What's the reasoning behind the 4th wall breaks in this anime? Just for fun or to enhance the absurdities of the story? Or it serves some purpose for the show's themes?
5. what the fuck is wrong with this guy's eyebrows

I do understand that most of things in FLCL do act as a metaphor for human emotions and insecurities, but I want to unravel it completely.

I am selling my Blue Canti figure on ebay, very mint. i’m happy to work out a deal here to avoid ebay fees.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/365208602748?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=2h8j78g1stu&sssrc=0&ssuid=2h8j78g1stu&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

https://x.com/tettora_draws/status/1851820910002467216?s=46

What do people think of this ridiculous fucking bass guitar? Does it even qualify as a bass guitar anymore? I feel like the vibe matches the series.

Pic is Stig Pedersen from Danish band D-A-D

After many years of incisiveness I got my Canti Tattoo! Work done by Bruce Becerra @ Bearcat Tattoo

I have already watched the OG 2 times. I heard about it being a "quirky anime with cool OST" But whoever told me this was underselling it. Gosh, the art style, characters, the OST, fuck, the OST... it blends all too well, joined at the hip. It's not like a show having OST to enhance its storytelling, as a mere secondary aspect, it is embedded within each scene, landscape, and soundscape. It's almost like some sort of infatuation, I've felt this way with very few anime. I've been listening to the OST almost nonstop for nearly 8 hours straight today.

I watched the first 2 episodes of Progressive, although most people say the sequels suck, so far I'm finding those first 2 episodes to be good, but nowhere near the original one, but that's a subject for another post when I watch all the sequels and share my thoughts.

The thing is, I don't know what to do after watching this. It feels like a fever dream. I can count on one hand how many anime made me feel this way. That's why it's a bad feeling, it's bittersweet... just like the ending. That's it, don't mind me being too overly dramatic, but hey, I guess I've become a new fan.

Or should I say Nyaota? Rendering can be kind of messy tbh

What is he thinking about?

I've been seeing FLCL posts consistently for weeks, I don't know why or how this keeps happening, considering I don't even know what the acronym stands for.. I can tell it's an anime, but I'm not even a part of this subreddit. It's pretty annoying, some really stupid shit I've seen, like eating takeout with a doll.. wtf? FLCL please leave me alone.

I found this really creepy picture of what I think is Mamimi in the manga. I've never seen it before and I've had the manga for years. Maybe I'm just overreacting and never noticed it somehow but it's just really freaky and I've never seen anything FLCL related like this before. When I looked up the text at the bottom I found a lil archive that contained the image and it was labeled as "abstract art". I would love to know who made it and if there's a reason why it was created if anyone knows anymore information. It's creepy and I love it.

I just started watching Flcl and dear god, I love this show. Like I don't like how Mamimi treats Naoto but I'm hoping it gets explained why and or gets better. But other than that, this is really good. Also Haruko is kinda hot-

sorry if this is either a completely wild take or a stupid question, i watched this show and read the manga over and over and over again in my youth and studied it front-to-back, but I don’t remember much these days and I have no idea where I got the idea in my head that it was just objectively true that Haruko wanted Atomsk carnally..

I don’t doubt it but I also just don’t remember where this was ever stated.. 😭 I remember others joking about it in very old web forums too, so I don’t know if this is just a fandom in-joke or an actual truth about her.