There is a lot of meta anime out there but there is nothing quite likeFLCL, orFooly Cooly. It is one of the most bizarre anime of all time and might be the queen ofmeta and parody. It pokes fun at the genre, breaks the fourth wall on several occasions, and references other anime as well. Some of these references can be easy to pick up on today.
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However, these nods might have been trickier to get at the time since anime was not in its boom phase yet, even if it was growing in popularity thanks to the Toonami and theAdult Swimblocks. Many of theanime referenced inFLCLwere not even out in the West or were more obscure. So, in case any references were lost to viewers in 2003 whenFLCLpremiered in the West, here is a quick breakdown. There will be spoilers ahead.
6Lupin The 3rd
One of the most distinctive things about theLupin the 3rdseries is that the characterchanges jackets between eras. It went from green to red to pink and now the current color is blue. In episode five ofFLCL, Naota’s father Kamon is wearing the red jacket.
When Naota brings it up, Kamon asks if Naota prefers the green jacket fromThe Castle of Cagliostro. That was aHayao Miyazaki movie, of Studio Ghibli fame. Haruko also pulls a prank similar to Fujiko and punches Kamon with a boxing glove hiding under her dress.
5Gundam
TheGundamseries is all overFLCL. In episode one, there is a scene that transitions from traditional animation to one resembling manga panels. In this off-key scene, Kamon goes off on a tangent about robots. He talks about mechs and how certain anime are Tomino-esque.
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The creator of theGundamfranchise was Yoshiyuki Tomino. So, when someone callsa mech animeTomino-esque, what they mean is that it is likeGundam. In episode two Haruko is fixing her Vespa with a model of the first Gundam. Finally, Commander Amarao might be a reference to Amuro who was the first Gundam pilot in the franchise. The names are spelled differently so that last one might be a guess.
4Neon Genesis Evangelion
One ofGainax’s biggest showsbeforeFLCLwasNeon Genesis Evangelion. Despite that fact, there aren’t that many obligatory references toNGEinFLCL. In episode two, Naota mentions very briefly that his father wrote a whole book on the mysteries of that anime.
There could be one other reference toNeon Genesis Evangelionin the finale. In that episode, a core fuses with Canti, thus creating a super robot that is going to help iron out the wrinkles of the planet with Medical Mechanica. That is sort of what happens to Rei inNeon Genesis Evangelion: TheEnd of Evangelion. That movie is much darker than the end ofFLCLthough.
3Daicon V
The mention of Daicon V in episode five is a deep cut that only hardcore anime fans would know. Daicon was a convention in Japan. Gainax, before the studio was officially known as Gainax, made intros to the convention in its third and fourth years. This wasin the ’80s, way before anime caught on in the West. This videocombines both introsinto one.
While Daicon III is very simple, Daicon IV is much more elaborate and a more fun watch, referencing everything from anime to Western media likeAliens. The main character of these short films is a girl wearing a bunny costume. Haruko dresses up like her in episode five before yelling “Daicon V” at the gun-toting mech. Gainax never made a Daicon V video so this reference was like a spiritual sequel.
2Doraemon
Doraemonisone of the oldestand most popular anime that is still going on in Japan. The character, Doraemon, is a robot cat sent from the future to protect a young boy. He has a lot of inventions he pulls out of his front pouch which is like a pocket dimension.
In episode three ofFLCL, Naota’s teacher, Junko, is teaching the class about cats. “The cat family includes tigers, Manxes, and animated cats such asDoraemonandTom and Jerry.” That’s what she says, and it is too pure for words. Junko was really underutilized by the anime. So, later when Mamimi takes off Naota’s hat and discovers his cat ears, she referencesDoraemonas well. Naota is a lot like Doraemon since he can also pull things out of a pocket dimension.
1Galaxy Express 999
Galaxy Express 999is not mentioned by name inFLCL. However, some seem to think it is referenced in episode four. After Naota revives his father, Haruko comes bursting into the scene. Naota wants to know where she was and what she is.
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Her reply is something along the lines of being an illusion of a young man’s heart. Naota then responds, “Where’d you get that line from, anime?” That is essentially whatGalaxy Express 999is about. A young boy goes on a journey with an older woman who is kind of like a metaphor for growing up. It is a deep cut to be sure.
Bonus: South Park
South Parkis not an anime but it is too big of a cartoon to not mention in this breakdown. In episode five ofFLCL, the animation changes for one scene involving Commander Amarao getting a haircut. He even sounds morelike a characterin the show. There is seemingly no reason why this happens.
Episode five is fixated on guns which has nothing to do withSouth Park. The animation doesn’t change again, but there is a scene later where Naota goes inside his jacket to make himself look like Kenny. It just goes to show how popularSouth Parkwas at this time on a global level.
