FLCL: Shoegaze
This fifth installment of FLCL is an improvement over Grunge in that it actually continues the story and stays away from using CG animation, as it continues off from Alternative with its focus on two teens attempting to sabotage a tower to resolve different issues each face and the female lead of Alternative, Kana, now a grown adult working with the Bureau of Interstellar Immigration tasked to deal with the kids in a secret plot. While still at a short 3-episode length like Grunge, Shoegaze makes better use of its length to focus on its two new characters and explore how Kana's been affected by the events of Alternative to offer solid character exploration and continuing the main theme of FLCL involving growing up. Only major gripe I have is that the ending feels a bit unresolved as the whereabouts of Haruko and Pets, Kana's close friend, are still unclear, and not sure if this may develop for a sixth installment of the series as Adult Swim announced they would no longer be involved with producing any more projects with FLCL. While Shoegaze is still worth watching for longtime FLCL fans with its continuation of the story, it still feels somewhat unsatisfying to watch with Haruko not present in this season and the increased creative challenges with trying to make the themes and quirky storytelling of the franchise fresh and engaging to audiences compared to the original 2000 series with the recent string of entries produced by Production IG and Adult Swim.
Last updated Wednesday, November 01 2023. Created Wednesday, November 01 2023.
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