Coming of Age and FLCL - Bildungsroman in FLCL

Hey. Hope you enjoy this. Sorry if I ramble too long about stupid German stuff AND MISPRONOUNCE EVERYTHING (fuck you Phillip for being on vacation.) The third act is primarily what it all leads to. I promise it's good if a wee bit obvious. ;)
Here's How FLCL Stacks on the Bildungsroman Index:
docs.google.co...
PRIMARY SOURCES:
Books-
The Catcher in the Rye
David Copperfield
Films-
Boyhood
Great Expectations
David Copperfield (1930s)
David Copperfield (Furry Edition)
Fooly Cooly + Director's Commentary
Bildungsroman Criteria:
munin.uit.no/bi...
More Criteria:
web.stanford.ed...
Hemingway Hero:
www.elcamino.e...
Entwicklungsroman (not the most reliable source, oh well):
translate.goog...
Eugene McNamara:
www.jstor.org/s...
Script:
docs.google.co...
FLCL's Story Explained:
Cucurbita (over arching plot summary):
mabination.com/...
Digibro (step by step analysis/plot summary):
myswordisunbel...

[@Dunkleosteusenjoyer]

There is another big underlying metaphor that I wish had been brought up. The idea of foreignness and how Naota sees it. Influences from other countries is a heavy theme in FLCL. Naota's brother goes to America, has a new American girlfriend, and plays an American game. Ninamori, a girl who tries to seem mature and traditional literally wears a shirt that says USSR on it. The USSR was actually a young country that was founded on new ideas yet failed just as quickly as it came, just like Ninamori. Her dad is even a corrupt politician, exactly like the USSR was full of. His teacher tries to teach the kids their own culture with chopsticks but fails miserably because she doesn't even know how to use them. She also drives a German Volkswagen beetle. Haruko is literally an Alien and Naota dislikes her before being influenced to the point of being in love with her. Her scooter is Italian, her guitars are American, her style of dress is even less Japanese than everyone else, and she is a lefty, something that used to be frowned upon in Japan in the not so distant past. Naota initially rejects these foreign concepts but ends up falling for the most foreign of all. Naota isn't just a kid trying to find himself, he's also the people of Japan trying to find a balance between foreign influence and traditional customs. Ever since the first Europeans/Americans went to Japan the place has been becoming less and less traditional. The series is even told in an anime, which is the Japanization of a foreign style. The balance that Naota is looking for is shown in the soundtrack choice being just The Pillows, a Japanese band with Japanese lyrics that plays American instruments in an American style of music and is blended perfectly.

[@liambaillargeon1875]

+Douglas Paulson Jeez, this show is deep, so many layers to it and so many ways to see it. The thing I love about that kind of story telling is, even if I don't even understand half of it, or even know what's going on, it's deeply emotional

[@Devixicus]

I'd like to note that although the Pillows is definitely a Japanese band, many of their songs feature English lines or phrases, and some are even entirely in English.

[@Dunkleosteusenjoyer]

Devixicus Yup. A Japanese band that loves the west but stays very domestic.

[@darkmod3822]

Douglas Paulson.... ohh fuck..

[@MrSilkor]

Amazing

[@nobodyspecial313]

Wow, I didn't expect a real, educated, analysis of this anime when I searched the name, but you just knocked it out of the park. 10/10

[@GoatJesus]

+Sir Mutton Chops Thanks dude! :D

[@aphroticus9681]

Videos like this are why I'm subscribed here when you can take a show like FLCL and really cement the essence of what it all means by lending us a relatable perspective we can grasp (I too remember marathoning it on Adult Swim on a Saturday when some guy won a Burger King contest to have all of it air that night). Now I'll be able to appreciate this classic even more with every rewatch thanks to you :)

[@onepiecefan74]

My sister was playing a trumpet in my ear through most of the video but i think you did a really solid job with this one and i defiantly wanna give FLCL a re watch. I love the comparisons to classic literature you did. The only thing i would of changed is the catcher in the rye clips. I would've just used a blue screen for those. Anyone watching this who didn't know of that "movie" would be so confused.

[@GoatJesus]

NerveAMVMaker OMG UR SO RIT

[@Ziggygold1]

GoatJesus: *explains symbols in an easy-to-understand manner, rather than just commenting on the presence of symbolism* Nice video, man--I like stuff that makes me like the things that I liked before even more.

[@GoatJesus]

Ziggygold1 No problem homes. ;) Thanks for watching~

[@PersonaSimon]

This is honestly the best thing I watched all summer

[@CyberSage999]

I can see that being the case :) . The summer season has been pretty meh overall.

[@TS2dethmonkey]

Great job at defining and analyzing the "coming of age storyline" as a whole. I'm definitely of the opinion that Gainax's best stuff are of the coming of age storylines and if they had not already, they should make that their main identity as a studio . . . if that makes any sense. I remember seeing FLCL during my "freshmen" year of college (three or four years ago) as a part of my "first expedition of exploring anime". I watched the whole series a day after I had finished with NGE (specifically the last four episodes of the tv series and End of Evangelion), which is amusing, considering that I heard that FLCL was partially made as a way for the folks at Gainax to recover from working on NGE and hell I think that for me, it made watching FLCL all the more fun and fulfilling, as it allowed me to draw comparisons/contrasts between the both series, especially in how they contrast as coming of age stories and to make me feel the satisfaction of wallowing in FLCL's pure fun and insanity after the emotionally fulfilling and beautiful yet draining, horrific and somewhat confusing (it was my first watch through) experience of NGE's finale.

[@Tamacat388]

TS2dethmonkey I doubt that would matter much anymore if Gainax went back to coming of age stories like this. All their main talent have gone on and started their own studios. Gainax is kinda done now. They are one of the small guys now unfortunately.

[@cyba6286]

TS2Dethmonkey I doubt that they made FLCL to offset the hell they experienced during NGE, 5 years is a hell of a time to wait to take a break.

[@benjaminwang757]

This is easily the best video I've seen so far about my favorite anime series of all time. And I love your last line, because every negative take on FLCL I've read has a part where they say "But the music was amazing." Also, if you were lukewarm about Boyhood you might want to try Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy movies. Different themes overall, but similar story structure and also a pure bildungsroman. I'd say I prefer them to Boyhood.

[@GoatJesus]

Benjamin Wang Cool! Thanks for the recommendation!

[@domocon44]

Gosh I love your videos so much they make me try and think and observe media I consume on a higher and deeper level than I did previous to finding your channel. Ty for the great videos!

[@RoboticBomber]

Your timing is amazing, I just finished rewatching FLCL with my friend, and we have both chocked it up as what was born when the writers had a heated night of writing after a few blunts and some acid.

[@GoatJesus]

***** Lol. It's too focused IMO to be complete nonsense.

[@RoboticBomber]

GoatJesus Anyways, lovely work as always. Until next time

[@GoatJesus]

***** See you space cowboy.

[@XXMrHAtAndClogsxx]

Finally!! About Fing time we get an FLCL vid. But no seriously great vid worth the wait; your vids always make me wanna switch my major to literature, or at the very least read more books.

[@GoatJesus]

MrHatAndClogs x Reading is very important to being able to appreciate all mediums. I believe so anyway. We all here in this weeb community need to read more tbh.

[@covier7191]

Couple months late, but thank you a bunch for this analysis video. I actually gave FLCL a first ever watch just recently and I had difficulties trying to understand exactly what is even happening or even if the insanity on screen was happening at all. This analysis straightened out a lot of things and I'm definitely gonna give the show a rewatch. I actually used to keep up with your content a while back. So after I finished FLCL and decided to dig deeper into the show's meaning, this was my first point of reference.

[@KetenReviews]

This wasn't quite what I expected but I'm not disappointed, in fact, it's better than I thought it would be. I thought you'd go the route myself and most people go, "This thing is symbolic of this" but you went an entirely different route, drawing comparisons between Catcher and the Rye and how the genre of modern CoA built up to FLCL's creation. Makes me view and appreciate the series in a different way, so thank you for that. And yes, The Pillows are indeed FUCKING AWESOME and FLCL's soundtrack is my favorite in the medium. Also, I didn't expect to see a Mother 3 image, it's my favorite game actually. ^^

[@GoatJesus]

Keten Zima It's one of my favorites as well and is actually a near perfect Bildungsroman believe it or not. Mother 3...I meant.

[@Miyazaki68]

I was scared for a while that you had quit making this, glad you didn't! its great! Keep it up man!

[@GoatJesus]

Miyazaki68 Aha! xD Well, I had been tweeting about it for a couple of days. ;)

[@HonestPhil]

Loved it. Once again a great analysis. Your research seems to get better each time I watch one of these. Nice transitions and some jokes here and there helped to bring variety. Cool stuff. Fooly Cooly is an amazing show that still holds up after such a long time. I hope more people will be inclined to check it out after watching your video.

[@CyberSage999]

Agreed. Nice seeing you here Phil ^_^.

[@HonestPhil]

liban ali (｡･ω･｡)ﾉ♡

[@CyberSage999]

Honest Phil ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@weresmygun]

Honest Phil Yo Phil do more Should You Read videos!

[@HonestPhil]

I intended to! :)

[@kiba000]

So glad you finally did a video on this. I have a hard time picking favorites because my opinions change about things a lot but this series has been an important part of my life for a decade or more (whenever it first started airing on adult swim). I think I can say with a lot of confidence that this is my favorite anime. It has everything I want in a show: memorable characters, shifting between action, drama, and comedy without a sense of tone whiplash, themes that every human should be able to relate to, energetic and creative visuals, and as a bonus great music. I even got to watch FLCL for a short class in high school once. We didn't go into the themes to the degree that I started to understand them since I've been in my 20s but I'm glad that's a setting where I got to watch it. Watching this show alone in the middle of the night with all the lights off is like a steady iv drip of pure nostalgia.

[@Guadeloop]

FLCL is basically what got me into anime 6 years ago. Great analysis!

[@xSTARRYxEYESx]

Relevant C.S. Lewis quote, “Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

[@tomazguimaraes9383]

Wow man, this is one of the greatest anime analysis I've ever watched, and to one of my favourite shows! Thanks a lot and keep up this awesome work

[@DreamedLint]

(FLCL spoilers) Yo! Worth the wait. I was super excited ever since you said you were gonna do this! Just one thing, I always saw Haruko's search for Atomsk as a platonic thing. She only wants his power. She's not actually in love with the giant bird, and it's actually Amarau's jealousy that assumes Atomsk is some hunky dude she's in love with. (hence the only time he's depicted as such is when Amarau's describing him.) I figure it's because you were looking at the story figuratively, it's just that that was my only point of contention. FLCL is my #1 fav. glad to see it still gets some attention.

[@GoatJesus]

DreamedLint FLCL is one of the closest things to perfect in anime in my opinion. But yeah, that's an interesting view on the character. I just always assumed she was in love with him based on her reaction to realizing Canti was possessed by him in Ep 5.

[@DreamedLint]

GoatJesus See I thought that too, but her reaction to Naota in episode 6 struck me as her being interested in only abusing Atomsk's N.O. She may indeed be in love, but only with power. (Her lustful gazes in episode 5 are those of a cat about to pounce on it's prey, or someone admiring a fine piece of jewlery) After multiple rewatches I've cemented that belief that Amarau is misinterpreting her intentions. Haruko may be fun to be around and she may have her moments but I feal she is a genuinely twisted individual, entirely selfish. A more tragic figure than she would have us believe.

[@GoatJesus]

DreamedLint Good insight!

[@WorthlessWinner]

I thought I'd seen all your videos. Glad I had one more to watch, and that i missed this until after I'd seen FLCL

[@jeanpaultrinidad1664]

AMAZING VIDEO!!! I just really love this series and I'm glad I found you. Great analysis on the show, lots of fun and great structure. You really are GOAT XD just got yourself a new sub n.n

[@GoatJesus]

Jean Paul Trinidad Hey! Thanks so much! ;-;

[@pedro_a_martins]

Great video! I still need to rewatch this show since I only watched it once.

[@PotentialThall]

everyone analyzes the coming of age aspect but has anyone dared to try and analyze the surface story like haruko's mission and *atomusk* being captured or what their MO abilities are

[@GoatJesus]

I actually provided two links in the description that does just that.

[@PotentialThall]

+GoatJesus lazy me, I'll check them out. thought those were your source material pop pages

[@GoatJesus]

DevilBringerDeath Some are sources. Yeah. Not all tho.

[@RaphaelMYT]

Nicely done! Made me appreciate FLCL ever more xD Didn't get a chance to see the dub and it sounds pretty solid~ will get to it whenever I get the chance ^^

[@TheComiKen]

Wow! I was actually looking for a Fooly Cooly analysis vid today! I specifically searched "Did you know Fooly Cooly" and watched a vid by Philosotaku. Great analysis here!

[@GoatJesus]

***** Yeah! I saw his FLCL analysis a long while back. He was the hipster of analysis vids, aka he did them before anyone else here in the anime community. I was actually thinking of giving him a shout out some time. Watching his stuff a while ago probably was a subconscious source of inspiration thinking on it.

[@citizengeek7069]

This is a really great and well-crafted analysis of FLCL! I just finally got around to watching it for the first time this week and loved it, but I'm surprised so many people seem to miss out on the fact that it's not trying to be a sci-fi action series but actually a coming of age story about growing up/maturing and falling in love/crushing on someone for the first time. To me it kind of feels like a Japanese cousin to Scott Pilgrim, which I also love. Anyway, really nice job on this video!

[@danbark4603]

the best things about shows like these is that you can talk about them for hours and not get tired of the show itself heck you could even be "wrong" but the fact that you see these lines and decide to connect them between flcl and different shows is what makes stuff like this such an amazing experience also i love the fact that so many adults look down on cartoons and anime and have no idea how awesome and insightful some of the shows are

[@TamerainProductions]

Waited months for this; was not disappointed.

[@xSTARRYxEYESx]

Holy shit, THANK YOU. (I'm an English teacher and) I've been saying FLCL is a bildungsroman forever. Good on ya. Also Great Expectations, Catcher, nice, grew up on that shit and they're perfect novels IMO. It's weird how strongly I disagreed with your Kimi No Na Wa video and how much I was like "YES, YES, this guy gets it" throughout this one. But you know what FLCL REALLY reminds me of? Charles Burns - Black Hole.

[@Johnny-kv1dv]

I've been wanting a good FLCL analysis video really bad recently lol what a coincidence. Great video too

[@Johnny-kv1dv]

Johnny Doner btw catcher in the rye analysis pls

[@Animelting]

I would have got a far better grade in my year 10 sattire class if i had your notes on the catcher in the rye.

[@DeathAlchemist]

Probably, your best analysis video to date (no I haven't seen your shinji one since I haven't finished eva yet).

[@cyba6286]

Still the best analysis of the show on KZbin.

[@KugutsuYushiro]

This was an awesome analysis. Having just recently done one on this director's next work, Gunbuster 2, it's really interesting seeing some of the parallels in the themes of growing up there too actually.

[@ianriley5893]

U are literally a metaphor god, infinite respect m8.

[@NickCybert]

Hey, I thought this was pretty good. Nice job summarizing the theme of each episode.

[@themreverythingman]

I got hyped when I saw this in my sub box, I knew it would be great video and it was.

[@brasteen1]

Great video I'm very much looking forward to watching FLCL now. It looks extremely fun.

[@Batmanmg]

Can you do the new ones too? Your handling of literary analysis here is something to admire. FLCL hit during my own coming of age, which never seemed to come because I always missed the forest for the trees. The same went for my ability to properly analyze this anime in my many attempts as a writing major. Since nobody else I have found has been able to hit the high mark you have set here with the new iterations, I was hoping I might be able to convince you to take up that charge. The shortest remark I can give on the sequels is that I may have liked Alternative more as a story, but Thank You My Twilight reflected a feeling that hits closer to home.

[@ArcadeAristocrat]

Oh thank you lawd (Goat)Jesussss!!! Seriously, though, b0ss. Good work as always, b0ss.

[@ArcadeAristocrat]

GoatJesus *breathes heavily, nods enthusiastically* ...

[@cjcskittlez]

I've never watched the show, but the soundtrack is fucking awesome.

[@GlassMufasa]

Fuck yeah. I still listen to The Pillows.

[@Felipe10741]

This was pretty awesome :D I really like how you can be interesting with your information and parallels even when I don't know shit about the subject you're talking about specially on Classic Literature and the fact I didn't even watch FLCL (Sorry if you're one to get pissed at people who ignore spoiler warnings). And maybe it's that you make videos on stuff you love, but I always have this good feeling of nostalgia for stuff I didn't even watch/read from your scripts. Might be your own appreciation coming off through the text or maybe these shows you analyse resound with me and would also be shit I love would I watch them. Either way thanks for a great video, new knowledge (since I'm a lazy fuck for research I depend on more culturally educated people for this) and a show recommendation that seems amazing :3

[@12kingphil]

Really nice video The video is just like flcl where you could just rewatch it over and over. Thanks for the anaylsis

[@mattkoshmrl4129]

This was incredible. Nice work!

[@saintjimmmey101]

Watching this reminded me how much the soundtrack in FLCL is designed to stick out. It isn't one of those soundtracks which fits hand in glove with the show: the songs are supposed to be somewhat dissonant and confrontational. So you end up almost listening to the song while watching the anime- rather than the two merging together. Obviously intentional, and it adds to the jagged surrealness of the world.

[@quainejohnson4808]

SUCH a good video, dude. i really HAAAAAAAAATE to be THAT guy, but the song you listed as "Hybrid Rainbow (Rocks)" is actually called "Secret Slogan." Its a hidden track from the compilation album Fool on the Planet. granted its hidden at the end of Hybrid Rainbow so u right anyway. again, its a great video tho

[@manueldelsol31270]

Wonderful review for a wonderful series !

[@jacobdane]

Excellent video. This deserves more views.

[@Hakajin]

Wow! Super-impressive analysis! I was about 14 when I watched Fooly Cooly, and I didn't really get it. I mean, I understood the plot ok, and I definitely enjoyed it. Mostly what I got from it was a strong sense of mood and atmosphere. Definitely picked up on the sexual subtext and a little of the coming of age stuff, but definitely not to this extent. I'd like to go back and rewatch it now that I have a better understanding of such things.

[@Nanamowa]

After watching a few different subs, and a few different dubs, and it changes a lot. I found sub is way more easy to understand.

[@kelfi34]

The pillows are Fucking Awesome.

[@salokin3087]

Excellent! i'm really glad i found your channel, may i suggest tackling Monster or LoGH, both shows are incredibly deep and are too often overlooked.

[@gilgamesh310]

Weren't you supposed to review Monster?

[@salokin3087]

gilgamesh310 Eventually...eventually...

[@Mimyakko]

He said he was gonna review Monster?! My body is ready

[@ZyxthePest]

I don't know how many people commenting saw this when they were 12 or 13, but it shaped me in so many ways. Back then, I didn't understand WHY I felt the way I did when I watched it. Gave me that weird, uncomfortable, but overall good feeling in the pit of my stomach. Over the years, I'd revisit it and for some reason, it kind of made me cringe. Not because the show was bad, but because I'd thought about all the levels I'd related to it on. I was a stand-offish kid, I HAD a crush on a my babysitter who was this weird, foreign girl that I didn't fully comprehend (OK, that second part is stretching it, but come on, I was 12 and the feelings were legit), among many, many other things. It just kind of makes you wince, in a good way though, because it'd made me realize how far I'd come as a person...which wasn't very far in terms of maturity, but still I wasn't a kid anymore. So, years later, in college, I was taking a course on the history of animation with a guy named John Culhane (a Disney historian that knew Walt first hand and has actually been drawn into a couple of Disney films). We had an assignment to bring in a piece of animation that was a definitive part of our lives. I decided to show everyone Full Swing, as it's by far the episode that hit me the hardest (fear of growing up, father issues, etc. etc). My professor was absolutely enamored by it, despite not understanding the full context of the series. So much so, that asked to watch the next episode and was subsequently blown away. At the end of the class, he turned to me and asked me why I decided to bring this in and I said "Well, it kind of got me through puberty and as you can see, it's insanely awkward in places." and he just responded with. "Yes, from what I've seen, it's VERY much a subversion of Catcher In The Rye.". That blew my mind, because, at the time, I'd never even thought to connect the two. Glad to see he was completely on the money. Great vid.

[@VeryTiredEditorVTE]

Good shit. Air horns still ain't loud enough.

[@GeeksOasis]

I was thinking about doing my own review thing with my channel, but every time I look at your videos, I realize none of them will ever be as good as yours :/ Anyways, awesome video.

[@SelenaC_anime]

It's 11:30 at night as of the typing of this, so I'm saving this heavy stuff for later.

[@erebus4583]

This was a wonderful review. Keep up the good work!

[@joemuis23]

as far as i can remember i didnt understand the hidden messages for shit in this show but i really enjoyed it nonetheless for the awesome music and atmosphere, and because of how fast paced and crazy the show was it was a insane but really enjoyable show

[@magnolia6445]

Bro......you are amazing. keep up the GREAT work!!!

[@benzur3503]

And Naota mostly wears a red baseball cap it's perfect

[@peeledtomato]

Finally,.a new video!

[@kuribo04]

Great video man! I always saw FLCL as being about how adulthood sucks, and it is OK to stay like a child sometimes. I don't know if you'd want to read how I see it. :P BTW, Atomsk isn't Haruko's boyfriend, right? That whole part is kinda vague, but I think in the end she just wanted his power.

[@AgentFTW1]

kuribo04 No she was just fascinated with his power.

[@thegreatcheesedemon]

+kuribo04 Amarao had a crush on Haruko and projected that onto her goals for Atomsk. When he describes Atomsk, it's a giant man. When Atomsk actually appears, it's a giant bird and Haruko's real interest is in having that power for herself.

[@cyba6286]

kuribo04 I saw it as that you have to be authentic and shouldn't fake being an adult, but you also shouldn't fake being a kid, just be yourself.

[@weissgrimoire4386]

Haven't even seen the show and really enjoyed your analysis. Plan to though. Shows like flcl and evangelion really appeal to me because they don't focus on plot so much they do themes and characters, which makes spoilers not so much a big deal. I've been heavily spoiled on one of Demos eva vids, but surprised to realize that it made me want to watch the series even more. Of course I don't want to know every little detail, just enough, and this video had that.

[@distortioncharizardalive]

My favorite video of yours

[@connorbooth7207]

I should re-watch this series. I haven't seen it in a while. Bildungsroman is probably one of the most interesting genres in storytelling

[@GoatJesus]

Nerv 05 It is! I actually didn't advertise this in the video itself, but here's how well FLCL did on the scale. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YxDJCKIGQnEmgIUIy_LfrgpIDryIDZ2Ky1Ct9WpGkGI/edit#gid=0

[@connorbooth7207]

It actually did score well. It scored higher than CitR. David Copperfield must be pure Bildungsroman, unless the scale is based on that story. I don't know, I've never read the book

[@GoatJesus]

Nerv 05 It's one of the 4 books that index is based on, yes. So it's pure. ;)

[@departedheart8508]

Amazing video great work please keep it up

[@MrSilkor]

You swung the bat and it was a home run my dude

[@aninjathtpwndu]

Some shows that are not only excellent as Bildungsroman but as some of my favorite anime are Ashita no Joe, Giant Robo, and the Wings of honneamise

[@jamestilton8677]

I came here for an FLCL analysis, did not expect an english lesson.

[@khyang]

FLCL is amaaaaziiin'!!

[@X_Blake]

I know right

[@ormanlong]

Being a German myself, your German is no that bad .... :P Herad worse.

[@GoatJesus]

BBallHunterOKC95 o-o)b

[@JTB312]

*cough, cough* Hiroyuki Sawano *cough*

[@GoatJesus]

***** LOL. That's great!

[@joemuis23]

+BBallHunter i think you guys are even after you spelling heard as herad

[@mra4521]

And Gurren Lagan leads to what would be the best version--if only you could watch it in the USA without worrying about someone walking in on you: Kill la Kill. PS 'Jezebel' is a term that squicks me wrong. I am pretty sure Melissa Harris Perry said it is a racially charged sexist slur. If it squicks me wrong, it probably hurts someone else. Caution is all I am saying here.

[@GoatJesus]

Matthew Abely Jezebel is a very old religious term for temptress. Yes. It's probably offensive to someone. What isn't? It's about on par with "Sodomite" me thinks. I heard it on little house on the prairie. ;3 Don't particularly plan on using it in common vocab. Was just acting like a southerner thumpin' my bible. EDIT: OH! It means more than that as of somewhat recently. www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/jezebel.htm yeah, will stay away from it if *this* is what it's associated with. Put an annotation.

[@mra4521]

GoatJesus Thanks man. Keep up the good work. PS If you ever get the chance, go to one of Crispin Freeman's panels on Mythology and Meaning. I don't know if he still does them, but you would like them a lot.

[@GoatJesus]

Matthew Abely No prob. Sorry for all that stuff. I just thought it was some biblical stupid shit. Anyway, will check out Freeman's stuff. He's a cool guy all around anyway. Thanks for letting me know about everything!

[@crono3015]

Everyone else makes these deep analysis for FLCL, and I just watched the show because I found it funny and likeable. It's kind of like Don't Hug Me I'm Scared. Yeah, I know there's probably a deeper meaning within, but I either A: Can't really see it. Or, B: Too lazy to go into deeper thought about what I've seen.

[@IMMACYCLOPS]

This definitely helps me interpret that clustertruck of an anime :)

[@antioche6276]

13:35 that's secret slogan, not Hybrid Rainbow. -though Secret Slogan is paired with it in Fool on the Plannet. (Yes, I'm a killjoy.) (But I legitimately enjoyed the video.)

[@Batmanmg]

learned something new about my favorite anime today (southpaw)

[@BRatindustrys]

So I wasn't the only one who watched it back when I was younger on Adult Swim. Then thought it was a dream.

[@GoatJesus]

BRat Industrys You too?

[@BRatindustrys]

All I remembered was the part where the robot first comes out of his head. It was draj and there was a spot light.

[@Cannibal713]

Pretty good video. I loved the series and thats what I got..Minus a german word I cant pronounce, and I didnt get the Catcher parallel.

[@aninjathtpwndu]

Yay, and read oyasumi punpun

[@cunkfucklyVEVO]

Alex M generally though, just read all of asano's work

[@HoldenReviews]

It felt pretty weird hearing you say "Holden". It felt like you were talking to me as I somehow got in skype call with you again XD Interesting video Mikel, I pretty sure that whenever I finally get back around to re watching FLCL I will look at in a much different way that I did when I first watched it. I mean hell it has been close to a decade and people do change. Keep up the good work Mikel and I hope we can talk again sometime in the near future :)

[@GoatJesus]

***** Definitely. I was tempted to after effects your face onto some of the footage, but I thought otherwise.

[@HoldenReviews]

GoatJesus Haha, it is the thought that counts lol

[@GoatJesus]

***** Well, I felt like it was enough podtaku with the Gigguk reference and all. ;) Naw, I just got lazy tbh.

[@hobbsmakescomics]

GoatJesus Nicely done. I have always loved this show and now i know why. Do these things jump out at you or does it take multiple viewings? Also is there a significance to the Giant Iron?

[@GoatJesus]

+jeramy hobbs SORRY for the late response. I rewatched this series multiple times to figure stuff out about it and did research into "coming of age narratives." The giant iron symbolizes conformity~ ;)

[@hobbsmakescomics]

cool thanks for replying.

[@studiojaw4876]

Awesome video! I found out about Fooly Cooly last year on TV Tropes and I loved it. Any chance we'll see an Eureka Seven video Goat?

[@GoatJesus]

JAW Productions Studios If I ever get around to finishing it, lol.

[@Syfoll]

Amazing Video!

[@maplecolor1]

the film Cooklyn is a really good coming of age story

[@weresmygun]

Yeeeeeeeees GaotJesus is back!

[@GoatJesus]

weresmygun Who? ;o

[@Xeloph986]

gonna watch the video now...

[@zal9706]

Very nice video, keep up the good work. I really love anime that have some coming of age or character development. Any recommendations?

[@zal9706]

Thanks, that's a huge help

[@Tamacat388]

Zal Tatami Galaxy and Mind Game are two coming of age stories that go really weird and off beat in exploring their themes. They are a bit more adult though. Less childhood to adult and more irresponsible young adult to fully coming to terms with responsibility and making your own happiness. They are both great all the same though.

[@zal9706]

Thanatos388 I already watched them both haha which is pretty funny since the ones Thomas listed are mainstream and I havent seen them

[@avikdas9910]

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya analysis

[@jordanbonn8458]

THE PILLOWS ROCK MY FUCKING SOCKS OFF

[@comradesmith7681]

FLCL in a nutshell is just Space Ironing. Prove me wrong.

[@benzur3503]

And Gatsby fits the Yellow vehicle crash

[@zuesthegreat79]

May I have a link for the song at 13:33 cuz I looked everywhere for it but couldn't find it.

[@Fp007]

Pls do more Fooly Cooly stuff.

[@gsboss]

nice, but i always wanted to an in depth analysis of each episode. also discussing the magical realism in the anime.

[@OtakuNori]

fooly cooly is awesome :3

[@TheVinceBoii]

Finally!!

[@dobikoobi7144]

thank you

[@GoatJesus]

Lain Iwakura You're welcome.

[@Lamomusky]

upload more or we will protest! like this so i dont look stupid

[@chullupa]

facade is not pronounced like it looks