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Title: FLCL
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Let's get straight to the point: this comic is NOT worth your time! There, that's all you need to know about “FLCL.” Need more than that? Alright then, I will try to explain what this is about (and why it's so bad), but I must warn you that this is such a confusing title, the review itself might not make much sense. If you are prepared to deal with that, then read on. “FLCL” is a two-volume graphic novel series based on the six-episode series by the legendary Japanese animation company Gainax. The author of this comic book version, though, is Hajime Ueda. “FLCL” is the story about a boy named Naota, a lonely boy living with his perverted father and his grandfather who's a nut, and his brother ran off to America in search of riches while his brother's girlfriend won't stop bugging him. Make sense yet? If it doesn't make sense now, wait until we get into the MEAT of the story! Not even 15 pages after everyone's introduced to the story, (in a very poor fashion, might I add) an alien chick named Haruko comes crashing down to Earth from... somewhere. I'm not sure where because I don't think they even SAY where she comes from exactly! Oh, and she also wields a guitar that can kick butt. And after that.... stuff happens. LOTS of stuff (I guess)!
I am embarrassed to say that I have no clue what was going on while I read a good 85% of this comic. I'm not exactly sure WHAT this was supposed to be, but I stood with this "thing" hoping it might be enjoyable! Oh boy, it wasn't, it wasn't at all! In “FLCL,” people act stupid, heads melt, aliens grow out of people's foreheads, they scream at each other and abuse each other violently... and while all this is going on, I'm trying to figure out what's up with the guitar, the foreheads, and the alien girl Haruko, who is more annoying than any Disney sidekick that I can think of! At one point in this series, Haruko tries to explain who she is and what's going on, but because the narrative is so poor, I didn't get anything she was trying to say. By the time this mess is over with, you'll still be trying to figure out who's the bad guy, who's who, what they are doing, and what the heck the actual story in this thing is. And why does the ending involve an old lady walking her dog? I have no freaking clue, and I hate to tell you this, but that is the only part that even seems to make ANY sort of sense! If you thought “Miyuki-Chan In Wonderland” was about nothing, then you'll find that this takes “nothing” to a whole new level. Not only does nothing happen, but this "thing" is confusing to the point that you will most likely have NO idea what you just looked at!
And the art, oh God, the art... the art is awful, awful, AWFUL! Sometimes it looks bad, sometimes it looks horrible, sometimes it looks like sketches that aren't even finished being drawn, but either way you look at it, the art is far from good! The art actually contributes in making this comic as confusing as you can make it. You can't figure out who's who because the art is so simple, and when a lot of things are happening at once, the pages actually hurt my eyes while I was trying to see what was being drawn! It's really hard to explain why this art is so bad (it's hard to review this confusing book without having the review sound confusing), but trust me, you won't be reading this because it looks pretty.
In short, “FLCL” is one of the worst comics you can buy. It's a complete mess, and it reads and looks like one too. If this review doesn't make much sense, then I can tell you now that the actual comic will make even less sense. Just pass this up and get the DVDs. I know the DVDs are a little bit more expensive (by about $70), but at least the show was funny (in a strange bizarre sort of way). This comic is just pitiful, and I recommend you stay away from it at all costs!
- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -