With FLCL Grunge being the latest installment in what I'd begrudgingly call the "FLCL Franchise", one cannot help but make comparisons to the the original entry from 2000 and the following entries Progressive and Alternative from 2018. Opinions on how necessary it was for us to have more FLCL will of course vary from person to person, but for this review I do feel like it's more important to see this as it's own interpretation of the themes presented in the original FLCL because of the heavy iconography that it takes from it in order to form a new coming of age story from three different perspectives, though this will not preclude comparisons to the original since it still draws heavily from it.

Following the three main characters: Shinpachi, the son of a sushi chef; Shonari a rock alien with an alcoholic older brother in the Yakuza and Orinoko who is the daughter to a sickly sword smith. Paving a way for the next generation is the central theme of this coming of age story and the setting of Grunge seems to reflect the world that young people have to face today. The town is polluted, education is underfunded, future prospects are limited, criminals and politicians collude with each other to further their own interests and a corporation controls the only form of social mobility available to the people of that town. This is all in the subtext though, the tone is still full of the same jovial, anarchic and transgressive sensibilities that is associated with the FLCL name. This is all strengthened by the structure that was chosen to tell this story. The three episodes tell more or less self contained stories revolving around our main characters, but they all eventually converge into the climactic events of the night from those perspectives leading into an ending that is quite heartfelt and satisfying for its short three episode run. Time never feels wasted, and the balance of introspection and fun feels great. While the new ideas shine brightly in this entry, the use of imagery from the original muddles the identity of Grunge in a way that I think is simultaneously interesting and annoying. The interest comes from how this imagery is recontextualized for this story. Some events and character appearances deliberately echo the original OVA to draw attention to the new ways it takes those themes to create a dialogue between the two for its audience. At other times however, while fun, the reuse of the imagery feels a little bit purposeless by drawing too much attention towards it, breaking the immersion for me a little. Overall though, my feelings towards the writing is more positive than negative.

The visuals have been contentious overall because of its use of CGI, though I do feel as if this contention comes from a general aversion that some people have towards it in anime. I do not want to dwell on that point too much, but what I do want to do is encourage the readers of this review who are on the fence on it because of this choice to still watch it anyway because it is a creative choice that still lies within the ethos of the original for artistic expression. Throughout there's a really strong style and tone through its use of bold colour contrasted with black shadows for some really cool looking silhouettes and scene composition. The characters themselves are cel shaded with expressive models, and 2D animation is often used for gags and fights keeping up the anachronistic styling FLCL is known for. The music is part of the aesthetic of FLCL as well and the Pillows deliver with some new recordings of old songs they have composed. I do wish that there was more variety in the track selection however as a person who has been listening to them for more than a decade now since there is again that reliance on making callbacks to the original musically as well, but when tracks that have not been used before do come up, it is truly a treat. I'm very fond of the use of the track "Sayonara Universe" in the final episode with its melancholic and droning chords to book end the show, as well as being a nice thematic bow on it all. More of that sort of thing would have made the end product stronger in my opinion.

With the callbacks and references to the original, one might ask then "who is this for?". Standalone I do think that it works but it doesn't have the runtime to really make it's symbols its own. The original that it draws from also exists and most including me would tell a newcomer to just watch that. The more likely person to be interested in FLCL Grunge is that fan of the original since that is who it seemed to be marketed towards. In that capacity, I think that a lot of enjoyment can be derived from it. A new and fresh take on FLCL's coming of age themes, cool new art and animation, the pillows and it doesn't overstay it's welcome. If you have the itch for more FLCL, then I think you will have a good time with Grunge