FLCL

Art: 10/10

No one can deny that the art for this show is stunning. The animation is crisp and fantastic. The visuals pop off the screen and are incredibly unique in my opinion.

Sound: 10/10

The best use of a soundtrack of all time in anime. They only use sounds when necessary and when the sounds are used, they are spectacular. The sounds were balanced well with the voice acting, allowing you to enjoy the incredible music while focusing on the ever-important dialogue.

Story: 10/10

Now the controversial part. The story. This gets overlooked by so many idiots who fail to go beyond the surface level. Anyway, the story is about an ordinary kid living a dull life. It has lost all spice. But, when he meets Haruko, a figment of his imagination, all this changes. (Yes, she is a figment. You would know that if you bothered to pay attention.) But, this drug, FLCL, forces all humans to face their trauma. This is shown when people "overload." Forced to face all trauma. Incredibly unique concept, deserving of a 10

Characters: 10/10

At first glance, the characters are bland, I will admit. But, once you fully grasp the plot, they are great.

Naota.

Our main character has lost all spice in his life. He feels dull all the time. But, he is incredibly scared to change. He wants to stay in his comfort zone at all times. This is shown when he firmly chooses sweet drinks without trying anything else. And when he quite literally puts a bandage on his trauma in episode one. Also, when he refuses to swing his bat because he fears failure. He can't tell Mamimi he likes her because he fears being rejected. But, by the end of the first episode, after his first experience with FLCL, he gets closer to reality, moves out of his comfort zone and tries the bitter drink. While he admits that he doesn't like it. Progress! And while I could write much more, I will skip to episode 6 when he is finally shown how to live life again, no longer tormented by the demons. And by the time Haruko leaves, Naota is back to his normal life. But, now he is aware of himself. He is able to realize that the outside world never mattered in the first place. And now he is content with living any experience, just like Haruko (IMPLIED) Naota figures out he really is Haruko. He is able to live life like Haruko did, without form, but full of life.

Haruko

Best character ever created. Haruko is a figment of Naota's imagination. She is pure conciousness incarnate, formlessness characterized. She goes against the societal norm (pink hair, outgoing personality, free from all attachments) Haruko is from another galaxy, and her job is to make everything return to nothingness. But, the Galaxy Force tries to stop her. The Galaxy Force has tried to make people identify with many things, other than themselves. Which is why Naota and Mamimi are out of touch with reality. Haruko is shown to be formlessness because she can do everything Naota can't. Like hitting the baseball. Haruko isn't scared of failure. In short, she is a projection of Naota, Ninamori, Mamimi, and all other humans affected by FLCL. She is the universe. And her presence is made so we realize that the 3 characters are waking up to their true nature. She is the universe, meaning, if you are everything, you are nothing and therefore perfectly at peace with all realities and timelines. This is why Haruko is always at bliss. This is shown when she does as she thinks, as she has no brain. She is the universe expressing herself, there is no free will, it all just occurs. She helps Naota by festering jealousy within him, which is an incredibly strong emotion. She represents humanity's conciousness. EXCELLENT CHARACTER!

Mamimi

She waits for Naota's brother to come back to her. To get close to his brother, she gets close to Naota because she thinks this will keep her connected to her boyfriend in some way. Mamimi has a fear of action. She doesn't do, she just hopes and wishes. This is shown by her constantly praying and smoking. She would rather concede to a nihilistic lifestyle than take control of her reality. This is paralleled by the TV. TV's have no concious will, something has to turn them on. Which perfectly mirrors Mamimi's character. She won't act on her own, she needs something to tell/make her.

Ninamori

Like Mamimi, Naota is projecting his trauma onto her. This causes her to face what she has repressed as well. She believes that she must live up to her parents status, which explains why she cheated to get the lead in the play. Ninamori's fear is one of rejection. She can't express her feelings to Naota. She has to tread lightly so as to not reveal her true thoughts and feelings to others. When she faced her trauma, she pokes through her glasses. This is supposed to mean that she destroyed what had once blocked her vision. She took her power back and chose to perform in the play on her own accord.

Enjoyment: 10/10

Not only is this beautifully written, but incredibly enjoyable too. The show is relatively funny and holds an incredibly deeper meaning.