FLCL’s sequel brings out The Pillows goodness on June 2

Insert guitar riffs and Vespas

Whenever a title finishes its run, there’s a good chance that its story is complete. As FLCL‘s new seasons hit us with a cool trailer, I’m still siding with those who think that the sequels aren’t necessary.

Aside from the original show having a satisfying conclusion, the other reason behind my stance is that the first series was the result of Gainax wanting to make something happy after being sad from working on End of Evangelion, which likely played a role in the OVA’s hyperactive over-the-top nature. Since the sequel’s team is lacking the old one’s mentality, the new FLCL might not be on a similar level to its predecessဣor.

With the sequel being two new seasons, they’re being called FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative. Just like the original, they’ll be six episodes each. Seeing that they both feature different casts of characters, it looks like it’s focusing on Medical Mechanica’s effects on society. There also seems to be a new robot that may be the Canti of the series, so we’ll see how it turns out.

FLCL Progressive hits the Toonami block on June 2 at 11:30 p.m. (EST and PST), and Adult Swim’s Website will simulcast the series in Japanese. Then Alternative will air in September. If you’re in Japan, they’ll be shown in theaters on September 7 and 29, with Alternative being the first one to be screened. 

Depending on their quality, I might get to relive my high school senior year as I get to see FLCL on TV again. Either way, it won’t stop me from jamming out to The Pillows’ new opening songs, “Spikey Seeds” and “Star Overhead.” If they lack the charm of the original, then we have Studio TRIGGER’s  as a wonderful spiritual successor. Fortunately, there are a couple people on the staff who worked with Gainax and TRIGGER, so there’s a bit of hope in the sequel not being a disappointment.

FLCL Progressive’s Staff and Cast

• Chief Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro (Psycho-Pass and Atom the Beginning’s Chief Director)
• Supervisor: Kazuya Tsurumaki (Wild Arms 3’s Animated Opening Director, FLCL’s Series Director)
• Directors: Kazuto Arai (Kill la Kill’s In-Between Animation, Mob Psycho 100 episode 3’s Key Animation), Toshihisa Kaiya (IGPX’s Character Design, Outlaw Staropening’s Key Animation), Yuki Ogawa (Pokémon XY’s Assistant Episode Director, Hunter x Hunter 2011 episode 34’s 2nd Key Animation), Yoshihide Ibata (Attack on Titan: Junior High’s Director, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis episode 5’s Episode Director), Kei Suezawa (Pokémon Generations and Kill la Kill episode 4’s Key Animation), Hiroshi Ikehata (Robot Girls Z and Akiba’s Trip: The Animation’s Director)
• Script: Hideto Iwai (Last Dinner and Shuden Bye Bye’s Script)
• Original Character Design: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (FLCL’s Original Character Design, .hack//Infection through Quarantine’s Character Design)
• Character Design: Chikashi Kubota (One Piece Movie 6 and One Punch Man’sCharacter Design)
• Mechanical Design: Kiyotaka Oshiyama (Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos and Gurren Lagann episode 3’s Key Animation)
• Theme Song: The Pillows
• Animation Production: Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex’sAnimation, Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings’ Animation Production)
• Sub-Character Design: Mai Yoneyama (Kiznaiver’s Character Design, Gurren Lagann Parallel Works 2’s Kittan Zero Key Animation)
• Prop Design: Akiko Murayama (Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings and Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike’s In-Between Animation), Yoko Kubara (Ace Attorney anime’s Prop Design, Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers’ Key Animation)
• Background Art Director: Kazuhiro Arai (Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and Mobile Suit Gundam: Journey to Jaburo’s Background Art)
• Color Design: Noriko Arisawa (Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199’s Paint, Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact’s Color Key)
• Director of Photography: Koji Tanaka (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Batman: Gotham Knight episode 2’s Director of Photography)
• CG Director: You Takayanagi (Red Ash: Magicicada’s CG, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society’s 3D Animation)
• Editor: Takeo Hamauzu (Tales of Symphonia animated cutscene’s Editor, Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike’s Editing Assistant)
• Music Director/Composer: R.O.N
• Sound Director: Toru Nakano (.hack//G.U. Vol. 1 through 3’s Sound Effects, FLCL’s Sound Producer)
• Haruha Raharu: Megumi Hayashibara (Final Fantasy XI’s Shantotto, Slayers’ Lina)
• Jinyu: Miyuki Sawashiro (Sword Art Online II’s Sinon, Odin Sphere’s Velvet)
• Hidomi: Inori Minase (Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s Kasane, Re:ZERO’s Rem)
• Yoshimi Ide: Jun Fukuyama (Code Geass’ Lelouch, Ressha Sentai ToQger’s Nero)
• Goro Mori: Tomo Muranaka (Final Fantasy XIV’s Honoroit, Kirakira Precure a la Mode’s Aoi/Cure Gelato)
• Nogata Maruko: Masatomo Nakazawa (Silver Spoon’s Naoki, Sakura Quest’s Nakayama)
• Aiko: Tomoyo Kurosawa (Tales of Berseria’s Moana, Nights of Azure’s Christophorus)
• Hinae: Kikuko Inoue (Guilty Gear series’ I-No, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger’s Insarn)
• Masurao: Kouji Ohkura (FLCL’s Amarao, Hyouge Mono’s Sasuke)
• Eyepatch: Takayuki Sugo (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance’s Boris, Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199’s Captain Okita)
• Tonkichi: Jin Urayama (Soulcalibur V’s Cervantes, Final Fantasy XV’s Verstael)
• Tami Hanae: Reiko Suzuki (Bayonetta 2’s Umbran Elder, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders’ Enya)

FLCL Alternative’s Staff and Cast

• Chief Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro
• Supervisor: Kazuya Tsurumaki
• Directors: Yutaka Uemura (Saga of Tanya the Evil’s Director, Gunbuster 2: Diebuster’s CG Production), Kiyotaka Suzuki (Evangelion 3.0’s Chief Unit Director, Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew’s CGI Assistance)
• Script: Hideto Iwai
• Original Character Design: Yoshiyuki Sadamoto
• Character Design: Yuichi Takahashi (Macross Frontier’s Character Design, Persona 5 the Animation: The Day Breakers’ Key Animation)
• Mechanical Design: Kiyotaka Oshiyama
• Theme Song: The Pillows
• Animation Production: Production I.G., NUT (One Punch Man: Road to Hero’s Production Cooperation, Saga of Tanya the Evil Witch’s Animation Production), REVOROOT (Mobile Suit Gundam Twilight Axis’ Finish Animation, Made in Abyss’ In-Between Animation)
• Costume Design: Hiromi Taniguchi (Psycho-Pass movie and Gurren Lagann’s In-Between Animation
• Prop Design: Yuji Hosogoe (Afro Samurai: Resurrection and Berserk movie trilogy’s Key Animation), Hiyori Denforword Akishino (Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid and Death Parade’s Prop Design)
• Background Art Director: Ayaka Fujii (Kill la Kill and Little Witch Academia movie’s Background Art)
• Color Design: Chiho Nakamura (Bodacious Space Pirates and Saber Marionette J to X’s Color Key)
• Director of Photography: Shinji Tonsho (Gamers! and Saga of Tanya the Evil’s Director of Photography)
• CG Director: Tsukasa Saito (Karas and Death Note’s CG Animation) 
• Music Director/Composer: R.O.N
• Sound Director: Toru Nakano
• Haruhara Haruko: Mayumi Shintani (FLCL’s Haruko, Kill la Kill’s Nonon)
• Kana Kawamoto: Karen Miyama (Endride’s Alicia, Kirakira Precure a la Mode’s Ichika/Cure Whip)
• Tomomi Heta: Yuri Yoshida (Punch Line’s Chiranosuke, Engaged to the Unidentified’s Mashiro)
• Hijiri Yashima: Riho Iida (The Guided Fate Paradox’s Minamo, Omega Quintet’sOtoha)
• Mitsuru Motoyama: Mutsumi Tamura (UNDER-NIGHT-IN-BIRTH’s Byakuya, Darling in the FrankXX’s Zorome)
• Kan Sudo: Katsuyuki Konishi (Gurren Lagann’s Kamina, Tensou Sentai Goseiger’s Gosei Knight)
• Kado Sasaki: Takuma Nagatsuka (Atelier Lydie and Suelle: Alchemists of the Mysterious Painting’s Alt, My Hero Academia Season 2’s Koji)
• Ben Sota: Ryota Suzuki (Junji Ito: Collection’s Akiyama, Recovery of an MMO Junkie’s Hayashi)
• Shizuka Kawamoto: Miki Itou (Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Work 2014’s Taiga, Dragon Ball Z’s Android 18/Cyborg 18)
• Bunta Kawamoto: Maho Masaka 
• Yoga Dennis: Katsuji Mori (Gatchaman’s Ken the Eagle, Sailor Moon’s Nephrite)
• Maki Kitaki: Kaya Matsutani (Sakura Wars: So Long My Love’s Diana, Bleach’s Rangiku)
• Tabata Kanda: Yutaka Aoyama (Yakuza 5’s Kanji, Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact’s Django)

[Anime News Network]