Episode 236: Anime Binge Club: FLCL Episodes 1 & 2

Spencer, who describes himself using a string of expletives that immediately demonetized the video version, is joined by Kevin, who had to leave his house and travel to a third location just to talk about anime. Together we dive into the first two episodes of the legendary show FLCL.

Spencer walks Kevin through the absolute chaos of FLCL’s opening episodes: a 12-year-old boy named Naota gets run over by a pink-haired woman on a Vespa named Haruko, who then gives him CPR, hits him with a guitar, and somehow ends up living in his house. A robot subsequently bursts out of his head not once but twice, which Spencer connects to themes of adolescence, the absence of his older brother, and a girl named Mamimi who does fire rituals with lighters taped to her head while praying to a video game god. Kevin’s primary takeaway is that the whole thing felt like a dream, which Spencer considers an astute observation.

We also chat about Spencer’s recent Magic: The Gathering defeat (he drafted a great deck and immediately got politically eliminated), briefly cover other anime Spencer has been watching including “Classroom of the Elite” (where the world’s smartest student quietly solves all problems forever), and respond to a listener question about CPTSD and protective anger… a topic Spencer navigates with unexpected sincerity before concluding that yes, he probably just accepts injustice instead of getting mad about it.

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Starring: Spencer Crittenden and Kevin Day
Executive Producer: Kevin Day
Director: Kevin Day
Distributed by: Schrab Home Video