FAQ is updated and maintained by Quadrophenic. Email questions to Quadrophenic at quadrophenic@agefive.com

Q1. What is the significance of Naota holding Haruko’s guitar on the hill (rubble)?  That seems to be THE moment for the series. I don’t know why exactly, though...

A1. I think it is something like rising from the ashes, and by claiming Haruko's guitar it is showing him achieving something. Or choosing something. Haruko and Amarao seem to be opposites. It has been established (I hope) that Amarao has basically failed at growing up. He is nothing more than a child who tries, to the best of his abilities, to act mature. Haruko, on the other hand, has grown up and is able to be herself without concern of others thinking her immature. She has learned to not worry about it. Naota claiming Haruko's guitar at the end seems to indicate him taking Haruko's path of life, that is, actually growing up. Or something. It makes sense in my head, though I am not sure if I am adequately communicating the idea.
 

Q2. Any ideas as to the significance of Mamimi becoming a photographer? That tidbit about her is the last line of the series, so you’d think it would have some importance...

A2.Well, she took pictures all the time throughout the series. It seemed to be the one thing she really liked and enjoyed. I think the ending just showed that Mamimi finally found herself as well, and was able to get herself out of the riverbank (so to speak) and overcome her troubles to find a career (and a successful one).

Q3. Why does Naota have that funky school outfit at the end? His friends mention he doesn’t look right in it....

A3. Not sure. I think he might have graduated from Elementary school and is now in Middle/HIghschool. Maybe they don’t have to wear uniforms in elementary school in Japan? I dunno.  As for not looking right in it, wearing a school uniform kinda shows you’re a kid, and previously in the series Naota always tried to act like an adult.  His friends were probably just teasing him.

 Q4. And of course, you know it had to be asked:  Why is the series called Furi Kuri?

A4.  It is a pun on a bunch of different words.  The actual name of the series is “Fooly Cooly”, but when you write it in one of the Japanese scripts (Kanji?  Or something, I don’t know), it comes out to be “Furi Kuri” which means a bunch of things (breast tweaking, chestnuts, kneading bread...). Any ways, I think the series is called “Fooly Cooly” because Naota, throughout the series, attempts to act “Cool” (as in adult like, mature), but he is a “fool” for trying to be something he wasnt.

Q5. Can you explain what's up with the sweet and sour food? In episode 1, Naota says he hates sour things. By episode 6, Amarao is telling him to stop eating sour and go back to sugar, and Naota tells Ninamori he can't stand the sour stuff.  When and why does Naota start eating sour things, and what does that represent?

A5. It represents growing up and accepting himself for who he is, and not living a lie (in Naota's case acting overly concerned with being cool, and seeming adult-like, in Ninamori’s case is was denying her true feelings regarding her parent’s divorce). Amarao is a fool, he is an adult who didn’t partake in the act grow up. He reached a road block, he couldn’t accept himself, he couldn’t deal with the sour and spicy foods. He failed his rite of passage into adulthood. Though, in his arrogance, he thinks he is better for it. He is telling Naota to follow in his lead...though as we see, Amarao isn’t exactly the archetype for a mentally stable individual.

As for when Naota starts drinking sour stuff, he first drinks a sour drink at the end of Episode 1. He probably drank it because he felt that everything was over...the horn, the battle on the bridge, Haruko..everything was done, and back to normal. Perhaps, subconsciously, he missed the excitement. Earlier in Episode 1 Naota is complaining about how nothing exciting happens in Mabase, then something exciting does happen...and now it is done. Drinking the sour drink at the end of episode 1 is probably just an attempt to ride that excitement once again. Despite his attitude (that of attempting to be cool (not so much in the hip sense, but in the clear-minded sense, “adult-like”, or “mature” sense), adult-like, over concerned), he enjoyed and longed for that excitement. Sour drinks gave him that excitement again. But this excitement does not follow his (and Amarao's) attitude/belief system, and for this he "hates" sour stuff.

In episode six, I believe at the end, Naota tells Ninamori that he does not like the sour drinks, this could be interpreted in a few ways, but the way I took it, was that though growing up was difficult (drinking the sour drinks), Naota has no choice to do so (since Ninamori picked the sour drink with his money). Unlike in the beginning of episode one, where Naota throws down the sour drink purchased by Mamimi in disgust, he eventually accepts the drink.

Are you aware of that BMX-XXX video game coming out? If Naota were real, and if he posted on message boards, or in some manner conversed with an audience of peers about video games, he would be telling everyone (well, if they asked), how he wouldn’t play that BMX-XXX game because it is immature, and he is "above" that kind of game, and frowns upon the “childish” and “immature” usage of t&a. However, secretly, Naota enjoys this kind of "immature" humor, he knows it is just all in good fun, and could easily enjoy the game. But in doing so he would feel like he is immature. If Amarao were real, he would be telling Naota not to play the game, because it will make him be immature, and being immature is absolutely, always without exception,  wrong.

Q5.1 But isn't it "sweets" that are immature and not sour things? Amarao is like a little kid, he only eats the sweet things that he likes... doesn't that mean that he has accepted himself for who he is, and he would like the BMX-XXX game?

A5.1 What I meant is that sour=growing up (the act, doing what kids do, messing around, learning, making mistakes, getting in trouble, ect, ect. In the anime, all the crazy stuff like Canti's fights, Haruko's hijinks, could be considered as "sour foods"), while sweets=instant grownup (or, acting grown-up. In the anime, Amarao going to the hairdresser to dye his hair to make him appear older could be considered "sweet foods").

Amarao, and Naota, are far too concerned with how people perceive them. Both do not want to be seen as immature brats, so they both act grown up (eat sweet stuff) because it is easier, and quicker, than actually growing up, and taking the time to transition between childhood and adulthood (adolescence). Amarao has been eaten sweets all of his life, and therefore he acts grownup, but he hasn’t actually gone through the process of growing up. He wouldn’t be able to see that BMX-XXX game for what it is, mindless humor. Instead he sees it as a threat to his false-adulthood, and if he played it it, everyone would think he is an immature child.

Q6. Why did they change the name of the anime from the Japanese “Furi Kuri” to “Fooly Cooly”?  Synch-Point ruined this great OVA by giving it the stupidest title in all of animedom!

A6. Actually, the correct title for this anime is “Fooly Cooly”.  Synch-Point did not change the title. In episode six, at the very end, they show a magazine page with Mamimi’s picture of Naota standing ontop of the rubble holding Haruko’s guitar.  The picture is titled “Fooly Cooly”.  “Furi Kuri” came about because in the Japanese language there is no “L”.  Also, from my understanding of the language, the kanji is formed by putting together sounds. “Fooly” became the two sounds “Fu” and “Ri”, “ri” being the closest equivalent to the “ly”. “Cooly” became “Ku” and “Ri”, as in English a hard ‘C’ sounds the same as ‘K’ (as in “Cat” and “Kitchen”).  Thus, Fooly Cooly is written in Japanese as “Furi Kuri”, but the title is meant to be “Fooly Cooly”.  Actually, I think the real title is “FLCL”, which stands for FooLy CooLy. And I like the name. If you think Fooly Cooly is the stupidest name in animedom, just call it FLCL. If you are afraid people will make fun of you for liking an anime called “Fooly Cooly”, perhaps you have missed the point of the anime....

Q7. Why was Atomsk first shown as a humanoid with long hair, but later as a giant bird?

A7. Amarao was describing what he thought Atomsk looked like to Naota, never having seen Atomsk, he did not know that he was a bird.  A giant red man with lots of hair was just how Amarao pictured him. Its like the first episode of Trigun, if you have seen that.

Q8. Why is there a huge iron in the middle of town?

A8. Medical Mechanica built it. They offered to build it in Mabase, and the adults thought it would be a great idea (perhaps they were under the assumption that the MM plant would bring jobs to Mabase?), so MM built it.

Q9. In Episode 3 Kamon says that if his “local-zines” start to sell well, then he will finally be able to sell his stock of Cherio Pop. What is Cherio Pop?

A9. I am not entirely sure, but from an interview I read with Synch-Point they talked about how they were working closely with Gainax to make sure Japanese culture references, like Cherio Pop, are translated into an American equivalent.  Crystal Pepsi was an example of such an American Equavilent, though the Japanese equivillent was not listed.  I think Cheiro Pop is supposed to be like Crystal Pepsi, and what Kamon said was a joke. He had bought a large stock of Chiero Pop, some kind of soda, like Crystal Pepsi, that was made years ago, but wasnt popular enough, so it sold like crap, like Crystal Pepsi.  Hopefully Pepsi Blue Fusion will follow Cherio Pop and Crystal Pepsi.

Q10 In the Ninamori character summary, you said that her father was probably in legal action that had something to do with the Medical Mechanica plant.  I think her father going to court, and the emminent divorce with her mother, was the same thing.

A10. It is possible.  However, in the beginning of the episode when Miyajun is looking at Kamon’s Local-Zine that Gaku brought to class, they show a page with a lot of Japanese writing on it.  Now, I cant read Japanese, but I could see that it showed a picture of the MM Plant and the headline was “Something something something M.M.” This magazine was dealing with the scandal surrounding the Ninamori family, and the only page they showed is of the MM plant, leading me to believe the scandal had to do with the Mabase government’s relation with the Medical Mechanica plant, and the divorce had to do with another matter all together.  Also, at the end, during Naota’s voice over he says that Eri’s parents did not get divorced, and that her father didn’t go to court either.  This also seems to suggest that these were two seperate events.

Q11. I heard that GAINAX is making a FLCL movie?  Is that true?

A11. The rumor that a FLCL movie was in production stemmed from GAINAX’s very own website. However, they were not referring to a theatrical movie, but rather a short preview of FLCL episodes that you could/can download from thier site.

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