FLCL: Grunge Episode 2 Review

The FLCL franchise is filled with stories of adolescence, and how it can involve parental abandonment, lost friendships, and out-of-control hormones. But something new that FLCL: Grunge episode 2 brings to the table is the unique bond between siblings, and how that bond can wane over time under the weight of societal and financial pressures.

Enter Shonari, a ten-year old boy of the Rockien species, whose family has fled to the town of Okura to live peacefully alongside humans. We first see Shonari tossing said family members into Okura’s acid-green ocean with the help of his older brother, Dainari. He tells Shonari that they can’t bury their parents because construction workers will dig up their corpses, and their Rockien bodies sink pretty quickly in the ocean, so it has to be this way. Shonari can’t escape from his troubles at school, because all the kids ostracize him simply for looking like a giant rock monster. The one day that Shonari’s patience wears thin and he retaliates against his bullies, he inadvertently puts a classmate in the hospital and winds up in prison. Dainari comes to the rescue and insists the police let him go because he’s only a kid, to which they reply, “how is anyone supposed to know that? Just look at how big he is.”

Outside prison walls, Dainari rests his hands on Shonari’s shoulders and tells him to stay in school. It’s the only way to get a good paying job and get the hell off of this planet. Dainari understands that this means tolerating hatred and what happened to Shonari’s classmate, to which he replies, “it’s their fault for being weak.” Fast forward 5 years, Shonari is still in school but at least has two friends – Shinpachi and Orinoko – who’ve got his back. But Dainari has been absent lately, performing “delivery” jobs for the local Keshibishi gang and drinking all his problems away, effectively turning his brain to mush. Shonari begs him to stop, but Dainari shows off his latest paycheck and explains that he’s almost got enough to buy Shonari a one-way ticket on the daily shuttle. Little do either of them know, that Okura is on the brink of an all-out gang war that’ll obliterate both their bond and their future.

From this opening alone, it’s already clear that Shonari’s story is incredibly tragic compared to Shinpachi’s. It’s almost heartbreaking to see Shonari be robbed of his innocence from such an early age. His melancholy childhood only hits deeper thanks to a bittersweet guitar riff that kicks off the episode. The Pillows have this innate ability to swap from heartstopping rock to somber and reflective melodies at the drop of a hat, and it’s utilized quite well in Grunge.

I can relate to Shonari’s anxiety around other kids his age. It’s difficult to be rejected by others for simply being different, and standing up for yourself doesn’t always yield the results you hope it would. I can also relate to Shonari’s desperate attempts at impressing Orinoko. Dude’s pulling out all the stops, whether it’s researching what types of ore go into swordsmithing or giving her tips on where to look for more iron. Sure, he’s awkward about it, but who wouldn’t be at fifteen years old?

There’s one very quick scene during Shonari’s childhood where all the kids at his school notice the Medical Mechanica plant for the first time. Shinpachi stops and says, “when did that show up?” But Shonari begins to tremble, and screams in disbelief that the giant iron has followed him to his new home. We rarely get to see how Medical Mechanica plants show up in each town, the story usually starts after the townspeople have adapted to it. But here, we see some initial reactions of either confusion or apathy, and we immediately learn why Rockiens live on this planet to begin with. Not every planet in the galaxy has had Haruko or Atomsk to save them from getting their wrinkles smoothed out.

There’s a brief intermission where we’re treated to a history lesson about the “Kita Gyushu Unification War” in Okura, which recalls how the power struggle between the two different yakuza clans – the Keshibishi and Samueda – has reached a boiling point. And naturally, it was all due to a very diabetic cat. However, the tale is hilariously displayed in black and white manga panels instead of CG, and is told in such rapid-fire succession that it leaves you only more confused. This intermission just kind of happens, so it’s a real slap in the face post-seeing Shonari trying to put the moves on Orinoko. But this backstory is crucial for understanding the world that Shonari and Dainari are caught up in.

I just love it when FLCL experiments with animation and art styles, and episode 2 only continues in the direction that episode 1 started. Whether it’s the Kita Gyushu tale, or the many facial expressions Haruko makes while stirring the Keshibishi to take revenge, Grunge seamlessly blends CG with exaggerated 2D looks and effects. I used to cite Land of the Lustrous as being the best CG anime when it came to facial expressions and action, but it’s looking like Grunge will take that throne.

I also love how episode 2 reveals that we’re witnessing the same events from episode 1, just from a different perspective. I had a hunch that this is what MontBlanc Pictures was aiming for when we didn’t see a conclusion to the previous episode’s conflict. Typically, FLCL episodes have a plot that fits within an overarching theme or connection, but at least have a climactic battle that sees a conclusion before the credits roll. There’s also a lot of events that unfold in episode 1’s climax that aren’t explained yet, such as Shonari falling from the sky with a katana in hand, or Haruko casually mentioning that she had been acting as the Keshibishi leader’s mistress. Episode 2 provides context for some of those moments. This is a welcome narrative tool that we haven’t seen yet in a FLCL story, and it hints at the next episode being centered around the third protagonist, Orinoko. As a viewer, it almost feels like you’re putting together a puzzle in real-time about what’s really going on in Okura. And the concept of not knowing what’s going on at first, then figuring it out as you go, is a very FLCL experience.

The director of Grunge, Hitoshi Takekiyo, has said that he thought it’d be “interesting and expansive to have aliens” in this story, considering how FLCL is science-fiction. I think this was a no-brainer, as we hadn’t seen another alien species yet besides Atomsk and the strange mechanized monsters that crawl out of Medical Mechanica’s plants. Having another alien species living alongside humans opens up the possibility of new stories about adolescence facing issues like segregation and ignorance. A good example of how the people of Okura view Rockiens would be the Keshibishi gang hiring Dainari to be their boss’s bodyguard. Dainari is only useful because of his natural strength and rock-hard body; the Keshibishi have no interest in Dainari’s cognitive skills, so he spends all his free time drinking. This works for a while, until the Samueda hire their own Rockien to offset Dainari.

This is only one of several issues that Shonari faces as a Rockien child, and sadly as time goes on, he faces them alone. Dainari is drinking himself into an early grave, even though he says it’s all for Shonari’s sake. But what Shonari really needs is a brother who can be present to share his life with. Maybe leaving Okura isn’t the answer for Shonari. The yakuza definitely isn’t a viable future with Dainari as a leading example. As a fun side note, Director Takekiyo has confirmed that Shonari and Dainari’s names come from the Japanese mathematical symbols for “less than” and “greater than”.

Episode 2 is a powerful story that ends in tragedy for the Rockien brothers. But as long as Shonari still has the support of Shinpachi and Orinoko, there is hope. And with Haruko and the remaining yakuza members all rushing towards the Medical Mechanica plant, there’s still time left for Shonari to put his brother’s katana to good use. This may sound like an overtly positive review, but I struggle to find anything negative to say about this episode. Another 10 out of 10 for the books.

SCORE: 10/10