Following the release of the fifth season of FLCL, titled FLCL: Shoegaze, Adult Swim has announced they will no longer be involved with the series. FLCL originally aired as a six-episode OVA series from April 2000 to March 2001 before being revived in 2016 as a co-production between Adult Swim, Toho Animation and Production I.G. Adult Swim has since been involved in all successive series. Senior Vice President of Adult Swim, Jason DeMarco, made the announcement via Twitter (formerly X). Read his statement below:
“For those who are wondering, Adult Swim considers Grunge and Shoegaze ratings successes and is very happy with their performance. We will [sic] won’t be making any more, but thank you to everyone who helped make them a success, you taking the time to watch means a lot.“
FLCL: Shoegaze debuted on Adult Swim’s network on October 1, 2023, after following FLCL: Grunge‘s conclusion in September. Since the revival series was announced, FLCL has proved divisive amongst fans for its creative choices, which include art style changes and omissions of some notable characters and original staff. Nevertheless, the series has been seen as a spiritual successor by some fans and has garnered many new fans in the West.
While Adult Swim’s withdrawal is confirmed, it’s unclear what this means for FLCL‘s future. In an interview with Vulture Magazine last month, DeMarco said, “Whether or not there are more is probably going to be up to Production I.G. and how these perform. As far as our involvement, we’ve done everything we wanted to do. We weren’t trying to recapture lightning in a bottle.”
North American licensor Funimation (now under the Crunchyroll brand) describes the first season of FLCL as:
When Haruko runs over Naota with her scooter and brains him with a bass guitar, his world doesn’t just get turned upside down—it gets incredibly weird.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros., which holds the license for FLCL‘s first revival season, FLCL Progressive, as such:
The sequel to one of the most insane anime ever created, FLCL: Progressive brings together members of the original team with a whole new generation of creators. From the legendary anime studio Production I.G and Adult Swim. FLCL: Progressive tells the story of 14-year-old Hidomi, her classmate Ide, and two otherworldly beings, “Jinyu” and “Haruha Raharu,” who are determined to unlock their hidden potential. Mixed up in this is an all-powerful force known as “ATOMSK,” a gorgeous vintage car… and a certain Vespa Scooter.
Watch the trailer for the latest FLCL: Shoegaze below:
Source: DeMarco’s X (formerly Twitter)
