Where to Watch ‘FLCL Alternative’

FLCL Alternative premieres on Saturday, Aug. 8, and there are a number of ways for fans to catch the big debut.

FLCL is an original anime series, pronounced “Fooly Cooly” in English. FLCL Alternative is the third season of the series, though it will represent a massive change for the franchise. Alternative comes from an entirely different creative team than its predecessors, and they will focus on an all-new cast of characters. The show hit the airwaves in Japan on Friday, Sept. 7, and luckily those in the U.S. will not have to wait much longer.

FLCL Alternative premieres on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 11:30 p.m. on Adult Swim‘s Toonami block. The network already played the first episode in a surprise sneak peek on April 1, but now they will finally see it in earnest.

Of course, for those that do not have cable or don’t plan on staying up until midnight, FLCL Alternative will be on the Adult Swim website shortly after it airs. The network is generally kind to its online audience, and will likely get the episode up in no time.

Beyond that, there is no word on where FLCL Alternative will be available this week. The show is produced in part by Adult Swim, making it unlikely that other services will be able to add it to their catalogues in real time. However, it will probably join the first season of FLCL on Hulu, Crunchyroll and other services once the season has aired in its entirety.

Meanwhile, an English dub is well under way, as Adult Swim is collaborating with Funimation. According to a report by Anime News Network, Adult Swim was originally planning on streaming the dubbed version on their site as the subtitled version aired on cable, perhaps hoping to drive more fans to their online services. However, the abandoned this plan, and will now reportedly air the dub in November. The network has issued descriptions of the show and its production.

“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” it reads. “Mixed up in this is an all-powerful force known as ‘ATOMSK,’ a gorgeous vintage car… and a certain Vespa Scooter.”

“FLCL: Alternative, which hands the series over to a totally different team of young creators who will redefine the meaning of “sequel.” The series centers on the misadventures of 17-year-old Kana, a high school junior who spends her days hanging out with her besties, Mossan, Hijiri, and Pets. They live unremarkable lives, until the day a Mecha falls out of the sky, along with a strange woman named ‘Haruko.’ Her plans for Kana and her friends involve the force known as ‘ATOMSK.’ Kana will have to risk everything to decide whether or not to help… like she really has a choice!”