FLCL: Grunge Director Addresses the Anime’s Turn to CG Animation

FLCL is getting ready for its next big comeback with two more new seasons, and the director behind FLCL: Grunge has opened up about the challenges of using CG animation for the franchise for the first time! FLCL made a return to Adult Swim not long ago thanks to a new collaboration that resulted in two more seasons picking up from the events of the original series. Those turned out to be such a success for Adult Swim that the franchise announced that it will be returning for two more seasons, and the first of these new releases will be completely CG animated.

There is currently not much known about what will be in the story content for FLCL: Grunge, but in a special message to fans director Hiroshi Takekiyo (for studio MontBlanc Pictures) opened up about being approached for the sequel series and revealed that the studio originally was hesitant to accept the pitch since they primarily work with CG animation. But after working through some tests, the ultimately chose to pick up the series and are now working harder than ever to bring the franchise into this new kind of style. 

“We were originally asked if we could work on a FLCL sequel…” Takekiyo began. Continuing further, Takekiyo got into their worries, “[O]ur main tool is CGI. We weren’t even certain we could make FLCL in CGI that would be acceptable for everyone. Therefore, we couldn’t respond right away. We asked if we could present a test animation first. I made a CGI animation of Haruko myself and felt more confident that it could potentially work! That’s when we decided to take on the offer.” Then Takekiyo shared a message to fans about what they hope viewers gain from the series. 

“We are currently still working on the show in CGI, trying new techniques and all, but we feel very strong about the overall story. We think you’ll enjoy it as much as we do,” Takekiyo continued. “We are making sure to pay the highest respect to the original creator [Kazuya] Tsurumaki. We are trying our best in procuring the elements that the original FLCL valued most while respecting the original style as much as possible. We are also taking on the new challenges that the current 21st century technology offers. We hope that you will get to enjoy the best of both worlds when you watch the show.”

How do you feel about FLCL coming back for a full CG animated season? What are you hoping to see in FLCL: Grunge? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!