FLCL Progressive

FLCL Progressive (フリクリ プログレ?, Furikuri Purogure) is a sequel anime series to FLCL. It premiered with an English dub on June 2, 2018 at Midnight ET/PT on Adult Swim's Toonami block. In Japan, Progressive began screening theatrically on September 28, 2018.
According to Anime News Network, FLCL Progressive was supposed to have a corresponding manga, but this never came to fruition.
==About the Anime==
Many years have passed since Naota and Haruko shared their adventure together. Meanwhile, the war between the two entities known as Medical Mechanica and Fraternity continues to rage across the galaxy. Enter Hidomi, a young teenage girl who believes there is nothing amazing to expect from her average life, until one day when she is ran over by a strange woman named Julia Jinyu. Shortly after, a new teacher named Haruko arrives at her school. As if things aren't strange enough, Medical Mechanica is attacking her town and Hidomi discovers a secret within her that could save everyone, a secret that only Haruko wants to unlock for her own secret agenda.
Why did Haruko return to Earth? What happened to her Rickenbacker 4001 she left with Naota? And where did the human-type robot ‘Canti’ go?Anime News Network
==Production==
Starting with this season, studio GAINAX was no longer involved in the FLCL franchise. Instead, the FLCL sequels were produced by Production I.G. USA (the United States division of Production I.G.) and Williams Street (Adult Swim's animation production arm). 
===Acquisition by Production I.G.===
Maki Terashima-Furuta, the president of Production I.G. USA, mentioned that while the original FLCL was not popular in Japan when it was first released in 2000, it was a major hit in the United States. Around 2008, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim creative directors Jason DeMarco and Sean Akins traveled to Japan and tried to get the rights from GAINAX to make a sequel. Terashima-Furuta also noted that FLCL creator Kazuya Tsurumaki had turned down the offer, saying that he had already done what he sought to achieve with FLCL. Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, the CEO of Production I.G. also sought to get a sequel made, having several conversations with Tsurumaki and FLCL writer Yoji Enokido in order to get them onboard. He also noted that while the original FLCL was a co-production between GAINAX and Production I.G., GAINAX still retained the rights.
At some point, Terashima-Furuta learned that the rights for the show were being put up for sale and was able to convince Production I.G. to purchase it. Although the plan was originally to bring in familiar names to work on it, Production I.G. eventually decided to choose younger and newer animators and staff. (Notably, Tsurumaki is listed as a supervisor, while FLCL character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto is credited as "Original Character Designer", with Chikashi Kubota now serving as character designer) They also faced challenges as many of the hired staff felt that they could not match the skill and talent of Tsurumaki. Tsurumaki eventually suggested to Terashima-Furuta and Ishikawa that they should try to find staff who were not familiar with FLCL or his other works, and give them the freedom to create something new. This lead to a younger and dynamic staff with limited experience to create something new and exciting as Ishikawa noted.
Adult Swim | Toonami | FLCL Progressive (S2) | Behind The Scenes (Extended Ver.)FLCL Behind the Scenes: Part 2 | Production | Toonami | Adult Swim (Extended Ver.)
===GAINAX and IP Rights===
In a 2019 interview, Hideaki Anno, who voiced Miyu Miyu and was one of the founders of GAINAX, had originally tried to buy back the FLCL IP rights prior to them being sold to Production I.G.. 
Anno had left GAINAX in 2007 to form studio Khara in order to work on the Rebuild of Evangelion films, but remained on good terms with them. As the Evangelion name was still being associated with GAINAX (due to working on the Neon Genesis Evangelion television series and films from 1995 to 1999), Anno allowed the studio to profit from the merchandising rights to Neon Genesis Evangelion and in exchange, they would pay Khara royalties for the shows that Anno originally created and/or directed during his time at GAINAX. While the plan had originally work out well for both studios, by 2012, GAINAX was falling behind on paying Khara what was owed to them by that point, due to bad business decision.
In 2014, GAINAX's then-president, Hiroyuki Yamaga, asked Anno for a loan, indicating that the studio was on the verge of bankruptcy and could be shut down within 3 days. Having been friends with Yamaga since college, Anno agreed to loan the studio 100 million yen, which they could pay back over a 10 year period and without any interest charges. Anno also offered to buy the rights to FLCL as well as Gunbuster and Diebuster to further help the company with its financial troubles. As the deal was almost complete, GAINAX suddenly chose to up the asking price, demanding 6 times the original amount, before cutting off contact with Anno altogether. The company then went ahead and sold off the rights to FLCL, Gunbuster and Diebuster without informing Anno, as well as not pay back their loan to him. After learning that GAINAX was creating several shell companies with the GAINAX name attached to them and had even went so far as to secretly sell off production material such as key animations and storyboards from past projects, Khara sued GAINAX in 2016 and won in court. Though, as of 2019, Anno has never received an apology or explanation. 
In June 2024, GAINAX announced that it had filed for bankruptcy after 40 years in operation and Studio Khara will be taking possession of the GAINAX name. Khara also mentioned on its website that Anno, along with King Records (one of the other companies involved with the production of FLCL) and Studio Trigger (which features several former GAINAX staff who had also worked on FLCL) had been trying to help GAINAX deal with its financial troubles for several years but were ignored. Although it reclaimed the GAINAX name, it is currently unknown if Khara can reclaim its former IPs including FLCL and Gunbuster. Studio Gainax Goes Bankrupt for RealGainax Has Filed For Bankruptcy After 40 Years Of OperationAnime Studio Gainax Files for Bankruptcy
Although Anno was not directly involved with FLCL, Kazuya Tsurumaki was Anno's protégé and he wanted to give his protégé the opportunity to continuing work on those series, as Tsurumaki and several other key figures who worked on FLCL were now working at Khara.Creating A Follow-Up To FLCL Was Even Tougher Than It SoundsHideaki Anno Details His Falling Out With GainaxGainax Ordered to Pay Studio Khara 100 Million YenIT ALL COMES TUMBLING DOWN TUMBLING DOWN TUMBLING DOWNTrivia/FLCL
== Staff ==
* Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro
* Character design: Chikashi Kubota
* Writer: Hideto Iwai
* Sound director: Toru Nakano
* Music by: R.O.N (instrumental) / The Pillows
* Animation production: Production I.G, Production Goodbook (Episode 2 and 3), Signal.MD (Episode 5)
==Cast==
===Japanese===
* Megumi Hayashibara as Haruha Raharu
* Inori Minase as Hidomi Hibajiri
* Miyuki Sawashiro as Julia Jinyu
* Jun Fukuyama as Ko Ide
* Tomo Muranaka as Goro Mori
* Masatomo Nakazawa as Marco Nogata
* Tomoyo Kurosawa as Aiko
* Kikuko Inoue as Hinae Hibajiri
* Kouji Ohkura as Masurao
* Takayuki Sugo as Eye Patch
* Jin Urayama as Tonkichi
* Reiko Suzuki as Tami Hanae
===English===
* Kari Wahlgren as Haruha Raharu
* Xanthe Huynh as Hidomi Hibajiri
* Allegra Clark as Julia Jinyu
* Robbie Daymond as Ko Ide
* Jon Allen as Goro Mori
* Yuri Lowenthal as Marco Nogata
* Christine Marie Cabanos as Aiko
* Julie Ann Taylor as Hinae Hibajiri
* Jason Griffith as Masurao
* J. David Brimmer as Eye Patch
* Steve Kramer as Tonkichi
* Barbara Goodson as Tami Hanae
* Cassandra Morris as Misaki
* Kyle Hebert as Wataru
* Lucien Dodge as Yuya
==Episodes==
#"Re:Start"
#"Freebie Honey"
#"Stone Skipping"
#"LooPQR"
#"Fool on the Planet"
#"Our Running"
==Trivia==
*This is the first in the series to have Haruko voiced by a different actress in the Japanese version.
**Mayumi Shintani, who played her in the first season, reprised her role for the third season, FLCL Alternative.
*During the ending credits, images of Kana Koumoto, Tomomi "Pets" Hetada, Man "Mossan" Motoyama, Hijiri Yajima and Tsukata Kanda are shown, despite these character starring in FLCL Alternative.
* In order to promote Progressive and Alternative in Japan, the series had a collaboration with Wendy's First Kitchen. The item for the promotion was garlic butter potato fries.Out here in Japan for the week and I spotted Wendy’s doing a FLCL food promotion!would u eat the flcl meal from wendy's? (@Fooly Cooly Out of Context)
==References==
Category:Anime
Category:Fooly Cooly
Category:Progressive