Episode 6: Full Flat
And here we are, the end of season 3. When I watch all of FLCL like this, I see season 3 as sort of a mature version of the concepts we see in season 1. I’ll do a full breakdown at the end of the musical breakdown because episode 6 actually pulls out all the stops with music because the first thing we hear is
(1)I Think I Can (Fool on Cool)
This song serves as the opening credits since there isn’t a full title card as Haruko fights a bunch of Canti-shaped Medical Mechanica bots while the credits roll. The song ends in a rushed fashion as the credits close, but in the meanwhile it serves as a nice backdrop to the action sequences. What’s interesting about the action this go-‘round is that Haruko’s not the over-the-top one-man-army, in fact she actually has a hard time fighting enemies in this season. I think it’s because the focus is on the 4 main characters and the action isn’t really the draw of this season, and I think having the music swell in such a manner during the fight scene helps stick that point.
(2)Unrising Sun (Instrumental)-
Everything about season 3 has this sort of apocalyptic aura to it, and this aura is best portrayed when this song strikes on the scene of Kanda drinking and smoking by the vending machine on the side of the street. The low buzzing of the guitar helps project the dystopian outlook that everyone has on the situation of the world about to come to an end. While I still don’t like the song, the usage of it in this scene was perfect. Everything is coming to an end, the world, the season, the series, is all about to come crashing down, and we’re just sitting there, smoking, drinking, playing in the water, almost like we’re observing our last rites with the series.
(3)Fool On The Planet (Fool on Cool)-
I was shocked when I heard this song play, I didn’t know how much I missed it until I heard it. The song strikes as Kana, Mossan, and Hijiri walk beside the shore. Also, another in-universe song is sung amongst the characters at the same time the lyrics of this song are in the background. It interests me because the “Unrising Sun” song has a bleak tone that sort of accepts the end of the world while this song reaches for a lasting joy in the face of the apocalypse. While the adults are either trying to escape to Mars or stay on Earth to perish, these 3 kids are singing and shouting into the sea trying to soak in the last drops of joy they can.
The chorus strikes on the brief scene where Kana is alone to narrate while some rather beautiful still shots of the man cast flash on the screen until the song plays out to a rushed natural end. The first you hear is.
Even if everyone forgets
I won't
Even if the entire world laughs at you
Don't doubt yourself
(lyrics from lyrictranslate.com)
In a way you could say this lyric represents how Kana feels…Even after Pets sort of told her off and said she couldn’t stand her, Kana shows that she’s holding onto positive memories of the ideal friendship she believes she had. Then you hear this.
Even if this generation demands it
I won't sing about meaningless things
Even if everything changes
I won't
(lyrics from lyrictranslate.com)
Back to what I said before, about how “Unrising Sun” plays while Kanda is smoking and “Fool on the Planet” plays while Kana and Co. play around on the beach, the lyrics seem to reflect the rebellious nature for the children of the series to hold onto joy while the adults give up and accept certain death, the lyrics carry a certain stubbornness that most, if not all main characters of FLCL possess.
That is the final chorus that ends the song as Kana begins to cry over Pets’ departure.
(4)Last Dinosaur (Fool on Cool Instrumental)-
I think this is the first time this song has been used as an instrumental, and it was only for a brief moment. After Kana starts crying and falling into the sadness, the music strikes as Haruko grabs her and declares that they are going to do something to prevent the projected end of the world.
(5)Thank You, My Twilight (Fool on Cool)-
This song’s usage is certainly a far-cry from its usage in season 2, but it aims to make the same emotional payoff. While I don’t think it reaches the emotional payoff, I think it brings forth a narrative payoff in a very subtle manner despite the screaming and shouting that drapes the scene where the music strikes.
The iconic electronic beeping strikes the moment Kana makes her glowing Studio TRIGGER style transformation titled “Exotic Reaction.” Whatever that means…
Even so, after you hear the opening lyric, the rest of the lyrics are subdued by Kana’s final speech and the flashbacks that give us a final introduction to Kana’s backstory and the motivations before the conclusion to the overarching problem is given.
I’ll do a big breakdown of it outside of the music, but I believe the illustration of Kana’s N.O, one that is powerful enough to apparently collapse the entire space-time continuum, is amplified by the electric beeping of this song and as it builds with both Kana and Sawao Yamanaka’s screaming, we got a flashy send-off.
(6) Little Busters (Fool on Cool Instrumental)-
It’s very brief, but this song contrasts the original narration that we get from the beginning before ending the series just like it began.
We don’t get the Ending Theme since this song overlays the credit sequence. Now let’s get to my final breakdown so we can close out this project, shall we?
