FOOLY COOLY
Fooly Cooly is a 20-year-old coming-of-age anime about Naota Nandaba, a 12-year-old living with his grandfather and father; his mother passed away before the beginning of the series. Naoto is a snarky and carefree young boy who tries too much to act mature, but his life in Mabase is completely turned upside down when he runs into Haruko.
A genuine sociopath who takes a liking to Noata after running him over with her Vespa. The story expands from there on and turns into a beautifully made blend of confusion, angst, chaos, and emotion. So let’s talk about Fooly Cooly.
Right off the bat, Fooly Cooly has exceptionally sharp and witty writing. It is noticeable through the weirdness of Haruko, such as her hitting Noata on the head with her guitar, stalking him, etc. The show accompanies that with stunning art design, character animations, and overall visuals that seem untouched even by modern Anime standards.
There have been many debates over the plot being very hard to follow, mainly because of all the hidden motifs, the foreshadowing through dialogue, and symbolism in the series that isn’t revealed until the ending.
If we’re honest, the showcasing of flawed characters such as Amarao and Ninamori was portrayed brilliantly to supplement the literary novelty of Naota's long path towards adulthood. The main focus of the series is entirely on Noata, though. The growth that Noata subtly goes through throughout the entirety of the series, the influences that characters such as Haruko, Mamimi, and Eri bring to his notable change. It is a highly fast-paced show, so the developments are hard to notice for casual viewers. The story beautifully carries on the themes of growing into maturity instead of acting mature in pretenses, even if it doesn’t offer too much exposition.
The series has incredibly well-done animation; the work that I.G Productions and Gainax have done here is visually stunning. Each character has a distinct art style to their own, showcasing their different personalities. Noata has a brooding nature, so he wears dull-colored clothing and has messy hair. In contrast, Haruko is chaotic and alien, which is why her looks and personality are filled with tremendous amounts of color and contrast. The visual story-telling is a HUGE part of Fooly Cooly; each development and plotline is teased through abstract imagery or visual hints throughout the series’s entire run time.
There are so many things that Fooly Cooly manages to keep under wraps until the final moments that it is insanely exciting when you finally figure them out.
The music is often weird when you think about Fooly Cooly. The mixture of upbeat and mellow music with the intense visual storytelling and narratives in Fooly Cooly blends perfectly. The Japanese alternative rock band, which composed multiple songs for the series, did a fantastic job setting the mood and increasing the emotions. The Pillows are one of the essential bands in the Japanese rock scene, so having them compose an incredibly well-made handful of songs was a great addition to the series.
Fooly Cooly is a series that you should honestly watch multiple times before actually judging it. It is a concise series, almost the length of an entire feature film. There is so much to dissect with the series, each time you watch it, you begin to pick up pieces of information that you would’ve never gotten in the first viewing. It is chock-full of dialogue with tons of foreshadowing, intricately designed development between multiple different characters. It explores their nature, flaws, and growing and changing personalities with a visible wittiness that keeps the show lighthearted yet constantly developing for those who have the patience.
I watched the series with the Director’s Commentary. It was honestly super insightful. Though I cannot stress this enough, REWATCH this series as much as you can! I was super invested in understanding this series when I originally watched it, so I got curious about its details and story.
The series carries a perfectly adequate amount of both humor and seriousness. It has a highly eloquent story, further elevated by the impressive visual fidelity of Production I.G and Gainax’s excellent collaboration. The Pillows orchestrated a godly soundtrack (Which I would recommend you to listen to for yourselves EVEN if you’re not watching the show anytime soon), you’re left with an incredibly emotional but highly well-made piece of Japanese animation that will stick with you long after you’re finished watching it.
The only issue I can honestly find is its extreme reliance on subtle hints and minimal exposition, often resulting in the series becoming a fun albeit a super confusing mix of comedy and emotions for everyday audiences. Aside from that, there isn’t enough praise that I could dish out regarding Fooly Cooly. It will retain a spot as one of the best coming-of-age anime series, and I hope people give it a try despite the seemingly elusive plot.
