FLCL Episode 2: Firestarter

Once again, the episode starts with Mamimi narrating, talking about a god she saw. “It helped a kitten that was all alone. It’s a god that only I can see, a black-winged angel that came just for me.” This is type of self-centered imaginary-friend type thinking could be attributed to Mamimi’s loneliness, but I suspect there is more to it than that. The narration is over what appears to be a building on fire near the bridge that Naota and Mamimi are seen under in the first episode. We also see footage of some sort of handheld video game.

Mamimi visits Naota at his school, we see Naota wearing another new hat. Mamimi tries to peek under it, but Naota refuses to show her what is underneath it. While this is happening, Naota’s two friends are telling Ninamori about Mamimi. They call her his “wife”, and Ninamori is openly upset about this ‘relationship’. She says that Mamimi “Doesn’t look very bright,” and is “so not cool.” Already, we see the hints of Ninamori’s feelings toward Naota, but we will get to that…

We cut to Haruko narrating. We see an X-ray of a skull, presumably Naota’s. “Its empty. There’s no brain. Did you lose it somewhere?” Naota blames Haruko for his head appearing to lack a brain. Haruko says not to blame her for losing things, saying that “some kids are just freaks.” We see Naota has a new horn, this one even more pronounced than the last. We also see that the cobalt robot from the last episode now lives with Naota.

When Naota asks why Haruko is wearing a nurse outfit, she speaks to the audience directly. She says her name is Haruhara Haruko, age 19, and a house-keeper. She whispers that she has a true identity. We then begin a strange sequence where we see frames of her changing from one outfit to another. It is significant to note that this is not a transformation sequence; she very clearly changes outfits IN FRONT of Naota. When this is done, she declares that she is a “First class space patrol officer.” (With the robot doing humorous jazz hands). We also note that Haruko keeps calling Naota “Ta-kun.”

We learn from Haruko that the robot is from Medical Mechanica, which is why it can take X-rays. Naota asks why it came out of his head, but Haruko says she doesn’t know. “Exactly where does the truth end, and the lies begin? Samejima Mamimi, and Haruhara Haruko. A lot of lies are spinning around me…these two horns that suddenly sprouted. A true story that seems like a lie.” This narration from Naota is interesting in a lot of ways. Taken on its own, it seems cryptic and ultimately pointless. However, if you strip away the literal plot and think about the meaning of the horns, the lack of a brain, and take in the context of Naota’s relationship with these two women, it becomes clearer what Naota is talking about. Take, for example, the idea of Naota’s head being totally empty. Clearly it can’t be true; if something had happened to his brain he would simply cease to function, he would die. However, not only is he not dead, but he sprouted a horn that created a robot. His body went through a strange change that only happened when a woman came into his life. Two women, at that. Because of the strange things happening around and to him, Naota can’t tell the truth from lies anymore. The narration is related to the plot, to be sure, but it also has to do with puberty, and the development of the human body.

Next we see a pretty funny scene of Naota’s father trying to get the robot to help out around the house. I should note that the Robot is now wearing what appears to be a halo and black wings with a jacket. Naota says that it’s weird to have a robot, while Kamon goes on and on about how progressive it is and how the meaning is significant. I actually can’t help but wonder if this scene is meant to poke fun at people like me, who interpret things like Japanese animation. Naw, couldn’t be.

We see Haruko looking through binoculars, commenting that there have been a lot of fires. Naota says there was one the day before. We cut to the Robot, who is looking up. We see the reflection of a cloudy sky in his face-monitor.

Next we cut to Mamimi, who is playing a video game under the bridge. A kitten dances (?) around behind her, as Naota enters the scene. He drops some flops in front of her and asks what she thinks she is doing. “I was playing with Ta-kun when my shoes floated away.” The kitten is named Ta-Kun as well. The name she has for Naota, the one that was a pet-name she used for his older brother, she has now given to a kitten. Naota asks if she saved the stray cat, to which Mamimi responds “I’m like a god, huh? A protector of the weak. The lord of black flame, you know, like lord Canti!” when she finishes this, we get a very quick close up to her lips, which have been drawn in a much more sensual way. Naota flinches, and looks awkward for a moment. We learn that Canti is a character from the game Mamimi has been playing. Naota says an interesting line of dialog here, that he is too busy for games because there are a lot of people he has to take care of. Keep in mind that Naota is only 12 years old.

Dancing (?) cat

We then see Haruko being Haruko. She crashes into the Medical Mechanica facility, and we see her looking bored as she is “interrogated” by what appears to be two police officers or guards; when Naota shows up the guard questions if Naota is related to her. He responds: “No relation, I’m from planet earth.” This is twice now that Haruko has been compared to or declared herself to be alien. The guard berates them for wandering around saying that they are disrupting the work happening here. “This isn’t a place for people to work. There’s not even a door in or out.” Haruko’s response seems to resonate with Naota. She is, in a way, disrespecting adult authority by calling them out on their lies. I have to admit, this next joke is sort of lost on me. When Naota arrived, he was carrying some sort of box. He gives it to Haruko, and we see a very Gundam-y looking toy. She takes it and begins to work on her vespa, and we see the toy become a bolt for her wheel. I…don’t really get it, honestly. I suppose it has something to do with her Vespa obviously being special in some way, but…

In any case, Haruko responds warmly to Naota. She says that since the rain has stopped, she would give him a reward ‘better than CPR’. She says this with a lot of sexual undertones, which I am sure, is on purpose.

This next scene might be my favorite scene in this whole series. We cut to Mamimi, who is waiting for Naota. She hears something in the distance, and goes to investigate. We see the robot searching in the grass for something. He is still wearing the halo and the wings, and when Mamimi sees them, she exclaims “It’s a god!” She follows him to what appears to be a burnt down school. She looks uncomfortable here at first, but she spots the robot again on the roof of the burnt building. I won’t describe the scene, because I can’t do it justice, you really just have to see it. The robot begins to fly away, and Mamimi says to herself “I can really see him, he’s real! That time I was saved, he…”

Seriously, this scene is fantastic

Then we cut to Naota and Haruko on the bike. Haruko is driving erratically, and making Naota nervous. She asks if he ever goes to the beach, to which Naota responds ‘not in October.’ Naota gets scared, and reminds her that he doesn’t have a helmet. Haruko scoffs at him though, since his brain is missing. I should add that while Haruko is driving like a lunatic, Naota keeps flopping about in the bike, landing in between Haruko’s legs repeatedly. “When you’re on a bike, the ocean is a lot closer than you think. The Autumn salt wind went right to the back of my nose, and maybe it like Haruko said, my head was empty.” Again, this is another interesting statement from Naota. He doesn’t say anything about his brain; he just says that his head is empty. It’s another case of the dialog meaning something to the plot of the story, but also relating to what is being conveyed in relation to the theme of sexual development. As a result of Haruko, Naota’s head is totally empty. She has taken over his life.

We cut to Haruko, Naota, and Mamimi all hanging out at Naota’s place. You’ll notice that the animation style has changed drastically. I imagine this is some sort of joke, but I can’t really tell. They are talking about Canti, and how he is basically used as an errand boy. Naota is still ashamed of him for some reason (Ashamed of something that came out of his body) and we cut to Mamimi’s kitten interacting with Miyu Miyu. We also learn that Naota’s grandfather did not approve of Mamimi dating Tasuku, and so Mamimi stays out of the house. Canti enters the scene with flashing lights and loud jets much to Naota’s annoyance. When he enters, Mamimi utters a strange prayer. When she does, it cuts to a shot of Canti looking sort of divine in front of her, despite holding two plastic bags from 7-11. I imagine this is a perspective thing…to Mamimi, he does look god-like. She even comes right out to say that Canti IS a god, and the black wings on his back (The very fake looking ones) are proof that it is him.

"Hail o' God of Black Flame. Canti..."

Canti is searching through the rubble of another burnt building, and this time he picks up a shard of some sort. The shard appears to be the same crimson color he was when he came out of Naota’s head. Naota and his friends from school arrive on the scene, all with their own theories about the arsonist. Naota is strangely quiet. We also learn about a school that burned down some time ago. A shoe drifts down the river, and we see Mamimi in the water. The kids talk about seeing her getting bullied by some girls, and we see Naota looking nervous. We get VERY quick flashes, almost one or two frames only, of what could have been the bullying. Worth noting is Ninamori belittling Mamimi for being bullied; calling it ‘Pathetic’ like it was her fault or something. When Naota sees Mamimi’s face, we also catch a glimpse of the Medical Mechanica factory letting off some steam.

We cut to Naota and Mamimi walking alone on the bridge. They share no words at all, and we see Mamimi light a cigarette and drop her video game. When she lights the cigarette, Naota gasps like he has just realized something. We then get a description of the video game with some random tidbits of dialog about the Arson and Mamimi. From all of this, it’s pretty clear that the Arsonist is Mamimi, and she possibly uses it to deal with her harsh life. What with the bullying, the abandonment, the probably poor family living…We also learn that the ultimate point is to earn the boon of the god Canti, which explains Mamimi’s fascination with it. There is a lot of dialog happening here at once, as if Naota can’t keep a hold of more than one thought at a time. We also hear Miyu Miyu speak, asking “What part of this is really the truth?”

We cut to Haruko, who is talking to the cat again. She talks about not being able to get in touch with “Him”, but she has recruited one of the enemy MM robots. Miyu Miyu kicks Haruko in the face as she hears sirens in the background. There is another building on fire. Naota watches it from afar, and then runs off to find Mamimi. He remembers when the Elementary School burned down, and we hear that Mamimi was saved from the fire by Naota’s brother (Although she refers to him as the protector of the weak, lord Canti, like from earlier. It enforces her worship of Tasuku). Naota also states that there were rumors that it was arson.

WE cut to Mamimi, who is performing some sort of weird ritual. She sits in a circle of lit cigarettes reciting a chant in rapid succession while listening to music. She has lighters taped to her forhead, and she is praying in front of the elementary school. Naota finds her, and asks her about the school. Mamimi says that she hated the school, and that she wished for it to go away. “But it’s useless…even if it burns down the wreckage and ash are still there.” This statement reflects reality, as the wreckage IS still here (despite the burning happening 6 years ago), but one wonders if she doesn’t also mean her memory of the school… or perhaps her guilt for burning it down.

She walks out of the circle, and asks for Canti’s kiss. The camera zooms in on her lips in a sensual way again, and Naota looks horrified. Perhaps his horror stems from jealousy? Like nobody can kiss Mamimi but him. There is also the idea that she is asking Canti for a kiss, instead of just having her way with him like she does with him. In any case, his horns start to react again, and the MM factory begins to function again. Here, the dialog gets REALLY sexual: “What’s this? Its bigger than before.” Followed by “Oh no, there’s some weird fat thing coming out of Ta-Kun.”

Sexy lips

This time, only one large robot comes out of Naota’s head. It throws Naota to the distance, only to be run over comically by Haruko’s vespa. She skids to a stop, declaring “How dare you hurt Ta-kun!” despite being the one who ran him over. What follows is a fairly neat action scene. During the hectic battle, Canti’s fake wings and halo are torn off, and Mamimi’s Kitten is thrown in the air. Mamimi appears to be in shock from the whole affair. Haruko confronts the robot as Canti is just thrown around, not showing any of the fighting prowess we saw in the first episode. When we cut to Naota he sees Haruko sustain an injury in combat, and though he is alarmed, it is the thought of Mamimi that stirs him from his injuries. He tackles her away from the place where Canti would have landed on her and crushed her. Canti is about to receive the finishing blow from the robot, crushing Naota and Mamimi in the process. Naota utters his older brother’s name, and memories of the burning school flash in his mind. As he utters his name, that strange symbol from the first episode appears on Canti’s screen. Suddenly, Canti very easily bats the robot away.

Canti picks up Naota and lifts him into a strange orifice that has opened in his abdomen. It looks like a huge gaping reptilian maw, filled with cosmic energy. In eats Naota, and we see him inside a strange hypnotic plane. He appears to be in pain, as something drills into his head. We see what is drilling into his head is a light bulb, and when it is firmly in place, it begins to glow and the world turns red. Outside, Mamimi is upset. She denounces Canti, berating him for eating Naota. She pauses though, when Canti turns the same crimson color he was the day before. The music swells, and god damn this part is so cool.

so cool

Canti easily stops the robot from attacking again, and delivers a powerful elbow strike. Then, he jumps into the air and kicks the robot in the face in an impossible to describe way. We also see Haruko’s bracelet begin to react. Canti backs Mamimi away and begins to transform into a huge gun. It is significant to note the imagery of the barrel of the gun coming from Canti’s groin, and being place where his head used to be. We also see brain-matter-esque protuberances on the gun.

Also, notice the mist in the background. And what looks like the MM factory...

Canti destroys the gun with one blast, and also destroys the school in the process. Taking the opportunity, Haruko strikes the robot with her Bass guitar, and it explodes. Canti saves Mamimi and the Vespa (?) from the explosion, patting her on the head in the same manner that Tasuku seemed to be doing in the memory. We then see Canti act very strange, and literally poop Naota out. Sirens come in from the distance as Naota and Mamimi stare at each other. “At the time, I didn’t notice the sirens that were coming towards us. I don’t know where the lies end and the truths begin. I asked myself what I could do for Mamimi: I decided I would stay by her side. Forever.”

This episode is extremely neat, and it introduces a few ideas while fully exploring Mamimi’s motivations as a character. I want to talk in particular about Naota causing Canti’s transformation, and his actions when transformed. Now, it seems that because of something that Haruko did, Canti can’t reach that crimson state alone anymore and requires Naota. When Naota is swallowed by Canti, a light bulb is drilled into his head that causes the power to appear. When in this state, I surmise that Naota is somewhat in control. From what we hear in the next episode, Naota barely remembers what it’s like when he is swallowed by Canti, but the way Canti was acting (like Tasuku) suggests that Naota has something to do with what happens. Naota is able to act like Tasuku when he is swallowed by Canti.

The light bulb probably represents some sort of forced idea. Like, something is pushing itself onto Naota to make him think in a certain way, and that causes the power to reveal itself. This probably also has something to do with Naota not remembering what he does as Canti.

The other thing I should mention is the projectile launched by Canti. It returns and enters through the cannon itself. I will mention this again in a future episode, and bring up something that I have debated about on and off.

This episode was mostly about Naota and Mamimi, and a bit less about Naota and Haruko. In fact, Haruko is very subdued (in a manner of speaking) in this episode. It is significant to note that Naota is more concerned about Mamimi than Haruko at this point, even saying that he will “stay by her side, forever.” It seems that Naota doesn’t quite understand how Mamimi feels about him yet.

Next time, we learn more about Naota’s school life. In particular: his classmate Eri Ninamori.

-Lynk the Hero.