10 More Quirky & Delightful Shows That Are Worth Your Time!
An over-the-top sci-fi epic is what you’ll find with FLCL. This six-episode series follows Naota, a boy who gets into a crazed adventure with a mysterious woman named Haruko. It’ll leave you speechless and will make you question what you just watched. With its exhilarating action sequences, a killer soundtrack, and weird storytelling approach, it’ll be hard for this series to leave your train of thought.
Fear not if you’re having trouble finding anime similar to FLCL! We’ve discovered 10 alternate shows that’ll give you a similar experience as FLCL.
Additionally, for each anime we’ve reviewed, we’ve included a link that allows you to view our full thoughts about the series to see if it’s worth your time.
So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows/anime that should whet your appetite when you’ve finished streaming FLCL!
Cat Soup
Similarities – Surreal Visuals & Intricate Narratives
If you’re in need of more mind-boggling anime to watch, Cat Soup should entertain you. It’s surreal, whimsical, and genuinely horrifying at times. It follows a cat named Nyatto, who is on a quest to save his sister’s soul. Although she’s traveling alongside Nyatto, his sister feels like a wandering carcass. Like Naota and Haruko, our feline duo must overcome numerous wacky hurdles.
This anime won’t appeal to everyone due to its visual storytelling approach. There’s little to no dialogue shared throughout the anime, meaning viewers will need to keep their eyes glued to the screen if they hope to make sense of what’s taking place. There are many scenes sprinkled throughout this anime that blurs the line between reality and fantasy.
Like FLCL, Cat Soup’s known for its tendency to explore multiple genres and themes. It explores elements of action, comedy, drama, and horror to create something that’s cohesive, multi-layered, and unpredictable. Like FLCL, Cat Soup tackles ideas like depression, death, and identity through its abstract storytelling techniques. If you’re okay with watching an anime that’ll leave you questioning what you just watched, check out Cat Soup.
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Similarities – Sci-fi, Action, Stylized Animation
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is an epic mecha anime with incredible robot fights and fun characters. Its plot is more straightforward than FLCL and is filled with many iconic one-liners many people still quote today. In it, we follow Kamina and Simon as they leave their underground home and arrive in the surface world with their robot Lagann.
They meet a girl named Yoko, who informs them about the evil Lord Genome’s hold on the world. Kamina and Simon team up with Yoko to end Genome’s reign. FLCL and Gurren Lagann are known for their fast-paced and highly-energetic episodes. These episodes feature great action set pieces that are often interweaved with the tale’s comedic and dramatic segments.
Simon, Kamina, Yoko, and the others are well-rounded characters. They have great personalities, backgrounds, and skills that make them feel unforgettable and fun to follow. The series includes some thrilling twists and turns to keep viewers immersed in its storytelling. There are some segments inserted into this anime that tug at your heartstrings too. If you’re looking for another epic sci-fi adventure anime to watch after FLCL, check out Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
Kill La Kill
Similarities – Action & Stylized Animation
If you loved Haruko’s energy and character in FLCL, you’ll get a kick out of Kill La Kill. This anime contains many diverse characters with energetic personalities, intriguing backgrounds, and epic fighting potential. In it, we follow Ryuko on her journey to search for her father’s killer. Her journey leads her to the esteemed Honnouji Academy and its council president Satsuki.
Ryuko flees the school after losing her battle with Satsuki and meets a sentient vest named Senketsu. Senketsu attaches himself to Ryuko, enhancing her strength and bestowing her with newfound abilities. With her father’s scissor blade and Senketsu’s help, Ryuko plans to rematch Satsuki to avenge her father’s death. Like FLCL, this anime is action-packed and full of life.
It relies on its action scenes and characters’ humorous interactions to keep viewers’ engaged. Both anime have highly-stylized visuals that make each world feel breathtaking and imaginative. Kill La Kill can be a little over-the-top with its sexual imagery though. However, if you’re okay with that, then you’re in for a fun time with this Studio Trigger gem.
Sonny Boy
Similarities – Coming-of-Age Tales
Sonny Boy is a thought-provoking coming-of-age anime many people should check out. It features 36 students and their school getting teleported to weird dimensions. Some students obtain supernatural powers and cause problems in their group. They must all work together to find a solution to their absurd predicament.
Both anime have splendid coming-of-age tales that defy conventional logic. Where Sonny Boy delves into alternate dimensions with diverse laws and physics, FLCL likes to include off-the-wall shenanigans that are metaphoric and symbolic. This helps both stories feel unpredictable and unique, making viewers question the world our respective casts inhabit.
That said, Sonny Boy’s narrative is complex and likes to shift between different moments in time to throw viewers off its track. The characters receive great development as the anime likes to unveil their dark backgrounds and inner motivations gradually through the series. If you’re looking for another trippy and complex anime to watch, check out Sonny Boy.
The Tatami Galaxy
Similarities – Themes & Complex Storytelling
The Tatami Galaxy delivers a story that can be difficult to process for the average viewer. The story revolves around Watashi, who receives another shot at college life after speaking with an eggplant-shaped entity. After arriving at the beginning of his college years, Watashi vows to make friends, confess to his lover, and live a better college experience.
Like FLCL, The Tatami Galaxy tackles ideas like self-discovery and personal growth. Watashi will feel down about not making proper choices in his past life and will search for an answer to make sense of his decisions. Similarly, Naota struggles with his identity and maturity. Through their eyes, viewers will learn how difficult it can be to forge your own path in life. In addition to having strange dream-like sequences and other forms of surrealist storytelling, The Tatami Galaxy is a weird anime you don’t want to miss.
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Similarities – Characters, Action, Comedy
Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt is another Studio Gainax classic that’ll please many FLCL fans. It revolves around a foul-mouthed duo named Panty and Stocking Anarchy. They’ve been banned from heaven because of their nefarious activities. They must complete multiple missions if they hope to return. This anime contains over-the-top visuals and wacky humor like FLCL.
Panty and Stocking are well-rounded characters with sparking personalities, incredible fighting potential, and don’t mind causing trouble. Both sisters will remind FLCL fans of Haruko the most due to their absurd behavior and feminine appeal. This anime can be overly sexual with its content, though. You can expect Panty to hit it off with many males and both girls to transform in strange ways. However, if you’re willing to overlook its fan service, you’re in for a wild and fun time with this one.
His and Her Circumstances
Similarities – Experimental Visual Styles & Characters
His and Her Circumstances is a Studio Gainax anime that’s not discussed as much as FLCL or Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is unfortunate considering it has incredible storytelling, wonderful characters, and great drama. In it, we follow Yukino. Everyone believes she’s the perfect human, but deep down, Yukino knows that isn’t the case.
However, when a newcomer named Arima defeats her in the exam rankings. Arima winds up blackmailing Yukino after learning about her secret. What starts off as a business partnership transforms into something undeniably wholesome by the series’s finale. Like FLCL, this anime’s storytelling is entirely character-driven. Where we examine the growth behind two potential lovers in His and Her Circumstances, FLCL examines Naota’s problems with grappling with his intense emotional turmoil and puberty.
Both shows present these concepts in thought-provoking and meaningful ways to keep viewers invested. Both anime contain experimental visual styles that add layers of creativity to their storytelling. From stylized still frames to excellent use of traditional animation, you’ll be amazed by His and Her Circumstances’ visual achievements for its time. In addition to having an excellent soundtrack, His and Her Circumstances is a great Gainax gem everyone should watch.
Alien 9
Similarities – Sci-fi, Bizarre Worlds, Characters
Alien 9 is a hidden sci-fi gem. Like FLCL, it’s known for its surreal visual style, fun science fiction elements, and coming-of-age storytelling. It follows Yuri, Kasumi, and Kumi as they go around their area capturing and fighting aliens. Like Naota, our girls are thrust into a bizarre world full of unexpected anomalies. They’ll encounter many weird beings during their alien-hunting expeditions.
Nevertheless, viewers will enjoy seeing the girls combat extraterrestrial life in humorous and epic ways. Furthermore, Kasumi, Yumi, and Yuri have incredible chemistry like Naota and Haruko. You’ll adore seeing our characters work together and devise strategies to defeat powerful alien threats. Alien 9 also shows how difficult it can be for our female trio to live in a world like theirs.
Many viewers will find these incidents the most appealing as it helps make our female cast feel more genuine. If you’re looking for another sci-fi anime that’ll make you ponder about its characters and the weird universe they live in, check out Alien 9.
Redline
Similarities – Stylized Animation & Intense Action
Redline is the type of anime where you sit back and watch the insanity unfold on screen. It doesn’t offer the deepest plot either. While it doesn’t have the most grandiose narrative, it contains immaculate visuals and epic racing action sequences that will get you excited from beginning to end. Redline takes place amidst a rule-free universal racing event.
This race is known for pushing its competitors to their absolute limit. JP, our protagonist, is one of its latest competitors. Although the race will take place on a planet known for its cheating intent, JP isn’t worried. He welcomes the challenge and plans to become Redline’s latest victor. Like FLCL, Redline has jaw-dropping stylized animation to set itself apart from other anime like it.
The races are fast-paced and offer a great mix of 2D hand-drawn animation and some elements of CGI. JP, while lacking depth, undergoes a similar journey as Naota, where he struggles to come to terms with his identity. Redline’s music will elicit a powerful response from viewers, especially during the race’s climatic moments. If FLCL’s chaotic, unpredictable, and dangerous world was satisfying to you, then you’re in for an epic experience with this racing classic.
Paranoia Agent
Similarities – Surreal Atmosphere & Characters
From a fast-paced racing anime to something that’s surreal and mysterious, we’d like to recommend FLCL enthusiasts watch Paranoia Agent. This anime may not seem similar to FLCL on the surface because of its stronger emphasis on suspense and art style. But if you delve deeper into Paranoia Agent’s offerings, you’ll realize it shares similar storytelling and thematic aspects with FLCL.
For instance, Paranoia Agent and FLCL utilize trippy and abstract animation styles to shatter people’s expectations. Paranoia Agent prefers mixing traditional techniques with avant-garde visuals and psychedelic imagery to evoke fear in its viewers. Similarly, FLCL uses dizzying visual techniques and camera angles that reflect young adults’ anxieties and ages.
They use these weird animation styles to make their narratives feel more complex and confusing. Paranoia Agent’s cast suffers from similar mental struggles as Naota does in FLCL. They’ll struggle to make sense of the world and will develop severe anxiety from the pressure Lil’ Slugger and their fellow peers place upon their shoulders. If you’re after a show that’s slower-paced than FLCL, but offers a similar mind-numbing experience, check out Paranoia Agent.
So there we have it, our 10 anime/TV show alternatives to watch when you’ve caught up with FLCL!
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!