Production IG and Toonami Producing 'FLCL' Sequel

There is probably no anime company with a more global outlook than Production I.G. In an industry that tends to be very self-sustaining, the studio behind Ghost In The Shell has done well producing work that plays well with an international audience- not just a Japanese, 'Otaku' (anime fan) audience. Case in point: I.G's deal with Netflix.

Now the acclaimed studio has signed a deal with another big name in Western animation-Toonami. Toonami (the anime and action block on Adult Swim) has announced they are partnering with I.G. to produce a sequel to the much-loved series FLCL.

FLCL (also known as Fooly Cooly) was a completely off-the-wall 6 part OAV series from Studio GAINAX, originally released in 2000. I.G were actually a partner in the original production, and recently obtained the rights to make further installments. There was speculation at the time that it might mean a remake, but we now know this not to be the case.


The series has been one of the biggest hits in Toonami's history, and has run many times since it's original airing in 2003. It makes perfect sense for them to want more. This time it will be a full-blown TV series, with 12 episodes split into two seasons having been ordered up front. The show is expected to air in late 2017 to early '18.

Original creator Kazuya Tsurumaki is on board as supervisor, with Psycho-Pass's Katsuyuki Motohiro signing on as director, Evangelion's Yoshiyuki Sadamoto as character designer and Hideto Iwai as writer.

The new series will take place "many years" after the original, where war rages between Medical Mechanica and Fraternity and sees pink-haired alien Haruko return to Earth. This time undercover in the guise of a teacher, bringing her into contact with a teenage girl named Hidomi.

So it seems that while the original series was an analogy about growing up from the perspective of a teenage boy, this time it might be from a female perspective.

Jason DeMarco, Adult Swim's creative director and vice president, said "The original FLCL is an anime classic and has been a fixture on Adult Swim since we first laid eyes on it, I'm beyond thrilled to be able to produce a sequel with the original creators, for Toonami, where it belongs.”

[source]