The plot thickens as Naota’s father writes a story in his magazine about the mayor of Mabase’s supposed affair, and as a result all the residents of Mabase find out about it. Ninamori, the mayor’s daughter and president of Naota’s class, is embarrassed by all of this and she ends up growing a giant balloon out of her head and confronting Naota. Ninamori has run away from home as a result of the scandal and since she doesn’t have anywhere to go, she ends up staying with Naota and his family. It is quite humorous to see her interact with the eccentric personalities of Haruko, Naota’s dad, and Naota’s grandpa. One thing leads to another, and the story ends up taking a dark turn when it is revealed that Haruko is a member of the Galaxy Space Police Brotherhood and may need to destroy the entire earth to ensure that the robots she has been sent to fight will not survive. The story becomes even more complicated when Naota finds that he must now deal with his confused feelings toward Haruko as well as Mamimi, who is becoming increasingly distant and wrapped up in her own world.
Naota fortunately ends up being able to prevent most of the destruction from occurring with the help of Canti (the robot who came out of Naota’s head and who Haruko was sent to fight) and Naota’s newly honed baseball skills. By the end, things appear to be taking a turn for the better, but Haruko has disappeared and there is still a great deal of confusion and chaos in Mabase, implying that there is a long way to go before any semblance of peace and normality might be restored. Since there are so many things happening at once, it is difficult to follow everything that is going on and so it is often necessary to reread certain parts; this confusion may be a turnoff for some readers. Still, the stylish artwork, colorful characters, and the unique way of storytelling should be able to keep readers engaged for the most part. For fans of science fiction, comedy, and overall excitement, this second volume of FLCL will not disappoint; there is something in it that will please just about everyone, and this is what has helped make FLCL one of the most popular series around.
FLCL: Volume 2
by Gainax and Hajime Ueda
ISBN: 1591823978
Tokyopop, 1999
