One of the Best Anime Soundtrack Ever Made: Why FLCL’s Shoegaze Tunes Won Over Fans Worldwide

After telling you about how great FLCL was and still is as an anime, it’s time to talk about its soundtrack. 

There is something so comforting in the lulling tunes of anime music. Sometimes, it’s impossible to push the cursor past the opening sequence because the song is just too good. Soundtracks are so important in the making of an anime and distinctly separate what manga can’t do. They fine-tune movement, orchestrate suspense, and raise emotions. It’s no wonder why anime can suck you in wholly in a snap: it’s a media consumption double paradise. 

If there was an award for the best anime official soundtrack, FLCL would stand high on the podium. If the crazed Furi-Kuri isn’t already king of coming-of-age sci-fi nostalgia, it’s a winner in its musical selection. Released in 2000, FLCL (alternatively, Fooly Cooly) is a riveting series on the preteen Naoto who has the carry the weight of the universe after a freak accident. 

The Pillows are responsible for the FLCL soundtrack’s success. A generation has certainly devoured the closing song “Ride on Shooting Star” by The Pillows, and the Japanese band, formed in 1989, ravenously captured the breathless and youthful feel of the anime. The Pillows reintroduced shoegaze and grunge ever so subtly with their partnership. This especially marked the viewers: the beauty caught by the band portrays the unfortunate sentimentality and the accessory carelessness of the characters of FLCL, in turn resonating with the fans in a way mainstream anime never did. Beyond the themes of Fooly Cooly, the soundtrack has been praised countlessly because of The Pillows’ strategic and unique layering, and the technical talents of the Japanese alternative rock band have been admired since by music nerds alike. 

Many people will say that FLCL wins entirely regardless of its OST’s success, taking each position for art, story, English dubs, animation, and meaning. It’s hard not to agree because this anime might just as well be the best. 

AMVs by DibDibs Doesn't Sleep, doubleshotespresso, and Gramps Hiro on YouTube. 

About the Author:

Mizuki Khoury

Born in Montreal, based in Tokyo. Sabukaru’s senior writer and works as an artist under Exit Number Five.