Show and Tell: FLCL Plushies

3:00 PM on 03.12.2010   |   Garrett Yim

As far as I can remember, FLCL (or Fooly Cooly) was the most influential anime of my life. It opened me up not only to the other adult-themed anime, but it introduced me to The Pillows, the first Japanese band I had ever listened to. It was because of FLCL that I had started playing the guitar and The Pillows' music with it.

I have always been a big collector of anime plushies, namely because unlike figures, they have a longer, general lifespan and they look better hung up on a wall than figures would. Being an already big FLCL fan, I knew I had to have Brocolli/Synch-Point's Canti and Naota plushies.

Hit the jump to see two of my favorite items in my collection!

I'll start off with Naota, the coming-of-age protagonist of the series. As far as the look of Naota, they seem to have captured his usual look as it was portrayed in the anime. While this plushie has a notable smile, I would have preferred if they kept his annoyed "I don't care" facial expression. As you can see, his shorts are uneven, but this might not be the same for other Naota plushies out there. It's the little features of this plushie that I enjoy so much, like the tassles from his hoodie and the cute bandage on his forehead.

I also love the small little details from the show that made it on the plushie, like the 90 degree decal on Naota's hat and the backpack. 

The one problem I have with this plushie is it doesn't really need the red baseball hat. It just makes Naota look a little bulky, as well as screw up his hair. I really would have preferred a hat-less Naota with just the bandage on his forehead. Although I like the backpack, it just seems that Naota is over-equipped for a plushie. Naota looks alright as a chibi, but the head/body ratio just feels kinda off. Nevertheless, I love this plushie! It has a special sentimental quality that would never make me give it up. To me, he represents my adolescence, my childhood, and my own coming of age.

Next is Canti, my favorite character from the series, and my favorite plushie of the two. Unlike Naota, Canti has a much better head/body ratio as far as proportions. The cool blue Medical Mechanica robot just seems to fit well, being a plushie. Unlike figure reiterations of the Canti character, they decided to include Canti's bomber jacket that he used when going out in public; a detail I really enjoy about this plushie. The TV part of his head retains the boxy goodness that I loved so much about his character.

Probably because it was easier, they went with the un-broken version of his head, which the broken version had a protruding, black tube coming from the back of his head. The pegs on Canti's back are thin pieces of cloth that have been rolled up to make that cylindrical shape, which was a nice way to make it more detailed, but aesthetics-wise, pretty weak and loose-fitting.

Canti overall is just awesome, this plush is one of my favorites because who could deny wanting this robot? He's just so jam-packed with coolness that, like his "cool blue" appearance and personality, his greatness is all bundled up and cooled down in a convenient little plushie. 

Overall, Canti and Naota make great additions to your plush collection. I should also say that Haruko Haruhara and the MiyuMiyu cat are also available in plush form. You can find all four plushies on sale at Akadot. They may have their little problems, but I still treasure these guys because they represent an amazing anime that I still watch today. I bought these way back in 2008 when I attended Chicago's Anime Central convention. They might be hard to come by today, but if you're as big an FLCL fan as I am, these should have been on your shelf already!