FLCL: Grunge

FLCL: Grunge is a Japanese anime series directed by Hitoshi Takekiyo, animated by MontBlanc Pictures, and co-produced by Adult Swim and MontBlanc Pictures. Voiceover/ADR for the series was recorded by NYAV Post and directed by Michael Sinterniklaas and Stephanie Sheh. Grunge will feature music by The Pillows for its musical score. It is a sequel to the original FLCL and the fourth installment in the series overall. Unlike previous seasons, Grunge will be animated solely using CGI, giving it a drastically different artistic style than the other entries in the series.

The series premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block from September 9-23, 2023.

Plot
The series follows a friend group of three teenagers, who recently graduated and started working, and their struggles as they try to become adults.

Characters
Shinpachi "Shin" — A short 15 year old boy with sideburns who works at his father's restaurant Miyabi Sushi. The father and son also live on the upper floor of the restaurant. While attending middle school, most adults lost hope due to the constant destruction of the town and the teachers eventually stopped teaching, leaving him and his remaining classmates, Orinoko and Shonari, without any way to continue their education. He longs to leave Earth via rocket ship but is unable to afford a ticket.

Shonari — A 15 year old "Rockien" alien who grew up with his older brother, Dainari after both of their parents died when he was 10. He often spends his time driving his brother around and helps him dispose of corpses into the ocean, due to Dainari's job with the Keishibishi Group. As a child, Shonari was constantly bullied at school due to him being an alien with rock-like skin and was often pelted with rocks by his classmates. At some point, he decided to stand up for himself and throw a rock back at one of his tormentors. Unaware of his own strength, he ended up injuring one of his bullies name Akira. The incident sent Shonari to a local jail, where his brother tried to explain to the police that he is still just a kid and should not be locked up.

After being released from custody, Dainari tells his brother that he does not owe him an apology and to instead focus on getting a proper education and earning a good wage, so he can save up money and eventually leave the planet, due to the difficulty for aliens like them to be accepted into society. He eventually returns to school, but was still being bullied until Shin befriended him. Although he continued his education and went to middle school with Shin, due to the constant destruction of the town and people losing hope, the teachers eventually stopped teaching, leaving him, Shinpachi and their other classmate, Orinoko, without any other way to continue their education.

Orinoko — A 15 year old bespectacled girl who spends her days scavenging the local mountains for scrap metal for her father, who is a blade smith. She lives in a hut in a bamboo forest on the outskirts of town with her father and a robot. It is implied that the family is rather poor, as Shonari began leaving food near her house after giving her a ride back to town. She was hesitant about accepting payment from Shinpachi after delivering a knife that was clearly bent and unusable, as she noted that her father was still sick and his skills were in decline. Shinpachi reassured her that her father is the only one in town who can make this particular style and that his blades are the best. She has known both Shin and Shonari since elementary school. They also went to middle school together, but by their final year, they were the only people at the school, as the teachers gave up on teaching and the adults lost hope following the town's destruction.

Broadcast History
In the United States, the series aired on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block from September 9, 2023 to September 23, 2023. The series was also broadcast by Adult Swim in the United States.


 * United States (Adult Swim) — September 9, 2023 - September 23, 2023

Toonami Broadcast History
The series premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on September 9, 2023 at 12:00 AM. The series completed its run on September 23, 2023 and was subsequently replaced in the lineup by FLCL: Shoegaze.


 * Toonami (United States) — September 9, 2023 - September 23, 2023