FLCL (Seasons 1–5)

FLCL (フリクリ, 2000) is a six-episode anime series from studio Gainax — watch online on iFILM. Twelve-year-old Naota Nandaba lives in a small town where, he insists, absolutely nothing ever happens. Then Haruko Haruhara hits him with her Vespa and follows it up with a swing of her Rickenbacker bass guitar.

The blow to the head turns Naota's skull into a portal. Giant robots from the Medical Mechanica corporation start emerging from it. Haruko moves in as his housekeeper while Commander Amarao surveys the situation from a distance, convinced the corporation has the entire galaxy in its sights. The six-episode run ties together Naota's adolescence, a three-way power struggle, and something resembling an apocalypse — all without slowing down for a breath.

FLCL is one of those rare anime runs that packs more into half a dozen episodes than most series manage in a full season. The Pillows' soundtrack, the manga-panel editing, the sheer density of ideas per minute — it's a lot, intentionally. Stream FLCL (2000) online on iFILM.