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FLCL: Naota Nandaba

For this week's Character of the Week, I wanted to pick out a short and old anime, but also one I've never seen or heard of. So, welcome Naota Nandaba from FLCL!

FLCL, Furi Kuri or Fooly Cooly, is an anime that dates back to year 2000-2001, having its first episode in April 2000 and its last episode in March 2001. It is a Mecha, Action, Comedy and Psychological anime series with only 6 episodes, each one lasting 25 minutes or so. Yet, people seem to genuinely like it! This is certainly not a hated anime; most people says that it's a good and fast-paced story.

"Naota Nandaba is an ordinary sixth grader living in a city where nothing amazing ever seems to happen. After his brother Tasuku leaves town to play baseball in America, Naota takes it upon himself to look after everything Tasuku left behind—from his top bunk bed to his ex-girlfriend Mamimi Samejima, who hasn't stopped clinging to Naota since Tasuku left.

Little does Naota know, however, that his mundane existence is on the verge of being changed forever: enter Haruko Haruhara, a Vespa-riding, bass guitar-wielding, pink-haired psychopath whose first encounter with Naota leaves him with tire tracks on his back and a giant horn on his head. Though all he wants is some peace and quiet, when Haruko takes up residence at his parents' home, Naota finds himself dragged into the heart of the greatest battle for supremacy that Earth—and quite possibly the entire universe—has ever seen."


Naota Nandaba is the protagonist of the first season of FLCL. Naota is a 12-year-old boy who tries to be as adult as possible. His name is derived from the Japanese word for "honesty" and that is why his father named him that.

Personality: Naota is a sullen and snarky person who is obsessed with appearing mature and attempts to act nonchalant at all times. This is most expressed in his monologues which open and close each episode where he continues to claim that "nothing amazing ever happens here", despite the show's surreal and often-absurd happenings. He is the least erratic of the cast, but constantly finds himself at the center of attention. He seems to be very frustrated with his life, and, in the opening episode, is musing about how uneventful and boring Mabase is. Naota is internally struggling with the recognition of his existence and independence from his brother. It is the journey of the series, however, that is the coming of age for Naota, and by the end, he has reached young adolescence, and is ready to start exploring life on his own.

Appearance: Naota has short, dark brown hair and blue eyes. The clothing he wears most often consists of a light blue sweatshirt with what appears to be a hood on the back and brown shorts, blue socks and brown sneakers. He also wears a variety of different hats and bandages to hide his horns throughout the series. Naota is short compared to others his age.

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