Adult Swim's 2003-present logo.
Adult Swim (or known as [adult swim] or [as]) is a block on Cartoon Network which comes on at 8:00 PM-6:00 AM.
It is often cited as being responsible for bringing FLCL to the English speaking audience and making the show popular outside of Japan. It was also involved with the production of the sequels.
Background[]
Adult Swim premiered FLCL on August 5, 2003 as part of the now defunct Adult Swim Action block. The series aired for the first time on the Toonami block from October 26, 2013 to January 25, 2014.
On March 24, 2016, Adult Swim and Production I.G announced a co-production of two new seasons of FLCL, with Adult Swim responsible for primary funding of both projects. They were later revealed to be FLCL Progressive and FLCL Alternative. As part of the deal to fund both projects, Production I.G granted Adult Swim infinite, or non-expiring, airing rights for both seasons.
On March 17, 2022, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim's creative director, Jason DeMarco, announced that Production I.G. and Adult Swim would be working together again on the fourth and fifth seasons of the FLCL series, titled FLCL: Grunge and FLCL: Shoegaze and would be slated to be release in 2023. [1] A deal was made where Adult Swim would air the English language episodes of Grunge and Shoegaze, while the on-demand streaming service, MAX would stream the previously aired episode the following day in either English or Japanese (as both MAX and Cartoon Network are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery).
Censorship[]
Some minor edits were made to the first season in order to make it suitable for broadcast. Haruko saying "shit" was muted in episode 2 (although Toonami airings now have it uncensored, due to relaxation of FCC guidelines for cable television), and a mosaic over Kamon's genitals was enlarged in episode 6.
Trailers[]
Trivia[]
- As of 2024, the first season of FLCL has had a total of 20 complete runs spanning from it’s initial debut on Adult Swim’s Action block to its various reruns on Toonami.
- According to Adult Swim's creative director, Jason DeMarco, despite the fourth and fifth seasons having successful ratings on Adult Swim, they would not be making any more new seasons of FLCL.[2]
- In an Instagram post by "toonamiswim" on October 8, 2023, an additional response from DeMarco revealed that the decision to not continue with any more FLCL sequels was simply a creative decision with the network, as they want to do new projects, but have a limited budget. He also noted that Production I.G. still retains the rights to the series and could continue on with FLCL if they choose to do so in the future, but it would have to be without Adult Swim assisting them.[3][4]