"Fire Starter" is the second episode of the first season of FLCL. Its English dub aired on August 6, 2003 on Adult Swim.
Synopsis
Mamimi has been seeing weird things, including a black winged angel from a pocket computer game she keeps playing. Naota has yet even bigger and weirder lumps coming out of his head. Haruko scans Naota’s head and reports that he doesn’t have a brain. Robots seem to be coming out of Naota’s head.
Summary
Mamimi is obsessed with a hand-held video game called Fire Starter, which involves the player performing the role of an arsonist in order to please the Lord of Black Flames. The robot who had emerged from Naota's head is kept occupied doing chores at the Nandaba residence, while Haruko, despite being the maid, performs little to no work. Mamimi comes into contact with the robot while he is recovering the parts from his head that Haruko had damaged, and names him Canti, believing him to be the Lord of Black Flames from her game. Haruko tries to break into the Medical Mechanica plant in town, which is in the shape of a giant iron, but fails and is taken home by Naota.
A series of fires, meanwhile, are erupting around the city, and Naota visits the site of one of these fires with two of his school friends. On the way home, he sees Mamimi down by the river and learns from his friends that she is being bullied at her school. Naota realizes it is Mamimi who is starting the fires, and that she truly believes her game to be reality and the robot to be Canti, the Lord of Black Flames from her video game. Naota finds her performing a 'fire ritual' by the water bank. She explains she burnt down her old school house when she was younger because she 'hated the place', and had been saved from the flames by Naota's brother, which is the reason she loved him. A robot emerges from Naota's head then, and starts to battle Canti. Naota merges with Canti, and is able to transform into a large, howitzer-like weapon to destroy the robot. At the end of the episode, Naota wonders what he can do for Mamimi, and promises to always be by her side.
Monologue
Naota: Exactly where does the truth end and the lies begin? Samejima Mamimi and Haruhara Haruko. A lot of lies are flowing around me. These two new horns that sprang up. A true story that seems like a lie.
When you're on a bike, the ocean's a lot closer than you think. The autumn salt wind went right through into the back of my nose and maybe it's because, like Haruko said, my head was empty.
"Fire Starter", it's a hand-held video game. No one knows how Endsville, the city of devils, was created, but as soon as it appeared, it started to grow, and slowly eat up the world. You are an agent of Canti, the god of the black flame, and you must stop Endsville from destroying the world. Your only weapon is flame: matches, lighters, and fire-bombs. Get the weapons, outsmart the firefighters, hide from the police, torch the city, and purge its devils. But you must be careful; you cannot burn everything. If the entire city burns down, there will be no place to live. Thus, the battle is hopeless: there is no final victory. The only thing you can do is burn and burn and burn. Your highest goal is to receive the personal blessing of Canti, the god of the black flame.
At the time, I didn't notice the sirens that were coming toward us. I don't know where the lies end and the truth begins. I asked myself what I could do for Mamimi. I decided to stay by her side... forever.
Mamimi: I saw a god the other day, by the river on a rainy afternoon. He helped a kitten that was left all alone. It's a god that only I can see. A black-winged angel that came down from the heavens just for me.
Songs
- "Instant Music"
- "Sad Sad Kiddie"
- "Hybrid Rainbow"
- "Carnival"
- "Beautiful Morning With You"
- "Stalker Goes to Babylon"
- "Stalker"
- "Advice"
- "Little Busters"
- "Ride on Shooting Star"
Credits
- Original Concept: GAINAX
- Directors: Kazuya Tsurumaki, Takeshi Ando
- Executive Producers: Toshimichi Ohtsuki, Mitsuhisa Ishikawa, Hiroyuki Yamaga
- Planning: Hirotaka Takase, Masatoshi Nishizawa, Hiroki Sato
Japanese Cast
- Naota Nandaba: Jun Mizuki
- Haruko Haruhara: Mayumi Shintani
- Mamimi Samejima: Izumi Kasagi
- Kamon Nandaba: Suzuki Matsuo
- Shigekuni Nandaba: Hiroshi Ito
- Eri Ninamori: Mika Itou
- Gaku Manabe: Sho Miyajima
- Masashi Masamune: Kazuhito Suzuki
- Junko Miyaji: Yukari Fukui
- Miyu Miyu: Hideaki Anno (uncredited)
- Takkun: Jun Mizuki
English Cast
- Naota Nandaba: Barbara Goodson
- Haruko Haruhara: Kari Wahlgren
- Mamimi Samejima: Jennifer Sekiguchi
- Kamon Nandaba: Joe Martin
- Shigekuni Nandaba: Steve Kramer
- Eri Ninamori: Melissa Fahn
- Gaku Manabe: R. Martin Klein
- Masashi Masamune: Steven Blum
- Junko Miyaji: Jessica Straus
- Miyu Miyu: Steven Blum
- Takkun: Barbara Goodson
Gallery
