Naota really can't say "Nothing ever happens here" anymore, he's got Haruko under his nose all the time (she's living in the house) and she's making life interesting, to put it politely. But that doesn't stop the class president from adding in her two cents and stepping into Naota's life. (He's been picked for the class play as the role of a cat in "Puss In Boots", she's all fired up to make sure he does his bit and performs well). She seems so desperate for things to go well, so desperate to make it all work...

Naota's fondest possession is his brother's baseball bat. He plays with the team, but he never swings. Potential that is unused. Why? Haruko has been getting rather "friendly" with Naota's Dad. Ugh. Not only is she causing troubles in the house, but also she's going so far as to pitch for the team opposing Naota's. And to top it all off, aliens are invading the town! What can one boy do?

FLCL Vol. 2 is even more exciting than Vol. 1. The second volume of FLCL picks up more speed than the first, starting to unfold more and more of what is going on in the grander scheme of things in Naota's hometown. In this set of installments we see more of what Haruko is about, and begin to see more clearly what role she plays for the others in FLCL. Challenges. Haruko's actions are all challenging the others to think. Free vs chained. Spicy people vs. non-spicy people. Left-handers vs. right. FLCL.

What is most interesting about this set of episodes is how people change, how people transform from one state to another. There is the mix of humor and seriousness as always, especially when watching Naota squares off against Haruko. The colors take a darker tone her in the designs, as if foreshadowing something big that is to come. The most memorable part of the DVD is the story of the fourth episode, taking the disturbing quality of FLCL just a little bit higher with a slight change in art style for effect. These is one episode that would be best watched first, and then listen to the director's cut immediately afterward. It is amazing to see why certain things were chosen to be placed in the fashion they did, and also to see past the illusion of perfection that clouds most anime. (Most of the stuff he put in for gags or fun, and simply made sure he tied it to a main theme.) This reflects in the naturalness of the people's action and the sheer glee in the craziness of the series. This was a series not done for some big exec; this was done out of love and introspection.

Again, "The Pillows" pull off another mix of incredibly appropriate and story propping music, staying out of the way of the more dramatic moments and heightening the comic ones. The insert gives what music correlates to what scene and the album that it came from. Character bios, added cultural reference and explanations to various jokes in the show are added to this version of the DVD booklet. One of the most interesting reads with an interview of Hiroyuki Imaishi and Tadashi Hiramatsu, animation directors of FLCL. Just goes to show even the ones in the business are still anime fans at heart (and aren't afraid to flaunt it by the amount of anime related gags in the series). These items combined are proof positive FLCL is a class act of good storytelling, dynamic visuals and creative insight with a very deep message.