>NGE is similar to Akira in that people who get drunk or stoned on a
>regular basis seem to understand it. Or at least think they do.
>
>That said, at least NGE has something approximating a beginning and an
>ending....something FLCL completely lacks (Apparently by design. I
>hear the manga starts end ends nearly exactly how the OAVs
>did...that's rather annoying when one's mind is relatively linear and
>likes beginnings and endings. :)

Okay... now this begins to scare me. I'm not even going into NGE again, because we've heard that rant before, but neither Akira nor FLCL seemed particularly confusing, save in the pace that they introduced new elements. Further, Akira just didn't engage my interest, psis and existential angst bore me as a general rule. I never, ever, smoke so much as a normal cigarette, nor drink anything stronger than that carbonated apple juice sold nowadays so people like me can join in the toasts normally done with champaigne, but my rationale for this is that I'm already messed up in the head enough not to need it. Thing is, that's supposed to be a joke...

Oh well.

Spoiler warning.

As to the ending of FLCL, what's so cyclic about it? One of the main characters has gone back to wherever she came from, another that was there leaves, and everyone else grows up some. Yes, the opening and closing narration is similar, but in the beginning Naota is complaining that nothing exciting has ever happened to him, and in the end he's lamenting that nothing this exciting is ever likely to happen to him again, with an unspoken side order of feeling down because the first two girls he started developing feelings for both left to do their own thing. It's a bit of a downbeat after the rest of the series, but a reasonable one. Besides, I like to think that Naota caught hSpace Hottie Syndrome from his contact with aliens, and now is almost certain to bbe within sight of the landing point of any cute aliens, so despite his worries he'll have plenty of 'fun' adventures from now on.

- CD, who wouldn't mind catching that himself, at least inbetween the bits where he was terrified and running/fighting for his life. Remember the definition of 'adventure...'