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FLCL 2&3 Trailer Reveals More Staff, 2018 Premiere (Updated)

Anime News Network's coverage of Anime Expo 2017 is sponsored by Aniplex and Yen Press.

Production I.G unveiled a trailer and some of the main staff for its FLCL 2 and FLCL 3 animation projects at Anime Expo on Sunday. Toonami is streaming the trailer on Facebook here (Video is region locked in some countries).

TOHO animation is also streaming a video for the anime. In addition, Japanese entertainment news website Comic Natalie is reporting that in Japan, the two sequels will be two theatrical anime projects, with the first film set to open in Japan in 2018.

The anime is still slated as two six-episode television series in the U.S.

The newly announced staff includes:

• Supervisor: Kazuya Tsurumaki
• Character Design: Chikashi Kubota
• Screenplay: Hideto Iwai
• Mechanical Design: Kiyotaka Oshiyama

While the two six-episode installments were previously slated for late 2017 to early 2018, the staff announced at the panel that they are both slated for 2018 with a break in the middle. The two seasons will have completely separate stories. The staff previously announced that the 12 episodes will be a sequel to the 2000-2001 original video anime.

In addition, the staff announced a corresponding manga for FLCL 2.

Adult Swim describes the new seasons' story:

In the new season of FLCL, many years have passed since Naota and Haruhara Haruko shared their adventure together. Meanwhile, the war between the two entities known as Medical Mechanica and Fraternity rages across the galaxy. Enter Hidomi, a young teenaged girl who believes there is nothing amazing to expect from her average life, until one day when a new teacher named Haruko arrives at her school. Soon enough, Medical Mechanica is attacking her town and Hidomi discovers a secret within her that could save everyone, a secret that only Haruko can unlock.

But why did Haruko return to Earth? What happened to her Rickenbacker 4001 she left with Naota? And where did the human-type robot ‘Canti’ go?

Original character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto and Japanese rock band The Pillows will be returning to work on the sequel series.