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The Pillows Interview Reveals How the Band Almost Missed Their FLCL Break
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The band The Pillows is inseparable from the original FLCL OVA. Their music constitutes the entire soundtrack and the anime's ending theme "Ride on Shooting Star" became a favorite track among anime fans. In a new interview with Adult Swim, the band's vocalist Sawao Yamanaka reveals how they almost missed their big chance to work on the series because, well, they didn't want to sell out.
"So in the beginning, I think we were kind of rude to him," Yamanaka said, referring to series director Kazuya Tsurumaki who approached the band.
It wasn't that the band had a negative opinion about FLCL as an anime, Yamanaka explained, it's that the group's idea of what it meant to be a rock band didn't include things like tie-ins with commercials or television shows.
"[It] was pretty much a turn off. We weren't interested in that stuff. It usually comes with restrictions, you know?"
Watch the whole interview for the story of how The Pillows unintentionally got Tsurumaki to change the series' entire ending sequence and became the musical face of the show.
The Pillows are returning for FLCL Progressive, the sequel of the 2000 OAV, that premieres on Adult Swim's Toonami block on June 2.
Adult Swim describes FLCL Progressive as follows:
FLCL Progressive tells the story of 14-year-old Hidomi, her classmate Ide, and two otherworldly beings, "Jinyu" and "Haruha Raharu," who are determined to unlock their hidden potential. Mixed up in this is an all-powerful force known as "ATOMSK," a gorgeous vintage car… and a certain Vespa Scooter.
An English-subtitled simulcast of the Japanese version will stream on Adult Swim's website.
Meanwhile, over in Brooklyn, a mural dedicated to the second season's premiere wrapped up. The new series' ADR Director Michael Sinterniklaas shared videos on Twitter and YouTube of the murals progress until completion.
FLCL Alternative, the second new series, is slated for September. In Japan, the anime will debut in theatrical screenings, with FLCL Alternative opening first on September 7, and FLCL Progressive opening on September 29.
