FLCL

I've seen this before, but had to write this for a class, which explains why it's a bit more analytical/spoiler-filled.

FLCL is a very strange straight-to-video series, though if you just ignore a lot of the more off the wall moments a more coherent narrative does emerge. The story is about Naota trying to grow up. He is in a shell at the beginning but gradually opens up through the influence of various females around him. Some boys try to teach him too, but usually fail. A lot of his trials involve various phallic symbols like bats, guitars, and guns. Sometimes they get pulled out of his head, and he has to use them to prove himself, usually impressing any girls who can see. Another motif is flavors. Naota's attitude changes over the course of the anime, and his choice in drink reflects his mood or who he's thinking about.

It's more or less sci-fi in the nostalgic mode, recalling a simpler time when we went to grade school and piloted robots that were transported from another dimension through our heads. There's a lot of dissonant animation and art styles, even a mimic of South Park, that add to the peculiar vibe of the story. Naota is a reluctant protagonist but becomes a hero in the end. The two most important secondary characters are Mamimi, who usually ends up causing trouble for him, Haruko, who is a little crazy but encourages him to be a better person. Most of the characters try to push him one way or another, but things usually turn out all right.