OBSCURE O.V.A.S., *FLCL

Originally done as a Gainax's first bite into the new millennium, FLCL(also called Fooly Cooly and Furi Kuri), this 6-episode OVA has recently been changed into an ongoing TV series backed up by Adult Swim. Being a meltdown of several anime tropes and gag humor, FLCL went on to being a genre-defining movement within anime, as well as American comics and animation.

Naota is a grade school student living in a small Japanese suburb whose popular older brother is in America on a baseball scholorship. This fame has an effect on Naota's trying to live up to his brother's image, as well as his resident ex-girlfriend Mamimi keeps clinging to him. One day, a crazy girl named Haruko shows up riding a scooter and hits Naota on the head with her guitar. This leads to Haruko becoming his family live-in "housekeeper", all while strange robots repeatedly keep appearing out of portal coming from Naota's head, which usually make him look like he's either sporting a horn or a pair of cat ears. This never really defined plot device has unexplained things like Haruko being an alien, a space pirate being captured by the enigmatic company referred to as Medical Mechanica, also a covert military organization keeping tags on all the parties involved. These usually lead to outrageous battles with runaway robots, and Haruko's constant changing from one anime cliche to another in devastating acts of violence filled with fan service.

The OVA made a large impact in the otaku community, both in Japan and America, but it soared after it was broadcast on Toonami in nearly endless 6-week loops. This embarked Cartoon Network to ride the current nostalgia train of continuing previous shows like Samurai Jack and Invader Zim by continuing it in two more 6-episode mini-series set for 2018. There was also a 2-volume manga done in a sketchier style based on the anime that was printed in English through Tokyopop. The OVA was first released by Sync-Point, also being one of the anime series that they actually completed before going bankrupt, and then re-released through Funimation. Even though this could've been released as a single feature like Read Or Die, but it works much better in its uncut episode-to-episode format.