KAMON NANDABA
KN
Kamon Nandaba is Naota's father, a freelance writer and former pop-culture journalist whose idea of adulthood is not remotely the one Naota is trying to imitate.
He runs Kamon-Mabase from the family home, fills conversations with pop-culture references and immediately becomes infatuated with Haruko after she moves in. For Naota, who is desperately trying to behave like the mature person in the room, having Kamon as a father is almost professionally embarrassing.
Kamon is not useless, though FLCL rarely allows him dignity for very long. His immaturity is part of the larger problem Naota keeps running into: the adults around him have not unlocked some secret state where embarrassment, jealousy and bad decisions disappear.
Haruko eventually tests Kamon as a possible N.O. route, rejects him and replaces him with a mechanical duplicate. Even surviving that experience does remarkably little to reduce his enthusiasm for her.
He runs Kamon-Mabase from the family home, fills conversations with pop-culture references and immediately becomes infatuated with Haruko after she moves in. For Naota, who is desperately trying to behave like the mature person in the room, having Kamon as a father is almost professionally embarrassing.
Kamon is not useless, though FLCL rarely allows him dignity for very long. His immaturity is part of the larger problem Naota keeps running into: the adults around him have not unlocked some secret state where embarrassment, jealousy and bad decisions disappear.
Haruko eventually tests Kamon as a possible N.O. route, rejects him and replaces him with a mechanical duplicate. Even surviving that experience does remarkably little to reduce his enthusiasm for her.
KAMON THROUGH THE ARCHIVE //
N.O. CHANNEL MECHANICS //
Open page →Haruko Tests Kamon
Open →A Possible Route That Goes Nowhere
Haruko does not assume Naota is the only person worth testing. Her interest in Kamon includes an attempt to see whether Naota's father can give her another useful N.O. route.
He cannot.
The result is bizarre even by Nandaba-house standards, but the important part is what Haruko learns: Kamon is not capable of giving her what Naota can.
He cannot.
The result is bizarre even by Nandaba-house standards, but the important part is what Haruko learns: Kamon is not capable of giving her what Naota can.
Why it matters
Haruko's behavior makes her priorities clearer. She is not studying N.O. out of scientific curiosity. She is testing people for usefulness in her pursuit of Atomsk.
