Heppoko Jikken Animation Excel♥Saga

This show is one of the definitions of random. I will say right now, if you demand structure or linear plot lines, turn back now.

Excel Saga actually not only tells the story of Excel and her escapades, but it is actually three different story lines going at once.

We have the tale of Excel, Pedro, and The Neighbors that work for the city.
With that said, the story is not easily reviewable but here goes.

Well to tell the truth, there really is no story (aside from trying to take over the city) until the last few episodes when random twists of fate bring all three story ... lines together (dont worry that didn't ruin anything)

Each episode of Excel saga is meant to be a parody of different genre, for instance, there is a sci-fi episode, a fantasy episode, a "power rangers/sailor moon" type one, etc etc. Throughout the course of these episodes, stranger and stranger things start happening and its always entertaining, sometimes funny, sometimes WTF.

The episodes that dont so much focus on Excel have no plot either, and are more of the "daily life" type anime episodes.

As for the art, the animation is top notch. Everything is well colored, choreographed, and presented. They make use of a wide array of animation styles for the various episodes and characters which is a plus.

The sound......i dont even know. This is one of the reasons you love it or hate it. Excel talks extremely fast about the most random things and she can get to be very annoying, or very entertaining. And you may think that "oh she can't talk like this the whole time" but you are wrong, almost the entire time she is running that jaw of hers. Dub or sub, she sounds the same, i dont have a recommendation, pick whichever you normally watch.

Aside from the vocal tracks, the music is quite entertaining. The character themes and sound effects play a big role to help emphasize scenes and actions.

As for enjoyment, I personally found the show very entertaining although at times i did want excel to just STFU but it was worth it in the end to watch it. Dont watch this for any kind of epic plot because you will be disappointed, but if you want highly entertaining, high energy and comical times, check this show out.

Excel Saga is a pure slapstick anime made to do nothing but try to produce a comedy satire of EVERY anime genre made. It actually does a pretty good job making fun of them all. The entire fact that they're just spoofing anime creates a very weak story line. But they do manage to keep a story to keep it all together, albeit full of holes and non seriousness.

Character
The story mainly follows 2 main characters as they're "trying to take over the world" for a company called ACROSS, i forgot what the acronym stood for. The two girls, Excel and Hyatt, all work under ... a man called Ilpalazzo. The great thing about the two main characters is that they're complete polar opposites of each other. Excel, is your typical over eccentric and stupidly ignorant girl, and Hyatt, is very under eccentric and is actually pretty smart. Its funny in a sense that they are Literally different from each other. They're not the only characters in the show tho. There are at least a good dozen characters that keep reappearing but always displayed in different situations.

Art and Sound
The art and animation is typical pre-2000 style artwork. Its all kind of lame in my opinion, but they do show their artistic variety in how they have to draw drastically different environments with every episode. The music is forgettable, although you'll laugh at the ED a few times it gets annoying after the 3-4th time listening to it. The op is a little catchy and its a nice touch to have hyatt cough during her singing.

Enjoyment
The best part of the anime is the line execution or the script. The use of the word "Shock" and the running joke of her eating her dog among all the other hundreds of jokes makes this show stand out so much. The simplistic lines flow very well with the simple artwork and characters. They even go far as copying characters from from digi charat, to fist of the northstar, to shinesman (you'll think its power rangers but its really a spoof off of Shinesman), really show the voice range and artistic range albeit a little simple.

Overall
This show does have its high points but its also with its downsides. If you're really into anime comedy, then this would be a good pickup, but even if you're not into the comedy genre it still would not be bad to pickup and watch since there is the possibility of you seeing one of your favorite "classic" anime or genre get spoofed. You'll see jokes coming from lolicon to androids, to poverty jokes, you'll see a little of everything here. It's definitely a different style of comedy and Nabeshin's comedy style transfers very well to his other work, Nerima Daikon Brothers. This anime is not for most people but you'll enjoy the ending

Title: Excel Saga

Manga/Anime: Excel Saga was originally an manga created by Rikdo Koshi. It began running in Young King OURS in the April 1997 issue, and is still running at this point in time, at. Viz has licensed it Stateside, and the sixteenth volume (and the latest volume to be compiled over in Japan) was released on September 11th, 2007.

The anime version was produced by JC Staff (best known for Revolutionary Girl Utena and Honey and Clover), and directed by Shinichi Watanabe (well-known for Nerima Daikon Brothers and Tenchi Muyo! GXP). It ran on TV from October 7th, 1999 to March 30th, ... 2000. It has been licensed by ADV Stateside, and the sixth and final volume was released April 8th, 2003.

Story: ...Story? What story? xD

Basic plot follows ACROSS' (leader Ilpalazzo and lackeys Excel and Hyatt) attempts to take over the world.

And really, that's about it. Because each and every episode can be taken as a self-contained standalone (except for the last ones), and there's almost no continuity, except in the characters, and one or two basic plot elements.

You see, this anime is a parody of every single genre/major show in the history of evah. Sports anime? Done. Youth drama? Done. Gundam? Done. Dragonball? Done. End of the world? ...You get the idea. They even do an episode just to see how far they can violate TV censorship rules.

It's got some good gags. But it's not satire material. It's still pretty well done, though.

Art: There's not a lot to be said here, because it all depends on what they decide to mock each episode. xD But whatever they choose to mock, they do it well.

Music: The lyrics to the OP are hilarious, and the fact that they're sung so horribly out of tune is the only reason the OP stands out. The ED stands out for the fact that it's just a dog barking/woofing/howling, with a translator translating them into a human language for us.

The background music, as always, depends on what they're trying to mock each episode. But as with the art style and story, it's done well. I've still got some random themes bouncing around in my head...

Seiyuu: The big thing for this one is that they got Kotono Mitsuishi (Sailor Moon's seiyuu) to do this, so when they do magical girl parodies, it's even more hilarious, because in a way, she's mocking herself (they even do some very specific mockings of Sailor Moon herself). xD They do this with several other seiyuu. Also, Ilpalazzo's seiyuu is Hotohori's seiyuu (from Fushigi Yuugi) and Touga Kiryuu's seiyuu (Revolutionary Girl Utena), and his seiyuu is right up there with Joji Nakata for me. So, overall, WIN.

Length: I cannot think of a single genre or major show that they did not mock (and any ones that do come to mind are only because they were released after this). Plus, it starts to drag a little at the end. So, yeah, just right.

Overall: A pretty decent parody gag anime with awesome seiyuu and music.

Also, HAIL ILPALAZZO!!

Story: 7/10
Art: 8/10
Music: 8/10
Seiyuu: 10/10
Length: 9/10

Overall: 42/50; 84% (B)

In the beginning I must state that Excel Saga is a hell of an anime series. I mean, there are lots of works that aim to be the over-the-top, crazy roller coaster rides, but most of them end rather poorly. Excel Saga does not, as director Watanabe Shinichi seems to understand well that it takes a genius to make stupidity enjoyable.

Let's face it: Excel Saga is stupid. I mean, everyone (except for Nabeshin maybe) is a total loon one way or the other, and the world itself is as realistic and serious as the one in, say, the Naked Gun series or Hot Shots. Still, ... the viewer is immediately drawn into this world, and the characters quickly become as familiar to him/her as those in 300-episode anime sagas. The sense of humor in this series is completely lunatic, but still very efficient in making the viewer roll on the floor laughing - either because it's so clever or simply so shameless.

One must bear in mind that it is a parody series, and as such it makes fun of so many movie cliches, not only anime. Actually, it seems surprisingly Western in many aspects; the critique of cheap sci-fi, action B-movies, or date games is very appealing to a European viewer (like me). However, the series goes further than just being a parody; the characters are genuinely likeable, the plot (for lack of a better word) is actually captivating, and the art is exceptional. However, I think the greatest accomplishment of the creators is the way the viewer is endlessly being surprised, caught with his proverbial pants around his ankles by sudden twists in the plot and completely crazy (but fun) developments.

Is Excel Saga perfect? No, it's not; I still can't forgive them those two filler episodes made from previously shown material. However, most people will be taken aback by the sheer amount of... aimless energy, displayed not only by Excel herself, but by the entire anime. So much happens all the time that many people will undoubtedly find it annoying or hard to digest. This is not a series for everyone, that's all.

I might sound like a fanboy, but I'll say it anyway: this anime radiates awesomness, if you can handle that. It's not perfect, but it's easy to forgive its failings. However, I'd rather recommend it to more adult viewers, as I think it takes some cultural experience and maturity to fully appreciate this anime.

Hail, Ilpalazzo!

Oh my god this show is always great no matter how many times I watch it. I was almost in tears watching Excel Saga again. The box set doesn't lie when it warns you about the comedy.


Characters 9.0/10

Amazing characters. When I first started watching Excel saga back in 2005 I actually didn't like the main character Excel. I found her annoying, unfunny, and her personality was awful. 2009 comes around and I decide to watch it again and I was like "okay, this is okay, I think she's alright." Here it is, 2016 and I absolutely love Excel! So it took lots of time not ... only for excel to grow on me but the other supporting characters too. Hyatt, Menchi, and Pedro became some of my favorite supporting characters in the show.

Story 8.0/10

What can I say, it is bad, ridiculous, both plot and story! However its biggest and greatest redeeming factor is that it does manage to stay fresh, comedic, absolutely hilarious! fourth wall breaking, brand advertising, cameos, skits, the story is all over the place with great content, consistently too. For the most part Excel saga's "story" and "plot" for each episode is pretty easy to follow. The producers and creator do follow a lot of the original work which is good. The pacing of each episode really varies based on content and other elements, so some episodes can be slow and others fast paced. There are serious, or somewhat serious dialogue in certain episodes however for the most part they were just part of the skit.

Soundtrack 7.5/10

Music was pretty good! My favorite thing about early 90's and early/late 2000's anime shows is the opening & ending songs. Most deliver really catchy opening songs. Love Hina, Azumanga Daioh, just to name of few, have those catchy intro where you either get the song stuck in your head or don't skip it due to the fact that you're singing along to it.

I loved the voice acting done in Excel Saga! My favorite thing about the show is for its time, there was an awful lot lot of English used and spoken fluently. In addition to the speaking, the voice actors did a pretty good job when it came to using english references and jokes. I loved it!


Animation & Art 7.0/10

Pretty good all things considered. I think the animation was good for its time. Special effects looked pretty mediocre however they are still tolerable. Character designs were pretty great. I have no complaints there. Overall I was pretty okay with what I watched.

Enjoyment 8.0/10

I could not help but enjoy Excel Saga, it is hilarious! The performances were good, the pacing of the show was great. I gave Excel Saga 8/10 because I felt that it has a great lasting appeal. If I ever needed to watch a 90's anime comedy that I could actually laugh at, then I would most likely return to Excel Saga! overall I loved it.

What a waist of time. I know this anime is supposed to be a comedy parodying other anime, but it fails miserably. This has to be one of the worst anime series I've seen. The story is, wait what am I talking about there is no story. The characters were just plain useless and had no value. Then there is the animation, which is just plain terrible. I really don't see any value in this anime, unless you mute it, and then you can half way enjoy it watching the hot girls with DD size breasts running around half ... naked. I pray that I never have to see this anime ever again.

Overview:

Do you want an anime even more random and completely insane than FLCL, or even Haruhi Suzumiya? Try Excel Saga! It is 15 years old and still probably the crown champion of random insanity. The last episode was so off the rails it couldn't even be aired on TV!

Story and characters: 6/10

The "plot" or lack thereof consists of an inept terrorist organization called ACROSS attempting to take over a single Japanese city and eventually the world! The organization ACROSS is led by the maniacal Il Palazzo (note the manga came out in 1995, the year after FF6 and its villian named Kefka Palazzo) who casually ... shoots his own subordinates with a rocket launcher and spends far more time playing dating sims than actually trying to take over the world. His chief minion and #2 is the ferociously devoted Excel, who will do absolutely anything to serve Palazzo no matter how ridiculous or idiotic. This is a series where the main character is killed off multiple times in the first 5 minutes and is brought back to life by the "God of the plot". The Mangaka appears in the show, only to be himself killed off in mere seconds! Most episodes are devoted to making fun of various genres such as Harem anime, super sentai ,daikaiju, and others. The series ends with one of the most batshit insane climaxes of any series ever. EXPLOSIONS FIX EVERYTHING!!!

Art: 7/10

The animation is fluid and full of energy. Excel Saga looked amazing in 1999 and actually still looks pretty good today.

Sound: 4/10

I'm afraid I can't praise the soundtrack. The opening song is extremely annoying and so is most of the OST.

Enjoyment: 6/10

The series probably didn't need 26 episodes and it does get a bit tiresome after a while. I would recommend watching in small segments rather than binge watching this one. This is definitely not intended to be consumed in one sitting. That would be like eating 10 pounds of cotton candy.

Overall: 6/10

Excel Saga is certainly no masterpiece, but it was a unique and fun series. The parody is generally well done and the animation and voice acting is spectacular in both the English and Japanese dubs. I normally don't talk about the voice acting in my reviews unless it's really bad, but Excel Saga is a series that was actually made much better by exceptional voice acting talent. This series isn't as popular now and has been somewhat forgotten by the anime community. I bring it up because it played an important role in anime history. Excel Saga the anime and especially the manga in the mid 1990s helped launch the batshit insane, random genre of anime comedy. Without Excel Saga, it is entirely possible that FLCL, Panty and Stocking, Haruhi Suzumiya, and many other series young anime fans of today love wouldn't even exist! This was the foundation upon which uber random anime comedy was built.

Watch­ing Excel Saga promp­ted me to make a com­par­ison between it and Seto no Hanayome. They both rely on a mix­ture of absurdity, par­ody and tak­ing plot points to the non­sensical extreme to draw laughs from the audi­ence. The only real dif­fer­ence between the two is Seto no Hanayome spends it’s time going to com­plete extremes with tropes, such as the school­ground divi­sion, while Excel Saga spends more time rev­el­ing in its lack of a fourth wall. Actu­ally there’s an even big­ger dif­fer­ence between the two. Seto no Hanayome is funny. Excel Saga just isn’t. In fact, I’m at a bit of a loss to ... say quite why Seto is funny while Excel Saga isn’t. Yes, com­edy that often uses ran­dom­ness to draw laughs can vary hugely from per­son to per­son. But let’s leave Seto aside for now and focus on why Excel Saga isn’t funny. It’s hard to put my fin­ger on as to why put a large part comes down to the characters.

Excel is meant to be the char­ac­ter from which most of the punch­lines come from. In that sense, a dubbed Excel would have worked bet­ter for comedic tim­ing pur­poses but that wasn’t an option. Excel might as well been speak­ing in Klin­gon for all I knew, such was her incom­pre­hens­ib­il­ity. Even if I under­stood Japan­ese I would have had to watch the thing subbed, and they were the most dif­fi­cult subs to keep up with this side of a Shaft anime. There was also a lack of facial expres­sions. It’s not like they lacked the anim­a­tion qual­ity to do that. In fact, the art­work and anim­a­tion in this series were of a very high stand­ard (espe­cially when you com­pare this series to GTO, which came out in the same year. God did GTO ever look awful). It’s just Excel rarely went bey­ond shouty loud face. Bloody Men­chi had more vari­ety of facial expres­sions than she did.

The rest of the char­ac­ters were pretty much a one-trait bunch, which in itself isn’t a bad thing. But those one-traits weren’t funny. Hyatt’s con­stant deaths were only funny in the last epis­ode where they took it to the non­sensical and hugely bloody extremes. Ill­palazzo didn’t do much bey­ond have theme music and a piece of rope. None of the office staff were remotely funny (what the hell was with the guy who only spoke with writ­ing?) and the mus­tache Mr.Kabapu was done bet­ter by FLCL. Pedro’s story was all a bit of a anom­aly in the series that sat there and took up time from the main story, kinda like Chib­italia except nowhere near as bad (for one, the non-chibitalia sec­tions are actu­ally funny). Oddly enough, the star of the show was Nabeshin, the dir­ector turned anime char­ac­ter. It’s as if he saw that there was a total lack of other funny char­ac­ters in the show so he decided to stick him­self in to liven things up a bit. His pulling of machine-guns out of his ‘fro was one of the few high­lights from the first half of the series.

One thing Excel Saga did have in it’s favour was that the girls were hot. I found myself wish­ing that they would have more fanser­vice ori­ent­ated com­edy. This feel­ing, I have noted before, is usu­ally a sign that the show is fail­ing in other areas when I’m look­ing towards sex appeal for enter­tain­ment (unless you hap­pen to be a cer­tain spin off from Full Metal Panic). Yeah, my mind kept wan­der­ing in Excel Saga as I looked for other things in the show to keep me enter­tained. I was so starved for com­edy in what should have been a comedic series that I star­ted find­ing laughs from parts that weren’t really meant to be for humour. I dis­tinctly remem­ber an epis­ode where a few char­ac­ters repeated the name ‘Mr.Kabapu’ a few times, some­thing I inex­plic­ably found to be the fun­ni­est thing of the series thus far and from then out found myself laugh­ing when­ver someone said his name. One thing that helped me con­tinue was spa­cing the epis­odes with the occa­sional Gintama jaunt, which put Excel Saga to shame in every way bar hav­ing hot women (sorry Kagura but you stand no chance against Hyatt and Excel).

Because I was des­per­ately look­ing for some­thing dif­fer­ent in Excel Saga, I really enjoyed the last few epis­odes and the total change in tone. Then there was the last epis­ode which, after 25 pre­vi­ous epis­odes of rel­at­ively unfunny epis­odes bar­ring the occa­sional men­tion­ing of Mr.Kabapu, was a joy to behold. Asides from deliv­er­ing the fanser­vice I’d been secretly hop­ing for the entire show, it finally took the show to the non­sensical extremes that it had yet to do.

Excel Saga is more like EVERYONE IS ON DRUGS SAGA!
This anime is 90`s version of Gintama because most jokes are hit and less miss to me.
It`s like making fun of common anime cliches and to deconstruct it.
All these moments and randomness are blended done right.

Story
Plot is not that good but every single episode is just stand alone episodic fun, the episodic formula is using the same formula as Gintama but Excel Saga came out before Gintama.

If you expect the story to be serious then you`ll be disappointed, just watch it for the randomness fun, over the top fun roller coaster ride, and crazyness.

You`ll see tons ... of references in this anime like Mobile Suit Gundam, Space Battleship Yamato, Dragonball, Captain Harlock, Ginga Tetsudou 999, Di Gi Charat, Hokuto No Ken, etc.

Art
It`s a good art during the 1990`s era, i like the blend of Moe and Gar in this anime.

Sound
I like the OP theme song, the rest are forgettable.

Characters
Excel is your typical energetic obnoxious girl, i find her annoying at first but i ended up liking her, i just like her motivation through out the show.

Hyatt is your typical Yamato Nadeshiko archetype character, she`s bland because she do nothing but vomit blood and get sick most of the time.

The rest of the characters are entertaining and fun to see in my eyes.
Also Pedro Domingo is like 90`s version of Madao because his entire life is full of suffering until the Power of Afro kicks in.

Enjoyment
I marathon all episodes in 2 day, this is the most enjoyable anime from start to finish, it`s been ages since i enjoy all episodes of anime i`ve watched in the past.


Here`s what i learned in Excel Saga

-The Power of Afro Hairstyle is more powerful than Power of Friendship
-Robots came out of nowhere make this show better
-All the cliches are making fun of cliches, more like deconstruction of cliches
-Humans can have sex with the Universe, Universe can get Pregnant
-Dogs poop during romantic scene
-Cute characters are the deceiving ones
-Everyone is on drugs
-Nabeshin is the best self-insert character in every anime ever (Nabeshin appeared on Sket Dance anime too)


Excel Saga is the Best Comedy Anime of the 1990`s era but it`s not a perfect comedy.
If you like Gintama then you should give it a shot, if not then ignore it.

HAIL ILPALAZZO!!!
GLORY TO ILPALAZZO!!!

Horrible horrible horrible.. the worst anime i have ever watched. its not funny, its boring and i cant grow attached to any of the characters... the art is mediocre but its not all about the art when it comes to watching anime... its just simply not my style anime.. the main character is just way to loud and annoying. I wish it wasnt the dubbed version i watched first. Maybe subbed is better i dont know. but in my opinion...NEXT ANIME PLZ!

"There is one Earth! If it splits in half, there'll be two! All mankind is scum — and bee-yoo-ti-ful!"

Okay, so here's how I explain Excel Saga: imagine if FLCL lasted for 26 episodes, took even more liberties, and was even more bat-shit crazy. In other words, Excel Saga just doesn't break the fourth wall...It breaks every wall and shreds it into billions of piece to a point that you can't see it anymore.

Confused? Let me tell you the first episode and don't worry I am not spoiling anything: A high school girl is skipping down a street all happy, then gets hit by a car, ... is in an ambulance where the EMT actually sees her memories projecting right behind him. She then dies, but is then saved by the embodiment of the universe, where we find out that she is actually an alien who lives underneath the earth, working under an evil Emperor who kills her all the time by sending her down a bottomless pit. The universe then comes back again to save her and her Emperor tells her, that her mission is to go assassinate the author of the manga that this show is based on.

I am dead fucking serious. DEAD. FUCKING. SERIOUS. So you're probably wondering does the show actually follow a plot...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...actually yes it does. Granted, there are actually many plot lines and yes as you expect they are all unbelievably ridiculous, but they are all freaking hilarious. For example, you have the story of Pedro, the Hispanic worker who lives in Japan for some odd reason, then dies, but for the rest of the series is a ghost who finds his family has forgotten him. Then, there are the three guys, who live next door to Excel and Hyatt, who work for the Department of City security and their shenanigans. Even the dog Menshi, who is terrified of Excel as she calls her the emergency food supply, has a backstory that actually out of all the episodes in the series was the most intense. I just told you less than a quarter of the craziness that happens, there is so much more to this show that you have to watch it for yourself.

Like I said earlier, this show is just as crazy as Fooly Cooly, though this actually came before, but a similar thing they share is that they experiment different animations and genres. Hell, the subtitle of the show is Quack Experimental Anime…what ever that means. I really like the setup of this show. I love how every episode starts out with the manga creator stating that this episode will be this or that. The episodes range from high amount of fan service, sports anime, to romantic comedy. It’s interesting how the show is not afraid to be ridiculous possible and tries to do new things. I love how it reminds the audience that what we are watching is a parody and not just something we should just go with. However, it’s the ridiculousness that makes it not one of the best plots out there.

Audio-wise, the show is opening theme is infectious, the eye catchers will make you do air piano, the ending theme is hysterically dramatic, and the score is simply awesome. The voice acting on the Japanese track is played a little more natural than the English track, but oh lord is the English track truly something of a spectacle. Two Voice Actresses play Excel in English, because literally halfway through production Jessica Calvello lost her voice, therefore she was replaced by Larissa Walcott. Once you watch the series, you’ll understand how Jessica lost it. Larissa holds the performance up but I kind of like Jessica more because Larissa gets a little annoying with the scratchy voice where as Jessica keeps a sugar-hyped valley-girl tone. This show is also probably the earliest role of Monica Rial as Hyatt, however, this time she’s not the loud mouth character she always plays but actually the exact opposite. I love how Pedro actually has a Hispanic accent in this show as well. Also, Vic Mignogna is in an episode as a talking dog. Here’s the thing though, while the English track is amazing, the Japanese track probably could be the superior track on the account that Shinichi Watanabe (NOT THE DIRECTOR OF COWBOY BEBOP), the director of this show, voices himself. Not to mention the voice actresses in Japanese of Excel and Hyatt mention themselves in the show. Either which track you listen, you will not be disappointed.

Visual-wise, the show holds up well for a show that was made at the beginning of an era where anime would garner a larger international audience. Character models might be standard but at least no character is copy of each other. I’m surprised how visual the show is considering how wordy and unorganized it is. Characters move at an intense speeds and are brilliantly animated. One episode where the animation shines the most is in episode 17 and let me just say my view of animation has changed forever. I’m serious.

Overall, Excel Saga is hilarious. It’s a show that basically takes everything we love about anime and expresses it in a way that is completely over-the-top but not taken seriously. I think everyone should check this show out especially is you thought FLCL was too short. I also recommend watching the OVA successor, Puni Puni Poemi. In short, it’s actually less organized than Excel Saga, but just as hilarious and outrageous. Now if you’ll excuse me, I going to train to become a Quack Experimental Anime Voice Actor.

Imagine a group of human-like "aliens" trying to take over a city: an arrogant and strange boss, a woman that dies all the time and the main character who can't stop talking the entire show. No, even now you don't the tiny idea what is Excel Saga.

The "plot" is entirely random, just like every episode. You'll see Excel trying to take over the city for Ilpalazzo with Hyatt, with non-stop parody and comedy and failing all the time (or just forgetting about her objective in the middle), and some side-stories episodes about Pedro (a depressive guy who's always passing by tough situations), Menchi (a dog ... that Excel uses as "food supply", in case of running out of food) and many others as crazy as Excel (okay, not so much).

The art is very good... for a parody anime. A lot of colors, abstract and crazy art, many times even making parodies based on traces, like USA cartoons traces (sometimes not only the traces).

Comparing the sound, it can be very funny and give many laughs, as can be annoying. Every scene that contais Excel, you will hear her voice over and over, and faster everytime by the way. So, you can like Excel or hate her, only one of those.

We have a great variation of characters here. All the types, and one (or more) will catch your attention. Besides Excel and the others listed, we have a group of young workers who attend the city, helping with little "crimes", the Great Will that is... hard to explain, but will guarantee a lot of laughs too, Nabeshin and even the author himself.

If you're looking for a comedy/parody, or even if not, but want to laugh hard, watch Excel Saga. It's a show that is far from getting boring, has many known parodies and many times it makes parodies with itself, and it's random, as it can be watched and rewatched anytime. So don't expect a plot or nothing serious here, it's all a big joke, in a great way.

Every genre of anime has to start somewhere. For example, the Real Robot genre would not exist if it was not for the original Mobile Suit Gundam, and most "Manly" anime would be completely different were it not for Fist of the North Star. And random comedy/parody anime would not be what it currently is without Excel Saga.

Story: 10/10
The reason I give the story such a high score isn't because of the overall plot - it's because of the episodes. Each episode of the show (With exception of the clip shows, as well as the last episode, which was made to purposely ... get the show canceled) is designed to parody a different genre of anime (some episodes actually parody multiple genres of anime, and even have direct references to other shows). The only genre that I can think of that wasn't parodied is the harem genre - but given the fact that, well, I can't really think of any harems that came before Excel Saga (the only one that I can really think of that's really of note is Urusei Yatsura - and it's extremely debatable if that's a harem), this is actually something I'm willing to forgive. I even found the parodies that I had no knowledge of the source material hilarious - they were just executed so well.

Art - 8/10
The animation still looks pretty good - it's not choppy, and while it is a bit rough, it has aged very well. It's also really colorful - and that's something I really appreciate an anime for. Not much else I can say here.

Sound - 7/10
Now, if I was simply talking about the soundtrack, I would give this a 9/10, since the OST is pretty good, and the opening theme is easily one of my all time favorites. However, I'm also including the voice acting in the dub (I watched the dub)...and this is what will make or break the show for you. Not because the dub is a bad one (I would have switched to the sub if that was the case), but rather, because of Excel's voice. See, Excel has an extremely hi-pitched voice. In fact, Excel's original voice actress had to stop voicing Excel and let someone else handle the role because the strain she put on her voice was very severe.

Character - 10/10
The show's cast is a very diverse one, so I'll describe the 4 main characters, Excel, Hyatt, Menchi, and Lord Ilpalazzo. Excel is a dumb blonde, but she's self aware of this - in fact, the last episode has her state that she is a moron; most of the episodes would not have the plot that they have if it wasn't for her screwing up the missions assigned to her by her master (and target of her affections), Ilpalazzo. Hyatt is a direct contrast to this, being extremely quiet; however, she constantly dies. Menchi is a dog that Excel "adopts" as an emergency food supply, and he is constantly in fear of being eaten - it's not until near the end where he overcomes this fear and starts to bond with Excel. And lastly, IlPalazzo is Excel's superior (and the head of ACROSS, an organization dedicated to, predictably, world domination), except in his case, he's more of just reluctant to put up with Excel - he is constantly shown doing other things, like learning how to play guitar or playing a visual novel on a handheld gaming system.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I found myself laughing at jokes I didn't even understand. THAT'S how funny this show was. And Excel won me over after one episode - THAT's just how likable of a character she is.

Overall: 10/10
I would not recommend this to a beginner, since most of the jokes will fly over your head. This is a title that the more anime you have seen, the funnier you will find it.

RIYL: Gintama, FLCL, Is This a Zombie?, Martian Successor Nadesico

Easily in my Top 3 anime though it's hard to choose. I love the off the wall comedy and slapstick of Excel Saga. All of the characters are really cool.

Well the story doesn't exist, nor does it need to. The art is lacking at best. The sound is great, the charaters are over the top in a good way. Almost every episode is a blast to watch just to see what random event they could think of next. And any anime that provides "option 3: put it in" when the main character wont stop talking, is definitely exploring a new realm of character development and story telling. I recommend this anime to anyone with a short attention span!

Welcome ladies and gents fasten your seatbelts cause this is the big one.This is a review of one of the craziest,zaniest animes the world has witnessed,Excel Saga.

And it's not just crazy,this anime is a very important chapter in anime's history..You might be thinking that it's quite a bold claim for an anime i rated a mere 6,right?Well kinda no,you see ES was conceived in a time when comedy/parody genre was still in short trousers or in some cases not even a fertilised egg in the minds of people.And some day a mad bloke from Japan thought:"Know what,i think i can make one batshit crazy anime ... and people will love me and think i'm interesting and at parties they won't avoid me like they would avoid frenchkissing a bulldog"..And boy the world laughed and laughed,but when the damn thing hit our screens it did so with a punch so deadly it puts Goku to shame.

Story?....Erm....There is one but don't expect a soul crushing story or anything of the sorts.It's basically a blonde airhead(where have i seen this before?)who has just graduated from high school and as she dances and sings through the streets,she has a taste of the real world in the from of a truck.However,an unknown entity decided to bring her back to life(sounds like a female Jesus),because it's not yet her time to die....Note at this point that this is how the anime starts..From that point on she becomes the wildly annoying and totally useless tool of destruction of a sketchy guy called Lord Il Palazzo,who plans to conquer Earth.Her very first task is to punish those pesky rats that spread anarchy with their evil designs that demoralise the youths,the manga artists or more specifically,the manga creator of Excel Saga.And just like that you're into a world of insanity,blood and guts..My kind of place.

Quack Experimental Excel Saga as is the full name is proof that over there in the distant Japan mangakas have been heavily influenced by the Dutch artists and went heavy on the drugs.Fortunately that didn't end up with their ears or noses cut off but it shows in animes like this.It's violent,crude,primal,politically incorrect,and it's just the thing normal people like me were waiting for.People who are tired of the Dragon Ball or Neon Genesis copies and are in desperate need of something to bring light to their empty souls..The weird thing is that it does it in such a way that it doesn't need to resort toilet humor like South Park does.And as a rare treat the protagonists are the bad guys.

Starting with Excel who is not very bright.When it was raining sharp razors she was the only one to be holding an umbrella.This results in forcing Il Palazzo to use any weapon he has in his disposal on her just to shut her up.One has to wonder how she managed to get to graduation..And though she mighgt be annoying she isn't as annoying as you might think,she is a very well thought of character and brings back memories of some old friends in other animated series.What's more,she's a walking-breathing natural disaster.The situations that unfold when she sets out to do a mission beggar belief.And don't get me started with what happens when you add Hyatt to the mix.It's as explosive as drinking a whole pint of vodka with just a minor splash of juice..It's gonna make you vomit blood from every hole in your body..Much like Hyatt then.Last but not least Pedro,the migrant construction worker..You might thing he's there just to fill the time but trust me he does play a major role in the whole disaster..Speaking of disaster that last episode was banned from airing in TV so you know you're in for some surprise.

As for them soundtracks and VA..Dear mother of god!!!It's out of this world.Everything from the little things to the opening and ending songs are just fab.Mad props to Excel's VA who really did bring the character to life and gave her a very unique presence.I'm sure i've never heard such an outstanding performance,EVER.As for the opening song it has that 90's feel to it,oldschool stuff,kinda like Fresh Prince of Bell Air.And the ending song was Menchi singing or rather barking a ballad.I loved it all honestly.

Now i'll admit that ES is not without faults and sure enough if you watch it in one sitting it becomes incredibly tiresome but no matter what it is special and it definitely is memorable.I'll also admit that it isn't an anime that suits everyone's tastes,after all it is a comedy and comedy strikes differently among the masses.But if you are like me and you love black humour,slapstick comedy with a splash and dash of sickness then this is the one for ya.Hope you do give it a chance,it will amaze you.

Story - (8/10) - Very Good
In Excel Saga, there really is no story and the series is quite episodic, but when they parody something (which is pretty much all they do), they do it well. In the final 3 episodes, they force a storyline into it, and I did not like that very much. Nothing is safe from being parodied by Excel! Dragonball, Gundam, nothing! If you are well versed in Japanese anime's and pop culture (at the time the anime was made), there will be non-stop laughs for you. This is one of those animes that you can watch over and over, and each ... time pick up a new joke because there are so many of them hidden. Simply - Excel Saga set's out to parody, poke fun, and make you laugh - and it achieves all of those, so who is to complain? It wouldn't be Excel Saga if it had some seriously deep, emotional story within it.

Art - (7/10) - Good
The Art is really nothing to get worked up about. Your average animation from the late 90's. The character designs were rather good though, and Excel and Hyatt turned out very cute. There is really not much detail put into the environments, but there doesn't need to be. The wavy-arms and super-deformed facial expressions done by Excel and company are well done though, and very funny.

Sound - (7/10) - Good
I watched this series subbed, because the dub isn't much to speak for. (Read - it sucks). Excel's voice takes a little getting used to, and is still rather annoying throughout the series, but other than that, there is nothing really wrong with the
sound. The only fault is Excel's voice, which is a big thing, since she happens to be the main character and does most of the energetic talking.

Characters - (8/10) - Very Good
The characters all fill out their purpose in this series - to make you laugh, and hard at that. Each character, though come and go as they do, are designed nice and have a nice simple look to them. The girls are pretty cute too, as mentioned before, and the character designs were done very well, and the characters were some-what believable for what they were doing. Most of the characters are very unique, and often break the wall between the show and the person watching the show (addressing the audience, so on), which makes it seem less real, but it isn't really that real to begin with, now is it?

Enjoyment - (10/10) - Outstanding
I laughed my ass off all during this series. Very, very funny series, worth a look even if you aren't into absurdest/slapstick comedies. I really enjoyed watching this anime, and never felt myself getting bored during the episodes (just having Excel on the screen jumpin' around makes you not bored - I cannot stress how damn energetic she is!).

Overall - (8/10) - Very Good
Don't go looking to Excel Saga if you want superb character developments, mature comedy, or a great plot - you will be disappointed. But if all you want to do is laugh, you have found the show that is for you. You can compare Excel Saga to the Austin Powers movies series, scratch the pervertedness. I would say this series is alright for ages 10 and up to watch, ommiting the infameous 'Going Too Far Episode' (Episode 26), which involves massive blood and gore, blatant pedophilia, mature sexual humor, and the Excel dismembering all the characters. (Don't get me wrong though, its funny as hell, just not OK for anybody under, say 15, rest of the series is fine though).

First of all, this didn't need to be 20-something episodes. It's satire, and satire is reactionary; it's clever enough that you try to stay on its crack-addled wavelength for a couple hours, but after a while it begins to set in that there's no real heart. Jokes that weren't very funny the first time around are run into the ground. Animation turns into a glorified slideshow with cheap digital effects. Character designs reach Pokemon levels of bland (this girl has purple hair! This girl has green/blue/yellow hair! This guy has spiky hair and yells a lot! etc).

I get that the show's thing is that is ... pokes fun at bad anime, but after a while it unironically just becomes a bad anime--apparently the line is blurry enough that people don't realize it or don't care.

Worst of all, a really clever premise goes to waste: every episode is supposed to be a parody of a certain genre, but it's so stylistically rote and prosaic it usually falls short. Like, one episode is a horror movie parody, and so... the characters walk around a little in a dark sewer and fight a monster. No variation in music, art direction, mood or anything. Really disappointing.

A hint of inspiration returns at the end during that Fist of the North Star parody, when running gags are turned on their heads and used dramatically in a rather experimental way, but that doesn't make up for most of the episodes being rubbish. Thankfully FLCL came along later and did this postmodern slapstick thing correctly.

Story (6.7/10) – As with most parodies there isn’t too much of a story here. There are a few outlying plots (ACROSS’ conquest, Pedro’s redemption, civil servants), but it seems as if the plot is simply there so JC staff (creators of Excel saga) can parody other anime genres/clichés. I have no problem with this of course, because that is the point of this anime after all, but if I’m being asked to rate the story I would say the concepts are okay. In other words, if you went into Excel Saga expecting a groundbreaking story, you are in for a disappointment. It’s kind ... of disappointing that I have to give the story of a parody anime a rating because that is not the focus of this show, but if I must I would say the story was okay.

Characters (8.0/10) - What makes of breaks this series for most people is the main character, Excel. Most people will either love her extremely hyper and loud character or find her to be unbearably annoying. Most people who hate this show really just can’t stand Excel’s loud, hyper, “pun”-saying ways and it’s what ruins the show for them. I however enjoyed Excel’s character and thought her characteristics and the way she was, was perfect for a parody anime, such as Excel saga. As for the rest of the cast, none of the other characters really stood out to be as impactful as Excel was, but there are a few others that I enjoyed (Nabeshin usually managed to get some laughs out of me). The rest of the cast each had their moments however and I found the cast of this series to be overall enjoyable.

Sound (7.7/10) - The soundtrack for this series was, to put it simply effective. Nothing cutting edge or incredible, it just got the job done. The tracks seemed to be appropriate for the scenes, so as boring as this sound review may seem, the tracks were pretty good, but not incredible. However, I was going to give the sound a 7.5, but since I loved the OP so much, I gave the series a 7.7 for sound (it’s just some damn catchy).

Animation (8.1/10) - The animation in this series is very nice and (I believe) it has stood the test of time, meaning it does not look bad at all when compared to today’s series. The character designs for this series are pretty nice as well and are faithful to Koshi Rikdo’s original manga. Everything looks really good (despite the fact that it’s a series from 1999-2000) and I really have no major complaints about the animation.

Enjoyment (8.7/10) - I really enjoyed this series for the most part, the characters fit just right for what the anime was going for, the soundtrack did its job and the animation was great. As I said before Excel is a huge part of anyone’s enjoyment for this series so, again if you find her to be too annoying you will most likely not enjoy this series. The reason my score for enjoyment is not higher is because some of the episodes in this series really missed for me, barley managing any chuckles out of me. This could be because I have not seen many examples for the anime that the episodes were parodying (for example, it’s tough to find a sports anime parody funny when you haven’t seen many sports anime). However, this show is episodic for the most part so a few episodes not really hitting the mark with me did not affect my enjoyment for this series too harshly. Towards the end of the series, the writers do actually seem to run out of ideas (as they joke about in the actual series), but what they improvise/come up with is not bad at all IMO. However when the writers decided to make 2 serious, “no-gag” episodes, they just seemed a bit out of place. These episodes could have been more enjoyable for me if they did not feel awkward giving the tone of the rest of the series, I felt myself thinking “I’m supposed to feel bad for Excel now?” Despite a few minor gripes this series was fun and I could see myself re-watching it again and still getting a kick out of it.

Overall score =39.2/50 (78%) or 7.84/10

If your here for story or plot, you chose the wrong media (check the manga for that, it has plenty). If your here for mindless humor, jokes that can make you laugh and be disgusted (especially on episode 26) at the same time, you came to the right place.

Quack and Experimental are appropriate words for this show, a work of Nabeshin (nick name of Shinichi Watanabe) more than the Koshi Rikdo (the manga-ka). The series loosely follows stories from the manga, using it as a jumping off point to a parody on a genre of anime. This leads to its greatest strength and flaw, ... its story. While its story is humorous, it lacks a plot for the first 20 or so episodes, consisting of mostly random events that have no relation to each other.

Characters are greatly altered from their original manga forms to both good and bad effects. Excel fast talking, while cute in the Japanese, can get a bit annoying in the dub. Illpalazo quest to be a rock and roll guitarist/singer and his obsession with dating sims is humorous (especially when the anime-only Key decides to sing about him). The biggest risk character change was to turn Shioji into a pedophile/child kidnapper (he was on the wall in the manga). While this is mostly "all in good fun" for the majority of the series, episode 26 makes one joke with this that will either make your laugh or make you turn off the tv.

Now to make a point, this show is not for kids. I stress this only because of episode 26 (I mentioned that three times by now, haven't I?). It was purposely made to be so explicit and over the top that it could not air during its original run on tv. "Sex, violence and young things to explore. Much too much for minors its only for adults. How will we ever get away with it." was accurate little jingle for the preview.

For those who like gag shows and comedies, this is a must see. For those who like anime for there continuity and amazing stories, this one is not for you.