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Excel Saga
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Animation - 8.1 |
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Sound - 8.0 |
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Story - 6.8 |
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Character - 8.2 |
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Value - 7.9 |
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Enjoyment - 8.3 |
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Average - 7.9 |
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
0 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| I don't know what the creator was smoking, or, scarily enough, not smoking, when he made this, but it's (pardon the antiquated word) a "trip". If you want to watch something that really doesn't require much brain power to follow pop this in, if you're not a P.E.T.A. member that is, sit back, and be confused and, at times, disturbed (especially that last episode),
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| Average |
5.3 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
3 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| Ah, the controversial, albeit very distinct parody anime series Excel Saga. Making fun of everything from simulation games to mangaka references and a myriad of other insinuating Japanese anime/music/pop culture occurances, this is an insanely weird mind trip in and of itself. I've been told many times to actually appreciate Excel Saga, you have to have an open sense of humor and have an appreciation for the absurd.
I did...and unfortunately, even after watching it a couple of times with an extended amount of time between watches, it wasn't my cup of tea, and I really did try to take more from it. What irked me was how repetitive (and sometimes very unfunny) some of the situations and character actions were, and it lacks a certain intellectual spunk that could have actually put it in better context and brought some of the insinuated jokes more to the forefront. I saw what it was trying to do, but for lack of utter investment in the characters and a haphazard storyline, I couldn't come into it.
Animation standards are actually rather decent for a series of this time (it's consistent with series that were made in 1999, and sported decent character designs in retrospect), though I wasn't particularly impressed with the settings or the clarity of the animation sequences themselves. The music doesn't quite stand out all that much either, unless you count the rather amusing OP/ED sequences, which really don't take themselves all that seriously. The OP theme sounds like a haphazardly noted karaoke, but if you actually understand the lyrics, it has a hilarious meaning behind it. Each time I saw the sequence I couldn't help but fall over laughing. The ED theme actually lost its appeal to me after a few watches, but I also found it amusing considering the dog was one of the more consistent characters I laughed at in the course of the series.
Story and Characters? Excel Saga doesn't have the type of progression or story that makes you feel invested within it, and seems to be all for momentary giggles and gags. If that's your brand of humor, with a bit of a nonsensical twist, then I don't think you'll have very many problems enjoying Excel Saga, but I was left wanting more from it, not necessarily wanting more of it, if you can differentiate between the two. More expansion about these factors in the extended review, but my recommendation for Excel Saga is limited. I found it funny in some spot contexts, and I think others will too, but don't come into this thinking its one of the most representative of anime parody works.
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| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| I have watched Excel Saga twice so far and i cant really describe why i enjoyed it thoroughly both times. As a parody it is really weak and not as intelligent as it could have been. The jokes are repetitive and after million times of falling through the trap door it begins to be annyoing. On the other side the creators didnt take themselves to seriously and thats what attracted me in the beginning.
My main criticism is that u hardly laugh a lot. It is more like you are smirking about the allusions they make and how the characters behave at times.
Overall i enjoyed Excel Saga because it has a light feeling around it. You dont have to think a lot and still get a lot funny moments to see.
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| Average |
7.7 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| "Are there any questions?"
"I've got way too many, but I'm not sure they're questions I should even be asking..."
And that, ladies and gents, sums up Excel Saga (to a tee) in its own words. If you're like me and a fan of random humor, this series will go down in your books as one of the greatest anime you've had the fortune to set your eyes upon. While not the funniest or most clever comedy to be produced, it boasts an incredibly unique flavor that you will either passionately love or fervently loathe.
That said, Excel Saga's animation is fairly well sophisticated for its time, but nothing spectacular. However, animation included, Excel Saga is entirely self-conscious of all its flaws and doesn't give mocking itself a second thought. For instance, there's an episode where all the male characters are given no screentime and the females are given a "30% increase to shading and highlights." By far the least commentable (is that a word...? Is now!) of the categories, not too much else to say here.
Moving on, the sound score is much more commentable. The opening theme fits the series like a glove, and probably fits even better considering it's sung by the VA's who do Excel and Hyatt. On the other side is an ingenious ending theme. sung in dog barks about how Menchi wishes to be eaten. Sandwhich a great OST inbetween and there's not much to complain about. Each of the tracks capture the moods of their respective scenes with finesse, and despite their obvious lack of great production quality I quite enjoyed them. Even better, though, top it all off with an outstanding Seiyuu and you're good to go. The voice actor for Excel is especially impressive, as capturing that energy and hype is certainly no easy task. I also loved Pedro and his Spanish-accented Japanese.
And yet, what makes Excel Saga so epic is that it ties all its randomness together via more randomness. It's not merely episodic, as random events in one episode influence what happens in the next, creating a snowball effect with the hilarity; the two Menchi side stories are prime examples. I most appreciated the side stories, however, especially those of Pedro and Nabeshin. Despite what it might seem, Excel Saga is actually surprisingly coherent. A number of side stories work together to push the show forward, and while there is a narrow central pillar they revolve around, there's really no set order to what happens. Again, though, that's the majority of the fun.
All in all, I think it's impossible to properly reflect the Excel Saga experience in words. For those who appreciate random humor and/or outrageous parody, this is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience. If not, there's no other appeal here and I'd highly suggest staying away. Overall, not something to be missed, as it's definitely earning a special place in my anime collection.
Highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Ohjay |
2007-06-30 03:41:05 |
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| Average |
6.5 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
5 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Excel saga, it's hard to know where to begin when reviewing this absolutely nutty anime.
It is a very satirical anime that makes fun of every kind of animation there is. It even makes fun of some non-anime stuff like popular movies and such as well.
It revolves around Excel, the senior officer of the idealistic organization ACROSS, and her attempts to carry out orders supplied to her from Ilbarazzo. These orders usually are about how to take over the city, F city F prefecture, where all this takes place.
The story itself is pretty weak, but I got the impression that this anime was never about the story, rather about making a wacky, funny anime that makes a lot of weird jokes and makes fun of other anime. A lot of the jokes are great, and you can't help but laugh out loud at some of the jokes they make about other anime.
Excel herself is a character you won't either like or dislike. My first impression was "what the heck" and then it pended between liking and disliking throughout the entire series, but in hindsight, my view of Excel is still "what the heck".
Overall it's a decent anime but it has it's flaws. If you're looking for some comedy it should fulfill that part at least. I did get bored with it at times though as Excel can really get on your nerves at times, especially if you're not in the right mood.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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SR-95 |
(2007-06-29 06:29:54) 2007-06-28 05:28:20 |
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| Average |
7.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Wow, it was a wacky ride filled with all types of feelings and questions that appeared during and after every episode but the questions I think most persisted throughout the anime were: 'Shouldn't you be dead?" and "WTF! Can they actually put that in a TV animation?" but, the special "Way too much" (self explicatory) answered those.
Anyways... going on to serious stuff, what I can say about the story and characters is that they evolve in an unhealthy way every episode... most of the time through the introduction of another meaningless character that the directors may or may not kill before the end of the episode along with his/her contribution to the storyline. Actually the main storyline (witch started to take shape around episode 22) evolves in the same way thus constituting a circle of uselessness filled on the road with many gags, deaths, animals, robots, some people, DBZ, overloads, genki, puns, spoofs, several million words (most of them said by Excel) and a fun way to burn your brain, in episode 26 "way way too much" explaining how nothing much actually happened people being back to were they were trying to obtain "happiness" (actually Pedro and Nabeshin did it... sort of). The special sowed us that the directors still had many wacky and disgusting ideas that they couldn't use in this anime and will try to put them in many, many future projects that will be based on one or more experiments executed in Quack Experimental Anime Excel Saga.
(I wonder if that sounded like an Excel speech)
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| If there was ever an anime that was created to imitate life, Excel Saga would come just about as close to its description as a live person does to a tornado's center. It overexagerrates life to no end, yet somehow you can say you've been through at least one of the [interminable] hardships Excel has.
Except, well, more realistically, not magical, and without the dancing teddybear-like aliens ^^;
Okay, so maybe it really doesn't have anything to do with our own lives, but, well, I tried. We need to at least give this anime a fair chance of explaining where it's randomness comes from (and when I say random, I mean RANDOM). It can't speak for itself, so someone has to...
With that said, you probably think I'm crazy if you know anything about what goes on here. And, well, you have a right to think so. If a person watching Excel Saga is not one part crazy, one part crazy... I just can't picture them enjoying it. The comedy is off-the-walls and totally incoherent. In a sense, a four letter word, L-O-V-E. Love.
On a rainy day. Without an umbrella. Standing on a beach. Holding a box of Milanos.
Lost? Great. You'll feel right at home when watching Excel Saga. Not to say you'll be lost, but it's more of a "go search for TonTon because he hasn't come back from the zoo yet" feeling; you know where you have to go and where you'll be, you just don't know what to do once you get there. Except, well, laugh.
It may not be the most sophisticated humor, but it does take a mind to find the hilarity in a tuberculosis patient... rather, maybe not just a mind, but more so an immoral one xD; It's true. This show has no morals or ethics. It dares to go where no other anime has gone before, and it pulls off its comedy with the greatest of ease.
Even the music is hilarious! I would even call the creators geniuses for what they do in it! The opening is a parody (well, the whole show is a parody!) of pop idol groups, such as Morning Matsume, and has the most absurd lyrics ever, but they summarize all that you're going to be watching afterwards. And then for the closing a dog singing about how he doesn't want to get eaten by Excel, but if she must, to at least eat him fast so the meat doesn't get hard?? Extraordinarily brilliant, I tell you, brilliant.
And to think at one point I thought Kodoma no Omocha seemed haphazard...
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| Average |
5.3 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
5 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
3 |
| This is one of the very few animes that i have given a crap review. Personally, I didnt find this comedy really that funny. It had its bits, but it didnt have me choking with laughter, as I would have liked this kind of anime to do. If anything, I found it really annoying. Its lack of sense just didnt fit for me.
Animation was only mediocre, but it may have been the best kind to fit with the senseless comedy. So not much to comment..
The OP was a wierd song but sounded alright. The ED was absolutely senseless..The voice acting was fine except for the protagonists voice. (Excel) It was half the reason why this series was so annoying.
There was no story at all until the end few episodes, where a plot was attempted (I guess). That had me kind of intrigued, which was impressive, but it was only for a few episodes out of a full 26 ep series...It scored points.
The characters fit well with each other for a comedy except the protagonist was a just too erratic for me. The reason I gave characters a 6 was mostly because of the afro dude, Nabeshin. He was the cool, enough said.
I would definitely not watch this anime again..and I also dont recommend watching it if you have ANYTHING to watch. Chances are you wouldnt enjoy it, or you may love it, as other reviews have suggested.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
6.8 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
6 |
| Excel Saga was a worthwhile experiment on some levels. Each individual episode parodying a different aspect of anime was at times done with hilarious results, yet at others the series stands as the very definition of a good thing taken too far.
Read my review for more.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Donal |
(2006-04-09 03:47:22) 2006-03-20 15:04:27 |
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Amongst comedies, Azumanga Daioh, Excel Saga, GTO and FMP Fumoffu! have succeeded so far to make their own reputation (especially Azumanga Daioh which has a strange underground popularity if I may say so).
Though only Excel Saga dare to cross the lines of what you expect of an anime comedy, including sexual contents as yuri or lolikon "understatement" (like always, it's more incredible when it's only suggested). The director and the mangaka have even their own characters. It's quite "cynical" about animes since it tells about merchandising of animes item (ropponmatsu), how to fill animes or how to adapt mangas into animes.
And the episode 26 is a legendary one. Not to add the incredible performance of Excel Saga seiyuu.
Explosive, full of brigth ideas, parodic, auto-parodic and really funny, Excel Saga is paradoxically a very clever show.
Anyway, there are only two reasonable types of opinion on Excel Saga. Those who are crazy of it, and those who hate it.
You should definetely try it to know what's your point of view. And if you have liked it, just go for Puni Puni Poemi after episode 26.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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quamp |
(2006-02-08 18:59:52) 2006-01-19 18:58:56 |
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| What sort of anime kills the lead character within one minute of starting? One that can't be taken seriously. The misadventures of ACROSS member Excel Excel and her cohorts is very entertaining. Everything from the Power Rangers to Gundam Wing to Fist of the North Star gets shot at by the Quack Experimental Anime Excel Saga. One of the first animes that was set in recessionary times, it shows what some of the crazier ideas people have to survive (like eating the family dog.) Today's experiment... failed.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Genesis |
(2005-12-24 15:57:39) 2005-12-24 15:53:01 |
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| Average |
6.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| I found Excel Saga very annoying and boring anime.Reason might be that this was my first PARODY anime and i just could understand it or get into it.It seemed like they try to much to be funny but it was actually annoying. It just was to rushed anime with no real plot but i guess that is part of PARODY theme.Also bothered me that they talked "super fast" and it was no serious talk just fooling around and talking nonsense! Comedy part was not so good either.They just keep on repeating same or similar things.But i guess many people will like this kind of comedy.
Animation is not bad if you consider that this show is from 1999 ,so animation is okay.Characters are strange to describe.I repeat this is my first (and hopefully last) PARODY anime so i cant compare them to any other parody anime characters.But they are very original comparing to other animes i have seen.Excel is main character,she is very energetic girl and she trys in any crazy way to finish her missions but always fails.Which makes you feel kind a sad for her.Hyatt is total opposite from Excel.She is not so energetic and active like Excel.Actually she is dead or half dead ,i don't know but she always dies in each episode.Its just crazy!
Thats it ,if you like crazy and i must say stupid things to watch ,than this one is for you !
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Caireen |
(2006-12-22 10:11:17) 2005-12-01 04:28:09 |
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| Average |
4.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
2 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
2 |
| Enjoyment |
2 |
| What a load of tripe and unlike a lot of people, I won't go on to say "but it was so much fun"! It has to be the most boring waste of time I have ever watched (except maybe Kanon *lol*).
Seriously I couldn't face the last DVD for 3 days, I avoided watching it and ended up playing my gamecube instead!
I finally plucked up the stamina to watch the final 5 episodes and I wasn't disappointed, it was the purile, boring rubbish I had anticipated.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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|
|
| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
6 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| This anime is very random but it is also crazy in the sense that it is so high octane and insane that if you like that kind of comedy, than excel saga is a must for you! me personally thought it was alright but I am more for surreal comedy and situational comedy not to mention comedy that pokes at everyday life.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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evilgod84 |
(2005-10-30 22:10:46) 2005-10-30 22:09:59 |
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| If you like "crazy," then this is the show for you!
This series goes from wild, to crazy, to just plain wrong...
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Ryuujin |
(2005-11-13 10:21:56) 2005-09-02 02:15:29 |
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| Average |
8.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Not much to tell about this anime. Excel saga is the scary movie for anime as it makes jokes about different anime genres and overused effects and anime clichés(hope I typed that right). Each episode centers on different things like romance, mecha, detective, even dating games! to name a few. It has no real storyline as the serie has an episodiadic(is this a word?) rhytmn, excluding the last eps where they puzzle the pieces together(like the ending of Pedro saga, which is one hilarious side story...). You don't watch this for the story, but as an anime veteran you laugh at all the inside gags and hidden jokes.
So is it good? Indeed. It succeeds as an parody. You get to laugh your ass(you can say this word?) off in almost each ep(some middle eps weren't so good). And it definitely has rewatch value as your anime knowledge increases. Like the guy before me said this is excellent to watch with fellow otaku's as it gets funnier in the growd(or we get more stupid).
P.S A word of warning!
Usually Excel speaks so fast that u have real hard time to read the subs(if u watching fansubs). I had to stop the video and read it, but mostly her blattering is just plain nonsense. Sometimes other character's do this too like the sales woman(always^^).
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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MaChao |
(2005-07-22 05:05:54) 2005-07-22 04:56:32 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| To be perfectly honest, Excel Saga did not meet my initial expectations. I heard that this was a funny show, so I got it. It had its moments, but the humor was too random for me at the time.
As I watched more and more and over and over again, I realized that this show is a GEM. It still doesn't meet my initial expectations, but that just meant I expected the wrong thing from the show.
There is no show like it and the execution of the entire show is next to perfect.
If you're a comedy lover, an anime freak (so that you would understand the jokes), or a Kotono Mitsuishi fan, then this is a must-see.
I am not giving this show a perfect 10 because everyone will enjoy it. It gets a perfect 10 because it's an expertly executed show that keeps all the promises that it makes.
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1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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|
|
|
| Average |
7.2 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| What a crazy anime this is!!! Makes fun of just about everything. This is the definitive parody of all kinds of anime. From romantic drama to mech action. Nothing escapes the author's imagination. The jokes were a mixed bag. Some were laugh out loud some incited mere chuckles. My suggestion is that this is something that you will enjoy with some other regular anime watchers. This series is more of a crowd pleaser rather than one individual.
Excel was annoying and hyper but her stupidity held no bounds. The story was moronic at best and was an excuse to make fun of everything. Which was done quite nicely. The side characters simply there to create a side story. which was a lot more fun to watch than the core storyline.
A very funny anime. Would recommend a watch with other anime fans who have at least watched 50 titles to get all the jokes.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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|
|
|
| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Behold the Masterpice of Parodies! This is basically what Excel Saga is all about: spoofs and parodies, crazy characters, crazy storyline/plot (wait, it doesn't really contain a plot), crazy situations, crazy explosions/violences, crazy...insanity! With so much craziness in an anime, this is for PURE entertainment, DO NOT anticipate or even hope for a decent storyline! This show is about pure...crazy comedy.
Well, the comedy might be mindless, but being in the parody genre as it is, knowing the reference this anime is trying to make fun of will have you rolling on the ground laughing! This satire anime made fun of (and not limited to): Star Wars, itself, terminator, robo-cop, titanic, Doraemon, Dragon Balls, Sailor Moon, Lupin III, Power Rangers, Gundam, Trigun...just to name a few. This being the case, the more anime/movies/cultural references you watched or understood, the funnier this anime becomes!
And don't forget about the characters: insane and energetic Excel, dying and living Hyatt, the mysterious Great Will of Universe and many others.
This anime is not for everyone. With sarcastic dark humor and mindless violence, if you want a good laugh without refined or sophisticated comedy, check this out now!
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CoachZ |
(2005-05-25 10:55:49) 2005-04-22 02:01:11 |
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| Average |
8.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| It's a nice parody anime, and gives plenty of over-redundant characters that kept it very humorous. The opening and ending was basically a none-serious one, which were both pretty good and persistently laughable. I mostly thought the first few episodes were more hilarious than later on. Story can be varied on numerous times from actually being good and sometimes being usually odd with the whole storyline. I wasn't into the two main characters, especially on Excel; but always thought that all of the side characters were more amusing, even if some of them weren't really a part of story. It's a fun one to watch, even if you aren't into the parody genre.
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