Excel Saga

Publisher
ADV
Director
Shinichi Watanabe
Production
J.C.Staff, TV Tokyo, Victor Entertainment
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2000

Excel Saga series review

By John Huxley
28th Apr 04

Well, this isn't normal. It doesn't matter what I say, I'll never be able to accurately describe Excel Saga. It's an anime comedy, yes, it's about a secret organisation's attempts to conquer the world, yes, it features two incompetent agents of said organisation one of whom is full of life, the other whom is constantly at her death bed, yes. Excel Saga is all these things, but I haven't even scratched the surface.

To call it an 'anime comedy' would be slightly misleading. More accurate would be anime satire, or anime parody. Each episode of Excel Saga begins with Koshi Rikdo (the author of the original manga) giving his authorisation to turn Excel Saga in to whatever they feel like for that particular episode. For example, in one particular episode Excel Saga is a science fiction epic, the next it's a low budget action film. This may sound odd (and it is), but this is really just an excuse to insert plenty of wacky plot lines that had very little or nothing to do with the preceding episodes, all the while aping popular culture.

And that's where problem #1 rears it's ugly head. To find a parody funny it usually helps to have at least a little knowledge of the source material. Excel Saga constantly picks at western culture, from The Terminator to Titanic, but mostly steals from its homeland. Not just anime, either; we're talking dating games, Japanese dramas, that kind of thing. Even the most hardened anime fan will be hard pressed to get all the jokes without ADV's handy AD Vid-notes.

This ingenious feature is a subtitle option that displays white speech bubbles containing notes on culture and some of the more obscure jokes. They pop up as the joke is happening and stay long enough for you to read them, although I'm sure most viewers will need to pause to read everything. As helpful as they are, it is very hard to find a joke funny if someone has to explain it to you. It's commendable that ADV have done everything they can to ensure that western viewers don't miss a thing, yet I can't help but feel that Excel Saga is a lost cause.

That's not to say that it isn't funny, not by a long shot. The majority of jokes need little or no understanding of Japanese culture outside of anime and there are plenty of jokes that are funny in their own right.

The characters of Excel Saga make for an unusual cast, to say the least. First we have Excel, a bouncy young girl who's full of life and energy. She'd never stop talking if she weren't so hungry all the time. Excel works for Across, a secret ideological organisation who plan to conquer the world. It's leader, the great lord Ilpalazzo isn't exactly the fun-loving kinda guy. He tends to stand around his throne looking moody and giving orders to the excitable Excel. The third member of Across (yes, they have a slight staff shortage problem) is the polar opposite of Excel. Hyatt is a frail figure of a girl, constantly at death's door. It's a good thing that the Great Will of the Universe, a female (?) microcosm with human arms and a nicotine addiction is at hand to resurrect the central characters when they fall to an untimely (and inappropriate for the story) death. This happens a lot.

Both Excel and Hyatt are parodies of characters popular in anime; the bouncy, over-the-top heroine (think Catgirl Nuku Nuku) and the quiet, shy type (think Rei from Evangelion), respectively. Only these parodies have been taken one step further: Excel won't shut up (until lord Ilpalazzo opens the trapdoor) and Hyatt is so frail she can barely walk without keeling over. A lot of the characters in Excel Saga, including Excel herself, would be very dislikeable characters were they placed in a more serious anime. As it is, they escape your attention because they are often the subject of a joke or simply look normal next to some of the more bizarre goings on.

The animation and artwork is something of a moot point in an anime such as this. If it gets a laugh, who cares what it looks like? But you'll be glad to know that it is more than adequate. The music isn't anything out of the ordinary, but the end theme is worth a mention. This is sung by Excel's pet dog Menchi, who also serves as her emergency food supply. Menchi howls and barks the words to this slow, melodic song about his life as a food stuff. The words are translated by an interpreter so you can understand the poor pooch.

So, the end of the review. A summary. If you have a great understanding of Japanese pop culture, there is no reason why you shouldn't find this hilarious. If, like the majority of us, your understanding of all things Japanese is only mild at best, I find it slightly harder to recommend. I'd say 50% of you will hate it and 50% will love it. The worst you can do is find out which half you belong to.

-- John Huxley 28th Apr 04

Excel Saga Images