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 Volume 6: Going way too far!

By John Huxley
28th Apr 04

Every now and again, you come across an anime that leaves you speechless. In Excel Saga's case, this isn't bought on by awe and inspiration, it's the end product of my complete inability to comprehend the 24fps insanity that's flashing right before my eyes. Try as I might, I just don't know what to make of it all. It's an oddball comedy, no doubt of that, but where the jokes fall flat (which is a worryingly high percentage) I find myself strangely mesmerised by the incomprehensible lunacy of it all. The slightly off-kilter anime parodies, the puerile gags and puns, the exaggerated character designs; these all give Excel Saga a unique flavour that's beyond definition. But I'll give it my best shot all the same...

This sixth and final volume doesn't deviate much from the standard Excel Saga formula. We're given five 'themed' episodes, each loosely based around some kind of anime parody which gives Excel, Hyatt and the rest of the cast a good excuse to indulge in some corny jokes, puns and visual gags. Very rarely do these parodies mimic the source material with any degree of accuracy - everything has that distinctive 'Excel Saga' spin that, regardless of the authenticity of the parody, lets you know you're safely within the confines of its bizarre universe. And make no mistake, it is bizarre. The ultra cute alien Puchuu's invade the earth under the careful watch of the Space Butler, Nabeshin and Pedro fight the evil That Man with their super afro power to win back the heart of his sexy wife, while Excel and Hyatt attempt to conquer F city in the name of Lord Illpalazo, fending off the attentions of the Daizanpan Municpal force, the local Power Rangers lookalikes who take orders from a man with a false moustache. Yes, it's every bit as nonsensical as it sounds.

For a whole twenty-one episodes Excel Saga has managed to avoid even the merest hint of character development, narrative structure and all those things we usually associate with good storytelling. Surprisingly, this volume does a 180 degree about turn, introducing a genuine original story that's spread over the course of episodes 22 through 25, something that helps bring the series to a close and (to some extent) make sense of everything that went before. It's only partially successful in this respect, leaving behind one hundred and one unanswered questions, anomalies and inconsistencies that would otherwise be a detriment to a regular anime series - but not Excel Saga! Excel Saga, being the oddball show that it surely is, thrives on defying audience expectations and pushing the boundaries of good taste and accepted practice. This will no doubt alienate a large portion of the audience who approach Excel Saga expecting a more traditional comedy anime, but it at least makes for a slice of intriguing entertainment.

If Excel Saga left you baffled and bemused, wondering how on earth anyone could find this nonsense funny...don't even look - don't even glance - at episode 26. It's Excel Saga taken to new heights (lows?) of insanity, the boundaries of good taste and accepted practice a long forgotten memory as it speeds away to lands uninhibited where the blood runs free. The presentation is too light hearted for anyone to take serious offense, but with all the nudity and violence, it's certainly not one to show in front of the kids. Excel Saga is a dish best served hot, so I won't ruin the surprise by giving away all the gory details. You'll just have to watch it yourself...something to look forward to after the series proper has drawn to a close.

In a way, episode 26 is a fitting conclusion for the series, more appropriate than any 'regular' episode ever could have been. Excel Saga was never about the story or the characters. It was about fitting as many silly gags, parodies and puns in to 25 minutes of animation as was humanly possible, funny or no funny. And you know what? It was a complete success.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, AD Vid-notes, episode 25 clean close, episode 26 clean open/close, Puni Puni Poemy latest info, production sketches, ADV previews.

Release information: UK release date: 15th March 2004, ADV

Notes: I don't want to be a killjoy, but after being treated to some pretty neat extras over the course of the Excel Saga run, this last volume is a mite disappointing. There's more on Puni Puni Poemy (what? you mean to say it wasn't a joke?), the regular production sketches and a few clean open/close animations, but nothing really worth writing home about. Still, it's as nicely presented as always, with some neat animated menus that suit the style of the show to a tee. Plus there's always the AD Vid notes, which I couldn't imagine myself watching Excel Saga without. Not a bad disc by any stretch of the imagination, just not quite as good as we've become used to.

-- John Huxley 28th Apr 04

Excel Saga Images