Saturday, November 26, 2011

“Over 9000” – Excel Saga – 4/10 Pumpkin Pies


Humor is a reminder that no matter how high the throne one sits on, one sits on one's bottom. ~Taki

Genre: Action/Comedy/Sci-Fi/Parody

Review Status: Incomplete (3 Episodes/26 Episodes)

Licensed: Yes, this anime is licensed in the US

Art/Animation: Pretty good, still looks nice for when it was made.

Dub Vs. Sub: I only listened to the dub. I found Excel’s voice to be loud, annoying, and screechy 90% of the time. The rest of the V.A.s were pretty good and fit into their roles well.

Summary: Hyperactive Excel does anything and everything to try to please her lord, Ilpalazzo, who wants to take over the planet. Excel's misadventures take her and her partner, the ever-dying Hyatt, all over the world, meeting several strange people as they go. Everything is bizarre and goofy, as any kind of anime or entertainment genre gets mocked and spoofed. (ANN)

Review: Humor is a very subjective thing, so I really hope I’m not going to get hate mail over this. Excel Saga is a mile-a-minute joke, parody, and tale of a woman who merely wants to please her master in taking over the world. With all that coming at you every moment of the runtime, this will either overload you with laughter or give you a headache.

Unfortunately, for me, it’s the later. I did find some things funny (those darn aliens! And the whole creator-death thing), but overall I found this to be strange, obnoxious, and irritating. The one thing that brought this up a notch was one, single character- the dog. I found Menchi to be cute, tragically funny, and the ending’s parody of Animal Crossing (K.K. Slider, anyone?) really got me going! I could have watched that dog all day long. Alas, this had to focus on somebody I didn’t find at all amusing.

Overall, while this has its moments, I would avoid it hard.

Recommended: 18+. This has some suggestive scenes and dark comedy, along with a little language and violence (mostly offscreen, but Excel’s partner has “OMG They Killed Kenny!” syndrome, though not on an episode-long basis).

Other titles you might enjoy:

Arakawa Under the Bridge (anime and manga)
Saint Young Men (manga)
Slayers (anime)

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