*This blog post was started on March 9, 2022.

Imagine We Still Had VHS: Quack Experimental Anime: Excel Saga

I had composed my wrestling blog post three days ago for "Disgruntled's Real Championship Wrestling". The following night I produced the latest episode for "NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast". Otherwise, my life has been devoted to work. With the lack of interactions outside of retail, do I have anything to blog about?

There is only so much of my past that I can bury on Twitter (@catbusruss). OSF Healthcare will not fulfill my prescription requests since I cannot use their services under the health insurance that Marine Bank had left me turning to. Those thoughts were released into the world. I suppose I should open up the benefit package document my retailer has given me, but do you expect me to have the energy to do anything when I get home at 8 pm?

It is not my employer's fault. Out of principle, I do not mind that my 40-hour week job is only opened 56 hours a week. The consistency is nice and no one can be upset about what their schedule is. Marine Bank having 11 hour days can result in team miscommunication. One shift, one team feels like it makes a lot of sense. Again, the only problem is that it takes up all of our day. Are we to be expected not to sleep in as late to opening as we can?

Discipline might be my problem. Getting a new doctor should not be difficult if I chose to wake up when the rest of the world opens. But, here I am writing and taking advantage of using a VPN and Fite TV. Wrestling will have to wait so that I can try and show "Excel Saga" the praise it deserves.

So my Tuesday night was not totally wasted. My anime A to Z website is just two letters away. I will acknowledge that it was quite the stretch to make this installment the Q representative. If only the Japanese would not focus so much on princesses, weird Wikipedia searches would not be involved.

Excel Saga (1999): Episodes 1 - 3

Excel is the epidemy of hyper anime girls. She is a recent high school graduate obsessed with Lord Il Palazzo, the leader of the secret, ideological organization Across. This affection is not returned, but her naivety this keeps her focused on the goal to win his affection and help Across purify the corrupt F-City.

Il Palazzo seems to be a wise leader. World domination is his goal, but you cannot afford to screw up. When the only other members of Across are the anemic alien princess, Hyatt, and Excel's emergency food supply, Menchi the Mutt, baby steps are definitely the way to go.

Excel has enthusiasm but not much else. She is oblivious to how the world perceives her efforts and those who seem to have a role to play in her destiny. It is a shame because it is quite the rogues gallery of weirdos. There is the afro-sporting, Martian-fighting, super spy Nabeshin. Somehow, the three neighbors of struggling 20-something men, the driven Watanabe, the care-free Iwata, and the silent Sumiyoshi, must have a role to play in her life.

Despite Excel's efforts to blend in at part-time jobs, they seem to always result in tragedy. Thankfully, the Great Will of the Macrocasm is more than willing to reset her adventures. Provided the will is not abusing the desperate Pedro, a immigrant laborer trying to regain the love of his sexy wife and loving son.

With every reset of the space-time continuum, the scenarios if F-City seem to change. Excel's world can be an ode to the manga that bore her into existence, a space opera, and even an 80s' action movie. A constantly changing world and a history of failures, is Excel capable of bringing peace and the ideals of Across to F-City? Until her stomach is filled, I do not think she cares.

This was my best effort to try and capture the charm of my VHS tape box for "The Doom Generation". When are we going to get the whole of Gregg Araki's filmography on streaming? Basically, that box summarizes everything in the movie while putting emphasis on driving off eating Doritos.

"Excel Saga" is a parody of what the whole of anime was at the turn of the last century. But these are loving takes on every conceivable cliché unlike "The Doom Generation" being nihilistic towards everything that the early 90s' were. You do not have to embrace cynicism to appreciate this series, but it does help.

Technically, the animation is vivid and beautifully drawn. Art wise, it a bit ahead of its time, but it shines when it pays homage to legendary characters. Hyatt is a tribute to the character of Ifurita from "El Hazard", so it gets points from me. And the show loves to throw in designs that are reminiscent of Leiji Matsumoto. That brings me back to Daft Punk music videos, which in turn, makes me need to speak of how the credit songs are a lot of fun.

Story wise, it is a tough format to keep the viewers interest. I think the series would be more fun on VHS because after the third episode, I was worn out. It may have been the constant changes in storytelling or it was the sheer loudness of the series. Nothing is ever toned down. That is nice in short bursts, but it can get grating as it goes on.

Especially if you prefer dubs over subs. The English-language version only adds to the over-the-top nature. English does not sound as cute as Japanese when it comes to keeping the voices high and loud.

"Excel Saga" is not a series for viewers who are not anime fans. The unique format might allow new comers to the genre a way in, but its inside baseball humor will probably still have them taken a back by it. New viewers to loud anime should probably watch "My Hero Academia" before getting to this series.

But once you are acclimated to this style of animation, you cannot help but appreciate "Excel Saga". Every element will be celebrated. Everything is mocked. If you do not like an element of the genre, you will love seeing it being taken down a peg. If you love something tacky, you will love this series for leaning into those elements even further.

"Excel Saga" is the anime for anime fans. Everyone should end up loving it, but you are probably better served directing the nubes to Mamoru Hosada features before "Quack Experimental Anime".