A long while back, I reviewed the anime Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. While it did leave my mind to wonder, I mentioned that the honor of actually destroying my mind was reserved for Excel Saga. Well, today, I'm gonna get into that, along with its spinoff anime, Puni Puni Poemy.
Excel Saga is just one of those anime that just isn't meant to be understood. And people I spoke to can agree. While it is entertaining, it's hard to deal with at the same time. The anime's titular character is Excel, a member of the secret organization named Across. It's leader, Il Palazzo, declares that the world is corrupt, sending his officers to apparently fix it. While the fanatic Excel was the initial sole officer, others make an appearance as well, which ends up assisting her due to zany incompetence on Excel's part. The anime is 26 episodes, made in the J.C. Staff Studio, and licensed by Funimation. However, the final episode is feared because of the violence and obscenity involved in that one alone. For this reason, the final episode was NEVER televised, so if you do find it, and you decide to watch it, you were warned!
I didn't think it possible, but there are 2 English VAs for Excel alone. For half of the anime, her VA is Jessica Cavello, who also does DNA²"s Karin Aoi. In the latter half of it, her VA is Larissa Wolcott, who did other roles, such as Wedding Peach's titular character, Momoko Hanasaki, and Millie Feria Nocturne of Lost Universe (something I'll get into on my next post.) Excel Saga is a mind-screwing anime, nevertheless successful, so I think a 7 of 10 is pretty fair in that regard.
Puni Puni Poemy, the spinoff to Excel Saga, is another story. For one thing, it's banned in New Zealand, with fair enough right, because it contained controversial elements brought up by a native anime fan. In addition, unlike the 26 episode series it's derived from, this only last for 2 episodes. Now I've seen short anime, but this is SHORT!! Finally, where Excel Saga made various parodies, this short title takes it to the next level, even down to the characters themselves! In any case, like how it was for Excel Saga, Puni Puni Poemy has Poemi Watanabe as the titular character (she is, ironically enough, the adoptive daughter of this and Excel Saga's director, Shinichi Watanabe.) After he, and Poemi's adoptive mother are slain by aliens, she is sent to live with her classmate Futaba. Futaba in this instance, is a parody of Cardcaptor Sakura's Tomoyo Daidouji, albeit her personality being far more extroverted than Tomoyo's. In anycase, she is able to transform into the magical girl Puni Puni Poemy by fileting a fish (that apparently talks).
Interesting to note that not only is her English VA, Cynthia Martinez, is that of 'Excel Kobayashi' from the other anime (and was the role of Lina Inverse of the Slayers OVAs and Movies), but Poemy breaks the 4th wall sometimes by calling herself Kobayashi, to reference Yumiko Kobayashi, her seiyuu who does Excel Kobayashi as well for the intro song. I kinda bit my tongue watching the so few episodes it had, but... I didn't enjoy it as much, if at all, so 2.5 of 10.
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