Excel Saga, Volume 1 Paperback – July 16, 2003

It's not terrible, but it's not as funny as I thought it was going to be. It's sort of the same joke repeated, and it wasn't that funny to begin with. A LOT of the humor is lost in the translation, and quite a few pages are devoted to explaining the jokes to westerners, which kinda ruins it. The art is great, but the book itself is small, about 5"x7". I had to do a lot of squinting just to read the text, since there's a lot going on in each panel. That probably made me like the book a lot less than I would have if it were twice the size. It also reads from right to left, like Japanese books, which was a fun change of pace. If you're 13, you may love it, but I didn't find much in the story to hold my interest. I'm sure the plot gets better as it progresses through the other volumes in the series- it has to- but reading this first one removed any desire I may have had to check them out.

It is an okay manga dont get me wrong but it was not what I was looking for. I thought that this manga might be like the anima but it just dosn't have the same "monty python" feel the art was good and not over-done the langue was as the rating said for older teens but there was nothing reprehensable in it, Im a Fallower of Chirst and the end did offend my sesablitys a bit but no more then the "Life of Brian" and seeing the anima you expect nothing to be held sacred save for lord ilplazo. so in closing it is all in your own tast with this one.

Excellent

Well after watching the Excel Saga anime I just had to read the original manga and thankfully I was not let down one bit but before I get into the guide/review I would just like to point out that at times it will be spoiler heavy.Right now that is out of the way lets get started by pointing out what you will not find in the Excel Saga manga.1. No Nabeshine.2. No Pedro.3. No Pedro's family.4. No Great Will.5. No Puchus.I may have missed one or two minor thing out but that is the main things missing that were in the anime but don't worry the manga is still a total riot and in my honest opinion much better then the anime.The review (more of a guide really) is broken down into chapter (missions) discriptions and and a out of 5 star rating for each.Mission 1: The Initiation Of A Legend.The World is introduced to the super secret organisation ACROSS and it's plans are (sort of) revealed for their conquest of firstly the City of Fukuoka and eventually the World, only problem is that ACROSS consits of only charismatic leader Lord Il Palazzo and his feisty, loyal yet dim witted Exeuctive Officer, Staff Officer, Combatent and Latrine Orderly Excel (as well as a wooden dummy) and in Excel's first mission she must direct traffic while dealing with (imaginary) state conspiracys out to attack ACROSS and it's ideals.Rating 5/5Mission 2: Today And Tomorrow For Farewells.The secret headquarters of ACROSS is in a crisis that was not foreseen (bad weather) also Excel must go forth and deliver news papers in the name of ACROSS (and a decent meal) while making a new potentially edible freind but once again a state conspiracy rears its ugly head in an attempt to destroy the great ideals of ACROSS, meanwhile Il Palazzo decides it is time to increase the forces of ACROSS and makes the decision to place a help wanted add.Rating 5/5Mission 3: Today And Tomorrow For Encounters.With Excel held captive at the immigration detetntion centre the mission of her rescue is left in the hands of the newest ACROSS member Hyatt but first she must make it to the company housing (hide out) without dieing (and staying dead), meanwhile Excel launchs her own daring escape plan from her evil captors.Rating 5/5Mission 4: Everyday Living Permissible.Lord Il Palazzo has taken a 72 hour leave of absence and Excel and Hyatt must now deal with such crisis's as unwanted visitors and how to prepare dog without the guidence of their great leader, meanwhile just why is it so hot on only one side of Watanabe's apartment?.Rating 4/5Mission 5: Those That Burn, Those That get Burned.With Il Palazzo back Excel and Hyatt are sent on their first mission which is to investigate the problem of waste manegment and are victims of yet another state conspiracy while Mince launchs her own daring escape plan.Rating 4/5Mission 6: The (Untreatable) Unbeknownst Disease.In a rare showing of generosity Il Palazzo gives the bumbling excel funds to help buy some medicine for the usually on deaths door (or is that kicking deaths door down?) Hyatt but as usual even a simple mission such as going to the Chemists is an impossible task for poor Excel, meanwhile sickly Watanabe get some (unwanted) nursing from neighbour Sumiyoshi.Rating 5/5Mission 7: A Night Of Necessary Evil.Christmas is almost at hand and the ACROSS girls newest job is selling christmas cakes at the local shopping mall, Hyatt gives all new meaning to term red nosed Raindear leading to the first of many run ins with the dreaded Dr. Iwata and his long suffering Nurse, meanwhile Watanbe, Iwata and Sumiyoshi hold a party in which of course they are the only guests.Rating 5/5

Excel Saga is a humor manga for those people who really don't like typical manga. This is a book for people angry at the world, and need to see characters so insanely dysfunctional (mind you, I didn't say stupid) that they can feel better about their own lives and jobs. It could be worse, after all? You could cough up gallons of blood at inopportune times (or have a partner that does). Your doctor (who might even be your cousin) could be a misogynistic amoral psychopath who would jump at the chance to use you for (in)human experiments. Your job could be as a civil servant who might be called upon to fight evil (and die) in a ridiculous costume at any moment. Your chief scientist might have a somewhat unhealthy (and creepy) preference in girls. Your roommate might speak(?) entirely in heavily accented subtitles. Your coworker might be the single biggest idiot that ever lived. And of course, you could be a dog, helpless to communicate your constant terror of being kept around for no other reason than as an emergency food supply. Your city might be threatened by a secret organization consisting of three people, and a wooden manakin.It might sound like chaotically random nonsense, but the creator is a skilled one, handling the madness with a subtle style of humor and writing his characters as nuanced individuals rather than stereotypic archetypes. The most fun part of any gag he comes up with isn't the gag itself, but seeing how the characters react to it.Excel Saga is a story about all these characters, and how the actions of one can manage to ripple outward and affect characters in the cast they've never even met. The actions of those characters affect others, and so on into infinity. In lesser hands, such a balance would be an overcomplicated mess, but Rikdo keeps things moving at a brisk pace between the different groups of characters.If you like to see a manga about unique people with unique problems, this is for you. The artwork works extremely well. It doesn't hurt that the creator draws VERY attractive female characters, but manages to make them strong, intelligent (at least as much so as the guys), and believable. Heaven only knows what Dr. Blackjack would do without his nurse to reign him in.People who go looking for this have probably seen the anime, and thus a warning must be given. Where the anime's humor is like shooting randomly in every direction in the hopes of hitting something funny, the manga is like a silent killer, sneaking up behind you with a knife, waiting for just the right moment to strike, and always when you least expect it. It seems to quiet down and settle into a conventional narrative for a few pages, and then all of a sudden you turn the page only to see a visual gag so completely over the top in its strangeness, yet so believable given the cast involved, you can't help but have it seared upon your mind for the rest of your life (or at least until the next volume).