Excel Saga - Missions Improbable (Vol. 2)
This nutty comedy adventure careens out of control, spoofing everything from anime conventions to American blockbusters. This second collection offers parodies ofE.T.,Alien, andTitanic, as well as the clichés of sports and horror anime. The horror sequence--announced by animatedmangaartist Koshi Rikado--features titles drawn in blood and blizzards of flower petals. The horribly cute little Puchuus, who beat the dust out of futons, bear a more than passing resemblance to Pikachu inPokémon; during a "fan service" beach scene, Misaki asks, "Why are there only women here?" The perpetually hysterical Excel and her assistant Hyatt/Hatchan get help from the pink-haired moppet Cossette Sara, who recalls Chibiusa inSailor Moon, but the trio of Watanabe, Sumiyoshi, and Iwata must struggle to succeed as civil servants--and to get a modicum of screen time. Rated 17 Up: Violence, profanity; risqué and gross-out humor.--Charles Solomon