Infernalmiko

<p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';">I finally finished up Higurashi Kai. Yay!</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> I will agree with Tiger's review, the first season is more horror and the second season more suspense but it worked for me. The first season helps you care about the characters and asks alot of questions. Season two answers all the questions. A large part of the horror was not knowing what exactly was happening and why. Once those questions are answered the tension comes from the need to find who is the bad guy and how can they be stopped. anmd for me the tension in the final story arc was pretty intense. I cheered out loud a couple of times, especially Akasana's big entrance in episode 22. I rate Higurashi and Higurashi Kai higher than some people precisely because it got me so emotionally involved. And because the ending was pretty much all I was hoping for. There have been quite a few anime with weak or non-existent endings but Higurashi Kai delivers a very satisfying climax.</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> And for the record, if I'm ever forced to babysit a group of kids I'm totes teaching them zombie tag.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';">NJPW has that crucial momentum right now. Not just some excellent work but excellent feuds that people want to see. I was very pleased to see how many people went to the show. NJPW feels like a big deal and that's important.</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> There were also the required novelty events. No one sees them for the wrestling and Nagata/Saku vs. Gracies was in this vein. Rolles and Daniel are big but they are not Rickson and Royce in name value. And the time a MMA heel could get molten heat just by not releasing a hold (Remember Don Frye?) is past. The DQ ending screamed "Gracies not willing to lose cleanly". This match was Saku the Gracie Hunter vs. two Gracies. There needed to be more hate!</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> I'll probably write up more on this later but not today. Still too much to do.</span></span><img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

<p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';">Random thoughts as I finish Higurashi, Season 1 at least. </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> Holy crap, the Mion/Shion story arc was messed up. Getting all teary eyed over Satoko. So much insanity and needless cruelty. This is also the first answer arc and it still leaves me questions. Mion went into the well. Shion fell from high up. So who got Keiichi? Is the demon something real or was he infected by the insanity? After the confrontation with Shion and Rika, I'm not sure. I like Rika but she's creepy at times. I keep wondering the significance of her wearing the mask in the opening credits, if any.</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> Next episode is apparently a new Question Arc, Atonement. And finally they are focusing some on Rena. Hm, it's interesting how they start developing the Sonozaki family. View from the inside first it's not as scary. From Rena's side of things you get a much greater impression of how scary they are.</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> Yes, the machete! It's about time it got some use.</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> Awww, that's so adorbs. the rest of the club rallying around Rena. It's like a cute schoolkids anime gone horribly wrong. You know the type, one of the kids does something a little bad and feels the need to hide it from their friends, only to learn they didn't need to worry and they should have trusted the power of friendship. Except in this case the little bad thing was murder. I'm just waiting to see where this goes horribly wrong.</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> And instead we move on to a totally different plotline. Ano.... I suspect it'll all come together again somehow. Especially since Teppei is Satoko's uncle. He's been killed by three people now I think. Instead, we start to get the possible truth about Hinamizawa. A parasite? Aliens? I'm not buying it yet.</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> Holy crap, the very first storyline just crossed over into this one. Keiichi remembered something from a story arc and freaked me. Me too, a little. Getting teary again. Adult sounding Rika is back again as well, but she's not sounding possessed this time. It's more like she understands what he's going through. So, the same thing happened to her at some point?</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> Almost to the end and Rena's really gone off the deep end. But Satoko the Trap Master can save the day! Except I can't help but remember the last time she thought she could trick Rena, she was wrong...</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> And they mess with my expectations again. Rika, sounding adult and slightly possessed, is back, facing off with Rena and her machete. And she's done this before? Yep, she must remember something from past events. </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> Confirmed. Rika is aware of the Groundhod Day effect. This story arc actually has a happy ending, relatively speaking. Almost no one died. But it didn't solve the mystery or break the circle, apparently. Takano's notebooks may or may n ot be the key. Apparently they all have different theories about what is going on, so they are not an answer. </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> Ah well. Higurashi Kai is next!</span></span></p>

<p>More Higurashi spoilers. </p><p> </p><p> I'm up to ep 20 of Higurashi and well into the WTF section of the anime. VERY creepy and disturbing. The storyarc with Arasaka and the kid being kidnapped was different, apparently part of the Keiichi kills everyone arc. A government agent is sent to Hinamizawa to look for a kidnapped kid. This is a fairly tame arc that reveals a few additional clues to what is going on. But also introduces us to creepy Rika. There are points where she seems to be predicting the future while talking like an adult instead of her usual kawaii "ni pai" way of talking. So, possibly possessed or something more sinister. </p><p> </p><p> The next arc is the answer arc to Mion/Shion going crazy and killing everyone. So we see a little more of the why of who went missing/dead and understand a little more what drove Mion/Shion over the edge (even further). But there is a ton of crazy in this arc and not just from M/S. We see Rika again suddenly talking like an adult briefly in a scene just before more bloody violence. I'm also starting to wonder about Rena. In the question arc of this I thought it was strange she was more or less guessing what happened to Rika and Satoko, right down to the dialogue used to lure Satoko. And now we see she was pretty much correct. Combine this with what she had to say about the spirit of the village following victims and even standing over their beds when they sleep and I'm curious what sort of crazy we'll see from Rena.</p><p> </p><p> The strangest thoughts pop into my mind sometimes watching this anime. In the question arc of this when the camera zoomed in on the table of Rika and Satoko my first thought was "They're out of soy sauce, that would suck." As it turns out that's an important point.</p><p> </p><p> I'm still enjoying the anime but it's given me some interesting dreams. We're starting to see a little of what's going on behind the scenes to drive the horror. I still don't know who's really behind the killings, I have plenty of suspects though.</p>

I'm up to episode 13 of Higurashi. I would say the animation style of Higurashi fits because it's really not a murder/horror anime. It's trying to be a cute schoolkids do stuff anime but keeps being twisted. For a cute schoolkids anime the style is fine. Each arch so far there has been something to give me a warm and fuzzy feeling. Keiichi getting closer with his friends in the first arc, the romance in the 2nd, and Satoko and her nii-niii in the third. The classic sort of stuff that makes me smile in schoolkid anime. But then it gets twisted and pervcerted into something terrible. Keiichi's trust turns to paranoia, the romance turns to torture and Keiichi's protective feeling for Satoko leads to murders. Many murders. So far everything that starts as good breaks bad.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rickymex" data-cite="Rickymex" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="33970" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I'm wonder how a kid would react to something like Higurashi or the later episodes of Berserk or even Elfen-Lied.</div></blockquote><p> </p><p> Not going all the way and saying Urotsukidoji? (pretty sure I've already told the story of how I found that in the kids section of a video store).</p><p> </p><p> Cute anime sounds about right. I loved Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2. I didn't like twisted stuff until later:)</p>

<p>Here be Higurashi spoilers. If you don't want to be spoiled, don't read.<img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> I'm up to episode 8. And you know what? Screw the people complaining about the animation. Yes, it's outdated but that hasn't distracted me from the show so far. And when things get creepy, it's done a good job of showing that. From Mion and Rena's cat eyes in the first arch, to Mion's crazy eyes in the second. So far it seems like a twisted groundhog day with no one remembering what's happened before. But each time Keiichi is doing something different than before so we are seeing a different side of what's going on. I'll see if that trend continues in later arcs. The first arc was all about the creep factor being ramped up slowly while Keiichi starts to break down. The second arc was a very cute love triangle that slowly devolves, with plenty of creepy and even more crazy. And we're seeing a little more of the dangerous past of the village. So far I'm enjoying Higurashi more than I expected, based on some of the reviews I've seen.</p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Rickymex" data-cite="Rickymex" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="33970" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Hope this doesn't spoil anything but be ready for blood <img alt=":D" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/biggrin.png.929299b4c121f473b0026f3d6e74d189.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> I've watched Hellsing, I'm ready for blood. Incidentally, Hellsing is the only anime I've watched where the makers joked they stopped where they did in one episode because they ran out of red ink. <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> There were hints something was off in the first episode and we see plenty of blood in the very first scene. As well as some strange things. Still not sure if Mio is wearing a gun to the picnic and if so why it's so normal nothing is made of it. I've heard it gets more twisted as it goes, which I'm looking forward to.</p>

I finally got around to look over Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni, which is a strange little anime. I've only seen the first episode so far so I have alot to look forward to. First glance is it's a kind of typical schoolkids cute anime. Some typical personalities. The new kid. The class leader. The mean girl (complete with Kodachi laugh). The quality is anime is so so. But occasionally it drifts from average cuty to kinda creepy and I had to look back a couple of times to notice details. There are little mildly demented touches like Keiichi's punishment after losing a card game (his face is drawn on with a marker). But there is also a hint of somethiung else going on. A murder or lynching or something. The girls he goes to school with deny anything happened, but he finds a newpaper article that reveals the murderer is still on the loose. Hm...we'll see where this goes. The first episode does a good job of making me curious about what's really going on. <img alt="" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" />

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Tigerkinney" data-cite="Tigerkinney" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="33970" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>There was supposed to be some way of getting free wi-fi from the provider, but as expected , we have no idea what the special code/password is. In the end I bit the bullet on paying for a months worth of wi-fi- just so I could be connected to civilization. </div></blockquote><p> </p><p> password1234 always works for me. Sometimes P@ssw0rd1234. <img alt=";)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p>

<span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"><span style="color:#4B0082;">Good to see the reviews back! I've been slacking on anime lately. Vaguely watching Noir but mostly catching up on Supernatural. Up to season 5 now. I'm feeling old. I still remember Urusei Yatsura from when I was little. Which was a fun anime and the model for Rumiko Yakahashi's better known works.</span></span>

<span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"><span style="color:#4B0082;">I was reading and thinking to myself "Tokko sounds so familiar, but I don't recall ever watching it." As it turns out I read the manga and it was fairly forgettable despite the irritating ending. If you think the anime has no ending....the manga is even worse. I'd tell you but I forgot how to do spoilers.</span></span>

<p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';">I will chime in and agree. For decades NJ:PW has had a hot juniors division. Wild Pegasus, Sasuke, Liger, El Samurai, Tiger Mask, Kanemoto, Otani, etc etc. In the 80's they were not so hot and that's what we are back to now. Fujinami was popular but he moved up to heavy as soon as possible. In the present day Wataru Inoue moved up to heavy and I expect Devitt will do the same. Definitely with more success than Inoue. Devitt has alot of charisma, a great body, and turning him heel at the same time he starts challenging the heavies gives more of a story to it.</span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> While the heavies are the strongest they have been in 15 years. Okada, Nakamura, Naito, Takahashi, Tanihashi (and more) are all great talents and very over. This is very important because the heavies have always driven the business for New Japan. When the heavies are strong they have more attendence and make much more money. When the heavies are weak, business is down.</span></span></p>

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Tigerkinney" data-cite="Tigerkinney" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="33970" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Wow, I'm really flattered by that compliment <img alt=":)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/smile.png.142cfa0a1cd2925c0463c1d00f499df2.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /> And of course thanks also to anyone else that has continued to show support. It's not getting paid to do it, but in all honesty I am thinking of taking these reviews to a 'next level' at some point and converting them to a proper blog. <p> </p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> <span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';">I'm going to chime in and suggest that you should totally do the blog. Just don't pay much attention to traffic right away. Put the link in your sig in every forum you post in and maybe start posting in some anime forums. Things to get your name out there. Save the google ads until you have a decent number of people reading.</span></span><img alt=";)" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/wink.png.686f06e511ee1fbf6bdc7d82f6831e53.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> </span></span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> And look on the bright side, you would have total control on comments. So you can mod them and eliminate one star wonders.</span></span></p>

<span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';">I ran into the </span></span><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="150" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/KY6QCX0HPxg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Dokuro-chan opening 2"></iframe></div></div><span style="color:#4B0082;"><span style="font-family:'Trebuchet MS';"> and liked it enough I watched it. It's a short series and pretty average but the openings are awesome. I'm not always a fan of comedy, especially utterly strange comedy. Somehow I liked Excel Saga or 2x2 Shinobuden in small doses but Dokuro-chan is even more random and nonsensical. However I did enjoy the combination of cute and bloody over the top violence.</span></span>

Keep up the good work. I've not been watching anime lately. Instead I've been deeply into Chinese drama. Legend of Condor Heroes (2009) is alot of fun and Three Kingdoms (2010) is excellent.

Teams can vary. The Misawa/Kawada, TenKoji, and Manami Toyota/Toshiyo Yamada teams were rising stars being teamed together. Otherwise times, like Dump Matsumoto/Bull Nakako it's clearly put a bright younger wrestler with a star to get experience. Factions tend to be more equal. Nagata's is very much the sensei of his faction in New Japan, while CHAOS is more just a grouping of like minded bad guys.

And next up for me was Mitsudomoe. Mitsudomoe has one of my of all time. Mostly for it being genki and fun. If I need a lift I sing along to it. Yabe: AHHHHH! Oh, sorry Hitoha. I just suddenly felt this evil presence. [Yabe looks around and realizes Hitoha is the only one there.] Miktsudomoe is a comedy about school. It begins with brand new teacher Satoshi Yabe being assigned to class 6-3 (6th grade, 3rd class) but the series is really focused on the Marui triplets and their misadventrures with the rest of the class. Mitsuba is the oldest of the three and is described in the manga as a precocious sadist (but she's not quite that bad). Futaba is a genki girl, clueless but with an abundance of enthusiasm and competitiveness (and an obsession with boobs). Hitoha is the youngest and least social, something of a bookworm (if bookworms were both cute and cruel). For some reason, I really enjoyed this. It got off to a slow start but by the 3rd episode they seemed to have a good idea what they wanted to focus on. Over the top misunderstandings abound, a limited number of plots advance slowly. But there is alot of character and a few touching scenes that I'm always a sucker for. There are also continual references to panties but despite this it's not THAT kind of anime. Mitsudomoe is on Crunchyroll last I saw so it's viewable legally. Currently watching Shiki. Very creepy.

<p>Tiger, what are you doing here? You have a DIASPORA thread to make for TEW2013! /cracks the whip</p><p> </p><p> But while I'm here. I'm currently watching </p><div class="ipsEmbeddedVideo"><div><iframe width="200" height="113" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/FG_yp3Vo9Ms?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Mitsudomoe opening 1 Full HD"></iframe></div></div>. Middle schoolers from hell indeed.

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="Tigerkinney" data-cite="Tigerkinney" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="33970" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>I Those waiting for a review of Urotsukidoji will be left disappointed <img alt=":p" data-src="//content.invisioncic.com/g322608/emoticons/tongue.png.ceb643b2956793497cef30b0e944be28.png" src="<___base_url___>/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png" /></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> <span style="color:#4B0082;">Miko minireview for Urotsukidoji: HAHAHAHAHA! Seriously? Someone has issues. </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> </span></p><p><span style="color:#4B0082;"> True story. I was travelling and decided to do some anime shopping. The store had the anime next to the childrens animated and had Overfiend on the bottom shelf right next to the kids DVDs. It was fun trying to explain to them why that was such a truly bad idea.</span></p>

Paranoia Agent was one of my favorite anime for a while. The opening with it's dicotomy of people laughing while standing in disasters hooked me right away. The sudden shift in story took me off guard but I enjoyed the study of human nature it turned into. There was limited comedy (thought I loved the gossiping ladies for this) and I would agree on the ugly. There were alot of people who were ugly or sad inside. The dirty cop was really creepy on a number of levels. Souleater is one of my favorite anime period. Noy only does it have some great . but the combination of action and lighthearted fun make for a great series. The anime deviates from the manga around the time of the first big battle against Arachnae and Tiger is correct, things -really- go off the rails in the final story arc. Interestingly, the people working on the anime obvious realize the ending is a mess, but they needed a way to get from point A to B to set up the final battle fast and evidently had no good ideas. I especially enjoyed the Shinigami. Who does indeed look, sound and act a little silly, but it's revealed there are good reasons for this. Which makes the moments when his old self peek through all the more striking.

Samurai Champloo was a fun series. Quirky, unpredictable. The art bugged me a little at times but it did suit the series. The anachronisms and hip hop sensabilities kept it a light hearted series that sometimes got serious. I really liked all the characters, especially Fuu. Mugen and Jin were both very dangerous fighters with their own skills and strengths. Fuu wasn't a fighter like them but was brave, clever and strong willed enough to get her own way most of the time. I'd highly recommend this series.

As Tiger finally reviews Urotsukidoji.

Technically there are two seasons of Black Lagoon, the first series and the second one titled: Second Barrage. And last year they released an OVA series doing the Roberta's Blood Trail storyline. Including the amazing return of Rotton the Wizard! It must also be said that the action on offer here is extremely graphic in it's violence- a heck of alot of blood gets spilt. And yet somehow they make Revy less of a nihilistic killer than she was in the manga. The opening animation and music sets the tone so very well. You made a mess For christ sake, this rotten world Shit out of luck Go with my vision As well as being graphically violent, Black Lagoon also deals with some really dark issues, one such arc involving a pair of twin antagonists, starts off as something that seems a bit OTT at first but ends up being one of the series most powerful. Once you look past the somewhat over the top violence in the Hansel and Gretel storyline, it's one of the creepiest things I've ever watched. it would be with the unrealism of the action. Black Lagoon is basically a homage to action movies that sometimes borders on parody. Action is over the top, the Roberta storyline was clearly channeling Terminator at times. While Mr. Chang is basically Chow Yun Fat from Better Tomorrow. The scenes with Rotton the Wizard were them poking fun at Hellsing. The gunfight at the Church of Violence is awesome in it's overreaction.

And now for my next anime. "You are just a manga artist, discharging your evil filth into the world. How dare you live in a building with a roof!" Excel Saga! Opening Theme: Excel Saga is a very weird anime. It's based on the manga series by Rikudō Kōshi that he called a snapshot of life in everyday Japan. He was joking. Excel Saga is basically non stop gags, parodies, puns and other nonsense humor. Kōshi agreed to the anime as long as they didn't strictly follow the manga storyline (to those who said 'There is a storyline?' he replied 'There is a plot in the series, but the main characters are mostly unaware of it.'). They made this work by having Excel kill Kōshi in the first episode, thus 'leaving the writers with no idea what to do'. The basic storyline is Excel works for a rather incompetent evil organization set on world domination. But they don't want to overtax themselves, so they are starting with Fukuoka. A little like starting your world conquest in Omaha or Aberdeen. From a translation point of view, the weakness of Excel Saga is unless you are familiar with the parodies, they don't mean much. I'm not sure how the dub tried to handle the puns, I assume they just adds ones of their own. While the last few episodes shown on TV did start to slowly develop a more serious storyline and plot, that was just a set up for episode 26, called "Going Too Far". This episode went over the top in terms of violence, sex, nudity and a reference to the nerve gas attack in Tokyo. As they expected, the last episode was never aired and was instead added as a bonus in the DVDs. If you like weird farces, this is worth a look. For me, I could only handle it in small doses. Rating: 6/10