Excel Saga
Alt titles: Heppoko Jikken Animation Excel Saga
Synopsis:
F City, F Prefecture: the battleground where good and evil have finally chosen to decide once and for all who will rule the world…or at least that's the general idea! Neither side seems up for the task, as surviving the brutality of everyday life is enough of a chore. On the side of evil is the organization of Across, its only member the loudmouthed and abrasive Excel who struggles just to put food in her stomach; on the side of good, three disenfranchised, unemployed bachelors whose only pursuit in life is romance. Add in alien invasions, jungle warfare, and Mexican immigrant laborers to Japan, and this war doesn't seem likely to be ending soon!
applying filters, loading recommendationsrecommendations
FLCL
Alt titles: Furi Kuri
Naota Nanbada is a boring young boy who leads a boring life in a boring town. His older brother has left for America, and the closest he comes to any excitement is when his deadbeat dad has too much sake. But things change one day when a bizarre girl zooms up to him on a scooter and smacks him in the face with her guitar. What's more, once Naoto returns home he discovers that this strange woman has arrived ahead of him and moved in! Not only does she constantly engage in perverted activities with Naota's father and flirt with the young man himself, but she also claims to be an alien who is searching for the ‘Pirate King.' Now, Naota must learn to live with this new intruder, deal with an odd government agent who sports exceptionally large eyebrows and the mysterious Medical Mechanica, and come to terms with the fact that there are a variety of robots and weapons emerging out of his head - amongst other things. Perhaps boring wasn't so bad after all...
my anime:
25 people think you'd like this because...
add recIf crazy, nonsensical humour is your thing, don't miss out on FLCL. It uses the same sort of wacky jokes as Excel Saga, but on an even more bombastic level - it'll really make you go 'what the &%#! was that...?'.
Madness, chaos and strangeness! Both FLCL and Excel Saga are full of those things. If you liked one give the other a try, you might like it!
Both FLCL and Excel Saga are super crazy, extremely random, and sometimes down right confusing. If you like over the top humor then both of these titles are what you are looking for.
Excel Saga and FLCL are similar in that they are both extremely random and fast-paced anime with a plot structure that is all over the place more often than not. Zany and wacky to the extreme, these are series that poke fun at virtually everything - with a special focus on pop culture and anime in particular. Both are parodies that mock themselves as well as several genres, FLCL mostly concerned with mecha and ES covering a gamut of genres from horror to romantic comedy. In both there is an endless quantity of references to other anime and manga, and the level of hyper insanity that makes FLCL a stunning visual fest is preserved in ES' energetic craziness.
Both series have female main characters that are sporatic and crazy and both series lack any kind of steady real plot (although there is maybe a bit more to it for FLCL). One of the main differences in Excel Saga is the references and jokes about other anime series. If you're new to anime like I was whenever I watched FLCL, it might be a little hard to get at first.
FLCL is Gainax's weirdest anime to date. Brain-twisting weirdness and supreme humor is what really classifies this series. If you liked Excel Saga in any way, you really should watch this one.
Both of these series are as random as each other! If you liked how random and confusing one of these series is, then the other will go donw nicely.. Most of Excel Saga can be watched in a random order apart from the last few episodes with the story, but be sure not to mix up the episodes of FLCL or it will definitely confuse the hell out of you! Also worth a note is that both of these series are highly rewatchable, and in some episodes this is necessary to understand what just happened.
Both are extreamly weird, very hyperactive, and have lots of randomness at every turn. If you liked one you should like the other. Leave your brain turned off.
Puni Puni Poemy
- OVA (2 eps)
- 2001
Puni Puni Poemi is a spin-off of Excel Saga, the classic lampoon of all that is anime. It takes the daughter of two Excel Saga characters and puts her through parodies of shoujo, shounen, ecchi, hentai, and everything in-between. This eccentric show is the "Scary Movie" of anime: younger viewers need not apply.
my anime:
16 people think you'd like this because...
add recBecause the same people are behind both Excel Saga and Puni Puni Poemy, they share the same spirit of random over the top comedy. Anime conventions are targeted in both series, with ES parodying a gamut of genres while PPP focuses mainly on mocking fanservice. Anyone who enjoyed one of these series is bound to enjoy the other.
Puni Puni Poemy started its life as an inside joke of Exel Saga, an anime within an anime so to speak.
The two are very alike, so you can think of Puni Puni Poemy as an extra episode of Excel Saga that spoofs magical girl anime.
Both Excel Saga and PPP are full of crazy randomness. They were also created by the same studio and producer. Also, some of the characters are played by the same people.
Puni Puni Poemy goes right along with Excel Saga. They have the same zany style (including parodies), similar music at times and occasional cameo appearances!
Both series are products of Shinichi Watanabe (aka "Nabeshin"--wata-NABE+SHIN-chi), they also both include characters that closely resemble their differently named counterparts, and they share voice actresses. Both are wacky and cross reference each other from time to time. Each one is a must see, and if you've seen one, see them both!
If you enjoy fast-paced comedy anime involving panties, explosions, death, and afros, then Excel Saga and PPP will be your right up your alley.
Excel Saga and PPP are actually sisters, and you can see it clearly: they're both really wacko! They have equally as much of ecchi, hentai, epic tales and craziness, all spiced up with a storyline which is sometimes a bit hard to understand. Well, they are good entertainment, anyway.
Same zany style with even an overlapping character or two. If you like the inane, twisted humor of one you'll find more in the other. The 2 episode Puni Puni Poemi is even more hyper and bizarre than the 26 episode Excel Saga, but you'll get a bit more continuity and a lot more viewing time out of the latter. Enjoy.
if you like Excel Sage you will love Puni Puni Poemy. this show has the same energy if not more than Excel Saga. the show is a little more risky than excel saga but director Shinichi Watanabe did a great job with Excel Saga and Did an even better job with Puni Puni Poemy
As a spiritual successor to Excel Saga, Puni Puni Poemy really is just more of the same craziness and strange, random humor that Excel Saga was all about. You'll probably even recognize a character or two!
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
Alt titles: Abenobashi Mahou Shoutengai
- TV (13 eps)
- 2002
Sassi and Arumi have been friends since early childhood, but now Arumi's family is moving to Hokkaido, deeply upsetting her long-time friend. However, when Arumi's grandfather accidentally breaks the pelican statue atop his restaurant, the duo find their world turned upside down and not quite as they left it. From a fairy tale kingdom, to kung fu China, to the prehistoric age and everything in between, Arumi and Sassi can't quite seem to figure out where they are, or better yet, how they can manage to get home to their own Abenobashi Shoutengai!
tags:
my anime:
8 people think you'd like this because...
add recIf you liked Excel Saga, you will like Abenobashi. It has the same crazy sense of humor, and fast paces scenarios, but Abenobashi tends to make a little more sense the first time through. There is a bit more fan service, and for those of you who aren't so "otaku" that they still have lives, turn on the "Ad-Vid" notes to help you sort out where the many, MANY, references are derived.
If you liked Abenobashi then you may also enjoy Excel Saga or vice versa. Both animes are commical parodies that poke fun at other popular anime genres.
Di Gi Charat
- TV (16 eps x 5 min)
- 1999
One day, Dejiko, Puchiko and the strange ball-shaped Gema-Gema crash land their UFO in the middle of Akihabara. Without a single yen to their name they have nowhere to go, but following an unexpected and generous offer from the manager of a nearby store, the trio begin working at the shop in exchange for renting the room upstairs. Alongside Dejiko’s self-confessed rival Rabi-en-Rose, as well as a mysterious bear that has mastered the ability to appear happy, sad, depressed and angry all at once, the insanity is only just beginning! From shooting window shoppers with Dejiko’s Laser Eye Beam and the appearance of a bizarre farting impostor, to a sudden attack on the city by Godzilla, life at Gamers is certainly livening up.
my anime:
5 people think you'd like this because...
add recLooking for girls up to random, wacky, and violence run? These are your shows. They both are extremely random, and ignore common sense completely. Fans of one will enjoy the other.
Hayate the Combat Butler!
- TV (52 eps)
- 2007 - 2008
- Spring 2007
When Hayate was young, Santa appeared in a dream and told him that if he worked hard, he’d be rewarded. Thus, with an unbreakable will, the unfortunate Hayate has struggled through life holding onto that belief. In the present, his parents are lazy and unemployed, forcing Hayate to work several jobs to pay the bills. As if things couldn’t get worse, Hayate’s parents then run away, leaving him with an enormous debt and loan sharks on his tail! Naturally, the best solution to find money fast is… to kidnap someone?! A girl named Nagi is the target, but due to an unfortunate miscommunication, she believes Hayate has proposed to her and falls for him hard. After Nagi paid off his debt, Hayate must now work as her butler in order to repay her; but first, he must adapt to her wacky world!
my anime:
5 people think you'd like this because...
add recBoth series are running parodies of all that is anime.
Excel Saga lampoons a different subgenre per episode and is only loosely held together by an overarching plot. It is the more zany, chaotic, and self-referential of the two, and requires a deep saturation in a broad variety of anime to really get it.
Hayate no Gotoku stands more on its own feet, plot-wise, but it is thick with obvious and deliberate references to other notable anime, and it is full of the same wacky humor.
If you liked Excel Saga but thought it was a little too weird, try Hayate no Gotoku. If you liked Hayate no Gotoku and thought it was too tame - or want a denser version of the same thing, try Excel Saga.
Hayate no Gotoku, or Hayate the Combat Butler and Excel Saga work in very much the same way. Each episode vaguely parodies some aspect of anime, manga, or Japanese pop culture. While each is a bit of a parody, or satirical, there is an overarching storyline that can be broken up into two parts. The first is a broad introductory phase that leads you into the second which becomes more serialized than the episodic first half. Also the end of certain episodes in the second half of the series is a mini-sode that later ties up with the overall plot. All in all, if you enjoyed the story structure and genre one show, and didn't tire of Nabeshin, then other is another great series to watch.
Compared to Excel and Puni; Hayate is much more laid back and slow, they both share a love of making fun of manga and anime. The shows are filled with them and manage to add a few good laughs thoughout without getting too repetitve and annoying.
Both series are hilarious satires that throw their protagonists in all sorts of anime cliches, and poke fun at these cliches.
Both Hayate no Gotoku and Excel Saga contain similar whacky humor and are truly random comedies. While the style of the jokes is similar, jokes in HnG seam to be much better (and funnier) than jokes in ES. If you liked one of those shows you could check the other, but even if those shows are similar I can't guarantee that you'll like it.
P.S. Did I mentioned that they are both parodies?
