Excel Saga

Dr. Ensatsu-ken · March 03, 2011, 12:32:03 AM

I remember your blog about volume 16 being depressing, way back on TV.com when that site actually had some good members there.

And just like since then, I still haven't had any luck getting into the manga. I wish the series was at least popular enough for some form of limited reprints and redistribution. I can eventually get a hold of it, but at this rate it won't be until I start earning some money of my own.

Angus · March 03, 2011, 06:28:19 PM

Miwa's annoying although she does represent all those oversized mom-types you see in all those shonen rom-coms, except that none of the male characters idolize her.

Foggle · March 03, 2011, 10:18:55 PM

Now I have something else to be depressed about. Excel Saga ends in around 3 months with Volume 27 being the last installment of the series. I know we still have 6 English ones left to go, I'm glad that the series will get true closure, and I'm happy that Rikudou will finally be able to move on with his life and try out new things, but this still makes me kind of sad. Really sad, in fact. I mean, every good story needs to end and deserves to end, but I wish it wouldn't. Perhaps he'll do some (clean) doujins or special chapters in the future to continue the madness, if only briefly. But probably not.

I love how it's ending at 27 volumes, though. Seems sort of like an in-joke; an "I can one-up the anime version one last time!" statement, in a way.

Dr. Ensatsu-ken · March 03, 2011, 10:26:11 PM

Well, its always a little sad to see a great long-running series end, even if the ending itself is really good (there are a lot of manga that I can think of which fit this example for me). However, the good thing about it is that its better to have a series end on a high-note than it is to have it drag on way past its prime. Besides, its not unlikely that the author would see fit to do some more material for it in later years down the line if he thinks of new material. That's what basically happened with GTO since the author brought it back with a new currently running series that literally goes back to the series's roots in Shonan.

At any rate, I'll make sure to try and search for the first few volumes during Spring break, but I likely won't actually be able to buy anything until I get a job and start earning some money.

Foggle · March 03, 2011, 10:37:17 PM

Yeah, I'm definitely happy that it will likely end neatly and on a high-note. It's been fairly obvious that the series would end eventually since the chapter where it started developing a plot. The pacing is pretty much perfect, though I expected him to end it with #30 (rule of 5's, man). If it had stayed with the style of the first seven volumes, it could have gone on forever, but I can't say that would have been preferable, since the introduction of a story elevated it from the status of a good comedy to that of a great one.

And knowing Viz, the final book won't even be out until 2015 or later, so there's a good chance that Rikudou might decide to do something new with the characters before that time comes.

Angus · March 04, 2011, 10:23:20 AM

I'm hoping he has another series in the works; maybe he was experimenting with all those side stories for a possible spinoff, although characters like Umi aren't really endearing.

I'm getting close to finishing Aria the Origination and it'll be sad to leave that world too.

Foggle · March 04, 2011, 05:06:26 PM

His new series (which I believe is to be the replacement for Excel Saga) is called Echo/Zeon. I've seen some raws, and it looks interesting, but I'm not sure if the humor will be as clever as Excel's. Seems a bit heavier on the fanservice, but it's still pretty light compared to most manga.

Angus · March 05, 2011, 01:33:07 PM

Quote from: Foggle on March 04, 2011, 05:06:26 PM
His new series (which I believe is to be the replacement for Excel Saga) is called Echo/Zeon. I've seen some raws, and it looks interesting, but I'm not sure if the humor will be as clever as Excel's. Seems a bit heavier on the fanservice, but it's still pretty light compared to most manga.

Is it still in the seinen category? I'm still surprised what kind of fanservice can pass for shonen.

Foggle · March 05, 2011, 04:45:47 PM

Quote from: Angus on March 05, 2011, 01:33:07 PM
Quote from: Foggle on March 04, 2011, 05:06:26 PM
His new series (which I believe is to be the replacement for Excel Saga) is called Echo/Zeon. I've seen some raws, and it looks interesting, but I'm not sure if the humor will be as clever as Excel's. Seems a bit heavier on the fanservice, but it's still pretty light compared to most manga.
Is it still in the seinen category? I'm still surprised what kind of fanservice can pass for shonen.

I have no idea what it would be considered, since I can't find a single English article about the series. However, from what I've seen, I'd probably call it seinen. Like the early volumes of Excel Saga, there's nothing in it that would really be considered objectionable for younger audiences to read, but (also like Excel Saga) I don't think they'd enjoy it, either.

The fanservice is the same kind of stuff from the later ES volumes, or perhaps a bit lighter; there's more of it, though. Still, it's downright tame compared to most manga and is like a Disney cartoon compared to anything by Shouji Satou (fun fact: he used to be one of Rikudou's assistants!).

Foggle · March 29, 2011, 09:12:49 PM

Why I pre-order from RightStuf: My copy of volume 22 shipped yesterday... exactly 15 days before the release date! I'll probably have it by Friday.

Foggle · April 04, 2011, 11:14:27 PM

Finished it (before the Great Forum Crash Of '11, actually)! 'Twas freakin' brilliant... definitely in my top 5.

Foggle · April 16, 2011, 12:28:16 PM

From what I can tell, the entire series (save volume 22) may be going out of print.

According to Amazon.com, they are running out of copies of every volume aside from 22, with no plans to get any more in. According to RightStuf.com, the only volumes currently in-stock are 1 and 22. While that one does say there are "more arriving soon," that doesn't always mean they'll ever actually get more in.

Foggle · June 28, 2011, 07:35:59 PM

Honorary bump! Talk about your favorite anime episodes, or something.

Dr. Ensatsu-ken · June 28, 2011, 08:22:29 PM

To be honest I never watched more than the first few episodes of this show. I'll remedy that at some point in time, but its just that after you hyped up the manga so much I no longer felt compelled to watch the anime and instead wanted to seek out the manga, but then I realized that I was broke most of the time.

Foggle · July 03, 2011, 10:21:47 PM

So, October, then? It's been a nice, long run. Rikudou is a smart man, ending the series now that he's ready to move on to other things. I'm glad he's not just forcing himself to go on, as this will ensure that it never falls into a stale period. From what I hear, the final chapter has the potential to be mind-blowing... and I'm sure it will be.

News:

Excel Saga