Rating: 
Summary: Downhill the series goes...
Review: Well, with half the series gone and done with i eagerly waited for Vol. 4 of this drug to appear... It did, but only to disappoint. Vol. 1&2 were some of the funniest hours of my viewing life, Vol.3 left much to be desired, and now Vol.4 has made me rethink my wish to buy all the DVDs. The new voice actress for the part of Excel ( who would probably be good as another part) failed to properly fill her predecessors shoes. It seems that a few of the Key voice actors changed. ( these changes of course are only minor since most would rather listen to the original dubbing.) But the humor is also becoming soggy. The laughs are forced, and the humor is less than what should come from the writers of Excel Saga. I only hope that whoever they choose to do the voices for Puni Puni Poemi can do the job.By all means, do watch, but dont be shocked if you find it uneasy to bear the changes.
Rating: 
Summary: The Madness Continues
Review: Well, you made it through 13 episodes, you might wonder what more could happen? Well, that's pretty much how episode 14 starts with the writers and director (Nabeshin) all pondering this very question. Their solution? Introduce a new character (or two) and we are off to the races! So say hello to Ropponmatsu and Ropponmatsu II.This DVD contains episodes 14-17 of the series. The same crazy nature you've come to expect still exists with looks at Japanese lolita fetishes, lesbianism, anime in America, merchandising, and more. The lolita and young "kawaii" lesbian nature of some of the episodes (in satire form) began pushing the line for me. However, I understand they are not doing this as an [inexpensive] thrill, but to poke fun at the Japanese culture where this exists. Story-wise, in addition to the normal parody nature of the series, the thin arc of a plot begins to gain a bit of weight here. We see that the Safety Assurance Agency was created to block Across's efforts to take over the city. Not directly, as they don't know who's doing all of this consipracy activity, but they know something is going on. For those wondering if the new (English) voice would pass the test, she does. The rest of the English dub is pretty good. The Menchi pop-up extra is back (great!). The various subtitle options & Japanese language option are included as are the standard ADV previews. There are a few "hidden" extras around, but you have to find them. The menu interface is the worst done of the first four DVD's. Bottom line: If you liked the first 13 episodes of Excel Saga, you'll love this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: The Madness Continues
Review: Well, you made it through 13 episodes, you might wonder what more could happen? Well, that's pretty much how episode 14 starts with the writers and director (Nabeshin) all pondering this very question. Their solution? Introduce a new character (or two) and we are off to the races! So say hello to Ropponmatsu and Ropponmatsu II. This DVD contains episodes 14-17 of the series. The same crazy nature you've come to expect still exists with looks at Japanese lolita fetishes, lesbianism, anime in America, merchandising, and more. The lolita and young "kawaii" lesbian nature of some of the episodes (in satire form) began pushing the line for me. However, I understand they are not doing this as an [inexpensive] thrill, but to poke fun at the Japanese culture where this exists. Story-wise, in addition to the normal parody nature of the series, the thin arc of a plot begins to gain a bit of weight here. We see that the Safety Assurance Agency was created to block Across's efforts to take over the city. Not directly, as they don't know who's doing all of this consipracy activity, but they know something is going on. For those wondering if the new (English) voice would pass the test, she does. The rest of the English dub is pretty good. The Menchi pop-up extra is back (great!). The various subtitle options & Japanese language option are included as are the standard ADV previews. There are a few "hidden" extras around, but you have to find them. The menu interface is the worst done of the first four DVD's. Bottom line: If you liked the first 13 episodes of Excel Saga, you'll love this DVD.
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