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Excel Saga #5
Excel Saga, Vol. 05
Seeking global domination, would-be dictator Il Palazzo forms a secret society based deep beneath the streets of Fukuoka, Japan called ACROSS, and his first member is Excel, a teenaged girl smitten with him.
208 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 3, 2019
Almost a year since I read the last volume. Oops.
Even though most of this volume is about advancing the plot that began in the last volume, my favorite part was the short story about Valentine's Day. In Japan, the romantic spring gift-giving holiday is split in twain, with women giving chocolate to men on Valentine's Day and receiving chocolate in turn on White Day a month later. In office settings, co-workers often exchange chocolate (so-called giri-choco, "obligation chocolate), but even there hierarchy reigns, hence Kabapu's giant mountain of chocolate and Watanabe and Iwata's jealousy over Sumiyoshi's chocolate treats. And the twist of Misaki feigning disinterest in the holiday not because she thinks it's garbage commercialism, which is what we'd expect from her based on her previous behavior, but rather because she failed at making chocolate using the chocolate-making kits sold in stores, was amazing. She really does care about her coworkers, she's just a very formal person who always observes protocol. I get that.
The main bomb plot and Ropponmatsu showing up are fun too, since they start adding a bit more depth to the story. Now that one of the characters working for City Security is a robot that can easily be rebuilt, there's an simple way to add danger to the plots without actually causing injury or death to any of the main characters. And it once again ties into Kabapu's mysterious past, since the doctor who built the robot and programmed its AI mentions the mysterious black boxes given to him by Kabapu that he incorporated into the design and which survived the explosion that destroyed the original Ropponmatsu without a scratch.
I do wonder what Il Palazzo's goal was with the bomb, though. Who was he trying to kill, or was he just trying to cause a disturbance? Or was it just a way to tell Kabapu "Here I am?" I guess time will tell.
Previous Review: Volume Four.
Even though most of this volume is about advancing the plot that began in the last volume, my favorite part was the short story about Valentine's Day. In Japan, the romantic spring gift-giving holiday is split in twain, with women giving chocolate to men on Valentine's Day and receiving chocolate in turn on White Day a month later. In office settings, co-workers often exchange chocolate (so-called giri-choco, "obligation chocolate), but even there hierarchy reigns, hence Kabapu's giant mountain of chocolate and Watanabe and Iwata's jealousy over Sumiyoshi's chocolate treats. And the twist of Misaki feigning disinterest in the holiday not because she thinks it's garbage commercialism, which is what we'd expect from her based on her previous behavior, but rather because she failed at making chocolate using the chocolate-making kits sold in stores, was amazing. She really does care about her coworkers, she's just a very formal person who always observes protocol. I get that.
The main bomb plot and Ropponmatsu showing up are fun too, since they start adding a bit more depth to the story. Now that one of the characters working for City Security is a robot that can easily be rebuilt, there's an simple way to add danger to the plots without actually causing injury or death to any of the main characters. And it once again ties into Kabapu's mysterious past, since the doctor who built the robot and programmed its AI mentions the mysterious black boxes given to him by Kabapu that he incorporated into the design and which survived the explosion that destroyed the original Ropponmatsu without a scratch.
I do wonder what Il Palazzo's goal was with the bomb, though. Who was he trying to kill, or was he just trying to cause a disturbance? Or was it just a way to tell Kabapu "Here I am?" I guess time will tell.
Previous Review: Volume Four.
November 8, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. The images are a little weird, but once you get used to the storyline, it is a really good book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews