History Anime / ExcelSaga

* YuriGenre: Parodies just about everything about the trope, complete with {{Heroic Sacrifice}}s and [[BlackComedyRape Ropponmatsu II raping Excel]]. Also lampshaded earlier: "Aren't we just a few lilies ("yuri" can mean both lilies and lesbians) short of a shojo-ai?"

* DeathIsCheap: Excel, thanks to the Great Will of the Macrocosm, survives getting several times in the first episode. Hyatt just does because of RuleOfFunny. The Ropponmatsus are constantly being blown up and then having new bodies rebuilt. Puchuus don't come back but there's so many of them it doesn't really matter.

* HomoeroticDream: In Episode 21, a horny Excel has a daydream of Il Palazzo and Key rolling around in roses.

* CaptainObvious: In Episode 9, after defeating the Ball and Stick leader at bowling: "In true sportsmanship, the one who wins is the winner!"

* HiddenDepths: Despite working for an organization whose eventual goal is world domination, Excel often helps out people during her missions, for no other reason than to stand up for the little guy (see saving the bowling alley in Episode 9, beating up the mobsters who conned Sandora in Episode 17, coaching the losing school baseball team in Episode 11, and protecting Pad and his father from the thugs in Episode 23).

* MediumBlending: Episode 9 interspersed footage of actual bowling alongside animated bowling, and also included instances of 3D animation and overlaying animation over actual footage of a cliff.

** In the bowling episode (Episode 9), during the commercial break, Excel is chased by the bowling master's minions six times. By the end, they're begging to stop. In the last one, they've lost her.

** The "Bowling Girls" hosts' names are puns in Japanese.

* LongTitle: Episode 3's title is "The Sacrificial Lamb of the Venomous Great Escape of Hell".

[[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas Having nothing to do with]] [[Creator/{{Microsoft}} Microsoft Excel]] (although [[ObligatoryJoke the software makes a brief appearance]] in episode 5), ''Quack Experimental Anime Excel Saga'' (''エクセル・サーガ, Ekuseru Saaga'') tells the story of recent high school graduate Excel Excel. She's a [[TheDitz small-brained]] but highly energetic GenkiGirl who finds her ideal job serving as a minion to the mysterious Lord Il Palazzo, leader of the subversive yet FascistButInefficient organization ACROSS.

** The show actually does it to itself a couple of times during the ClipShow! "One minute Excel Saga" basically reshows the start of episode 1 only doesn't reset when Excel dies, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q58TnyL_IfU English Version Beautiful Theatre]] re-dubs one of the insert clips into hysterically deliberately bad Engrish. Also, ''Pedro: The Movie''.

** In episode 17, Excel calls out an gangster by parodying Sailor Moon (who was also voiced by Creator/KotonoMitsuishi). It's immediately lampshaded when the gangster dismisses Sailor Moon as old hat and just for kids.

** Invoked at the end of episode 21, when Hyatt suddenly talks like Ruri from ''Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico''; Creator/OmiMinami voiced both characters.

* AffectionateParody: Of lots and lots and lots of other anime; one long scene in episode 3 and then all of episode 22 are devoted to gentle send-ups of Creator/LeijiMatsumoto's work, for instance.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: Excel has the hots for Il Palazzo, a villain. She also gets a crush on Key in episode 21, a brooding guitarist.
* AllJustADream: Watanabe has a romantic dream about him and Hyatt in episode 18, only to realize halfway through that it's not real, and that his dream is merely made up of references to TV shows he watched that day.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Excel is in love with Il Palazzo, whose attitude towards her ranges from indifference to barely tolerating her presence. Watanabe is in love with Hyatt but she is either unaware of his feelings or doesn't care. Ropponmatsu 1 and 2 love Hyatt and Excel, respectively (specifically, through imprinting), but neither reciprocate. Iwata loves Misaki and Ropponmatsu 1, but is beat up by Misaki for his remarks and ignored by Ropponmatsu 1 (she's a robot, after all). There is ''almost'' an aversion to this trope in episode 26 when Shioji and Cosette go to the love hotel, but it's played straight when she reveals herself to be a legal adult and a G-cup. Shioji is turned off and leaves, despite Cosette begging him to stay.
* AlmostKiss: Occurs twice in episode 7: Once, to Watanabe when he tries to kiss Hyatt (he kisses a Puchuu instead), and later to Iwata when he tries to give Misaki CPR.

** Invoked for episode 8... At least with the females. The males (at least the parts of them that are shown) are OffModel in contrast.

* AntlionMonster: Menchi runs into one of these while crossing a desert in episode 19.
* ApocalypseHow: Class 0 for F City. This occurs both in episode 18, when the city is bombed to contain the Daitenzin squad, and episode 22, when space debris turns F City into a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In both instances, however, [[ResetButton the city is rebuilt incredibly quickly]].

* AssShove: In episode 26, the doctor shoves a gigantic syringe up Hyatt's butt.
* AtopAMountainOfCorpses: Nabeshin, after taking his revenge on the soldiers who killed Tetsuko in episode 3.

* BadLiar: Excel in episode 5. When asked by the vice-mayor who she is, Excel (who's supposed to be undercover) tells everything instead of making a cover story.

* BalloonBelly: Excel during the all-girls episode and episode 23.

* BathroomStallGraffiti: In episode 5, some seemingly nonsensical phrases/words on the bathroom stall are actually passwords for a secret computer.

* BeamOWar: Between Pedro and "That Man" in episode 25.

** In episode 20 (the second clip show), Hyatt asks: "Maybe the writers have run out of ideas?" Long pause... Then Excel launches into a tirade.
** In episode 26, there's a long comic pause when Excel (who is now in Hyatt's body) notices herself in the mirror and realizes she's Hyatt.

* BigBrotherIsWatching: Used as a gag in episode 26, when Kabapu has set up lots of cameras in Misaki's shower, and is excitedly waiting for Ropponmatsu 1 to rub lotion on her. Misaki punches out the cameras before he can see too much, though.
* BigEater: Excel, as shown in episodes 4 and 8 (the latter of which produces BalloonBelly).
* BiggerOnTheInside: In episode 26, Misaki is showering in a bathroom that is ''much'' larger than an economy Japanese apartment would have. She lampshades this, of course.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:In episode 19, Anne ends up making it around the world in 80 hours (so she can collect the inheritance), but she is separated from Menchi, her companion on the trip.]]

** In episode 16, a baseball team is named the Onions, a parody of the real-life team the Orions.
* BlatantLies: The supposedly "gag free" episode 24 ''does'' still have gags, they're just not nearly as frequent as usual.

* BombDisposal: Ropponmatsu 1 was created to do this. However, she was programmed badly and both episodes 14 and 15 end with the bomb exploding instead of her successfully disarming them.

* BriefAccentImitation: In episode 18, Excel speaks one line in a Southern accent (complete with cowboy hat).
* BritishRockstar: The English dub renders the punk band from episode 21 as these.

** At the end of episode 20, Excel and Hyatt repeat "Mitsuo Menda naha naha" repeatedly.
** In episode 26, after Excel and Hyatt merge into a mecha, Hyatt says "How exciting!" over and over.
* BulletTime: Occurs in episode 9's ''[[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]]'' parody.

* BystanderSyndrome: In the climax of episode 22, the Pentagon is concerned about the space debris heading towards Earth, but when they're informed it's merely heading towards F City, they immediately dismiss it: "That's Japan's problem."
* CallingYourAttacks: The Daitenzin do this in episode 25 when taking down ACROSS minions.
* CaptainObvious: In episode 9, after defeating the Ball and Stick leader at bowling: "In true sportsmanship, the one who wins is the winner!"
* CasualDangerDialogue: In episode 6, an avalanche is careening towards the city security team. Sumiyoshi's reaction? "Yup."
* CatapultNightmare: Pedro has one in episode 2 when he wakes up from what he thinks is a nightmare... only to discover Great Will sleeping next to him.

* CeilingBanger: Watanabe gets infuriated at all the noise Excel's making in the next-door apartment at the end of episode 1.

* CerebusSyndrome: Briefly; episodes 24 and 25 (plus some moments in episodes 22 and 23) are much more serious than the rest of the series. The show bounces back from this in episode 26, however.
* CharacterFilibuster: Averted in episode 12; Il Palazzo is about to rant about Christmas (and, by extension, Christianity), but Excel suggests he spare the audience his views and just move on. Il Palazzo agrees.

* ContentWarnings: In episode 5, the vice-mayor's mistress is tossed in the fridge when Kabapu walks in, and some background text reminds kids not to stuff themselves in the fridge.

* CrossPoppingVeins: Il Palazzo gets a ''lot'' of them in episode 21 when he's jealous of Key's good looks and guitar skills.
* CutawayGag: In episode 10, there are two instances where the show is interrupted by Great Will and a Puchuu having tea.

* DeaderThanDead: Parodied in Pedro's storyline. He dies in a construction site fire in episode 1, but due to sleeping with Great Will, That Man abducts him and plans to kill him ''again'' by dumping him in Tokyo Bay. This absurdity is lampshaded by Great Will when she goes into Tokyo Bay to rescue Pedro:

* DeathlyUnmasking: You will find out exactly what [[spoiler:the mystery prisoner in episode 3]] looks and sounds like, but not until they've been shot.
* DeconstructiveParody: Debatably the case. The show is a parody of not only specific anime shows but, more generally, various storytelling and visual tropes in anime. However, in the process of hitting all the dramatic beats, the show works as ''both'' a satire and a story that you can enjoy at face value. See episodes 22-25 for perhaps the ultimate example of this; all four episodes parody something (space opera; post-apocalyptic desert; CerebusSyndrome; super-powered villains), but they're executed in a way that you can still care about the story and characters, even if you know it's parodying or referencing something.

* {{Delinquents}}: Parodied in episode 11, "Butt Out, Youth!"
* DerangedAnimation: Present in many episodes, but especially in episodes 3, 13, 20, and 26.
* DesertPunk: The aftermath of the destruction of the city in episodes 23-25.
* DieLaughing: An unnamed old lady in episode 4 dies this way, sharing a laugh with Sumiyoshi before abruptly falling face down on the table.

** In episode 4, during the dating sim parody, Il Palazzo responds to Excel's teasing about getting out of bed by ''killing her''.

** A RunningGag in episode 18, "Municipal Force Daitenzin": To clean up the town, the Daitenzin group will prosecute anything, no matter how trivial. Example:

** [[spoiler:In episode 10, all of Menchi's new friends are dead, and Menchi supposedly killed her former owner because he switched to the bad side.]]
** [[spoiler:In episode 17, Sandora is shot to death by the mobsters.]]
** [[spoiler:In episode 22, debris from the space battle obliterates F City.]]
** [[spoiler:And in episode 23, Il Palazzo shoots Excel through the heart. Luckily she survives.]]
** There's also a parody of downer endings in [[spoiler:episode 11, when Bean Boy learns that his father's company went bankrupt. This is moments after his baseball team lost the big game.]]

* ElectricTorture: Excel's torture in the 3rd episode results in HarmlessElectrocution. [[TooKinkyToTorture She comments on how nice it feels and asks the torturer to turn it up higher.]] The torturer uses it on another prisoner just to see if it's working, and the prisoner is immediately incinerated.

* EngagingConversation: Iwata's immediate reaction when he realizes the detective in episode 12 is, in fact, a woman. Also his reaction when meeting Ropponmatsu. Iwata is very quick on the marriage proposals in general.
* EpisodeTitleCard: Most episodes don't have them, but episode 7 does a title card in blood, since the episode is done in the style of horror anime.

* EvolvingCredits: The opening animation for episodes 1-24 is the same... until episode 26, where some variants occur.

* FanService: Episode 8: "Increase Ratings Week", also several sequences in episode 26, "Going Too Far", which quickly cross into FanDisservice.

* FanServiceWithASmile: Lampshaded in episode 21, when Hyatt and Excel are commissioned to work at a nightclub as waitresses:

* {{Flanderization}}: Done deliberately in episode 26, where everyone's primary character traits are [[ExaggeratedTrope exaggerated]] [[PlayedForLaughs for the sake of comedy.]]
* {{Flashback}}: Usually subverted for gag value due to whether they really happened, but played straight in episode 24.
* FlashbackEffects: Lampshaded in episode 11, when Mr. Aesop reveals why Bean Boy quit the baseball team: He sets up a flashback and Hyatt accompanies the ripple effect by saying "Ripple, ripple, ripple..."
* FlippingTheBird: Excel accidentally does this to Tetsuko in episode 3; when she realizes her mistake, she wipes her hand and gives a thumbs-up instead.

** At the end of episode 13, a poster on Watanabe, Iwata, and Sumiyoshi's wall shows Ropponmatsu 1 and 2, who would debut in episodes 14 and 15.
** In episode 22, the calendar says the year is "[[Manga/FistOfTheNorthStar 199X]]."
* FreakyFridayFlip: Between Excel and Hyatt in episode 26.

** Humorous add-ons in the credits. In addition to the staff and actors, there are funny little blurbs such as "Fun things to make with paper" (spitballs, airplanes, pirate hats, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick very ineffective condoms]]) "Sex!!!! (Subliminal Message)", and comments on the episode ("Sorry, no gags this time"). The ending of episode 25 had the credits in Spanish, also.

** There are a few characters Excel falls past in episode 5 that are virtually impossible to discern without freeze frame, as they only last two frames.

* FullyAutomaticClipShow: Two of them in episode 22 (one of Excel's many failures, and another of the Puchuus getting smacked), and a brief one in episode 24 (previous instances of Excel getting dropped down the pits by Il Palazzo).

* FunSize: A RunningGag in episode 13, where one of the performers will suddenly be replaced by a small, stuffed doll version of themselves.

* GenericGraffiti: In episode 17, "Animation U.S.A.!"
* GenkiGirl: Hyatt shows her Genki side when in Excel's body in episode 26. If Hyatt had a perfect body, she would be ''extremely'' Genki.

* GrandFinale: Episode 25 covers the final showdowns of ACROSS versus Daitenzin and Pedro versus That Man. (The Puchuu storyline had been wrapped up in episode 22.) While episode 25 isn't technically the final episode, it is the canonical ending and the last one to be broadcast in the show's original run.
* GratuitousEnglish: Used for comedy in episodes 13 and 17. In episode 17, it's intentionally used by the Americans in the dub.

* GreenAroundTheGills: Or rather, blue around the gills. In episode 12, Hyatt gets carsick and her face turns blue, freaking out the bank robbers who kidnapped her.

* HappyEnding: The series ends happily for the main characters, discounting episode 26, which is non-canon (its entire existence is a huge joke as to how far the production team could go, hence its title "Going Too Far").
* TheHatMakesTheMan: A recurring bit in episode 12. With the detective hat on, Todo is tough and no-nonsense. When the hat comes off, Todo prefers to be called Purin, and is more emotional.
* HiddenDepths: Despite working for an organization whose eventual goal is world domination, Excel often helps out people during her missions, for no other reason than to stand up for the little guy (see saving the bowling alley in episode 9, beating up the mobsters who conned Sandora in episode 17, coaching the losing school baseball team in episode 11, and protecting Pad and his father from the thugs in episode 23).
* HighPressureBlood: Parodied in episode 26, as Hyatt coughs up enough blood to drown the entire planet.
* HomoeroticDream: In episode 21, a horny Excel has a daydream of Il Palazzo and Key rolling around in roses.
* HumongousMecha: Played semi-straight in episode 25: the CoolButInefficient mecha is shaped like a cartoon dinosaur, and it is rather ineffectual in the climactic battle, [[spoiler:but it was just a decoy anyway]].

* IFellForHours: In episode 17, Excel is dropped down the pit like usual, but it's so long that it goes through the center of the Earth. The exit to the pit is all the way across the globe, in New York City.
* IdentityAmnesia: [[spoiler:Excel gets this in episode 24 after being shot, though she remembers who she is by the end of the episode.]]
* ImAHumanitarian: In the "next episode" preview for episode 6, Excel says that one of the hallmarks of a winter mountain trip is eating passengers stranded on the bus.

* ImprobableHairstyle: Bean Boy's super long hairdo in episode 11. It's so long that he can smack people with his hair ''from across the room''.

* InnerMonologue: Il Palazzo has one when Key comes to ACROSS in episode 21, in what is the equivalent of a jealous temper tantrum.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon: Parodied in episode 17, and combined with an obvious ShoutOut to ''Anime/SailorMoon'' -- "In the name of the Moon, I shall spank you!" ("In the name of the toons, I will punish you!" in the English dub). If you know that the Japanese voices of Excel and Sailor Moon were [[ActorAllusion performed by the same voice actress]], it's even funnier.

* IntentionalEngrishForFunny: Episode 13 features an alternate version of "Beauty Theater" from episode 8 where the Japanese [=VAs=] speak in English, which results in very thick accents and utterly insane translations –- [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay "Hasta la vista, baby"]] is one of the lines.
* IntimateHealing: Parodied in episode 6, when Excel tries to thaw Hyatt from a block of ice with "shared bodily warmth", but winds up nearly killing ''herself'' because there's so much to unfreeze.

** "It Became a Cool Song. Yeah.": Misaki's theme (though also used in other situations, like scenes of the pool in episode 8, or Anne's global journey in episode 19)

** "Love Hena Theme": An interesting case. It was originally used for the visual novel parody in episode 4, but soon came to also be associated with the Excel Girls, Excel Kobayashi and Mikako Hyatt.
* {{Letterbox}}: Used in most of episode 3. Also occurs in the ''Pedro: The Movie'' trailer from episode 13 for obvious reasons.

* MagicalDefibrillator: In episode 26, the doctor shocks Hyatt with these.

* MediumAwareness: In episode 17, Hyatt mentions how anime nowadays are digitally colored. Then the camera zooms in on her eyes, which are pixelated.

* MegaCorp: The Alps Group, from episode 19.

** Episodes 22-25 have less and less slapstick humor and more and more dramatic content; episode 24 is described in the introduction as "gag-free". "Gag-free" is, of course, somewhat relative.

* NakedApron: Watanabe briefly imagines Hyatt in nothing but an apron in episode 26.

* NoOneShouldSurviveThat: [[spoiler:The ending of episode 22.]]

** In episode 6, Matsuya asks Dr. Kabapu about their training, while Watanabe mumbles to himself about what a crappy day he's having. Eventually, they both simultaneously complain about their guns looking "[[ShurFineGuns like a toy from a fair booth]]".

* OnTheNext: Each episode ends with a verbal teaser for the next episode, almost always by Excel talking in MotorMouth fashion. A few exceptions: The preview for episode 3 mostly features Hyatt talking; the preview for "The Best of Mr. Pedro" features Pedro talking; and the preview for "For You, I Could Die" features a dramatic narrator.
* OpeningScroll: A Franchise/StarWars parody appears at the start of episode 2.

* OverdrawnAtTheBloodBank: Hyatt floods the entire planet with her blood at the end of episode 26.

** In the bowling episode (episode 9), during the commercial break, Excel is chased by the bowling master's minions six times. By the end, they're begging to stop. In the last one, they've lost her.
** In episode 21, Key is all set to sing his ACROSS message to Il Palazzo... but when he starts to sing, no words come out. The camera stays on his frozen face for a long time, briefly cuts back to Il Palazzo and his cuckoo clock, and back to Key for many more seconds... until he finally admits that he can't sing unless in the mood.

* PerfectlyCromulentWord: In episode 23, after Excel licks the blood off the cut on her cheek, she says "Saltyish!"
* PerpetualFrowner: Misaki, though she occasionally gives a smirk, such as the end of episode 6 after she shoots at Iwata.

* PetTheDog: The group of soldiers who are holding Excel as a P.O.W. in episode 3 are very friendly to Menchi, who has wandered into the camp. They even build a doghouse for her.

** Done to Misaki's face in episode 6 when she's first introduced: "I'm not a porn star!"
** In episode 26's opening credits, Excel and Hyatt are nude in a couple scenes, and their nudity is pixellated.
* PleasePutSomeClothesOn: In episode 9, Nabeshin gives Excel a motivational speech in the bathroom, but Excel asks him to pull his pants up.

* PoliceProcedural: Sent up for laughs in episode 12.
* PopGoesTheHuman: In episode 20, Excel explodes after a rant. [[NegativeContinuity She's back to normal in the next scene.]]

** In episode 4, "Love Puny" (original Japanese title: [[Manga/LoveHina "Love Hena"]]).

** In episode 3, Excel says, "Il Palazzo, I love you so fucking much."
** In episode 5, when two office workers corner Excel in the secret computer room, she says "FAHK YOU!"
** At the end of episode 6, Excel and Hyatt pull themselves out of an avalanche.

** In episode 8, after Nabeshin and Rikdo give her the go-ahead to excise all male characters from the episode, she shunts them off-screen by telling them to "Fuck off!"

* PrivateDetective: Todo/Purin in episode 12.

* RagingStiffie: Watanabe has one in episode 26 while he impatiently waits for Hyatt (in Excel's body) to get ready for sex.
* RatingsStunt: Parodied mercilessly in chapter 8, called "Increase Ratings Week".
* RawEggsMakeYouStronger: Parodied in episode 17; during the ''Film/{{Rocky}}'' parody, Pedro drinks raw eggs, but quickly spits them out in disgust.

** In episode 5, Watanabe receives a green drink from Hyatt, and claims the two have the red string of fate between them. Sumiyoshi references the drink when deadpanning, "It's green."

* RepeatCut: ''Excel Surprise Triple Take!'' in episode 7.
* ResetButton: Actually embodied in a character -- The Great Will of the Macrocosm, though the last portion of the series, except for episode 26, does have some semblance of actual continuity. One of the biggest differences between the manga and the anime is that this character only exists in the anime. In the manga, the characters actually have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

* RousingSpeech: Excel gives one to Pedro in episode 1 after he's homesick for Sandora and his sexy wife.

* RuleOfThree: Anne's commercial in episode 19 is shown three times during the episode.

** [[spoiler:Tetsuko, the iron-masked prisoner]] in episode 3. Parodied because she has plenty of lines before the reveal, which she speaks with a baritone voice. Also, [[LarynxDissonance she ]]''[[LarynxDissonance keeps]]'' [[LarynxDissonance speaking in that voice after the reveal!]]
** There's also the detective in episode 12, whose upper face is initially hidden by her hat brim.

* SecondEpisodeIntroduction: Hyatt isn't introduced until episode 2.

** In episode 13, Excel says she's a huge idiot.
** In "Excel Saga: The Musical" in episode 26, one of Excel's lines is "I'm a moron!"
* SendInTheClones: [[spoiler:Shioji's ace in the hole in episode 25: He has an army of Ropponmatsu 1s that he activates to overwhelm Il Palazzo's minions.]]

** Non-credits related: Every other episode ends with a snippet of the fast-paced, action-themed "Mission Impossible... Huh? In This Case, It is Really Impossible..." during the "today's experiment" screen, but episode 23 is the exception, playing an ethereal, downbeat, mysterious piece. This mood change is appropriate, [[spoiler:as Excel was just shot and left for dead, and Il Palazzo was getting away in his flying fortress]].
* SoundtrackDissonance: Episode 26 has this in one scene: When Shioji meets Cosette in the park and offers to take her to the nearby love hotel (which she accepts), the soundtrack briefly plays "You Mean the Death of Tetsuko...", a melodramatic piece normally used in death scenes (Tetsuko's death in episode 3, Anne's near-death in episode 19, etc.) or serious moments (episode 11: Bean Boy losing the big game in a flashback).

** Most of episode 22.

* StuffBlowingUp: "Anime is all about stuff blowing up!", according to Nabeshin in episode 26, and Excel in episode 17.

* SuddenDownerEnding: The final three minutes of episode 23, all of episode 24 (actually approved as a joke-free episode by Koshi Rikdo), and most of episode 25 are pretty serious, especially in comparison to the rest of the series. Though episode 25 does end on an upbeat note. And of course, episode 26 features a complete SnapBack and the wacky comedy the series is known for, but storywise it's not meant to be canonical.
* SunkenCity: The end of episode 7 has F City flooded; it's back to normal by the next episode, though.

* TakingTheBullet: Anne takes one for Menchi in episode 19, and would've died had it not been for Hyatt's revitalizing elixir.

* ThinkOfTheCensors: In episode 9:

* TitleOnlyOpening: Only for episode 25, where the credits are superimposed over the action.
* ToiletHumour: In episode 26, Menchi abruptly squeezes out some crap.

* TheTokyoFireball: Played straight, oddly enough, in episode 22, though there is a Puchuu-shaped mushroom cloud... and it's Fukuoka, not Tokyo.

* TrainingFromHell: Parodied in episodes 6 and 9.
* TrainingMontage: Pedro has one in episode 17, which he recounts to Great Will and Gomez. It ends with a ''Film/{{Rocky}}'' reference.
* TrouserSpace: Excel does it in episode 22. She shoves her hand right down her crotch and pulls out a manga.

** Excel vomits on-screen in episode 1, as demonstration that she'll do whatever Il Palazzo asks of her.

* WeCanRebuildHim: Menchi's old owner was seemingly killed in episode 10, only for the Hounds to revive him and build a metal body suit for him.
* WeddingFinale: [[spoiler:In the epilogue to episode 26, Nabeshin is set to marry Kumikumi, the woman who kept chasing him with food throughout the story, but the priest is revealed to be Koshi Rikdo, who objects to the show ending in this bizarre manner. The show ends with the two duking it out, and Kumikumi declaring them idiots.]]
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The end credits of episode 25. Among the developments: [[spoiler:F City is completely rebuilt, Shioji is developing a giant mecha Ropponmatsu 1, Pedro is back home with Sandora and sexy wife, and Great Will had a baby.]]
* WingdingEyes: Excel gets heart eyes when swooning over Key in episode 21.

** Nabeshin's theme music is given lyrics at the end of episode 5.
** The next episode preview for episode 21 has Excel singing about Key to the tune of "Ai (Chuuseishin)".
** Various BGM are given lyrics in episode 26's "Excel Saga: The Musical".

* YouAreAlreadyDead: Parodied by Excel in episode 23, only it turns the victims into ''Anime/DiGiCharat'' plushies.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: At the end of episode 23, [[spoiler:Il Palazzo acknowledges that Excel has never been useful and shoots her]].

A lot of the jokes and sight gags are ''very'' Japanese puns that [[LostInTranslation only the Japanese would get]]. To the rest of the world, it's just plain random. Then again, [[WidgetSeries the series is just plain random]].

* WallOfText: Turning on the [=ADVidNotes=] (on-screen notes regarding the many, many cultural references and language-based puns that don't translate well) can result in this at times. Given [[WidgetSeries the nature of the beast]], this is unavoidable.

* GagBoobs: Cosette, who has the body of a little girl and somehow hides her very large breasts under her clothing.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: In episode 18 Excel tries to pull a coin from inside a vending machine, when she succeeds Hyatt asks if this is the result of the "finger training" Excel practices every night to which Excel asks her to shut up.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas Having nothing to do with]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Microsoft}} Microsoft Excel]] (although [[ObligatoryJoke the software makes a brief appearance]] in episode 5), ''Quack Experimental Anime Excel Saga'' (''エクセル・サーガ, Ekuseru Saaga'') tells the story of recent high school graduate Excel Excel. She's a [[TheDitz small-brained]] but highly energetic GenkiGirl who finds her ideal job serving as a minion to the mysterious Lord Il Palazzo, leader of the subversive yet FascistButInefficient organization ACROSS.

[[JustForFun/IThoughtThatWas Having nothing to do with]] [[UsefulNotes/Microsoft Microsoft Excel]] (although [[ObligatoryJoke the software makes a brief appearance]] in episode 5), ''Quack Experimental Anime Excel Saga'' (''エクセル・サーガ, Ekuseru Saaga'') tells the story of recent high school graduate Excel Excel. She's a [[TheDitz small-brained]] but highly energetic GenkiGirl who finds her ideal job serving as a minion to the mysterious Lord Il Palazzo, leader of the subversive yet FascistButInefficient organization ACROSS.

Having nothing to do with Microsoft Excel (although [[ObligatoryJoke the software makes a brief appearance]] in episode 5), ''Quack Experimental Anime Excel Saga'' (''エクセル・サーガ, Ekuseru Saaga'') tells the story of recent high school graduate Excel Excel. She's a [[TheDitz small-brained]] but highly energetic GenkiGirl who finds her ideal job serving as a minion to the mysterious Lord Il Palazzo, leader of the subversive yet FascistButInefficient organization ACROSS.

* TheScream: In one episode, Pedro's BigNo morphs into Edvard Munch's painting of the same name.