In the last few episodes of the series, Excel has lost her memory after being shot by Ilpalazzo. Torture at Ilpalazzo's hands isn't unusual for Excel; he shoots her with a gun and a rocket launcher in the first episode and flushes her down the hole nearly every subsequent episode. But at the point where she begs his forgiveness for her abscence (due to inadvertently wrecking an alien ship which inadvertently results in the realization of Across's goals), and he deliberately shoots her, the series turns semi-serious, focusing on Excel's inability to accept that Ilpalazzo will never love her the way she loves him, hence her amnesia. Yet Excel's love for Ilpalazzo never fades, and in the end, she can't bring herself to kill him for how badly he treated her.
My thought here is on a quote from Excel at that moment, when she stands before Ilpalazzo as he holds a gun on her. Her exact words were, "Love and loyalty are the same to me...". I thought this was the the most poignant thought I'd ever heard, and as stupid as Excel comes across, this is probably the most important moment in the series. Any misgivings I had about Excel were dispelled at that moment, and it got me thinking: Are love and loyalty really the same? Are there any other moments in Excel Saga where loyalty proves love or vice versa? Hmmm...this could be a good thread for the cyber lounge...(sans Excel Saga).
