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Rating: 4.75 out of 5
One of the first anime films I ever watched was Project A-Ko. I think it showed up on Syfy or some program called Ani-Monday. I can’t remember where I saw it, but I honestly fell in love with the movie. Maybe because I was a horny little kid hitting puberty around that time. No matter, Project A-ko was a film that heavily influenced me to start watching anime. It was a crazy film, but I still like it to this day. You can imagine my excitement when it showed up on Tubi. I am telling you right now that Tubi is the place to go. It might be better than Hulu or Netflix.
The film starts off with a space shuttle fixing a satellite. Suddenly, an alien spacecraft pops out of nowhere and crashes into Graviton City, wiping out the entire population and leaving a massive crater. Humans, the builders of things, rebuilt the whole city and made the spacecraft that crash-landed in the city’s center. The film revolves around A-ko Magami, a BEAUTIFUL red-haired teenage girl. Her best friend is C-ko Kotobuki, a loud, loving blonde. A-ko and C-ko enter a new school at the all-girls Graviton High School during the new year. A-ko wants to be seen as an ordinary teenage girl despite her superhuman speed and strength. During the first day of school, the girls catch the unwanted attention of B-ko Daitokuji, a rich, snobbish, but brilliant fellow student who might have a past with A-ko. Things truly come ahead when B-ko wants to lay claim to C-ko while an alien race of women look for their long-lost princess.
Project A-ko is one of those anime films with a simple story but relies heavily on its action and the beef between A-ko and B-ko. A-ko comes in with C-ko and is the sweet teen, only for B-ko to try and lay claim to C-ko. The beef between these two is entertaining but funny. B-ko first sends Mary, a girl who looks like a straight-up man and bodybuilder, to go get or pick on C-ko. C-ko calls Mary a man and has Mary flip out and attack. Before Mary can land a punch, A-ko rolls up and knocks Mary out with one punch. The scene was insane! B-ko can’t believe it and starts crafting robots to fight A-ko before the start of school because she knows A-ko has a hard time making it to school on time. The second set was badly designed in which A-ko gives one kick and goes to class. The beef escalates when B-ko creates three world-class robots and lets A-ko know their past history when they were younger. B-ko used to pick on C-ko, and A-ko would save C-ko. B-ko hairstyle back in the day was a little bad. She straight up had the bowl haircut. A-ko, pissed that the one time she made it to school on time, destroys B-ko’s robots. Things escalate again when B-ko dons this sexy outfit that gives her extreme powers. The two battle through the school and in the sky when an alien spacecraft descends upon the city.
That brings me to the second story, about this group of alien-race women who look like men on a long quest to find their princess. The person on the mission looking is named D, and she has some of the funniest scenes. As she is gathering intel, no matter where she stands, she gets run over by A-ko, who is late for class. Each day, she is either bandaged or has a cast on. It is discovered that C-ko is the long-lost princess. Yet, she doesn’t remember anything and an epic battle takes place to rescue her. Ultimately, the spaceship perfectly balances on top of the ship that crash-landed at the film’s beginning.
I want to touch on the music. That song is “In You Eyes” by Samantha Newark. I don’t know what it is, but the song has a lovely melody, and Newark made this song epic. It is like a love song as it makes you want to look into someone’s eyes and tell them how you feel. It played when B-ko was thinking about C-ko and her hatred of A-ko. It was also the bathroom scene for B-ko.
The animation is outdated and could use a refresh, but hey, it’s from the 80s. I am actually one year older than the film. The animation also holds up with some of the characters, action scenes, and the overall look. The thing with older anime is they look fuzzy and not as crisp. You can tell it is old, but besides that, it looks like any type of anime film. As long as A-ko has that bright red hair, I am all good with the animation.
The main characters are iconic. Well, maybe two of them. A-ko is the main character with red hair and is strong as a god. If you look closely, it implies that she is the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman. She wears arm bracelets like her mother, and her father is shown reading the paper. It explains where she got her powers and speed. I want to know when Superman and Wonder Woman married and had a daughter.
B-ko is actually one of my favorite characters, as she is the complete opposite of A-ko by being a total bitch. She is possessive and wants everything for herself, and will use anyone. She is also beautiful with her purple hair and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. I think she is the perfect antagonist to go against A-ko because she gains her powers through her wealth. If A-ko is the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman, I wonder if B-ko is the daughter of Lex Luther.
C-ko was the character that really annoyed me. I know she is the comic relief for the anime, but she was beyond annoying to me. She always cried about everything and didn’t seem to have a single brain cell in her head. She also appears to be a terrible cook. I will say that she is extremely loyal to A-ko, and anyone would be happy to have a friend like her.
Project A-ko was a film that influenced me and made me start loving anime. I’m all about powerful women who can kick ass and take names. The story is simple, but the action is on point, with the characters being memorable. Watch this anime film and watch the craziness between two girls who are beefing. When you have time, watch the three sequels.
BONUS SONG!!!!!
