Underplayed Gems

Project A-ko (1986)

Project A-ko poster
Original title
プロジェクトA子
Directed by
Katsuhiko Nishijima
Genre
science fiction film, magical girl, science fiction comedy, comedy anime and manga, adventure anime and manga, anime film
Country
Japan
Runtime
1h 24m
Rated
NR
Rating
6.7 of 10 from 46 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A high school girl named A-ko protects her best friend C-ko from their jealous classmate B-ko. Meanwhile, aliens attack Earth and the three girls get caught up in the chaos.

fast-pacedfunsillyaction-packedlightheartedenergeticparodiccampy

What happens

Project A-ko (Japanese: プロジェクトA子, Hepburn: Purojekuto Ēko) is a 1986 Japanese animated science fiction action comedy film. The film focuses on 16-year-old Japanese schoolgirl A-ko, who defends her best friend C-ko, as they face off against their classmate and rival B-ko while the Earth faces the threat of an alien invasion. Both Katsuhiko Nishijima and Yuji Moriyama directed it, though the latter also did character design. The film project initially started as part of the Cream Lemon series of original video animation, but later became its own film. The film staff was motivated to produce a fun and exciting film in contrast to the more serious anime films being produced at the time. Additionally, the film includes a variety of references and parodies a number of other works of anime from the 1970s and 1980s. The film was largely well received by critics who praised the humor and action and considered it an anime classic. Outside of Japan, the film was seen by many fans of anime which served as an introduction to the medium. The film was followed up by several sequels and a spin-off, starting with Project A-Ko 2 in 1987. The original 35mm film negatives were once thought lost until they were recovered in 2021. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.