Discotek Media thankfully rescued all of the Project A-Ko films a few years back but the original is still by the far the best of the bunch – the kind of film that you can revisit over the years and discover more about the more anime you watch. Originally released in 1986, it’s one of the most fascinating projects out there in my opinion. The folks at RetroCrush have given us a great four-minute taste as one of the earliest fights gets underway and we see what everyone is capable of.
And damn that score is so good!
The film was written and directed by Katsuhiko Nishijima based on an original story he wrote with Kazumi Shirasaka. Yuji Moriyama worked on the character designs while APPP handled the animation production.
The Japanese cast includes Emi Shinohara as Biko “B-Ko” Daitokuji, Michie Tomizawa as Shiko “C-Ko” Kotobuki, and Miki Itō as Eiko “A-Ko” Magami. The English dub was directed by Michael Bakewell and the cast includes Denica Fairman as Biko “B-Ko” Daitokuji, Julia Brahms as Shiko “C-Ko” Kotobuki, and Stacey Gregg as Eiko “A-Ko” Magami.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhUwqpxFK6
Plot Concept: It’s the not-too-distant future, and a metropolis flourishes in the crash site of an alien spacecraft. A-ko, a teenager growing up in this city, enjoys the life of an ordinary schoolgirl… along with incredible superhuman strength! But her carefree days are numbered. Her school rival, B-ko, is not content to live in the shadows any longer. A-ko’s superpowers and good fashion sense may not be a match for B-ko’s evil genius and Mega-Powered Fighting Robots of Doom!
