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, the first film was recently added for streaming on Amazon Prime thanks to Midnight Pulp. Now, the site has brought it onto their own streaming service proper for free viewing which you can find here in its dubbed form. This is one of those much older anime dubs and while it may take a few more liberties than modern dubs, it has its own charms to be sure.
On Amazon Prime, they’ve got it available for streaming but there are also SD rental and purchase options available for $1.99 and $7.99 respectively. The film is in its English language dub with closed-captions for all of these options.
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!
