Short Synopsis
Despite the name, this two-part video series has no story connection with the original Project A-ko (1986) and its sequels. A-ko and B-ko, rivals in the earlier films, are reimagined as partners: a pair of bounty hunters working on a lawless frontier planet in a science-fiction setting. In the first part, Grey Side, their friend C-ko is kidnapped by space pirates led by a captain called Gail, who plan to use her to bring back to life an ancient sorceress, Xena. A-ko and B-ko must work together to rescue her, fighting their way through the pirates' forces. In the second part, Blue Side, the story continues as the pair confront the consequences of the pirates' scheme and the threat of the sorceress. Throughout, A-ko's super strength and B-ko's ingenuity are played against each other as much as against their enemies, and the films keep the original series' mixture of action, comedy and bickering friendship.
Why It Matters
- The spin-off is an interesting example of how 1980s and early 1990s anime franchises reused popular characters in entirely new settings: it keeps A-ko, B-ko and C-ko's personalities and relationships while transplanting them from a high school comedy to space-western action.
- The original Project A-ko was one of the defining anime films of the video era, a parody of Japanese sci-fi and high-school tropes, and it was among the first anime features to reach a wide English-speaking audience. This 1990 OVA, A-ko the Vs. in Japan, came at the height of the original video animation boom, when stories were made directly for the home market.
Notes and Trivia
- Central Park Media released it in English as Project A-ko: Uncivil Wars.
- The original film's three heroines keep their names and basic personalities: A-ko the super-strong, B-ko the clever rival and C-ko the helpless friend.
- See also: Dirty Pair: Flight 005 Conspiracy (1990), City Hunter: Bay City Wars (1990).