The greatest schoolgirl heroine of them all is back! This time in a plot that follows on directly from the original 1986 Project A-ko, one of Manga Video's earliest releases in the UK. A-ko is the superpowered schoolgirl who fights constantly with B-ko over the friendship of airhead blonde C-ko. The story also ropes in B-ko's father (who has a penchant for Elvis capes). The slim plot just about sustains a meagre 45 minutes. The interplay between the major characters will mean little to those unfamiliar with the first OAV and I'd suggest viewing that before looking at this.
If you know the characters there are welcome returns to previous moments: C-ko's ability to delicately prepare vomit-inducing lunch boxes, B-ko's amazing draughtsmanship when designing vast mecha with which she can attack A-ko, and A-ko's never-ending appetite for food. The dub is by US company Central Park. Manga's dub of the first A-ko release brought short words indeed from DSO anime expert Jim McLennan. I didn't think it was too bad, but having subsequently seen the subtitled version, he does have a point. Not so much of a problem here though. C-ko is definitely and improvement - more manic and airhead than before (but still short of the you-have-to-hear-it-to-believe-it original language version), A-ko is voiced with a little more enthusiasm and the supporting players are more emotional than before. Overall, however, it must be said that the story is straining for inspiration beyond the events of the first outing, but the characters are very likable. Not bad, but not fit to stand alongside the subtitled Project A-ko.
Rob Dyer
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