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What A Cartoon Movie! - Project A-ko
🕑 Added 2023-10-30 04:00:02 +0000 UTCWe are returning to Japanese animation for the first time in 2023, and it's a doozy of 1980s otaku culture in Project A-ko! After exploring the R-rated background of the animation company, we see how it went mainstream with a big-budget 1986 film that parodies all the big anime shows of the era. In a love story between three girls, will C-ko stay friends with the super-powered A-ko, or be impressed with the rich B-ko's powerful mecha? And what about the alien invasion going on in the background? Learn all about that and how Project A-ko was one of the most popular films in the early years of international anime fandom as we dance away to this iconic film and its new HD remaster!
Comments
Malfred Davies
I was SOOOO happy that you guys mentioned Project A-ko airing on Sci-Fi Channel. You two really brought me back. But I thought you guys would talk a little about the OVAs, A-ko: The Versus. I actually enjoyed those OVAs back then. Awesome episode again, guys.
twistedmentat
Project A-ko was the first anime I watched that cemented it as something I liked. I had watched anime before, mostly the kind of stuff that in the early 90s everyone had, like Akira or Nausica, but A-ko was a game changer. Here was this beautifully animated film filled with action an excitement but well balanced with comedy, and to a horny teenager, boobs. The more I watched it over the years the more i came to recognize the skill and passion of the creators. Obviously in these pre internet days I had no idea just the pedigree of the creatives behind it, it still came through. And as my knowlage of anime grew, the obvious references became more apparent. Such as when i watched First of the Northstar, I instantly recognized Mari as a parody of Kenshiro.
Robert Denby
MD Geist is trashy fun, so long as you watch the original. When MD Geist II (which sucks) was made, the director of the original went back and made changes to the original to make it less cheesy and weird. That original version is just on Youtube; there’s never been an HD scan far as I know.
Jonathon
I, too, first learned of Project A-KO through Sci-Fi Channel's Saturday Anime. Staying up until midnight to watch stuff like this, 8 Man After, and GALL Force are the reason I got into anime. As a kid, it definitely seemed so adult (I guess the aggressive male-focused marketing worked on me). Now, of course, so much of it feels juvenile, but I couldn't wait to see what movie they would play each week. I only recently finally watched the full Project A-KO film, though, because during that Saturday Anime airing, I definitely fell asleep about 10 or 15 minutes in, and I don't know that Sci-Fi ever rebroadcast it.
I have fond memories of watching Project AKO movies on Sci-Fi Channel's (SyFy for you youngins 😂) Saturday Anime. I remember seeing 3 very different movies starring these characters and trying to understand how they were related. I had no idea it had such a rich history, but I could tell I was watching something special, if not a little charming and wierd. Thanks for taking me back to some fun Saturday mornings.
