History Anime / ProjectAKo

[[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture Sometime in the future]], Eiko ("A-ko") Magami -- a teenage girl endowed with absurdly high levels of [[LightningBruiser superhuman strength and speed]] -- attends Graviton High with her [[TheDitz bubbly]] and childlike [[ChildhoodFriends best friend]], Shiiko ("C-ko") Kotobuki. Also attending class is Biko ("B-ko") Daitokuji, a beautiful and [[TheOjou mega-rich]], tall AcademicAlphaBitch who is determined to win C-ko [[PsychoLesbian for her own]]. Unfortunately for B-ko, that means having to go through A-ko first. So each school day, B-ko attacks A-ko with all manner of HumongousMecha and, eventually, a [[{{Stripperiffic}} revealing]] purple [[BattleBikini battlesuit]]. Things become more complicated after an alien warship from the Lepton Kingdom (located in Alpha Cygni), manned by the mysterious Captain Napolipolita, descends upon Graviton City with the goal of capturing one of the girls--or rather, ''rescuing'' her, as [[RagsToRoyalty she seems to be their long-lost princess]].

** ''Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group'' concerns the aftermath of the battle with the Alpha Cygnans, as their mothership has crashed and is now being converted into a tourist destination managed by the now-pacified aliens. As A-ko and B-ko fight once again, B-ko's father, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive rich executive Hikaru Daitokuji]], enlists the help of the Space Defense Force in securing the ship and its' technology for himself.
** ''Cinderella Rhapsody'' takes place during Spring Break, as A-ko, wanting a boyfriend, [[CrashIntoHello litteraly runs]] into handsome motorcyclist Kei and becomes enamored with him. B-ko, despite her infatuation with C-ko, finds herself attracted to him as well, and begins competing with A-ko for his affection. Unfortunately for them both, Kei is in love with C-ko, who is feeling very lonely because she feels A-ko is ignoring her.
** ''FINAL'' is, as the name suggests, the GrandFinale of the movie series. As the Alpha Cygnan fleet comes to Earth in full force to recover their princess and their lost ships, the girls' teacher, Miss Ayumi, is tired of being a ChristmasCake and is entering an ArrangedMarriage with Kei, set up by Hikaru Daitokuji. A-ko and B-ko, still infatuated with Kei, make plans to [[WeddingSmashers sabotage the wedding]] and win Kei back, while still fighting amongst themselves. C-ko, meanwhile, just wants A-ko to stop ignoring her.
** ''A-ko: The VS Grey Side/Blue Side'' (released in America as ''A-ko: Uncivil Wars'') takes place in an AlternateUniverse where A-ko and B-ko are bounty-hunting partners who capture giant sand turtles in a desert planet. C-ko is the daughter of a wealthy executive who runs the Kotobuki Financial Group, a galactic conglomerate. She gets kidnapped by a duo of SpacePirates in service of Gail, a medium and cult leader who desires to use her as a vessel for the cult's founder Lady Xena, but C-ko escapes and winds up with the bounty hunters. When the pirates invade their home and abduct her again, A-ko and B-ko team up with Galactic Policeman Maruten, a tiny alien who wants to avenge his fallen comrades who died fighting the cult, to rescue C-ko.

* MileLongShip: The initial shots of the alien ship in the film are blocked to make it appear to be about the size of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' or the ''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock Arcadia]]'' (which it resembles [[ShoutOut on purpose]]). [[spoiler:When the whole ship is shown later on, the "Yamato" part is revealed as ''the figurehead,'' though the blocking wasn't perfect: in the space scene with the Earth fighter jets, one of the long spires of the ship is seen against the distant figurehead portion, and when the [[WaveMotionGun is fired]] the beam is clearly seen coming from above and behind the fore portion of the ship.]]

* MileLongShip: The initial shots of the alien ship in the film are blocked to make it appear to be about the size of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' or the ''[[Anime/CaptainHarlock Arcadia]]'' (which it resembles [[ShoutOut on purpose]]). [[spoiler:When the whole ship is shown later on, the "Yamato" part is revealed as ''the figurehead.'']]

** Most of it comes from A-ko. Her opening scene has sunlight filtering through her nightshirt, revealing she isn't wearing a bra underneath. She's often subject to upskirt panty shots, including one instance where a lucky fighter pilot gets an extended look at her undies while she's seated on the canopy of his plane with the arrows of his HeadsUpDisplay positioned directly at A-ko's groin and her ass.

* FreezeFrameBonus: The first film includes some very close {{Panty Shot}}s and some fired missiles actually being soda pop cans (as a ShoutOut to the ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' film).

* PantyShot: Most of these come from A-ko, though other girls have their moments.

* WardrobeMalfunction: A-ko suffers from these, and often. When she is particularly embarrassed, one of her bra straps will slip down her shoulder, often with some of the shirt accompanying it. She also often gets into situations that become an innocent PantyShot, not that she takes it that way.

** ''FINAL'': [[BigBadEnsemble B-ko and Hikaru are the antagonists]], as Hikaru forces Kei into an ArrangedMarriage with Miss Ayumi despite his love for C-ko while B-ko still tries to steal him for herself and continues to fight with A-ko over it.

Together eith ''Manga/{{Akira}}'' and ''Anime/BubblegumCrisis'', ''A-Ko'' was part of the initial wave of anime in the West that started the 90s anime boom. In spite of that, ''Project A-ko'' (''プロジェクトA子'') is a relatively obscure film series to later generations of anime fans, but it was and continues to be an influential work in regards to action-comedy anime with a female-heavy cast--including ''Anime/MyHime'' and ''Anime/KillLaKill'', the latter of which could be considered a SpiritualSuccessor to ''A-ko'' in its own right due to similarities in tone and shared elements of both aesthetic and character.

* AffectionateParody: The series was a send-up of just about everything in Japanes pop culture up until the 80s.

Creator/DiscotekMedia currently holds the license in North America. Due to the original 35mm master print being believed to have been lost, they planned on instead using a promising AI-upscaling technology called [=AstroRes=] to restore the film for release on Blu-Ray... and then announced they were [[TrollingCreator cancelling it]] [[BaitAndSwitch because they had found the original masters, and were going to use that instead!]] This much-anticipated Blu-Ray, which includes the newly-restored version of the film and a ''ridiculous'' number of bonus features, ultimately released on December 21, 2021. In addition, as announced in March 2022, a remaster of the second film is set to follow later in 2022.

''Project A-ko'' (''プロジェクトA子'') is a relatively obscure film series to later generations of anime fans, but it was and continues to be an influential work in regards to action-comedy anime with a female-heavy cast--including ''Anime/MyHime'' and ''Anime/KillLaKill'', the latter of which could be considered a SpiritualSuccessor to ''A-ko'' in its own right due to similarities in tone and shared elements of both aesthetic and character.

Creator/DiscotekMedia currently holds the license in North America. Due to the original 35mm master print being believed to have been lost, they planned on instead using a promising AI-upscaling technology called [=AstroRes=] to restore the film for release on Blu-Ray... and then announced they were [[TrollingCreator cancelling it]] [[BaitAndSwitch because they had found the original masters, and were going to use that instead!]] This much-anticipated Blu-Ray, which includes the newly-restored version of the film and a ''ridiculous'' number of bonus features, ultimately released on December 21, 2021.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Lots of people in the franchise--even unnamed civilians--have blue hair. As for named characters: Miss Ayumi has light blue hair, D has dark blue hair, B-Ko has bluish-silver hair, and Grash in ''The VS'' has dark blue ShonenHair.

* WitchSpecies: Gail and Xena in ''The VS'' are part of a species of witches.

* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: A-ko and C-ko have something like this--much to B-ko's chagrin.

* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: In ''The VS'', A-ko and B-ko realize that [[spoiler:C-ko]] is FightingFromTheInside of [[spoiler:Xena's DemonicPossession]], so they attempt this--only to descend into ''enthusiastic'' bickering. [[spoiler:As C-ko watches the two become UnstuckInTime shifting between alternate versions of themselves (including their classic incarnations), she awakens because of her IntrinsicVow: she does not like it when A-ko and B-ko fight.]]

* LateForSchool: This is used as a running gag throughout the film, with A-ko always being late for class due to either oversleeping or B-ko picking fights with her. It continues to happen in the sequel OVAs, though not to the same extent.

* MileLongShip: The initial shots of the alien ship in the film are blocked to make it appear to be about the size of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'' (which it resembles [[ShoutOut on purpose]]). [[spoiler:When the whole ship is shown later on, the "Yamato" part is revealed as ''the figurehead.'']]

* SandIsWater: In ''The VS'', A-ko and B-ko live on a desert planet.

* UnknownRival: B-ko starts out as this to A-ko.

* WaveMotionGun

In March 2021, Creator/DiscotekMedia announced they were [[TrollingCreator cancelling an upscale Blu Ray Release]] --[[BaitAndSwitch because they had found the original 35mm master print, and will use that instead!]] The Blu Ray is due out on Dec 21, 2021.

'''A-ko Magami:''' ''Today I woke up early. This may never happen again! But you! You! Over a stupid, petty... B-ko, [[SuddenlyShouting YOU IDIOT!!!]]''

In March 2021, Creator/DiscotekMedia announced they were [[TrollingCreator cancelling an upscale Blu Ray Release]] --[[BaitAndSwitch because they had found the original 35mm master print, and will use that instead!]]

In March 2021, Creator/DiscotekMedia announced they were [[BaitAndSwitch cancelling an upscale Blu Ray Release -- because they had found the original 35mm master print, and will use that instead!]]

In March 2021, Creator/DiscotekMedia announced they were [[BaitAndSwitch cancelling an upscale Blu Ray Release -- because they had found the original 35mm master print., and will use that instead!]]

-->[[Franchise/StarWars A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR]]-- no, wait... [[Literature/TheHitchikersGuideToTheGalaxy SPACE IS BIG, REALLY BIG! YOU JUST WON’T BELIEVE HOW]]-- no, that's not it... [[Franchise/StarTrek SPACE. THE FINAL FRONTIER. THESE ARE THE VOYAGES]]-- no, no...

A raucous blend of over-the-top screwball comedy, action, and science fiction, ''Project A-Ko'' was one of those films ''everyone'' saw during the prehistory of anime in America, notably because it was one of the first theatrically-released anime films that could not be considered an "arthouse" film to also receive a commercial release in TheEighties. The general level of goofiness in the film is evident in the names of its main characters: "Girl A" (A-ko), "Girl B" (B-ko), and "Girl C" (take a wild guess). Another character is also named "D". But despite--or perhaps because of--that goofiness, the intervening years between its initial release and now have not lessened the influence of, and love[=/=]respect for, ''A-ko''.

* AffectionateParody: The series was a send-up of just about everything in anime up until the 80s.

** Original film: [[AcademicAlphaBitch B-ko Daitokuji]] becomes [[TheRival A-ko Magami]]'s rival and is the antagonist for most of the film, scheming to defeat A-ko so she can take her best friend, C-ko Kotobuki, for herself. Around two-thirds in, [[DiscOneFinalBoss she gets overshadowed]] by Captain Napolipolita, leader of the fleet of Alpha Cygnans who wants to take [[spoiler:C-ko]], actually their long-lost princess, back to their home planet by force.

* LadyLooksLikeADude: Mari, D, and Captain Napolipolita all look and sound like men in drag.

* MeaningfulName:
** As seen in A-ko and C-ko's introduction at school and the credits, the main characters' names are all written with kanji that reflect something about them. A-ko uses the first character of ''Eiyuu'' ("hero"), and she is certainly heroic; B-ko uses "beautiful", and she stands out for her looks.
** Maruten literally means "ball head" in Japanese; his cranium is approximately the size and color of a tennis ball.

* OutlawCouple: Liza and Grash in ''The VS''. Liza is [[TheBrute the muscle]] and is described by Mr. Kotobuki's assistant as [[BloodKnight "incredibly violent"]], which she demonstrates upon meeting A-ko and B-ko. Grash is the more level-headed of the two and seems to be just a BadassNormal toting a rifle and grenades in contrast to Liza's superhuman strength, making them an inversion of GuysSmashGirlsShoot. The couple aspect is a bit one-sided in that Liza is devoted to Grash, but Grash is ObliviousToLove.

* RedshirtArmy: The Graviton Defense Force counts, especially in the original film.

* SamusIsAGirl: The Alpha Cygnans are all female--and that includes D and Captain Napolipolita, both of whom look, sound, and act male.

* ShaggyDogStory: The [[{{Anticlimax}} anticlimactic]] introduction of the Max 5000 counts.
* SheIsAllGrownUp: The first film has a non-romantic version (and possibly an [[InvertedTrope inversion]], as it involves a childhood enemy rather than a ForgottenChildhoodFriend): according to A-ko's flashback to their childhood, she and C-ko used to look more or less like chibi-versions of their present day forms. B-ko, on the other hand, was described--accurately--as having a "basin haircut, piggy eyes and dumpy legs" but grew up into easily the most beautiful of the three girls. (A-ko is an AmazonianBeauty and C-ko is TheCutie, but B-ko is more clasically gorgeous.) No wonder A-ko failed to recognise her at first.

** [[spoiler:A-ko's parents are apparently Franchise/{{Superman}} and Franchise/WonderWoman.]]
** [[spoiler:B-ko's father bears some resemblance to [[Comicbook/IronMan Tony Stark]]]].

** The plot of the film is a [[BroadStrokes rough]] re-hash of ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross''

** [[Film/GhidorahTheThreeHeadedMonster Ghidorah]] is first referenced in ''Cinderella Rhapsody'' in one of the outfits A-ko tries, whereas the Three-Headed Dragon God in ''The VS'' is a much more obvious reference.

-->[[Franchise/StarWars A LONG TIME AGO, IN A GALAXY FAR]]-- no, wait... [[Literature/TheHitchikersGuideToTheGalaxy SPACE IS BIG, REALLY BIG! YOU JUST WON’T BELIEVE HOW]]-- no, that’s not it... [[Franchise/StarTrek SPACE. THE FINAL FRONTIER. THESE ARE THE VOYAGES]]-- no, no...
* ShownTheirWork: Alpha Cygni, more commonly known as Deneb, is a real star. The estimated distance from Earth, with a 10% margin of error, is 1,550 light years.
* SmallGirlBigGun

* StockholmSyndrome: B-ko starts to fall for Gail in ''The VS'' with her initial reason for following him to keep an eye on C-ko, even though he's obviously a religious fanatic bent on destroying every universe (not to mention the fact that he ''killed her'' earlier in the story).
* SubvertedTrope: PlayedForLaughs. [[spoiler:The climax of ''Final'' shows that all the supposedly ominous signs, apparently connected by the hexagram symbols, were just coincidences.]]

* SuperHero

* TheThreeFacesOfEve: C-ko is the "child" (the innocent and childlike figure), A-ko is the "wife" (she is the protective big sister figure looking after C-ko), and B-ko is the "seductress" (she has a curvy figure with penchant for wearing a revealing power suit and [[SchoolgirlLesbians has a]] [[PsychoLesbian certain obsession]] [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship with C-ko]]).

* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: A-ko (tomboy) and C-ko (girly girl); A-ko and B-ko (girly girl).

* VillainousBreakdown: B-ko.

* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Gail from ''The VS'' fits this trope because of his callous disregard for the trillions that will die when he and Xena carry out their plan to create a universe by wiping out the current one with the Dragon God.
* WitchSpecies: Gail and Xena in ''The VS'' count. Maybe C-ko, too.

* WouldHurtAChild: Liza in ''The VS'' does not hesitate to slap C-ko around when she [[RantInducingSlight insults Liza by calling her "Granny".]]