Project A-ko

For the convention, see A-Kon.
Project A-ko
Theatrical release poster art
Japanese name
KanjiプロジェクトA子
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnPurojekuto Ēko
Directed byKatsuhiko Nishijima
Written byKatsuhiko Nishijima
Tomoko Kawasaki
Yuji Moriyama
Story byKatsuhiko Nishijima
Kazumi Shirasaka
Produced byKazufumi Nomura
StarringMiki Itō
Michie Tomizawa
Emi Shinohara
Asami Mukaidono
Music byRichie Zito
Joey Carbone
Toru Akasaka
Production
companies
A.P.P.P.
Soeishinsha
Distributed byShochiku
Release date
  • June 21, 1986 (1986-06-21)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Project A-ko (Japanese: プロジェクトA子, Hepburn: Purojekuto Ēko) is a 1986 Japanese animated science fiction action comedy film.[1] The film focuses on 16-year-old Japanese teenage schoolgirl A-ko, who defends her best friend C-ko, as they face off against their classmate and rival B-ko while the Earth faces the threat of an alien invasion.[2] It was directed by Katsuhiko Nishijima with Yuji Moriyama did animation direction and character design.[3] The film project initially started as part of the Cream Lemon series of original video animation, but later became its own film.[4] The film staff said they were motivated to produce a fun exciting film in contrast to the more serious anime films being produced at the time.[5] Additionally, the film includes a variety of references and parodies a number of other works of anime from the 1970s and 1980s.[6]

The film was largely well received by critics who praised the humor and action and considered it an anime classic. Outside of Japan, the film was seen by many fans of anime which served as an introduction to the medium.[7] The film was followed up by several sequels and a spin-off, starting with Project A-Ko 2 in 1987.[2][8] The original 35mm film negatives were once thought lost until they were recovered in 2021.[9]

  1. ^ "Anime festival 2 - Project A-Ko". Los Angeles Times. 1999-05-06. p. 305. Archived from the original on 2024-06-22. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  2. ^ a b Lynn Davies, Robert (December 1995). "Project A-Ko The Pocket Guide". J-Fan. United Kingdom: Ebony Publishing. pp. 59–61. Archived from the original on 2024-06-02. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  3. ^ "Project A-Ko DVD". Right Stuf Inc. Archived from the original on January 21, 2018. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Chapman was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ruh was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Swallow, James (September 1995). "High Speed Cute An Overview of the Project A-Ko series". Anime FX. No. 6. United Kingdom: Ashdown Publishing. pp. 20–23.
  7. ^ Ouellette, Martin (May–June 1992). "Anime Story Project A-Ko". Protoculture Addicts (17). Canada: lanus Publications: 20–21.
  8. ^ Crandol, Mike. "Project A-Ko DVD". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2016-02-14.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Pineda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).