Yuji Moriyama’s Project A-ko 2 is a totally unnecessary, mostly annoying sequel to the anime film Project A-ko. The comedy relies heavily on lesbian subtext and transvestites, which will largely amuse only those who automatically think men wearing bras and high heels are funny. The screenplay is witless enough to have been concocted by a Tamagotchi. And the American dubbed release by US. Manga is even worse, due to inept actors who shout their lines, as well as extremely misleading box art.
Once again, the plot revolves around the friendship triangle of three schoolgirls named A-ko, B-ko and C-ko. A-ko is the superpowered redhead daughter of a famous American comic book hero. (You’ll have to watch both films closely to get the joke; I won’t spoil it for you but I’m amazed DC Comics didn’t sue). B-ko is an ultrawealthy genius who spends much of her time designing outlandish robots to fight Ako. C-ko is a loudmouthed immature brat who’s caught in the middle. The plot picks up a couple of years after Project A-ko ended, but in a film like Project A-ko 2 the story line doesn’t really matter. In fact, absolutely nothing in the film matters because by the end of the movie, everything returns to the status quo.
This is a shame, because Project A-ko was one of the funnier anime films of its era. (You can read my review of that film here.) Unlike a lot of Japanese comedy, the original Project A-ko used heavy doses of Chuck Jones-style slapstick, and was structured similarly to Jones’ Roadrunner series. This was a film that crossed the Pacific with most of its meaning intact and was popular among anime fans of the time. In fact, Project A-ko introduced many Westerners to anime. I can’t imagine any anime neophyte seeing Project A-ko 2 and wanting to see more Japanese animation. Katsuhiko Nishijima, who directed Project A-ko, is a far better director than Yuji Moriyama, who frankly seems to get lost during the action sequences.
On the positive side, just like Project A-ko, Project A-ko 2 includes some neat anime in-jokes. This time around, we get to see mini-parodies of Macross, The Dirty Pair, and a Voltron-like transforming robot. Is this worth a rental? Probably not, unless you are a rabid fan of the above series.
Granted, there are few sequels worthy of the original films, and that number decreases when we examine comedy sequels. (Anyone remember Ghostbusters II, European Vacation, or Blues Brothers 2000?) The safest advice is to steer clear of Project A-ko 2 and see the original.
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Other Anime Reviews Affair on Nolandia Review Curse of the Blood Rubies Review Serial Experiments Lain Review * Project A-ko Review* Slayers:The Motion Picture Review* |
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