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Buried Treasure - Project A-ko


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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:20 am Reply with quote
Buried? I continually get the feeling that this column is better served to people new to anime (or close-minded), the type who think Evangelion is old and that anything before it sucks. But yeah, like you, A-ko was one of my first anime as well from the Sci-Fi saturday morning block. I wish we could get something like that again, but I guess it's too late since anime is big now. All those awesome OVAs, whether they were good or bad, were certainly something when you're a kid and all you're use to is stupid cartoons. These had chicks with bodies, guns, violence, explosions, blood, robots, and more.

I liked all the Project A-ko movies, the OVA sides least because of their odd story. Also, movies 2-4 and the ovas are only like 9 bucks at rightstuf, sadly they're missing the best one.
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Unholy_Nny



Joined: 22 Jun 2005
Posts: 622
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:24 am Reply with quote
I've wanted to see this for around 5 years now, back when I was 13 and really getting into non-toonami anime it seemed highly praised on the parts of the internet I hit up.

I might try to grab a copy when I get some extra cash... (I shall now note that being a jobless college student sucks. However, I live at home, which means free housing and food... But that's pretty much it.)
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LuckyAstei



Joined: 21 Jun 2003
Posts: 227
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:29 am Reply with quote
ah yes Project A-Ko good anime though only thing I'm missing form my set is the dreaded Versus though honestly I enjoyed that one (but then again everyone has there own tastes)
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8461
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:02 am Reply with quote
Isn't A-ko the result of Superman and Wonder Woman having a child?

I vaguely recall this from Sci-Fi Channel's Saturday Anime lineup.
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RadicaLElly



Joined: 24 Aug 2004
Posts: 194
Location: Coral Springs, FL
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:37 am Reply with quote
walw6pK4Alo wrote:
Buried? I continually get the feeling that this column is better served to people new to anime (or close-minded), the type who think Evangelion is old and that anything before it sucks.


Perhaps, but it's at least arguably more buried than Lain. Though I admit I too would rather hear more about the underrated gems with small, if any, presence in the English-speaking world than something that had a considerable following 10-20 years ago.

Boy did it bring back memories though to see mention of Blockbuster and the infamous "Youth Restricted Viewing" stickers on nearly all the anime. Those stickers resulted in me convincing my parents to switch to Hollywood Video for a while so I could see what I was missing. This is back when they provided apt competition for Blockbuster of course. As if the rapidly increasing number of store closures wasn't an indicator, having worked for them briefly about 3 years ago I can say first hand that they're a complete mess of a business.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:38 am Reply with quote
Ah! The style of the 80's. It's still my favourite. Must be because of all the hair. Just about everyone involved with anime was young and energetic back then. It was a time of "we're awash with money and there's nothing we can't do" completely unaware of the other train on the same track speeding towards us. It was fun while it lasted though.
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rti9



Joined: 08 Jul 2007
Posts: 1241
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:42 am Reply with quote
Justin Sevakis wrote:
It's clearly the work of a bunch of guys with too much youthful energy, all of which were probably having a great time.

You can kinda see that in the anime, but especially on the DVD extras. BTW, possibly some of the best extras included in a DVD. This kind of energy so present on 80's animations seem so scarce these days. Maybe it's just diluted within the high number of titles released nowadays compared to before.

I kinda felt that Justin sees Project A-Ko more as a comedy. I recall Daryl and Gerald from the AWO podcast talking how one saw it as a comedy while the other viewed it as an action movie. Does getting the references transform it into a comedy or even without understanding them the audience views Project A-Ko as weird silliness? I personally leaned much more toward action (absolutely loved the missile scene), but I haven't watched much 80's cartoons.

With so many references, would it be far fetched to say it was sort of like a FLCL of the 80's?
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CrazyDreamer



Joined: 05 May 2007
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:44 am Reply with quote
walw6pK4Alo wrote:
Buried? I continually get the feeling that this column is better served to people new to anime (or close-minded), the type who think Evangelion is old and that anything before it sucks.

You do realize that you just described the vast majority of anime viewers these days, don't you? I'm prepping for a con panel called "Anime Before You Were Born" (at Kawa Kon, a local con in St. Louis), and Project A-ko is definitely on the list; the median con-goer is going to be born in the 1990s and didn't start watching anime until after 2000, so any 1980s anime that isn't Akira or Ghost in the Shell--and maybe even those--is going to be completely off of their radar.
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Craeyst Raygal



Joined: 30 Apr 2002
Posts: 1383
Location: In the garage, beneath a 1970 MGB GT.
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:49 am Reply with quote
Oddly enough, Project A-ko WAS the first anime I'd seen and it too fueled my interest just because it was so wild and over the top and downright fun to watch.

Furthering my corruption, the next two franchises I was exposed two were Dominion Tank Police and Bubblegum Crisis. I haven't been quite right since.

And yes, penguintruth, A-ko is the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman, as shown by that DC couple's appearance at the end of the movie (a brawny bespectacled man reading the Daily Planet, and an ageless black haired woman ironing a pair of red and blue tights, coupled with the fact that A-ko wears bullet deflecting gauntlets)
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icepick314



Joined: 23 Aug 2004
Posts: 486
Location: Back in the Good Ol' US of A
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:55 am Reply with quote
still one of my favorite anime...

sometimes i get other friends together with lots of beer and food and just watch the series having fun...

Vs spinoff was pretty good too...
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pparker



Joined: 13 Oct 2007
Posts: 1185
Location: Florida
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:58 am Reply with quote
Ha! I remembered the Superman reference, but forgot that scene so I wasn't sure about Wonder Woman.

This was a real find early in my anime career. And I actually appreciate the not-so-ancient treasures being reviewed. As a relatively new fan, sorting through everything from pre-2000 or so can be a chore, and there's a definite difference in the creative spirit from what gets released today.

Interesting to find out that it was a bunch of kids that made it, because it's a pretty competent writing job. I love its zaniness, but it's not just a series of slapstick bits. The madness is plot-driven and escalates logically.
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drgonzo369



Joined: 02 Feb 2006
Posts: 27
Location: Near Wilmington, NC
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:03 am Reply with quote
I agree, that this is definitely not buried. A-Ko is still in my pop 20 favorite anime series, though I like the first one best.

Of course, I'm an old foggie who still enjoys Streamline dubs. lol.
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fuuma_monou



Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 1817
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:44 am Reply with quote
drgonzo369 wrote:
I agree, that this is definitely not buried.


It's OOP. Pretty much the only people who'd bother finding a new or used copy now are the ones who've already seen it.
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drgonzo369



Joined: 02 Feb 2006
Posts: 27
Location: Near Wilmington, NC
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:48 am Reply with quote
fuuma_monou wrote:
drgonzo369 wrote:
I agree, that this is definitely not buried.


It's OOP. Pretty much the only people who'd bother finding a new or used copy now are the ones who've already seen it.


OOP, yes, but that doesn't mean it's hard to find. I find all kind of OOP dvds all the time, and in conventional stores/sites.
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Thu Jan 29, 2009 6:14 am Reply with quote
CrazyDreamer wrote:
walw6pK4Alo wrote:
Buried? I continually get the feeling that this column is better served to people new to anime (or close-minded), the type who think Evangelion is old and that anything before it sucks.

You do realize that you just described the vast majority of anime viewers these days, don't you? I'm prepping for a con panel called "Anime Before You Were Born" (at Kawa Kon, a local con in St. Louis), and Project A-ko is definitely on the list; the median con-goer is going to be born in the 1990s and didn't start watching anime until after 2000, so any 1980s anime that isn't Akira or Ghost in the Shell--and maybe even those--is going to be completely off of their radar.


And it's a damn shame. That's why I try to play older/more obscure things in my anime club. Also why I don't care about this panic of their being less anime and studios shutting down. Good riddance, because we're certainly never going to back to the way things were, so there's just not much to look forward to.
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