This particular series is a fan favorite of otaku like myself, yet its humor and absurdity are easily accessible to the average anime viewer.
Yet, for some reason, the average anime viewer is almost oblivious to this particular work. And when they finally see it, they usually say: "Wow, this is hilarious! Is it new?"
No, its not new. In fact, its old......not Astro Boy or Speed Racer old....but old, nonetheless.
Project A-ko has a rather intresting history behind it. Before the project actually became what we know of today as Project A-ko , it was originally going to be a part of the (in)famous hentai series, Cream Lemon. In fact, one segment of the final product- the bath scene with B-ko (more on that in a bit)- was originally a part of the original Cream Lemon project!
However, there's also another little neat history behind it. The original story and characters (at least as far as the post-Cream Lemon project was concerned) were co-created by anime legend Yuji Moriyama, who would go on to work on other projects such as Robotech (The Super Dimensional Fortress Macross), Tenchi Muyo!, and Geobreeders.
All of these are, of course, legendary anime franchises.......ESPECIALLY Robotech!
Now, as for the content and story.....
Well.....like I said before, the story is quite bizarre. It revolves around a fiery, red-headed school girl with monstrous strength named A-ko, and her blond, adorable (or irritating, depending on your limits) friend C-ko.
However, this friendship is tested by rich, snobby, and up-and-coming mad scientist, B-ko. Who wants to steal away C-ko from A-ko to be her "friend" (Yes.....thats the word she says: "friend".......yeah, who're these folks fooling? Honestly? Kinda brings back memories of the two "cousins" in Sailor Moon, doesn't it?)
Anyway, B-ko concocts and builds various mecha (many of which are parodies of more famous mecha) to try and defeat A-ko, so as to have C-ko for herself.
Actually, part of the reason this work is a favorite of otaku is the parody part. This entire anime series is chock full of parodies relating to various anime from the 70s and 80s (remember how I said this thing was old? I meant 1980s old) You'll find references to, among other things: Captain Harlock, Battleship Yamamoto (Star Blazers) , Outlanders, Fist of the North Star (one of the school girls is a rather odd parody of FotNS hero Ken), and pretty much all of the Go Nagai robots.
Oh, and did I mention that this series is hilarious? It is. It really really REALLY is!!!! You'll find yourself rolling on the floor laughing, and quite often......even today that's a rarity in anime.
Oh, and this anime isn't short of fan service, either.....which is to be expected, considering that it was originally meant to be a part of a hentai series. The entire series is an orgy of boobs (clothed and unclothed), panty shots, slapstick comedy, and various sex jokes (including alien females who look and sound like men).
It is currently available from Central Park Media. I would reccomend getting the boxset, as it is affordable and comes with alot of goodies, including an awesome soundtrack CD.
Well, I could probably write a book on why this series is so awesome.....but I won't. All I can say is this.......watch it.
Believe me, you won't be disappointed.
Oh, and you can thank me after you catch your breath from laughing so hard.
