AKA: Project A-ko 2: Daitokuji Zaibatsu no Inbou

Genre: Sci-fi action parody

Length: OAV, 50 minutes

Distributor: Currently licensed by Discotek Media.

Content Rating: PG-13 (violence, adult themes, innuendo)

Related Series: Project A-ko, Project A-ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody, Project A-ko 4: Final, Project A-ko Versus

Also Recommended: Project A-ko

Notes: Released in North America on DVD as part of the Project A-ko: Love and Robots collection.

Rating:

Project A-ko 2: Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group

Synopsis

It's summer, and A-ko would like nothing more than to relax with C-ko at the local swimming pool. B-ko, of course, is trying to get C-ko's attention the usual way (by force). In the meantime, the transvestite aliens have turned their crashed spaceship into a gigantic entertainment center, but B-ko's dad has other plans ... and A-ko must face off against the ultimate Daitokuji mecha: Queen Margarita! (Huh?)

Review

More of the same? You bet.

Unfortunately, for those poor souls who were subjected to the original Project A-ko and didn't enjoy it, Project A-ko 2 offers nothing more in the way of originality, and, to be quite frank, it's the weakest title of the main series.

That doesn't mean it isn't worth watching for the die-hard A-ko fan. There's plenty of chaos and mayhem, and more than a few new anime references that'll please more than a few fans out there. But do you really want to see B-ko's dad wearing her powersuit? (Yes, that ranks as an "ewwww"!) And, of course, yet another entry into the World's Stupidest Mecha Name competition pops onto the screen in its full glory, only to be pounded into smithereens by A-ko (of course).

Obviously, the plot is pretty nonexistent, nothing more than an excuse for horrendous sight gags (the aliens in formal dresses) and more redshirt deaths. Yay. Oh yeah, and the girls get to show off their swimsuits. (As if anyone in their right mind would want to see C-ko in a bikini. *twitch twitch*)

The animation and music are getting pretty dated by this point - nothing can make 80s bubblegum pop seem any fresher or newer, unless, of course, you've been living in a missile silo in North Dakota until now. And the frame rates aren't any better than the original movie, which wasn't exactly a paragon of animation to begin with.

Gratuitous? Naturally. But that's what this series is about, and perhaps one wonders if continuing to watch the A-ko series is worthwhile. Thankfully it gets better in the next two installments, but this almost tiresome OAV is sadly necessary for the next two episodes to make sense. Go figure.

Of course, if you aren't patient enough to weather even the first title, then this isn't for you. Perhaps we should have all just stuck with Fast Food Freedom Fighters...

Diehard A-ko fans might enjoy this - the rest of us might just have to sit through this so the other episodes will be more enjoyable. — Carlos/Giancarla Ross

Recommended Audience: Same as the original, with redshirts and the usual hijinks with the transvestite aliens and such.