General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20265 min read

Project A-Ko (プロジェクトA子)

Project A-Ko (プロジェクトA子) is a 1986 Japanese animated science-fiction comedy film about a superhumanly strong schoolgirl, A-Ko Magami, whose rivalry with the wealthy B-Ko Daitokuji over their friend C-Ko escalates into giant-robot battles and an alien invasion of Graviton City. It was released theatrically in Japan on June 21, 1986, runs 83 minutes, and was distributed by Shochiku Fuji.¹^•²

Key fact	Detail
Japanese release	Theatrical premiere June 21, 1986; 83 minutes; distributed by Shochiku Fuji¹
Director	Katsuhiko Nishijima, whose theatrical debut this was, after work on the TV series Urusei Yatsura¹
Character design	Yûji Moriyama, also animation director, known for Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku¹
Main cast	Miki Itô as Eiko "A-Ko" Magami, Emi Shinohara as Biko "B-ko" Daitokuji, Michie Tomizawa as Shiko "C-ko" Kotobuki³
Origin	Conceived as an entry in the Cream Lemon softcore adult OVA franchise, then repositioned as a mainstream theatrical film⁴
Title	Named after the 1983 Jackie Chan film Project A; the character names A-ko, B-ko, and C-ko (literally "Girl A, Girl B, and Girl C") were placeholders that were kept⁴
Franchise	Spawned three shorter sequel OVAs and a two-part alternate-universe spin-off⁴

Spoilers

Story and characters

The film is set on an Earth where a giant meteor impact destroyed a city; sixteen years later the city has been rebuilt as a new metropolis. At Graviton Academy on its outskirts, two students transfer in: the energetic A-Ko, who hides superhuman power, and her easily crying, bubbly friend C-Ko.¹ A-Ko is described as a red-headed girl with superhuman strength who is skilled in the martial arts, while C-Ko is her tiny blonde sidekick.⁵^•¹³

The wealthy and powerful B-Ko wants C-Ko to leave A-Ko and join her clique, and her hostility toward A-Ko dates back to kindergarten: B-Ko once challenged A-Ko to a duel to settle a quarrel, but A-Ko moved away that day, leaving the duel unresolved.¹ B-Ko uses her intelligence and advanced technology to build increasingly powerful machines capable of challenging A-Ko, and the school rivalry expands into a larger conflict involving giant robots, military forces, futuristic technology, and extraterrestrial visitors, including a vast alien fleet that touches down in Graviton City.⁶^•⁷

The central trio's names were initially placeholders, literally "Girl A, Girl B, and Girl C", and were kept, probably as a joke.⁴ The film parodies familiar conventions of science-fiction, mecha, and school anime, combining fast pacing, absurd humor, and large-scale action.⁶

Sequels and legacy

The film's success spawned three shorter sequel OVAs and a two-part alternate-universe spin-off.⁴ The sequels include Project A-ko 2: Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group, and the series concluded with Project A-ko 4: Final (1989, 54 minutes), directed by Yuji Moriyama and Shigeru Morikawa.¹²

The film has been described as foundational to the anime fandom of the mid-1990s.⁴ Its title's origin in Jackie Chan's Project A is a naming reference only; the two works share little beyond the predominance of martial arts, mainly in the way the titular protagonist fights.⁴

Production

Director Katsuhiko Nishijima and most of his team had come from Urusei Yatsura, including the first two films in that franchise, Only You and Beautiful Dreamer, both directed by Mamoru Oshii.⁴ The eiga.com synopsis notes that the staff were mainly in their early twenties to mid-thirties, and that the film was Nishijima's theatrical debut; Moriyama served as character designer and animation director, with mechanical design credited to Graviton.¹^•² The screenplay credits Nishijima, Moriyama, and Tomoko Kawasaki, with Nishijima, Kazumi Shirasaka, and Moriyama credited for the original story.³

Cream Lemon origins. The film was originally intended to be another entry in the Cream Lemon softcore adult OVA franchise, but the producers decided to reposition it as a more mainstream, theatrically released film. It screened as part of a double feature with a family-friendly, non-adult Cream Lemon episode. One scene, in which B-Ko sighs of her love for C-Ko, is said to be the only scene surviving from the movie's Cream Lemon origins.⁴

Music. The score was composed by Joey Carbone and Richie Zito.⁵ Producer Kazufumi Nomura, sound director Kazunori Honda, and executives from the record label and music publisher flew to Los Angeles on February 7, 1986, where the music was recorded with a free hand, an arrangement the participants described as unusual; the theme song was "Dance Away", performed by Annie.⁸^•¹

Release and home video

In the United States, Project A-ko was among Central Park Media's first releases, coming out as a subtitled laserdisc on July 5, 1991, on video on January 22, 1992, and as a dubbed video on January 6, 1993. According to Animation World Network, the film is a true classic, among the first works created specifically for the emerging home video market yet released theatrically, though only briefly, beforehand.⁹ It was one of the earliest Manga Video releases and featured the company's first ever English dub.⁴

The lost negatives and restoration. For years the original film was thought lost, and all that was available were VHS and DVD releases duplicated from aging analog SD laserdisc masters; even Central Park Media's final "Special Edition" DVD was recorded off the laserdisc because the original film elements were presumed lost, and when an HD remaster was planned the original 35mm prints could not be found.⁴^•¹⁰ The film was eventually found, filed wrongly, and Discotek Media released a Blu-ray in 2021 remastered from the original film negatives and presented in high definition for the first time anywhere, with commentaries, trailers, a music retrospective, behind-the-scenes material, interviews, and liner notes.⁴^•⁷ A UK Blu-ray from Anime Limited followed on June 2, 2025.¹¹

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Japanese anime features › Released 1932 to 1998

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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