"All A-Ko Magami wanted was a simple life: to study hard, to pass her exams, and have some fun with her cute yet bubbleheaded pal C-Ko Kotobuki. But nothing is ever simple wen you're the strongest schoolgirl on Earth with an alien princess as your best friend, and when local rich girl and school bully B-Ko Daitikuji decides to bust up A-Ko and C-Ko's friendship, high- explosive hi-jinx, mecha mayhem and a whole lot of collateral damage are never far away ..."
"It's the summer holidays in Graviton City and all is well after the crazy events of Project A-Ko. The alien warship pinned on the city tower has been converted into a leisure centre and A-Ko and C-Ko are out for fun ... after a humiliating poolside defeat by A-Ko, B-Ko plots a terible revenge with her ultimate mecha design - but when her father confiscates her blueprints, little does she know that Daddy Dearest has a plan of his own, to capture the alien ship for his own maniacal ends!"
Director: Yuji Moriyama Screenplay: Katsuhio Nishijima, Kazumi Shirashi, Yuji Moriyama Copyright: Soeishinsha/Final-Nishijima/Pony Language Format: English Language Running time: 45 mins Certificate: PG Label: Manga Video Catalogue no: MANV 1089 Price: £9.99 Release Date: 17th July 1995
Anyone who's seen the original Project A-Ko movie knows exactly what to expect here. The only differences are a more prominent role for the unexpectedly popular character Miss Ayumi, and more pure comedy than parody this time. Unlike the movie, the English dubbing has been done by Ocean Studios, and is a definite improvement. Other than that, what more needs to be said? If you liked part 1, you won't be disappointed with part 2. [Jonathan Weeks]
I have to admit having a special affection for the original of this as it was one of the first pieces of anime I collected. Like the first A-Ko (very like it, in fact) it has three pretty schoolgirls, ultra-strong A-Ko, rich, clever B-Ko, and empty-headed and cute C-Ko who is also an alien princess. A-Ko and C-Ko are best friends, but scheming B-Ko is jealous. Add a crashed spaceship, poolside jinks, stranded aliens, gadgetry and mayhem and you have 50 mins of richly visual eacapism.
The narration and humour are so visual as to make a translation largely redundant, which no doubt is why this became a fan hit before dubs and subs were widely available. The original, with its English-language songs, and a wealth of visual clues and references, still looks and sounds as good as ever, but alas the (American) dub removes all the fun of decoding it and makes this release seem really stupid. [Geoff Cowie]