Project A-ko Versus: Gray Side/Blue Side (1990) Anime OVA Series Review

Project A-ko Versus (Project A-ko: Uncivil Wars) is a 1990 action sci-fi anime OVA mini-series divided in two parts: Grey Side and Blue Side and is a reboot of the Project-Ako film and OVA series. It was directed by Project A-ko's original director Katsuhiko Nishijima and written by newcomers Yuji Kawahara and Shôichi Tsuji. The cast includes Miki Itô, Emi Shinohara, Michie Tomizawa, Kazuo Oka and Tesshô Genda. These OVA'S are basically unrelated in plot and characters but they do retain the same designs and part of the energy of the original, transplanting the girls into a sci-fi setting.

In an undetermined intergalactic setting, A-ko and B-ko are two space bounty hunters who catch giant creatures in a desert planet. Fate has in store for them more than what they can chew as they find C-ko, a small princess kidnapped by space pirates. What begins as a simple crime turns out to be a menace for the universe as a powerful sorceress possesses C-ko's body and gets her evil plans going.

Continuing the Project Ako franchise by making a straight science fiction story with little to no resemblance to the original concept was quite a wild move on their part because this really could have been titled just about anything else and it still would have made sense and be understood, it didn't need to have any connection to the Ako series whatsoever. Having said that, what we do get is quite cool on its own. Yeah, it stands apart from the franchise but fits perfectly into the landscape of anime shows with female friendships at their core, having A-ko and B-ko be more similar to Kei and Yuri from Dirty Pair than their original incarnations. C-ko is also shown as an actual small child which makes her usual behaviour make more sense even if she is dumbed down and aged down explicitly in the story. The three are cute together and have some hilarious moments.

The new villains are very cool, particularly Liza Chichi, who engages in awesome combats with A-ko, who still has super human abilities in this version but not in an overpowered way as she has to put up a fight against Liza. The action sequences are expertly crafted and dynamically boarded with very smooth animation once again. The change of setting makes things be a bit more generic, we see space shuttles and some typical desolated planets instead of the high school, so that type of contrast gets mostly lost on the change of setting but we do get some notable fight scenes sprinkled with some spicy touches, so it's a bit faithful to the spirit of Project A-ko in that regard.

Blue Side has a lot of great moments, but the set up of Gray Side I found to be the most engaging, especially because it all seemed to build up to something outstanding or at least an exciting climax with a lot more action and stakes, and while we do get a good ending I think the writers were hoping for more OVA episodes that never came because the way these conflicts are resolved don't really close much and it all feels too scrambled and loose to be a proper ending. I could see the rivalry between A-ko and the blondie get more complex or reach a more impactful breaking point if they had gotten more episodes.

It's overall a very highly recommended OVA series but don't expect to come back to the same characters in the Project A-ko saga, because you are not, you are gonna be exposed to a brand new universe that is a lot of fun on its own. 

Bimini Code (1983) Movie Review

Bimini Code is a 1983 action adventure movie directed by Barry Clark and written by Gabrielle Rivera and Barry Clark. It stars Vickie Benson, Kristal Richardson, Rosanna Simanaitis and Frank Alexander. It's one of those movies that spawned after the success of Indiana Jones at the box office that features treasure hunters, mixed with some old school sea adventure but with female leads. The film is now sort of obscure, rarely seen and badly reviewed; it's hardly a popular flick and the available copies are of bad quality.

Stacy (Vickie Benson) and Sheryl (Kristal Richardson) are two thrill-seeking adventurers who are tasked with finding a kidnapped boy, they realize what's at stake when evil rich countess Magda von Cress searches for Mayan power stones at the Bermuda Triangle.

While this is a satisfying flick, the procedures are mostly TV-level in their execution with very crude shots lacking style and a static camera work that reveal the background of the filmmakers but also give the film a simplistic and precise nature that strips down to the bare essentials the elements that it features, focusing on the characters and the plot.

The storytelling is a bit wonky because of the way the film is structured it presents itself more like a random episode of an on-going TV series rather than a proper movie with introductions and character moments or arcs for them, it unfolds as such through most of it as it has very little regard for tapping into the dramatic potential of the scenario, instead just presenting some action sequences and brief moments of intrigue strung together without much to really glue them together as a story and even less emotional substance. Maybe that's why it had a small lifetime on TV or home video since it barely registers in your mind after watching it.

The action is swift and well done, the constant array of fun and cheesy comic book peril sequences involving scuba diving around sharks and karate fights do give the movie not only a charming aura of lite entertainment but also add to the fast pace and the easygoing attitude it has and that the carefree characters also embody. The main girls are lovable and have some nice moments as friends and partners, they have a solid bond and chemistry but it's all obscured by the rather pedestrian script. The cheesy villain is too over-the-top but I honestly loved that about her. We don't have enough malicious ladies with eyepatches doing evil schemes anymore.

Not a hidden gem but an easygoing and watchable piece of obscure adventure cinema that can only be recommended to B-movie fans who wanna get into some uncharted territory. 

Bubblegum Crash (1991) Anime OVA Series Review

Bubblegum Crash is a 1991 action science fiction Cyberpunk OVA series. It's a direct continuation of Artmic's anime series Bubblegum Crisis, with designs by Kenichi Sonoda, with additional guest character design work by Hiroaki Gōda. The series was done after anime production company Youmex split with Artmic and the later began production on a continuation series, some fans theorizing these last three episodes were originally intended to be the finale. Toshimichi Suzuki created the original story but writing duties went to Emu Arii this time and the series also changed directors since Crash was directed by Hiroshi Ishiodori and Yukihiro Matsushita. The cast includes Yoshiko Sakakibara, Ryôko Tachikawa, Michie Tomizawa, Akiko Hiramatsu and Toshio Furukawa.

Set one year after the events of the original series, the Knight Sabers are now living life peacefully after the extermination of the boomers. Priss seems to be doing well as a singer and her career is about to blow up according to her manager, Linna became a stockbroker and got rich and Nene still works for the AD Police and is constantly on the lookout for any strange event. Sylia comes out of the shadows and reunites the team when powerful boomers begin having violent encounters in the streets, prompting the girls to get back into their exo-suits and battle the mechanical menaces.

A very faithful and respectable sequel to the original show that picks up the interesting parts of it and runs with them immediately and without much to lose. There aren't that many iconic fights or needle drops as in the first one but the most recognizable elements shine in this continuation. Since it has the hindsight of knowing when it will end the episodes have a more concise and recognizable structure to them, the writers know how to organize the episodes and what beats to touch at different points of the extensive episodes. It's not self-conclusive like each chapter of the first show but it's also not a strongly cohesive plotline either, being a very weird middle ground between the two.

Most of the characters come back and they recapture their charm and lovable attitude. I would even say that I am glad they dedicate more time to the leading girls as a group as we see them interacting once more together as friends. Their bond is strong and their chemistry is quite wonderful. There are no sudden shifts in their personality or their backstories, mostly just sticking to the characterization we already knew. They don't alter the status quo as much either, whatever changes we are presented with are mostly irrelevant or minor.

The animation is just as solid as ever and the team really did their best to keep it in line with the visual style and flavor of the first series, it feels mostly the same but you can tell some corners were cut for the sake of keeping the workflow going. It's barely noticeable but some people might see some minor flaws or odd frames here and there. Other than that the animation skills on display are on the upper tiers even if it's not outstanding or groundbreaking. 

With a nice soundtrack, attractive visuals and the same cyberpunk spirit that gave its predecessor its charm, Bubblegum Crash is a highly recommended piece of sci-fi anime with cool battle sequences and a nice handling of its inherited, but memorable, characters. If you enjoyed Crisis you will definitely enjoy this one, even if part of its edge was diluted.