Project A-ko 2: Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group is an action scifi comedy anime OVA and a direct sequel to Project A-ko (1986). Animation director for Yuji Moriyama returns as a director and you can tell, he would later go on to direct all of the other direct to video A-ko sequels but I think that out of all of the video animations this one has the style and skills that are the most comparable to the original. A lot of the cast also came back including Miki Itō, Emi Shinohara and Michie Tomizawa. Writing duties went to Takao Koyama and while he did not write the first movie he still found a way to do justice to the franchise, nowadays he is probably more well known for writing for Dragon Ball, Knights of the Zodiac and Slayers.
Some time after the events of the first film, the aliens are still living on earth but they have transformed their spaceship into an amusement center. Since A-ko’s parents are leaving for a business trip, the superpowered redhead goes to the alien facilities for a summer vacation with C-ko. Their fun time at the pool is spoiled by the even more spoiled B-ko. Adding to A-ko’s list of issues, Miss Napolipolita, the alien leader, asks A-ko for aid, begging the girl to help them return home.
If you thought the first film relied less on plot and high stakes and more on fanservice and comedy, then this direct sequel comes to push those elements even further. It’s very relaxed and mostly ambivalent storyline takes place at roughly one location and once this setting is established the writers simply decide to use it as a playground to try several gags (and to repeat old ones) without really that many refreshing new elements but even as a retread the bulk of the OVA maintains that playful spirit that made the first one so charming.
Female Kenshiro and Captain Harlock come back and they do a bit more with them, referencing more directly their respective series in pretty acceptable gags but nothing truly hilarious. Honestly, their jokes got a bit tiresome in the first movie to begin with, so now it’s just very old and hardly effective. But that's the only weak spot of the film. Other than that, the dynamic between the ko girls and their shenanigans is lovable and A-ko’s action sequences are as cool as ever.
The animators once again show off their talent as the destruction and combat sequences are again expertly crafted and executed. It never gets old seeing A-ko cause so much havoc and turn mechanical things into junk with her fists but the attention to detail and realistic movements seen in scenes like the dressing room one is just astounding. They really went all in.
A very likable and entertaining sequel that can be recommended to anyone who enjoyed the very first outing.
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