Project A-ko 2: Plot of the Daitokuji Financial Group (1987) Anime OVA Review

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 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.

Zeiram (1991) & Zeiram 2 (1994) Movie Review

Zeiram is a franchise created by science fiction and action film director, art designer and artist Keita Amemiya. The main character, Iria (played by Yūko Moriyama), a female space bounty hunter, has become wildly popular among Tokusatsu fans and because of the success of the first feature film outing a prequel animated series was released in 1994, months before a sequel.

The first film is about a bounty hunter named Iria who, along with her partner Bob, catches intergalactic criminals. They travel to earth so they can get Zeiram, an extraterrestrial creature that could become a great threat to humanity. Two electricians (Kamiya and Tepei) help Iria fight the alien creature in a virtually constructed alternate dimension called a "Zone", where the battle for the fate of mankind will take place.

The script for the sequel is kind of similar with a few modifications here and there. This time, Zeiram is back in the body of a robotic supersoldier and summons new minions and threats the protagonists have to defeat.

Featuring abundant dynamic action, pretty fantastic practical special effects that bring to life the biomechanical H. G. Giger-like creature designs with the charm and spectacle one can expect from Tokusatsu, both Zeiram films deliver the goods when it comes to enjoyable and fun thrills and top notch VFX for a film of its kind.

There´s also some solid direction going on, with great shots, well done cinematography and fun fight sequences that entertain all throughout. I will say that the actual plots are perhaps a bit too uninvolving and dry, sometimes you feel like there's not enough dramatic force or character progression going on, even feeling borderline repetitive.

Another problem is that the character of Iria isn't the main focus of the movies and she sort of steps back from a lot of the runtime and more character development is given to the human male characters, who aren't awful but are far from interesting. I think there was a lot of wasted potential when it comes to Iria, she has the personality, the looks and the abilities to be a great heroine in media but it's all bogged down because there aren't any character arcs or personal conflicts going on with her. I understand that she is kind of non-human, but you can still do a compelling story with her. Her relationship with the human guys is also quite stale and too distant to work fully, but it's far from bad or incoherent.

I think that when it comes to production design, art design and just pure kineticism these movies have you covered because they involve all of the basic ingredients for a fun time with an action flick, especially if you are particularly fond of delirious japanese sci-fi with outrageous stunts and creature designs.

Check these movies out and have some fun with the cool Iria and Bob.