Project A-Ko 3: Cinderella Rhapsody

We all loved "Project A-Ko"... the best, the original, the unrivaled, the bizarre. The sequels were all direct-to-video releases (even in Japan) and so are, from their inception, vastly inferior to the original. This one, however, was reasonably well-done. It revolves around A-Ko and B-ko's pursuit of a handsome stud named Kay. He likes coke and motorcycles and is quietly courted by both A-ko and B-ko. Meanwhile, C-ko grows very jealous of him... Also meanwhile, the aliens' ship in now floating in the bay and they've tried again to turn it into the ultimate nightspot. Good luck. Catastrophe always occurs when the three 'Ko's get together.

A-Ko spends her time trying to lose weight and make money to look good for the big party at the alien ship. (Occasional tantalizing shots of A-ko... nothing to get excited about). What is worth seeing in this film are all the hilarious little bits that don't fit into the main story... (like the fact that the entire town is populated with freelance crime-fighters, or the incident where A-ko has removed her strength-inhibiting bracers and accidentally causes small gravitational disturbances simply by moving her hands...) I don't know whether to thank the translators or the original writers, but there are some truly great comedic moments here... and weirdness weirdness weirdness... If you're a big fan, go rent it or buy it... you'll be glad you did.

This doesn't feel like it should ever have been a Project A-Ko film. It's a love triangle comedy and completely forgets to follow in the path of what came before it. The original Project A-Ko was a sci-fi super hero comedy that was a satire of classic anime. A-ko 3 only begins to feel like an A-Ko film towards the end. On a more positive note, all of these films have good animation, so it's worth seeing them just for that.

I feel pretty safe in guessing that this script started out as an unrelated film and was repurposed to be an A-Ko sequel.

The first 32 minutes of the film are a typical love triangle slice-of-life anime with no relation whatsoever to the characters, tone, or plot of A-Ko. It ignores the fact that A-Ko even has superpowers! She acts in ways that A-Ko would never act -- not only is her personality completely different, she gets a minimum wage job (??) and asks somebody for a ride home (???). Did the creators of this film watch the first one? Did they even read a synopsis of it?

The result is very bland and boring. And just when the plot finally does start to get rolling, and it starts to feel like you are watching an A-Ko film, the credits roll. It's so disorienting and unexpected that you think the DVD will play Part 2 after the credits, but no, that was all of it.

I would go 3 stars, but there is a generally high animation quality, and the film has a few impressive shots, so it's at least nice to look at while you're bored.