benshinobi

So many people have maligned this film and its sister, but have not given an intelligent reason as to why they have done so. If you find a movie too intellectually stimulating or complex for your enjoyment, this is hardly anyone's fault except the individual who cannot be bothered to think. The Matrix films are not designed to save the world or bring us to a higher plane of existence. They are movies. They are fun. The philosophies contained therein borrow everything from Socratic "I only know that I know nothing" to Sartrean "I am, therefore I think." (It's Decartes, not Sartre, who said "I think, therefore I am.") These tidbits make an otherwise bang-bang shoot-em-up film evolve into something a bit more palatable. If these meanderings are above your heads, insulting the film or the people involved will not somehow justify your existence or make you "right." It's astonishing how a little insult makes a person feel so much larger.

All the same, it occurs to me that writing this post in the first place defeats the point I am trying to make, so I will quit. By the way, excellent flick. But... Where were the freaking twins? How long, indeed, has humanity been plugged into the Matrix? If there is a new "The One" every so often, were there Neos running around in the Middle Ages? Colonial Days? Or has the Matrix always been set in early 21st Century society? If so, why hasn't anyone noticed that nothing seems to be progressing into the future? So many questions....

One of my personal favorites... can't beat the classics, eh? This film is hard to come by these days but it is a definite "gotta-see-it." Apparently an icy comet hit Venus around about now and made the planet habitable. The planet contains a population of relatively disillusioned human beings who, when not complaining or uni-bike racing, raise armies to try and control the planet. Bleak, eh? Our heroes are a bunch of hot-shot biker punks who team up with some rebels to fight the evil warlords... Good stuff. The animation is fluid and lovingly rendered... the sort of quality that made "Akira" so popular. Occasionally, live-action shots of what I assume are Arizona are incorporated into the backgrounds to give the whole film a "real feel." Do not miss this film. Get it get it get it. There's next to nil in the way of flesh, but that's not important. Great plot, great action, great characters... not to mention some hilarious lines here and there for fun. This film makes a powerful statement about human nature.

The final entry in the "real" world of A-Ko sequels... This one involves A-ko and B-ko fighting over Kay who has been mysteruiously betothed to the girls' teacher. Weird. She's also been receiving strange messages from outer space and her eyes glow. The girls go commando and try to break up the wedding... in the mean time, the aliens come back in full force to pick up their long lost princess, C-Ko... the queen is even weirder than C-Ko is. The whole thing is rather sad and distrubing, nearly plotless, but includes a great scene where C-Ko watches a truly bad romance flick. The film also seems to have two endings... one sad and miserable, the other unbelieveable and tear-jerking. See it if you are a big fan... and lament the fact that all the sequels combined could not equal the first in sheer entertainment.

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.

Those of us who basked in the titanic warmth of the original "Project A-Ko" were left hungering for further adventures of our red-hot, somewhat ambiguous heroines. This film delivers in what is the least entertaining (but most sophisticated) plot among A-Ko's 5 sequels. It's summer and the three heroines, A-Ko, B-Ko, and C-ko are running amuck in Gravition city. The invading aliens who crashed their ship atop a skyscraper in the first movie have turned their city-sized ship into a massive mall-hotel-amusement park-casino. B-Ko is still trying to woo young C-Ko and A-ko seems only mildly uptight about it. B-Ko agrees to help the aliens fix their ship so they can return home. Meanwhile, B-ko's father, a horrible business tycoon, plans to invade the ship and harvest its vast quantities of alien technology. Sound goofy? The whole thing is a poorly translated, goofily-paced, and all-round unsatisfying pile of cells and ink. All the same, it's worth seeing if you're a die-hard fan. The sequels, at their best, are mere shadows of the original film. The best sequel is by far number 3 (Cinderella Rhapsody), if only for its sheer strangeness. The last few minutes of the film involve a truly revolting display put on by B-Ko's father as well as some nice giant robots. Oh yes, and our heroines A-ko and B-ko flounce around in bathing suits at the very beginning... If you're fortunate to find a version with bonus promotional footage, be prepared for a crash-course in creepy Japanese Anime company self-promotion. Ni Ni Ni indeed...