Project A-ko 4: Final

Original Title: プロジェクトA子 完結篇
Romanized: Project A-ko: Kanketsuhen
Literal: Final Chapter

Plot Synopsis

Some time has passed since the whole Kei fiasco, but although things are almost back to normal Miss Ayumi isn't doing so well. Just what is it she's so distracted by, and what might a pendant of hers have to do with a prophecy unearthed thousands of miles away in Iraqi ruins? No time to find out, since it turns out that Miss Ayumi is getting married! This only raises more questions: Who to, what does B-ko's dad have to do with it, and what are A-ko and B-ko going to do when they find out who it is? Graviton City will be lucky to survive this wedding!

Quick Review

Rating: 3.5 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2006-08-12

Project A-ko 4 takes what made the first movie fun, adds in some of the developments introduced in the previous two sequels, and mixes it up just enough that it doesn't feel like you're watching the same movie over again. It's also what Cinderella Rhapsody should have been; there's a fair amount of exaggerated drama, but thanks to an even blend of action, comedy, and military-grade catfighting, it works quite well. There are also a healthy number of in-jokes targeting both specific series and more general anime themes, and considering how short it is, it's quite well paced--lively, but not rushed. Yet again, it's "more of the same" technically: Same quality Japanese and passable English casts, same solid visuals, same colorful, wild action. This one also mixes up the generic J-pop of the previous two movies by re-casting the English theme songs from the original as J-pop and tossing in some decent overblown theatrical themes for background.

Project A-ko 4: Final isn't the sort of movie that sticks with you, but for some good dumb fun for fans of the Project A-ko series, a heap of classic anime nods and send-ups, and more time with a likable collection of slightly unhinged characters, I call it a success.

US DVD Review

The DVD is a triple-feature with the other two movies, and is a functional but basic production. See the review of Project A-ko 2 for the details, but as it pertains to this particular movie the DVD does include the two theatrical trailers (one for the Versus OAVs and one for this movie) that were included on the VHS version. On the down side, the original credits (which scrolled on top of a pan over Graviton City) have been replaced by the same montage of scenes that went with the credits of Project A-ko 2, and a quick shot of B-ko giggling evilly after the credits rolled was left out.

Content Guide

Good clean fun for the most part, but there is a very short visual joke that made this deserving of USM's 13-up rating.

Violence: 2 - Lots of fighting, but its all in good humor and mostly bloodless.

Nudity: 2 - One very brief joke scene.

Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - Mostly clean, but implied by that same scene.

Language: 1 - Nothing of note.

Notes and Trivia

Look for many, many references throughout the movie ranging from the extended Kimagure Orange Road movie-within-a-movie parody to subtle ones like Lum and Ran running by C-ko (which is also a nod to past Project A-ko movies, in which a number of Urusei Yatsura characters show up in the background).

If you're wondering what the "HK-MP5K" on Miss Ayumi's nightshirt refers to, that is the model number for the Heckler and Koch MP5K submachine gun. There is an air-powered BB-firing replica made by the Japanese company Tokyo Marui for military simulation enthusiasts.

Availability

Available in the US from US Manga Corps on hybrid DVD ("Love and Robots," which also includes the 2nd and 3rd A-ko movies). Was originally available on subtitled and dubbed VHS.

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