I’ve been looking at this quirky little universe for years on this blog. On & off for almost a decade at this point (My 1st review was all the way back in February of 2015), it’s been a wild ride within one of the quirkiest anime settings I’ve ever seen. Today, however, we come to Project A-Ko’s end.....sorta. There is technically one entry after this, but that’ll have to wait until a later time. For now, let’s us have one final adventure within the world of Project A-Ko, so get ready for the 4th review of this OVA series. Simply titled......Final. Let’s begin.
Story/Setup
Taken from the back of the DVD Case:
“A MYSTERIOUS STATUE IN THE DESERT, A STRANGE SYMBOL IN A STONE, AND MORE MISSILES THAN YOU CAN SWING A MECHA AT! On a quiet day at Graviton High, while the kicks are fast and the missile barrages are booming, Miss Ayumi ponders just where her life is leading. Meanwhile, out in the deserts of Iraq, scientists have unearthed a strange artifact bearing a symbol just like the one on Miss Ayumi’s pendant. Strange things begin to occur, and the strangest of all is Miss Ayumi agreeing to an arranged marriage. WIth handsome hunk Kei, of all people! Still carrying a torch for the dashing young man, A-ko and B-ko take their fight to the school’s gym-turned-wedding-chapel, even as a massive fleet of aliens bears down upon the Earth. As the mecha are mobilized and missiles start to fly, C-ko wonders to herself, where does she belong in all of this? It’s the final chapter of Project A-ko, and it won’t go out without a bang!”
As per usual, this is a story that just fits the world of Project A-Ko. It’s over the top, it’s wacky, it shows off the setting’s colorful characters, and it’s oddly charming in places you wouldn’t expect. Like the descriptor says, it’s the final chapter, and you can definitely tell. More so than any of the prior 2 OVAs, Final does conclude the series as a whole. That being said, there is one copout right at the end. Without going for complete spoilers, I will say that they do try to conclude things on a surprisingly serious & sad note.....only for them to backtrack on that not long after. If anyone has ever watched Final, you’ll know what I’m talking about. For anyone who hasn’t seen this, you might throw your hands up in the air. Trust me on this.
Animation
Read my 3rd review for details (Link Below)
Voice Acting
Read my 3rd review for details (Link Below)
Characters
Final’s characters are the ones you’ve seen plenty of times in the prior OVAs, and here they aren’t much different. They’re still colorful, they’re still funny, and they’re just as weirdly charming as they were before. That being said, because this is the last time we’ll ever see them, all of their storylines are wrapped up with a bow, seemingly completed. Then of course there’s the story copout I mentioned above: there was a chance that some of the characters would have been a little more mature by the time Final was done.....only for things to be turned around almost immediately. This doesn’t ruin the overall OVA (Like the copout with the story), but it definitely does hurt the experience.
Availability & Pricing
Kind of like when I talked about it in my Cinderella Rhapsody review, there aren’t many DVD copies available on Amazon. Luckily, the few copies that do exist are fairly inexpensive, starting at $19.95 (Excluding shipping & tax). New Blu-Ray copies aren’t bad either, as they start at $21.49. Either way, both options aren’t that taxing on your wallet, and it’s nice to see that the pricing isn’t bad.
Other
If you’re curious about at least watching Final, click on the link below. It is the VHS edition, so expect a little bit of audio issues (Animation also seems faded a little):
Project A-Ko 4: Final (English Dubbed) [VHS Screener]
Overall Impression & Rating
Final definitely feels like an ending to a series. Sure, there is a story copout or two, but it really feels like this world has been packed up nicely, and it has a nice red ribbon tied on to complete things. The world of Project A-Ko has been a quirky one, and it’s nice to know that there are still fans of it here in 2024. If you been invested in this franchise for a long time, then Final will seal the deal for you.
Final gets a 7.5 to 8 out of 10.
So that was my review for the 4th & final OVA in the Project A-Ko series. Like I said at the beginning, there is technically one final entry into this franchise, but that’ll have to wait until another day. So, with June coming soon, it’s time for my annual summer festival, and I got something interesting planned. See you on the first of June!
***
If you’d like to see what I thought in the last review I did of this series, click on the link below:
Anime Review: Project A-Ko 3 (Cinderella Rhapsody)
No comments:
Post a Comment