Project A-Ko

[Dragon78]

Project A-Ko Blu-ray

So who else loves this anime movie?

When/where/how did you first see it?

Who else will be getting the blu-ray?

[King Crimson]

I'm getting the blu-ray but it's a blind buy

[eledoremassis02]

My first anime, so I will be getting it. Haven't seen it since the Sci-Fi Anisatuday days

[MOONPHASE]

I bought the old DVD at an Estate Sale. I’ll most likely get the Blu-ray as well.

[mysticwaterfall]

This was one of the first anime I ever saw in the 90s, so I'll definitely be getting the bluray.

[Bolo Seagull]

I've never seen this one, but had heard about it forever and it totally sounds like my cup of tea. I definitely want to get it and the sequels.

I haven't decided whether I'll go in for the blu ray straight away, or whether I'll hang back and see if a 4K release comes along. I'll be ordering a lot of anime some time around Christmas and I already have a lot of titles selected that will keep me entertained through winter. So I won't really be suffering for anything to watch. It can definitely wait. But maybe I'll decide I really need to see this right now and include it in my order.

[IdeaOfEvil]

I bought the DVD, and it's a really great release from Disco in its own right. So I'm not clamoring to upgrade to the bluray disc right away, and I'm gonna wait to see what eventual 4k news comes out.

[Squeakyboots]

Originally Posted by King Crimson

I'm getting the blu-ray but it's a blind buy

I'm in the same boat. I've never seen this movie before and know very little about it other than the glimpses Discotek has shown of their restoration. I think it'll be worth it for this blu-ray to be my first time watching it and I'm excited.

[omarchafa]

I haven't seen this one yet, but I did stumble on a youtube clip that might be interesting to share:

Project A-Ko - Remaster Preview Clip - YouTube

It looks like something I'll like to see for sure, and I had no idea that it hasn't come out on blu ray already. So I'm going to pre-order from rightstuf right away.

[Modren]

Originally Posted by omarchafa

It looks like something I'll like to see for sure, and I had no idea that it hasn't come out on blu ray already. So I'm going to pre-order from rightstuf right away.

The reason it hadn't come to Blu-ray before is because the original negatives were thought to be lost up until last year. Discotek was even prepping a new AI upscaling algorithm and tracking down obscure LaserDisc-ripping tech to bring the film up to HD, but then they found the negatives and started from scratch.

[Dragon78]

It was one of the first anime I saw and the first one I saw in Japanese with English subtitles.

[Al_The_Strange]

I first saw this around 15 years ago, and like most of y'all it was also one of my first-ever anime viewings. A guy I knew recommended a lot of awesome shows to me, and this was one of them. Plenty of cool scenes, plenty of funny scenes too.

The Blu-Ray is a day one upgrade for me. I still have my 3-movie DVD box set from US Manga Corps, but I can live without seeing the sequels upgraded.

[Dragon78]

Can anyone post the Discotek release info for Project A-Ko?

[micpp]

Originally Posted by Dragon78

Can anyone post the Discotek release info for Project A-Ko?

Not sure what info you're looking for, but here's what it says in their facebook post

[Show spoiler]

Coming December 21st 2021! PROJECT AKO on Blu Ray!
Rightstuf pre-order link:
https://www.rightstufanime.com/Project-A-ko-Blu-ray
Original English dub, Japanese language, English subtitles. 1080p high definition. Region A disc.
REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL FILM NEGATIVES
& PRESENTED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIGH-DEFINITION!
FEATURE COMMENTARIES • TRAILERS • TV SPOTS • MUSIC RETROSPECTIVE BEHIND THE SCENES • INTERVIEWS • GALLERIES • EXTENSIVE • LINER NOTES
FOR THESE THREE HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS
REPELLING AN ALIEN INVASION IS AS EASY AS A-B-C!
On a splendid morning, an effervescently cheerful teenaged schoolgirl named A-ko sets off for school with her delightfully ditzy friend, C-ko. The duo are students in a marvelous futuristic city, but A-ko is about to run afoul of the wealthy and powerful B-ko, a young lady used to getting everything she wants—and what she wants is C-ko! Also, a vast and powerful alien fleet is about to touch down in Graviton City, and they're after something, too. Fortunately for us, A-ko’s no ordinary schoolgirl—she’s got super powers of her own!
An all-star squad of the anime world’s greatest talents collaborated on Project A-ko, led by director Katsuhiko Nishijima (Agent Aika, Najica Blitz Tactics) and character designer Yuji Moriyama (Robot Carnival, Geobreeders). Discotek is bursting with pride to present this beloved anime classic in high-definition for the very first time anywhere, along with a treasure trove of features so hefty that A-ko herself might struggle to lift it.

And the cover art is:

[Show spoiler]

[Dragon78]

Micpp, yeah that is what I meant, thanks.

The clip above was the only clip Discotek released for Project A-ko, correct?

[micpp]

Originally Posted by Dragon78

The clip above was the only clip Discotek released for Project A-ko, correct?

There's a clip on their twitter as well, that's essentially a recreation of an old Sci-Fi channel trailer using the new master

https://twitter.com/discotekmedia/st...41915000573952

There's also some screenshots of some of the extras in the twitter thread

[Nori]

Might be just as well that they're not releasing this one on 4K UHD. I'm still not convinced that UHD is bringing much advantage to anime. Basically it's always grain free and a lot of the time doesn't necessarily look better than previous blu rays. In the case of Lupin and Akira I felt it definitely worse looking, and with Cobra and GITS I'm unsure that it's that much better. Might just be that the folks making these anime UHD's aren't adjusted to the format yet.

[Modren]

Originally Posted by Nori

Might be just as well that they're not releasing this one on 4K UHD. I'm still not convinced that UHD is bringing much advantage to anime. Basically it's always grain free and a lot of the time doesn't necessarily look better than previous blu rays. In the case of Lupin and Akira I felt it definitely worse looking, and with Cobra and GITS I'm unsure that it's that much better. Might just be that the folks making these anime UHD's aren't adjusted to the format yet.

A lot of Japanese anime companies are getting really into DNR, unfortunately. And since western license holders can usually only get access to pre-DNR'd masters, as opposed to the original film elements or the scans before they've been processed, there's not much they can do to fix it. All we can do is hope the Japanese companies get over their DNR fixation and start re-releasing series and films with their original look.

[jsevakis]

Discotek does not currently have the rights to do a 4K release. That may change in the future, but for now it is not on the schedule. 4K downconverted to 1080p is the gold standard in maintaining the most amount of detail in a BD release, which is why we did the restoration in 4K.

If and when we do a UHD BD release, I still recommend picking up the regular BD, as 60%+ of the copious extras (including some absolutely essential translations of newly visible jokes, IMHO) will not be UHD BD compatible.

[Misioon_Odisea]

Originally Posted by jsevakis

Discotek does not currently have the rights to do a 4K release. That may change in the future, but for now it is not on the schedule. 4K downconverted to 1080p is the gold standard in maintaining the most amount of detail in a BD release, which is why we did the restoration in 4K.

If and when we do a UHD BD release, I still recommend picking up the regular BD, as 60%+ of the copious extras (including some absolutely essential translations of newly visible jokes, IMHO) will not be UHD BD compatible.

Thank you very much for the info and your efforts, I have no doubts this will be an excellent disc through and through either way. At least we do still have this intriguing clip that gives us a window to see how absolutely amazing properly restored Anime with HDR looks like

Project A-Ko - Remaster Preview Clip - YouTube