rewatched this once-popular anime that i rented back in the day. fun to revisit, but it didn't really hold up, and it was surprising how much of the boring stuff i'd forgotten. or that its plot just doesn't ultimately go anywhere interesting. some charming sequences though, good art, and the soundtrack still has its moments!
i'd be curious to hear what kind of anime market this OAV entered in 1986; i suspect its mix of cute girls + mecha + comedy + explosions + decent-budget animation felt considerably more compelling as a package to fans back then.
the torrent came with some really cool extras, including a pristine version of the above Project A-ko Secret File behind-the-scenes type video. i haven't watched it in full yet--it's really neat to see 37-year-old footage that looks so clean--but i did discover these terrible talking-head bits tacked on at the end, where (most of the) anime journos are clearly reading off cue cards and it just keeps getting more awkward. (there's also the matter of how the journos are clearly promoting the then-new movie, which seemed par for the course back then.) anyway, perhaps you too enjoy a little cringe?
