OBSCURE O.V.A.S, *Project A-ko Vs.

Also labeled as Project A-ko: Uncivil Wars, this 2-episode OVA series was a spinoff of the previous Project A-ko releases but significant it's the first time a remake of an anime is officially taking place in an alternate reality. Project A-ko Vs. takes the main characters and reintroduces them in a parallel universe where it's like an extended Dirty Pair space adventure. Original movie director Katsuhiko Nishijima returns to work on the OVA which is one of the earliest franchises that explores the concept of a multiverse. This came out less than a year after the Final chapter of the previous series.

Set in a parallel universe, A-ko and B-ko are a pair of scavengers on a desert planet where the kidnapped C-ko literally drops into their lives. C-ko is the daughter of an intergalactic conglomerate that was snatched by space pirates who plan to use her as the vessel for an ancient sorceress named Xena. Led by the powerful psychic Gail, the bad guys need Xena to conjure up a giant dragon which is a dead ringer for King Ghidora. The combined power of the resurrected Xena and the dragon are supposed to bring about the end of the universe as well as every other universe so that Gail and his followers can create their own reality from scratch. A-ko and B-ko spend the majority of the anime either fighting with Gail's flunkies or bickering with each other like an old married couple where all of their shenanigans lead to entire planets getting destroyed. Even with help from the minute space patrol officer Maruten, the chaotic female wrecking duo manage to save the day, but with nothing to gain from the experience.

Project A-ko Vs. shows how the era of the 80's had truly come to an end with its madcap nonsensical humor was seriously running dry. You wouldn't see comedy this brainless until the turn of the millennium where anime got all meta with its commentary bringing up tropes and cliches that thrill the occasional fan. The storyline keeps shifting tones where this character is fighting another one, while some complex exposition is going on in the background. This didn't have to be a 2-part OVA series as it could have been wrapped up into a single feature with a tighter script. It brings about a feeling of sentimentality for 80s anime for those who were suffering from withdrawal of the previous decade. There is also an American comic book adaption available for it titled Project A-ko Vs. The Universe that you might want to brush up on.