Pilot Candidate

(TV/OVA? 1-12)

CARL's TAKE: <<<Two and a halfstars>>>

Summary - Far in the future, a mysterious alien race known as the Victim have wittled humanity down to one last surviving planet: Zion. And protecting this final haven is a squad of five powerful mecha Megami (Goddesses). Because only five of these remarkable craft exist to keep the Victim from destroying humanity, an elaborate system has been devised to recruit, train, and select the pilots who will take them into action. The story follows one group of these young recruits as they begin their training, as well as the older current pilots as they quarrel among themselves while struggling to keep Zion safe.

Impression - a smartly animated anime for a younger audience that keeps its cards hidden until too late.

Review - For the most part I liked Pilot Candidate (not sure what the official English name is because I watched it subtitled as Megami Kohousei), that is, what little I saw of it (it seems to end somewhere around ep 12). The show is too slow in developing its main plot so that when it gets near the end of its run it tries to smash 10 episodes worth of intrigue into the final 20 minute episode. Seen like this, it feels more like a teaser for a manga series than a solid anime. And though the 3d effects are somewhat revolutionary for an anime, they make the goddesses look more like Power Rangers toys than battle-ready mecha. I did, however, like seeing the story of the teenage pilots intermixed with that of the candidates. I was hoping the two groups would finally cross paths but they never got around to it.

VERDICT: It's more of a half title than a whole one. But if you do see it, you'll probably want to find the manga to read what happens next.

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