Sometime in the future, the only planet left for mankind is Zion. The problem
is, persistent and powerful aliens called Victim seem bent on destroying Zion.
To protect and preserve Zion, five gigantic humanoid mechs called Ingrids
(often referred to as "goddesses") are dispatched every time the Victim
attack.
Only the best pilots are assigned to the Ingrids, hand-picked from hundreds of
hopeful pilot candidates. A young man named Zero is among these candidates,
and he's prepared to give it his all to become a pilot...
Pilot Candidate Anime Review
I don't know if it's good or bad but Pilot Candidate's basic premises are a
lot similar to the phenomenal anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion", as you
can see below:
- Pilot Candidate: Zion is under attack from mysterious aliens known only as Victim.
- Evangelion: Earth is under attack from mysterious aliens known only as Angels.
- Pilot Candidate: Gigantic humanoid mechs called Ingrids piloted by teens are Zion's only defense.
- Evangelion: Gigantic humanoid mechs called Evas piloted by teens are Earth's only defense.
- Pilot Candidate: A different type of Victim attacks every time, each more powerful than the last.
- Evangelion: A different type of Angel attacks every time, each more powerful than the last.
Given these points, should we just dismiss Pilot Candidate as an Evangelion
rip-off? Not exactly. What Pilot Candidate anime lacks in originality, it makes up
for in its overall treatment of the storyline and absence of cryptic
symbolisms.
Zero is an ambitious young man
(nothing like Shinji Ikari for those who've watched EVA) who wants
nothing else but to pilot an Ingrid -- a bonafide goddess of space that can
vanquish Victim. But before Zero can actually become a pilot, he has to
undergo rigorous training and rise above hundreds of other pilot candidates.
Only those with exceptional skills and EX levels
(EX is some kind of special power) can become candidates, and Zero
happens to possess the characteristics that are required.
But Zero is not the only one who is dead set on becoming a pilot. His fellow
candidate Hiead will not be outdone, and he will do anything to become a pilot
as well. Each pilot / pilot candidate is teamed up with a repairer, who takes
care of maintaining and providing technical support for the pilot and the
Ingrid.
Zero's partner is a catgirl named Kizna, and they share an amusing
relationship which is characterized by lots of bickering but is actually
founded on a certain degree of mutual understanding. Watching these two relate
gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling without the mush.
What ultimately rained on my parade was the abrupt, inconclusive ending. Pilot
Candidate stops cold just when you've come to know the characters, just when
you're starting to grasp the overall situation... just when I was getting
really excited! It leaves you with an annoying what-the-f*ck!? feeling, so
much so that I even thought that I missed the last volume. But no, the twelve
eps are all there is to it.
The art and animation are generally of good quality, except for the visually
jarring CG sequences. The 3-D space battle scenes look fine on their own; in
fact it was like watching the CG portions of a high-budget PS2 game. It just
did not match the rest of the series too well, and I felt the overall flow
would've been smoother had they just stuck to cel animation all throughout
(like EVA did).
Pilot Candidate is altogether an enjoyable ride. It was great fun while it
lasted, but you need to ask yourself if you're willing to be left hanging
before you go get it.
Miscellanies: Pilot Candidate
I kind of doubt that a continuation to this series will ever materialize.
Pilot Candidate (Megami Kouhosei) (Candidate for Goddesses) | |
Genre | Action, Sci-Fi |
---|---|
Episodes | 12 |
Status | Finished Airing |
Aired | Jan 20, 2000 to Mar 27, 2000 |
Producers | Bandai Visual, ING |
Studio | Xebec |
Rating | PG-13 - Teens 13 or older |
Themes | Mecha, Military, Space |
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