Sky Girls

Recommendation: Probably not what you're expecting by appearances, this is more of a character-oriented slice of life series and has minimal fanservice, unlike its most obvious point of comparison, Strike Witches. It's solid and enjoyable, but nothing revolutionary. Worth a watch if you like girls in mechs. Story: The story takes place 10 years after an apocalyptic war killed 1/3 of humanity and shattered the continents into smaller islands before driving off the invading WORMs, with a trio of teen girls being recruited as test pilots for mechs called Sonic Divers. Secretly, the military knows that the WORMs aren't extinct as is commonly believed, and thegirls are unwittingly being recruited as soldiers against a future WORM revival. The story is pretty standard, it goes pretty much the way you'll predict as you watch, but it doesn't make any major missteps either. There is almost no action in the first half of the series, it focuses on training and the girls getting to know each other. It is almost fully slice of life for the first half before becoming a more traditional military mecha series in the second half, though the battles are generally deemphasized throughout. On the positive side, this is a complete story start to finish, the ending firmly ties off the story with no need for sequels, and gives every important character the resolution that they need. I'm not as positive on the worldbuilding, or lack thereof. I would have liked to see a lot more of how the world and society has changed, and you do get little hints of it occasionally, like details about film and paper being rare, but most of the time the characters are walled off inside the barracks and later a ship, and you get little sense of what the post-war world is like and what the girls are fighting to protect. Some of what we do get is weak and irrelevant too, like when they make a point of noting that 90% of all military aged men died during the war, but this never seems to factor into the show's portrayal of society. There are plenty of men walking around on the streets in the background, plenty in the military, and the only time it seemingly comes into play is the Kouryuu's captain being old because he's come out of retirement since there's less manpower available to the military. Audio/Visual: The audio is not especially good. The VA work is somewhat inconsistent and overly cutesy with several characters, especially Karen. The OP is also an atrocious mix of butt rock and broken English that should be skipped whenever possible. Visually, it's dated looking and the girls look a bit goofy with enormous eyes compared to the men, but the WORM designs are creative and visually appealing, and the CGI for the mechs is surprisingly well-integrated for being almost 15 years old as I write this. The action does lack excitement though. Battles are very patterned and always end the same way, and the WORMs are not very menacing outside of one or two exceptions. This seems to be more of a creative choice than anything, as the battles generally exist to highlight character moments rather than just being cool fights. Characters: They're broadly likeable but not all that unique. Otoha is your typical genki girl protagonist, Eika is the hyper-competent ice queen, Karen is the shy genius that's afraid of boys, Tougou is the bro captain that just wants to protect the girls, and Elise is the bratty child prodigy. Their interactions and friendship is the heart of the show and it's fun to watch them gradually grow closer. The extensive character building that they do early in the series also pays off later in the series when battles become more interesting because of the established dynamics between the characters. However, one aspect that I was negative on was the relationship between Otoha and her missing brother Yuuki, which is barely explained or mentioned early on, but is later retconned into being a central and foundational part of her character for the end of the series. It was noticeable how poorly this piece of her character was developed given how much they put into the character work early on. Interestingly, the show also gives clear potential romantic interests to Otoha (her mechanic Ryohei) and Karen (an air traffic controller she's able to comfortably talk to, Takumi), but never follows through on them. I would find that frustrating in most cases, but it feels right here, and serves as a nice example of male-female friendships that don't need to become romantic.

Every now and then I take a chance to watch a show, with little if any expectations. The synopsis I read before adding it to my list really paled in comparison to what the show turned out into. It has its ups, and downs, but overall it is an enjoyable Anime. Before I mention some of its strengths, I'd like to start by mentioning a few weaknesses. The art of the Sonic Divers, are a little bland. Each one is a bit different than the others, but they really give you the feel of a military air frame that is somewhat massproduced, and feels stale. However, the environments, and animation of the battle sequences are filled with eye candy. Later in the show when they are aboard the ship, I marveled at some of the detail of the walls and control systems on the ship, a detail that is easy to over look. The story, is solid, but the episodes for most of the series may seem a bit formulaic. This may hinder some folks enjoyment, but the star of this show is the characters. Little is said about some of the subtle characteristics of the Sonic Divers, which may startle some viewers when they show up later in the show. For me, the best part of the story, was how it hid it's main theme for much of the show. When I finally saw the backstory for their enemy the WORMs, is when I understood why the story is as likable as it is. The optimism, even in somewhat difficult situations is somewhat contagious. Very rarely, have I found a show that gives enough screen time to the many support characters to give them enough depth to be loved, and this show is one of them. This lends to a bit of slow pacing at times in the show, but knowing these characters, the Sky Girls in particular, gives the audience a sense of stake in the outcome of their battles. Despite that, there were a couple of things I felt needed closure that went forgotten in the seasons final episode. Still, I like how the show built up over it's length, and gave us just enough of a taste at the ending to satisfy most fans. Honestly, this show isn't about the tech, the mecha, or their powers, It's about the characters, and how they grow in the midst of this strange time in which they are found. I endorse watching this series if you enjoy shows where the characters are the stars, and their equipment trimmings on the cake. I think if you come into this show as I did, with lower expectations, that you may find yourself pleasantly surprised at its outcome.