Description
A mysterious and highly advanced enemy known as the Xi appears without warning, its fighter craft far surpassing anything in human possession. These unidentified flying weapons wield superior maneuverability and electronic warfare capabilities, quickly overwhelming the world's air forces. In response, humanity reverse-engineers Xi technology to create the Daughters, specially modified existing fighter aircraft equipped with the experimental HiMAT system. Controlling these Daughters are the Anima, cyborg girls grown from salvaged Xi components who serve as the autonomous interface units necessary for the system to function.
The story follows Kei Narutani, a Chinese-Japanese teenager living in Shanghai with his childhood friend Minghua Song. When the Xi attack their city, they are forced to evacuate by sea. During the escape, Kei witnesses a strange red fighter plane repel the Xi before crashing into the ocean. Rushing to help the pilot, he is astonished to find a pretty girl at the controls. This girl is Gripen, an Anima who flies a Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter. Because Kei came to her aid when she crashed, she forms an unexpected emotional attachment to him.
After arriving in Japan and settling at his grandparents' home in Komatsu, Kei becomes determined to learn more about the mysterious plane. His investigation leads to his capture by Japanese Self-Defense Force agents, who reveal the existence of the Anima project. Gripen suffers from an inherent emotional defect that leaves her unfocused and lacking purpose, causing her combat performance to be dangerously unstable. However, her supervising scientist, Haruka Yashirodori, discovers that Kei's presence stabilizes her. To prevent Gripen from being scrapped, Yashirodori recruits Kei to serve as her partner and weapon systems officer, providing the emotional anchor she needs to fight effectively.
Kei has his own reasons for joining the fight. His mother, an air show pilot, was killed in a Xi attack two years earlier, and he secretly harbors a desire for revenge. Despite his civilian status, his extensive knowledge of aircraft and natural piloting instincts, honed from flying with his mother since childhood, make him a valuable asset. Kei and Gripen are assigned to an independent mixed flight experimental unit at Komatsu Base, where they are joined by other Anima.
Eagle is a blonde Anima flying an F-15J, possessing exceptional combat skills alongside a perky, childlike personality. She adores Yashirodori as a father and immediately takes a close personal interest in Kei. Phantom flies an RF-4EJ Phantom II and is the first Anima ever created. Her long operational history has made her proud, condescending toward newer Anima, and冷酷ly realistic. Viper Zero, flying an F-2, is a mysterious Anima whose unstable core causes anyone who sees her to perceive the person they are thinking about most, and she never speaks aloud. Later, the American Anima Rhino, flying an F/A-18 Super Hornet, joins from the US Pacific Fleet.
The narrative progresses through several major arcs. Early episodes focus on Kei integrating into the unit and learning to fly with Gripen, their bond deepening as they face Xi attacks together. A significant turning point occurs when Rhino is lured into a trap by the Xi. Her consciousness is gradually corrupted and taken over, revealing a terrifying truth that Anima may be fundamentally similar to the Xi. In a desperate battle, Kei and Gripen are forced to destroy her, marking the first loss of an Anima.
The story expands to include international Anima. Russia deploys its own Anima, including Zhuravlik flying a Su-27, who possesses fierce pride and loyalty to her nation. France sends Lieutenant Boulanger, an intelligence agent who harbors a secret identity as a Rafale Anima that malfunctioned. The Shanghai landing operation becomes a major campaign, where Kei and Gripen face not only the Xi but also the mysteries of what the Xi truly are and why they exist.
As the series progresses toward its conclusion, the narrative takes a dramatic turn. Kei and Gripen discover that the Xi are not merely enemies but are connected to the Anima in fundamental ways. The final volumes reveal that Gripen's core contains a program capable of forcibly activating the Xi's time retrograde system. In the climactic battle, all Anima sacrifice themselves to annihilate the Xi threat. Gripen disappears along with the others, leaving Kei behind. The story concludes ten years later, with Kei having become a fighter pilot himself, flying a JAS 39 Gripen as he carries forward the memory of the girl who changed his life. The light novel series spans twelve volumes, published from September 2014 to June 2019 under the Dengeki Bunko imprint.
The story follows Kei Narutani, a Chinese-Japanese teenager living in Shanghai with his childhood friend Minghua Song. When the Xi attack their city, they are forced to evacuate by sea. During the escape, Kei witnesses a strange red fighter plane repel the Xi before crashing into the ocean. Rushing to help the pilot, he is astonished to find a pretty girl at the controls. This girl is Gripen, an Anima who flies a Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighter. Because Kei came to her aid when she crashed, she forms an unexpected emotional attachment to him.
After arriving in Japan and settling at his grandparents' home in Komatsu, Kei becomes determined to learn more about the mysterious plane. His investigation leads to his capture by Japanese Self-Defense Force agents, who reveal the existence of the Anima project. Gripen suffers from an inherent emotional defect that leaves her unfocused and lacking purpose, causing her combat performance to be dangerously unstable. However, her supervising scientist, Haruka Yashirodori, discovers that Kei's presence stabilizes her. To prevent Gripen from being scrapped, Yashirodori recruits Kei to serve as her partner and weapon systems officer, providing the emotional anchor she needs to fight effectively.
Kei has his own reasons for joining the fight. His mother, an air show pilot, was killed in a Xi attack two years earlier, and he secretly harbors a desire for revenge. Despite his civilian status, his extensive knowledge of aircraft and natural piloting instincts, honed from flying with his mother since childhood, make him a valuable asset. Kei and Gripen are assigned to an independent mixed flight experimental unit at Komatsu Base, where they are joined by other Anima.
Eagle is a blonde Anima flying an F-15J, possessing exceptional combat skills alongside a perky, childlike personality. She adores Yashirodori as a father and immediately takes a close personal interest in Kei. Phantom flies an RF-4EJ Phantom II and is the first Anima ever created. Her long operational history has made her proud, condescending toward newer Anima, and冷酷ly realistic. Viper Zero, flying an F-2, is a mysterious Anima whose unstable core causes anyone who sees her to perceive the person they are thinking about most, and she never speaks aloud. Later, the American Anima Rhino, flying an F/A-18 Super Hornet, joins from the US Pacific Fleet.
The narrative progresses through several major arcs. Early episodes focus on Kei integrating into the unit and learning to fly with Gripen, their bond deepening as they face Xi attacks together. A significant turning point occurs when Rhino is lured into a trap by the Xi. Her consciousness is gradually corrupted and taken over, revealing a terrifying truth that Anima may be fundamentally similar to the Xi. In a desperate battle, Kei and Gripen are forced to destroy her, marking the first loss of an Anima.
The story expands to include international Anima. Russia deploys its own Anima, including Zhuravlik flying a Su-27, who possesses fierce pride and loyalty to her nation. France sends Lieutenant Boulanger, an intelligence agent who harbors a secret identity as a Rafale Anima that malfunctioned. The Shanghai landing operation becomes a major campaign, where Kei and Gripen face not only the Xi but also the mysteries of what the Xi truly are and why they exist.
As the series progresses toward its conclusion, the narrative takes a dramatic turn. Kei and Gripen discover that the Xi are not merely enemies but are connected to the Anima in fundamental ways. The final volumes reveal that Gripen's core contains a program capable of forcibly activating the Xi's time retrograde system. In the climactic battle, all Anima sacrifice themselves to annihilate the Xi threat. Gripen disappears along with the others, leaving Kei behind. The story concludes ten years later, with Kei having become a fighter pilot himself, flying a JAS 39 Gripen as he carries forward the memory of the girl who changed his life. The light novel series spans twelve volumes, published from September 2014 to June 2019 under the Dengeki Bunko imprint.
Comment(s)
Staff
- StoryKōji Natsumi
- IllustrationAsagi Tōsaka
