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is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yukiru Sugisaki. The series takes place in the distant future, where human beings live among space colonies and a single, inhabitable planet called Zion. The plot follows Zero Enna and his fellow candidates as they try to prove themselves worthy of piloting the "Ingrids", also called "Goddesses". These gigantic, humanoid weapons are humanity's only significant defense against a hostile, alien threat known as "Victim". ''The Candidate for Goddess'' was serialized in the monthly Wani Books magazine ''Comic Gum''. A total of 26 chapters were collected in five ''tankōbon'' (volumes) and released between 1997 and 2001. The manga was later translated into English and published in North America by Tokyopop and in Australian and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. ''The Candidate for Goddess'' was adapted into a 12-episode anime series directed by Mitsuru Hongo and produced by Xebec, a subsidiary of Production I.G. The adaptation aired on Japan's NHK BS2 satellite channel in early 2000. The anime series, entitled ''Pilot Candidate'' for its North American release, was broadcast briefly on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in 2002. An original video animation (OVA), serving as a thirteenth episode, was released in Japan in 2002, though it was not localized for North America. Since the debut of ''The Candidate for Goddess'' on Japanese television, a limited number of CDs and artbook illustrations for the series have been released. Overall reception for ''The Candidate for Goddess'' has been mediocre. Though its animation has been generally praised, its complex plot, compounded by its very short length, has been met with mixed criticism. Reviewers were dismayed by the lack of storyline closure at the end of the television episodes and even its OVA extension. ==Plot== ''The Candidate for Goddess'' takes place a millennium after Star Year 4084, when a cataclysmic event called "Crisis of Systems" resulted in the annihilation of four planetary systems. With Zion being the one planet left with the ability to sustain human life, humanity must cling to life in space colonies. Now in Star Year 5030, Zion is under constant threat of invasion by extraterrestrial life forms dubbed . In order to combat their alien foes, humans have developed a quintet of giant, mechanized weapons called "Ingrids", or "Goddesses" due to their female, humanoid resemblance.〔 A school called the "Goddess Operation Academy (G.O.A.)" is established to train the specific few which have the capability of piloting the Ingrids.〔 They are typically young men and must meet several requirements: They must be in good health, must be 14 to 16 years of age, must have an EO blood type, and must possess the potential for "EX", superhuman abilities which secondarily link the pilot's nerves to the Ingrid's interface.〔〔 As EX puts such a physical and mental strain on the pilot, replacements must be turned out by the G.O.A. within a reasonable amount of time. Each pilot is also partnered with a female repairer, who maintains the Ingrid and manually blocks painful feedback from the Ingrid to the pilot during missions.〔〔 The plot of ''The Candidate for Goddess'' primarily focuses on Zero Enna, a brash trainee who has recently left colony homelife with his mother in order to pursue his dream of becoming an Ingrid pilot.〔 Shortly after arriving at the G.O.A., Zero becomes lost and is subconsciously called to a hangar by a mysterious voice, suddenly finding himself within the cockpit of one of the Ingrids.〔 As each Ingrid is specifically calibrated for their pilot, this would normally mean death. However, the Goddess instead links with Zero's nervous system and physically shows itself to him in a vision.〔 After a few moments, Zero is pulled free by the Ingrid's pilot, who then takes it into battle with the Victim. Zero is rushed to the academy's sick bay. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Candidate for Goddess」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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