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Sky Girls (スカイガールズ, Sukai Gāruzu) is a Japanese anime franchise produced by Konami and animated by J.C.Staff. A 30-minute OVA episode was released on August 25, 2006 and a television series adaptation aired on Chiba TV from July 5, 2007, to December 27, 2007.
Sky Girls | |
スカイガールズ | |
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Genre | Action, Drama, Mecha, Military |
Original video animation | |
Directed by | Yoshiaki Iwasaki |
Produced by | Konami |
Written by | Takao Yoshioka |
Music by | Shinkichi Mitsumune |
Studio | J.C.Staff |
Released | August 25, 2006 |
Runtime | 30 minutes |
Anime television series | |
Directed by | Yoshiaki Iwasaki |
Produced by | Konami |
Written by | Takao Yoshioka |
Music by | Shinkichi Mitsumune |
Studio | J.C.Staff |
Original network | Chiba TV |
Original run | July 5, 2007 – December 27, 2007 |
Episodes | 26 |
Manga | |
Written by | Eishi Ozeki (art) |
Published by | Kodansha |
Magazine | Magazine Z |
Demographic | Seinen |
Original run | August 25, 2007[1] – December 25, 2007 |
Volumes | 1 |
Anime television series | |
Sky Girls TV DVD Specials | |
Directed by | Yoshiaki Iwasaki |
Produced by | Konami |
Written by | Takao Yoshioka |
Music by | Shinkichi Mitsumune |
Studio | J.C.Staff |
Original network | Chiba TV |
Original run | November 13, 2007 – June 25, 2008 |
Episodes | 9 |
In the year 2071, humanity sees the appearance of mechanical cell clusters, known as WORMs. The technology begins sweeping away the human race on a massive scale, destroying one-third of the human population in just under two years. This leads humanity to overcome their national differences, and unite as a single force. Not being able to turn the situation in their favor, humanity decided to permit the use of weapons of mass destruction. Finally, they succeeded in the annihilation of the WORMs, but after paying an enormous price, and wreaking havoc on the planet. All the major continents were broken apart. Antarctica disappeared, and half of the remaining land mass was submerged. The largest damage this war caused was the loss of 90% of all military-age personnel, namely men in their twenties and thirties. Over a decade later, the WORMs re-appear, to the surprise of those who thought they were eliminated.
These are fictional technologies unique to Sky Girls.
Artificial life forms consisting entirely of thousands to millions of 'cells' approximately a foot in diameter, which are themselves created by nanotechnology. These come together to form large monsters that wreak havoc. WORMs are responsible for the destruction of one-third of human population.
WORMs mimic the appearance of the first lifeform they see, which is why almost all of them have similarities with maritime lifeforms.
Sonic Divers are a new technology where a pilot with sufficient innate ability and compatibility controls an exoskeleton that can fly and combat WORMs. The pilots are exposed to air inside the Sonic Divers.
Aside from the default "G" mode (glider mode), which is similar to a fighter plane, the Sonic Divers have a humanoid mode called "Mode A" (armor mode), in which the Sonic Diver mimics its pilot's movements.
Every Sonic Diver unit has different weapons:
Aside from these weapons, most of the Sonic Diver units seem to be equipped with either a machine gun or a pistol as a backup weapon.
In Episode 17, it is shown that the Sonic Divers are capable of independent movement. While they don't seem to be able to fight all by themselves, they can follow simple orders given to them by their pilot.
A form-fitting flight suit that resembles a very thin one-piece swimsuit. When used in combination with a nanoskin, a data circuit is created between pilot and sonic diver. The pilot can then operate the Sonic Diver until the nanoskin degrades.
To protect the pilot during operation of the Sonic Diver, a nanoskin gel is applied over the entire skin. This is made up of nanomachines. This coating lasts only for exactly 21 minutes and 32 seconds, but during that time the body is protected from the rigors of both flight and combat. Piloting it in the absence of a nanoskin gel is referred to as extremely dangerous and probably fatal.
An aerial combat procedure where a weakened WORM is surrounded by three (Delta Lock) or four (Quadra Formation) Sonic Divers. The Sonic Divers attack the WORM and sync themselves to the nanomachines that comprise the WORM's body. The nanomachines become unstable and begin to disintegrate. The WORM can then be destroyed.
The English translations of each episode title are unofficial, and neither the OVA nor the TV series have been licensed for foreign release.
# | English title Japanese title | |
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00 | "Sky Girls OVA" | |
A direct-to-video animation story introducing the Sky Girls. This precedes the Sky Girls TV series and differs slightly from it. Eika, Otoha and Karen are stationed on a naval destroyer and are about to face their first WORM. There is no fourth Sky Girl.
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1 | "Candidates" | |
Three young girls are recruited to become test pilots for the new Sonic Diver program.
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2 | "Sonic Diver" | |
The girls travel to the military base and are introduced to each other and the other base personnel.
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3 | "Flight" | |
Eika performs the team's first test flight of a Sonic Diver.
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4 | "The Holiday's Corner Alley" | |
After all the girls have flown their Sonic Divers, it's their first pay day, and first day off. They meet a new friend, Takumi Hayami.
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5 | "Look After Me, Zero!" | |
The girls learn to fly as a team. Otoha has trouble with the shooting practice.
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6 | "Nanae's Secret" | |
Elise survives the destruction of the West Europe base. Back at Oppama base, Otoha finds a large bra and MUST find the owner. And the girls have a surprise in their combat simulators.
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7 | "Naming The Sky Girls" | |
It's time for the girls to debut at the Oppama Air Festival, and they need a team name. The prototype fighter plane, the Vic Viper, debuts and its pilot causes the girls difficulties.
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8 | "Let's Go To A Hot Spring" | |
Fun and trouble at the local hot spring. The girls learn the truth about the Sonic Diver program.
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9 | "Delta Lock" | |
The girls learn how to perform the "Delta Lock", a combat maneuver which traps the enemy WORM into a field where its cells collapse and can be destroyed. They also experience their first combat with a real WORM. Karen gets shot down and suffers a concussion and sprained arm.
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10 | "Ghost Base" | |
The girls chase down rumors of a ghost on the base.
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11 | "Fourth Sky Girl" | |
The girls meet Elise, a Sonic Diver pilot from the destroyed West Europe base.
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12 | "Good-Bye, Oppama" | |
Karen schedules a meeting with her older brother, but must miss it when she's called on a rescue mission. The Sky Girls team is moved from the base to a special-purpose ship called the Koryu.
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13 | "Koryu, Move Out!" | |
The Sky Girls team settles into its new home at sea. Ryohei becomes seasick, preventing him from working on Reijin. When a WORM approaches the ship, Otoha is unable to launch, until Ryohei overcomes his illness and repairs their Sonic Diver.
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14 | "Quadra Lock" | |
The Sky Girls battle as a group of four for the first time but Elise, occupied by vengeance, has problems working together as part of a team. Vic Viper is involved in its first battle against a WORM, albeit briefly.
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15 | "Father and Daughter" | |
The military's strategy against the WORMs and their plan for the Sky Girls is made clearer. The Koryu is ordered towards a supposed location of a nest of WORMs. Eika's Father faints from over working. Eika's past is somewhat revealed as well.
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16 | "Stopping at a Port" | |
The Koryu docks at a small island, which happens to be Nanae's home. Nanae is reunited with her childhood friend, Kurosawa Hiroharu, but lies about her job when he displays hostilities toward her ship. He finds out when a WORM attacks, he's saved by the Sky Girls.
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17 | "The South Island of the Sky Girls" | |
The Girls become stranded on an island in the south Pacific and have to battle internal fissures that have not fully healed until they are rescued.
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18 | "Intruder" | |
A new smaller WORM invades the Koryu.
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19 | "Aisha Chronicle" | |
Elise is suspicious of Aisha. The Sky Girls learn the origins of the WORMs.
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20 | "First Impression of that Find" | |
Takumi finds some camera film. Otoha and the crew get to know Aisha. A new faster WORM attacks.
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21 | "United Front" | |
A Vic Viper squadron attacks a WORM with a self-recovery ability. Togo's backstory is also further explained.
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22 | "Southern Cross - Holy Night" | |
Koryu holds a Christmas party celebration. A portion of Otoha's first encounter with WORMs is further revealed. A WORM in the shape of Otoha's long-lost brother makes a dramatic appearance.
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23 | "Lost Wing" | |
Otoha deals with the ramifications of her brother having been resurrected by the WORMs.
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24 | "Fight" | |
The crew of the Koryu prepare themselves for their last battle with the WORMs.
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25 | "Otoha, once again." | |
All five Sky Girls and the Vic Viper squadrons engage in the final battle against the WORMs' nest.
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26 | "The Next Time" | |
The story catches up on the Sky Girls' lives six months after the WORMs were defeated and Aisha wake's up.
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Episode | Title |
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1 | "Fierce Battle! Trout Fishing Contest" |
2 | "Big Catch! Mudskipper Fishing!" |
3 | "Seashore Battle! Blackfish Fishing!" |
4 | "Astonishing! Piranha Fishing!" |
5 | "Protect the indigenous species! Bass Fishing Contest! Please finish eating the fish that you've caught!" |
6 | "Fish the porgy with prawns, Black Porgy Fishing!" |
7 | "The porgy's really tough! Getting poorer by the day! Red tai fishing!" |
8 | "Tempura, deep-fried food, and sometimes, skates! Pond smelt fishing on top of ice!" |
9 | "There's no part that should be thrown away! Great battle with the whale of the great deep!" |
Opening Song (OP):
Ending Song (ED):
Several characters from the series saw releases as action figures in Konami's MMS line.[2]
The series has had a collaboration with the Busou Shinki arcade game Battle Conductor which had Sonic Divers usable as equipment.[3]
The series has had a long-running series of pachinko machines, with three lines: Sky Girls: Yoroshiku! Zero (2013), Sky Girls: Zero Futatabi (2015), and Sky Girls: Zero no Tsubasa (2020).[4][5][6]