Categories

Synopsis

Chise is a delicate, unremarkable high school girl whose life centers on her growing romance with Shuuji, a childhood friend, in a small military town in Hokkaido. Daily concerns are trivial — relationships among classmates and the daily climb up the steep local hill — until a trip to Sapporo changes everything. A devastating air raid on the city kills thousands and marks the start of a wider conflict. While fleeing the destruction, Shuuji finds Chise, now involuntarily altered: she bears metallic wings and a massive firearm where her right arm once was. Transformed into a devastating weapon capable of destroying whole urban areas, Chise faces the loss of autonomy and the question of what remains of her personhood. As the front advances toward their town, the strain of her enforced metamorphosis tests the bond between Chise and Shuuji and forces them to confront whether she can still be regarded as human.