The Candidate for Goddess

The Candidate for Goddess

Industry	Manga, Anime
Founded	1997
Founder	Yukiru Sugisaki
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Manga series, anime television series, OVA, CDs, artbooks, action figures
Parent	Wani Books (manga publisher)

is a Japanese manga created by Yukiru Sugisaki, set in a far-future era where humanity resides in space colonies and on a solitary planet named Zion. The narrative follows Zero Enna alongside other aspiring pilots training to operate the "Ingrids," also called "Goddesses"—massive humanoid mechs tasked with protecting mankind from an alien menace known as the "Victim."

The manga was serialized in Wani Books' Comic Gum magazine from 1997 until 2001, comprising 26 chapters collected into five tankōbon volumes. English editions were released by Tokyopop in North America and Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand. The series was adapted into a 12-episode anime titled Pilot Candidate for its Western audience, directed by Mitsuru Hongo and produced by Xebec. It aired on Japan’s NHK BS2 channel in 2000 and briefly appeared on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in 2002. Additionally, a 13th episode OVA was launched in Japan in 2002 and later localized by Discotek Media in 2016.

Since its initial release, the franchise has been supported through limited edition CDs and artbooks. While the animation quality received commendations, critiques were mixed, often pointing to the intricate storyline and short duration as drawbacks. Reviewers frequently highlighted unresolved plot threads following the TV series and OVA.

Plot

Set one thousand years after Star Year 4084, The Candidate for Goddess takes place following the catastrophic "Crisis of Systems," which annihilated four planetary systems. With Zion remaining as humanity’s sole habitable world, people now inhabit orbital colonies. By Star Year 5030, Zion endures ongoing assaults from alien entities known as the . To counter these threats, humanity engineered five colossal mechas called "Ingrids" or "Goddesses," named for their female humanoid appearance. The "Goddess Operation Academy (G.O.A.)" selects young candidates aged 14 to 16 possessing EO blood type and the rare capacity for "EX"—a heightened ability that connects a pilot’s nervous system directly to an Ingrid. This EX ability demands exceptional physical and mental endurance from pilots, necessitating a continuous influx of new trainees. Each pilot is supported by a female mechanic who maintains the Ingrid and manages sensory feedback during combat missions.

The plot focuses on Zero Enna, an eager recruit who leaves his home colony aiming to become an Ingrid pilot. Shortly after joining G.O.A., Zero is compelled by an enigmatic voice to enter a hangar, where he unexpectedly boards an Ingrid just as a Victim attack commences. Normally, this would be fatal since each Ingrid is attuned exclusively to its pilot; however, the machine instead synchronizes with Zero’s nervous system and manifests itself through a vision. The connection suddenly terminates when the Ingrid’s rightful pilot arrives and engages the Victim. Zero is subsequently found unconscious and taken to the academy’s medical facility.

Production

The Candidate for Goddess manga was both written and illustrated by Yukiru Sugisaki. Its anime adaptation was produced by Xebec, a branch of Production I.G., with direction by Mitsuru Hongo. Character designs were crafted by Shinichi Yamaoka, noted for his work on Martian Successor Nadesico. Mechanical designs were contributed by Shingo Takeba and Junya Ishigaki, recognized respectively for Gasaraki and the video game Xenogears. The soundtrack was composed by Tomoyuki Asakawa, known for contributions to The New Adventures of Kimba The White Lion and The Five Star Stories.

Hongo closely followed the manga’s storyline while incorporating three-dimensional CGI alongside traditional cel animation to depict battles between the Ingrids and Victim forces. He regarded CGI as opening vast creative possibilities, with 3D director Tokumitsu Kifune emphasizing that such visual effects could not be achieved through conventional 2D animation alone. Although the manga was still ongoing during production, Xebec created only twelve episodes, resulting in an abrupt conclusion without resolving the plot. A thirteenth episode released as an OVA continues the narrative but leaves it incomplete. Director Hongo has expressed regret regarding the series’ limited episode count.

Manga

The Candidate for Goddess was initially serialized in Comic Gum, a monthly manga publication by Wani Books in Japan. The story's 26 chapters were gathered into five tankōbon volumes, which were published between August 1997 and November 2001. In 2005, all volumes were reissued under the "Gum Comics Plus" label. North American English distribution rights were secured by Tokyopop in early 2003, with all five volumes released from April through December 2004. The English edition was translated by Alethea and Athena Nibley, with adaptation handled by comic writer Marv Wolfman. Additionally, the series has been made available internationally, including editions in South Korea (Samyang Publishing), France (Ki-oon), Germany (Carlsen Comics), and Spain (Editorial Ivréa).

Anime

The anime adaptation of The Candidate for Goddess consists of twelve episodes, titled "Curriculum 00" through "Curriculum 11," which originally aired on Japan’s NHK BS2 satellite channel from January 10 to March 27, 2000. Bandai distributed the series across four DVD volumes between April and July 2000. A thirteenth episode, presented as an OVA called Special Curriculum: The Candidate for Goddess, was released on DVD in Japan on May 25, 2002. Later, Bandai Visual issued a comprehensive DVD box set named Emotion the Best: The Candidate for Goddess on April 22, 2011, encompassing all episodes along with the OVA.

By early 2001, Bandai Entertainment had obtained the rights for North American distribution and planned to broadcast the series on Cartoon Network. The English dub was produced at Mix Magic, Inc. in Hollywood. To avoid the use of "goddess" and to better reflect the show’s concept for Cartoon Network audiences, Bandai retitled it Pilot Candidate. Although initially intended for the afternoon Toonami segment, it premiered instead on the late-night Adult Swim block on February 24, 2002. Despite its placement in a mature programming slot, content modifications were made to censor nudity, violence, tobacco usage, and religious elements—likely because the original target demographic was children.

In North America, four DVDs were released between November 2001 and May 2002. Subsequently, the entire series was compiled into the Pilot Candidate Complete Collection box set on October 11, 2005. On March 8, 2016, Discotek Media announced they had licensed both the series and the previously unreleased OVA, releasing them together on June 28, 2016.

CDs

A soundtrack CD featuring 29 tracks from The Candidate for Goddess was issued by Victor Entertainment in Japan on March 23, 2000. Prior to this, a CD single titled "Chance" was released on February 2, 2000. Another single by Universe Form came out on January 21, 2000—shortly after the anime's premiere—and included an early drama track named . The Candidate for Goddess Original Drama Album, released July 26, 2000, showcases voice actors performing character-centric drama pieces.

Other merchandise

In April 2000, Wani Books published a Japanese paperback guidebook titled , which contains promotional content, artwork cels, and interviews with production staff. Later in February 2002, Wani Books issued a collector’s edition set called , comprising an artbook, an illustrations CD-ROM, and various collectibles. Sugisaki’s artbook Neutral features her artwork from this series alongside her other manga projects. Bandai also produced a single action figure set including characters Zero, Kizna, and Ingrid Ernn-Laties as part of its licensed line of toys.

Reception

The overall critical response to The Candidate for Goddess has been moderate, with particular attention given to the quality of its animation. Miyako Matsuda, a contributor to Protoculture Addicts, commended the integration of classic cel animation alongside 3D CGI elements. Similarly, Jeremy A. Beard from THEM Anime Reviews and Daniel DeLorme of Anime News Network (ANN) praised the character designs and the hand-drawn sequences. Nonetheless, DeLorme described the 3D mecha combat scenes as "primitive," while Beard criticized the CGI for lacking consistency with the rest of the animation and found the space battle choreography to be somewhat stiff. Beard also valued the background score and ending theme but considered the opening theme to be ill-suited to the show's atmosphere.

Reactions to the storyline have been varied. Both DeLorme and Benjamin Wright, writing for Animerica, appreciated the narrative pacing and complex character arcs, remarking that although the series initially seemed "formulaic," it successfully captivated audiences through its enigmatic elements involving G.O.A., Ingrids, EX, and Zero’s history. On the other hand, Beard regarded the anime’s reliance on conventional sci-fi motifs as uninspired. Liann Cooper of ANN criticized the manga adaptation for its predictable plot devices, untidy artwork, chaotic action sequences, and confusing temporal shifts between past and present events. Beard also pointed out narrative inconsistencies, such as contradictory emphasis on male-only pilots despite featuring a female top pilot, along with unexplained character details like Kizna being uniquely a catgirl.

A common point of contention is the anime’s unresolved cliffhanger conclusion. Both Wright and DeLorme voiced dissatisfaction with lingering plot threads and a "to be continued" note that left viewers eager for closure. Beard expressed particular disappointment that the sole OVA episode did not address major storylines. Since then, no continuation has occurred; John Oppliger of AnimeNation attributed this to underwhelming viewership ratings during its initial Japanese airing.

External links

• The Candidate for Goddess at Production I.G.
• The Candidate for Goddess at Tokyopop