Synopsis
Chise is an ordinary schoolgirl—small, frail, and not particularly bright. Her greatest happiness comes from her budding romance with Shuuji, her classmate and childhood friend. They both live in a small military town in Hokkaido, where high school students have few concerns beyond who is dating whom and complaining about the steep climb up "Hell Hill" each morning before school. One day, Shuuji and his friends take a trip to Sapporo to buy gifts for their girlfriends. A massive air raid on Sapporo that day kills thousands, including one of Shuuji's friends, and marks the beginning of a war. Fleeing from the carnage, Shuuji spots Chise—but now she has steel wings and a massive gun where her right arm used to be. Against her will, she has been transformed into the ultimate cyborg weapon, capable of leveling entire cities. As the war draws closer and closer to their hometown, Chise and Shuuji's relationship is strained by her transformation, and they are left to wonder whether she is even still human.