Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor

Tatsumiyajima appears to be a quiet, isolated island where teenagers attend school and expect their lives to remain ordinary. That peace is carefully manufactured. The island is actually a hidden fortress protecting humanity from a mysterious enemy known as the Festum, and it has become one of civilization’s last lines of defense.

When the enemy finally reaches them, Kazuki Makabe and his friends discover that much of their lives has been preparation for this moment. The giant Fafner machines are brought into battle, and only the island’s young people can pilot them. Every fight protects their home while placing their bodies and identities at greater risk, as they struggle to understand beings that announce their arrival with one deceptively simple question: “Are you there?”