The alien invasion premise hooks you hard, diverse Hardian species, real military texture, Kawamori mecha that actually look like weapons instead of fashion statements. Then episode four arrives and the narrative collapses into itself, abandoning setup for incomprehensible mythology and a director's chair that's been empty since the pilot crashed. This is what happens when ambition meets production chaos: a show that knows exactly what it could have been, wearing that knowledge like a scar.

Earth's prosperous era ends in 2031 when strange life forms known as the Hardians appear. The creatures begin multiplying suddenly and attacking people. In response, humanity forms the N.I.D.F. to study the Hardians and defend against them. Fighter pilot Aiba Shu is drawn into the fight against the creatures. Meanwhile, Rurika Yuno, one of Earth's leading scientists, researches the Hardians and hears rumors of a mysterious volume called the Book of a Dead Man. How that book connects to the Hardians is a central question as the struggle for human survival begins. The series is a mecha science fiction story.