Pacific Rim meets Handmaid's Tale with a vengeance body count.
In the world of Huaxia, humanity's last defense against invading aliens lies in the Chrysalises, giant transforming robots piloted by a boy-girl pair in which girls disproportionately die, their life forces drained by their male pilots. When eighteen-year-old Zetian volunteers to be a pilot in order to get revenge on the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death, her unexpected revenge makes her a state target at the same time she may be its only hope.
Writing
YA adaptation that keeps the book's brutal teeth.
Visual Effects
Chrysalises that actually feel massive and sacred.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Reimagines Chinese history's 'Iron Widows'—women who became powerful after their husbands' deaths—into literal war machines.
The pilot bond deliberately mirrors unequal hetero relationships: he's in control, she pays the price, society calls it necessary.
US
