Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 25 (Final)

Episode 25 Final – Our Apprivoise – 僕たちのアプリ a seボワゼ (Bokutachi no Apuribowase)

The best way I could describe this episode is that it was satisfying. The finale for this series wrapped up things rather well, and had one of the most epic, yet satisfying, endings I could have expected from this show. From the battle between Reiji and Takuto, to the introduction of Wako’s maiden Cybody, to the revival of the Crux Brigade, to the epic battle against Samekh, this episode had a ton of great climactic moments that I had been expecting for a while, and the way in which everything unfolded was, quite frankly, pretty awesome. The episode did leave off on a slightly more open note, but the way in which it was done wrapped things up rather well, and brought a decent amount of proper closure to the series.

Bones really didn’t hold back on budget here, with some great, visually appealing action scenes throughout the episode that definitely was befitting of the final battle against the monstrosity that is Samekh. The thing I liked a lot about this episode was how the maiden songs, as well as the opening and ending themes, were used in conjunction to build up on some of the really awesome moments, especially during certain battle scenes. This, along with the revelations about how Reiji had actually gotten his new Cybody so that he could apprivoise with Samekh (and by default, control it), and Wako stepping in with her own maiden Cybody, the tension and buildup in this episode was excellent.

Also, there were a few details that were somewhat subtle, yet definitely worth mentioning here. For one, Head’s reference to controlling time was obviously his way of “trying to seek happiness”, by trying to return to his happier older days. This makes sense in context with how it has been alluded to that his heart is “frozen”, and in a way, portrays Head as a somewhat tragic figure. You could also see a lot of parallels between this and Sakana-chan’s story, as well as the continuation from the play. The detail that I appreciated more, though, was how Simoune was talking to her Cybody.

If you think about the progression of the phases, when Keito’s Cybody was defeated, the Crux Brigade’s cybodies should have reached fourth phase, which earlier in the series was described as “becoming one with your Cybody”. If you think about it in that context, Simoune being able to talk with her Cybody (and how the rest of the Brigade reconnects with their Cybodies), makes much more sense, and is a little detail I hadn’t quite expected. The fact that, by the end of the episode, all of the Cybodies are destroyed, and Zero time is already unraveled, does bring closure to the idea that Cybodies will ever roam the Earth.

What was the most satisfying aspect here, though, was the closure to the Wako, Takuto, and Sugata dynamic. Throughout the episode, you do really get a sense for how they’ve grown very close as friends, with their implicit understanding of each other really driving some of the major events in this episode. This sense of understanding is especially prevalent in the scene between Takuto and Wako right before Zero time unravels, and how things unfolded from there was definitely a spectacle worth seeing.

The episode preview from last week where Wako says a very deceiving line, was in essence Bones’ way of fooling around with the fanbase. Overall, this episode did an excellent job of wrapping up a lot of the finer points to this series, with the only relatively unsatisfactory part being how Wako STILL hasn’t decided on which of the two to choose, but instead refuses to give up on either.

And now, to quote the very missed Sakana-chan:

And so the Journey called Life continues…

Overall Enjoyment: 4.7/5

Screenshots and Final Impressions are later in the post.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 24

Episode 24 – The Eastern Maiden – ひが日死の巫女 (Higanishi no Miko)

Wow, this was one very well done buildup episode. The tension in the air was powerful in many aspects, including the revelations from Kanako, the Sugata x Keito moments, the uncertain direction of the relationship between our trio, and of course, the magnificently epic yet foreboding entrance of the emperor Cybody, Samekh. The foreboding remarks throughout the episode, along with the next episode preview, did a terrific job at upping the tension and sense of chaos in the air. Kanako ended up playing a surprisingly much larger role than you would think here, and even the Sarina’s brief appearance reinforced the foreboding notions to this episode. At the same time though, you do get a sense for the complexity of quite a few of these character relationships, and not to mention, feel as if there is an air of closure surrounding some of the character dynamics. The pacing definitely feels extremely fast, though, which just proves how the creators for this show are kind of rushing to fit in everything in these last few episodes. Character development is a bit strange here and there, but still good overall.

There are a few big questions brought up here, though, especially with regards to Sugata and Head. Sugata is probably the biggest question mark here, mostly pertaining to why he joined the Crux Brigade in the first place, and what his true motivations for his actions. It’s easy to see how Sugata seems to have some more deep reasoning and thoughts behind everything he is doing, with his moments with Keito serving to reinforce that. Aside from not knowing why he joined the crux brigade, we don’t really know how he truly feels about Keito, Wako, and even Takuto. My guess here is that Sugata is trying to end this entire Cybody system in his own way, and if that is the case, he does have proper motivations to do so. For one, he is worried about Wako’s safety, and another would be to allow Wako to finally fufill her dream of being able to leave the island. If this is the case, he certainly is placing a lot of trust and faith in both Takuto and Taubarn, because I do get the feeling that Sugata has come to respect Takuto in his own way.

Head also brings a ton of questions to the table, with his ominous commentary about “seeing a wonderful dream” after receiving a new mark certainly question-inducing. Shingo’s wods here as he return to consciousness certainly did strike a chord with regards to Head’s situation, with his tragic commentary a rather interesting way of describing Head’s situation. In a way, Shingo’s little story almost makes it seem as if Head is actually a tragic figure that is merely trying to seek out happiness, but has failed to do so in his journey for power.

We do also get some rather nice insight on several other characters in this episode, such as Keito and Kanako. Kanako’s role in this episode served to both increase the tension in the atmosphere, but it also served to emphasize how all the Zero Time events that would occur would have a real, and potentially devastating, impact on the surrounding world itself. Her plan of action and resolve to prevent any sort of tradgedy is certainly admirable in many ways, and clears up quite a bit regarding her actions. Keito is more of an odd existence in the story here, with her borderline obsessive love with Sugata certainly an oddity here. Sugata’s reaction to Keito’s confession also smells very suspicious, and Kanako’s commentary about Keito certainly makes me wonder about her.

One of the more subtle moments here, though, would be the moment where Wako and Takuto are strolling alongside a beach together. Aside from the strong parallels with the opening scene to the very first episode of this series, Takuto’s comment about how he wonders if the relationship between the trio will hold together is strikingly similar to Sugata’s comment a few episodes back. Their comments reflect a lack of confidence in their relationship, and how well it will endure through conflict and turmoil, and that in itself is a tremendously ominous message.

Either ways, this episode was an excellent way to build up towards the final episode next week, with the next episode preview arguably just as interesting as the entirety of this episode itself. There are huge issues with pacing and plot twists here and there, but at this point I’m pretty much just enjoying the buildup this episode had. The fact that all the star drivers (even those with fake marks) are shown being involved in the conflict with Samekh reflects how the Crux Brigade may not necessarily be the evil antagonistic group they’ve been portrayed as. There’s still the questions revolving around Head and his intentions. And to top it all off, we got a tremendously foreboding comment from Wako, who says that she “it would have been better if I (Wako) had never met you (Takuto)”. Talk about tension.

Overall Enjoyment: 4.3/5

Screenshots are later in the post.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 23

Episode 23 – Emperor – エンペラー (Enperaa)

There are three more episodes left in this series, so it takes me by no surprise that this episode was meant to pretty much bring some more closure to the rest of the Vanishing Age faction, and instead we are beginning to see a huge shift in focus towards the development of Sugata, Takuto, and Wako. Not to mention, Reiji is once again starting to become more heavily engaged in the ongoing events of this show, which certainly is pointing the show in a good direction.

Right off the bat, it’s pretty obvious at this point that the elaborate fight scenes in this show pretty much don’t mean too much; I mean, as usual, Takuto wins out his battle, though admittingly with much more difficulty this time around. The central point to this show has never really been the battles though, but rather, the character development of our main cast progressively throughout the episode. In that sense, this episode did a great job in reflecting upon Sugata’s inner turmoil and curiosity with regards to Samekh, as well as his conscience with regards to Takuto and Wako.

The major development here would definitely have to be Sugata’s admission into the Crux Brigade as the Emperor, which while it wasn’t surprising, the way in which it was brought about was a bit more sudden than I had expected. As suspected. Keito proved to be the catalyst to getting Sugata to joint the Crux Brigade, which I have suspected was what Head originally wanted her to do. The strange thing here is that Reiji seemed to react to the arrival of Sugata as something unwanted, which conflicts with my earlier suspicions with regards to Reiji’s intentions.

Either ways, Sugata’s arrival at the Crux Brigade will probably change the dynamics of the entire group with regards to both the Star Drivers, the Cybodies, and the advancements to successive phases. What I’m more curious about though, is what Reiji is exactly planning, and how in the world Sugata’s arrival on the scene affects his plans. This buildup towards the finale certainly keeps things rather interesting, which I hope translates to a good final arc.

Overall Enjoyment: 3.6/5

Screenshots are later in the post.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 22

Episode 22 – Eve of Legend – 神話前夜 (Shinwa Zenya)

After the revelation last week that Wako would be taking the place of Mizuno as the character that gets the kiss with Takuto, you would think the kiss scene would be the highlight for this episode. Surprisingly, the kiss scene wasn’t overdramatized or anything of the sort, and instead all the other events in the episode overshadowed the kiss scene by leaps and bounds. Although this episode was devoted to the much awaited play performed by the drama club, the play actually has a ton of parallels and foreshadows at a lot of aspects with regards to Sugata, Takuto, Wako, and the Crux Brigade. Not to mention, we finally learn the significance of Sarina’s presence in this show, and as I had suspected there is much more to her than it meets the eye. This episode had some excellent build up, and the great way in which it was done really gets you thinking about everything that is going on in this show.

The play itself has a ton of hints and references to the actually story about Cybodies and such. For one, the magical ship draws a strong parallel with Sugata and Samekh, and not to mention, the random appearances of Samekh in this episode just serves to reinforce all this. This makes Sugata’s attack of Ayin symbolic of the destruction of the cybody Ayingott, and considering the moment where we saw Samekh crushing Ayingott in it’s hand, there’s almost no doubt that this is a reference to either the Cybodies’ past, or possibly the future.

If Ayingott really was crushed by Samekh, that would explain why Ayingott initially was destroyed when it first appeared, meaning that Samekh was angered by Ayingott somehow. If you put into perspective how Ayingott was a Cybody that could locate the maidens, there is a huge significance in knowing that Samekh destroyed Ayingott.

Either ways, the big twist here was the revelation from Sarina and the Vice president that they were actual beings not originally from Earth, but rather, they are overseers of the Cybodies (called Entropeople). In other words, Sarina and the VP are simply observers, and cannot interfere in what goes on at all regarding the “magical ship” (aka Samekh). Thus, Sarina’s added lines in the play questioning Takuto’s motivation in all this has a ton of significance. It felt like Sarina was trying to confirm as to whether Takuto will follow the same ambition-filled path of previous star drivers (Reiji aka “Head”, or maybe Sugata), or if he will stay pure-intentioned till the end. Sarina revealing herself as an alien through the play was a brilliant way to hide her identity, yet at the same time get some answers out of Takuto.

The big implication here is that Cybodies have been causing chaos and disaster for an extremely long time, mainly because everybody involved was somehow corrupted by the Cybodies’ power. In one sense, this entire play was an elaborate message for Takuto, the wielder of Tauburn, pleading for him to not do the same mistake as the others have in the past. All of this certainly alludes to a much darker immenent future regarding the Cybodies, especially with regards to Sugata. Interestingly enough, Tauburn is also confirmed to be an anomaly here, where his presence is something created by the Earth itself, which is why the Entropeople (Sarina and VP) have no idea what it’s potential is. This would explain why Tauburn always seemed to be one phase ahead of the rest of the group, which puts Tauburn in a very unique position.

In the end, this episode was an awesome way at foreshadowing at things to come, with the episode throwing in little hints and parallels between the play and reality all over. Not to mention, this episode brings up some questions as to the origins of the Cybodies themselves, and further reinforces the questions about what will happen to Sugata, Wako, and Takuto. Now that Sugata knows about Keito’s role as the one who purifies his mark, I suspect that Reiji’s “plans” for Keito may have started to gain some traction, though I’m not too sure about this as of now. Sugata’s seemingly odd behavior in the next episode preview seems to further reinforce the notion that Sugata will, indeed, somehow be influenced by the Crux Brigade, and end up opposing Wako and Takuto.

Overall Enjoyment: 4.3/5

P.S. I’m pretty sure there will be a ton of people drawing parallels between the “Entropy-people”, the Vice President, and the other “entropy being” that everybody knows as Kyuubei. Urobuchi may have done this on purpose, and I certainly got a good laugh out of how they both hint at the same alien presence (though one seems good while the other seems evil). lol.

Screenshots are later in the post.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 21

Episode 21 – Coming of Age Libido – リビドーなお年頃 (Ribidoo na Otoshigoro)

We get another very interesting buildup episode this week, this time with more of a focus on Wako and Sugata. There were some unexpected little cues here and there hinting at Wako’s “choice” between Sugata and Takuto, where it looks like Wako has chosen Takuto over Sugata. This doesn’t seem to satisfy Sugata though, where there are very subtle hints that he will not approve of the relationship (probably because he likes Wako too). On top of the developing dynamics between Sugata, Takuto, and Wako, we also get a glimpse of what the fourth phase is like, and not to mention, we are starting to see more of what seems to be factional tensions in the Crux Brigade.

As I mentioned in my post last week, I was wondering if the fact that Wako was carrying around Takuto’s watch was a symbol of her choosing Takuto over Sugata, and this week seems to confirm it to an extent. There are a few hints at this, the first one being the moment where Takuto is talking with Keito in the lunchroom. The fox noticed something wrong with Wako while she was staring at Keito and Takuto talk to each other, and for those that don’t remember, the fox is supposedly aware of how others feel (or, at least, is very perceptive of other’s feelings). That in itself meant that Wako was thinking about Takuto more.

What probably confirms this even more would be Wako’s use of her Maiden Cybody to defend Takuto, which is a first for this series. On top of that, she volunteered herself to be in the “kissing role” with Takuto during the school play; if that’s not an indication of her feelings, then I don’t know what is.

On the other hand, I’m worried about how Sugata is perceiving Wako’s actions; it’s rather obvious at this point that he loves Wako, but seeing her decide on Takuto may be the factor that pushes him to take up the “emperor” position in the Crux Brigade. I can easily see Sugata facing off against Takuto again (especially after seeing a glimpse of Samekh in the next episode preview), only this time the ending probably won’t be as happy and pretty as their first faceoff.

We also go a bit more indepth with regards to Reiji, with a short scene where he is reminiscing about things he has lost. It seems that, like Sora (Takuto’s mother), Reiji also gained Sakana-chan’s trust through love, only for to betray her in the end. Reiji doesn’t seem to understand why he loses everything he might consider important around him, but at the same time he doesn’t realize his drive for power is the very cause for his “losses”. In a way it feels as if Reiji is lost, trying to find his way through life. He just chose the path seeking power for to try and obtain what he wants, which makes his situation tragic in a way.

Relationship stuff aside, there’s a lot of stuff going on in the Crux Brigade too. The Overdrive system, for one, gives us a glimpse of what fourth phase will be like. However, the more important things to note would be the actions of the Adult Bank faction in the Crux Brigade, which seems to be preparing for what could be a major conflict in the near future. There also seems to be a general atmosphere of mistrust amongst some members of the Brigade, especially Takashi and Kanako. Depending on what Head decides to do, things could get rather messy really fast.

With only a few more episodes left in this series, it’s nice to finally see a lot of different plot lines progressing at a good pace. We are starting to see a major shift in the character dynamics between Wako, Takuto, and Sugata, as well as starting to see some changes in the Crux Brigade as well. There is a lot of buildup going on towards the eventual release of fourth phase, which will entail the maidens losing their marks. When that happens, I’m expecting one heck of a climax.

Overall Enjoyment: 4.1/5

Screenshots are later in the post.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 20

Episode 20 – The Rainbow Drawn On That Day 描かれたあの日の虹 (Egaakareta Ano Hi no Niji)

We finally get to know more about Head’s past, who we now know is 100% Takuto’s father. Go figure that the former Tsunashi (now called Reiji) was with Takuto’s mother solely for his own ambitions, which makes Reiji an even more menacing figure than we knew him as so far. The odd thing here is the love triangle we saw between Reiji, Sora (Takuto’s mother), and the last guy strangely resemble the relationship between Takuto, Sugata, and Wako now (though the Wako, Takuto, Sugata relationship is arguably in much, much better shape). In the end, Reiji’s background info only serves to make you wonder more about what Reiji is planning in the future, especially if you consider how he isn’t breaking the seals only for to “bide some time” and get himself an extra seal in the meantime.

This episode was all about Reiji and his past, and indeed he has a rather interesting background. For one, we now that we know that his heart is “sealed in zero time”, which explains why Reiji doesn’t look like he aged at all even though it’s been years since Sora left. This does prompt the question as to what exactly happened to Takuto’s mother, Sora. Maybe my memory is just failing me here, but I’m pretty sure this show hasn’t revealed the fate of the unfortunate mother who was abandoned by Reiji.

There seems to be some sort of strange connection between Sakana-chan and Sora, though this may be just me overanalyzing here. There are some little details (such as showing Sakana-chan’s “collar”) and hinting at how there may be some sort of relationship between the two. As of now, we just know that Sakana-chan and Sora were both love interests for Reiji, though both got rejected in the end. With the apparent return of Sakana-chan next episode (or so the preview hints at), I hope there will be a lot more progress with relation to learning more about Reiji and his intentions. That, and I want to hear Sakana-chan’s song again :3

The battle itself this week was *gasp* actually interesting…?!  The battle was predictable in the sense that we knew that Takuto was going to win, but now we know that multiple Glittering Crux Cybodies can be active at once, which means that Takuto may eventually face off against multiple Cybodies at once in the future. The fact that the Glittering Crux actually briefly fought with each other was a rather interesting twist, which just shows how Reiji has tricked everybody into believing his talk about the fourth phase and such. I do wonder if Reiji will ever get his second mark or not, and what that will mean in the future.

Either ways, this episode have us a ton more details about Head/Reiji’s past, especially with regards to how he has been planning everything from the very beginning. Also, we do learn that Reiji actually got his mark from his rival in love, which was rather surprising. What I’m finding a little odd is how Reiji’s first phase is being able to wield a star sword outside of Zero Time, while the first phase of the person he got the mark from seems to have a completely different first phase; I guess first phases just don’t transfer or something. On a side note, I really want to know if Wako is carrying around Sugata’s knife or not. Depending on if she is or isn’t, the fact that Wako is carrying around Takuto’s watch might be the director’s way of telling us that Wako has finally “chosen” Takuto, though this is just my speculation here.

Overall Enjoyment: 3.9/5

P.S. Sorry for the late post, but my WordPress installation has been glitchy for the past 15-20 hours by refusing to accept screenshots and save drafts. Obviously something big is wrong, and as of now I only have a partial fix working.

Screenshots are later in the post.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 19

Episode 19 – The Trio’s Sunday – 三人の日曜日 (Sannin no Nichiyoubi)

This is what I would call the calm before the storm…I think. There are a couple of moments which do hint at perhaps a deeper meaning to what’s going on, but aside from all that, this episode was pretty much just a relaxing slice of life episode celebrating Wako’s Birthday. There is a stark feeling of progress in the relationships between Wako, Sugata, and Takuto this episode, with what finally looks like a romantic relationship in the works. That being said, at the same time this feeling of progress also feels rather ominous. Either ways, this episode did a pretty decent job of showcasing just how close our trio really are to each other, with the body possessing scenes emphasizing just how much they trust each other.

What is really driving some of the feelings of progress here is how all the romances are starting to slowly begin moving. The catalyst here is definitely Wako’s friend, whom is also experiencing a rather romantic relationship. That being said, how Wako reacted to both Takuto’s gift of his watch, as well as the significance of the watch itself, certainly is indicative of their relationship slowly, but surely, changing. I’m getting similar vibes from Sugata, which could mean that Sugata and Takuto may confront each other in the future.

The most significant line in this entire episode, would probably be Wako’s line while she watching Sugata and Takuto make curry. She says “If this were a dream, I would like to never wake up”, or something like that. The significance here is that her comment might be hinting how this will be, in fact, the last time they ever get to enjoy such a carefree normal day together. In other words, there is the off chance that they’ll get separated, or some major event will happen, that forever divides the group. The fact that they use Wako’s song this episode, NOT Keito’s, is indicating that this episode is focused on Wako alone, placing much more significance on events surrounding her.

Of course I could be over-analyzing the situation in my previous paragraph, but I certainly do get the feeling that there is more to come. If you think about how Head is trying to get Sugata to become a member of the Crux brigade, I’m speculating that somehow the trio’s relationship plays a major role in Head’s plans. Not to mention, there is still no explanation for that scene we saw last episode where Keito strips down next to an unconscious Sugata in what looks like some sort of ritual. What Head exactly has in store for Takuto does make me curious.

Anyways, aside from the speculation, this episode did a good job with showcasing close Wako, Sugata, and Takuto are to each other. The fact that Wako was able to instantaneously differentiate between the “real” and “not real” Takuto just proves how well she knows him, but what was just as surprising was her resolve with regards to hurting Takuto if necessary. I guess Wako isn’t the Southern Maiden for nothing, with that surprisingly cutthroat twist in personality with that knife. I do wonder if there is a significance to Wako using Sugata’s knife against Takuto, though that may be over-thinking things a bit.

Well, either ways, with the mech fights not really significant (as usual), it looks like the next episode will prove to be much more interesting. For one, it looks like we’ll finally be learning more about Head’s past, and not to mention, it looks like Takuto’s mother was involved with Head. Considering how Head (whose name is Reiji) is the biggest question mark in this entire show, learning more about his past should prove to be very enlightening; heck, we might be able to finally confirm what Head’s relationship to Takuto exactly is.

Overall Enjoyment: 3.6/5

Screenshots are later in the post.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 18

Episode 18 – Keito’s Day and Night – ケイトの朝と夜 (keito no asa to yoru)

This episode of Star Driver is pretty much just buildup, giving us some more info on the relationship between Wako, Keito, and Sugata. In particular, we learn quite a bit more about Keito’s past and how that reflects her personality now, especially with the whole “idol singing” thing, lol. That being said, this is the first episode I can think of where there is an actual battle fought out via first phase abilities. Normally first phase abilities have been simply used as plot devices in the school setting, but here we actually see the Crux brigade offensively use their first phase, only for Sugata to retaliate with his King’s Pillar first phase. There’s definitely more tension building up between the Crux Brigade and Takuto + Sugata, with this first phase battle adding to the flame, so to speak. There are definitely more questions to be asked after seeing this episode; now that I think about it, there hasn’t been a single recent episode of Star Driver I can think of that hasn’t prompted me with new questions of some sort.

The fireworks and the summer barbeque during the first few minutes of the episode wasn’t really important, but I did get some laughs out of it. More importantly, though, the fireworks setup the situation where Takuto would be forced to live with Sugata (because the fireworks burned up Takuto’s room). The situation felt a little forced, but I am curious as to what in the world the creators plan on doing with this new setup where Sugata and Takuto are living under the same roof. There is definite potential in this situation here, though I can’t say for sure the creators are planning something with it.

What caught my interest more was how this show has started to go into more depth with regards to the Keito x Sugata relationship. Keito and Sugata obviously have some history together from a while back, and how that’s manifesting now in Keito’s actions is proving to be interesting. This does lead up to the question of why Keito has grown so far apart from Wako and Sugata, considering how well they seemed to get along as children. I suspect that the Crux brigade definitely has something to do with this, though it might also be involved with that weird ceremony Keito was performing towards the end of the episode.

There are also some hints that there is more of a significance to Sugata’s childhood here in this arc, in particular the time at which Sugata realized his responsibilities with regards to the King’s mark. Wako mentioning Sugata’s old room, which gives off some very innocent and carefree vibes in comparison to the stoic Sugata nowadays, is definitely alluding to how Sugata dislikes his responsibilities, which goes back to an earlier episode regarding how Sugata dislikes his birthday for a similar reason. As to whether Sugata’s past has a strong correlation with Keito’s actions, I don’t quite know for sure.

In the end, though, there is definitely some sort of strong connection between Keito and Sugata. For one, Head mentions that he needs the East Maiden to do something, which I’m almost 100% sure has to do with Sugata and his currently open position as the “emperor” in the Crux Brigade. This is implying that there is something that Keito, and only Keito, can do with regards to Sugata, which is why Head is leaving our East Maiden alone. This episode keeps teasing at some deeper connections between the two, but the meaning behind their relationship will definitely be significant in the future.

On a light hearted note, the fact that Keito was still singing to the tune of being an idol, even as she called it “childish”, shows how she still is a child of sorts deep down, and not to mention how she still cherishes her childhood memories with Wako and Sugata. Perhaps her idol singing is her way of releasing her pent up frustration about everything going around her, with my guess being that she had a ton of responsibilities passed onto her as a child (possibly related to what Keito was doing at the end of the episode). Either ways this is all just my speculation here, and all this buildup is slowly killing me on the inside; there’s still a ton of unanswered questions that keeps hinting at something much more complex in future episodes.

Overall Enjoyment: 3.9/5

Screenshots and Insert Song are later in the post.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 17

Episode 17 – Vanishing Age – バニシングエージ (banishingu eeji)

We finally get confirmation that Keito is, indeed, the eastern maiden. The maiden song she sings this week is actually pretty decent, though it kind of trailed off towards the end. That aside, Head’s more active role in this show has really changed the entire dynamic for this series, especially with the events in this episode. Who would’ve guessed that Head practically takes over the Glittering Crux brigade along with the rest of his Vanishing Age companions? It’s rather obvious that Head has been planning this all out for a long time, which would explain why he has all “true mark” wielders in his group. What he has planned is definitely piquing my interest, while at the same time it’s frustrating as to how little we actually know about the guy. This episode brings up a ton more questions, almost all revolving around the mysteries of Head.

The first bit of this episode was rather standard, with a fun beach episode involving our main cast. There are a few interesting things worth noting out of the beach segment, though. For one, it seems like Simone’s older sister and Kanako’s old geezer of a husband has been observing all the activities of the island, and their revelation that “cybodies will soon be revealed to the world” does make me wonder what they have planned. It’s rather obvious that the Cybodies will be released once all the seals are broken, but I do wonder how that is going to happen. What makes this issue even more interesting is that Head himself mentions that the final two seals must be broken simultaneously, or else they risk being stuck in Zero time forever. How in hell does Head even know about how fourth phase works? Has he researched it, or seen someone in fourth phase, or has he experienced it or something? This is definitely a glaring question that gets me wondering as to what exact is Head; he’s obviously not a normal person, but what does that make him?

On top of that, we do get a brief glimpse of an unknown character at the beginning of this episode. It’s not really confirmed whether the person is a boy or girl, but my suspicions here are that he may have been the former user of the King’s Pillar (Sugata is the present user). I mean, it was mentioned earlier on in the show that King’s Pillar tends to knock people into a coma, which would definitely fit here. Speaking of King’s Pillar, it seems that Sugata’s King’s Pillar is no longer effective as an attack against Cybodies; the advancement to third phase probably made Sugata’s first phase ineffective as an attack. The curious thing about this is that, now that Sugata legitimately cannot interfere in battles with Samekh’s power, he may want to get stronger to help Takuto. I wouldn’t be surprised if this somehow leads to Sugata taking the position of “Emperor” at the Crux Brigade.

Another notable point here is that Head mentions how he needs the eastern maiden to do something for him. Considering the implications of a strong relationship between Keito and Sugata, my guess here is that Head wants to use Keito somehow to get Sugata to side with him. How this happens should prove to be interesting to see, especially Wako and Takuto’s reaction to the event afterward.

The interesting thing here is that Kanako, the leader of the Adult Bank, realizes how dangerous of a situation the Crux Brigade is. Head effectively took over the entire brigade by monopolizing anybody that can actually pilot a Cybody in third phase, which means that Kanako and the rest of the brigade literally can’t do anything in response if Head chooses to do things his way. I can see Kanako forming some sort of implicit agreement with Takuto and his group, though I’m not quite sure on this one. All I know for sure is that Kanako is being very smart about the situation around her, and is carefully figuring out what to do in response. I do wonder if she’ll be playing a bigger role here, though I can’t say for sure.

This episode pretty much solidifies Head’s role as being one of the central, influential characters in this series byfar. Oh, and I forgot to mention the stuff regarding the actual Cybodies. As I mentioned last week, Keito confirms that it is not only the Crux Brigade’s Cybodies that got upgrades; Takuto got a big one too with his “Takuto missile”, which makes me laugh. At the same time, what’s interesting about the attack itself is that it seems to make Takuto and Taubarn one and the same, which does imply he is indeed at a level closer to fourth phase. Not to mention, it is no longer just Takuto who is a Galactic Pretty boy; anyone who can approvoise in third phase is a Galactic Pretty boy, which pretty much means that “Galactic Pretty boy” is more like a title as opposed to a name for Takuto. This does make me wonder, who thought up the title of “Galactic Pretty boy” anyways? Does this have anything to do with the origin of the Cybodies themselves? I guess we’ll see in future episodes.

Overall Enjoyment: 4.1/5

P.S. Ahaha, once again a long post for Star Driver…. =.=;; This show really has a ton of stuff to discuss, and just keeps you wondering about what’ll happen next. Star Driver certainly is one of the more interesting shows airing right now.

Screenshots are later in the post.

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto – 16

Episode 16 – Takuto’s Mark – タクトのシルシ (Takuto no shirushi)

We all knew that Head would make his grand debut as a star driver this episode, but dang, there was a ton of other interesting stuff that happened this episode. As expected, this episode marks both the end of the Mizuno arc, as well as the ascendancy of the Crux Brigade to the third phase. We also get a confirmation on quite a few speculations, such as how Marino is actually Mizuno’s first phase, and how Head also has a “real” mark. The battle between Head’s Reshbal and Takuto’s Tauburn was pretty intense, and we also get to see some of Takuto’s past, which has never happened before. This episode really does mark a “point of no return” for this show, where you can finally get a feeling that the plot is going somewhere, that the wheels of fate are turning in a new direction.

This episode is pretty much the climax for Mizuno’s arc, where Mizuno finally comes to the realization that Marino is her first phase “clone”. There have been a ton of strong hints at Marino being an illusion created by Mizuno’s ability for quite a few episodes now, but at least we finally got some concrete confirmation of the speculations. That being said, I didn’t realize that Marino was actually created to replace Mizuno in zero time, which would explain why we never saw Mizuno in zero time even though her mark was active. Keita (the east maiden) even notes how normally it is extremely difficult to exclude yourself from zero time, but Mizuno still managed to do it by shoving her maiden responsibilities onto Marino. By shoving all of her maiden duties on Marino, Mizuno was able to live out the life of a normal high schooler; this episode was pretty much Mizuno maturing into a person more aware of the world around her, as opposed to her innocent persona that we’ve known her to have. Seeing Mizuno’s seal being broken (and her mark disappearing) could probably be considered a symbolic gesture signifying how Mizuno is growing into a less innocent, more mature person when she leaves the island.

A notable event this episode is, without a doubt, the scene where Head uses his Star Sword to destroy the West Maiden’s Cybody. Besides the fact that he has now fully unlocked phase three for the Crux brigade, Head shows off his “real” mark by apprivoising with Reshbal, Head’s Cybody. The similarity in appearance between Tauburn and Reshbal only serves to reinforce the idea that Head is Takuto’s real father, even if there is no 100% confirmation of their relationship yet. Either ways, the fight between Tauburn and Reshbal was pretty one sided at first, with Reshbal dominating Tauburn for the most part. Head’s claim as being the strongest warrior cybody does seem to hold some validity, considering how easily he was able to subdue Takuto.

That being said, Takuto makes a miraculous comeback by powering up into a new, slightly modified but much more powerful Cybody. Though this might feel like a deus ex machina (aka extremely convenient) event, I actually think it makes a lot of sense. If you think about it, the Crux Brigade’s Cybodies were in 2nd phase while Takuto’s Tauburn was in third phase. So, logically, when the Crux Brigades advance one phase, who can say that Tauburn doesn’t advance a phase too? It wouldn’t make sense if the phase advances applied to only the Crux Brigade’s cybodies; after all, Tauburn is a Cybody as well. My logic here is that Tauburn has advanced to a point beyond third phase, though we don’t quite know if he has hit the “fourth phase” or not.

On top of all these major events, for the first time ever we get some details about Takuto’s past. I had known that Enokido (the one in charge of Star Driver) had mentioned in an interview that Takuto wasn’t always as happy and energetic as he is now, but the flashbacks in the episode really does explain this for the first time. Not to mention, Takuto’s past draws some parallels with Mizuno’s history, which is probably why Mizuno saw Takuto’s memories (and gained her resolve to move forward as a result). Knowing that Takuto’s personality changed into one that is very similar to one of his deceased childhood friends, named Natsuo, was a rather surprising little twist that I didn’t expect. Takuto probably held quite a bit of respect for this inquisitive, cheerful friend of his, which is why Takuto’s personality turned out to be very similar. I mean, he even got the “It’s a PINCHH~” catchphrase of his from one of Natsuo’s lines. That being said, it’s quite obvious that Natsuo had a huge impact on Takuto’s life, which eventually led Takuto to becoming a galactic pretty boy and inheriting his mark from his grandfather. Just seeing Takuto’s past really gets me curious to see more about him, more specifically pertaining to his mother as well as his grandfather, but I guess that’s for another time.

One thing I do wonder, though, is the significance of the other childhood friend of Takuto’s, named Hana, in this series. Maybe she’s just a random side character, but that wouldn’t explain why Bones went through the trouble of including her in the flashback. Call this completely wild and unconfirmed speculation on my part, but I actually think that Sarina Endou (the brunette president of the school drama club) has a very strong association with Hana, just based on their similarities in appearance. Assuming this is really the case, I do wonder what role she will play in the future. Edit: One little note here; they have different eye colors, so they probably aren’t the same person, but I still think they’re related somehow.

In the end, this episode brought about a ton of new questions, as well as brought us a very touching conclusion to the Mizuno arc. I still don’t quite understand why Marino didn’t disappear when Mizuno’s mark did, but I won’t question it for now. On the other hand, we now know a ton more info about Takuto and his past, Head and his unknown intentions with Reshbal, as well as the significant changes to Zero time once Mizuno’s seal was broken. All of this, as exciting as it was, is actually just buildup for future conflicts, which gets me excited to see how the story goes from here on out. The next episode preview hints at a regular old beach volleyball episode, but let me tell you, if what I read online about the next episode is correct, I can guarantee that this episode preview is extremely misleading.

Overall Enjoyment: 4.5/5

P.S. Phew, another extremely long post. I actually had much more to say, but if I kept on writing, this post would’ve ended up wayyy too long. =.=;;

Screenshots are later in the post.