Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto is one of those animes that you watch not for story content, but for fun. What Star Driver lacks in story and characters, it makes up for in music and enjoyment. Story (7/10): The story revolves around your stereotypical shonen character Takuto and his relationship with the surrounding characters, mainly Sugata and Wako. Star Driver follows the main shonen theme of "I will protect you" and the story does a good job sticking to this theme. Thrown in there are the other classic themes of love, troubled childhoods, and save the world, to name a few. These other themes are not fully exploited, probably due to the fact that there's so many and not enough episodes, but I think if this became a 50 episode anime, they'd be able to exploit these themes in the way that they wanted to. Art (8/10): The art is controversial. It follows the same lines of Lelouch of the Rebellion and CLAMP to some extent, with the bodies all being vertically stretched and big eyes, but somehow this manages to fit the anime. If you can get over that, the rest of the animation is pretty good, my only complaint is the amount of reused clips, sure it saves on budget, but it should have done what other transforming animes do, like Sailor Moon, Pretear, etc by showing you the full transformation a couple of times, then just do a fast forward. We don't need to see Tauburn stepping through Zero time every episode, it has no significance to the anime, and actually, you never really find out why that mecha does that and not the others but you can put clues together. Sound (9/10): Ok, the first OP was horrible, I could never sit through it, but the second OP was much better and fit the shonen type anime a lot better. I never watched the ED so I can't critique those. The reason why I rated the sound so high is due to the Maidens' songs, sure, the first time you hear some of them (West Maiden's Innocent Blue) it might be a little high pitched, but it grows on you, just like all of them. The best has to be Northern Maiden's Monochrome, I highly recommend that to be added to anyone's playlist. Character (7/10): The characters in Star Driver are very cliche, with Takuto representing your "I can find happiness anywhere" (I hate to say this, but another Naruto), Sugata representing your darker character with a lot of unwanted responsibility (almost like Sasuke, but definitely not as moody), and Wako representing your stereotypical shojo character, with multiple love interests and a hungry stomach. These are the main characters, but you can definitely draw connections from the characters in this anime, to others (Mrs. Watanabe= Rangikou from Bleach for example). So, the characters don't really stick out, and as you can see, I can't even remember their full names. There really is no character development so to speak of, the only one being Mizuno and she's not even around for the full series. Everyone else stays in their stereotyped roles and never budge from them, no resolutions are made. Enjoyment (9/10): I had been trying to find a good anime for a while and Star Driver didn't fail me. I was skeptical at first due to the character designs and other recommendations, but the first episode got me hooked. You just have to laugh at everything, I mean, having your superhero type being called "Galactic Pretty Boy"? You know that's thrown in there just to make fun of bishies, and they do play around with that, especially with all the silly, stereotypical poses. Warning, this anime's main focus is not on the fight scenes, so don't expect much from them because they'll always be a let down (except for the last episode, that wasn't that bad). I guess the thing to keep in mind are all the quirks throughout the anime, some of them are pretty good and I know you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Overall (8/10): I just averaged all my other scores and came out with an 8, but I think I would give this anime a 9. It really wasn't bad if you're not expecting a deep story, but something light and funny. The animation was consistent and actually pretty good, if you can get over the stretched style (which is good for making fun of bishie characters). Overall, just sit back and relax and enjoy the comedy.

I'm a huge fan of the voices in this anime, which was my main reason for starting it. Now that I've completed it, I can officially say... what the hell? =( Where this anime loses points for me is all through the STORY... and that's pretty important. A lot of the episodes were spent doing nothing, when there was a lot to be done and a lot of unknowns to explore. I appreciated the karaoke with Keito (best scene EVER!) and the overall comedy, but I think that the writers could have tried a little harder instead of leaving a million loose ends. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the quirks they explored with each of the students, but felt that things could have moved a bit faster. The ending was unsatisfying to me, personally, because I like to settle everything. Is it because there might be a second season? I'm not so sure about that, I think it's just because they simply shrugged off the details while they wrapped it up. The drawing is adorable, especially Takuto and vice president, and I rather enjoyed the sparkly sparkle of each apprivoise and battle. I enjoyed listening to the beautiful voices of Miyano Mamoru and Jun Fukuyama. Also, I can't believe the limited # of moves Takuto learned... still galactic cross slash, even in the last ep? -_- There's just so much potential that they didn't even touch, about Takuto and his dad, about Sugata and Wako and Takuto, about each of the characters... Why, why, why did it end like this?! Kiraboshi.

I'm going to try my best not to spoil anything. However, things may slip out. You've been warned. Disappointing. That's one word to describe this anime. It's so sad. This show had so much potential and squandered it all! I even gave it an 8 out of 10 at one point. If you combined Gurren Lagann with Revolutionary Girl Utena, you'd get Star Driver. In this show, characters pilot these mechs called, "Cybodies." They can only activate their Cybodies in "Zero Time." Which is an area that takes place in a different dimension, at least that's what I think it is. The show never really explains what Zero Time is exactly. Our main character, Takuto Tsunashi, has his own personal Cybody and a secret identity. "The Galactic Pretty Boy, Tauburn." Trust me that's not a spoiler. He fights against the Glittering Crux, a secret organization that might also be a cult who considers Tauburn to be a threat to their seemingly evil plans. There's a little bit more to the story, but I don't need to explain everything. I just want to talk about my problems with this show because it's such a let down. How about I talk about the more positive aspects of this show that made me love it in the first place. Pros: • Neat character designs that caught my eye the second I saw them. • Awesome choreographed fights. • Top-notch mecha designs. • Amazing sound design. • Superb voice acting. • The Flamboyancy of Tauburn and the other Cybody pilots. It had nearly everything I wanted out of a mecha anime! I love Tauburn's transformation sequence and how he shakes his hips to get his costume on. It's such a fun and unique way to transform and it's beautifully animated. I highly, highly recommend the first episode. The show even has cute girls that most definitely appeal to my taste. (Appearance wise.) It has the whole Sha-Bang! This show is like if Gurren Lagann took ballet lessons. I never thought I would say that sentence in my entire life. It's not as manly or hot-blooded, it's more graceful. I believe in the second ED, Tauburn was using his mech to ice skate in Zero Time, dual wielding star swords while cutting missiles in half. It's brief, but stunning to look at. Con: • THE WRITING! Now my biggest issue with Star Driver is it's lack of direction. This show's lack of direction was just gnawing in the back of my head. I saw this very early on. The first half of this show is just a formulaic "What mecha are we fighting this week, duuuude!" kind of show. Meanwhile, the show tries to flesh out more of it's supporting cast members by giving them little mini arcs. This was fine for a little while. The second half is when things get rocky. I thought this show was written by Shou Aikawa. It turned out that I was wrong, as usual, and it was written by Youji Enokido. I ended up mixing the the two up because their writing styles are so similar. Both try to introduce too many ideas in such a short amount of time. Their ideas aren't bad per se, they just don't explain them well. The show isn't clear on what it's trying to do or say. And the ending wasn't very good either. I won't say what happened, but the ending has no real closure, it just ends. If only the show had good writers. A 6 out of 10 isn't a bad score, but for this show it's very upsetting. If you're into Gurren Lagann and/or Revolutionary Girl Utena then give this show a watch. Just don't expect much from the story. My scores: Story: 4/10 Art: 8/10 Sound: 8/10 Character: 7/10 Enjoyment: 7/10 Overall: 6/10

This is my first review blah blah blah... Kiraboshi!! Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto is a story about a bunch of high school kids with crazy colored hair fighting fighting each other with giant robots. Takuto, the fearless red leader fights the evil circus show called the Glittering Crux to stop them from taking over the world and ruining the Island Maidens lives. Using his super overpowered, unbeatable mecha (and support from his theater club friends) he fights a different reject Crux member every week; defeating them in glorious bishounen fashion. Despite its obvious story flaws I found comfort in the "monster of the week" approach that the series took. It reminded me of a super steroid filled version of power rangers. Story 8 As I've stated the story is slightly repetitive and the first time I watched the series I found the it hard to follow. It leaves many unanswered questions until the very end. However the answers to these questions are somewhat surprising and create good character development. I'm not a huge fan of the ending to this anime, because it seems to reach a resolution so fast and because it is pretty predictable. I did enjoy much of the show's humor when it was there and the show's serious side was never too melodramatic. There are a few anime cliches and some yaoi fanservice, which is kind of a turn off, but for the most part the plot flows fairly well and creates an interesting story. Art 9 I really liked the art in this series. Everything from character design to backgrounds was amazing. The action sequences were also very well done and flowed smoothly. Emotions and body language are also portrayed well. I especially liked the use of color and tone to set the mood for a scene. Sound 9 Openings and Endings for Star Driver are great. Gravity 0 by Aqua Timez is a great song and it went great with the animation. There are also 4 in-show songs sung by the Maidens. These are normally sung preceding an epic mecha fight and serve to set the mood. I really enjoyed all four Maiden songs and thought they were a great addition to the anime. The voice acting is also very well done though there are some pretty ridiculous sounding voices, particularly in the Glittering Crux. Characters 9 The characters of Star Driver aren't particularly unique. There's the main character that all the girls love. He's outgoing and you can't help but like him. Then there's the female lead who's super happy and beloved by all. The villains start out as typical bad guys, out to rule with world using their giant robots. However, the anime does a wonderful job of fleshing out many of the villains by showing their everyday lives and motivations. My favorite character by far is Shindo Sugata. He's the main character's friend and a super badass... watch the anime and you'll agree with me, he's a beast. Enjoyment 10 Star Driver is show that sucks you in. Not with its story but with everything else it does. The first time i watched it was for the two minutes of epic mecha fight every episode. The second time was for the story. And guess what? It was great both times. I would recommend this anime to pretty much anyone. It has something for everyone and it's wonderful show. Overall 9

Horray for Maho Shou...nen! Complete with magical transformation sequences, swords emerging from bodies(1), Juri (2) and Sailor Uranus/Neptune (3) characters, and mechs with heels! XD The best part about this show is that it's done by Bones, so the art is consistently good. This is one of the shows I look forward to the most this season, and although the story isn't mind blowingly unique, it's still refreshing. And the fight scenes are like emo versions of Sengoku Basara (4). What more could you ask for? 1. See Revolutionary Girl Utena 2. See Revolutionary Girl Utena 3. See Sailor Moon S 4. See Sengoku Basara Update since seeing the ending: kind of a let down - and the last episode failed to conclude many of the story points, in addition to looking like Gurren Laggan... -1. What happened? ;_;

It's a beautifully designed anime, well animated (hand drawn robots!?!), and the sound design is amazing - there are beautiful insert songs. Calls back to the transformation sequences of sailor moon and similar in that there is a stock transformation every episode. This anime has a lot of layers and gives only a little bit of information at a time. This can be infuriating to some but I found it nice to be given the space to think about things and try to figure them out for myself. Honestly, I found it a beautiful work of anime bullshit. The only drawback is that it was decidedly male-gaze driven in unnecessary ways. Female characters are lustful but very few male characters have that as a focusing trait, and in women even sexual harassment is not treated as a problematic behavior but... it's anime. Some of this is to be expected, unfortunately. I did not find this to be a deal-breaker.

Kiraboshi! An original mecha series from Bones, the same studio that brought us RahXephon and Eureka Seven, Star Driver is quite a bit different from your typical mecha fare. On the island of Southern Cross there is a mysterious masked organization known as Glittering Crux. Their mission is to discover the island's four seal maidens and shatter their seals. Each time they do so, they gain more power over the mysterious stone figures that lay in the mine that they use for their headquarters. With each seal that is broken the more power these “Cybodies” have, until the final seal is broken, and they will be able to be unleashed upon the world. Unfortunately for Glittering Crux, the island has a newcomer, teenage boy Takuto Tsunashi. Takuto posses a Cybody of his own, the Tauburn. Each time Glittering Crux tries to unleash one of its Cybodies, which become usable in the mysterious dimension known as Zero-Time, Takuto is able transform into the "Galactic Pretty Boy" and wield the Tauburn, being perhaps the world's only way to stop Glittering Crux from accomplishing their plans. At the same time Takuto must maneuver a love triangle involving his friend Sugata Shindou and his fiance, Wako Agemaki, who is one of the island's maidens. Star Driver is a fairly interesting take at first on the mecha genre. It is written by Yoko Enokido, the same person who wrote the show Revolutionary Girl Utena. That show's influence on the style of this show is quite apparent. The show is neither your traditional super robot show nor the gritty real robot type of show that Gundam has made popular. Rather it is something completely different. Similar to a show like Code Geass, high school drama is a big part of the show; in fact to a level where you sometimes think the mecha battles are complete after thoughts. The mecha themselves are quite pretty (arguably the highlight of the show) and the storyline is structured that Takuto is only able to fight one Cybody at once, and it is quite complicated for them to be repaired, What this means is that we typically have a new mecha battle practically every episode. Both the design and the animation are fabulous, and the music just adds to it. If I was viewing this show purely on its visuals and styles, it would get a very high mark. When your main character proclaims himself a "Galactic Pretty Boy" you learn that you can't take things too seriously, and that's really the way to approach this show. It is a fun viewing, but usually not very thought provoking. Several aspects of the plot are quite laughable, most notably that nearly every single member of Takuto's school is a member of Glittering Crux but they often don't realize each other are members when it should be quite obvious. Other rather foolish aspects of the storyline include the perverted school nurse and one of Takuto's classmates being married to a wealthy senior citizen who lives thousands of miles away and doesn't speak the same language as her. The love triangle between Takuto, Sugata and Wako is also quite a focus although we do eventually add to it other dynamics from several angles to liven things up. Where the show falters is that it becomes very formulaic at times. You generally know exactly how each episode is going to go; namely 12-15 minutes of character development, often focusing on a supporting character, a singing sequence (much like Utena) as Zero-Time appears and Takuto gets in the Tauburn (along with his pretty boy costume) and Takuto quickly defeating his opponent. Rince and repeat. The best episodes are those that completely eschew this formula. The show also has an overabundance of characters. Most notably, a pair of characters are introduced approximately 2/3 into the show, get a lot of focus, and end up being completely useless to the overall storyline. Trimming them as well as several others would have helped, especially as the show rushes its way through its conclusion. If you can get over those faults though, there is a lot to like about this show and it provides a high level of entertainment and enjoyment.

Star Driver is yet another Studio Bones show that started out with promise, but then ended up losing traction and leaves you with one of the biggest disappointments in anime history. The first few episodes of Star Driver are charming, though episodic, and are reminiscent of something like Revolutionary Girl Utena, where there’s a mysterious group of students that secretly battle each other after hours. • In the case of Star Driver, it’s more of the case of when time is halted, they pilot mecha in a way that looks arcane and archaic, like the guymelefs in Escaflowne), which I thought was fascinating. Inwardly, I was thinking, “They could do so much with this premise and the character selection,” but does anyone expect Studio Bones to deliver… probably not. • I kept praying that this series would be the ONE fucking exception, and that it wouldn’t fall through like a pen on wet paper, but it did! The plot leads somewhere that seems like it was written in five minutes. Like they had spent all thought on how they wanted things to LOOK rather than having a cohesive plot. • A character gets put on a boat and sent away with little to no explanation (probably because they could not even begin to afford Haruka Tomatsu; she’s known for voicing Asuna in Sword Art Online and many other pretty girl characters), and the romances grow convoluted and confusing and you’re left to wonder whether being way too fucking obtuse or it’s just poor writing. Knowing Bones, just poor writing. • The music, character designs, and animation were definitely there, but a direction was not. The series makes itself seem FAR more contentious than it actually is. The ending had a lame reveal and an anti-climatic fight that tries to elevate its depth by taking the final battle TO SPACE. • Many thought that this series was a comedy or a parody, since there were over-the-top operatic presentations in the plot, such a the protagonist being referred to as the Ginga Bishounen a.k.a. Galactic Pretty Boy, and the student council members dressing in dominatrix attire. But, the show takes itself far too seriously for any of that; in fact it’s hard to place a particular tone on this series. • Overall, it could have been handled much better. The visual direction, as I said earlier is very pretty. Takuya Igurashi, the director of Soul Eater and Ouran High School Host Club, did it. If you want something that will eventually let you down, but starts out as an incredible ride … then Star Driver is something you might want to check out. Especially if you like such series as: Revolutionary Girl Utena, Melody of Oblivion, and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Otherwise, no. It’s a failed auteur piece and I rate it a 5/10.

Star Driver is a show that is more entertaining than it has any right to be. In 2010, scriptwriter Yoji Enokido embarked on a new journey in familiar territory. In Star Driver, the influences of shows that Enokido previously worked on, such as Ouran Highschool Host Club, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon, and even Evangelion, are are bright as day. The final product is a show that crosses existing boundaries in strange ways, the end result being something between a mecha anime for girls and a magical girl anime for boys. As expected of Enokido, the story of Star Driver is one that can be appreciated on multiple levels. At its most basic level, Star Driver is about a teenage boy, Takuto Tsunashi, with an infectiously positive personality who ventures to an island off the coast of Japan in order to find his father. On this island, Takuto, who reveals himself to be “the Galactic Pretty Boy,” finds himself caught in a series of mecha (or Cybody, as they're known as in the show) battles that take place in an alternate dimension, known as Zero Time, against other teenagers, who make up a group known as the Glittering Crux, with the purpose being to protect, or destroy, the Cybodies of the island’s shrine maidens, which upon their destruction would allow Cybodies to be used in the real world. The series tends to follow an episodic “villain of the day” format. Some viewers may dislike the episodic nature of the series, but it's this structure that allows us to know the cast much better, and the moments that break the formula become all the more impactful for it. Although the Glittering Crux are our antagonists, they aren't evil, just high school students struggling with growing up in their own ways. On top of that, the focus of Star Driver isn't the Cybody battles, which are as beautiful as they are brief, just like how Utena wasn’t about sword fighting duels, it's the high school students that pilot them and the inherent struggles of youth, with close attention paid to the phenomena of love. Like in Utena, everyday life segments that make up Star Driver vary in tone; some are as flamboyant and satisfyingly-ridiculous as those you would see in Ouran, while others take a dramatic turn. Ingrained in the story is the conflict of being born and raised on a small, isolated island; in such a setting. Character struggle to determine whether they have a duty to follow tradition or are free to follow their aspirations. On another, deeper, level, the story is about the experience of trios. Many characters of the cast make up their own respective trios of friends, and one of the most subtle but engaging aspects of Star Driver is observing how these trios differ. The dynamics and personalities in these groups cause them to experience different struggles, and seeing how they overcome the conflicts that arise as a result of their relationships is one of the most engaging parts of the series. The characters of Star Driver tend to be fairly well-written, although some are expanded upon more than others. The show has a very large cast, so some members of the ensemble are more-or-less deemed insignificant compared to their peers. Star Driver isn’t perfect. At times, the story and lore can be confusing, there is a fair amount of terminology, although it isn’t overwhelming by any means, and some things you may think are important the plot or lore of the series are ignored. The ensemble cast may have been too large. But at the end of the day, Star Driver’s story is still comprehensible and the flaws don’t detract significantly from the experience. The designs are great throughout the series. The designs of the characters are as vibrant as their personalities. The characters of Star Driver are birthed from a diverse color palette, and it’s interesting how the colors swap to fit the setting, such as the bright colors during school-life scenes or the darker purples during Glittering Crux scenes. The costumes of the Glittering Crux in particular are pretty cool. When it comes to mecha anime, however, the designs of the mecha are vital. In this regard, Star Driver is quite unique. Some viewers may be put off by the slender frame of most of the Cybodies, which differ heavily from those found in Gundam. However, I found the designs very refreshing and visually-appealing. That’s not to say there are some weird costumes and Cybodies, but they’re easy to overlook given how strong the other designs are, and if anything, they not-as-good ones will make you laugh (like the torso-sections of the costumes of a certain duo that appear in the later half of the series). Star Driver is produced by Bones, so it's not a surprise that the animation is well above what you would expect from most anime. The animation is generally very good. Lines are clean and movement is fluid. Cybody fights in particular are beautifully animated, even if they are short. Because of the show’s episodic nature, animation does get reused. Typically, before a Cybody fight begins, the viewer will see about 50 seconds of the same footage in which the “villain of the day” enters their Cybody and Zero Time opens. During part of this sequence is some noticeable CG, but it isn’t there for very long and the anime is generally pretty free from the intrusion of noticeable computer-generated animation outside of some effects to make Zero Time more unearthly. Also, even though this sequence is formulaic, it is nonetheless exciting, as the different pilots will change the sequence slightly, and throughout the series these sequences are accompanied by great music with vocals. The animation for some of Takuto’s attacks also gets reused, as well as the sequence in which Tauburn, the name of Takuto’s Cybody, enters Zero Time, as well as that in which he transforms into the Galactic Pretty Boy, although they are animated so beautifully I can’t fault them for getting their mileage out of these sequences. I never got tired of them, but their status as recycled is noticeable to any observer. Sound is a category in which Star Driver excels, whether you are speaking about the voice acting or music. Miyano Mamoru does a fantastic job as Takuto, but it doesn't stop there. The most important members of the cast are also voiced by talented individuals. The soundtrack for the series is also great. Each of the 4 maidens has their own song which they sing throughout the series. The songs do a good job of hyping up the viewer for the battle that immediately follows. The non-vocal background in the series is also quite good. Not every song is memorable, but they never detract from the experience and convey the tone and atmosphere of the scenes they accompany very well; they blend in very well. Star Driver also has fantastic opening and ending sequences. The songs chosen do a good job of enhancing the animated scenes they accompany, particularly the openings which are fantastic. The great opening sequences really embody the energetic and youthful nature of Star Driver. In short, Star Driver is entertaining and engaging because of how these different components come together. It isn't a perfect show, and some may be turned off entirely from decisions like the episodic formula, reused animation, or Enokido’s writing style, but for others, Star Driver will be a show that will resonate with their souls just as strong as masterpieces like the Tatami Galaxy because the elements may combine in a way that turns out to be exactly what the viewer wants from an anime, as it did for myself.

The anime is 10 years old and not top of the charts, but decided to write a review anyways, because it is a bit contradicting - in that the story is absolutely awful, but there are some elements in it that are quite beautiful. Not going to criticize the story since it seems to have been done to death but will list some things about this show I liked: Nice element 1, the relationship between Wako, Takuto and Sugata. Time and time again in love triangles, the female lead goes with either one or the other; in harems, hostility is the usual theme between male characters since they are inevitably romantic rivals. But in this series Wako managed to maintain the love for both male protagonists until the end. The dynamics between Takuto and Sugata is also interesting. They share the same love for Wako, but their common objective of protecting her prevails and bond them together, which results in some nice bromance. Basically any time the 3 spend time together, I find it a pleasure to watch. Nice element 2, not quite sure about the word, but perhaps cinematography? For example how the music and the scenes are mixed. The ED in the first half by 9nine has a nice tune, but the short scenes during the ED where the 3 share funny moments are done nicely that fits both the anime theme as well as the music. Wako's song "Komorebi no Contact" performed under Sugata's house on his birthday is very refreshing: The song itself is rather simple, but coupled with the scenes, it shines. The way Head plays with his candy balls, his painting on Sora standing on the beach, these little things add atmosphere to the show. (It's just too bad the plot never went anywhere...) Nice element 3, the stories within the story. The tale "Squid Piercer" told by the North maiden, and the play during the school festival by the drama club is awesome. Yep the main story is an incoherent mess, yet the mini-stories make up for it somewhat. Nice element 4, while the development of side characters are mostly incomplete, I think some of them have great potential. Like say the North maiden. She's imprisoned, but amazingly, she has that "I don't fear my captor and I just don't care" air about her and tells her story passionately, gradually it becomes confusing whether it's Head that imprisoned her physically, or that she captured Head with her story instead. Perhaps the best way to watch this one is to use "turn off logic but pay attention to the little things" mode, which I think works.