It really is a wonderful bit of foreshadowing, ain't it?

This episode is all about introducing us to Mizuno and Marino, the twins.

Mizuno is a quirky girl. Riding ontop of a bus, being able to talk to animals, and is very cheery in loving in all that she does.

Meanwhile, her twin, Marino, is a bit more down to earth. But she's also an opp for the Glittering Crux. Serving as one of their higher ups while doing her best to make sure no one finds her sister, the West Maiden.

Both are likable in their own ways, with Mizuno getting most of the spotlight in terms of character as one should expect. Her sister however deals with more of the plot: As the Brigade realizes that in order to defeat Takuto, they'll need to break the next seal and thus level up their Cybodies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAq6TnWoIpk

Unfortunately it seems as though no one has uploaded the themes of either of the two girls, so I can't link them. As such, we'll highlight another way this episode stands out: It's the first to not have a Maiden song playing once the action starts. This, I now showcase the Battle version of Filament, which is the fight song that plays during the Cybody fight in this one.

This episode is very straightforward in what it does; with not alot of moving parts so as to easier set up the next segment of the story. And while it leaves me with not a whole lot to talk about, I did still enjoy the episode for what it was all the same. Liked the little shout outs the episode had here and there too.

https://i.imgur.com/BCICvPu.png
Expectation.

https://i.imgur.com/P1Vih9e.png
Reality.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

A baseball game that serves as a vehicle for bridging gaps and revealing jealousy.

As Mizuno grows closer to Takuto, Marino begins to as well. And this growing relationship has an effect one a handful of others on the playing field.

Outside of the baseball game, which really is just a straight up game with a few bits of character humor thrown in, we get a deeper looking into the backstories of the twins.

Turns out, they were abandoned by their parents when they were very young, and the two twins processed the experience in very opposite ways. Mizuno remained optimistic and looked towards a bright future. Marino, however, grew distrusting of people and is now willing to do anything to protect her sister.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-ofVcyKOGk

We also get the debut of Mizuno's' Maiden Song, Innocent Blue. While it doesn't quite stand up to Monochrome, it's still a very beautiful song in its own right, and reflects the personality of its singer very well. One cool thing to note is how every Maiden Song also reflects a season. Sakana sang of Winter, and Mizuno sings of Spring.

Like alot of episodes of Star Driver, this one is rather straight-forward in what it sets out to do, and I like it that way because I really have grown to like the twins as characters in the short amount of time that they've been around.The charisma of the cast really is only boosted by the great handling of atmosphere that this show has. And once again, the music goes along way with it too. Such a great soundtrack.

Yeah, that's pretty much the core of it. Baseball shenanigans were a lot of fun and probably the episode that most feels like they leaned into the slice of life stuff, but the twins are the hook of this episode.

https://i.imgur.com/TNDXRqW.png
https://i.imgur.com/POk02d0.png

Had I any photoshop skill, I'd crop out that text and slap it on her drawing.

...As an aside, is it weird that I want to see her draw the entire cast?

No, for it would be a messterpiece.

I dunno if anyone was really demanding an episode focused on Simone.

If you don't know who that is, it's the secretary of Kanako Watanabe, the rich green-haired lady who likes to harass Takuto.

And, yeah, this episode is focused almost entirely on Simone. We get her entire backstory to the point that other characters such the Power Trio and the Maiden Twins are barely even in it.

The episode itself isn't terrible or anything(although the ending is kinda questionable), but like, I just don't care all that much about this character who's been nothing but a one-note antagonist up to now. And it's not like her backstory makes any sort of radical change to paint her in a new light.

Really, the biggest highlight of this episode for me was the very brief scene where Sugata meets Head and learns a lesson from him. We've had little bits of foreshadowing about Head in previous episodes, but this one is a very much the blatant signal that he's about to become alot more active in the plot. It paints a very pretty picture, I will say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rA9-XmQeBA

I decided to highlight "Zero Time" this time around. While you can probably guess that it's the song that plays whenever there's an extended scene while time is stopped(most notably premiering in episode 4), it also plays during certain atmospheric scenes as well. And I think the thing that I like the most about it is that it's a very subtle song; almost coming across like ambient noise despite not counting as that. It creates a mood very easily.

Anyway, yeah. Not a bad episode, but by the end I just kinda shrug.

An episode focused on Kanako, however, that I could see people wanting.

It's an interesting character study too; highlighting Kanako's' sense of duty and responsibility and explaining why she's the way she is.

Namely in how her personality is so awkward. Turns out she just legit has zero idea how to properly socialize due to her upbringing, and totally missed out on the simple pleasures in life.

While she does get some enjoyment in her teasing of Takuto, she's also actually being sincere whenever she stops class to ask him questions about marriage, her life, and the like. It's just that, you know, she also can get practically any guy she wants, so it all comes across very... provocative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_W-it7AjEw

And with all that in mind, here's Kanako's' theme! It's very dreamy, both in terms of the sensual and the imaginative. Very fitting for the scenes that play whenever she's trying to goad Takuto into talking to and/or kissing her. Color me surprised that this song is specific to her though, as while I wouldn't say she's a minor character, she's not a super major player in the grand scheme of things.

While I wouldn't say Kanako is one of my favorite characters in the show or anything, the episode dedicated to her was definitely an interesting one, and in turn made her character alot more interesting to think about. And hey, that's an overall win in my book.

Oh, and there are a few scenes with Head and Mizuno that foreshadow a bit more of the overarching plot, but we'll get to that in due time.

I found the episode to be fine, but it's definitely not about Simone, per se... It's mostly used to flesh out ADULT BANK'S motives and personality. In that respect, I think it's worth having.

https://i.imgur.com/bl0XtXY.png

props to this guy for making this face virtually every time glass kissing comes up