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07-31-2024, 05:50 PM | #931 |
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Posts: 11,106
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Exactly. Takaya should've wrapped it up when he went Gurren Lagaan with it before Gurren Lagaan.
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10-12-2024, 09:46 PM | #932 |
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Location: Michigan
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Episode 1: Galactic Pretty Boy And we're back! This time with an anime that I've seen before! The last time I watched Star Driver was back when it first aired way back in 2010, and so I only really remember maybe half of it clearly. So imagine my surprise when the very first episode was filled not only with some rather impressive foreshadowing, but so much imagery that would become iconic of the show itself. You have no idea how tough choosing a thumbnail was! But, I'm getting ahead of myself. What exactly is Star Driver anyway? As the subtitle of Radiant Takuto might suggest, it follows Takuto Tsunashi, an ambitious boy who ends up washed up on the Southern Cross Isles. He's eager to join the academy and live his life to the fullest. Unbeknown to most though, the Isles and their academy hold a dark secret: Many of the students there are members of a secret group known as the Glittering Crux Brigade. Their goal is to break a magical seal sustained by the islands' four Maidens, and proceeds to pilot giant mecha known as Cybodies for their own selfish gain. Takuto, however, is the Galactic Pretty Boy, and thus is the only one who can fight against the Glittering Crux using his own Cybody known as Tauburn. There's alot of other details, such as time freezing whenever a Cybody is summoned, but if I went over it all we'd be here all day. You know what might be the absolutely most important detail in all of this, though? The soundtrack. The soundtrack is every bit as important as anything else in this show. I spoke of iconic imagery earlier, and there is alot of it. The "Glittering Star!" salute, the morphing sequence for the Galactic Pretty Boy, Zero Time in general, but even more iconic than all of that is Star Driver's' soundtrack, which is all around beautiful and even plot important. Monochrome is easily the most popular song of it all, and why wouldn't it be? It's absolutely beautiful, and premieres right here in the very first episode. And get used to the Maiden Songs too, as they tend to play whenever Cybody action starts, In terms of story content of the very first episode though, it throws a handful of stuff at the viewer rather quick, but it does alot to get you ready for the kind of show you're in for. Like, when people talk about the possibility of a Power Rangers cartoon, I'm not kidding when I say that Star Driver serves as a great example of how it could be pulled off. You've got all the makings of it and other tokusatsu: School life, mecha action, transformation scenes, you name it. Heck, if not for the fact that his suit as the GPB is primarily white, Takuto has all the makings of a Red Ranger. It's a really fun start to a really fun show, and I can't wait to see what all I can pick up from it the second time around.
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10-12-2024, 09:50 PM | #933 |
Hates Fun
Join Date: Oct 2021
Posts: 58
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"Dang bro you're hungry? You almost died."
"Actually, it was your girl." Minor twist on the formula was appreciated. But then they got real... Is CPR considered a kiss?
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10-12-2024, 09:51 PM | #934 |
Some guy. I'm alright.
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,760
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10-13-2024, 05:26 AM | #935 |
New Member
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Location: UK
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I remember wanting to check this out back in the 2010 season, but never got round to it for various reasons. At that time I'd watch any show if it so much as mentioned a mecha!
Looks like a fun one |
10-13-2024, 06:48 AM | #936 |
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It's a really fun show! Very much recommend checking it out whenever you have some spare time.
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10-13-2024, 05:14 PM | #937 |
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Episode 2: The Challenge of the Glittering Crux Brigade "Gravity Phi" by Aqua Timez is the song I most associate with Star Driver. That might be slightly surprising to read, given how much I talked up "Monochrome" with the previous episode, but it's true. Not only does the song fits the overall spirit of the show best, but the imagery of the first opening sequence that goes along with it continues to stand out in my mind even now, nearly 15 years later. And speaking of iconic imagery. This episode is primarily about giving a bit of expansion as to what the deal with the Glittering Crux Brigade actually is and what they're about. And the "Glittering Star!" salute is very much a part of that to the point that it actually became a bit of a meme amongst anime lovers back when the show was airing. And while their plan is relatively simple: Allow the Cybodies to be able to move in the real world so they can take over, man do I gotta note how much I love their overall aesthetic. I imagine younger viewers would see it all as a Persona 5 ripoff, but the idea to combine the playing card motif with that of masquerade balls and court jesters was done here first, and man do I dig it. Outside of that though, well, let's just say that if Takuto's' absolutely fabulous transformation sequence in the first episode didn't tip you off that this show was very LGBT+ friendly, episode 2 all but yells it at you with many of the character interactions. Southern Cross Academy is filled with many a horny teenager, and on in particular ships Takuto and Sugata, with the former not seeming to mind in the slightest. We're also introduced to the Drama Club, which houses the primary defenses against the Glittering Crux, complete with a cute mascot as their Vice President. Tauburn is also noted to be special as it's a Phase 3 Cybody, with the exact specifics of what that means being left in the air for now. And Sugata can summon something even more powerful than that if he so chooses, but is determined not to. Again, some nice foreshadowing done here that I totally didn't pick up on during my first watch. Overall, the episode really is just a sort of extension to the first, to the point that I think for newcomers, watching the first two episodes as one big special would probably be best for getting into the show as both combined basically do give you all of the basics as to what you're in for with Star Driver. Mecha action, high school drama, and lots of fabulousness. Wrap all of that up in some really great looking animation and there you go. Oh, and the motorcyclist is a virgin. This was important information that the episode itself needed subtitles to tell the audience. Top class.
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10-14-2024, 01:52 PM | #938 |
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Join Date: Oct 2021
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Look, motorcycle man being a cherry boy is one thing, but episode 2 also grants us this.
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10-14-2024, 04:50 PM | #939 |
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Location: Michigan
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Points for honesty!
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10-14-2024, 06:00 PM | #940 |
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Episode 3: Adult Bank That green haired girl we met last episode? She's alot more important than she seems. Not only is she rich beyond belief, she's also one of the heads of the Glittering Crux Brigade and her company, the Adult Bank, technically owns the Cybodies. As such, she has alot of personal interest in making sure the Glittering Crux succeeds in their plans; specifically with her team at the top of it. Something something money bad, whatever. And while the character work done for this episode is rather nice(Watanabe is surprisingly perceptive!), really the big draw of the episode and, heck, nearly every episode of Star Driver is just how ridiculous and yet sensible everything flows. In terms of both characters and events. Because really, I certainly wouldn't have expected that an episode wherein Takuto agrees to be a part time pool boy leads to him having a fencing match which then leads to his dual wielding stars as swords. And yet, the way inwhich one event leads to another makes alot of sense, and is both in character for everyone involved while also developing said characters. While a bit minor compared to everything else in the episode, this one also showcases how Wako's' feelings for Takuto are starting to grow despite her arranged engagement to Sugata. But hey, atleast the show covered itself by having Sugata say he wouldn't mind if Wako found someone else in the very first episode, so I guess their relationship is an open one. And we all know that Takuto x Sugata is the real ship anyway. Since I highlighted the opening last episode, let's highlight the ending for this one. It's... alright. The song is "Cross Over" by 9nine, and the song itself is fine, but it's not their best work. You can look to The Reflection for that. And the same goes for the animation, pretty much. The visuals are pretty, but not nearly as striking as what the opening is. And while there are a few shots that stick out in my mind, I'd forgotten about the majority of the sequence until this rewatch. Atleast it establishes that our main trio hang out outside of school. Overall, the episode is just fun. And I think that's how I'd sum up Star Driver in general, honestly.
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