STAR DRIVER Kagayaki no Takuto - Episode 01

Don't they look good together?
Summary: Two couples walk along the shore. The two look out at the stars. The male tries to say something, but unfortunately gets stopped by the girl. Suddenly find a male body washed up along the shore. The girl tries CPR on him to save him. The next morning the boy wakes up; declaring a new exciting start for him has come. The boy gets visited by the couple that saved him. Just then, the girl’s body rumbles and they go to dinner room to eat. They introduce themselves. The red haired kid is named Tsunashi Takuto who swam his to the island after missing the ferry, because he didn’t wanted to miss the opening ceremony. The blue hair kid is named Shindou, Sugata, a boy who is destined to marry a women, but says he should pick his own love. The blonde girl who saved Takuto is Agemaki Wako as shrine maiden. The scene cuts as they goes to the school boards to find they are in the same class. Wako’s friend starts taking a look at Takuto as he starts getting attention from all the ladies. The scene cuts again as Takuto are moving his belongings to the dorms when he notices a painting. Shindou comments that it was his grandpa who painted the portrait and that he searching for him in this island. Takuto asks where Wako is, and Shindou explains she is a shrine maiden who said to protect as seal and that right now she is cleansing herself. Shindou also explains that apparently Wako is sort interested in Takuto (pretty boy!). Next, Takuto is called to a meeting. Shinada Benio, the RA of the dorms is explaining the rules when Honda Jyooji interrupts her explaining she broke a rule. Honda is whispering to Takuto how he swam all the way to the island and invites him to his boxing club. Honda gets interrupted by Benio this time as she explains then the most major rule. Nobody is allowed at the nearby gold mine. The scene cuts once again with the gold where a bunch of mask people are secretly doing some weird ritual. They had just unlocked as seal from one of the 4 maidens and have gone onto phase two. Takuto is at the gold mine declaring to his grandpa that his life is getting ready to change as he breaks in. Suddenly some mask people show up carrying Wako and Takuto hides, only to find he left his pinches that he was using to break the fence. He gets discovered and a mask man knocks him out. Wako is brought to be in a ritual as Takuto wakes up trying to stop him. However, the mask people mask light and Takuto is frozen a lady saying that he wasn’t able to pass through without being a chosen one. A massive monolith starts become armoured and the pilot saying that this is the cybody that can only be summoned in cyber space (Zero Time). As the cybody grabs Wako into its arm,Takuto suddenly arrives with everybody being surprised that he can move. Takuto’s neck sparkles as a cybody appears below him. He starts changing along with the cybody as the mask people identify him as the Galactic pretty boy. Takuto attacks the other cybody and wins, releasing Wako. Cyber Space starts collapsing. Takuto and Wako look at each other in the night a top of a hand near the shore.

Impressions: This anime looks amazing. The art style kind of reminds me a lot of CLAMP titles (and Code Geass, look how long the arms are!). In fact, the mechs look like knightmare frames too? I guess BONES was inspired. The characters are also quite striking. Most, if not all the characters had a diverse hair colour. Although I can’t shake the feeling Takuto’s change scene was off of something. The villains are supposed to be normal in the day, but at night they secretly are in a cult that wears some gothic clothing. Though the story could be a bit of a cliché, but it’s still enjoyable.

Expectations and Predictions: This seems like the action anime of the season with mechas in the mix, but the story is very unique or weird if you might be non-gentle. It shares some similarity to Code geass, but yet I can’t find myself to nearly as excited. This anime seems to be something you can sort of (if BONES make it) something you can just sit back and enjoy or it could be a very plot oriented mech drama. I could predict the love triangle that might be going on, but it looks clear who the winner is. All in all its something that I’ll enjoy with either of the choices I said above.
    

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