[Let's Watch!] STAR DRIVER 輝きのタクト

[goldenspines]

Also, what are the chances that Vice President is animal guy?

Haaaaaaaaaha, yeah.
But wait, we haven't seen the vice president in a while, have we? o_o

[blkmage]

I think the big question this episode raises is, if that's Phase 3.5, what's Phase 4?

Also, lolwut

[Nate]

Please tell me the creepy terrible lesbians are gone. They were the worst characters.

Also yaaaaaaaaay Sakana.

[MightiMidget]

I'm pretty sure they're gone. There was much rejoicing. ops:

[blkmage]

This episode is why I watch this show.

[Nate]

I hope your bodies are ready for it!

Anyway I guess I'm an idiot because I know the play was supposed to be all symbolic and stuff but I don't understand any of the symbolism. The only part I understood was the very end where it beat you over the head with "HI I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CYBODIES AND GLITTERING CRUX AND WHAT WILL YOU DO TAKUTO?" But everything else? Did not understand any of the symbolism at ALL.

Also I guess VP isn't Camel Star. And Head continues his weird thing for S-names by hitting on Sarina.

[goldenspines]

"I don't like old guys."

XDD

Oh wow, this episode was fabulous. I was beginning to give up hope. :<

The play reminded me of the story Sakana told (or maybe it was a prologue of the story?). Maybe it has to do more with Sugata being the king than anyone else?

Speaking of Sugata, he found out Keito's secret! I wonder how that will change things, though.

[spoiler] OH MY GOSH, WAS THAT LITTLE BOY'S VOICE THE VICE PRESIDENT?
Let the squeeing begin. [/spoiler]

[blkmage]

Well, for starters, we have very stark similarities with Sakana's story (squids and fishes and ships). And then we've got Mark, which is obviously mark, or 'tau'; Columner, which is pillar, or 'samekh'; and Kleis, which means hook, or 'waw'. I'm sure there's more.

[Nate]

Well yeah, I understood THAT much. But who was the queen supposed to represent? What was the whole "You are the ship" thing? What did the "no one can see me" deal represent? I understand the play is symbolic, but of WHAT?

Like I said, the only part I understood was the ending where Sarina was giving very blatant exposition and asking Takuto what he would do with his power. To me that's the only part that even remotely made sense.

[blkmage]

Pretty sure the ship is supposed to be the Cybodies, considering what we've seen with the phases where the Star Drivers become more and more connected with their Cybody.

Reading about it some more, it's possible that it's not symbolic of anything that's happened/happening in the show, but, like Sakana's story, it's some sort of history about the Cybodies that is remarkably similar to the current/past (in the case of Head) situation that the characters are going through. We've already seen that there are a number of parallels between what's happening now and what's already happened in the past. You could also read into what Head says at the end and take that to mean that the play is a prequel to Sakana's story.

[Nate]

In case anyone here hasn't heard, no Star Driver this week because of stuff.

[R86]

Which is the main reason I have been able to marathon my way through episode 22 and catch up to the rest of you, and join this thread.

I guess my position is that I like the show, although I don't really know why (beyond the awesome fights and funny jokes like IT'S A SUNDAEEEE), and being either too dull or too cynical to get the symbolism, I certainly have no clue what's going on. That isn't stopping me from liking the show, and I will probably watch it to the end. I just hope that they make at least the most important main points so obvious by the end that even I catch them.

Also, MAMESHIBA!!!1!!eleven

[goldenspines]

Well Nate, you called it, so you get props, and a victory sammich.

But man, Sugata, do you have to have such a tacky costume. Peacock feathers, really? REALLY? D8
His (ﾉゝ∀･)~綺羅星☆ was pretty okay, though.

I'm rather interested how this is going to end in one episode. We still don't know that much about the VP and what's her face (the girl with the VP).

Also, Wako needs to Apprivose very soon and become more useful. She also needs to punch Sugata. If only that happens in the next episode, I will be happy. XDD;;

EDIT: Oh, whoops, we actually have two more episodes, but still! O:

[blkmage]

Takuto's PAAAAAAAAANCH scene went down better than I could have hoped for.

And Sugata's outfit is as fitting as can be for the god-emperor of the Glittering Crux.

I hope it wraps up by the end of the show, but I would not be surprised if it got a theatrical movie finale, as that trend has been pretty popular over the last year or so.

[Nate]

Well the question is why he's doing it. We can probably rule out mind control (despite the kiss he got earlier), and we can probably rule out him agreeing with their agenda of his own free will. Him joining as a spy to take them down from the inside is possible, but not likely (since I'm sure that's what they'd suspect).

However the most likely explanation is he's testing Takuto to see if he really will do anything to protect Wako and the whole "You didn't deliver the killing blow" from the sparring is foreshadowing.

[goldenspines]

Alternatively, he could just love the East Maiden so much that he becomes king in Kiraboshi.
And since he's the emperor, he wouldn't (technically) have to follow their agenda, would he?


Or, yeah, Nate's latter choice would be the most likely.

[MasterDias]

I'm guessing Sugata joined the Crux for Keito's sake, although anything more than that is ambiguous. At least, that's what my first instinct was about it.

He didn't seem inclined to join the Crux before...until he found out Keito was the East Maiden and a member.

[blkmage]

Clearly, it's because Sugata is tired of waiting for Takuto to get good enough at kendo to beat him at it.

[goldenspines]

APPRIVOISE!


That is all I really have to say about this episode. I tend to dislike the episode for before the finale because it always make me sad on every series I like. :<
I will say I was rather confused by the East Maiden, though. This episode made little to no sense and seemed rushed.
Sugata is still sporting the peacock feathers like a boss.

[blkmage]

The preview for the final episode does not look too uplifting. :<

[R86]

I just watched it. The highlight for me was when the line バカバカし was translated, "What are you, twelve?"

Oh yes, and the explosions. They were awesome.

I will be curious to read what everyone else thinks, since I pretty much missed most of the symbolism and plot intricacies, and I think most of you understood the show better than I did. I was in it pretty much for the explosions.

[blkmage]

I think the ending went down pretty well and is consistent with the rest of the show. Star Driver wasn't perfect, and there were some eyebrow raising developments, but it was really enjoyable and I'm pretty content with it.

[goldenspines]

Bones clearly outdid themselves on this episode. The animation was dramatic and fabulous.

Things that Goldy wanted to happen in the finale that DID happen: [spoiler] - Wako Apprivoised!
- MONOCHROME! 8D Plus playing Wako's song at the end was very nice.
- Takuto punched his crazy dad (again!)
- Sugata was saved (I probably would have been okay if he hadn't been saved, but I was much happier with this outcome)
- Everyone from Kiriboshi! helped out Takuto. [/spoiler]
Things that Goldy wanted to happen in he finale that DID NOT happen: [spoiler] - Wako slapping Sugata for being a jerk. Though, I'd like to think she did once the guys got back to earth from floating I space, so this is okay. [/spoiler] All things considered, it was an excellent series overall. Started fabulously and ended fabulously.
And it was actually pretty fabulous in the middle as well.

But! I'm curious if they are going to have a second season. There are many questions still unanswered. For example: [spoiler] Who exactly are the Vice President and Sarina? If we don't get further explanation about them, the episode with the play doesn't make much sense. :\
Also, Head is still alive! Won't he try to do something else? He's not really the one to give up, I would think.
And Wako still hasn't chosen her guy, Takuto or Sugata. I mean, I know she can have both if she wanted, but what about poor lovestruck Keito? O: [/spoiler]
Your galaxy is already shining~

[MasterDias]

Yeah, that was some pretty spectacular Gurren Lagann-style epicness in the final battle there.

I'm kind of surprised they didn't do a brief epilogue to show what happened to all of the characters. They couldn't have done something during the credit scroll?

Anyway, I liked the series overall. Although it took some time to grow on me from the early episodes.

[MightiMidget]

I was also quite happy with the animation of the fight. It was pretty, most-awesome and fluid.

My final Sugata thought:

[spoiler]What a selfish jerk.[/spoiler]

[goldenspines]

My final Sugata thought:

[spoiler]What a selfish jerk.[/spoiler]

[spoiler] I blame the peacock feathers. [/spoiler]

[MightiMidget]

[spoiler] I blame the peacock feathers. [/spoiler]

LOL!!! XD Okay. Point, point!

[blkmage]

AFAIK, Star Driver was always planned to have 25 episodes. There have been no hiccups in production or pressure to change anything about the story, so it's essentially the anime that Igarashi and Enokido intended to make.

Something I realized when I was reading some interviews recently was the amount of information that's revealed outside of the show. I now realize that they released that World of Star Driver pamphlet not just as a promotional tool, but because it actually contains a lot of details that aren't mentioned explicitly in the show. And in interviews, they routinely reveal design decisions, world details (for instance, in general, people with marks can't sleep; only a few people can, hence "I can't fall asleep; fish girl, tell me a story") and motivations of characters. None of it is really earth-shattering, but it's a nice touch and it's nice to see that they put a lot of thought into the world that they were trying to craft even if they couldn't get it all in.

It's worth checking out some of the more crazy analyses, because there's a lot of thought put into things like word and kanji choices and how things are named a certain way and how things relate to the Phoenician alphabet.

[MightiMidget]

Just saw the work "approves" and read it as "apprivoise!" Yep.

[blkmage]

No Star Driver this week.

Or any week.

:<