[Let's Watch!] STAR DRIVER 輝きのタクト

[blkmage]

So what is Star Driver {Japanese gobbledygook}?
STAR DRIVER: Kagayaki no Tact is Studio Bones' latest work.
[quote][I]The entire star-filled sky glitters over a southern island. A lone youth arrives at this island along- side the softly breaking waves. His name: Tsunashi Takuto—but his other name is the “galactic pretty-boy.â€

[Nate]

I'm down with this. Where can I watch it?

[goldenspines]

It's also got a really good cast lineup. Miyano Mamoru will be playing the super-lively main character, Takuto.

As if I needed more reasons to watch this show~ 8D

I'll try to keep up with this the best I can (since school has a tenancy to take all my time away). Thanks for making a thread for it. ^_^ Hopefully, the first episode will live up to all the hype so far.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Yeah, I'm up for this too. I'll post again when I watch the first episode.

[Nate]

Never mind, I found episode 1. /m/ saves the day yet again!

So, my thoughts:

I don't particularly like it when the first episode of a show throws a bunch of plot at us with no context or buildup. I realize it's to get to the action faster to hook people. Okay, fine, but I still don't like it. Now I'm left wondering "What the crap is a Cybody? What were they doing with the North Maiden? What are they talking about with phases?" I know, I know, it's a "Tune in next episode and we'll explain all this!" type deal. Still frustrating.

Outside the plot, I really like Takuto, he's a great character. The mechs are pretty awesome, and I'm looking forward to some really good fights, since this one was just a "Hey look cool stuff!" teaser. It's definitely grabbed my interest. Despite what I said about hating them plot-dumping with no knowledge in episode 1, I really like this, and hope it continues to be FABULOUS!

EDIT: Oh yeah forgot to mention this, although it's off-topic. How about that Ultraman Zero ad at the end of the episode? WAS THAT AWESOME OR WHAT? Man I wanna see that!

[MightiMidget]

Where did you find it, Nate...? ops: Stream or download? *is looking for a stream*

[Falx]

hmmm

I'm on the fence with this... it's got too much Ouran cheesiness without the refuge in audacity to make it very palatable. I'm finding it hard to finish the first episode to be honest.

Edit: THAT MECHA HAS A PRINCE ALBERT!? D:

Edit 2: Well there's no doubt about the animation... this is Bones after all. The orchestral score is very reminiscent of Eureka 7. Negatively, it appears this will feature much more fanservice than usual for a Bones anime. I'm not sure I will be watching this for much longer.

[mechana2015]

I can't see this on Funimation or Cruchyroll... that could prove to be a problem.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

I can't see this on Funimation or Cruchyroll... that could prove to be a problem.

This.

[blkmage]

┐(´～`；)┌

Unfortunately, I have no remedy for that.

I will say that I think this show will lend itself to a different kind of discussion than DRRR. In DRRR, a lot of it was wild guesses and theories and speculation because of how complex its plot is. I'm thinking this show will lend itself to a lot more analysis, given how much crazy symbology there already is (much like Utena).

For starters, there's all that stuff about maidens, and then there's the masks and the APPRIVOISAAAAAAAA, and also the naming and design of the 22 cybodies.

And I'll mention again that the penchi/pinch/PAAAANCH thing cracked me up.

[Nate]

Well there's still two maidens we haven't seen yet. They seem to know who the maidens are so this won't be a "Who is the maiden" type story it seems. So the question is whether it is a "Protect all these girls" type deal or "Protect Wako because she is the most important one for some reason."

Speaking of crazy theories, I'm going to throw one out right now. Wako's brother will join the bad guys by the end of the series.

[MasterDias]

Star Driver is high-profile enough that I'd be rather surprised if it doesn't get streamed legally online from someone. Funimation still hasn't announced if they are streaming any of the new shows.

Anyway, I enjoyed the first episode and am looking forward to seeing where this goes, but agree with Nate in that we need more context. The last bit was sort of incoherent, although the fight was awesome.

[blkmage]

I am reading on IRC that there's likely to be an announcement this weekend at NYAF since they're showing the first episode there.

[Midori]

This seems to have high production values and unusual mechanics. However it also seems to be "doing the genre" if you know what I mean. Specifically the "Gurren Lagann + Utena" genre. But since it's Bones, I'd like to see a bit more before making a decision. They have done some strange genre-shifts in the past.

[Nate]

Why is everyone comparing this to Gurren Lagann? No, seriously, I don't get it. The two shows are nothing alike. All I can think of is "Gurren Lagann had a crazy robot. This has a crazy robot. Thus, they are the same."

Which, to me, is kind of like saying "Cowboy Bebop has spaceships, and Legend of Galactic Heroes has spaceships, so they're the same."

EDIT: I also don't get the Utena comparisons, though to be fair, I only watched the first episode of Utena and lost interest in it, so I can't fairly judge that. I'm wondering if the Utena comparisons only exist because the writer also did some stuff on Utena...so if he had done work on another series, would everyone be comparing Star Driver to that rather than Utena? I think it's pretty likely.

[Midori]

I think it is reminiscent of Gurren Lagann mostly because of the prominent "awesomeness > coolness" attitude expressed in the design of the robots and fights and transformation scenes. That and the rainbow galaxy background in that dimension. The Utena resemblance is harder to analyze, but as one who has seen Utena, I can see where it's coming from, though I might not have made that comparison myself if someone else hadn't first.

[MightiMidget]

Why is everyone comparing this to Gurren Lagann? No, seriously, I don't get it. The two shows are nothing alike.

This gives me hope that it won't be painful! (I'm about to start the first episode) Because...I had difficulty standing most of Gurren Lagann.

BUT! I shall edit my post/post later with my thoughts of first episode...bwuaha.

[blkmage]

Quick, immediately noticeable parallels with Utena:
- Clandestine student society trying to achieve some plan which isn't well-defined for us yet and involves the control of certain girls
- Combat takes place in an alternate dimension and is completely "imaginary" or magical (we've yet to see if combat primarily occurs in duels, but if it does, there's another one)
- The main character happens upon the secret society in the same way and sort of throws a wrench in their plans in the first episode in the same way; even the character archetype of the first antagonist, the outcome of the fight, and the consequences that he faces are about the same
- Overt symbolism

[Midori]

Did I say "Awesomeness > coolness"? That was a typo. I meant "Awesomeness > realism." *facepalm*

[Nate]

Hmm, okay. The Utena comparisons seem justified, then. I still maintain that this show is nothing like TTGL though. Sorry, but "awesomeness>realism" isn't enough to draw a comparison between the two shows, unless TTGL is the only other anime you've watched in your life. Heck, I'd compare this to G Gundam before I compared it to TTGL. The robots seem to have the same crazy design sense that G Gundam had. Not that I'm saying this show is like G Gundam, just it seems like it'd be a more apt comparison than TTGL would ever be.

[MightiMidget]

So I watched the first episode last night with eternalprincess, and actually really enjoyed it...it's so pretty!! Go Bones.

I am also not seeing many TTGL comparisons though. The fast-paced, dramatized angles in the directing are similar, but storywise I see nothing beyond that they both have mecha. However, TTGL and this are the only mecha I have seen. Therefore I don't know the "rules" of the genre.

Will have to wait for and watch the next episode before managing to make any more observations due to the tornado of craziness from ep. 1.

[goldenspines]

I'm a little late coming into the discussion of the first episode, but I'll add my two cents. ^_^

Overall, I liked the first episode. It had a good balance of serious and not too serious moments. (I think I may have laughed too much though. I still can't believe they actually called him Galactic Pretty Boy and they were all like, "Oh snap, it's the Galactic Pretty Boy!" XD;; )
For a first episode, I'd give it an 8. It wasn't perfect, but it had a lot of great things going for it so far. Firstly, the animation is stunning and the camera angles were quite impressive during the action scenes. Secondly, the music was rather great. I can't say the OP or ED really stood out, but the music during the show was very nice. And finally, I will agree with Blkmage in saying that this first episode does remind me a LOT of Utena. (only with better animation XD; )

Though sadly, besides Takuto, none of the characters really stand out from the crowd. I hope this will improve as the series goes along. Though, what's his face (Wako's betrothed who I can't remember the name of right now) has some interest and mystery surrounding him. He doesn't seem to be involved in everything that's going on with Star Driver, but we don't know. O:

Looking forward to the next episode, I hope it continues to deliver fabulous results.

P.S. Takuto has the best outfit, you guys. THE BEST.

P.P.S.

EDIT: Oh yeah forgot to mention this, although it's off-topic. How about that Ultraman Zero ad at the end of the episode? WAS THAT AWESOME OR WHAT? Man I wanna see that!

I agree, this did look pretty awesome.

[MightiMidget]

[quote="goldenspines (post: 1429359)"]Overall, I liked the first episode. It had a good balance of serious and not too serious moments. (I think I may have laughed too much though. I still can't believe they actually called him Galactic Pretty Boy and they were all like, "Oh snap, it's the Galactic Pretty Boy!" XD]

YES. xD It was at that point I decided I loved it. I love things that can be solid (which I hope this is), yet poke fun at itself.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

Dude, this show looks to be so freaking awesome. I don't have much more to write, really, but I'm pumped for this show.

Edit:I guess it's unclear but I watched the first episode.

[TheSubtleDoctor]

Dude, this show looks to be so freaking awesome. I don't have much more to write, really, but I'm pumped for this show.

He said it.

Come on Funi...you know you want to stream this one *crosses fingers for announcement at NYAF*

[Nate]

Wait, did Funi get the rights to it or...?

I would be surprised if an American company didn't pick this up for streaming though, but doesn't matter to me either way.

[blkmage]

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 - 2.7%
Gundam 00 Second Season - 4.5%
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - 3.5%
Sengoku Basara Ni - 2.4%
Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto - 1.2%

So the talk of 2ch right now is that number, 1.2. That's the ratings that the show got for its first episode. Above are the numbers for the shows since the timeslot started.

There are a few things to note. The first is that it seems pretty dismal, but keep in mind that this is the first original production that has run in the timeslot and that every show before it is a sequel or part of some established franchise. And it is comparing the ratings of the first episode to the series average of those other shows.

Secondly, contrary to most other shows, the ratings for this show actually matter. This is because of its high-profile timeslot, which means that ratings and advertising matter a lot. In fact, the show was slated to be streamed on Nico Nico Douga, but they decided to axe it last minute, likely because they're pushing people to watch it on TV.

[eternalprincess]

So I watched the first episode last night with eternalprincess, and actually really enjoyed it...it's so pretty!! Go Bones.

Yes, that was for the win. *high five*


I really enjoyed the show too, and I couldn't help myself and yelled "Galatic Pretty Boy Prism Power!" at his "transformation" scene. It was like, 1am, so give me credit. XD

[blkmage]

NYAF has passed with no announcements about streaming. Oh well. Time for episode 2.

We get some more elaboration on what exactly is going on, but it creates as many questions as it answers. I'll leave that up to you to decide whether or not that's enough.

The thing that really stood out to me is that the show appears to be going the Utena route in terms of episode structure. That is, we start off with school life and we get interactions between characters and exposition about stuff. At some point though, we get [s]Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku playing and Utena climbing the stairs[/s] Tomatsu Haruka's character singing and a guy starting up a Cybody with combat following shortly after.

[Nate]

Kanako is MESSED UP. I don't think I like her very much. XD

So as you said, some questions got answered but there's still a lot unknown. At least they explained a bit more about the Cybodies. I thought that freezing time was just the ability of that one particular Cybody in episode one, but now it makes a bit more sense.

Also good thing I'm not Takuto, 'cuz if I was, I'd be Benio's mind slave and the world would be doomed.

Filament's Cybody also seems to be Accel's long lost twin...