Star Driver

Star Driver
Cover of the first DVD volume
STAR DRIVER 輝きのタクト (Sutā Doraibā Kagayaki no Takuto)
Genre	Mecha, Action, Comedy-drama, Romance
Anime television series
Directed by	Takuya Igarashi
Produced by	Masahiko Minami
Written by	Yōji Enokido
Music by	Monaca Satoru Kousaki
Studio	Bones
Licensed by	AUS Madman Entertainment NA Aniplex of America
Network	JNN (MBS)
English network	AU C31 Melbourne
Original run	October 3, 2010 – April 4, 2011
Episodes	25
Anime film
Star Driver: The Movie
Directed by	Takuya Igarashi
Written by	Yoji Enokido
Music by	Monaca Satoru Kousaki
Studio	Bones
Released	February 9, 2013
Runtime	150 minutes

Star Driver also known as Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto (STAR DRIVER 輝きのタクト, Sutā Doraibā Kagayaki no Takuto, lit. STAR DRIVER: Takuto of The Radiance) is a 2010 Japanese anime television series created and animated by Bones. The series is directed by Takuya Igarashi, with character designs by Yoshiyuki Ito and Hiroka and Misa Mizuya. The anime premiered on October 3, 2010, on MBS-TBS's prime Sunday 5pm timeslot, replacing Sengoku Basara II.^[1] Aniplex of America premiered the first episode at the 2010 New York Comic Con/New York Anime Festival on October 9, 2010.^[2] Bandai Entertainment formerly licensed the series, but due to February when Bandai stopped selling DVDs and Blu-ray discs, they also cancelled licensing with other anime. Star Driver was one of them.^[3] The series has been licensed by Aniplex of America and was streamed with English subtitles on Hulu, Crackle, and on Crunchyroll starting on August 17, 2011.^[4] A film based in the series was released on February 9, 2013 in Japan by Shochiku.

Plot

Star Driver takes place on the fictional Southern Cross Isle. One night, a boy named Takuto washes up on shore swimming from the mainland. He later enrolls in Southern Cross High School as a freshman and makes new friends. However, beneath the school is a group of mysterious giants called Cybodies, which can be controlled by humans in an alternate dimension known as Zero Time. Takuto, The "Galactic Pretty Boy" (銀河美少年, Ginga Bishōnen), finds himself dragged into opposition with the "Glittering Crux Brigade" (綺羅星十字団, Kiraboshi Juujidan, lit. Glittering Star Cruciform Group), a mysterious group that intends to take possession of the island's Cybodies for their own purposes as well as break the seals of the island's four Shrine Maidens, whose powers prevent the Cybodies from functioning outside of Zero Time.

Terminology

Apprivoise and Cybodies

Apprivoise (from the French verb "apprivoiser", which mean "to tame") is the term that is used to describe the process by which a Cybody is summoned into active battle. An apprivoisement can occur in one of several ways. In the case of Glittering Crux members lacking a true mark, a member must possess a mask and a Star Driver emblem, using the mask in conjunction with the Cybercasket, a giant machine that serves as a piloting chamber. The Maiden's Seals prevent them from summoning their Cybodies outside of Zero Time; the Third Phase, achieved by breaking two Maiden seals, further prevents them from doing so inside of Zero Time, rendering them unable to pilot at all.

Undine, Wako, Takuto, Sugata, Reiji and most of his Vanishing Age comrades have the ability to summon Cybodies via their true marks on their chests. It is unknown if Maidens still possess their ability to summon Maiden Cybodies, or if they are unable to after their seals are broken. Maidens can Apprivoise their own Cybodies, as shown by Keito and Wako on episodes 24 and 25 respectively, during the process of their seals being broken. However, it can be assumed that even after a Maiden's seal is broken, she still possesses powers. This has been shown by Mizuno in episode 16 when even after Memma was destroyed and Mizuno's seal was broken, Marino, a clone created by Mizuno's powers, is revealed to be still alive.

Cybodies are split into three categories, Four Cybodies of the Maiden Type that belong to Wako and the other maidens and prevent Cybodies from being used outside of Zero Time, the single King Cybody in possession of Sugata, so powerful that no pilot ever managed to use it in combat. Ayingott is also a King Cybody, and is the Cybody that battled Samekh in the past. Although it was defeated and weakened, then broken into many pieces. This explains why Ayingott was the only Cybody found destroyed when dug up on Southern Cross Island. The remaining cybodies belong to the Warrior Type. Glittering Crux's main objective is to destroy the Four Maiden Cybodies to allow them to use theirs in the outside world. It is hinted that a maiden has her seal broken if her Cybody is destroyed or if she loses her virginity before passing her mark to her successor (hence, "Maiden"). It is also hinted that Cybodies have more uses than simply fighting as it was mentioned that Kanako Apprivoised to save Simone. Also it seems that the higher the phase of a Cybody the stronger it is, implying that it is a form of evolution for the Cybody. It has been implied that Cybodies have consciousness, as shown when Ayingott fell into a berserk state while being piloted.

Cybodies seem to be bound from accessing higher phases due to the Maiden Cybodies' seals. Usually the pilots have access to a special power known as the first phase, that can be used even without a Cybody. To unlock the second phase, one of the seals must be broken, two for the third phase and so on, despite it is unknown why Takuto managed to bring his Tauburn to the third phase before the second seal was broken. A Cybody can only be piloted from second phase onwards, and only those bearing true marks can use Cybodies from third phase onwards. The third phase unlocks special abilities for the Cybodies and the fourth phase further increases their abilities but apparently would cause the pilots and Cybodies to become trapped within Zero Time, thus requiring the final two seals to be broken simultaneously. In addition, once the fourth phase is unlocked, Samekh is unsealed. If the fifth phase is unlocked, then Zero Time breaks which also unleashes Samekh onto the world, which will absorb all of the libido in the world causing the end of the world though its user can use its power to its fullest extent such as traveling through time.

There has not been shown to be a clear system for attaining marks, though a possible connection is that each person with a real mark has been "beautiful", leading the individual to be known as a Galactic Pretty Boy (regardless of their gender). Another point of interest is that only Cybodies who have a Driver with a true mark or a connection to the mark has a Star Sword. Further, each non-Maiden Star Driver who bears a true mark has been shown to be extremely talented at something, such as Tadashi's skill at piano and kendo and Head's art. In addition, all of the four maidens each have a talent for singing. Also, Drivers without true marks lose their first phase abilities after their Cybodies are destroyed. In addition, marks can be willingly passed to others, even if they don't have a mark or the same bloodline. Though with the case of all of the Star Drivers, even if they don't have a mark themselves, if their ancestors had a mark, they can Apprivose and can acquire a true mark themselves.

In total, there are twenty-two Cybodies. Each Cybody's name is named after a letter in the Phoenician alphabet, which multiple modern Semetic abjads are derived from, notably Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic. Each Star Driver's mark is also derived from the matching letters. Some Cybodies also have the ability to summon one or two special blades called "Star Swords", each one named after a different gem's name in French. There are twelve in total although one remains unseen in the anime series. All Cybodies are capable of flight similar to levitation.

According to Sarina, Tauburn is different from other cybodies as it was created specifically for earthlings, what could explain Takuto's prowess to pilot it.

List of Drivers and Cybodies

Letter	Driver name	Cybody	Symbol	Star Sword	First Phase Ability; Cybody Powers	Class
Aleph	Joji	Alephist		-	None; Super strength/Extensible horns called the Buffalo Crash	Warrior
Bet	Kanako	Betraida		-	Human regeneration; Reinforced Claws	Warrior
Gimel	Ginta	Gimelock		Corail (Coral)	Animal possession; Star Sword Corail (Zhanmadao-like)/Four-armed detachable cape called Needle Star/Energy field	Warrior
Dalet	Simone	Daletos		-	Barriers; Cybody powers of any Star Driver piloting the second cockpit	Warrior
He	Madoka	Heigent		Perle (Pearl)	Summoning a shadow dimension called the Miroir; Memory based environments/Star Sword Perle (broadsword-like)/Limb lasers	Warrior
Waw	Wako	Wauna		-	Smell; Maintaining Southern Seal	Maiden
Zayin	Takeo	Zayinas		Grenat (Garnet)	Swordsman skills; Star Sword Grenat (joust lance-like)/Four red energy balls called the Zayinsphere	Warrior
Heth	Keito	Hethna		-	Life force transplanting capable of revival called the Pledge of Eternity; Seal of Samekh called the Obito/Maintaining Eastern Seal	Maiden
Tetr	Tetsuya	Tetriauto		-	None; Super speed/Energy saw discs	Warrior
Yodd	Midori	Yoddock		-	Temporary time rejuvenation; Arm Bomber/Seeing seconds into the future	Warrior
Kaph	Mami	Kaphrat		-	An energy composed android called the Mermaid Doll; Transforming into a fish or double sided blade	Warrior
Lamedh	Tsukihiko	Lamedhos		Sardonyx (Onyx)	Swordsman skills; Star Sword Sardonyx (claymore-like)/Star Sword attaching spear	Warrior
Mem	Mizuno	Memna		-	Clone generation (Marino); Maintaining Western Seal	Maiden
Nun	Sakana-chan	Nunna		-	Keeps all Cybodies from unlocking; Maintaining Northern Seal	Maiden
Samekh	Sugata	Samekh			An extremely powerful energy pillar called the King's Pillar; Reviving and controlling cybodies/Body lightning/Libido absorption/Eight homing laser cannons/Fifth phase ability: Time Travel	King
Ayin	Marino	Ayingot		-	None; Shoulder eyes that can detect Shrine Maidens called the Ayingott's Eyes/Possessive black slime from the body	Warrior
Pa	Benio	Pageant		Rubis (Ruby)	Control over kissed men/ Libido absorption/Swordsman skills/Super speed; Star Sword Rubis (wakizashi-like	Warrior
Saddi	Takashi	Saddict		Améthyste (Amethyst)	Swordsman skills; Star Sword Amethyst (katana-like)/Rapid slash attack called the Divine Snowstorm	Warrior
Qoph	Ko	Qophlite		Opale (Opal)	Possessive eye lasers called the Eye of the Needle/X-ray vision; Star Sword Opale (longsword-like)/Fighter transformation armed with a machine gun	Warrior
Resh	Ryousuke / Reiji	Reshbal		Diamant (Diamond)	Eye of Truth; Star Sword Diament/Four funnels/Libido absorption	Warrior
Sin	Shingo / Reiji	Sinpathy		Turquoise	Preventing the driver of other apprivoised Cybodies from aging physically; Star Sword Turqoise (zweihander-like) and later Diamant/Apprivoise other Cybodies using energy spears	Warrior
Tau	Takuto	Tauburn		Emeraude (Emerald) and Saphir (Sapphire)	Higher than normal radiance; Star Swords Emerald and Sapphire (rapier-like)/Tau Galaxy Beam/Four funnels/Tau Missile/Dynamic Galactic Cross-Slash	Warrior

Media

Anime

Music

Opening themes

• "Gravity Ø" by Aqua Timez (1-13)
• "Shining☆Star" by 9nine (14-24)

Ending themes

• "Cross Over" by 9nine (1-13)
• "Pride" by Scandal (14-25)

Insert Maiden songs

• "Monochrome" (モノクローム, Monokurōmu) by Sakana-chan (Haruka Tomatsu)
• "Komorebi no Contact" (木漏れ日のコンタクト, Komorebi no Kontakuto, Sunbeam Contact) by Wako Agemaki (Saori Hayami)
• "Innocent Blue" (イノセント・ブルー, Inosento Burū) by Mizuno Yō (Rina Hidaka)
• "Shūshoku no Aria" (秋色のアリア, Aria of Autumn Color) by Nichi Keito (Ami Koshimizu)

Production

• Director: Takuya Igarashi
• Series Composition: Yoji Enokido
• Music: Satoru Kousaki
• Original Character Design: Hiroka Mizuya, Misa Mizuya
• Character Design: Yoshiyuki Ito
• Mecha Design: Shigeto Koyama
• Chief Animation Director: Yoshiyuki Ito
• Conceptual Design: Shinji Aramaki
• Animation Production: Bones
• Production: Star Driver Production Committee

References

External links

• Official website
• Star Driver (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia