Star Driver

Star Driver also known as Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto (Japanese: STAR DRIVER 輝きのタクト, Hepburn: Sutā Doraibā Kagayaki no Takuto, lit. STAR DRIVER: Shining Takuto) 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 Jūjidan, 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.

Media

Anime

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^[5] and ended on April 3, 2011.^[6] 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.^[7] Aniplex of America premiered the first episode at the 2010 New York Comic Con/New York Anime Festival on October 9, 2010.^[8] The series was collected by Aniplex in a total of nine DVD and Blu-ray volumes.^[9] A blu-ray box was also released on January 23, 2013.^[10]

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