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「僕たちのアプリボワゼ」 (Boku-tachi no Apuribowaze)
“Our Apprivoise”
It was a bit abrupt, but this was a finale to remember. Unexpected twists and a galactic battle in space are just some of the things that had me on the edge of my seat. While there was little doubt about Head’s plan to use Sympathy’s ability to make Samekh his puppet, Keito’s revelation that she’s the one who sealed off the King of Cybodies was the first of many surprises. Up until now, everyone’s been led to believe that Samekh needed to reach a higher phase before it can be revived, when in reality Keito’s simply been waiting for Sugata to willingly apprivoise his Cybody before unsealing it. It wasn’t explicitly stated, but I imagine that seal is what causes Sugata to fall into a coma when he uses Samekh’s powers. Keito’s nightly visits are to unseal him from its effects, just like she had to do when she apprivoised for the very first time. In other words, she has the ability to grant and take away Samekh’s powers as she pleases.
The second big surprise comes from Head after he hijacked Samekh and explained that Zero Time is the only thing preventing the gigantic Cybody from devouring the libido of every living thing on the planet. In conjunction with his plan to become a time traveler and muck around in the past once mankind is wiped out, this last minute plot twist was a cheap yet effective way to really jack up the stakes on the final battle. All of a sudden we went from Southern Cross Island potentially being bombarded with nuclear missiles to the end of the entire world if the fifth phase is reached. In execution, it gave a very good reason for the remaining Kiraboshi members to band together against Head, and provided a real sense of urgency once Wako apprivoised to protect Takuto and was about to get her seal broken. Admittedly, I did find it rather convenient how Daletos calling for Simone made her realize that the interpretation of being one with their Cybody in the fourth phase probably wasn’t in a literal sense; however, I was okay with it because this series has established precedence for just about anything happening in Zero Time, including Samekh’s ability to bring back all the other Cybodies and make slaves out of them.
For most of this episode, I was too absorbed in the “cool factor” for anything to negatively affect my enjoyment (as is often the case with Zero Time), particularly with the way the battle came off like a desperate struggle as Wako’s maiden song played in the background. If there’s one thing this finale did really well, it was using the music to really bring out all the scenes. Sakana’s “Monochrome” came first, followed by Wako’s “Komorebi no Contact”, and then 9nine’s “Cross Over” when the battle took to space. With the music playing, it was nothing short of sheer awesomeness to see Takuto charge right into Samekh’s enormous King’s Pillar and somehow make it through to take out Head with a single punch that got the figurative treatment in black and white. I didn’t think Takuto would be able to outdo that first punch he delivered to Head’s face, but boy did he ever. I could watch that scene over and over again and it would probably get progressively better.
All of the above served as ample build-up towards what I felt was the biggest surprise — Sugata’s plan to seal Samekh away forever with him inside. It wasn’t quite what I was anticipating, but it did have that self-sacrificing element that I had in mind. Rather than training Takuto to destroy him, Sugata’s been making sure that Wako would be in good hands after he’s gone. It was probably the saddest moment of the entire series when everyone looked on in silence while Samekh disappeared underground while Keito continued to cry her heart out. The instrumental version of Cross Over almost brought a tear to my eye as Takuto’s unrest reached the breaking point, only to see him look over at Wako and reach an understanding that he’s going to break her seal, force Samekh out from hiding once Zero Time is gone, and save Sugata by destroying Samekh before it can feast on the world’s libido, all without saying a single word. That proved to be an absolute roller coaster ride of emotions that gave me goosebumps every step of the way.
With Tauburn going all out against Samekh in space with Cross Over playing, I can’t believe that Wako’s monologue about wishing she never met Takuto was a huge fake-out. I’ll give the producers credit for using one line in the preview last time to make us think the worst, when in reality she was just expressing the anguish she feels for being helplessly in love with both Sugata and Takuto. So with that, we don’t have a winner ladies and gentlemen. Wako wants to have her cake and eat it too. What a girl…
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Final Impressions:
For a series that was coined a “high school robot anime” experiment of sorts, director Igarashi Takuya’s unfamiliarity with the robot genre took STAR DRIVER to unexpected places just like writer Enokido Youji hoped he would. Right from the get-go, they made it clear that no one would be killed in the show, which seemed to take away from the robot aspect at first when the battles in Zero Time became fairly formulaic. However, as the series progressed, particularly past the midway point, the changes within Kiraboshi made the battles more exciting. It felt like there was more on the line with the new characters that were introduced (e.g. Mizuno/Marino, Kou/Madoka) and tied in the high school aspect to really change audiences’ perception of the series as a whole.
The large cast of characters and their unique nuances came together really well, and in ways that I honestly didn’t expect when new faces kept showing up left and right. Just looking back on the promotional image from Fall 2010 makes it apparent how much I’ve become acquainted to each of them, so much that I’m actually a bit sad that I won’t be seeing them on a weekly basis anymore. It’s kind of impressive how Takuto’s energetic and unique “Galactic Pretty Boy” flair has caught on, supporting the idea that BONES’ production staff has done something right. I love giving original series the benefit of the doubt and hoping for the best, but it’s not often that a production comes together the way STAR DRIVER did. What was once perceived as long neck character designs and unorthodox Cybody designs is now “cool”, simply because the series made strides to establish its world and get me caught up within the story. The end result was an immersive effect, especially with the visuals in Zero Time where just about anything goes. Along with the maiden songs that I now have associative imagery of that spectacle and characters shouting “apprivoise!”, I can firmly say that I was thoroughly entertained.
Cliches are imminent in just about any piece of work, but it’s how they’re used that ultimately determines if they’re a problem. In STAR DRIVER’s case, I could get a sense that the producers were aware of what was cliche and weren’t afraid to embrace it to make it work, which went a long way while I was watching. Rather than dwelling on something that the people at BONES were more than aware of it (and looking like a fool for doing so), it was much easier to just let them show me how they were going to work them into their story. I can confidently say that after rewatching parts of the first half of the series and realizing just how much thought went into the various subplots, and would have no problem watching the entire 25 episodes all over again. The characters were all amiable (yes, even Head for being the tactful villain) and the main trio of Takuto, Sugata, and Wako provided a love triangle that I didn’t mind seeing go unresolved. The ending was abrupt but left a lasting impression for that very reason, so I’m completely fine without an epilogue. I don’t need that kind of visual confirmation, because I can already see it. “It’s a future!”
oh shit, pulling an omni
No…
Just no…
What does “pulling an Omni” mean?
Omni used to post caps first with impressions later very often. Sometimes he’d even “forget” to go back and do the impressions lol.
Thank you for elaborating; I didn’t go to this site very often when Omni was around. I didn’t start coming here a lot until he left. But that’s pretty funny.
lol i miss omni.
I know, he should come back to the site and comment on posts here every so often.
GO KIRA RAINBOW!!!!
An epic ending with so much visual stimulation.
Thank you for an enjoyable ending Star Driver 🙂
Well it looked like a Sugata x Takuto ending here. Well they can enjoy each other’s company for the rest of their lives in space above us XD
DAT ENDING
hope Bones have an OVA made for proper closing.
Hope they make an OVA.
or at the very least fill in that blank ending with epilogue images with the dvd release
MY BODY WAS NOT READY.
It’s a PUNCH!!!
…sry, have to do it…
on the other hand, nice, flashy action to finish it all off…
fyi, I have to agree with the OVA bit, it can use one…
IT’S A CHALLENGE!
Takuto made a promise to destroy ever cybody and he did. Including doing a number on his own. His cybody may be able to get back to earth but it might only be useful as a statue now. lol
Or an action figure. (I’m so buying one.)
That would be one large action figure. lol
So I guess it’s time for a DVD/BD only epilogue ep26 then? Otherwise from the looks of it only the yaoi fangirls are going to be happy.
So Takuto chooses Sugata instead?
Wako is left in zero time.
Serves her right.
Bros befores hoes.
There’s no more zero time since all the seal are broken.
the last pic in this episode is the same as the last pic in the in the opening. Trio end. All cybodies are broken. Seriously this episode was only COLORS, FIGHTS and I didn’t care what’s going to happen to any of the characters.
i think i just had an apoplexy
why would he just break the seal after protecting it all this time
Because he wanted to save Sugata.
He wanted to save Sugata and Wako als told him that it was ok when she realized his plan during that staring moment
Yet another anime WTF ending?
It was only a wtf ending if you’re dumb, which you clearly are.
No, it was a horrible ending to a horrible series. If you’re smart you’d see this series is trash.
Its only horrible in your book and who ever else has the same opinion then.
megaman thats like totally uncalled for.
I was totally mind blown when Takuto broke Wako’s seal… totally didn’t expect that 🙂
it would be interesting if what Wako said about Takuto’s first phase ability is true… then it would be the best ability ever I guess?
now am I the only person demanding for an epilogue to settle the relationship front? 😀
thanks for the coverage, Divine, and hope you enjoy your season off
I personally didn’t think so. He was saying from the start he wanted to destroy all the cyber bodies so Wako can leave the island. He fulfilled it.
This ending seems rush , i hope they do a OAD or some sort extra on the blu rays.
so we can get a epilogue.
My galaxy shines
KIRABOSHI o＜>∀・)＼綺羅星☆!!／
It would be more fun if they had experienced a mass power outage, it would be really entertaining to see what would everyone do once they found themselves in a pile of useless metal scrap without any miraculous power source to move it with.
For future considerations – Start Driver (and Britney Spears) fans, what are you going to watch next (the one currently starting actually) season ?
I just held a poll for this. Why are you asking?
Because the fans of such shows (not only shows) tend to gather in similar places once they emerge (the places). Same sort of public, the reasons for gathering include non-critical views over themselves – and they have many common things to forget, to hide from, and they come to an agreement of playing “as if those (things) don’t exist”, which brings them together. Over Internet places, they may actually shift their activity to some non-anime forums though. Then once bored, i may go there as well to watch them. Alternatively IRL i may just attend some crazy MLM gathering, it is just the same, but there is more risk of having problems from angered psychos there.
So far for those new anime series i didn’t find those perfectly suitable for such kind of folk. Frankly speaking, i thought that “Dog Days” would meet THEIR expectations, but nope, it seems to be just a light-hearted childish fantasy show.
Do you always talk bad about people who don’t have the same view of entertainment as you like this? Does talking bad about other people preferences and hobby the only way to make you feel better? How childish.
No matter how good a story an anime has, it’s been and always will be a fiction, an entertainment. Does it matter what kind of things make someone entertained? Make sarcastic and critical view of the show itself, not the people enjoying them.
If you want something scientific and logical, go watch Discovery channel or something, and maybe next time you can talk to those scientist how they have no social life or something to make you feel better when you can’t beat them in intelligence.
God what a douche…it probably makes him feel better, but being ignorant is no excuse for being an idiot. Don’t like the show? So what are you doing here in the first place? Pathetic
spoilermaker you need to go mentally masturbate somewhere else. if you get yourself published academically i _might_ consider what you say. as it is right now, you’re just some prepubescent teenager or some wannabe undergrad trying to sound important. go ahead and write your “thesis” and try to shop it around, the way you’ve been writing here i doubt any legitimate academic would find your work anywhere near meaningful. your own conceit negates any criticisms you have towards other individuals. your problem is that any “critical thought” you claim to have is derived solely from your disdain towards your other fellow human beings rather than any genuine attempt to critically examine the works of others. seriously have someone pull that stick that’s shoved up your ass.
I admitted talking bad only about one category of people here, and i already described them. But there exist a lot of other categories of people who have different point of views, different from mine, but the difference is that i don’t find the reasons to talk bad about them. Well, probably it is surely childish, but it is one of the things that does make be feel better for that it matters. Contrary, beating a scientist in a pointless argument wouldn’t make me better, it would me make feel like idiot insulting the scientist for his or her actual achievements – certainly not a good way for personal entertainment. And yes, watching Discovery Channel does provide a good deal of entertainment.
In earlier posts i also explained what i found so bad about the show, and about the kind of folk who are watching it.
Oh, and in case if some of you are willing to leave an angry reply, first go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet) , maybe “don’t feed the trolls” motto would suit you better ? That would leave you a chance that your decision would be a right one.
Your logic is as broken as your English.
Not that your silly argument deserves it, but I’ll take the effort of addressing it: The comparison you made is off. You’re not a scientist, and your viewpoint isn’t more enlightened than anyone else’s here. You’re an immature ESL teenager who gets his kicks by attacking people on the internet so, actually, your opinion has LESS merit. Congratulations on the productive and meaningful existence you’ve lived so far.
Thanks for your comment. “Wise” people like you make it easier for me to work while being a bit depressed, each time i see someone such “wise”, it makes me laugh very hard and i feel more motivated to keep working. That way it helps me to be more productive 😉
quote unquote wise is exactly how you come off. self criticism is the most important exercise any person can undertake in. i acknowledge the fact that there is no possible way for me to understand the world completely and that i’ll forever be engaged in the process of learning. you, however, seem to believe you’ve learned it all and have no room for growth and thus feel the need to bestow all your glory and wisdom on all us “common” people. you need to stop believing you’re better than “lesser” people, we all die just the same.
Alright, no more replies please. SpoilerMaker got enough comments to entertain him already.
“… This is cake is delicious…”
Divine i just rushed into here to tell you there is a talking squid in the first anime ep of X-men-geso
He already made a post about that ep
I see he did. Must have missed it 😮
Just thought it would be wonderful if it could have ended with Takuto going with his trademark “It’s a Future!” (or something like that)
Definitely one of the greater finale episodes that I’ve seen – little wasted time with great, flashy action, some nice twists, and closing up the plotlines. To me, it didn’t feel rushed at all, even without an epilogue, although I’d admit one would be much appreciated.
As a series, I find Star Driver to be rather refreshing. The plot may be rather cliched, but to me that’s of unimportance, as I’m not exactly expecting to watch and learn rocket science in anime. I felt that the character interactions were definitely one of the more enjoyable aspects of the show, and the fact that your main hero never fell into the angsty stereotype gave this show a lot of life and a “feel good” factor to it.
Admittably, the fighting scenes, especially at the beginning, were repetitive in nature, and when the fighting got better in the 2nd half, half the Vanishing Crew members piloting them didn’t have the charm of the earlier cast. But at the end, I’d recommend this series to people who have the spare time to watch it, as a good show to relax, enjoy and laugh at after a day’s work at school/work/whatever.
Divine, thanks for blogging this series! Would never really have gotten into it if not for your weekly posts showing me the potential that this series had. Cheers and thanks for all your hard work 🙂
I like Dog Days so far actually, even if it isn’t what people were expecting. Sadly it doesn’t look like it’ll have the story that this one has, but at least it looks entertaining.
Now onto the meat, this finale was satisfying, even if I really do want an epilogue ova like the rest of you. Wako turned badass though, which made me happy, and Takuto just silently turning to her and them having this silent understanding was omg win. I give full credit to BONES on this one for making a great story and an entertaining show. Only complaints I really have are the maiden songs really fell off after Monochrome imo, and the formulaic half of each show most of the way through was kind of boring after a bit. Fortunately the story before it made up enough to keep me interested all the way through, and I’m quite glad it did, as it was worth it in the end.
This ending episode is great overall, just two things that bother me. Wako is still as indecisive as ever regarding who she’ll pick, and they could add what happened to all the casts in the ending instead of credits rolling…
What could happen to a bunch of losers with no actual value without some toys left by aliens ?
Wako has some value for herself as long as there is someone paying attention, without someone (at least 1 character) willing to pick her, she is completely useless and miserable regardless of who she would be willing to pick.
Well then your just a prick aren’t you? Each show caters to a certain genre and a certain audience if your not part of that audience well that’s just too bad
(<ゝ∀･)~キラ☆ KIRABOSHI!!
Didn’t notice it until I saw the screencaps, but it looks like Tauburn’s design changed again with the breaking of the third seal.
I was actually secretly hoping Takuto would be the one to break Wako’s seal. Mostly cause I’m a pervvy fangirl that ships TakutoxWako…
Beautiful ending.
Also, is it me or does Wako’s maiden cybody look like Sailor Moon? A Takuya Igarashi easter egg maybe?
Am I the only one who got Gurren Lagann vibes from the final battle?
Absolutely yes!
“Admittedly, I did find it rather convenient how Daletos calling for Simone made her realize that the interpretation of being one with their Cybody in the fourth phase probably wasn’t in a literal sense”
Who’s Daletos? Simone’s Cybody?
Yes, exactly. Daletos is the name of her cybody
Oh man this was one of the best endings I’ve seen to a anime. It was exciting from start to finish. Although I was a little disappointed that Wako was in love with both guys x), but that didn’t ruin anything in this episode.
BONES did a good job with this anime through this season, although they could have tried to make the zero time battles as exiciting as in this episode.
Everything was fine up to ep. 24 then this… ep. 25 is totally like children playing with their gundam/transformers/whatever figures, it’s like going: my gundam is badass; no, my gundam is more badass, it’s gonna respawn tiny transformers; no, no, my gundam has deus ex machina, boom bamm bang!
Ok nevermind what I said, I’m totally confused.
Single most epic anime ending ive ever seen
Not the best anime ending but this really redefines the term epic
This show was a pure win, I have nothing more to say regarding it. Thanks for the coverage Divine, I really enjoyed reading your posts. But hey, any final impressions? You usually do that, but you haven’t now for some reason;)
Indecisive bitch……
Good ending nonetheless
For a moment there I thought Takuto was in a bullet hell shooter game haha. Totally off the charts action and brilliance with the battles. Kira to the MAX!! Yes that punch to Head reminded me of Gurren Lagann’s finally battle haha. Hope that there’s a OVA that covers all the plot holes! Stuff like what happens after and how everything is truly related to each other. Thus ends another great anime!!
Well if anything at least the battle was damm epic plus those background song/music were really good. The ending I think was good it could do better wit an ova epilogue.
btw I really like Benio style of fighting..Too bad it was so short..haha
Could this be a canon OT3?
My only complaint was that they should have added a epilogue in the credit roll instead of leaving it blank, I wanna know what’s happening back on earth and how they land.
The friend I was watching with just stormed out because it’s over and Wako didn’t pick a guy, the last time she was this pissed was when Alto kept “both his wings”.
GO GO KIRABOSHI RANGERS!
Wouldn’t call this series bad, since I did keep watching most of the way through, but it was rather lackluster for the most part. Was just skimming the last 6 -7 eps since it was getting dreary. Didn’t skim this last ep cos the action was good, but still can’t help feeling shortchanged.
Didn’t get much backstory on the eye-patched bugger (aside from that one ep) or the theater-club president, or that chick in the cage …. and that squid tale she told still doesn’t feel like it applies to any part of the actual storyline, though that’s probably just me not taking the show seriously….. oh, and Takuto’s cybody design never did it for me either. Way too….uhm …. French.
I’m kinda happy with the queer ending though (despite it being obviously rushed). That fickle Wako chick wasn’t really a fave of mine to begin with. I actually rated Takuto’s childhood friend higher (and she only got half an episode)
Oh? No final impressions? Well, I suppose the series speaks for itself…
Damnit Star Driver! I underestimated you! Argh! Great show after all and Im hoping for an OVA and or a two movie retelling alternate universe like Macross Frontier! Need resolution between Tokio and Takuto and no more love triangles!
I saw the last shot and thought Gundam 00.
Wow… great ending…
Can’t say I enjoyed every episode but this is definitely what I call ending with a bang!
I know the series premise prevents the characters from dying… but they should have at least gotten rid of the Head…
Would have been nice if Mizuno/Marino made a cameo appearance too 🙂
Takuto: Dad, I didn’t hit you hard enough the first time. Let me try again one more time.
omgg, i started screaming at the ending, coz i was expecting something more lovey at the end >_< u'no screw Wako,Takuto and Sugata should get together.
No epilogue?? Maybe the BD release will have one. Otherwise, we are all left unfairly hanging.
Predictable ending but still good–although I was hoping Tauburn would absorb the Kiraboshi member’s Cybodies and powerup to deal the final blow but..oh well 😛
Horrible series is finally over. Bones, please go back to making quality series like FMA and not the borefest GOSICK or this mecha crap.
When it comes to mecha-cum-romance animes, BONES never really reached the heights they achieved with RahXephon, imho.
I miss the old BONES. I started rewatching Kurau: Phantom Memory a few weeks ago (it’s airing on TV where I live) and I seriously wish they made more shows like that.
its because BONES loves to take risk. they like doing different kind of shows with each season. they don’t stick w/ what they do they best, or with something that they already made success with cause they want the people to see that they are also capable of doing different kind of shows.,in short, they like to experiment, a lot ^^
Though to my personal opinion, yeah you’re quite right, but for me the other one that stood out than Rahxephon was Eureka7, Xamdou was in a close fight in my opinion since it’s also quite good but it lacks something at the end >_Star Driver IMHO.
To give them credit, it was a good series. Just that they messed up the ending :/
What kind of closing is that after all that she is still undecided. It probably a stunt to get people to buy the dvds/blurays. Hopefully there is a dvd special episode to give a proper conclusion.
Final Impressions where?? Star Driver is finally over! good series! Loved every ep as it was fabulous.
Final Impression? or is there a bonus or OVA to finish this up? I went with the flow in this episode, my main thoughts were still about Mizuno thinking the island was a curse finally undone with the results of Samekh, so this ending was acceptable.
Finally this show is over.
Maybe BONES can go back to making a better mecha series.
if anything it was a very pretty and entertaining end 🙂
A fabulous finale to a very good series. I agree with everyone an epilogue would be nice but I seriously doubt Wako would actually decide on a boy at this moment.
I really look forward to your final impressions Divine. For me, shows like this is what really makes anime a unique genre which continues to entertain me after nearly two decades. Live action or CG would make a series like this seem stupid as hell but as an anime it actually makes it work beautifully. If anime existed solely for the purpose of a mech anime with elements of intrigue, mystery, romance, comedy, action and friendship, I’ll be happily be watching it for the rest of my life while singing Monochrome in the back of my head.
Ending was good but like to abrupt. They ended with Takuto and Sugata stuck in space after destroying Samekh. Where is the glimpse of life returning back to normal after all that. What is his father upto after all that because all his life he was working on taking cotrol of Samekh.
（<ゝω・）☆ KIRABOSHI!
It is interesting that the anime i had least expectation for ended up with the best final battle. The only anime in this season that was able to show how overpowering the final boss is.
Oh god, I want a special BD ep with Takuto leaving the island now that his work is done, no more cybodies and all that jazz. And Sugata is still around to protect Wako. There’s so many chicks out there for Takuto to win over with his fabulous shinning galaxy to stay on some small island in the middle of??? Hell where is the island at anyways?
Sugata’s “Live on” to Keito –> reminded me of Lelouch’s “Live on” to Kallen XD
same seiyuu, too. found that tidbit interesting XD
It was good but it feels too incomplete, bunch of questions with no answers, like alot of anime good way to set up a 2nd season which never shows.
well, it was alright…..but by no means good enough to be in my archives, NEXT!!!!!!!
Wow, one of the greatest final episodes I’ve ever seen. Action and emotion on an unprecedented level for the series. Overall it was a very satisfying ending storywise as well, although some closure in the romance department would have been welcome.
Overall, an amazingly fabulous way to end the series!
dang…the ep was great. Lots and lots of plot twists and action scenes…but I kinda feel like it wasn’t tied together all that well. But I guess that’s ok, we know what will happen given the ending they implied lol. I seriously don’t know how Takuto beat Samekh…guess thats how the show been the whole time.
Ummm, aren’t they kinda still stuck in space? Not sure how Tauburn would handle reentry in that state. With her seal broken, Wako now has the freedom to leave the island also. Was still hoping that Takuto’s mom would come back and confront Head.
The bulk of the series had enough moments to make it interesting, but I definitely wouldn’t regard Star Driver as a stand out piece.
Nonetheless, they made the ending pretty solid. Takuto vs Samekh, after it seemed like Sugata would sacrifice himself after all, made for a really epic finally and hit the tone the series had been riding all along. It didn’t tie all the loose ends together (No epilogue). But then again I think epilogues get overused and some of the better endings leave a few questions.
Needs moar pink twins
KIRABOSHI o＜>∀・)
Amazing finale. Although I felt there was too many things left unsaid at the end. Beyond that though it was great.
Dazzling your Mind, Ginga Kiraboshi!
IT’S A ENNNNNNNNNND!
lmao, this finale kept tossing me everywhere not letting me focus on what’s going on at all.First, we get Captain Planet with Kiraboshi, then we see Tokio grit his teeth (lol), and then we get on with the G-Gundam fight in space,
This Raidiance of mine glows with an awesome power!Its dazzling light tells me to defeat you!TAKE THIS! MY LOVE, MY ANGER, AND ALL OF MY SORROW! SHINING TAUBURN SWORRRRRDDDD!!! GO! GO! GO!!!”
And then we get the, “See that Sugata?” “What’s that Takuto?” “Change”.
Btw, I knew they’d throw in Monochrome, you just can’t end it without it!
Gundam fight? That’s a disgrace. Gundam fights are copying off Cybodies!
Tauburn would step on a Gundum!
LOL i want to call BS, but I have no way of telling :p.
KIRABOSHI! “What are you, twelve?” LMAO!
I’ve never seen such odds put against a protagonist! OMG I wanted to scream Takuto too!! LOL GodDAMN that was EPIC!
I want a Takuto AcTioN FiGuURRr!!!1!
TakutoxWakoxSugata should go on a double date with RankaxAltoxSheryl, they’d have a lot to talk about too.
I enjoyed this ride, but I’d want an actual CLOSING for it ToT
KIRABOSHI!
and akira ishida enjoys playing the rapist here
why it’s so familiar? lol
Funny how Takuto is the one to “break” Wako’s seal. *Wink* *Wink*
I will miss you Star Driver, Sunday nights will be boring once again. ~
I have watched Gundam shows, Macross shows, Infinite Stratos, and now this. Samekh reminded me of the Destroy Gundam from that terrible tragedy of a (clip)show. I have really enjoyed Star Driver and am actually happy with out an OVA. This open endedness allows for one to create your own ending. My eyes went funny with all the flashing lights and bright colors, but that was expected. Other mecha anime creators should learn something from this.
Anyone else notice how Wako had PILES like Takuto? It seems to me that there was a reason for that.
No, they NEED an epilogue. It was a good series, but now what? They float into space for eternity? I mean yes, all Cybodies are now destroyed thanks to Sugata blowing them to hell and Takuto destroying Samekh and Tauburn in the process, but come on. Yes wako loves them both, but you can still show us where that takes them. Not to mention she can actually leave the islnad now and pursue her DREAM. Does Takuto’s father age and die finally since zero time is gone? Does sugata’s marriage mean completely nothing. Good finale, but leaving it like this is HORRIBLE planning, especially cause it was son detailed that even if you DO leave it up to fan speculation, its nearly impossible. Please make an OVA ;-;
So that was it? Very Rushed
It’s a very pity to conclude a greater potential plot in less than 5 episodes. The thing that bothered me was I was expecting to see Tauburn with a arm ripped on some point, but to see Takuto beating the crap of Team Rocket – Fabulous Division nearly unscathed was a little frustrating and left me without anything to be impressed, even Utena got hurt on some of her duels. Every episode giving bits of plot development and characters. although they seemed to have a bigger role, they were reduced to background fodder. That applies the same way to the mechs, because of the “robot of the week” scheme they aren’t very remarkable: “HAR HAR HAR, die Ginga Bishonen – Oh no! I’ll have my revenge” Rinse and repeat. Quick, tell me 5 names of the defeated Cybodies without referring to Wikipedia or reviewing the episodes.
Many of you think it was great, I won’t argue with that. To me, the last episode was a final effort to question if the series worth watch it after struggling with 24 episodes of the same.
…and i’m still questioning me about that.
it ended quite good.
would have liked to see an epilogue with the other minor characters but this is fine.
I like how it swapped with diff kinds of ways in ending and their intentions:
it changed from “control the world”, to “destroy the world”, to “live forever”, to “heroic sacrifice”, and finally to “everyone has a good ending”.
I wish they had shown what happened to the girl from the play and the talking fox. With this all the cybodies have been destroyed and Wako is free! Plus Takuto can summon the only cybody left on planet Earth. I wonder if real mark owners can still regenerate their cybodies now that zero time is gone.
If you think about it, Sarina and Reiji’s conversation from episode 22 does kind of foreshadow the open ending…
Reiji: Did you write that play? It ended in the right place.
Reiji: If the story kept going, it would have been a tragedy.
Sarina: I think that’s up to the audience to decide.
Here’s why I like Star Driver so much. On the surface, it’s a monster of the week/mecha/slice of life sort of anime, but it has hints of a much deeper storyline if you choose to look for it. It seems like people who don’t see this are the ones who end up disappointed.
I want more of an epilogue… I wonder if they will release an OVA in the DVD or BD specials, a slice if life episode on the island will be FABULOUS!!!
Thoroughly entertaining ending, and overall I did like the series as well. It did feel like the Zero Time stuff didn’t really mean too much in the middle, but the finale pretty much explains everything.
I would like an epilogue, though not for the love triangle resolution. I want to see more Mizuno, Sakana, and the Glittering Crux Brigade to see how they deal with everything now. School life as usual just doesn’t seem like something they could do after all that.
I think alot of people view this anime so negatively because it has a mix between pure slice of life/comedy/romance and romance/mecha/shonen people dont like it when you do that they dont like it when you mix two amazingly different genres into one because they feel like neither has been developed enough.
The hardcore mecha fans will feel that they action was repetative and cartoony and think that the series could have been better
The full on romance fans will feel dejected that Wako didnt pick either of the two
Then there are the people who do enjoy the series, this is the audience that Stardriver caters to. People who love both catagories but got bored of the overly seriousness of most Mecha shows and got tired of the fact that they always knew who the main female would end up with. Stardriver manages to seamlessly blend the two catagories together in a show that knows it doesnt take itself too seriously and acts ridiculously repetative as a joke on itself and manages to stun its audience with blatantly over the top moves, the battles at the end of each episode were just mediums for takuto to reveal how fucking awesome he is and to promote his characteristics climaxing up to the finale.
BTW with Takuto’s line “I can still see it” i dont think it refers to the future isnt it the line hes been saying all along. “I can still see it, the radiance of the universe” i think was the unfinished line because what he wants to do and what he should do are the same thing, this is most prominent when he breaks Wako’s seal because he still wants to save Sugata and free Wako from the island and that he still retains his main character mentality that everyone should be saved no matter who they are, through this mentality he believes that this is the right thing to do
Let me list the things I would like to see in an epilogue
Old Head.
Previous maidens either returning to the island or just a glimpse of them somewhere.
Takuto’s Mother (possibly confronting Old Head)
Entropeople…
Keito and Wako singing together (no hard feelings)
Finally the trio on the beach where it all began.
Nekketsu power for the win!!!! Go nekketsu hero, you can achieve anything as long as you scream loud enough!!!
since no one want to troll one particular pic…
“Liftoff of the Space Shuttle Samekh.”
…
on the other hand, after seeing the subbed version (getting trolled on the ED by the fansub…again), I think I can hypothesize that Takuto’s first phase to being able to counter what his opponents would do, since his attitude towards a lot of things (ie smile face 24/7) was before the mark…and the fact he kept saying that he “can still see it”.
She feels for being helplessly in love with both Sugata and Takuto.
I don’t think this will cause any prob. Sugata is just want her axx!.
And so it ends. Me thinks it was good series overall with a solid ending.
Well played Star Driver. Definitely not an epic level ending, but was a good ride that I was satisfied with in the end.
The intro episodes followed by the formulaic zero time battles really turned me off and I entertained dropping it a few times. Then sometime in the Mizuno arc I realized it had become one of the shows I was looking forward to most weekly.
The last quarter had really strong episodes that utilized all the draggy character buildup from the first half to show all the subtle changes their interactions had on one another. Even so, it still wasted so much time on nonsense in the first half that could have gone to fleshing out all the really interesting stuff that only got a few episodes devoted to it.
I’m still not a Wako fan, but that confirmation scene with Takuto to break her seal and when she apprivoised to save him from the crazy chick left me ok with her harem ending. Mostly because it feels like that’s what Takuto and Sugata would want for a while anyway after all that happened.
Thanks for picking up the blogging on this Divine when you already had a full plate. As you mentioned, I’m looking forward to a re-watch to appreciate what the first half was building up to.
I really wanted to like this show, but I couldn’t stand it. I always try to finish things that I start so I did so with this show. I really don’t get it though. The plot had no surprises, every episode followed almost the exact same format to the point where I never once felt any amount of concern for Takuto, the plot had gaping holes (durr we can’t recognize anyone once they put a mask on), the “bad” guys (as pointed out by the “real” bad guy) at the end were absurdly dim witted, the main characters (Takuto especially) had this whole “golly gee wizz” vibe to an insane extent…etc.etc.etc.
I’m really not trying to knock anyone who enjoyed this show, I’m all for digging whatever you dig, I just…I just really really did not get the appeal of this show. I feel like it had a lot of promise, and a lot of cool possibilities (especially with the confrontation between father and son) and they were just completely squandered.
I think it’s kind of like how some movies are so bad, they’re good. But in this case, everything was so over-the-top that it was awesome. Hence, fabulous = star driver.
This last episode really summed what I liked about this series: great visuals, music…and I dunno, this youthful adrenaline? It’s sort of like how Head was saying that youth think that with spirit they can overcome anything. A suspension of disbelief is what you need, I guess.
I just got one thing to say: I think Star Driver deserves a movie version.
Thank you, Divine.
What about the whole vice president and alien girl sub plot? That was touched on in the play episode but nothing ever came of it. Seems like a pretty big deal that there were some kind of galactic overseers watching the events of this island.
Why was Takuto the only one who got a makeover in Zero time?
fabulous. but no sugataXtakuto end is disappointing lol.
A fine ending for me. If this goes on without an announcement for an epilogue, then this anime might stick in my mind for a full year.
It sure was a great ending.
Im more of the end+epilogue kind of guy. I hope a great epilogue from them, it would be very smart for them to focus the epilogue on wako’s now possible departure from the island, it’d be amazing =D
Star Driver X Code Geass R2 X Gundam Seed Destiny comparison
Star Driver (Good ending route) Code Geass R2 (Sacrificial ending route) Kira saved Crybaby
Sugata/Lelouch – Jun Fukuyama
Keito/Kallen – Ami Koshimizu
Sugata said to Keito “Live On”, same thing that happened when Lelouch told Karen to Live on.
That sure was one flashy episode (which I should have expected) with a lot of twists. It really did have me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next and the music really did help to enhance it all. But I thought that if all the maidens’ seals is broken, the elements are suppose to go crazy on cross island or something?
As for my impression for the whole series, to put it in a few words: Entertaining, but disappointing.
Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the show but I think it had so much more potential if only they had better pacing.
I remember with the first episode, the slice of life aspect to it had me really interested and then the whole thing 180’d and I got really confused. I wasn’t sure if I would continue with it or not but hearing ‘Fabulous!’ and ‘Kiraboshi!’ everywhere made me decide to give it a chance, which I’m glad I did.
The main thing which made this show disappointing for me were the formulaic: character/bad guy of the week, plus zero time battle at the end.
Which would’ve been fine if what everyone was saying about how the director (?) did that with another show and then broke the mold, but except for a few instances that didn’t happen. Honestly, the episodes that didn’t have a zero time battle were the best ones.
I also feel that even though they spent the time to get to know the whole cast of characters, what was the point in the end. I seriously thought that Takashi was going to have a bigger role being hinted at that he has a real mark, him fighting Takuto 3 times, but even when he joined Vanishing star, he did nothing. And then he just went back to Adult Bank. They really did make him, Simone, and Kanako more interesting but never pursued that subplot.
Really, I think instead of spending time on the forgettable drivers of Vanishing age, they should have expanded on the characters they already have. Which reminds me, what was with them just having no one wondering what happened to Mizuno/Marino. They just leave the island in the end, oh well. They also introduce the interesting tidbit that Sarina and the vice-president are aliens, and just leave it at that.
That’s the main problem I have with Star Driver. There were sooooo many subplots that could have been explored, but they just get introduced and thrown away. Even with the small explanation of, ‘Oh good job destroying all the cybodies, b/c now they’re all my slaves.’ does that really justify having those episodic battles?
My last bit of grief with this show was the whole not explaining anything explicitly, like the whole phases deal, and why everyone knows about this ginga bishounen when he shows up. All the explanation seems to be given in passing, which may be more realistic since the characters already know what’s going on, but for a viewer like myself, it always makes me feel like i’m on the outside.
But despite all my complaints I did enjoy the show for what it was. It didn’t turn out to be an awesome anime for me, but it’s definitely something I wouldn’t mind watching again. Even just for the visuals and maiden songs.
In fact, the director of Star Driver is the same of Utena. That’s why I found a slight foul taste of “I’ve seen this flashy entrance/fighting sequence before” in the battles.
Due to this last episode, the overall theme I’ve gotten from Star Driver is “Bros before hoes, no matter how FABULOUS.”
That’s enough for me to consider this anime a win.
WAHAHAHA!! TakutoxSugata ending! XD The first time I laid my eyes on this anime, it has “DEFINITELY For Mei-chan” label all over it! I love how everyone of the characters here have DEPTH. Even the silly things they do have some deep reason behind it! i.e. Having an alligator in the pool, kissing through the glass, pretty boy obsession, having 2 servants, impersonating an idol in karaoke lmfao
I’m with Wako, I cannot choose who I want! Both is too good to pass up (even if Takuto was the main character)!! This is one of my favorite animes!! yeah~!!!
For a second, I had this feeling they might condense it into a movie or two while adding new scenes (like an actual ending) but an extra episode would be nicer too. XD
(Also, (since I didn’t get to say it the first time) Takuto’s Falcon Punch (x2!) towards his dad was win)
Also, I was left wondering at the end of this series, how the fudge did Sakana-chan even know the story about the cybodies? Or was that passed on with all the miko lore?
So I really liked the ending, with the songs playing, especially monochrome, remember what I said, every nice mecha anime gotta end with the theme song playing during the final battle.
Also I wasn’t that much surprised with any of the twists, but I think it’s because I’ve watched episode 21~25 yesterday and just now, in this short time lapse, I immediately noticed how Sugata’s behavior changed after the theater play, so I guessed he had some plan. I was thinking he did this to destroy Samekh once and for all instead of resealing it though. But Takuto destroyed it in the end so that actually went as I expected.
Also I don’t think there will be any special or OVA, the series felt pretty conclusive to me at least. But I agree they were many things which didn’t got explained, I noticed how many they were by reading the other comments. I’m satisfying myself by thinking that at least the things which were explained makes sense. I think the other things just weren’t what they were focused on in this finale. I don’t know how to say it exactly but what I mean is they just got back home and continued living their lives together.
Also, I don’t know if I ever said it but I never found Star Driver fabulous. I must be weird or something. Of course I know fabulous is mostly used in a sarcastic way to say how things were over the top sometimes, but I just don’t feel like it was actually over the top.
Hmmm, Now that I think about it, maybe I’d like an epilogue if it’s 20 minutes of Sakana and Sarina singing Monochrome… I love Sakamoto Maaya and Tomatsu Haruka…
I found the episodic nature of this show difficult to get into at first, and very nearly gave it up. It wasn’t until I had a bunch of about 5 or 6 unwatched episodes sitting on my PC which I decided to marathon one night that I finally started to really enjoy it. Glad I decided to keep watching. It’s not an incredible show by any stretch of the imagination but it had enough to hold my attention up until the final (admittedly pretty awesome!) episode.
I kept expecting to see images flash while all those credits rolled or something a bit more than the one shot afterwards… ARGH. I need something more concrete. If nothing else, how the heck are Takuto and Sugata getting planetside?
Great series.
Hopeful for a second season – however unlikely it may be.
The ending was very abrupt, everything happens very fast, but at least the animation didn’t disappoint with this action packed finale. It’s a shame they didn’t do an epilogue though as I’m really interested in what happened to the characters after all the events that happen, oh well, this is what we get. Overall I think Star Driver a great series, things started slow and boring but progressively gets better with the introduction of newer characters and arcs. I’ll rate this series 8-9 🙂
Hun, so that it? After all that build up, we get an ending with a villain, eager to hit the end world button. Only so that he can hit the reset button later. Kind of a abrupt wtf twist they threw in there at the end. Then again they really didn’t explain why they were trying to break the seals till the end anyway, so i guess that sorta puts things into perspective.
I don’t really mind the ‘love triangle’ wasn’t resolved, since i found the Wako character to be rather bland and uninteresting overall. Though with the fan club each of the main male characters had, (Takuto’s being larger of course) Why didn’t neither of them made an attempt to get with any of them, instead both going after a girl who doesn’t mind being shared. O.o
I realized something just earlier, Wako would probably be considered a Yakuza boss since not only does she have a “wife” but an “official mistress” as well. XD You two-timer, you.
Def. one of the most entertaining anime I’ve watched in a while. And yeah i agree, It feel a little abrupt and rushed while Im at it. And for that reason i think it would have been much more amazing if the last episode had been an HOUR special. Then it would have been utterly perfect. Do Im not hating lol. I will def miss this series.
if this is the end,than i`m very disappointed.hopefully there will be second season.
The plot itself was rather deep, but kept in the dark..only the outermost layer seemed to be depicted. There is so much more to say, but it is Shounen after all…wouldn’t be right if the show itself dragged on. Could totally turn into a Seinen.
Been quite enjoyable. Character development, flashy animation, appropriate and beautiful music. There’s nothing wrong, in my opinion, for Wako to remain undecided. In fact, I believe it’s better..because they’d remain a trio and not [possibly] turn into a duo. Well..no epilogue kinda blows, I guess, could’ve bothered showing us the cast enjoying their normal lives. Especially the two guys in Filament..they’re actually really nice(personality).
Great, but not good enough to be tagged a masterpiece.