Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I’m eager to get back into Star Driver, and finally see what this new act has in store for us. It’s currently pretty difficult to make any solid predictions as to this story’s trajectory, as the last episode resolved basically all of our immediate conflicts, while also finding time to seed in a couple new ones. It’s a brand new day on Southern Cross Isle, and I can’t imagine what Enokido has in store for us next.
For the moment, we can at least take stock of where last episode put us. Takuto and Sugata have resolved their disagreements through the Fists of Friendship, leaving our core trio repaired, and Sugata as the only person who’s activated the King’s Pillar and recovered. Meanwhile, the mysterious Order’s leader has lost his caged bird, having dismissed her in the wake of her challenging his desire to leave the island. This presumed shrine maiden has now left the island entirely, but in her wake, a new girl appears to have just arrived.
All of these changes seem to imply a shakeup is incoming, as the Order rethinks their tactics while their enemies solidify their bonds. This is a fairly common transition in Enokido compositions; after the first third or so of the story establishes a dynamic through repeated episodic routines, the second act opens with a rearranging of the narrative variables, challenging the audience on their understanding of this world and its attendant themes. Like his former collaborator Ikuhara, Enokido seems to enjoy using familiar narrative templates (in this case, a “mecha of the week” battle anime) to unusual ends, using the familiar to spotlight the new, while simultaneously challenging the moral assumptions of the original structure. With Star Driver’s first act behind us, let’s see what brave new paradigm emerges from the wreckage!
Episode 9
“That Mizuno’s First Love.” I assume Mizuno is the new girl? She’s certainly asserting herself quickly!
We open on The Boys maxing and relaxing again, enjoying Sugata’s ridiculously luxurious indoor hot springs
Interestingly, it’s Takuto who’s far more insecure about any girls seeing him in the bath, or really any mention of sexuality. Though Sugata is trapped within a conservative social order, expressions of sexuality that fall within that order are no big deal to him, whereas Takuto is socialized according to more general conventions of close contact between boys and girls always carrying some sexual charge. Because there is no threat of Sugata breaking from his overall role, he in some ways has a greater degree of freedom within it relative to Takuto’s self-assigned sexual anxieties
In the hallway, there’s another version of that familiar painted motif: a shrine maiden standing at the shore, staring out at the world she can never explore. It’s signed with an “R”
The dialogue’s deft enough to convey Takuto and Sugata’s return to normalcy without spelling it out; the mere fact that they’re both comfortable offhandedly mocking each other assuages Wako’s concerns
Yep, Mizuno’s the new girl, and she appears to have a similar-looking sister named Marino. Considering Enokido’s love of theatrical flourishes, as well as this story’s overall similarities to narratives like The Tempest (desert island, new society guided by mysterious dictates), I wouldn’t be surprised if he used these two for some classic Shakespearian identity mix-ups
The differences in their personalities is illustrated visually through their hairstyles: Mizuno has a short, spunky cut befitting her tomboy nature, while Marino has long, traditional hair to match her more meek and “ladylike” persona
They seem to be intentionally framing Mizuno as a parallel for Takuto, replacing his “I swam to the island” intro with her “I rode on top of the bus” update
She then charges into the boys’ bathroom, an act that further emphasizes her blurring of gender lines and general disinterest in conservative gender paradigms. Gosh, it is always a treat to be watching a show like this, where every fragment of visual vocabulary is chosen with such purpose!
She’s trying to save a baby bird. With Takuto beside her, the similarities between them are clearly underlined
“Kassuke says she won’t attack you or anyone.” And she can talk to animals! Mizuno really making the most of this introduction
It’s pretty much love at first sight, as Takuto saves a baby crow and Mizuno leaps immediately into his arms
Mizuno later runs into the fox mascot and terrifies him, a worrying sign for any potential friendship with Wako
Interestingly, Marino is beloved as a top athlete, while Mizuno is known as “Little Witch Girl Mizuno,” since she talks to animals and casts spells. Makes sense that the show would frame this girl who seems to flout basically all of Southern Cross’ social and gender conventions as a “witch,” a heretic at odds with their society
The theater society’s play is named “On the Eve of the Legend,” meaning it will presumably be performed at a time that coincides with some major island tradition
Upon seeing Takuto again, Mizuno immediately cozies up right next to him, paying no regards to social propriety. In this way in particular, it seems like she’s quite different from Takuto. He carries a lot of insecurities and social conditioning regarding being physically intimate with women, whereas Mizuno seems to have no concerns as to how anyone else will see or judge her, and is quite comfortable being physically close with men
She further emphasizes their closeness and her own unabashed nature by announcing that they “were together in the bathroom this morning”
Over at the latest Order meeting, Mizuno’s sister Marino introduces herself as the “new representative of the Second Brigade, Vanishing Age… Manticore”
Apparently Head, the member who just lost his caged maiden, will be taking some time off
She also announces herself to be general leader of the Order of the Cross, to boos all around
Her Cybody, “Ayingot,” allegedly was unusable when it formed, implying the regeneration of Cybodies is possible. Presumably this will inform Star Driver’s echo of Utena’s third act, when former opponents returned for their final battles
The fact that all of the Cybodies are framed as puppets on strings seems to imply there must be a puppet master behind them, some higher-level force we have yet to meet. Perhaps that force will tie in with Takuto’s grandfather
Apparently Vanishing Age has its own private lounge (complete with requisite shrine maiden painting), to which they have neglected to invite Manticore
“Does that mean she spent the night in ‘Ayingot’s Room?’” “Window Star said that no girl could possibly stand being in that room.” Interesting. Union with a Cybody clearly being framed as sexual consummation, though it seems to be specific to this Ayingot
The group collectively fail to heed Head’s warning that no one can defeat Tauburn at 2nd Phase, each of them clamoring to be the next combatant
Mizuno and Marino’s home outfits further emphasize their respective relationships to traditional gender identity: Mizuno is in a formless pair of overalls, emphasizing her androgyny and disrespect for gender convention, whereas Marino is wearing a traditionally feminine floor-length dress
With Sugata and Takuto now sparring in Sugata’s dojo, we now see some thematic significance in Tauburn’s two sword style. Even in that choice, Tauburn is rejecting tradition, shifting away from the single sword of kendo
In zero-time, we see that Takuto’s next opponent Stick Star wields an incredibly bulky Cybody, like a burly man in a massive black cloak
This opponent strikes with brutal, straightforward vertical blows, essentially serving as Takuto’s final exam against a kendo style opponent
There are fewer extravagant cuts in this fight, but the art design remains exceptional, hewing to that high-contrast style of full black shading and angular line art
A pointed scene transition away from the battle seems to imply that Mizuno is our Western Shrine Maiden. And Marino confirms this directly, while vowing to protect her sister
And Done
Oh man, we are moving in this second act! I was deeply curious about how this transition would change our base dynamic, and it appears the answer is “Mizuno is storming the narrative by force, and establishing herself as a new protagonist without delay.” That’s absolutely fine by me; while Takuto’s intrusions on island culture have generally come in the form of his Cybody battles, Mizuno seems to challenge this island’s conservative gender paradigm with her every word and action, serving as a charming irritant to everyone she comes across. She’s been an absolute delight so far, and considering the rest of the cast was almost too stunned by her energy to actually talk to her, I’m eager to see how she continues to complicate our main relationships. You get ‘em, Mizuno!
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