Hello folks, and welcome on back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am beyond eager to get back to Star Driver, whose narrative is currently being invaded by a rampaging Mizuno. After appearing as a brief figure of mystery two episodes ago, this most recent episode saw Mizuno crushing hard on Takuto, forcefully inserting herself into the drama department, and ultimately revealing her status as one of Southern Cross’ legendary shrine maidens. In a mere twenty minutes, she has charged through as much personal drama and lore shakeups as took the original cast half a dozen episodes, handling it all with a wave and a smile.
As my tone might indicate, I am all for this shakeup, and can’t wait to see what Mizuno does next. In contrast with the relatively passive Wako, Mizuno seems to already be pushing Takuto out of his comfort zone, while simultaneously embodying a challenge to the conservative gender paradigm of the shrine maiden system. Her energy seems like a better match for Takuto’s own personality, and perhaps more than anything, she’s just plain fun to be around. Let’s see how Mizuno continues to resculpt this narrative, as we return to the fascinating Star Driver!
Episode 10
Aw shit, that is absolutely a baseball diamond in the episode thumbnail. Hell fucking yeah, BASEBALL EPISODE TIME
I’m guessing we’re in for a very fun string of episodes at the moment. With its variables established and first act complete, it feels like Star Driver is now willing to embrace a sense of undirected whimsy, and let its characters bounce off each other with less of an active mystery driving their actions
“And Now Marino’s First Love.” No, we don’t need any more love polygons! Get out of here, Marino!
Man, I love this OP, and not just because it harkens back to the early ‘00s Japanese pop-punk revival. The concept is unique yet iconic, the color design makes every moment pop, and the variations in Takuto’s running animation give it a very human sense of imperfect striving. Just the ideal intro to this abundantly youth-oriented show
We open on a memory of Mizuno and Marino sitting in a tree, staring up at a full moon. Even as young children, they were still defined by their signature hair styles, which in turn seem like they could indicate either rejection or acceptance of this island’s desired expression of femininity
Marino reflects that “the magical spells Mizuno taught me made me who I am”
But no time for memories, it’s the Sports Festival!
We jump to a speech by the school’s headmaster. Have we even seen him before? I assume he appeared briefly at the start, but given Southern Cross is one of those schools where a secret student council runs everything, I can’t imagine he has all that much to do
Like Utena and many, many similar shows, Star Driver essentially defines its setting as an isolated cradle of youth, meaning there are few or no adult characters present, and certainly not any who could act as a reasonable role model for adult behavior. In shows about emerging through adolescence to define your young adult self, the absence of positive adult role models forces characters to find their own identities, while tightening the dramatic focus to prevent this all from seeming a little myopic. To these characters in this space, adolescence and their fellow students are their whole world
Not just a baseball game, but a whole tournament. Oh, this show is spoiling us
“Class 1, Strawberry Stars, versus Class 2, Carrot Fighters.” Incredible team names
Takuto is Strawberry Stars’ pitcher, and he easily racks up his first strikeout. The ladies love him!
Meanwhile, Manticore’s subordinates are lurking around to get a look at their new leader
Mizuno is struck out with ease, but Marino is taking this seriously. As expected from the school’s star athlete, she hits it straight out of the park
Manticore’s subordinate Takeo seems intent on actually seducing his leader. He takes the mound as Carrot Fighters’ pitcher
“It’s been a while since the three of us were together, huh?” We receive a reminder of how Kate was actually quite close to Sugata and Wako as a child, essentially serving as the third member of their trio. That makes me quite curious as to how their relationship faded – was it because of her admission into Kiraboshi that she separated from them, or did she join Kiraboshi after feeling rejected by her childhood friends?
Uh oh! Takuto slams right into Marino at first base, prompting a classic face-to-chest meet-cute. Don’t you dare think about falling for him, Marino!
Takeo is clearly not happy about Takuto and Marino’s new closeness. He throws to Marino to keep Takuto’s base leading honest, doing his best to separate them through whatever tools baseball can provide
“Even your eyes are the same beautiful color.” Damnit Takuto, you’re making it worse!
Sugata hands Kate the bat, prompting her to jump a little. Right, Kate is also in love with Sugata, meaning she presumably broke away from the trio once she realized she couldn’t have him
A careful and purposeful cut of the exchange of the bat, with each of their hands animated as if they were reaching for the hand of a lover
And Kate takes a further moment to examine the bat at the plate, as if she’s appreciating the “indirect kiss” of that handoff
Hah! Frustrated with Takuto’s progress, Takeo seems to activate a Cybody power in order to strike him out. And so the Carrot Fighters claim victory
Absolutely delightful character acting for Mizuno as she greets Takuto after the game. Just so much personality in her movements, like how her shoulders arch back in pride at sharing her “magic spell,” and how she bounces on her feet, constantly shifting her weight from one hip to the next, as if she can’t help but jump for joy when speaking to Takuto. These animators are doing a wonderful job of visually capturing Mizuno’s giddiness about Takuto, and the playful energy she brings to basically every aspect of her life
Mizuno makes an odd distinction here, saying she “casts spells but does not use them”
Only Wako’s friend Ruri seems to appreciate the tense romantic battlefield that this diamond has become
Takeo meets up with Marino after the game, and reveals his true identity. He confirms he used his 1st Phase in the game
Back at home, Marino urges Mizuno to no longer teach people spells, saying that “they’re laughing at you on the inside.” This frankly just seems like Marino lashing out, punishing Mizuno for her closeness with Takuto both because it means their own relationship is less special, and also because she’s beginning to want Takuto for herself
Ah, here we go. Mizuno and Marino’s mother abandoned them in pursuit of some man, leaving Marino with an ingrained distrust of men overall, alongside a fierce instinct to protect her sister
In the wake of their mother’s abandonment, the actions of each sister reflect the differences between them: Mizuno is still dazzled by fireflies and generally enamored with the beauty of the world, while Marino sinks to the ground and hugs her knees, only lamenting the past. And of course, that’s when Mizuno taught her the “It’ll be okay” spell, something she thus considers to be a special prayer between them
Mizuno sings a song as she explores the island while Takeo prepares for battle. Even without realizing it, she is echoing the role performed by her shrine maiden predecessor, the caged girl who left the island just as she arrived
Takeo’s mech actually seems quite similar to the last enemy Takuto faced, except with its “cloak” fanned out instead of wrapped around it
Surprise surprise, Takeo’s unique power is a floating red orb that seems suspiciously reminiscent of a baseball
But Takuto rallies with the “It’ll be okay” spell, revealing his mech’s little skirt-frond-thing can actually separate into autonomous fighter units!
A quietly devastating ending line from Mizuno: “I don’t need magic powers to know what you’ll like, because you and I always end up liking the same thing!” Oof
And Done
Oh, these tangled webs we weave! I figured a baseball episode would result in a breezy vacation from all the ongoing drama, but instead, that diamond turned out to be its own field of battle, with romantic tension ratcheting up all across the cast. While Mizuno continues her wholesale takeover of Star Driver’s narrative, Marino is making some key plays of her own, and further complicating our understanding of the Kiraboshi organization. Personally, that one sequence of Mizuno expressing her feelings through her every look and gesture was likely my favorite moment; these animators are clearly playing favorites, and I am absolutely here for it. I can’t wait to see what chaos Mizuno wreaks next!
This article was made possible by reader support. Thank you all for all that you do.