Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we arrive at Southern Cross Isle in a moment of crisis, with Kiraboshi having at last discovered the identity of their missing shrine maiden. Though Marino did everything she could to hide the secret identity of her sister, the fact that she denied seeing any western maiden with Ayingot’s eyes nonetheless gave the game away. All of the maidens are assigned within a year of the king’s birth, so if Marino can’t see the western maiden, that simply means she’s lying – and who, if not Mizuno, would Marino be lying to protect?
As such, I imagine Mizuno will soon be drawn into the active Kiraboshi drama, and be forced to grapple with greater obstacles than finding the courage to smooch Takuto. I’m eager to see how integrating Mizuno into that side of the narrative will change our overall group dynamic, and also keeping close tabs on Sugata’s evolving relationship with the newly reinstated Head. All signs seem to point to an approaching act two climax, so let’s not waste a moment more, and dive back into the evolving drama of Star Driver!
Episode 15
“Shrine Maidens of the Seals.” Yep, seems we’re directly addressing Mizuno’s situation
Man, this show has downgraded from a Never Skip-tier OP to an Hearing This Once Was Enough-tier OP. What a shame
We open on a thematically charged image: that nest outside of the boy’s bathroom, now empty since the hatchlings flew away. Bonding over this bird’s nest was essentially the first memory Takuto and Mizuno shared, meaning seeing it empty now offers a quiet implication that Takuto and Mizuno’s bond has also grown, and that they might be ready to leave the emotional nest of these high school games
It’s wild that so many anime simply don’t engage in significant visual storytelling. You’d think that’d be a given for a visual medium, but so many shows simply don’t bother with employing meaningful visual motifs, or even purposeful layouts and blocking
“I’m so glad that my debut performance is going to be with you, Takuto.” Ooh, I love the specificity of this phrasing. She’s obviously talking about the play, but given the play in question involves a kiss between them, this phrasing also emphasizes how these teens’ expressions of romance or young adulthood are also a sort of performance, an attempt to try on a more mature self and see how it fits. An idea echoed through many other concepts in this show, like Kanako’s “kiss through glass” performances
As always, Mizuno is far more forward than Takuto, and asks if they can “rehearse” the kiss
Down on at the ferry, a woman who appears to be Mizuno and Marino’s mother has arrived at the island
“Mizuno just finds me amusing, the same as that crow and the Class President, you know?” Takuto’s obliviousness knows no bounds. This shtick has a limited appeal; being too innocent to see romance staring you in the face might work for a while, but even Wako seems like she’s tiring of his puppy dog affectation
She rightfully steals his ice cream and storms off
Meanwhile, Sugata’s taking more classes at the school of bad influences, where Head informs him that the leadership position of the Kiraboshi first brigade, Emperor, has been left vacant just for him
Some interesting comments from Head here. In response to Sugata raising his arm to summon the King’s Pillar, Head states that “no warrior emblem can defeat me,” and then that “I also consider the Ginga Bishounen an ally.” Presumably that second statement is just a lie of omission – by “ally” he just means that Takuto is in some way crucial to his plans, perhaps through how he disrupts the operations of Head’s rivals within Kiraboshi
Regardless of what he says, Head possesses such profound Akio Utena vibes that it’s impossible to believe he has any good intentions
And as with the other paintings, this new composition is signed with a single “R,” hinting at whatever Head’s true identity might be
At a bus stop, a woman recognizes the twins’ mother Fujino. Fujino immediately asks this woman for some money
The lighting of the twins’ bedroom creates another natural contrast between them, the moon bathing Mizuno in light while leaving Marino in shadow. That does seem to define their relationship: Marino does so much in the shadows to ensure Mizuno can dance happily in the light
In the Vanishing Age lounge, the whole team aside from Marino has been assembled
“Girls who are no good at lying… they’re so sweet and endearing, aren’t they?” Yeah, those Akio vibes are right on. Not only is Head demeaning Marino’s efforts to be her sister’s strong protector, he’s framing that derision in explicitly patriarchal, paternalistic terms, and treating her like a childish dependent. This whole Vanishing Age team seems to really enjoy their misogyny
Really interesting, purposeful framing as the bus comes to a stop with Mizuno on top, and our usual trio to its side. The layouts frame Wako as a sort of borderline separating Takuto and Sugata, while Mizuno is shot from below such that she’s directly above Wako, implying a line of symmetry or role inheritance between them
“We’re going to bet on our next practice match. If you win, I’ll call off my engagement with Wako. From now on, you should accompany her under that umbrella.” It appears Head’s encouragement is giving Sugata the confidence to push back against his assigned role, which is in theory a good thing
And Takuto actually takes the challenge! Of course, knowing him, I assume he’s accepting the challenge because Manly Friendship Battle, and isn’t even fully parsing the Wako part
Sadly, Mizuno is far less of an idiot than Takuto, and is heartbroken by this announcement. Classic trick of the rain sending lines of faux-tears down her cheeks
“I was afraid that someone might have figured out you’re a shrine maiden.” So Mizuno does know of her own nature, at least
“Illusions that don’t fade away are reality.” Marino means these words to assure Mizuno that if they keep lying about Mizuno’s identity it will become the truth, but these words also seem ominously relevant to Marino’s use of Ayingot’s eyes, wherein she didn’t see herself in any of Mizuno’s memories. Is Marino herself an illusion that became reality?
And then their mother knocks out the door, but crucially only calls out for Mizuno
In spite of her previous encouragement to live in a lie, Marino urges Mizuno to confront their mother, and prove to themselves the truth of their feelings
“How could you know what I’m feeling deep inside? Don’t play the big sister, and stop talking like you know everything!” Given how much time has gone into establishing the relationship between these two sisters, it feels like it’d be an odd choice to make it all just some sort of Cybody-inspired doppelganger situation
Down at the docks, Mizuno runs into our mermaid girl Mami. I think this might be the first time we’ve actually gotten her name, poor girl
Mizuno attempts to leave the island altogether in order to flee her mother, but then wakes up the same morning back in her bed. So it seems shrine maidens truly can’t leave the island – but what are we supposed to make of Mizuno’s initial arrival, then? She was stepping off the ferry as the blue-haired shrine maiden left, but now states that “this will be my first time on the mainland.” What is up with these sisters?
A few more cycles prove she physically cannot leave. Mizuno’s understandably perturbed about all this, but I’m frankly happy to see her lacking her usual confidence. She seemed to possess an almost otherworldly calm about the mechanics of Southern Cross, but these sequences are proving she’s clearly a victim of this system, and not some secret mastermind
Wako runs into Mizuno sobbing at the pier. Apparently, she could actually sense that Mizuno was attempting to leave the island
Wako and her guardian offer to protect Mizuno, but then she is discovered by Kate!
And Done
Well, it’s certainly happening! Mizuno’s happiness and security have been stolen right out from under her, and I imagine she’ll be roped into Southern Cross’s zero time shenanigans by the end of next episode. We received a variety of interesting breadcrumbs this episode, with both Head and Marino’s words offering some intriguing clues regarding this island’s nature. The big question, and one I dearly hope the show is answering sooner rather than later, is what is up with Marino’s altered memories? The idea that Marino is some kind of Cybody-born illusion seems preposterous on its face, both because of her many personal connections and also because it’d simply be awkward storytelling, but I’m not sure what else to draw from this episode’s ambiguous presentation of their relationship. Alright then, on to the next episode!
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