Hello friends, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I am basically inconsolable, as my favorite character in Star Driver has picked up roots and left for the coast, perhaps never to be seen again. That’s right, our former shrine maiden Mizuno has left Southern Cross Isle, taking my heart and her inconsistently defined spirit sister alongside her. Where I once might have hoped Mizuno would actually take over this narrative in its second half, I can now only gaze regretfully out towards her retreating ferry, clinging to the memories we shared.
All right, that’s more than enough of that. Anyways, with Mizuno and Head’s blue-haired maiden out, it would appear we’re now down to Kate and Wako as the last remaining shrine maidens. Considering Kiraboshi’s repeated attempts to recruit Sugata, I’m guessing they intend him, bearer of the King’s Pillar, to “unlock” Wako’s shrine gate, echoing their formal engagement via the island’s unique mechanical properties. Of course, given Kate has always loved Sugata and resented Wako, I imagine she has some private plans to interfere with the inevitability of Sugata and Wako as a couple; considering she herself is also a shrine maiden, I’m guessing she’ll attempt to replace Wako in some way. With fault lines widening both within and beyond Kiraboshi, I’m eager to see how the narrative evolves in this third act. Let’s get to it!
Episode 17
“Vanishing Age,” Marino’s former unit, now presumably returned to Head
We open on Head staring down at a bedridden figure, who the doctor states “may awaken soon.” Seems we still have a piece or two to introduce before the stage is set for the finale
Elsewhere, a man in a monocle is receiving a presentation on the key players from Simone’s sister Mylene. So presumably this is Kanako’s husband
Meanwhile, our main gang are enjoying an idle day at the beach. No surprise that we’re getting a bit of a tonal reset for the main crew after the theatrics of last episode. Star Driver’s always been a marriage of lighthearted adolescent drama and apocalyptic theater, and leaning back into the slice of life stuff is an excellent way to maintain that union while also setting up a fresh upward curve of tension for the third act, much in the way episodes like the baseball one achieved for the second act
Ruri relates her own romantic adventures to Wako, which ultimately serves to reassert our original love triangle, and Wako’s need to choose between Takuto and Sugata
Two new girls approach, and challenge the gang to a beach volleyball game
“If we win, you’ll agree to rent us that Mascot Boy of yours.” Please do not call him that
“I’m gonna win this and have Takuto spread oil on me too!” Ruri just cannot help herself. I’m glad this drama reset is giving her a chance to celebrate her endlessly horny self
We learn these new girls’ names are Ko and Madoka
Lots of terrific expression work for this episode, as befitting a goofy cooldown episode at the beach. Interestingly, this is the only episode of Star Driver directed by Takahiko Kyogoku, who’d go on to direct both Love Live! and Land of the Lustrous. On the other hand, the storyboarder is Michio Fukuda, Star Driver’s most consistent storyboarder, who also unsurprisingly handled the storyboard for the nurse episode
Ko and Madoka are an interesting pair; it seems they’re intentionally playing up Madoka’s classical femininity (long curled hair, big boobs) versus Ko’s androgyny (short hair, athletic body type, deeper voice). Given this show’s general focus on conservative gender expectations, I can’t imagine that’s a meaningless choice
The newcomers win, prompting Ruri to make some truly extraordinary expressions of disappointment
Over at Kiraboshi, the leaders discuss their plans to find the Eastern Shrine Maiden, and Head announces he already knows who it is
“Once the 4th phase is reached, it can be said that driver becomes the Cybody itself. It’s the evolution of a new, true human being. And while that in itself is a cause for celebration, the Cybodies are unable to leave zero-time… if that driver, having become one with his Cybody, cannot disable the apprivoiser state, he will be in danger of being trapped within zero-time.”
So they need to disable the third and fourth gates at the same time, thus prompting this evolution and destroying zero-time at once
Benio challenges Head regarding his true emblem, to which Head responds by blowing up the electric biers
From 3rd phase on, only pilots with true emblems can pilot Cybodies. And of course, all of Head’s Vanishing Age subordinates just so happen to possess true emblems. Quite the coup he’s attempting here
Unsurprisingly, Ko and Madoka both appear as new members of Vanishing Age, alongside Takeshi
My god, what are their costumes, why do they have friggin’ nipple gauges
Head claims the victory he achieves will benefit all of Kiraboshi, but it’s hard to take him seriously from atop this platform he literally designed to rise up and tower over his fellow captains
Back in the Vanishing Age lounge, Takeshi immediately urges caution in the wake of this revolution, stating that they’ll still need financial and tech support. It does seem like antagonizing all of their allies with the mission only half complete was a less than prudent call, and this might have been more about Head’s perpetual need to express domination over others
Madoka volunteers to go up against Takuto!
Madoka and Ko hold hands as they watch the sunrise, each dressed in characteristic sleepwear: Madoka in a see-through negligee, Ko in a t-shirt and boxers. Through both their presentation and their presumed relationship, these two seem to push against the conservative paradigm championed by Kiraboshi, making me wonder exactly what their plans are
Of course, that’s hardly unusual for Kiraboshi members; as we’ve already seen, neither Kanako nor Benio seem loyal or even sympathetic to Kiraboshi’s philosophy
With Mizuno gone (sob), it falls to our eastern shrine maiden Kate to sing out the transition into zero-time
Wako continues her string of unfortunate zero-time summonings, this time appearing with only her shrine visit bathrobe
Like Takuto, Madoka actually merges with her Cybody – and she even announces herself as a “Ginga Bishonen,” further rebelling against gender expectations. If anyone who merges with their Cybody is considered a “Ginga Bishonen,” then Madoka will simply embrace that as a title available to anyone, rather than hold back from achieving the 3rd Phase
I love the brutality and weight of this battle. Rather than the elegant exchanges of blows or feats of agility that defined previous battles, this fight is all about bringing your Cybody’s full weight to bear on your opponent in slash after slash. The fight choreography emphasizes the desperation of this battle, lending weight to Kanako’s words when she says that Takuto has never before been backed into a corner to the point where he actually has to kill his opponent
Sugata uses the King’s Pillar, but it appears to have no effect at this phase. Jeez, that pillar sure went from “world-threatening explosive power” to irrelevance in no time
Takuto projects himself forward as a kind of beam attack, snagging Madoka’s piloting center from her Cybody without actually killing her. I like how we’re clearly seeing a progression of Takuto’s unity and interchangeability with Tauburn in the 3rd phase
And Done
Jeez, that was a wildly info-stuffed episode! There was so much revealing and explaining that I frankly didn’t have too much to dig into craft-wise, but that certainly makes sense for the introductory episode of the show’s third act. With Mizuno’s drama behind us, it appears Head’s new allies and bold coup will be driving the drama as we proceed, at least until Kate takes center stage. Personally, I’m hoping for at least one more episode of ridiculous school shenanigans (don’t we still have a play coming up?), but regardless, I’m eager to charge onward into Star Driver’s final act!
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