Surprisingly, there wasn’t some big new revelation or twist for Marino’s disappearance, but that things were exactly what most had been speculating for a few weeks now. That Marino was nothing more than a creation of Mizuno. The only thing this episode did to solve that puzzle was provide us with the details. Now did Mizuno create Marino mainly as a way to avoid dealing being abandoned by her mother or was it to avoid Zero Time. I don’t know, and at this point it doesn’t really matter as there are other questions to answer.

Crazy Old Guy

This episode finally gave us a little background on Takuto’s past, and much to my surprise, Takuto hasn’t always been as galactically pretty as he is now. There was that nice flashback scene with his old friend Natsuo living life to the fullest before he died to illness, but I really don’t understand how Takuto’s recollection of these events led him to the fourth phase. Furthermore, I don’t really understand what Mizuno was doing in Takuto’s flashback, but it did give her a chance to draw parallels between her life and his, and that she needed to face her fears rather than run away from them. Still, I don’t know what it had to do with Takuto beating Head.

Just like always

Don’t get me wrong, that fight between Takuto and Head was really interesting, and by far the best fight scene in the series thus far, but it feels like this show is only maintaining the status quo of having Takuto one phase ahead of the Glittering Cruz because the show doesn’t know what it wants to do. It will be interesting to see what becomes of Head after this fight. All signs point to Head being somehow related to, or being, Takuto’s father, so it would have seemed that if someone was going to beat Takuto, it would have been head. Now I don’t think Takuto knows who Head is yet (even though he was standing next to his father’s painting before he entered Zero Time), so there is still time for a few big twists and turns. Also, what will become of Head in the Glittering Crux now that he has lost? I imagine he will lose some credibility with his peers, but I don’t think he is just going to give up his badge or his leadership position without a fight.

As for Mizuno (and Marino), I really did enjoy their characters, even if there are a few glaring plot holes. I mean was it only Mizuno’s aunt who realized that Marino wasn’t real, or did other people realize it as well and just keep quiet about it, like they do with everything that involves Cybodys. Someone else must have realized that Marino just suddenly appeared one day. Regardless, this was a pretty good arc and I am sad to see Mizuno and Marino leave the show, and we even got a happy ending with their reunion. I suppose you could read into the fact that Mizuno is still able to use her first power abilities after having her seal broken and off the island, but I’ll let it go for now.

Happy Ending

With all that said, it will be interesting to see who the Glittering Crux turns their attention to now. Will they go back after Wako or will they turn on Keito.

No Cybody fight this week, but this episode did a lot to bring the two big storylines closer to their conclusion. While I know a lot of people have been focusing on the Mizuno’s endless eight like experience, I thought the far more interesting storyline came from the very short segment between Sugata and Head.

First, given that Sugata must have figured out by now that Head was a part of the Glittering Crux, it was only natural for Head to finally offer him the position as the Emperor Squadron leader. While it seemed that Sugata was at first against the idea, his conversation with Takuto later in the episode about fighting for Wako did make me wonder what his motives were for this sudden change. That aside, the big revelation in this scene was that Head signed his painting the same way Takuto’s father did/does.

Now does this mean that Head is Takuto’s father? That would be pretty messed up if that were the case, but I think it is more plausible that Head somehow has access to Takuto’s dad’s memories after he apprivoised. This line of thought would require that Takuto’s dad would have at one point piloted Head’s current Cybody, which I guess isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but who knows. Star Driver does have a way of pulling things out of left field. However given that this show has already used some time/age altering plot devices, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that time passes differently for some characters (I thought that it might be possible that time passes at a different rate on the island than on the mainland, but it seems that Mizuno’s aunt recognized her now returned mother fairly easily, so that theory doesn’t seem to hold any water).

Poor Mizuno

Then there was poor Mizuno. Not only did she have to deal with the news that her mother had returned to the island, but she had to hear the aforementioned conversation between Takuto and Sugata, in which she deduced that Takuto liked Wako, and that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It now seems even more likely that Marino doesn’t actually exist than it did last week, especially considering that Mizuno likely created her as some sort of coping mechanism after her mother left. One thing I would like to know is if Marino really is just a figment of Mizuno’s power, does she realize it and does she have her own thought processes.

Regardless, I thought that Groundhog Day sequence was very well done and in such a short time period at that. I didn’t really understand Wako’s explanation for how she figured out what was going on, or why she and her grandmother didn’t keep a better eye on Mizuno after taking her in, but those are minor complaints to an otherwise very good episode.

Looking ahead to next week from the previews it seems like Takuto might finally lose to the Blue Cybody shown, but I wonder it will be interesting to see if this is the true form of Sugata’s Cybody or if it is Head’s. Additionally, it will be interesting to see what Keito and the Glittering Crux do with Mizuno. I find it weird that Keito would tell Mizuno how to leave the island, when it seems that there needs to be some sort of ritual performed, but maybe Keito isn’t all that bad (probably not, I mean did you see the above picture?). Still, all signs point to a lot of things happening in the next episode, so it should be good.

Too often, we judge anime by the quality of its epic moments and ignore some of the calmer, but just as interesting parts. This episode of Star Driver didn’t by any means redefine what epic means, as it once again featured a relatively mundane fight. But what it did do is provide a series of notable moments that reminded me how good anime can be on a week to week basis. Whether this is a sign of things to come for Star Driver, or just a fluke, is yet to be determined.

Head must be majoring in psychology, because he mind raped Sugata

First, how could you not love the subtle, but yet not that subtle, that show made to the changes in both Sugata and Marino’s characters. I especially loved that scene with Sugata doing a one man play in middle school, because when combined with his run with Head, the quick trigger he had with his King’s Pillar in Zero Time, I really got the sense that he doesn’t just want to fight alongside Takuto, but that he probably wants to push Takuto aside.

The use of mirrors in this episode was really well done

But Sugata wasn’t the only one acting a bit strange this week, as I’m obligated to mention how Marino is starting to give me the creeps with her newfound stalking hobby. It was nice to see that the show didn’t just forget about the You sisters after the story shifted back to Kanako, but I would have liked to get a clearer understanding as to what Marino’s feelings are. She just doesn’t seem to be able to reconcile her relationship with Mizuno and her feelings with Takuto, but I got the eerie feeling that Mizuno already knows, and is content with the fact, that Marino is ultimately going to do something really stupid.

Its clear now that Glittering Crux members are indeed quick change masters

Now I’m halfway through the post, and I haven’t even mentioned the episode’s main storyline, which featured Simone/Pamela’s relationship with Kanako. This, more than anything, speaks to how well paced this episode was, which is something I always appreciate. Anyway, back on point. While the implications of Simone and Kanako’s (who was awesome this week, as always) relationship may or may not have implications for this series’ end game, as it seems Kanako’s husband may have some SEELE like influence on the goings on of the Glittering Crux Brigade, the conflict did lead to some interesting revelations. Also, seeing Kanako nervous for the first time was pretty interesting, and it seems like its going to cause her to make a move in the next episode.

The Third Phase

It was also pretty interesting to see that Takashi, via Simone, was able to access the third stage on her Cybuddy. Whether or not this is going to be some sort of new trend in the series will be interesting, as it could open up some sort of new dynamic ala Utena, in which the duelists needed a partner to draw their sword for them. While I don’t think this will happen, considering some of the characters who still need to fight, like Kanako and Keito, seem too independent, it was something that crossed my mind.

Aside from all that, this episode was full of WIN, if only for one reason.

For those of you who aren’t with it, that’s a baseball reference. After finishing this episode, I couldn’t help but think everything that happened was already hinted at in previous episodes, or was so predictable that a blind man could have seen it coming. Now, I’m all for solid character development, but it didn’t seem to me that Star Driver was the type of show to bash us over the head with it. So in case is wasn’t already clear, both Mizuno and Marino like Takuto.

"You, me, and my sister behind the dugout in five minutes"

That doesn’t mean this was a bad episode, as I thought the whole baseball scene, though extremely awkward for the characters involved, was incredibly well done. The way Mizuno and Simone both went up to bat, but yet didn’t swing was a pretty accurate description of the way gym class is in high school. That, along with a little bit of fan service, made the first half of this episode a nice change of pace from the in-class segments.

Unfortunately though, the opening half of the episode did a little too much in terms of foreshadowing and presenting back story, almost as if the creators were trying to complete a checklist of things that needed to be introduced or expanded upon in this episode. It was too obvious. I mean, who didn’t realize that the “everything will be okay” chant was going to be pivotal to Takuto winning in Zero Time, again? Who didn’t realize that Sugata backing up Takuto on the field showed how much he wanted to use his Cybuddy to impress Wako? Who didn’t realize that Marino continued to fall for Takuto over the course of the game? On the other hand, I thought the revelation that Keito was the one who helped Sugata and Wako raise the totem pole from episode 4 was a nice touch (as it now seems more likely than not that she created the dream world from that episode), but it still isn’t a game changer.

Constipation can really be a killer

Then there was zero time, which itself has become even more predictable over the past few weeks, as the events from the first half of every episode inevitably impact its second. I have to question why Vanishing Age is continuing to fight Takuto if they know that they can’t beat him without unlocking the third phase, though I guess Takumi really wanted to impress Marino/Manticore. It is also interesting to note that he also swung at the first pitch he saw in the baseball game, perhaps alluding to the fact that he would eventually try to impress Manticore/Marino in Zero Time. If the series is doing this on purpose, I really do have to applaud them for their attention to detail.

But even if the show isn’t doing these small things on purpose, there are still plenty of things that this series does well, save the reused animation in the fight scenes. This episode marked the debut of Mizuno’s song, and while it isn’t Monochrome, it’s still pretty awesome, and speaks to the great sound track this series is currently accumulating. I must say that is nice to get music in my anime that is not from a concert scene. Yeah, I’m looking at you Kaminomi and Oreimo.

Just because Mizuno is that cute.

The preview for next week has me thinking that we are shifting the focus of the series back to the Adult Bank, but I hope that the show just doesn’t drop the nice bit of sisterly tension that has developed between Mizuno and Marino. Their relationship, and its possible implications/conclusion is currently the best thing this show has going for it. Though seeing as how they devoted a large chunk of time to their back story in this episode, that is unlikely.