Whoa!? This early?
Like expected, this show only got better as soon as it started focusing on one of the major characters. This episode, it was Sugata’s turn. His Cybuddy… has the power to make the user sleep eternally. It’s apparently the king of all Cybuddies (so much for Takuto getting himself a special Cybuddy), and based on the tale that the blue-haired girl was telling, it’s based on a king who got bored of his immortality and wanted to be put to sleep on purpose.
After that kind of exposition, I really did not expect the creators to use that card so early: I thought that only later in the plot, he’d be forced to use it. My guess is that he really is going to remain asleep for quite a number of episodes and that we’re really not going to be able to see him for a while. The creators really don’t seem like the type of people who would just chicken out after so much build-up.
Also, the birthday thing was something they probably got from Clamp: two characters with the same birthday, with a lot of irony put into them. It works in this context as well, though. It’s of course one thing for Sugata to hate his own birthday because of his father finding that day out of all possible dates the right date to tell him about his destiny, but Takuto having the same birthday is also interesting. We really don’t know much about him, but the creators do keep hinting that there’s something about him: that watch for example: we know that it’s important to Takuto, having it with him on his birthday and all, but apart from that we don’t know anything about it.
On a side-note: I love the use of insert songs in thsi series. It’s great for the atmosphere.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
Eh, i’m sort of torn. On one hand, introducing the backstory of a character and then in the same episode using it seems kinda cheap to me – but then, as you say, it’s fairly unpredictable that way, as opposed to the other natural progression where you bring it in later as a huge plot twist. Instead, here, they’ve essentially half-killed-off an important character already by episode 6.
It’s different, I suppose, and that’s got some merit, but I still get the feeling that for a show which handles themes and symbolism and ties them together well, something lacked here story-telling wise. Rather than subverting or enhancing the shounen mecha tropes like it has been doing for the last five episodes, it sort of got too obvious here.
Ah well, who knows – sometimes suspect plot twists like these can’t help but being iffy, usually because they lead to something that’s awesomely better. Time will tell.
What wigs me out, is it aired on MY birthday. So does that mean theirs is Nov. 7 as well?
Did anyone notice that there was a picture of a girl on Takuto’s watch? We can’t see her face, just her long dark hair. I wonder who she is.
This makes me worry that the series will be only 13 episodes long, after all…
In any case, the reason why this episode felt a bit empty to me is that we haven’t had much actual interaction among the main trio. We know they’re friends, we’ve had some hints about their feelings for each other, but not much more, which makes it a bit difficult to relate to what happened.
13?! It’s 26 on MAL!
The 2nd part was intense!And I like Wako’s seiyuu,I think she’s doing a very nice job so far. But I think we’re gonna see Sugata soon,I don’t think he’s gonna be taken out of the picture for very long.I don’t feel this is that type of anime.The least they can do is to have Wako tell tales and sing to comatose Sugata like the North Maiden is doing now(although that wouldn’t make much sense..).
So wait, did this episode imply that Takuto skipped the first two phases of his Cybody? or that he doesn’t have the first two stages at all?
The girl in Takuto’s pocketwatch…
Look closely. That’s definitely the caged maiden, fish girl, whatever.
I didn’t think it was really that early given that it’s only 13 episodes long?
@Sapphire I think the picture in the pocketwatch is the same as the picture on the corridor wall (see ep 1)
Just a note: it’s already been established from the beginning that Star Driver will be 25 episodes long.
@psgels Really? Then that’s good, because it has a huge character cast and I want to see them explored. Plus, I’m really liking the series, it kinda reminds me of Utena in many aspects.
That’s about the first meaningful development in 5 episodes and it felt so cheap. Announcing a twist then using it during the same episode? I don’t feel any intensity anymore because the same plot repeats itself over and over again. The only difference is that they had an ally in this one. I really dislike the episodic nature of this series right now.