Star Driver

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto
STAR DRIVER 輝きのタクト (Sutā Doraibā Kagayaki no Takuto)
Genre	Mecha, Action, Science fiction
Anime television series
Directed by	Takuya Igarashi
Written by	Yōji Enokido
Studio	BONES, Square-Enix, and Bandai
Original network	MBS, TBS
Original run	October 3, 2010 – present

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto (STAR DRIVER 輝きのタクト, Sutā Doraibā Kagayaki no Takuto) is a 2010 Japanese anime television series created and animated by BONES and produced by Aniplex. The series is directed by Takuya Igarashi, with character designs by Yoshiyuki Ito and Hiroka and Misa Mizuya. The anime premiered on October 3, 2010. Aniplex of America premiered the first episode at the 2010 New York Comic Con/New York Anime Festival on October 9, 2010.

Plot

This story takes place on an island named Southern Cross Isle. One night, a boy named Takuto washes up on shore swimming from the mainland. He later enrolls in Southern Cross High School as a freshmen and makes new friends. However, underneath the school is a group of mysterious giants called Cybodies. Soon Takuto, The "Ginga Bishonen" (or "Galactic Pretty Boy") sees himself in a fight with a mysterious organization known as "Kiraboshi Juujidan" (Translated to "Glittering Crux Brigade") which intends to take possession of the island's Cybodies for their own purposes and break the seals of the shrine maidens, the protectors of the islands secrets.

Characters

Main characters

Takuto Tsunashi (ツナシ・タクト, Tsunashi Takuto)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano

Protagonist of the series. Piloting Cybody Tauburn, one of the mecha that formerly hidden in the island's ancient ruin, he is a Star Driver opposing the Holy Order of Glittering Stars to protect Wako, the South Shrine Maiden from them. According to the Order, Takuto is the legendary Galactic Pretty Boy (銀河美少年, Ginga Bishōnen) and the greatest threat to their plans. He also has two of the legendary Twelve Star Swords: Emeraude and Saphir. With his bright and positive personality, the 15-year old easily becomes a humorous favorite to all, but Takuto says that before he got the X-shaped scar on his chest that lets him use Tauburn, he was a lot more "closed." Coincidentally, he shares the same birthday with Sugata.

Wako Agemaki (アゲマキ・ワコ, Agemaki Wako)

Voiced by: Saori Hayami

Heroine of the series. A member of Midnight Flight, a school drama club. She is one of the "shrine maidens" whose powers prevent Cybodies from being activated on the outside world. Not only does she serve this purpose, but her powers and existence creates a seal, the South Maiden Seal, that guards the secrets of the island. As long as the seal is intact, she, a maiden, can't leave the island. If the seal breaks though, the Cybodies would be able to leave the island as well. Her Grandmother was supposed to tell her about being a Maiden when she got into middle school, but she apprivoised on her own when she was in Elementary school. When she apprivoised, she gained access of all memories stored in the Cybody she was in, but it isn't known yet what Cybody she apprivoised with. When she was young she wanted to go to Tokyo to become a singer, but being a maiden, that could never happen. She likes to eat and has been engaged to Sugata since childhood and when Takuto ask her does she like Sugata, she answer that he is a very important person, hinting that indeed, she loves Sugata. She has a little yellow fox named Vice that follows her around. A running gag is that people can understand her fantasy's which leaves her questioning on how they know what she was thinking.

Sugata Shindō (シンドウ・スガタ, Shindō Sugata)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama

A member of Midnight Flight club along with Wako. According to the tradition of his family, he is engaged to Wako, one of the island's Shrine Maidens, who is also his childhood friend, but is aware of her growing interest in Takuto. He is calm and intelligent, thinking ahead in any situation he's in. He keeps a lot of his emotions to himself, though. He's also a candidate to inherit the King Cybody, but not much else is known about him. After apprivosing Samekh to save Wako, he falls into a deep coma due to its overwhelming power. Coincidentally, he shares the same birthday with Takuto.

Order of Glittering Star

Head (ヘッド, Heddo)

Voiced by: Akira Ishida

Leader of Glittering Star's "Banishing Age" Squad, he keeps the north maiden locked in a cage at his room after breaking her seal, and proposes that the group leader who manages to defeat Takuto will become the order's main commander.

Keito Nichi (ニチ・ケイト, Nichi Keito)

Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu

Class Rep in Takuto's class who sits in front of him, she also is known as Ivrogne, leader of the Glittering Star's "Bouganville" Squad.

Kanako Watanabe (ワタナベ・カナコ, Watanabe Kanako)

Voiced by: Ayano Niina

Green haired student that sits behind Takuto. She is married to a 65 year old french tycoon and lives in her own luxury cruise ship docked at the island. Despite being married, she is always prone to flirt with other men. She is also a member of the Glittering Star known as "The President" and leader of the "Adult Bank" squad.

Simone Aragon (シモーヌ・アラゴン, Shimōnu Aragon)

Voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu

Working as Kanako's assistant, she also is part of the Order's "Adult Bank" squad.

Voiced by: Kenji Akabane

Working as one of Kanako's employees, he also is part of the Order's "Adult Bank" squad. His Cybody resembles a samurai in armor and fights with the star sword "Amethyste", which resembles a japanese blade as a weapon. He was defeated by Takuto, but is hinted that he also has a mark like him and Wako.

Benio Shinada (シナダ・ベニオ, Shinada Benio)

Voiced by: Chiemi Chiba

Benio is the Resident Advisor of the schools dorms. She is also a member of the Glittering Star known as Scarlet Kiss, leader of the "Filament" Squad. Her ability is to control any man by kissing him.

George Honda (ホンダ・ジョージ, Honda Jōji)

Voiced by: Shun Takagi

George Honda is a member of the school's boxing club. Honda is also a member of the Glittering Star's "Filament" Squad. He goes by the name Raging Bull and his Cybody, Alephist, resembles a bull. He is the first opponent Takuto defeats in his Cybody, Tauburn.

Tetsuya Gōda (ゴウダ・テツヤ, Gōda Tetsuya)

Voiced by: Ooki Sugiyama

Another member of the "Filament" squad. His Cybody, Tetrioht, specializes in speed and transforms into a motorcycle. He was the second opponent defeated by Takuto.

Dr Green

The leader of Glittering Stars science division. She has an obsession with bishoen and pretends to be a student to get the attention of the boys. She also has a Cybody which enables her to predict the moves of her opponent.

Undine

A member of the Filament squad. She is a brown haired girl who views the relationship between Takuto and Wako as dirty. Her Cybody, Mermaidoll, can be summoned outside of zero space, but is not easily controlled. Her Cybody is only defeated when Sugata summons the first phase of his King's Pillar.

Other Characters

Sarina Endō (エンドウ・サリナ, Endō Sarina)

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto

A third-year and president of Midnight Flight, the school drama club. Just like the other members of the club she is aware of the Order's plans and supports Takuto and the maidens. She loves acting and her fellow club members.

Tiger Sugatame (スガタメ・タイガー, Sugatame Taigā)

Voiced by: Nao Tōyama

Tiger is a first-year student at Southern Cross High School. She works as a personal maid for Sugata and secretly has a crush on him. She is skilled in martial arts and knows about the Glittering Crux hidden beneath the school's interior. She's shown to be friendly and sweet, but a little timid. Keito Nichi used a scent in the Science lab to cause Tiger to remember her and Sugata reading a story book about a Tiger and pancakes and how she loved Sugata, but he's betrothed to Wako. With that, she passed out, and the Glittering Crux uses her and her Cybody to create an illusion in Zero Time, capturing Wako and Takuto. However, she couldn't control and fight with her Cybody, being easily defeated by Tauburn, thus destroying the illusion.

Jaguar Yamasugata (ヤマスガタ・ジャガー, Yamasugata Jagā)

Voiced by: Hiroko Ushida

Jaguar is a second-year at Southern cross High School, and, like Tiger, serves as a maid for Sugata and is also quite skilled in martial arts. In contrast to Tiger though, she is much more serious and easier to irk.

"Fish Girl" (サカナちゃん, Sakana-chan)

Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu

The island's "Maiden of the north". Nicknamed "Fish Girl" by Head, she is locked in a cage at his room since her seal was broken, allowing the order to take control of most of the island's Cybodies. It is there that she sings the main fighting song for Star Driver, Monochrome. Throughout the episodes, she also tells the story of Sam the Squid-Piercer.

Production

Main article: List of Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto episodes

• Director: Takuya Igarashi
• Script: Yoji Enokido
• Music: Satoru Kousaki
• Original Character Design: Hiroka Mizuya, Misa Mizuya
• Character Design: Yoshiyuki Ito
• Mecha Design: Shigeto Koyama
• Chief Animation Director: Yoshiyuki Ito
• Conceptual Design: Shinji Aramaki
• Animation Production: BONES
• Production: Star Driver Production Committee, Aniplex, BONES

External links

• Official website
• Star Driver (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia