Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
adeeda
Star Driver is a show about adolescence, and of course adolescents. They wander, get lost, make mistakes, try to find meaning in life, and try to do the right thing. Some of them fall in love, and others yearn to. There’s a pitiable few who get trapped there, and never learn to grow up. That’s Star Driver. There’s also a story, of course, and it does some cool things sometimes, but it’s not what’s ultimately important: the feelings, the friendships, and the adventures.
If you just let go and let Star Driver carry you, it’s an incredible ride. Its biggest strengths are that it looks fabulous and has a strong, weird vibe. Its biggest weaknesses are its plot and repetitiveness.
Highly recommended.
Kiraboshi!
Read at the sourcekybl
It's a beautifully designed anime, well animated (hand drawn robots!?!), and the sound design is amazing - there are beautiful insert songs.
Calls back to the transformation sequences of sailor moon and similar in that there is a stock transformation every episode.
This anime has a lot of layers and gives only a little bit of information at a time. This can be infuriating to some but I found it nice to be given the space to think about things and try to figure them out for myself. Honestly, I found it a beautiful work of anime bullshit.
The only drawback is that it was decidedly male-gaze driven in unnecessary ways. Female characters are lustful but very few male characters have that as a focusing trait, and in women even sexual harassment is not treated as a problematic behavior but…
Read at the sourceSkwabie
The anime is 10 years old and not top of the charts, but decided to write a review anyways, because it is a bit contradicting - in that the story is absolutely awful, but there are some elements in it that are quite beautiful. Not going to criticize the story since it seems to have been done to death but will list some things about this show I liked:
Nice element 1, the relationship between Wako, Takuto and Sugata. Time and time again in love triangles, the female lead goes with either one or the other; in harems, hostility is the usual theme between male characters since they are inevitably romantic rivals. But in this series Wako managed to maintain the love for both male protagonists until the end. The dynamics between Takuto and Sugata is also interesting. They share the same love for…
Read at the sourceSkyGuardian0625
4 things I'd like to point out that may let you decide to either watch this or not.
1. The plot was weird but kinda okay. And this is coming from someone who've watched dozens of anime and weirder shit that'll make you go deep into your religion just to wash your sins away.
2. The mechs were awesome, it gives a Gurren Lagann vibe. The mechs have weird body proportions and the MC gets a new power-up almost every episode.
3. This must be the weirdest love triangle in anime I've ever watch. Even I can't decide who to ship with the 3 main characters.
4. The villains of the anime are a part of an underground organization that hides the members identity even among themselves by wearing a mask. Which is stupid and pointless if each character as a distinct hair color and hairstyle. The MC's and t…
Read at the sourceNeimaj
I'm going to try my best not to spoil anything. However, things may slip out. You've been warned. Disappointing. That's one word to describe this anime. It's so sad. This show had so much potential and squandered it all! I even gave it an 8 out of 10 at one point. If you combined Gurren Lagann with Revolutionary Girl Utena, you'd get Star Driver. In this show, characters pilot these mechs called, "Cybodies." They can only activate their Cybodies in "Zero Time." Which is an area that takes place in a different dimension, at least that's what I think it is. The show never really explains what Zero Time is exactly. Our main character, Takuto Tsunashi, has his own personal Cybody and a secret identity. "The Galactic Pretty Boy, Tauburn." Trust me that's not a spoiler. He fights against the Gli…
Read at the sourceTevishSzat
Sometimes, you get a work that “doesn't know what it wants to be” – shows with a confused tone and jumbled presentation that tried to reach for too many different elements and couldn't grasp them all. Star Driver is different. In a weird way, it's a show that knows exactly what it wants to be... but somehow manages to be ignorant of what it is, leading to it rather shamefully squandering loads of potential.
So what did Star Driver want to be? It wanted to be a teen drama/romance mecha fighting show with a 'surprising' emotional heart to it – a spectacle of action and young love with a zest for life. The problem is that most of these core elements are... kind of poorly handled.
Let's talk about the action. This is Star Driver's biggest, and probably most insulting problem. The animation f…
Read at the sourceQuiddity131
Kiraboshi!
An original mecha series from Bones, the same studio that brought us RahXephon and Eureka Seven, Star Driver is quite a bit different from your typical mecha fare. On the island of Southern Cross there is a mysterious masked organization known as Glittering Crux. Their mission is to discover the island's four seal maidens and shatter their seals. Each time they do so, they gain more power over the mysterious stone figures that lay in the mine that they use for their headquarters. With each seal that is broken the more power these “Cybodies” have, until the final seal is broken, and they will be able to be unleashed upon the world.
Unfortunately for Glittering Crux, the island has a newcomer, teenage boy Takuto Tsunashi. Takuto posses a Cybody of his own, the Tauburn. Each time…
Read at the sourceephemerry
Star Driver is yet another Studio Bones show that started out with promise, but then ended up losing traction and leaves you with one of the biggest disappointments in anime history. The first few episodes of Star Driver are charming, though episodic, and are reminiscent of something like Revolutionary Girl Utena, where there’s a mysterious group of students that secretly battle each other after hours.
• In the case of Star Driver, it’s more of the case of when time is halted, they pilot mecha in a way that looks arcane and archaic, like the guymelefs in Escaflowne), which I thought was fascinating. Inwardly, I was thinking, “They could do so much with this premise and the character selection,” but does anyone expect Studio Bones to deliver… probably not.
• I kept praying that this seri…
Read at the sourceStCrimson667
There was just something about this anime, I don't know what it was, which just kept drawing me in. I would have moments where I was hesitant to continue watching episodes, maybe looking at all the episodes I still have yet to watch and thinking about how they were going to fill them all, but, when I finally did decide to continue, there was just something that hooked me and made me fall in love with this anime all over again.
This anime reminds me of Gundam Seed, except with less action and more character development. This anime has a pretty big cast of characters and while some didn't get the exploration I think they deserved (come on! George and Tetsuya are the hottest guys in the anime and they're barely in it! I feel ripped off! I need my eye candy! D:), this show just seems to have…
Read at the sourceParvaati
Star Driver is a show that is more entertaining than it has any right to be. In 2010, scriptwriter Yoji Enokido embarked on a new journey in familiar territory. In Star Driver, the influences of shows that Enokido previously worked on, such as Ouran Highschool Host Club, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Sailor Moon, and even Evangelion, are are bright as day. The final product is a show that crosses existing boundaries in strange ways, the end result being something between a mecha anime for girls and a magical girl anime for boys.
As expected of Enokido, the story of Star Driver is one that can be appreciated on multiple levels. At its most basic level, Star Driver is about a teenage boy, Takuto Tsunashi, with an infectiously positive personality who ventures to an island off the coast of Japan…
Read at the sourcedarkkugan
In a boring world, there are youngsters who seek thrills while having their spirit be their guide. And what could be better than swimming to an Island infested with a evil organization destined to destroy the world, in order to find the fabulous school-life while being a "GINGA BISHOUNEN"? Welcome to the world of Star Driver: Takuto of Radiance, a glorious anime filled with thrills and school drama. But let's not forget the giant robots that fight for their goals, which will prevail, Good or Evil? Ladies and Gentlemen, let's not waste more time and jump right in!
I will put my review into these categories; Overview, Story, Characters, Sound and Animation, and my overall enjoyment which serves as a conclusion!
The overview:
The Story takes place on a Island somewhere in Japan, location u…
Read at the sourceEnjeru0taku002
Well, this will be my first review for this site! Okay, Star Driver....*sigh* First, let me start by saying that I, while enjoying it immensely, have really been slacking on my anime viewing as of the past few years. Star Driver is one of 2 anime I've finished since Kill la Kill ended back in early 2014, and one of only about 10 anime that I've finished in like 6 years. This, most likely, severely impacted my enjoyment of this series...and man, did I enjoy this one!
Story:
This is, without a doubt the weakest aspect of this series. Is it terrible? No. Is it unique? Definitely not. Is it even engrossing in any way? Eh...sometimes...maybe...ish. The main plot of the series centers around Tsunashi Takuto, a 15-year-old boy who washes up on an island one night and is discovered by fellow te…
Read at the sourceCauthan
(This is a spoiler-free review adapted for this site)
[Synopsis]: After swimming from the mainland, Takuto Tsunashi (Miyano, Mamoru) washes ashore on the Southern Cross Isle. After being revived and cared for by Wako Agemaki (Hayami, Saori) and Sugata Shindou (Fukuyama, Jun) Takuto decides to enroll at the local high school where he meets other students but all the while a mysterious organization has set its plans into motion on the island. The Glittering Crux Brigade, utilizing robot-like technology called ‘Cybodies’ which can only be piloted in a dimension called Zero Time, attempt to break the seals of the island’s designated maidens in order to loose their technology on the rest of the world. As a Galactic Pretty Boy, it is up to Takuto and his own cybody Tauburn to thwart them and th…
Read at the sourcerevolt01
Star Driver is a very cool anime. I found it really enjoying. If you want fan service, I think this got lots.
At first, I was like 'another mecha' but no, it isn't just mecha. It is a mecha full of actions, comedies and dramas. This anime has one of the best combo. It didn't fail to amuse me.
The art is very interesting. I found it much excellent by checking all of the robots/cybodies. The actions thrilled me much. It also makes me wanna punch my laptop sometimes.
So if I were you, I'll watch this with a large bucket of popcorn and sit like a boss.
Read at the sourceLt_Surge
WARNING SPOILERS OF A SHORT REVIEW (NOT REALLY JUST EXPRESSING MY OPINION)
i mean seriously, i watched this off a hunch from a bit i saw on youutube, was expecting a parodic mecha anime of some sorts, but after ep 25 credits rolled i just stood up, turned 360 degrees and left. the characters, go literally nowhere, there is no backstory. the battle scenes are just the same thing. there is no implied shipping or room for any shipping, all the characters are petty and not to mention, the transformation scene, is the same EVERY SINGLE EPISODE.
Read at the sourceRenagade4
What makes a show enjoyable? Obviously, the answer to this question will differ from person to person since not everyone has the same taste. That being said, Star Driver is easily one of the most enjoyable shows I've watched in recent years. It's just fun and so very very FABULOUS. This show really reminded me what it's like to truly enjoy a series despite its faults and plot holes. During every fight I was rooting for Takuto and often I was on the edge of my chair in excitement. Everything from the over-the-top battles and transformation sequences to the very likable and interesting characters made this show a pleasure to behold.
I'd like to just leave it at that and hope that my genuine enthusiasm for the show will rub off on you, but obviously to give a fair analysis and better underst…
Read at the sourceChioneDyrken
This Ginga Bishounen really spiced up my days during its times.
To be frank, I kinda contemplated watching this show because the promotional picture of the series had lots of girls flaunting over the only-two guys there, and my preferences-wise, I'd prefer a non-harem show (all-girls and all-boys alike) with loads of action, adventure with that sprinkle of lovely romance (shounen anime, to be exact). And Star Driver is just that.
It's funny, now that I think back. The element that kinda made me continue watching this anime was because of the Galactic Pretty Boy transformation. Takuto is just so swag, it takes a real man to shake that pretty ass like how he did! XD
Ok, veering off topic. Anyway, similar to any of BONES' original series, the story flies off automatically. Translation: it…
Read at the sourceNamariKirei
Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto is one of those animes that you watch not for story content, but for fun. What Star Driver lacks in story and characters, it makes up for in music and enjoyment.
Story (7/10):
The story revolves around your stereotypical shonen character Takuto and his relationship with the surrounding characters, mainly Sugata and Wako. Star Driver follows the main shonen theme of "I will protect you" and the story does a good job sticking to this theme. Thrown in there are the other classic themes of love, troubled childhoods, and save the world, to name a few. These other themes are not fully exploited, probably due to the fact that there's so many and not enough episodes, but I think if this became a 50 episode anime, they'd be able to exploit these themes in the way t…
Read at the sourceghengix
This is my first review blah blah blah...
Kiraboshi!!
Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto is a story about a bunch of high school kids with crazy colored hair fighting fighting each other with giant robots. Takuto, the fearless red leader fights the evil circus show called the Glittering Crux to stop them from taking over the world and ruining the Island Maidens lives. Using his super overpowered, unbeatable mecha (and support from his theater club friends) he fights a different reject Crux member every week; defeating them in glorious bishounen fashion. Despite its obvious story flaws I found comfort in the "monster of the week" approach that the series took. It reminded me of a super steroid filled version of power rangers.
Story 8
As I've stated the story is slightly repetitive and the…
Read at the sourcehelur
Star Driver is a confusing story of a bunch of kids trying to take over the world. Well, in essence. This show literally can take anything and throw it at you. Sometimes this works, and sometimes… well it doesn’t. The less critical you are of every little detail the more and more enjoyable it can be.
The story takes place on a small island with a big secret. There exist giant robots that are sealed away by the maidens of the island. The Glittering Crux desires to release these upon the world. As the seals are broken they come closer and closer to being released into the real world. However, it is up to the Takuto to dazzle the stage and prevent them from breaking free from the dimension they inhabit! Again and again he fights them off like a true hero! While this is all fine and good and…
Read at the source
