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 first time I watched the series I found the it hard to follow. It leaves many unanswered questions until the very end. However the answers to these questions are somewhat surprising and create good character development. I'm not a huge fan of the ending to this anime, because it seems to reach a resolution so fast and because it is pretty predictable. I did enjoy much of the show's humor when it was there and the show's serious side was never too melodramatic. There are a few anime cliches and some yaoi fanservice, which is kind of a turn off, but for the most part the plot flows fairly well and creates an interesting story.
Art 9
I really liked the art in this series. Everything from character design to backgrounds was amazing. The action sequences were also very well done and flowed smoothly. Emotions and body language are also portrayed well. I especially liked the use of color and tone to set the mood for a scene.
Sound 9
Openings and Endings for Star Driver are great. Gravity 0 by Aqua Timez is a great song and it went great with the animation. There are also 4 in-show songs sung by the Maidens. These are normally sung preceding an epic mecha fight and serve to set the mood. I really enjoyed all four Maiden songs and thought they were a great addition to the anime. The voice acting is also very well done though there are some pretty ridiculous sounding voices, particularly in the Glittering Crux.
Characters 9
The characters of Star Driver aren't particularly unique. There's the main character that all the girls love. He's outgoing and you can't help but like him. Then there's the female lead who's super happy and beloved by all. The villains start out as typical bad guys, out to rule with world using their giant robots. However, the anime does a wonderful job of fleshing out many of the villains by showing their everyday lives and motivations. My favorite character by far is Shindo Sugata. He's the main character's friend and a super badass... watch the anime and you'll agree with me, he's a beast.
Enjoyment 10
Star Driver is show that sucks you in. Not with its story but with everything else it does. The first time i watched it was for the two minutes of epic mecha fight every episode. The second time was for the story. And guess what? It was great both times. I would recommend this anime to pretty much anyone. It has something for everyone and it's wonderful show.
Overall 9
