History Anime / StarDriver

* MayDecemberRomance: Mr. Watanabe is 65. Mrs. Watanabe is 15.

This page has a [[Characters/StarDriver character sheet]], as well as [[Awesome/StarDriver Crowning Moment of Awesome]], [[Funny/StarDriver Funny]], [[Heartwarming/StarDriver Heartwarming]], and [[TearJerker/StarDriver Tear Jerker]] pages.

* NoOntologicalInertia: [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming Beautifully averted]].

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Head. Admittedly, we don't see what happens after the credits roll, but our last image of him is being somewhat moody, with his friend only commenting on the situation in a bemused manner. Given the whole, you know, kill the world and travel through time to fulfill an insane fantasy ploy he just tried to pull, you'd think maybe there'd be some kind of rejection or punishment...]]

* LoveAtFirstSight

* SuperDickery: The preview for the last episode includes a voiceover from Wako saying "Takuto...I wish you'd never come to this island." [[spoiler: In the actual episode, Wako has an internal monologue where she states she ''sometimes'' wishes that Takuto had never come to the island because things would be easier and she wouldn't endure the pain that comes from loving him along with Sugata, concluding the monologue with "You don't know how much it hurts to deeply love two people at once."]]

--->[[spoiler: Of course, in the actual episode, she actually meant that It would've been better because she has fallen in love with him and had to endure the pain of loving two people.]]

* AntiVillain: Pretty much all of Glittering Crux are either not really all that evil or have many redeeming qualities, with the exceptions being the members of Vanishing Age... and even a couple of those are less 'clearly evil' and more 'short on obvious positive features'.

* MayDecemberRomance: Mr. Watanabe is 65. Mrs. Watanabe is 15. Subverted by the fact that the Mr. only married the missus for her looks and the Mrs. only married him for his money.

* MayDecemberRomance: Mr. Watanabe is 65. Mrs. Watanabe is 15.

* GenreSavvy: Wako and Takuto have some rather impressive moments of this. Wako in episode 19, when she figures out that [[spoiler: Kou has taken over Takuto's body, and promptly puts a knife to her throat]] in about 10 seconds, and Takuto in episode 23, [[spoiler: when he subverts his fathers fakes stranger act, and belts him right in the face.]]

** In episode 25, the art becomes black and white when Takuto [[spoiler:Falcon Punches Head for the second time, OnePiece style]].

* {{Precursors}}: [[spoilers: Cybodies were created by the Entropeople who inhabited the Earth since at least the Age of Dinosaurs. At some point, they left Earth and the Cybodies behind]]

** [[spoiler: ''Wako'' showed she has her own variation on one in Episode 21 (Appropriately enough by RPG standards, Wako as a Maiden offers a debuff as opposed to damage output).]]

''Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto'' (translated as ''Radiant Takuto'' or ''Takuto of the Radiance'') is a HumongousMecha {{anime}} series created and animated by [[StudioBones BONES]] and produced by Aniplex, which ran as part of the Fall 2010 lineup and has been licensed for the USA by Bandai Entertainment. Episodes are being added to Hulu and can be found [[http://www.hulu.com/star-driver here.]] US viewers can also watch this show at [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/star-driver Crunchyroll.]]

** The series is made by StudioBones; what else could you expect?

* XMeetsY: ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''[='=]s fabulousness meets ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''[='=]s over-the-topness.
** It's also been described as [(''Anime/CodeGeass'' + ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'') - ''Manga/DeathNote'') x ''Manga/LuckyStar'')]. Make of that what you will.
** Or as ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' meets ''Anime/RahXephon''.

* ChekhovsGunman: Mizuno is first seen riding a bus with the North Maiden, Wako, and the class president. We don't find out her name or importance until later. Canny viewers [[spoiler:realized that these were all four Maidens]].

''Star Driver'' is an eclectic combination of HumongousMecha, high school, {{shonen}}, and MagicalGirl tropes that brings together ''Manga/SoulEater'' director Takuya Igarashi and ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' writer Yoji Enokido for their first joint project since ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub.'' It's notable for its beautiful animation, bizarre JigsawPuzzlePlot, [[MemeticMutation FAAAABULOUSness]], eclectic cast of characters, love of GenreBusting, and numerous {{Shout Out}}s to popular anime shows.

** Episode 4 has one to [[OuranHighSchoolHostClub Ouran Host Club]] during [[spoiler: Wako's ImagineSpot of Takuto and Sugata]].

** In episode 3, Kanako says that her husband is "''the head of Grand Tonnerre Foundation''" which also shares the same name of the company that [[Characters/OuranHighSchoolHostClub Eclair Tonnerre]]'s family owns in ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub''.

* {{Troperiffic}}: Practically everything in this series has been done before. However, instead of being a ClicheStorm, this series seems to enjoy playing with and parodying various tropes found in other anime such as Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann, Anime/CodeGeass, and the writer's previous works (Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena, OuranHighSchoolHostClub, and Anime/{{FLCL}}). There's even a bit of ''Anime/SailorMoon'' since the same scriptwriter worked on both. It {{lampshade|Hanging}}s these tropes (or at least makes them ''very'' obvious) rather frequently, so much so that it could develop into a blatant {{Deconstruction}}. For some bizarre reason, this all works to make the series almost scarily entertaining.

* XMeetsY: ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub''[='=]s fabulousness meets ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''[='=]s over-the-topness.

* {{All Women Are Lustful}}
* AllYourColorsCombined: [[spoiler: The Glittering Crux attempted this on Samekh after their collective {{Heel Face Turn}}s. It didn't work.]]

* [[BigBadDuumvirate Big Bad Quintumvirate]]:
** The leaders of Glittering Crux Brigade all form one, though they've made a deal that whoever defeats Takuto will become the leader.
** [[spoiler: Subverted after Episode 17, as Head becomes the leader of the Crux following his faction's coup.]]
* [[BigDamnHeroes Big Damn Hero]]: Takuto pulls this in ''episode 1''. [[spoiler:Sugata later becomes one in Episode 6. And ''Wako'' in Episode 21. Then [[ConspiracyRedemption every Glittering Crux member other than Head]] in the last episode.]]
* [[BigBrotherInstinct Big Sister Instinct]]: Marino to Mizuno. [[spoiler: Subverted as she's actually her clone and technically ''younger'' than her.]]

* BorrowedCatchphrase: Wako steals Takuto's "Chesto!" during a beach volleyball game.

** There's also Takuto's trademark version. [[spoiler: Although later, it's used by all Third Phase Cybody pilots, including women.]]

* [[ChekhovsGag Chekhov's Gag]]: {{Fanservice}} can be a double-edged sword, as proven in Episode 5.
* [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Gun]]:
** [[spoiler:Takuto bringing out Sugata's knife in episode 19 as Sugata's birthday present to Wako began as a symbolic gift representing Sugata's care for Wako, but then shows up again later in the episode helping Wako.]]

* ChekhovsGunman: Mizuno is first seen riding a bus with the North Maiden, Wako, and the class president. We don't find out her name an importance until later. Canny viewers [[spoiler:realized that these were all four Maidens]].

* [[TheChosenOne The Chosen Ones]]: Takuto and all other pilots with "true marks" can be called "Galactic Pretty Boys". Even women.

* [[MonsterOfTheWeek Cybody Pilot Of The Week]]: Played with in that some members of the Glittering Star get a rematch with Takuto.

* VirginPower: See YouNeedToGetLaid. Virginity sure is energizing, isn't it?

* [[spoiler: TheWorldIsNotReady: During the finale, the leaders of the Glittering Crux wonder if the Cybodies were something humans were never meant to have, but the cybody Daletos "tells" Simone that the Cybodies were something that humans were supposed to aspire for.]]
* [[WorldOfHam World of Camp]]: Possibly one of the standouts in the history of Mecha anime.

* YouHaveFailedMe: A relatively benign example. Glittering Cross members lose their Star Driver (pilot) status if they let a valuable Cybody be destroyed. They don't seem to suffer any other consequences.
** Which is perfectly fair, as well. It would get a little uncomfortable for the Crux if they had to explain away the "disappearance" of every person who loses to Tauburn. Plus, you don't have to worry about your scientists betraying you as easily.
*** That, and it seems that they were [[spoiler:working on a plan to regenerate the Cybodies anyway, and probably realized that saving up on pilots (some of which vow onscreen to get stronger) for the more intensified third level was a good idea]].

* BettyAndVeronica: Sugata and Takuto for Wako. [[spoiler:She ends up choosing both of them, according to Word of God, having realized she's painfully in love with them both.]]

* {{Troperiffic}}: Practically everything in this series has been done before. However, instead of being a ClicheStorm, this series seems to enjoy playing with and parodying various tropes found in other anime such as Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann, CodeGeass, and the writer's previous works (Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena, OuranHighSchoolHostClub, and Anime/{{FLCL}}). There's even a bit of ''Anime/SailorMoon'' since the same scriptwriter worked on both. It {{lampshade|Hanging}}s these tropes (or at least makes them ''very'' obvious) rather frequently, so much so that it could develop into a blatant {{Deconstruction}}. For some bizarre reason, this all works to make the series almost scarily entertaining.

** It's also been described as [(''CodeGeass'' + ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'') - ''Manga/DeathNote'') x ''Manga/LuckyStar'')]. Make of that what you will.

* LoveDodecahedron: In addition to the main LoveTriangle below, there's Mizuno, Marino, a flirtatious Kanako, and an increasing UnwantedHarem for Takuto, as well as Benio and Keito for Sugata.

* SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic: Professor Silver ''knows'' what he's doing. Take, for example, his development of the [[spoiler:Overphase System, which he likens to a "phase 3.5"; the 3.5 is inaccurate because according to WordOfGod, the fourth phase entails nothing but the unsealing of the ultimate Cybody, King Samekh. The guy ''made up'' a further measure of synchronization.]]

TheMovie was released on February 9th 2013.(Which despite the title is just a glorified RecapEpisode with about 3 minutes of new footage.)

* CombatStilettos: The Tauburn. Yes, Takuto pirouettes in a giant robot with high heels.

* HenshinHero: Takuto.
* HeroicSecondWind: Big time for [[spoiler: Takuto during his fight with Head in Episode 16. Complete with Taubarn v.2.]]

* ImpossiblyGracefulGiant: Tauburn's corkscrew flips would earn him a gold medal in any Olympics.

*** [[spoiler:Which [[{{Irony}} is why he lost them in the first place]]]]

* ParentalAbandonment: It seems that Takuto was raised by his grandfather, since it's implied that his mother has died and he's searching for his [[DisappearedDad absent father Tokio Tsunashi]], [[spoiler: better now known as Head]]. During the events of the final episode [[spoiler: it becomes an attempt at OffingTheOffspring on Head's part, if his tone is any indication]]

* SheIsTheKing: Type II applies for certain members of the Vanishing Age crew in terms of the title they are bestowed after the Glittering Crux manages to unlock the third level.

** Also hilariously averting [[AManIsNotAVirgin another trope]].

** Or TengenToppaGurrenLagann [[AC:with the GAR replaced by FABULOUS]].

* RocketPunch[=/=]ThisIsADrill: Pile Crusher: [[TengenToppaGurrenLagann Fighting]] [[MemeticMutation the powah]] since Episode 12.

** [[spoiler: During Head's EvilGloating in Episode 25, he says [[TengenToppaGurrenLagann "The young think they can overcome anything with spirit."]] Becomes something of a BrickJoke later on when Takuto delivers a knock-out blow to him, a la Kamina[=/=]Simon.]]

* XMeetsY: ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub''[='=]s fabulousness meets ''GurrenLagann''[='=]s over-the-topness.

** Takuto's first foe is a Crux Star Driver and boxer codenamed RagingBull.

''Star Driver'' is an eclectic combination of HumongousMecha, high school, {{shonen}}, and MagicalGirl tropes that brings together ''SoulEater'' director Takuya Igarashi and ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' writer Yoji Enokido for their first joint project since ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub.'' It's notable for its beautiful animation, bizarre JigsawPuzzlePlot, [[MemeticMutation FAAAABULOUSness]], eclectic cast of characters, love of GenreBusting, and numerous {{Shout Out}}s to popular anime shows.

* MacGuffinGirl: The Shrine Maidens, though the emphasis is usually on Wako.