Star Driver

Star Driver: Kagayaki no Takuto (translated as Radiant Takuto or Takuto of the Radiance) is a Humongous Mecha Anime series created and animated by 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 here.

On Southern Cross Island, Wako Agemaki and her fiance Sugata Shindo find a boy passed out on the beach. This boy is Takuto Tsunashi, a transfer student at Southern Cross High, who was so excited to begin his new life that when he missed his ferry, he swam across the sea himself.

So begins Star Driver, a show about high school and the joy of youth.

Beneath the school, a sinister organization called the Glittering Crux Brigade is trying to awaken the giant robot Cybodies. To this end, they are kidnapping the four Maidens of the island to undo the four seals on Zero Time, a hidden dimension that captures active Cybodies so they can't exist in the real world. They've broken one, and Wako is next up. Takuto is too late to save her, and the Glittering Crux escapes into Zero Time... but then Takuto follows them, calling his own Cybody Tauburn and transforming into the Galactic Pretty Boy.

So begins Star Driver, a show about mecha and lots and lots of Camp.

Star Driver is an eclectic combination of Humongous Mecha, high school, Shonen, and Magical Girl tropes that brings together Soul Eater director Takuya Igarashi and Revolutionary Girl Utena writer Yoji Enokido for their first joint project since Ouran High School Host Club. It's notable for its beautiful animation, bizarre Jigsaw Puzzle Plot, FAAAABULOUSness, eclectic cast of characters, love of Genre Busting, and numerous Shout Outs to popular anime shows.

This page has a character sheet, as well as Crowning Moment of Awesome, Funny, Heartwarming, and Tear Jerker pages. They all desperately need more love.

A movie has just been announced as being planned out.

Star Driver provides examples of:
"Takuto: Apprivoise! Dazzling the stage! Galactic Pretty Boy Tauburn!"
 * Absolute Cleavage:
 * Actor Allusion:
 * Katashiro smokes, has an eyepatch and brown hair... sounds like a fusion of two roles Shinichiro Miki played a while ago. In fact, when we see his younger self in episode 20, even accounting for art style differences, he looked exactly like Lockon.
 * All Women Are Lustful
 * All Your Colors Combined:
 * Amazing Technicolor Battlefield: Zero Time, the place where Cybodies duke it out.
 * Ancient Conspiracy: Glittering Cross' plan to break the island Maidens' seals to allow Cybodies to move outside of Zero Time.
 * Anime Hair: And HOW!
 * Anti Villain: 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'.
 * Armor Piercing Slap: Takuto delivers one to in an attempt to wake him up. In response, he's not so pleased.
 * Arranged Marriage: Between Wako and Sugata. Not that either of them seem to give much of a damn about it.
 * Art Shift:
 * A bit during the battle in episode 13. The mechs look a lot more sketchy while fighting, almost like a storyboard.
 * In episode 25, the art becomes black and white when Takuto.
 * Attack Drone: After Takuto uses the given to him by Mizuno in battle,
 * Bad Guy Bar: Vanishing Age holds their meetings in one.
 * Barbie Doll Anatomy:
 * Takuto during his Transformation Sequence.
 * Maidens when Seals are broken.
 * Sequences where someone is.
 * Bare Your Midriff: A fair-sized chunk of the cast. More specifically, the male cast.
 * Baseball Episode: The start of episode 10.
 * Batman Gambit: Episode 25 reveals that
 * Beach Episode: The first half of Episode 17.
 * Beam Spam: Used by a few Cybodies.
 * Betty and Veronica: Sugata and Takuto for Wako.
 * Beware the Nice Ones:
 * Sugata's maids, Tiger and Jaguar, are well-versed in taijutsu, according to their bios and the fight in episode 6, not to mention their real jobs: . Takuto himself could also count as this. Also, Sugata himself.
 * Wako proves that even she has lines you don't cross with her in Episode 19.
 * 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.
 * Big Damn Hero: Takuto pulls this in episode 1.
 * Big Sister Instinct: Marino to Mizuno.
 * Bishounen: Takuto's title is the Ginga Bishounen, which literally means "Galactic Pretty Boy". No, that's not a joke. This series doesn't take itself seriously at all.
 * Bland Name Product: Sougen-Dazs.
 * Boisterous Bruiser: George.
 * Borrowed Catchphrase: Wako steals Takuto's "Chesto!" during a beach volleyball game.
 * Boy Meets Girl/Meet Cute
 * Break the Cutie: Episode 15 is devoted to breaking in just about every way possible.
 * Breather Episode: Episode 17. Going from the rather down arc to a Beach Episode.
 * By the Power of Greyskull:
 * "Apprivoise" seems to be the general phrase used to active the Cybody transformation sequence.
 * There's also Takuto's trademark version.
 * By the Power of Greyskull:
 * "Apprivoise" seems to be the general phrase used to active the Cybody transformation sequence.
 * There's also Takuto's trademark version.


 * Calling Your Attacks: Takuto calls nearly all of his finishers.
 * Camp: By the bucketload. For an obvious example, see Takuto's line under By the Power of Greyskull, above.
 * Cast of Snowflakes: Every character is distinguishable from another, even without the wacky hairstyles.
 * Catch Phrase: "It's a _____!" is basically one for Takuto, usually "pinch" being the chosen word. He also has "Chesto!" when he launches a powerful attack, as well as "Flair!" and "Tau radiance fills the Galaxy!", when he does a Finishing Move.
 * Caught in The Rain: Takuto and Wako had this happen to them in Episode 4.
 * Caught With Your Pants Down: Takuto caught Keito playing idol in a karaoke bar, right after the latter commenting that Wako's dream of being a singer is childish.
 * Character Development: Particularly noticeable with by episode 12, to the point that one of her personal 'staff' deigns the comment, "She's having more fun these days, isn't she?" And although a few of the cast's development (including her own) begins early on, it progresses at a much quicker pace for the rest of the Glittering Crux (and even the main trio) from this episode on.
 * Chekhov's Gag: Fan Service can be a double-edged sword, as proven in Episode 5.
 * Chekhov's Gun:
 * Kanako's Cool Ship. Good for evacuations.
 * Chekhov's Gunman: 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.
 * Character Filibuster: A Show Within the Show example. Sarina's character in the play by Midnight Flight breaks into a speech about how great power can be used/misused. Considering that Sarina pens the play, it can also be taken as Author Filibuster.
 * The Chosen Ones: Takuto and all other pilots with "true marks" can be called "Galactic Pretty Boys". Even women.
 * Clark Kenting: The real identities of Glittering Crux members appear to fall under this.
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: The main Power Trio correspond to the primary colors.
 * Combat Pragmatist: Takuto, actually. Normally it doesn't come up since he has everybody overmatched, but in the cases where he doesn't, he's quick to take advantage of his opponent letting their guard down.
 * Combat Stilettos: The Tauburn. Yes, Takuto pirouettes in a giant robot with high heels.
 * Confusion Fu: This is pretty much the reason for Takuto's spotless winning streak: he makes a point of never showing a skill or ability unless it's absolutely necessary in surviving the fight so that the Glittering Crux have no idea what their opponent is capable of (and thus have no way to counter it) even a dozen battles into the series.
 * Conspicuous CG: During the Cybody transformation sequence.
 * Conspiracy Redemption
 * Cool Bike: How about a bike-shaped Humongous Mecha?
 * CPR Clean Pretty Reliable: Wako to Takuto, of all things. Though the main problems of the trope are averted; Wako performs CPR correctly and the scene fades out before the usual "magical revival" occurs.
 * Crowning Music of Awesome: The Maiden songs, especially Monochrome and Innocent Blue.
 * Cryptic Background Reference: The series has a good deal of mysteries that are never explained:
 * The ruins hidden on the island and what sort of civilization might've inhabited them are never really expounded upon.
 * The drama club's play (and by extension its sequel, the North Maiden's Sam the Squid-Piercer story) seems to parallel whatever conflict occurred between Samekh and Ayingott that resulted in Ayingott being crushed in Samekh's hand, but this is never told to the audience with full disclosure either.
 * Whatever the Entropeople are and who that second, boyish voice speaks with are not explained.
 * Custom Uniform of Sexy: Most of the important characters/cybody pilots among the Glittering Crux Brigade get a custom uniform. The number of them that aren't Stripperiffic can be counted on one hand.
 * Cybody Pilot Of The Week: Played with in that some members of the Glittering Star get a rematch with Takuto.
 * Dance Battler: Takuto in the Tauburn.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Benio has her moments, especially when watching show-off fights in Zero Time. And Sugata, who nonchalantly invokes topics like Sacred First Kiss or what Takuto might do when meeting with a mysterious girl.
 * Death Glare: Courtesy of Wako in episode 19.
 * Deconstructor Fleet: The show is shaping up to be this for anime as a whole.
 * Distracted By the Sexy: Okamoto learned that there's a time and place for looking at hot guys the hard way.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything:
 * Boy, there sure are a lot of guys queuing up to break Wako's 'seal', aren't there?
 * The maidens having to be nude to be the power source of the mech.
 * The end of episode 8,
 * Then there's Head in episode 16, where he talks about people with weak marks "wither" in sight of his "sword"... A more disturbing instance would be
 * Don't Try This At Home:
 * "Please do not attempt [riding on top of a bus] if you are not a Southern Cross Isle resident".
 * Episode 18 gives us "Don't play with fireworks like these people.", "Please do not imitate people using First Phase", and, courtesy of a popular fansub, "Please do not imitate rapists."
 * Double Entendre:
 * Double Entendre:

""...did you seriously lose because you were watching him flex?""
 * Downer Ending:
 * Not to the show itself (at least, not yet), but.
 * Dramatic Wind: This happens when Takuto confronts Sugata in Episode 8.
 * Dramatic Pause: After, a good half-minute is used for a scene of them just panting heavily.
 * Dude She's Like in A Coma: Sugata appears to in Episode 20, but it's very ambiguous.
 * Early Bird Cameo: Madoka and Kou appeared first in episode 3 before their proper introduction in episode 17.
 * Eating the Eye Candy:
 * Tiger and Jaguar take entirely to much enjoyment out of Takuto showing the Drama Club his "mark" (which, of course, is on his chest...).
 * Okamoto loves to look at pretty boys. Probably not a good idea to send that kind of person to fight someone with "Pretty Boy" in their title.

"Takuto: ...what. Seriously, what."
 * Elaborate University High: Southern Cross High School.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Ever her fellow members of Glittering Crux thought Kou's ridiculous entrance in episode nineteen was over the top.
 * Everyone Can See It: The UST between Takuto and Wako. Everyone practically treats them like a couple even though Wako is engaged.
 * Evolving Credits: The bus in the end credits features graffiti of the Shrine Maiden who sings in that episode.
 * Eyepatch of Power: Ryousuke has one.
 * Fan Service:
 * In-universe, this is literally the reason why the Drama Club practices outside: so they can be checked out by the adoring school.
 * The special vision mode of Cybody.
 * Face Heel Turn: He did have good reason though.
 * Fan Nickname: Lady Sugaga for Sugata,
 * Fashionable Asymmetry: The Glittering Cross are big, big fans.
 * The Fighting Narcissist: Subverted with Takuto. Has all the makings of one (including an arrogant title!), but appears to be a stand-up guy.
 * Flat What: What Takuto does when.

"Takuto:"
 * Foe Yay: Takuto and, as well as Sugata and.
 * Forbidden Fruit:
 * Lampshaded by Takuto in regards to the "abandoned" gold mine.
 * Eating squid in Sakana's story.
 * Functional Magic: The cybodies and associated powers are called magic during the Show Within a Show drama club play. Of course, that entire episode was absolutely dripping with metaphor and symbolism, so take it with a grain of salt.
 * Gang of Hats: Crux's departments, all shout outs to their counterparts in The Little Prince. Filament is institutionally passionate, Science Guild is institutionally inquisitive, Adult Bank is institutionally calculating, Bougainvilleae is institutionally troubled, Vanishing Age is institutionally arrogant, and Emperor is institutionally (to the extent that it is one) fatalistic.
 * Generation Xerox: The Takuto/Wako/Sugata love triangle mirrors the love triangle revealed in Episode 20.
 * Genki Girl: Mizuno.
 * Genre Busting: It's a mecha show! No, it's a romantic slice of life comedy! Wait wait, it's a Magical Girl series except starring a Bishounen! No, I was wrong, it's a Mind Screw! Whatever it is, it's all very FABULOUS.
 * Deconstructor Fleet: Star Driver has taken elements of just about every genre it's drawn influence from (Humongous Mecha, Slice of Life, Magical Girl, Romantic Comedy), taken tropes inside those genres, and put them out on full display, playing with them, playing them straight, lampshading them and making them work (thus far) into something nearly predictably entertaining.
 * Genre Savvy: Wako and Takuto have some rather impressive moments of this. Wako in episode 19, when she figures out that  in about 10 seconds, and Takuto in episode 23,
 * Get a Hold of Yourself Man:
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: The entire conversation between Takuto and Benio in the bath can refer to kissing and something a little further down that line.
 * Giant Robot Hands Save Lives: Takuto uses Tauburn to catch a falling character in episode 7.
 * Goggles Do Nothing: The fluff Tauburn has.
 * Gratuitous English: "It's a pinch!" and any other variations of that phrase minus the "pinch".
 * Gratuitous French: "Apprivoise", the activation phrase for any Cybody, is French for "tame". The Star Swords are named after gems reworked in French. "Sapphire" becomes "Saphir", "Diamond" becomes Diamant, and so on.
 * Gray Rain of Depression: In Episode 15, after Mizuno overhears Takuto willing to duel him to get Sugata to break his engagement with Wako (as reward for a bet). Cue Mizuno riding atop the bus as per usual, but amidst heavy rain and dark clouds.
 * Groundhog Day Loop:
 * Ham to Ham Combat: Mamoru Miyano and Akira Ishida in Episode 25.
 * Helping Would Be Killstealing: One of the Cybody duels is basically a boxing match. Sugata decides against buffing Tauburn with his King's Pillar because he thinks it would be in bad taste.
 * Henshin Hero: Takuto.
 * Heroic Second Wind: Big time for
 * Homage:
 * The eyecatch. (Star Drivaaaaaaaa!)
 * Episode 4 has one to Ouran Host Club during.
 * Hot Blooded: Takuto's so hot blooded and ready to make his mark that he swam across the ocean because he missed the last ferry and didn't want to miss opening ceremonies.
 * Hot Dad:
 * Humongous Mecha
 * Hypocritical Humor: While under the effects of her first phase, Midori goes around offering kisses through the glass. Kanako (note that such a kiss was used as an Establishing Character Moment for her) considers this slutty, apparently because Midori is offering kisses as opposed to accepting propositions from boys.
 * I Am Not Left Handed: Used twice in episode 3. First, Takuto reveals that Then, after the battle is over,
 * Imagine Spot: Wako has a few.
 * Imagine Spotting: Wako's Imagine Spots can be seen by everyone else, or at least the girls.
 * Indirect Kiss: It seems to be a trend in the school to kiss random strangers through glass windows.
 * Impossibly Graceful Giant: Tauburn's corkscrew flips would earn him a gold medal in any Olympics.
 * I Will Find You: Takuto mentions that he wants to find his father when he first shows up on the island.
 * I Will Protect Her: Takuto towards Wako.
 * Jigsaw Puzzle Plot
 * Karma Houdini:
 * Kill Sat:
 * The King's Pillar has effects similar to this.
 * La Résistance: The school drama club.
 * Laser Blade: The Star Swords. Since they're wielded by Humongous Mecha, they also count as BFSes. All There in the Manual reveals that they were Samekh's wings.
 * Likes Older Women: Tsubasa is the only guy who isn't infatuated with Hina, but he has a crush on.
 * Living With the Villain:
 * With the exception of the drama club members, every fellow student that Takuto is seen talking to is a member of Glittering Cross. The dorm RA is one of the leaders, and two of the other leaders are Takuto's classmates and actually sit next to him in class.
 * Lonely At the Top: Head mentions that he's sacrificed so much in order to pursue his ambition, including two relationships that resulted in his ex-girlfriends ( and the North Maiden) dumping him and leaving the island forever.
 * Love At First Sight
 * Love Dodecahedron: In addition to the main Love Triangle below, there's Mizuno, Marino, a flirtatious Kanako, and an increasing Unwanted Harem for Takuto, as well as Benio and Keito for Sugata.
 * Love Is in The Air: The result of Okamoto abusing her Cybody's power to stay young and constantly using the Mandrake potion.
 * Love Martyr: Head has left a lot of these in his wake.
 * Love Potion: Okamoto kept stealing the Mandrake potion to live out her fantasy of being surrounded by pretty boys.
 * Love Dodecahedron: Most girls in school want either Takuto, Sugata, or both. They both want Wako. Most of the other boys want one of those girls. See also Love Triangle below.
 * Love Triangle: Takuto, Wako, and Sugata... although the latter of the triangle doesn't seem to be fighting his corner too strenuously On the other hand, Wako doesn't seem to mind if Takuto and Sugata end up together.
 * According to the official pamphlet, George and Tetsuya are both in love with Benio.
 * Wako and Keito for Sugata.
 * Luke I Am Your Father:
 * MacGuffin Girl: The Shrine Maidens, though the emphasis is usually on Wako.
 * May December Romance: Mr. Watanabe is 65. Mrs. Watanabe is 15.
 * May September Romance: Okamoto and are in a relationship.
 * Meaningful Name:
 * Eva uses Christianity, Rah Xephon uses Mayan...Star Driver uses Phoenician. Pretty much every Star Driver's name has a connection to the Phoenician letter their Cybody is named after. Tsunashi can be written as 十 (he wears a Tau, hence Tauburn, which means "mark"), Sugata can be written as 丰, and Agemaki can be written as 丫. Sakana-chan (Fish-girl in the translation) is so named because her mark, "Nun", means "fish."
 * In the play in episode 22, the main trio are playing characters named after the English translation of their letters. Takuto is Mark, Sugata is Columner (Column/Pillar), and Wako is Kleis (feminine form of Klaus, which sounds like 'Claws' which are hook shaped.)
 * Meganekko: Okamoto-sensei and Sugata's maids.
 * Meido: Tiger and Jaguar first appear as them.
 * Mood Dissonance: There is a Leitmotif where the maiden of the week sings a song while the pilots activate their mecha, each according to her character type. The first by Sakana is a haunting melody of loss and longing, while Wako's song focuses on rebirth. Mizuno's song is about blue skies and sunshine, while  sings about things starting to pass on.
 * Put another way, Sakana sings about winter, Wako sings about spring, Mizuno sings about summer and  sings about autumn.
 * Mood Whiplash:
 * Motion Capture Mecha: The Tauburn and other Third Phase Cybodies.
 * Motorcycle On the Coast Road: Done by Tetsuya in the opening and second episode, but he would get away with it often, living on an island and all.
 * New Powers As the Plot Demands: Takuto is a major offender with this trope, though with him being a Showy Invincible Hero and based on the previously unexplored level of camp in the series, it's all but expected.
 * Nice Job Breaking It Hero:
 * Ninja Maid:
 * Nobody Can Die: At least the director and writer said so.
 * Noodle People: Not to the extent as, say CLAMP's recent works, but the character designs are quite spindly nonetheless.
 * No Ontological Inertia: Beautifully averted.
 * Not a Date: Completely averted in episode 6. Wako literally exclaims to Takuto that they're going on a date when she decides to take him to the city part of the island.
 * Not So Different: reveals to Takuto that she also felt like a she was "in the way" when she used to be childhood friends with Sugata and Wako, mirroring Takuto's uncertainties of being a "third wheel" in the same relationship.
 * Not So Omniscient Council of Bickering: As befitting an organisation mostly run by libidinous teenagers and the occasional adult Bunny Ears Lawyer, the Crux has atrocious management issues.
 * Oh Crap: The ending of episode 15.
 * Episode 23.  Not good.
 * Episode 24. The one to top them all.
 * Twice in the final episode,
 * Older Than They Look:
 * Once an Episode: One of the Maidens will sing her song, which means it's fightin' time. Everyone will enter Zero Time, where Takuto meets his opponent and will apprivoise, causing Tauburn to break through the fabric of Zero Time to answer the summons; once inside Tauburn, Takuto will transform into his Galactic Pretty Boy outfit. After this, we're shown a Humongous Mecha duel; upon Takuto's victory, the opponent's Cybody will explode at least once on the ground and then, for some reason, in the air.
 * Subversions abound; on a few occasions there is no fight, once or twice there's a fight but no song (such as when the Maiden is occupied), and very rarely the song starts, but the fight does not. This is demonstrated best with the East Maiden, whose song only appears twice, and only one of those occasions accompanies a battle.
 * Onion Tears: Sugata. According to Wako, that is the first time he ever cries.
 * On the Next Episode of Catchphrase: "Your galaxy will shine!"
 * Ordinary High School Student: Everyone.
 * Orichalcum: The island sits upon a huge bed of it. It's also used in the Cybodies' construction.
 * Out of Clothes Experience: Whenever a Maiden pilots her Cybody.
 * Paper Thin Disguise: The Glittering Crux members may wear very extravagant outfits and wear very large masks, but they do absolutely nothing to change their very unique and noticeable hairstyles between their secret and normal identities besides maybe wearing a hat. Even if their masks cover half their faces and they do a decent job of changing their voices, the audience can immediately figure out who is a Glittering Crux member. Nearly the entire cast, on the other hand, are routinely shocked when a Glittering Crux member reveals their true identities.
 * Parental Abandonment: It seems that Takuto was raised by his grandfather, since it's implied that his mother has died and he's searching for his absent father Tokio Tsunashi, . During the events of the final episode
 * Mizuno and Marino were also abandoned by their father, and their mother left to search for him.
 * Poor Communication Kills:
 * Power Incontinence:
 * Power Perversion Potential:
 * Benio's first phase can certainly be played this way - it's activated with a kiss.
 * While not specific to any one individual, those who don't get frozen during Zero Time could certainly use that fact in this way.
 * uses his first phase to spy on Wako while she's purifying herself.
 * When Kou and Madoka were possessing Takuto and Sugata's bodies, they were only a few seconds from making out with each other before Wako showed up.
 * Power Trio: Takuto, Wako, and Sugata, if the ending is any indicator.
 * Id: Takuto. Completely and entirely driven by his impulses and desires.
 * Superego: Sugata. Calm, coolheaded, and rational.
 * Ego: Wako. An exact balance between the two.
 * It's even lampshaded by Takuto and Sarina in Episode 6, though Takuto initially worries that they were never really a Power Trio and instead "a couple and their third wheel."
 * Prequel: In universe example. The play put on by Midnight Flight seems to be a prequel to Sakana-chan's story, detailing the King's Start of Darkness.
 * Product Placement: Marino has some very conspicuous Aqua Timez and 9nine posters in her room. (Aqua Timez and 9nine being the band responsible for the opening and ending themes respectively.) Likewise, Takuto has posters labelled "Mono-chrome" (Sakana-chan's Maiden song) and "Drive Star" in his room.
 * In Episode 14, Mizuno's hairdresser suggests "going Gangan for love". Later, when she volunteers to participate in the Drama Club's play, Wako calls her "a Young Gangan". Young Gangan is the name of the magazine in which the Star Driver manga is serialized.
 * Recycled in Space!: Revolutionary Girl Utena.
 * Or Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.
 * Red Oni Blue Oni: Takuto and Sugata together provide an archetypal example of this trope. They're even Colour Coded for Your Convenience.
 * Replacement Goldfish:
 * Rescue Romance: Between Takuto and Wako. Wako saves Takuto's life when she finds him washed ashore and performs CPR on him. Takuto returns the favor by saving Wako when she is captured by the Glittering Crux Brigade.
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter: The Vice President of the drama club...who is a tiny fox.
 * Rocket Punch/This Is a Drill: Pile Crusher: Fighting the powah since Episode 12.
 * Romance Ensues: Takuto and Wako are intentionally placed in this situation in Episode 4 so Tiger can have Sugata without any obstacles.
 * Sacred First Kiss: Sugata points out that Wako's CPR could probably count as both her and Takuto's First Kiss, which leads Wako to nearly choke on her orange juice.
 * Scenery Porn: Zero Time, the dimension where Cybodies do battle.
 * Also, the nighttime skies.
 * The series is made by Studio BONES; what else could you expect?
 * School Play: Since the protagonists are members of the Drama Club. A kissing scene in their play is Serious Business.
 * Episode 22 is basically this trope.
 * Sealed Evil in A Can: . At the end of the series, it gets unsealed, and.
 * Serious Business: Blowing kisses.
 * She Is the King: 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.
 * Shirtless Scene: Lots of them. For instance, Takuto is shown while having a bath on-screen several times.
 * Shout Out:
 * Takuto's first foe is a Crux Star Driver and boxer codenamed Raging Bull.
 * 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 Eclair Tonnerre's family owns in Ouran High School Host Club.
 * The "STAR DRIVAAAAAAAAAAAA" Eyecatch is likely a reference to the eyecatch from Gun Buster.
 * Wako's fantasy in episode 4 is very reminiscent of Ouran, with roses all around the screen and a "caption" done in the style as the ones used constantly in that series.
 * The book Tiger referenced in episode 4 was very clearly Little Black Sambo.
 * There's a poster of the cover of the opening theme single, "Gravity 0", in Mizuno and Marino's room.
 * "I think playing the piano suits you more than carrying a kendo stick."
 * Also, the line about Mizuno being a weirdo outcast and a "witch."
 * The boxing ring that forms during Takuto and Kanako's fight looks conspicuously similar to the one from G Gundam's second OP.
 * Madoka and Kou. Let's see, two girls, one is blonde, the other turquoise-haired, they're a couple ... Hmmm...
 * The main branches of the Glittering Star and Takuto's Galactic Pretty Boy costume take inspiration from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. The author's earlier novel Night Flight likely provided the source for the drama club's name.
 * King's Pillar looks a lot like the Seven Swell, only the former is blue while the latter is the entire rainbow.
 * Shut UP Hannibal:
 * Sibling Triangle: Both Marino and Mizuno have developed feelings for Takuto. Mizuno also lampshades it at the end of Episode 10.
 * Smells Sexy: Lampshaded by everyone in Episode 5 with Okamoto.
 * Soft Water: Flashback to Takuto's past involves this.
 * Spell My Name With an S: Vanishing/Banishing Age. To make matters worse, the official site uses both.
 * The links provided all show Vanishing. Perhaps they've finally made up their mind. Makes sense, Vanishing does fit better than Banishing.
 * Spit Take: Wako does this when Sugata asks Takuto if he's had his first kiss.
 * Star Crossed Lovers: Sam and the girl he loves in the North Maiden's story,
 * Also, seemingly
 * And in episode 20 it reveals that
 * Stealth Insult: Keito discreetly disparages Wako for her indecisiveness (i.e: Called Wako a whore) in Episode 24.
 * Stock Footage: Pretty standard fare for a mecha/action show. The Glittering Star getting into the cybercasket, Tauburn's entrance into Zero Time, Takuto pulling out his Star Swords, etc.
 * Stripperiffic: Benio's, Simone's, and Kanako's outfits bare copious amounts of skin, and Kanako herself practically looks like a dominatrix in hers. Of the female Order members, only Nichi dresses 'sensibly', and even then her shoulders are exposed, and cleavage, to boot.
 * Suck Out the Poison: Done by
 * Sufficiently Analyzed Magic: Professor Silver knows what he's doing. Take, for example, his development of the
 * Sweetheart Sipping: Takuto, Wako, and Sugata do this together in episode 19.
 * Swiss Army Weapon: Tauburn's Piles which can be combined into a drill to block enemy attacks, and a Rocket Punch, used on their own as attack drones, or even made larger to become wings to allow Tauburn to fly.
 * Teacher Student Romance: Okamoto-sensei is attracted to many of the male students, and.
 * Theme Music Power Up: Actually sung in-show when a Zero Time battle begins.
 * Theme Naming:
 * Everything from the costume design to the character and cyberbodies names to Benio's ability makes much more sense when you realise that they are all based on the Phoenician Alphabet.
 * Rock Theme Naming: Star Swords are typically named for types of gems or stones.
 * The Reveal: Episode 17 finally confirmed what most viewers had already figured out.
 * Episode 20 reveals that
 * The Un Reveal: We never do get told Takuto's First Phase, though
 * Sweetheart Sipping: Takuto, Wako, and Sugata do this together in episode 19.
 * Swiss Army Weapon: Tauburn's Piles which can be combined into a drill to block enemy attacks, and a Rocket Punch, used on their own as attack drones, or even made larger to become wings to allow Tauburn to fly.
 * Teacher Student Romance: Okamoto-sensei is attracted to many of the male students, and.
 * Theme Music Power Up: Actually sung in-show when a Zero Time battle begins.
 * Theme Naming:
 * Everything from the costume design to the character and cyberbodies names to Benio's ability makes much more sense when you realise that they are all based on the Phoenician Alphabet.
 * Rock Theme Naming: Star Swords are typically named for types of gems or stones.
 * The Reveal: Episode 17 finally confirmed what most viewers had already figured out.
 * Episode 20 reveals that
 * The Un Reveal: We never do get told Takuto's First Phase, though

"President: If you win, I'll double your pay. If you lose, you have to kiss me through the glass...except without the glass, and for as long as I want."
 * This Cannot Be: Most of Takuto's opponents have this reaction when he comes up with a new way to win in every battle. is probably the most notable, since he is usually so smug and confident.
 * Three Amigos: Takuto, Sugata, and Wako.
 * Really? You can't forget about Camel Star, Stick Star, and Sword Star with this trope.
 * Threesome Subtext: Sugata and Wako are engaged, but he just wants her to be happy. Takuto is clearly in love with Wako. Wako flat-out says she's in love with both of them, and for bonus points is a Yaoi Fangirl. Oh, and Sugata is Ambiguously Gay. Although Word of God implied they hooked up after the series ended, keep in mind who we're dealing with.
 * Time Stands Still: A side effect of Star Drivers entering Zero Time. Also acts as a form of Spider Sense.
 * Time Travel:
 * Town With a Dark Secret: Southern Cross Isle. Half the school at least seems to be in on the whole Ancient Conspiracy business, and they're not terribly accommodating to outsiders who butt in. Especially not one who is closer to their goal than they are.
 * Tragic Keepsake: The watch that Takuto received from his mother.
 * Transformation Name Announcement: "Dazzling the stage! Galactic Pretty Boy, Taubarn!"
 * Transformation Sequence: Includes a very Magical Girl-esque one, as part of its seeming attempt to fit as many shoujo tropes as possible into a shounen series.
 * Transformation Is a Free Action
 * Troperiffic: Practically everything in this series has been done before. However, instead of being a Cliche Storm, this series seems to enjoy playing with and parodying various tropes found in other anime such as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Code Geass, and the writer's previous works (Revolutionary Girl Utena, Ouran High School Host Club, and Fooly Cooly). There's even a bit of Sailor Moon since the same scriptwriter worked on both. It lampshades 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.
 * Two Guys and A Girl: Played with,
 * Unusual Euphemism: So, do you mind glass?
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: Seemingly more than a few girls for His level of interest on any particular girl hasn't been delved into yet, though he is protective of anyone he cares about, seen more clearly in later episodes when it comes to
 * Takuto reveals to be one after an interview states that he had a crush on Hana, but backed off since Hana had feelings for Natsuo.
 * George and Tetsuya for Benio, who's in love with Sugata.
 * Unwanted Harem: Takuto. While there's hints about Wako, she's not the only girl interested in him. Mizuno, Marino, Kanako, and possibly as of now Benio.
 * Villainous Rescue:
 * Virgin Power: See You Need to Get Laid. Virginity sure is energizing, isn't it?
 * Also hilariously averting another trope.
 * Voices Are Mental: Averted in episode 19.
 * Waif Fu: Kanako demonstrates that she doesn't need a giant robot to kick ass in Episode 12, when she knocks out George, head of the boxing club in two punches. To hear her tell it, most folks go down in one.
 * Wager Slave: The President wants to watch Takuto sword fight, but Takuto hates fighting (partly because it reveals his strengths). So she ups the ante with this:
 * Waif Fu: Kanako demonstrates that she doesn't need a giant robot to kick ass in Episode 12, when she knocks out George, head of the boxing club in two punches. To hear her tell it, most folks go down in one.
 * Wager Slave: The President wants to watch Takuto sword fight, but Takuto hates fighting (partly because it reveals his strengths). So she ups the ante with this:

"Takuto: That day turned into an anniversary none of us could forget..."
 * Wave Motion Gun: The Tau Galaxy Beam.
 * Wham Episode: Episode 6, where things got a bit Darker and Edgier with
 * Episodes 14, 15, and 16 are basically a Wham Arc.
 * And the Whams just keep on coming: Episode 17 has
 * Episode 23. Holy shit.
 * Episode 24:
 * Episode 25.
 * Wham Line: Also, episode 6.


 * The end of episode 7. Delivered by :

"Mizuno: -in tears- Don't treat me like your little sister!"
 * Episode 15.

"Head in a flashback: Hello, my name is"
 * Episode 20.


 * Episode 25 Preview.


 * What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic: Not the world's deepest symbolism, but every Cybody is named after a letter of the Phoenician alphabet, and each letter of the Phoenician alphabet has a name whose meaning informs the abilities of the Cybody and its controller. Alf is "ox" (piloted by Raging Bull), tet is "wheel" (Speed Kid), pe is "mouth" (Scarlet Kiss), nun is "fish" (as in "Little Fish"), samekh is "pillar," ayin is "eye," etc. etc. You could figure out who will control what based on their codename (rosh means "Head," gee, I wonder who will pilot that?), as well as how many Cybodies there will likely be (22), which was confirmed in series.
 * Matthew 19:24 "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God". Now who was it who stopped Camel Star from advancing to the fourth phase?
 * When All You Have Is a Hammer: Tau Missile has become this ever since the third phase.
 * White Haired Pretty Girl: The North Maiden ("Fish Girl").
 * Window Love: It's a big trend for a boy to go outside to a different class and ask a girl to kiss against the window to show affection without being too serious. Kanako in particular loves doing this, since it gives her a way to flirt without cheating on her husband.
 * World of Camp: Possibly one of the standouts in the history of Mecha anime.
 * Then again it works to the Crux's advantage if it causes someone's libido levels to rise...
 * X Meets Y: Ouran High School Host Clubs fabulousness meets Gurren Laganns over-the-topness.
 * It's also been described as [(Code Geass + Revolutionary Girl Utena) - Death Note) x Lucky Star)]. Make of that what you will.
 * Or as Revolutionary Girl Utena meets Rah Xephon.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Sugata has blue hair, and numerous other characters have odd hair coloring.
 * In fact, it seems that the more important a character, the more they follow this trope. Even if they don't have oddly colored hair, they'll at least, like Keito, have hair that is more vibrantly colored than all the background characters.
 * You Have Failed Me: 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.
 * You Need to Get Laid: The captions speculate that Tetsuya's excitement on the motorcycle is a sign that he's in desperate need of a good lay (VIRGIN?).