Star Driver - Episode 5

I thought that perhaps the previous episode of Star Driver was paving the way for a slight shift in the show's formula and way of doing things... but no, I was wrong, as episode five proves to be another rinse and repeat affair which introduces a character, ties them in to the Glittering Crux brigade and then finishes with a Zero Time battle between said character against Takuto.

After some pre-amble featuring the school's drama club members (which the episode self-referentially admits is just there for fan service), we introduced to our character of the week - Midori Okamoto, the school nurse with a bit of an obsession with pretty boys.  Well, you've certainly found a place in the right series, Miss Okamoto!

Anyway, Okamoto's ability involves the potential to revert to a younger version of herself, leading to the appearance at the school of a mysterious girl named Hina, who is also using a love potion to enchant all of the boys on campus.  Next thing we know they're all getting sent letters by said girl informing them that she would like to "taste them" - Takuto included, of course.  With Hina's appearance coinciding with some powerful tremors (in the ground, that is - get your minds out of the gutter), Okamoto has to be stopped, and of course Takuto is the man to do it.  Zero Time appears, stage is dazzled, Tauburn looks set to be defeated but emerges victorious in the face of a stupid, drooling opponent, rinse, repeated, come back next week and we'll do the same thing all over again probably.

Even though we're five episodes in now, I still can't figure out just what Star Driver wants to be (if it even knows itself) - last week's episode seemed set to shake things up a little before this instalment brought us back to the same old episode layout while playing its plot mostly for comic value, right up to our school nurse being defeated while she's checking Takuto out.  Okay, that moment was pretty funny (and there were a few other giggles to be had from this episode), but I have to admit that it wasn't what I signed up to Star Driver for and it needs to do a whole lot more if it isn't going to join the rather considerable pile of forgettable mecha series that decorates the world of anime like some elephant's graveyard.