Straight to the point. Is BONES really trying to copy Star Driver exactly here? We are already in episode 3 and this is what we have thus far. Three friends all with unique abilities. Daichi is able to pilot a giant robot. Takuto piloted Tauburn. Teppei can now pilot a giant robot. Sugata piloted Samekh, the king of cybodies. Hana sings with a mysterious power which allowed the Kiltgang robot Albion to finally move, even after all of GLOBE’s attempts at resurrecting it. Wako sang which delivered power to cybodies and allowed her to be in zero time. Seeing the similarities here? The music was very much the same too, aside from the lyrics, it was identical. Come on BONES, I enjoyed Star Driver, but this is getting to be rehashed way too much.

It was nice to see that they didn’t skip the scenes from the first and second episodes where Earth Engine Impacter flies through the space rings in order to beef up it’s combat mode. Preparation is always key when necessary for a battle, and this series plays into that very well. It was also nice to see life outside of the operations, plus we got a good look at where Nishikubo lives. The mahou shoujo hacker Akari was the most entertaining this episode! Her comedy routine of being left behind by her mother and father was epic. Not to mention her disgust at her father’s attempts at romancing one of GLOBE’s operators Rena. A great transition away from all the drama this series originally presented itself with. A good turnaround here was the fact that Teppei’s Albion IS a Kiltgang robot. I am curious though as who originally piloted it, after seeing Amara’s reaction. What sort of defense did the Kiltgang have before and how did Albion wind up in Earth’s hands? I am sure the writers will get to explaining that sooner or later.

The animation was still very impressive, and I love what BONES has done with it. Although it may be recycled it is pretty to look at. Let’s just hope the story helps back this up. By the way, that Salty Dog representative was really annoying and overplayed. The seiyu for him should have done a much better job here.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 4/10

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