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Date a Live

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30 years ago the planet begun being ravaged by “spacial quakes”, which threatened whole towns and neighborhoods. In the years since, technology now allows entire towns to seek shelter in a mass network of underground bunkers whenever these quakes begin.  Afraid that his sister might have become caught up in a quake, male protagonist Shido Itsuka avoids an evacuation order and ends up in the middle of a battle between a mysterious sword-wielding girl and a group of militarized flying high-school girls. From there… he learns the truth about the quakes which have ravaged the country for years.

These spacial quakes have been caused by mysterious spirits that randomly begin catastrophically appearing, destroying anything in the vicinity when they do. These girls are being hunted by a military organization known as the AST, which seeks to destroy them to presumably prevent further damage to the planet. After the battle he learns from his little sister Kotori that she has a secret life as captain of Ratatoskr – a group seeking to resolve the issue of quakes without killing spirits.

Learning that he has the ability to seal the powers of spirits through a genuinely affectionate kiss, in addition to the ability to hit a metaphorical reset button should he be killed – he begins his mission to save the spirits that appear in his hometown. It is easier said than done however when he has to balance the happiness levels of the spirits he seeks whilst protecting them against the AST and fellow classmate Origami Tobiichi who harbors a strong dislike towards them. After all… how can someone enjoy a date when they are being bombarded with bullets?

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Date a Live features a handful of dates across its 13-episodes, with the goal being to heighten the emotional level of the girl he is dating until it reaches a level where he can seal their powers. These dates draw much inspiration from dating simulations / visual novels, as while Shido is on the ground, the remainder of Ratatoskr’s (Mostly questionable) crew remain on the airship as they discuss and vote on what dialogue he should use rather than trusting his instincts. It was certainly a unique addition to the series, and I would loved to have seen how Compile Heart used it to their advantage in their 2013 visual novel release Date a Live: Rinne Utopia, however its significance really only contributes to a few laughable (and awkward in the OVA episode) moments. Instead, Shido shines as a likable, kind-hearted main protagonist that genuinely cares about the girls he saves, and didn’t need such a gimmick to drive the dates.

The remainder of the character cast each contributes well to the story, however some are evidently favored more than the others. Of the main female cast, only three hold much weight in the series – Tohka Yatogami who is the first spirit Shido rescues, Origami Tobiichi and Kotori Itsuka. All receive decent development despite all holding mysteries which will hopefully be explored in Date a Live II that recently finished airing in Japan. Other spirits including Yoshino (and her adorable “puppet” Yoshinon) and human characters such as Ratatoskr’s medic Reine Murasame clearly have more to contribute to the storyline, but were never elevated past secondary character status.

Ultimately, Date a Live provided an entertaining and pleasant storyline despite the number of filler episodes that found their way into the mix. The mix of fantasy, action and romance is not an uncommon one, but there was enough to keep this series from coming across as uninspired or repetitive.

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Illustrations in the original light novel were produced by Tsunako, who is known for her work on Compile Heart video game franchises including Hyperdimension Neptunia and the upcoming Fairy Fencer F. Animation studio AIC PLUS+ managed to replicate her designs very nicely in what was an aesthetically pleasing anime series. While Shido doesn’t test the boundaries much from the “generic male protagonist” design, all the female characters (Especially the Spirits) look distinct, detailed and well-animated when in battle. Environment designs on the other hand pretty much encompass the same sort of areas you would find in any anime today, and are so-so at best.

I will admit that the opening animation for Date a Live hit one of my weak spots when it comes to such sequences. Back when I reviewed DuRaRaRa!! in 2011, I mentioned that I loved the small gap included in the opening animation dedicated to recapping relevant events from previous episodes. With the opening for Date a Live, just before the song lyrics begin, a narrator provides a few short lines alluding to the events of the episode. Perhaps it won’t have an impact on others, but I loved something simple like this – especially with the instrumental tune accompanying it. On the same note, the opening theme Date A Live by sweet ARMS was enjoyable, complemented by strong animation. The four ending themes included in the anime were also solid, but lacked in the animation department.

North American licensor Funimation Entertainment has once commissioned a brand new English dub for Date a Live to complement the original Japanese dub also included on-disc. The new English dub was decent, however a number of characters were overshadowed by their Japanese counterparts. Therefore the original Japanese voice overs would be my personal recommendation for Date a Live. Some notable mentions however include Josh Grelle as Shido Itsuka, Tia Ballard as Yoshino/Yoshinon and Alex Moore as the narrator. I also have to congratulate Monica Rial for spending a whole series saying pretty much nothing other than “That’s So Lame….”.

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Date a Live comes with the usual assortment of Funimation Entertainment bonus on-disc extra content. The most notable inclusion is the commentaries where Joel McDonald, Tia Ballard, Michelle Lee and Michelle Rojas (Episode 4) / Joel McDonald, Josh Grelle, Brynn Appril and Felecia Angelle (Episode 7) provide their insight and general discussions on the series and other matters – with the occasional question posed by McDonald about compatibility and dating. Also included in the mix is a series of promotional videos, textless opening (Date a Live) and ending (Save the World, Strawberry Rain, Save my Heart) sequences and the US trailer. No general trailers are available at all on the Australian blu-ray release, but may differ between formats and regions.

Visual novels are occasionally adapted into anime series, with attempts at distancing them from the multi-routed approach most VN’s seem to take. But it was certainly something unique to see the actual features of a standard visual novel / dating sim incorporated into an anime series. While not a flawless experience, leaving plenty of questions (and what appears to be half an arc) hanging for its second season, Date a Live was a competently produced anime series that most of all proved to be an entertaining watch at the very least.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

1 COMMENT

  1. Considering all the crappy Harem Romance animes there are out there, I agree this isnt one of the best out there but I also dont think its one of the worst. I thought for what it was It was actually quite good, in fact considering the current trend with fan-service Im amazed at how well it pulled its tropes out.

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