DATE A LIVE

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

OVA ComedyDate A Live: DATE TO DATE
ANIME ActionDate A Live
ANIME ActionDate A Live II
MANGA MechaDate A Live
MANGA ComedyDate A Party
ANIME ActionDate A Live III
MANGA ActionDate Ast Like
MANGA MechaDate A Live: Tohka Dead End
NOVEL RomanceDate A Live: Encore
ANIME ActionDate A Live IV
NOVEL Sci-FiDate A Live Fragment: Date A Bullet
ANIME ActionDate A Live V
MANGA ComedyDate A Origami
NOVEL MysteryMajutsu Tantei: Tokisaki Kurumi no Jikenbo
NOVEL ComedyDate A Live: Another Route

REVIEWS

• 

  SonRyougi

  100/100
  A fantastic story that's heartwarming, fun, tragic and epic under the guise of being a silly harem comedy

  Oh? First review for the Date A Live Light Novels on here? I hope I can convince you to give this a read then. Date A Live is a series I'd never thought I'd bother reading. Much less have it become my all-time favorite but guess what? It did happen. I'll try to keep this spoiler-free and cut straight to the point. I have never been more surprised by something. If you liked the anime, I suggest you read this. Expressing the difference in quality is impossible. If you didn't like the anime, I implore you to give this a chance. I'll admit, the initial premise does sound a bit silly. A disaster called Space-quake appeared in Eurasia and killed 150 million people. Itsuka Shido's serene life will alter as he meets the cause of the tragedies, a Spirit, 30 years later. Then he discovers that the only way to stop said spirit is by making her fall in love with him.

  

  Admittedly, that doesn't leave a very good first impression. It might do for the harem fanatics, though. Believe me, that premise is just a surface-level description of this series. Under that silly premise is a brilliant story that really encompasses elements from many genres and is an absolute joy to read. It accommodates a genuinely well-constructed narrative. Each volume raises new questions that eventually get answered spectacularly. The author constantly drops clues for massive climaxes at the story's beginning. How it seems to click whenever you come around to said event completely is undeniably satisfying and brilliantly done. Foreshadowing seems to be one of this series's strongest suits. I'd genuinely like to talk more about the story, but a minor slip could entail major spoilers, and this isn't an analysis. More so me trying to convince you to give this a read.

  

  The best aspect of Date A Live are the characters and how the series deals with said characters to make them grow. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Date A Live has one of the best cast of characters I've seen. Each volume or two tends to introduce a new character and work with them. This formula continues until volume 16. Now, it initially might seem formulaic, but it works so well. DAL's cast is much more than a harem protagonist and a bunch of cute girls.

  The characters are fun, charming and have a lot of depth. Each of the character's respective arcs covers many humane yet important issues. The fear of rejection, the inability to wholeheartedly trust others, self-loathing, the consequences of being isolated, and how one's sense of value might turn distorted. They're well thought out. As for the protagonist himself, Shidou is an amazing character. He constantly grows with each event, and his relationships with the spirits have a unique dynamic to offer, with each having its sense of flair and charm. Throughout the story, I never felt like there was a single character that was wasted. I can't even talk about how good the antagonist is without spoiling. Each of them naturally fits into places and roles made for them. They are a lovable cast made with a lot of heart, and they all grew on me fast.

  

  A delightful aspect of the series is its power system. Astral dresses, Angels, Weapons, etc. Their names are based on many mythological and religious figures, which I found very enticing. Date A Live has an incredible illustrator too. Well-drawn volume covers and the colored illustrations are gorgeous. They are detailed and eye-catching. Character designs are unique too. None of them feel like copies of each other and have unique charms. There's fanservice, but it never feels out of place and always fits in. This caught my eye and sparked my initial interest in Date A Live, but I stayed for much more. Congrats, Tsunako, The cute girls' bait worked.

  It's a series that genuinely offers everything. From good slice-of-life moments that'll get you attached to the characters, some amazing fanservice, emotional moments that'll make you shed tears, and a fantastic endgame. Volume 17 - 22 is one of the greatest stretches I've seen in any series. That doesn't mean there aren't good volumes before it. Far from it, actually. Most volumes are very enjoyable, with Volumes 7 and 10 - 11 showing glimpses of the more serious side of the series. It's a great experience overall. It's a series that's pretty overlooked cause of its silly premise and appallingly adapted anime. It properly develops and gives the perfect conclusion to each character. I want to stress that it's not anywhere near a generic harem story.

  I'm really glad I gave this story a chance. It's a series, I feel, has a lot of heart and passion put into it—fun, heartwarming, emotional, and epic all at the same time. With a well-planned-out story, an adorable cast of characters, and some hot but perfectly-placed fanservice, this is nothing less than a hidden gem that you all, who've read my little rant until this point, should give a shot sometime. Also, Shido and Tohka clear anyone and everything in this series fr. Ratings are arbitrary; thus, saying it's a 10/10 wouldn't do justice to this masterpiece. I am in tears

  
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• 

  RokysGalaxy

  80/100
  Good character driven story,can get you to feel things easily,whether it be hapiness or sadness

  Date a Live is a nice mix of ecchi,harem,comedy,romance and action.It manages to balance those elements quite well with good character development and somewhat interesting story.Unfortunately,there isn't much character development,but there is the spinoff encore which gives more of that.Each of the spirits have some psychological issues which caused them to become targets to become spirits in the first place.Shidos job is to seal their powers by making them fall in love,some cases are easier,some are harder,but he manages to do it.Shido basically serves as emotional support towards all the spirits and provides them with a normal life.Of course there are some antagonist here and there,one being a spirit which he has to seal(Kurumi).Isaac is a cliche type of antagonist who wants to kill everyone,then there are more complex antagonists like Kurumi whos goal you know but don't know why she is doing what she is doing until her backstory gets revealed.Then there is also a character reveal in vol 18,a character which got teased throughout the series couple of times,the character responsible for DAL happening in the first place.I shall spoiler tag if you didnt arrive there yourself.Mio Takamiya,the first spirit,goddamn,I love her.The way they implemented her out of nowhere and managed to give her such a significant backstory,they make you feel for her a lot.Suffering for 30 years,recreating your loved one,subcounsionsly to kill you,thats some deep shit.You really felt sorry for her and were glad when she finally passed away.That beach scene with Reine,Mio,Shinji and Shido was good,the last scene with Mio seing Shinji is also beautiful,absolutely amazing.I hope she got reunited with Shinji.
  DAL also has good character design,the Astral Dresses look beautiful.The angels are interesting as well,each with their own design and powers that all represent something,be it time,space,sound,ice,fire,whatever.Each of the spirits backstory is something bad,there are only a few exceptions where Phantom was at fault for ruining their lives,but mostly it was thanks to Phantom that the spirits managed to continue living.Problem is,the powers were a way to vent their problems,not to solve them.So thats why Ratatoskr and Shido are the "good guys",they protect the spirits and give them a normal life.At the end of the trip,you are left with tons of emotions,especially with the final scene of vol 22,that is just proof of how effective the story and characters were to get you to feel something.

  So,to wrap this up,should you read dal? Yes,absolutely.It provides a good character driven narative with characters you care about and see that they grow thoughout the series.It combines elements well,it can be exciting action at one point,cheezy comedy at another,romantic date at another point,or it can absolutely squeeze out a few tears from you.

  Anyways,this is my review,first time doing a review so quite amaturistic.
  Hope you will enjoy reading DAL!
  Much love!

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• 

  Amir

  100/100
  Kiss the anime girl turns into peak fiction

  __Disclaimer: This review is fuc**ng horrible, I wrote it in 15-20 mins, but if you read it W ig + This is spoiler free __

  At first glance Date A Live (DAL) seems like nothing special. The premise is absurd: Kiss a spirit seal their powers? What the actual fu** is that? It seems like a series you read because of the boy bait, the hot girls, the fan service, the panty shots, because Kurumi makes you hard, however, it’s a story that definitely has more to it that meets the eye, you just have to give it a chance.

  Tachibana has stated that the plot of DAL had been planned from the beginning. Now the reason this actually matters is that everything in this series is brilliantly written; there is a substantial amount of foreshadowing hinting towards huge plot twists, that makes the plot do a complete 180. Events from early on in the story are pieced together culminating into an absolutely shocking number of truths. It’s a slow burn, I’ll admit, taking 7 volumes to get a glimpse at what this series can really do, however that doesn’t make the previous volumes bad by any means.

  The early volumes of DAL can be rather arduous to push through, it takes a little while to pick up, they’re solid volumes, however there are some rough patches here and there that you’ll have to put it up with. If you somewhat enjoy the first volume; having it rated around a 6-8/10, then continue to push through this series, the first volume in comparison to the latter are completely unidentifiable as the same series, think of it as one really good set up arc. Volume 3 is great; the iconic Kurumi volume. Volume 4 builds upon the plot and mysteries more, and volume 7 is phenomenal, proving that the DAL formula can be something really special.

  Now while I’ve talked about the early volumes, it’s important to reiterate that they’re really just build up for the final portion of the story. 15 volumes of build up for everything to come crashing down once you cross that final border. Multiple plot twists, explanations to previous events, the origins of the MC, Everything is revealed in this final stretch, and is arguably the most consistent and enjoyable stretch of story I’ve ever seen.

  

  The characters of DAL are undeniably the best aspect of the series. One flaw that you’ll have to put up with is that the MC has little change throughout the series, he’s still phenomenal and grows on you a lot, there are just better developed characters in the series; being the spirits. The spirits of DAL are the selling point of the story, the premise literally functions off of them. Every volume or two a new spirit is introduced and for the most part, they take much perseverance to put up with when they first appear. In most cases the spirit has something that they can’t fucking live with: appearances, finding men repulsive, secluded natures and not being able too open up to anyone, which the MC then has to find a way to overcome, through the process of dating them :skull:

  While it sounds horrible at first glance, every spirit in the series undergoes amazing character development, accepting the flaws within themselves and growing from that. Each character gets a satisfying conclusion that encompasses what their character represents in the series; leading into one of the most rewarding conclusions ever.

  There is a decent amount fan service in DAL, however, it is heavily overplayed by the reputation the anime adaptation has bought towards the series. Sure there are multiple moments sexualising the characters, however it isn’t done excessively, and it doesn’t feel out of place either, if you have a problem with it you’re just a bitch.

  I went into DAL looking for something light to read, something that would be decent at best— I came out with one of my favourite series of all time, and a magnitude of depression. This series is not light on the reader; especially the last 7 volumes. There hasn’t been a character I’ve ever sympathised with as much as the antagonist, encompassing all tragic elements in literature, from the hamartia to the peripeteia, leading into one of the most cathartic character conclusions ever, and a truly satisfying end to a brilliantly built up character.

  DAL has it all: slice of life, romance, tragedy, action, thriller, comedy, sci-fi, etc. there’s something in this series that anyone could enjoy given you put the investment in, and while it is quite the heavy investment, by the end you’ll wish there was more.

  Also Mio clears everything else in this series.

  
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