ItsumoHitori

Minor spoilers ahead!:

Story - In Date a Live, our hero Shido-kun's world is constantly threatened by dangerous spacequakes that destroy their surroundings and threaten those in the immediate vicinity. The cause of these spacequakes are "Spirits", powerful girls from another dimension. After encountering one of said Spirits, our hero Shido-kun is beamed up by an invisible aircraft and told by his little sister that he has the ability to <a >save these Spirits by going on dates with them and sealing their powers with a kiss.

As a bit of a foreshadowing of the essence of the series, Shido shows little to no reaction to the fact, and doesn't even attempt to inquire why or how his little sister is in charge of an elite, teleport-capable organisation dedicated to overseeing dates with otherworldly beings .

Date a Live's top dog

I can't decide if Date a Live's plot has stumbled off a steep, rocky cliff, or if it's rolling down the slope just as planned. Heroines' backstories are presented rather gravely, a stark contrast to the show's whacky nature. It's as if the series can't remember which genre it's playing for, with seriousness oftenplace overiding the consistent ridiculousless of this series. Whereas some series can successfully juggle silly and solemn(Trigun, One Piece), Date a Live falls flat. Somber scenes ends up feeling a bit counterfeit, almost as if Shido and the girls are about to fall over laughing as soon as the <a >camera pans off the screen.

Of the subject of Shido's "power", it's never explained, and there's no answer given as to this existence of the Spirits, or the fact that they look and act like teenage girls(??),  but most other questions are eventually answered. The story rolls on, uncaring to the viewer's disbelief, and other than Kurumi's arc, there is hardly any suspense to this show, since it's difficult to take seriously. However, Date a Live succeeds in being very funny, and is an entertaining comedy once you get in knee deep.

Get Ready

Animation - Nothing to complain about here. Date a Live has very solid animation, everything looks nice, and the show is distinct with it's colour palette.

More gullible than the entire front row of an X-Factor audience

Sound - Pretty inelaborate in terms of OST, tracks that serve their purpose, nothing more. OP is average, and the ED's are catchy. Voice acting is polished and fits the cast like a glove.

The Usual Suspects

Characters - Pretty cookie-cutter. Shido is a reactant and has no distinct character traits. You can just about hear the marbles rolling around in Tohka's head. Yoshino's the shy ventriloquist. Reine feels as if she drove up to set from a CSI crime lab. Kotori's the resident tsundere, and along with untamed factor Tobiichi, often are the catalysts for a lot of the show's hilarious moments. Kurumi is a refreshing break, as a pretty clever, unconfined character, and is Date a Live's standout.

Thoughts -This series was funny, but it's predictability takes away memorability. The fact that many aspects of the show are not explained, but rather just taken for granted, is bothersome as well.

Enjoyment - If you like off-the-rails, action-packed harem anime, you'll have a great time with Date a Live