Tensions were high among the fanbase going into Season 5. Season 4 did fix a lot of the problems left by J.C Staff but Geek Toys also brought along a new set of different problems that upset many DAL fans arguably more. The reception was overall positive but even among the fans who enjoyed it there was concern for how the next season would be adapted. So how did Date a Live fare this time? The answer... mixed. 220https://i.ur.com/gjLBIPE.jpg Buckle up because you are in for a LONG one. I am very attached to Date a Live and have a lot to say. There will not be any hard spoilers except in the characters section. So you dont have to worry about being spoiled reading this bar that section which will also have a 2nd warning as a reminder. Now lets get this breakdown started. Story: Were finally here: the height of DALS story. This section of the novels that the anime covers this season is regarded as the series selling point. When you read reviews for the DAL light novel people praise TF out of the direction the series goes in the late game. And even among the negative reviews from people who completed the series the common theme you see is the series is a slog until volume 16 but from that point it becomes genuinely interesting. Were at that stages fellas buckle up. The war with DEM truly begins and its pure chaos. Shido has his long awaited showdown with Isaac Westcott Origami squares off with Artemisia Ashcroft Ellen Mather finally engages Elliot Woodman Reines betrayal is realized and the true boss of the entire series spawns: The Spirit of Origin Mio Takamiya. Her reign of carnage begins and well... quite a few bodies are left behind in her wake. The story is a chaotic tragedy that hinges on the complicated backstory of Shido which is finally revealed this season. The fate of everything depends on what he does with that information and how he will go about trying to stop Mio. This season covers volumes 1719 of the novels which is a surprising slowdown in adaptation pacing given the series average across the first 4 season was 4 volumes a season. But Im not complaining this is just what the doctor ordered. It seems like they learned their lesson from their previous seasons and especially season 4 where one of the big complaints is how rushed the Mukuros arc was and felt. It was and still doesnt feel good even on rewatch. They gave this season far more breathing room to adapt everything essential to the story. Not every detail or scene made it in but far less was trimmed and unlike the previous seasons nothing felt overly rushed in regards to the plot and storytelling. And just the right time too: because this arc... needs and deserves all the attention she gets. I dont want to go any further into details about the story because quite frankly its extremely intriguing and the selling point of the anime. You dont spoil it for yourself looking it up you need to experience it for yourself. Theres only a few negative things I can say about the story. The biggest one is the noticeable change in pacing and in form of storytelling this season: The majority of this season is very scattershot. It constantly cuts between different parties every episode which makes it a bit of pain to follow at times and really breaks the immersion of several key scenes. In its defense it is loyal to the LNs which were also written in an even more disjointed manner. So they are doing their best to stay true to the source material while trying to make it not as difficult to follow which I think they did a good job with. It also fits into the chaotic nature of a war so I give them credit for staying true to the theme and trying something different with a mostly positive result. It wasnt always perfect but they did a good job. Theres an episode dedicated to introducing a backstory and including a worldbuilding element that some people complain about being unnecessary and just thrown in for no reason but that isnt the case and for details Ill explain in the characters section for specifically Karen and Ellen why although fair warning there will spoilers. Also the way the season ends is not quite how the LN does. The final scene cuts out a critical moment that directly causes and leads into the final arc/final 3 light novels. Which means as it stands it is technically an anime original ending. Now it would not be hard for them to rectify this as all theyd have to do is start the next season with slightly going back and starting slightly before where it ended with that particular scene. Which if they do the loose end will be wrapped up. But theres no guarantee of this especially after the news of the animation studios financial troubles reaching the public. Update: Brief tangent to adressing the Geek Toys Bankruptcy claims/controversy: This section has been added as in months later because this conspiracy hasnt died out despite the fact it was disproven with public record proper translations and a new project announcement months ago. Im adding it to the review because I want to help put out the fires and dispel the rumor mills for people who either havent been informed on the update information havent heard yet and get you informed and ultimately stopping people from mindlessly parroting this piece of misinformation. As of the writing/editing of this review September 2024: No Geek Toys has not officially gone bankrupt like many of the claims alleged. This all stemmed from someone on Twitter who made a poor translation of the merger announcement which made it sound like they had gone under. And that piece of misinformation spread like wildfire. Geek Toys now going by Geek Pictures postmerger is not gone they are still in business and are still producing/coproducing anime. But they have/are undergoing a massive restructure and merger due to financial issues and have dialed back their projects for the foreseeable future. They have only 1 coproduction in the works at the moment set to come out next year and thats it. Long story short: they are not gone but they are in no position to make another season of Date a Live anytime soon... if ever given that the rights to the show have allegedly been returned to Kadokawa in exchange for more funding admist season 5s production. Which if true means the ball now is entirely in Kadokawas court and out of Geek Toys hands meaning Geek Toys may never get a say in it ever again. Only time will tell if we get another season and by which studio if any. End of update Now If this is the last we get from DAL as a anime its not a dealbreaker. The ending is still quite a good honestly great in a vacuum when not compared to its source material properly climatic and incredibly emotional ending as is. I genuinely cried watching it despite knowing what was coming. But in spite of its best efforts to tie things up as it stands it doesnt feel... fully resolved. The anime has several plot holes afloat multiple big questions unanswered subplots unresolved and just a general feel of being unfinished. You could argue thats the point since you could still make minor adjustments/recton and have 1 more season. But since the odds of that are looking slim as of this time we have to assess the piece in front of us as it as: a currently anime original ending. Story section conclusion: As far as the story goes: it is fantastic. A bit scattershot at times but it was kept almost entirely intact from the source material and remains fantastic. Unlike season 4 never was I bored while watching this season. Its a major step up over the previous entry whose middle section was just a hohum to get through. Asides from its pacing and storytelling being a bit unbalanced and I guess the debate over whether or not the ending should be considered animeoriginal I have no major complaints on the story itself. It remains one of DALs strongest elements if not THE strongest element this season specifically. I wish the rest of the qualities couldve been on par with the story especially the animation. Which... oh man where do I start?.. Animation/Art: 220https://i.gifer.com/origin/b0/b024debc2ec549e2ed0e68b2a3135257.gif Alright fun times over. Because as good as the story is it cant always make up for bad visuals. Now we gotta face the sad reality that it is unfortunately Geek Toys animating this series again. And you know what that means? CGIaLive is back. Last season it was unfortunate but wasnt as much of a constant problem because there was only 2 episodes where CG came into play due to season 4s lesser focus on action. Whereas this season it is an unavoidable constant. There is so much action throughout this season that it was inevitable that it was gonna be a consistent problem. Again I want to make the same reminder I gave in my review of season 4 two years ago Im not CGIphobic but it needs to be supporting the animation instead intruding on it and being an eyesore instead. It should be an asset not a detriment. And Geek Toys CG is exactly the latter the majority of the time. Its 1 thing when CG is being used on background elements and/or inhuman creatures Theyre rarely centerstage have solid reasoning to be CG and thus arent as much of or are simply an acceptable eyesore. Its another entirely when the CG models are human and main characters who are the center of attention and the main focus. The margin for error becomes much higher and Geek Toys is a studio that has proven time and time again that they do not know what theyre doing with their CG elements. Not just in DAL but their other works too. But I will say this: while most of the CG may be ugly at least the majority of it is in noncritical moments or short shots that doesnt distract the viewer too much. Theres a lot to nitpick across each episode but the majority of them were not ruined by it. It did not derail the majority of episodes. 8/12 episodes ranged from passable to solid. Then theres 2 legitimate cases for being the best episode not just of the season but the entire series. But unfortunately there are 2 who were... controversial to say the least with many who would genuinely call them bad. And to be quite honest... I agree with almost all the negative criticism they both get. Those 2 episodes were really fumbled hard. Though for different reasons. So lets dissect these 4: starting with the 2 controversial episodes and then the 2 really good ones. The details I will be divulging will not have any critical spoilers so you can read through them without issue. Episode 3: Attack of the CG Clones I lowkey wish it was in episode 2 to help solidify this bad Star War joke but no matter. Im stuck with this as unfortunately so were we all with this mess of an episode Episode 3 opens with the very start of the war and what do we get for the opening moments? A poor shot of static airships with simple dots around them indicating a fight and then a flurry of massteleporting puppets appearing on the screen of all the spirits which then proceed to clunkily fling themselves forward into the battle. Their bodies movements and facial expressions wooden and stiff. And thats just how the episode is for the most part. Artemesia vs Origami is not great to watch. Origamis model is fine and looks good but Artemsia ruins the fight because she looks so plastic. Her stiff long hair and features make it look like Origami is fighting a Barbie doll. Pretty much every CG element in this episode is awful to the point where it is not an exaggeration to call it comparable to ExArm... fcking ExArm. And people did this episode sparked outrage among DAL fans and sent morale spiraling. While I was among one of said fans who also made that comparison I dont think Id 100 stand by it now in regards to the entire episode. It has a lot of visual issues with some genuine ExArm level quality moments like all the ones I laid out. But upon rewatch because I watched this specific episode 4 yes 4 times just to dissect its elements its not completely terrible. Shidos date with Nibelcole was well done and looked good. Origami looked fantastic in action its unfortunately just bogged down by the fact her opponent is a Barbie doll. The other spirits looked alright besides their battlefield entrance. Ellen looked good flying into action and Elliots grand entrance was also nice. And of course the final moments of the episode is a shocking reveal that sets up what is to come with the rest of the season. The 1 other thing that kinda works to the benefit of the bad CG is Kurumi and Nibelcoles commentary and banter. While it was in the novels the situational irony is way too well placed. It feels so selfaware and on brand for Date a Live. People tend to forget that DAL is a psuedoparody at it core so this mightve been a fun way for them making light in a rough situation the animators clearly were in here. 220https://i.ur.com/zxnaDkL.jpg 220https://i.ur.com/MvvBsWp.jpg 220https://i.ur.com/EPoanyK.jpg This episode is also salvaged by the fact the following week we got one of the most impactful wellmade and arguably one of the best episode in the entire DAL series. It was the most perfectly timed rebound one could ask for that helped people overlook/forget how terrible the previous week was. Which is also ironically enough a similar saving grace the other controversial episode has. Episode 7: How to Fumble your Boss Fight This episode is a really divisive mixed bag. Half of the episode is genuinely amazing but the other half is unbelievably awful. The parts involving Fraxinus Origami Tohka and especially Kotori are amazing except that one filler bit involving Kannazuki and middle school girls. The racing airship visuals are incredible and the final scene aboard Fraxinus genuinely almost brought me to tears. Rare Geek Toys visual W. But then we get to Shido vs Westcott a fight that has been anticipated for years and was building up for 2 episodes straight. But instead we get blue balled by the writers. Who decide that between the end of episode 5 where they tease the showdown to come next episode they insert a rushed backstory episode for half the episode and then cut away to the spirits fight against Mio. Both of which are pretty good but... they kill the momentum of this fight. Then we get to the fight itself which... was just disappointment. There was exactly 3 actions taken throughout this fight and was a stiff lifeless and just... mundane. How do you screw up a confrontation this impactful with years of anticipation and episodes of build up this badly? The most notable thing about this fight is that it is the first time Ive been disappointed by Geek Toys 2D elements. One of the selling points of Geek Toys taking over and the reasoning people use to offset help offset peoples feeling of the bad CG they use is that the 2D elements look pretty consistently great. This... is the first time they really dropped the ball. When Shido pull out Sandalphon and reenacts Tohkas scene of slicing the throne and summoning Halvanhelev... it looks awful cheap and just goofy instead of epic. 220https://i.ur.com/q2NNse7.jpg comparison to season 1 220https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/datealive/images/e/e6/SandalphonHalvanhelev.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130825180409pathprefix=es I get Geek Toys has really made it a point that they want to recreate scenes from previous seasons in their own art style for flashbacks and such instead of inserting clips in from previous seasons and prior to this I hadnt had a problem with it. But man... for this scene they absolutely shouldve just reused the visuals from the previous seasons for it. What they made looks so cartoonish washed out in color and bad. Shido swinging it also looked hilariously off. The iconic Kamehameha reference and finisher was very well done thats not a real spoiler youve seen Shido do it before in season 3 but it does not make up for the rest of this lackluster fight. Now all that being said I want to remind you that these 2 episodes were the exceptions the 2 truly mixed/bad episodes amongst the pack that attempt to drag down an otherwise fairly passable season animationwise. While Geek Toys animation is not stellar besides these 2 episodes its not used in a way that it becomes a hinderance. But after all that trashing its time to talk about the 2 golden gooses of this season. Episode 8: The Moment Weve Waited over a Decade to See I almost couldnt believe it. Geek Toys made actually good looking CG for a fight scene? And it mixes well with the 2D elements? And it looks... AMAZING? WTf? I almost cant believe Geek Toys made this. Where the heck has this quality been? Episode 8 was by far the episode most fans were anticipating and concerned about. This episode houses what is arguably the highest climax or most iconic moment of the entire series. We were very anxious to see how Geek Toys would deliver it. And somehow... they managed it. Geek Toys delivered a genuine W of an episode that is on the par with how impactful and amazing it is in the novels. 220https://i.ur.com/tTHFCGf.jpg Sure there is some very minor things you can nitpick with this episode like a couple of poor shots or the track selection and placement feeling a bit off at times. But those tiny nonessential issues aside they knocked it out of the park. Episode 8 is among the best if not a candidate for THE best episode in the entire Date a Live series. It is a Godsend and miracle that it came out of Geek Toys. On the topic of Geek Toys brief tangent... In regards to criticizing Geek Toys work: Ive seen and had enough with the people telling folks that you arent allowed to criticize Geek Toys animation solely off the fact that theyre a smaller studio or youre not a real fan. This season has really brought these basement dwellers outta the woodwork and Ive gotten pretty fed up with this crud. Yes we all get theyre a smaller studio. We never expected it to be Mappa level animation. All we wanted was just decent animation on par with the first 2 seasons thats it. That wasnt a high bar of expectations. I also already give them leeway for being a small studio. For example I dont like the fact the we lost the spirits hybrid armor outfit that weve had for the first 3 seasons because Geek Toys can only afford to make 1 model for each character. It negatively impacts the anime and definitely hinders my enjoyment quite a bit. But notice I havent complained about it. Because I get it they dont have the time or investment to make and animate all these different models. And thats a fine excuse that we can live with so long as they do the minimum of making sure the models they do have look good. But more often than not they didnt which is why many fans like myself are upset with the quality. I can give them room for grace in some areas on account for being a smaller studio but that absolutely does not give them a free card to for being immune to all of it. Trying to gatekeep criticism never ends well just ask the RWBY community. tangent over Episode 12: A Finale Worth Remembering 220https://i.ur.com/kaUg9Yc.png The animation was getting rough at points but clearly it was to save up for this last hurrah. And did it pay off?... YES. The final episode encapsulates the themes structure and essence of Date a Live near perfectly. Self aware dry humor? Check. Magic waifus? More than enough. Epic visually stunning boss battle? Check. And a tearjerking ending? Yessir... It goes out in a bang in a way we havent seen since season 2 if not the Mayuri Judgement movie. It was absolutely amazing to see them throw it back this well and go this hard. Although it does bring me a great deal of sad realization that... were likely never gonna get to see it again from this series as this has been tailored to be the intended end for this anime. But if this is how Date a Live goes out Im happy it was with an episode of this caliber. As much as I have and will continue to criticize Geek Toys at least brought it together when it mattered most this season. Animation/art conclusion: Geek Toys does continue to struggle with in the visual department. The CG as a whole is not great and they do slip up with the 2D in some crucial scenes as well. But for the most part its not bad enough to be intrusive for the majority of episodes. The 2 I mentioned are exceptions they are truly bad in the visual department and are solely salvaged by the strength of the story. And while I still dont hold Geek Toys in high esteem I give them credit for at least trying to learn how to make better visuals for the most part. Bar the mentioned 2 they dont fall back into the trappings made in season 4 and they definitely are improving. Slowly and not nearly quick enough progress to be happy with it but they are making progress. I lamented in the past how Geek Toys is incapable of making good animation. And while I still hold a strong sentiment that they are not capable of being consistent Episode 8 and 12 proves they can do it when they give genuine effort and passion towards it. Im not thrilled with what we got in the visual department but it wasnt unpassable. Once you get over the hump that is episode 3 the CG becomes a lot more bearable and not that hard to adjust to. It certainly couldve been much better but it also couldve been worse. I think Ive said more than enough about the visuals moving on. Sound: 220https://i.ur.com/mwczTw3.jpg Music continues to be one of Date a Lives strong suites. The tracks have always been amazing and the few new ones we got this season continue to add to collection. The remastered ending music is so beautifully epic tense and awesome the perfect track to lead into each new episode and as it turns out the final climax too. While taste in music is subjective in my opinion Paradoxes was a phenomenal OP that fits the core of DAL and this season especially. Do I still miss Sweet ARMs on the OPs? Oh yes I still think all 3 of their OPs are better than Miyu Tomitas. But again taste in music is subjective so take my word with a grain of salt. We at least had Sweet ARMs on the ED and it was also a fitting song. Probably DALs best ED but tbf most of DALs EDs are not that good imo so the bar isnt as high or as contentious as rating the OPs. This season does suffer a bit of final season syndrome where they get a bit carried away stuffing a bunch of old tracks into the season to try and recapture nostalgia despite whether they fit the occasion or not. It does impact and hurt few scenes. But for every 1 they did wrong they get at least 23 right. Voice acting: The JP cast was on point as usual. Aya Endou absolutely killed it as Mio. Not really much to say about this I have 0 problems with the voice cast. English dub: 220https://i.ur.com/PsPCjy6.jpeg I did not watch any of the English this season while it was airing. Partly because I want and will use it as an excuse to rewatch the season as a binge next round to see if it affects any of my opinions but also... the mess that was the season 4 English dub did a number on me and I was not eager to have any feelings about what I was watching ruined by another botched job again for anyone out of the loop or needs reminding can read through the sound section of my S4 review from 2 years ago herehttps://anilist.co/review/17282. The delay caused by Hurricane Beryl hitting Texas where the dubbing studio is located is also an unfortunate circumstance. This following section has been added in almost half a year later as I finally got around to watching this seasons dub and the result is... Im pretty annoyed if not pissed off. Lets get mild nitpicks out of the way before we get to the egregious issues. I know some people get extremely bothered by basic diologue changes and fight for pure 1to1 loyalty. And Im typically not one of those people. But imo the choice of making Shido shout Sixth bullet instead of Vav in episode 8 sounded infinitely less cool. The JP absolutely takes the W for that one. Then theres a moment where Shido reveals something important to a Kurumi clone. And that information cant be directly told to the main Kurumi. In the original JP diologue Kurumi says she has to form a plan to sneakily imply to her other self without tipping something else off. While in the English dub the diologue is changed to yea I can tell her no problem. 2 very different implications going from using her cunning in one version to just a BS plot convenience in the other. But it went further than that and did the thing that has become more rampant as a result of western influence and selfproclaimed activists have gotten more involved in the production side: pushed a political agenda. Mild but unimportant spoiler for episode 2: theres a scene where the girls are sitting around playing a chainword game and Kaguya slips up and says Chupacabra. And then conversation pivots over whether or not this word fits the bill for what their playing. You know what the English dub does?... replaces it with a joke about MF Henry Kissinger being erotic... Ah yes forcing American politics down our throat. Take a poltical meme that popular at the time because notorious politician Henry Kissinger had recently died when the dub started rolling out and leave it as an unwanted stain that already dates and ages this anime with no sense or meaning whatso ever. Why does a random group of Japanese girls know so much about Henry Kissinger? Why was it so important to replace a joke that everyone understood with one about him? No good reason and we all know who and why forced this in. Jessie formerly Josh Grelle who voices Shido in the dub did not perform well this season. Whereas in the past Ive admired their performance as Shido but this time they sound so... uninvested. Shidos voice lacks intensity and emotion in the moments it should. I cant help but think that Grelle just doesnt care about this anime anymore. Maybe it has to do with the problems behind the scene from season 4 where they were replaced for almost half the season by 2 other VAs? Or perhaps their transition played a factor in their outlook on the male characters they once played? Who knows but the fact remains that their performance this season was lacking compared to their previous ones. But there was 2 good things we got: Alexis Tipton and Michelle Rojas. Both of them absolutely KILLED it as Kurumi and Tohka respectively. Alexis Tiptons interpretation and performance of the character holds up on its own so well that a fair number of people perfer the dub just for her alone. And that speaks for itself. But in my opinion the outstanding performance award as far as dub actors go has to go to Rojas. She genuinely made Tohka far more animated and alive than she was in the original sub. Her terrified scream were more electric hair raising and tension bringing than the original JP actress performance. Id go as far as to say that the dub has any selling point at all despite its mound of issues would be these 2 actresses performances. Whether that makes it worth it you is up to you. Sound conclusion: DAL remains solid in the music and the JP voice department. Its the category that this series has always been consistent in and they didnt drop the ball and should be proud of it. The English dub... has problems quite a few of them. I wont doc any points from the grade of this review for it because dubs are supplementary in nature and completely optional. But there are at least 2 things going for it so watch at your preference. Characters: I have a lot to say about specific characters both positive and negative. Fair warning: this will be the 1 section that has hard spoilers. If you are trying to avoid spoilers please scroll to the Final Thoughts section to avoid them. But I want to share my full thoughts on these characters and how they impacted the season so I will not be sparing details for the sake of watch preservation here. Skip over this section if this applies to you youve been warned. Now for the dissections Westcott: 220https://i.pin.com/736x/4e/ae/7d/4eae7d7d3b3e5d234987dbec680f5782.jpg I have mixed feelings on Westcott this season. He had such a high ceiling and potential as a villain but I dont think he ever truly lived up to it. His final boss fight at the end is intense and awesome but after the underwhelming and more disappointing personal showdown between him and Shido that was by far more anticipated and built up I cant help but feel like I was scammed. Yes Geek Toys lacking visuals contributed to it as I mentioned earlier when I broke down this episode. But the other bigger problem was the pacing. The scattershot nature of this season really hurts what was supposed to be this big climatic fight. Having his duel get ready to start but then to be interrupted by a half episode cutaway of his backstory just to then cut away to the other spirits vs Mio till the end of the episode. Then the next episode we have more of Mio vs the spirits comedic relief aboard Fraxinus with Kotori and Kannazuki back into the action of Mio vs the spirits only to THEN get back to Shido vs Westcott. And of course that fight is an absolute joke that composes of only 3 actions happening before Shido ends it. It feels so robbed of momentum on top of being amplified by the fights short length that I feel scammed. Your big bad boss encounter that was being hyped up for seasons should feel hefty and impactful not like a boxing match where the fight is over after 3 punches. Some people have complained about Beelzebub being a stupid power for Westcott but I do like that he has it. It fixes one of the common problems with any story that utilizes time travel a logical reason why the hero cannot just keep going back in time until he wins. Beelzebub gives Westcott knowledge of any changes that happens between different realities which makes him a continuously evolving threat. Every time Shido might jump back in time to reset gives Westcott more information and greater means to win. I think its great. Yes he couldve utilized it more and better but I will defend Beelzebubs existence. Its powers suite Westcotts nature and help give the story more urgency. While also providing an out to 1 of the common trappings and plot holes that crop up with so many time travel centric plot lines. But the big thing a lot of people have complained about Westcott is his motivation being stupid generic and boring. And I mean it kinda is and isnt... Lemme explain: Its revealed that hes pretty much a nihilistic and schadenfreude obsessed monster whose sole pleasure is watching people suffer. He just wants to kill and end lives because everything else is meaningless to him. The motivation he pretends to use is that he wants to create a new world soley for true wizards like him and Ellen as revenge for burning down their village. But in actuality he revels in the death of his village. He just wants everyone to suffer before he kills everyone. He reveals that to Shido after putting on his sales pitch and then immediately 180ing facial expresion tone and all and basically says lol nah my grandeur is just a flimsy excuse and I cant believe everyone buys it. The truth is I just want to kill people because I like it. Is it basic and simple? Yea theres not much more to it which is certainly unexpected. After all this time I truly expected Westcott to have some complicated backstory and motivation that hinges on spirits themselves. But nah hes a simple man of simple tastes and the spirits powers are just a means to that end. On one hand its so stupid. But on the other hand it does fit Westcotts nature perfectly. Manipulative psychopath who wants what he wants and does what he does on almost pure whim. And enjoys setting elaborate plans that will deliberately causes others including his allies pain just because? Such a petty lil btch. I feel like I should hate this but honestly: I love it. It would probably be terrible in other generic storylines but for Date a Live? It fits this series so well. The batsht insane premise of extremely subverted expecations for a villain that seems setup to have very complicated and highmind motivations given the amount of dedicated mystery inteligence and intrigue hes brought to this series over the years. The 180 degree twist on the reveal and overall just the general sense of self awareness is simply fantastic. Westcott is DAL taking the piss out of the generic fantasy villain tropes while still maintaining him as an intimidating terrifying threat. Finally some people think that Westcott being irredeemable was bad writing. But in my opinion: it think it was necessary. Date a Live as a series is basically comprised of a bunch redeemable antagonists that eventually get saved. Miku Origami Kurumi and Mio all fall into this category. Westcott being saved wouldve made the series a completely straight track with no deviation and given no consquences to a character who had gleefully committed numerous crimes against humanity. Quite frankly: he needed to die. I dont what we got was the most optimal ending for him it couldve been written better but finding a reason to save him wouldve been cheap and even worse writing. Many people may take issue with him but Ill defend Westcotts character in regards to this: He is a well designed and plotted out villain in concept origin and motivation. But his overall execution is a bit off. But regardless of the problems he is arguably the most layered and interesting character from this season even more than Mio imo and Westcott continues being one of the best part of this series. Elliot Woodman: 220https://www.animeplanet.com/images/characters/elliotbaldwinwoodman116468.jpg?t=1554046617 Im sorry but Elliot is just so underdeveloped in the anime. Hes given no screentime to do anything over the seasons. We barely learn or know anything about him besides his wizard past nor does he really do anything of significance as the leader of Ratataskr. I have a hard time buying the whole romantic affection he supposedly has towards Mio. We only get to see them interact with each other once and the only other time theyre on screen together is when Mio spawns and hes just blushing lightly. Theres no thoughts words or other context clues that would strengthen or indicate why Elliot would feel such strong attachment to Mio in any way. Their brief and only interaction is kinda interesting but that alone that doesnt provide anything. It still feels like a convenient shallow plot device instead of a genuine build up. Also worlds strongest wizard my a. You know what great action he did during the battle this season? He came out did a barrel roll deflected a lone strike then talked with Ellen in a static default idle pose before launching a single projectile which we see later causes her to fall to the ground defeated. And then he makes a Rengoku pose and dies on his knees... and all of these short actions take course over the span of 3... episodes... Really? Thats what we get to see from the Worlds strongest wizard? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? But I grant that its not Geek Toys fault that Elliot was this underdeveloped. The fault mostly lies with Keitarou Motonaga the director of DAL seasons 13 who got fired after season 3. He didnt prioritize DAL being a longrunning anime whod make it to this point so he didnt bother giving Elliot the attention he needed. And unfortunately this far from the only thing butchered by him so this will not be the last Ill be talking about Motonaga and his decisions that caused a lot of damage to Date a Live in the longterm... Back to Elliot: his failure as a character is the product of a slow trickling buildup of missed opportunities across the seasons that was cast aside in favor of the short term vision. But now that weve reached the endgame all weve got left here is a shallow skeleton of a character that he was supposed to be. Truly unfortunate. Ellen/Karen: 220https://i.ur.com/DbWPqQ0.jpg I truly dont have much to say about either tbqh. Ellens role continues to become more insignificant with each passing season which is unfortunate. And Karen like Elliot doesnt get any true devlopment beyond the basics. Shes just a close friend of his who is passionately in love with him and will follow him everywhere. Shes just a far more passive version and equivalent of Ellen much like how Elliot is to Issac. Though the reason I want to talk about these 2 is mostly because I couldnt organically fit this into the story section without spoilers and have spent long enough talking about Westcott and Elliot. I wanna address the whole Wizard subplot that came up this season. A lot of people have criticized it for being an apull and making nosense. But even as an anime only I get it and I like it. DEM created the magicpowered realizers using actual magic under the guise/combination of science and then gradually introduced it to the world until it become normalized and nobody suspected a thing about its origins. It think its genuinely interesting and kinda wish that they worked with this more. But tbf the season was already tight as it is. And if they went overboard it couldve turned into the Irregular at Magic High School problem where they overexplain all their science/magic tech for no reason so Im fine with it as is. Artemisia Ashcroft: 220https://i.ur.com/NSkpmvN.jpg I hate her I hate her so much. She actively makes the anime worse by existing. Her CG model is the worst of every named character in this show and shes an eyesore nearly every time shes on screen. Like I said in the animation section shes a plastic Barbie doll who looks like child is just picking her up and bashing her around most of the time. They hardly if ever tried with her. Her backstory is basically nonexistent/just doesnt matter. She has no character in the anime. Oh shes being mind controlled? How unfortunate I can hardly tell since weve never seen how she is without the mind control influencing her. : They couldve given us a brief moment where we get to see her memories pour back after Mukuro unlocks her mind but no shes just used as a plot device and simple roadblock for 1 episode. After that shes irrelevant. They also seem to forget to free her in the other timeline too so her plot line remains unresolved. She doesnt even appear in the credits scene so WHAT WAS THE POINT OF HER EXISTANCE? Artemsia Ashcroft in the anime makes me so angry. She was alluded to and built up as this important character just to do nothing with her. The DEM villainess we got for just half of season 2 Jessica Baileyhttps://datealive.fandom.com/wiki/JessicaBailey was more developed and a better character than her. Ive been told so much of her backstory and antics with Ellen were cut and you can feel it. They left nothing for her. If youre a fan of Artemisia Ashcroft from the novels I truly feel sorry you. The anime screwed you all over. Mio: 220https://static.zerochan.net/Takamiya.Mio.full.4179742.jpg Now for a pleasant change of pace a character I loved Mio is a true yandere the last piece of the harem puzzle this show was missing. While Mukuro kinda acted like one during her arc she definitely isnt a true yandere. Mio is. Her character motivation is completely obsessive in true yandere fashion but is absolutely not generic. The fact she went as far to try and give birth to her lover to reincarnate him is insane. The episode where it becomes clear what happened is one of the biggest oh sht moments Ive ever felt. Its absurd creepy and yet feels entirely in line with her character. Everything about Mio is mysterious intriguing and fantastic. It kept me on the edge of my seating wanting to know about this absolutely insane spirit. There is 3 complaints/plot holes I have regarding Mio. The first is the whole Sephira crystal refinement stick. Like nobodys gonna address the monsters that appeared in season 4 that Kurumi was tasked with killing? When did Mio realize that on top of splitting her power she needed to refine this crystals too? Did Ratataskr or DEM never notice these monsters? It just doesnt make sense. I gotta feeling a LN reader can probably answer that question for me but the anime sure as heck cant. The 2nd is that I personally think the anime shouldve did what the novels did and start alluding earlier on that Reine was Phantom/Mio so that her betrayal and realization by the Fraxinus crew wouldve had more build up impact and meaning. They cut so many key hints that the novel dropped for its reader leaving only a few loose pieces from season 1 and Mayuri Judgement being the only time she ever gave any indication of being tied to the deeper plot. Lastly... the whole incest debate. Its a messy complicated rabbit hole that I dont feel like trying to break down and instead will sum it up with this meme: 220https://preview.redd.it/eho7qnf2nxh21.jpg?auto=webps=3f3bba50f9e5645b64b4303d412c8a3ccaea522e Other than that I really like Mio. She was the perfect final boss for this series that feels both fitting and planned out. The spirits: 220https://i.ur.com/CGD52FV.png Im just gonna lump them all in here because they dont really get much development besides getting turned into donuts throughout the season... cough. Anyways theyre all the same characters. They do collective share roughly same amount of screentime this season except for Tohka and Kurumi obviously. But this time they were actively a part of the plot and doing more than just being background characters. Nia particularly gets more time probably as an apology for how little she got outside her arc during S4. I love her antics and her commentary gives me so much joy. Whereas Mukuro on the other hand is reduced to being plot device.exe and spends most of the season just opening portals so that the characters can get where ever the plot needs them to be. There really isnt much else to say here they generally did a better job with them here than in season 4. Not great still after all theyre still a more than overgrown group fighting for limited screentime in a season that does not have much to spare. And anyone not named Kotori Tohka Kurumi or Reine/Mio has to make due with what little moments they get. But it was improvement. Tohka: 220https://i.ur.com/6CqsXi7.jpg As expected of the main girl Tohka continues to get special treatment. I do appreciate how they build off the idea/revelation that Nia explained from the previous season to explain why Tohka is so special compared to the other spirits and that idea is further confirmed by Mio herself. Tohkas conversation with her other self/Tenka is interesting yet cute and her sacrifice in the same episode hits hard. She doesnt really do much after that but given that this wasnt really intended to be her true climax as a character that shouldnt be surprising. Will we ever get to see that someday? Hopefully but not guaranteed. But even in the case that she doesnt Tohka serves her purpose and is still the 2nd/3rd best spirit in terms of development since Mio is now in the mix. But you already know who the best is... Kurumi: 220https://preview.redd.it/kurumiusingrazielfinallyanimatedimsooohappyv0tmkqix5393vc1.jpg?width=1280format=pjpgauto=webps=83f2db83eeb85d5a12e8b392c43acc7b76a2c6c2 Once again Kurumi is the star that steals the entire show. Until the final episode she is the most captivating thing whenever shes on screen doing anything. I love how in this season we really get to see her guile at work. How she was able to make an emergency continency on the fly to save Shido from Mio. How she was able to come up with a way to warn herself with Shidos information without tipping off Mio and coming up with a plan to escape death. And I love her combined spirit armor with Raziel it aesthetically looks amazing. It is quite telling that she is the only spirit Shido kisses besides Tohka of his own free will after sealing her. I truly do wish that it was her that ended up with him in the end. But unfortunately we all know who does/will. She continues to be a great character that never disappoints whenever shes on screen unless you count the CG clones from episode 3 but thats not the bad CG element most people are upset about. Shido: 220https://i.ur.com/169SQi3.jpg Finally we get to Shido playboy extraordinaire. I really loved Shidos development these past 3 seasons. In season 1 hes mostly a generic harem protag with generic development but even then he has a very distinct snarky and sarcastic personality with a selfawareness unlike any other harem character out there. And beginning with the season 2 with the Yamai sisters arc we get to see him beginning to move the plot forward by own accord. Then in season 3 with the Origami arc Shido really come into his own. He went from being a pushover to being THE primary driver of the plot whose actions directly effect everyone else and the story. He is the catalyst of the series. Hes not just being dragged around by Kotori and crew anymore nor by convenient random events you see constantly in other harems just as an excuse to make things happen. And that continues to evolve and really comes to a peak this season. I truly do like him as a character now. Some people do criticize him for being a wimp or crybaby and to that I have mixed opinions on. I mean yeah he has the usual haremprotag trope of being overly evasive of anything sexual. Thats pretty generic and par for the course not much to say or disagree on that. However for the other if youre complaining that hes crying during the darkest part of the story where hes lost all of his friends and an absolute monster of a yandere is trying to convince him that wiping his memories of it all will be a good thing bruh no. Id be upset if he wasnt crying thats the most realistic reaction there could be. Really the biggest criticism with Shido is that so much of his backstory was trimmed out from the earlier seasons that when it comes up now it feels like an apull or convenient lie he tells to garner sympathy in order to woo the spirits instead of feeling like a genuine character moment/connection that its supposed to be. Like in season 4 with the Mukuro resolution he stops her from inverting by talking about his anxiety and irrational fears about his adopted family abandoining him... which is kinda unbelieveable since Shido never once speaks or even hints at this in the anime. Its very well noted in the novels from the very beginning but the anime completely cut it because director Keitarou Motonaga elected to focus series on the comedic selfaware aspect and cut a lot of characterization early on of several characters. Not just Shido Kurumis motivation had to be explained in the first episode of season 2 because they oopsd and forgot to include it when they were supposed to in season 1. Which worked fine at the time making DAL season 1 extremely enjoyable unique and good in a vacuum. But it caused a lot of damage down the road as the series progressed and those important early details that shouldve been introduced never were. Even the extended cut versions of seasons 1 and 2 dont fix this particular problem because its the 1 thing they just never covered in the anime at any point. Seasons 3 and especially 4+5 suffer greatly for this problem. Shido is absolutely not a standout protagonist in the general comparison sense hes in the middle of the pack all things considered which would make him incredibly forgettable in most circumstances. But amongst harem protagonists: a genre known for its protagonists being the most basic bland predictable virtually indistinct and practically disposable characters in all of anime he is exceptional. Date a Live would not even work anywhere near as well if at all with your average harem protagonist. Shidos selfawareness is fun and different and the writing which gradually makes HIM drive the plot forward as opposed to being dragged along by it is the key that seperates him from the vast pool of throwaway harem MCs. Even with the problems I laid out earlier regarding his character development taken into account Shido is a definite candidate for the best harem protagonist of all time. Thats all the characters I have any strong opinions on enough to talk about. Anyone else not mentioned I could answer if you wanted to ask me but I dont feel like going through the entire roster of DAL and extended this review into an even longer essay than it already. Some things arent worth dying for. You are now past: The Spoiler Zone. The rest of this review will be spoiler free you read below this point without worry if thats your intention. Characters conclusion: I have some strong opinions on many of the characters. Many positive and many negative. Westcott is a mixed bag in his execution as a villain. Elliot is poorly developed and feels like he doesnt contributes as anywhere near as much as he should towards the story. Artemisia was better off not existing. The spirit are handled better this season in terms of attention and actively being part of the plot. Mio is a fantastic final boss. Tohka and especially Kurumi are still this series golden children. And Shido has finally come into his own as his own character. While he and by extension the story does suffer from his backstory being neglected in the earlier seasons he still manages to become a genuinely likeable character who has a distinct personality to him and drives the plot forward of his own accord which is good writing especially for a harem protagonist. Final Thoughts: What grade does it deserve and why? I wont waste anymore time since this review is unbelievably long as is Jesus Christ how did I manage to write this? so lets just cut to the chase. No chance is this a 10 or 9. 10 is reserved for the highest of esteemed truly magnificent works with flaws that are very insignificant. And I think Ive covered more than enough flaws to not explain further. That also knocks it out from being a 9 if it were just the animation that was the problem this season then you couldve justified it. But its not just that youve also got several serious issues in the character department pacing and a few holes in the plot courtesy of the animeonly ending as it stands right now. I absolutely think its story really propels it up to well past a 6 at minimum. Its far from generic and takes the series in a truly interesting direction. Not entirely unique admittedly theres definitely shared elements to found this season and especially its climax that shows like Madoka Magica and Guilty Crown have already done. Though DAL definitely does it own thing its own way and does not feel a ripoff of either. And while the characters are flawed they feel uniquely their own and not knockoffs of other better characters from other series. They sure as heck arent perfect but besides Barbie doll Ashcroft I like every character in DAL. Comparing it to season 4 220https://www.comingsoon.net/wpcontent/uploads/sites/3/2023/02/datealives4.png?w=1024 Youd think the easiest way would be to directly compare my notes and opinions on season 5 to season 4 which I gave a 7.5 to 2 years ago. Youd then think that Id feel more inclined to give an 8 since I did enjoy more about this season than 4. But then you have a few things that must be taken into acocunt. Season 4 had it issues in the visual department but they werent as consistently recurring as season 5. Season 4 did butcher its one big fight but that fight wasnt nearly as important as the boss fight season 5 screwed up. But although in comparison there was also much more I disliked about this season stronger than 4 giving it much lower lows Season 5 also had far higher highs than season 4. Both in execution of the plot and production. And to be honest despite its problems I still prefer the experience we got this season than we did in the previous season with 4. I absolutely prefer a show that can make me feel immense feelings of any kind more than a show that makes me feel nothing at all. Season 4 wasnt a nothing experience but it was very flat and boring at quite a few points. Several episodes were basically filler and it has its share of production problems. I remember coming out some weeks watching 4 feeling bored and even on rewatch I felt it too if not a little stronger. The lows werent quite as low as in season 5 mostly because there was not much action in 4 so we didnt have to suffer through much of Geek Toys bad CG. But that same vein the highs never got as high as we got this season. I may have felt some strong negative emotions watching certain episodes of season 5 but the 1 thing I never felt was bored. To me thats a huge difference between seasons 4 and 5. After writing this review Im genuinely considering editing my review of season 4 to change my score a bit because now I feel its no longer a middle to high 7. It would now probably be put in the lower end of 7s as its a 6/10 anime for the most part that gets largely carried by Nias eccentric personality at the beginning and especially the Kurumi Refrain arc in the final few episodes. So the question is: 7 or 8 out of 10? Without bias I would probably give this season a high 7. But since I score only in either half or whole grades and Im extremely biased toward this series I will be rounding up and giving it an 8. Make no mistake its production is very messy unpolished and flawed. And I do have a real bone to pick with the writers who really dropped the ball adapting some of the characters especially Elliot and Shido. But damnit the story carries this season HARD. It is genuinely fun and interesting yet dark and captivating in the direction it goes in and had so many different ways this anime couldve gone. And while theyve left it at a point where the anime could end here if it wanted to with its mostly anime original ending its still poised to potentially be picked back up and make that last push to finish the final 3 novels. And give this series the True Route ending wed all want to see. 220https://i.ur.com/NSvp304.jpg If you choose to give it a 7 I honestly wouldnt bat an eye thats probably the more accurate score for this season tbqh given its laundry list of noteable problems. But for every problem it had another element match it scale for scale if not a bit more imo. And by my own admission I am very biased towards this series. As Date a Live was and still is my favorite guilty pleasure series of all time. I will never forget this fantastic ride of laughs action and suspense this series has given me all these years. As well as the tears I cried from this powerhouse of an ending. 8/10 Tldr in the likely case you just went to the bottom of the page to judge it solely based on the grade I gave it. Pros: Fantastic story Many great characters and fantastic character designs Phenomenal music great OP/ED and several new standout tracks Shido evolves into a respectably good protagonist Continues to be a fun selfaware psuedoparody of harem Genuinely fantastic new villain/final boss Amazing climax Kurumi Tokisaki Cons: Storytelling and pacing is very scattershot this season CG quality is generally awful and frequently occurs Some characters are fumbled including the main villain to some extent Incest kinda/sorta Technically an anime original ending