This is my first review, so I hope it you can take it as an idea of how this novel ranks!
Originally I got into the Date A Live series starting with the Dubbed Anime release in 2013 when Funimation released the DVD set. Since then because of curiously I wanted to keep up with the story from reading the Novel.
It should be noted that there are 11 Volumes in this series with more coming in the future, however if you wish to watch the anime, know that...
Volumes 1-4 Cover the first season
Volumes 5-7 Cover the second season
Volumes 8-9 and 10-11 cover unique arcs, however
...
the novel is still on-going and is not yet complete with a volume 12 announced at the end of Volume 11.
The main summary of the plot involves a boy named Shido Itsuka, a 16 year old high schooler living in a city named Tenguu in Japan. There are "natural" disasters called spacial quakes that have destroyed certain parts of the world. These are caused by creatures known as Spirits, beings that do not belong to the human world.
It is later found out that Shido will meet a Spirit which he names, Tokha Yatogami. Through his interactions with this girl, he learns from his adoptive sister that works for a private company that helps to save the world from spirits that Shido can seal their powers by making them fall in love with him.
Before you ask, yes, I was skeptical at first, but this is where Date A Live shows it's uniqueness when it comes to other novels or mangas in its genre.
First of all the writing is decent for an English translation, only Volumes 1-4 have been localised. There will be some grammar issues if you choose to use a third party.
The story is what one of the two reasons that makes Date A Live enjoyable for me and potentially for other readers. The story starts off as a borderline harem, with a lot of adult themes. Shido will get himself into situations not deemed normal by modern standards, however it is incredibly enjoyable at the same time. Later volumes after 4 began to become more serious adding themes like gore and blood into the mix. The result is a story that tries to fit in a lot different themes and at the end it succeeds in adding them making the reader curious about what is to happen in the next page of the next volume.
The characters are the second reason why Date A Live is enjoyable for me as well. Before I get into this, I have an idea of how these characters look because of the anime, the novels do not showcase much art since it is not a manga, however the art shown looks stunning and only gets better in quality as the series progresses. The Astral Dresses, spirit armours, look incredible and only serves for more beautiful imagery.
Shido Itsuka as the main character starts off a defence-less child as he is only human against trying to help the spirits, and relies on Tohka for help. Later volumes only improve this as the sealed powers of the spirits allow for light access to his powers, for example he can wield a sword like Tokha, or heal gouges and wounds thanks to other spirit powers he has sealed. Further volumes show his courage that he is one that will always protect his friends and people he cares about while wishing that spirits and humans can live peacefully.
Tohka Yatogami is the main female character, she is the first spirit shown in the novel and is known for wielding a sword, she can easily be referenced as Saber from the Fate series. She adores Shido to point of where she'll sacrifice her life to save his, since he gave her a change to live in the human world with him. Aside from being a spirit, as a human, she enjoys food a lot and has a more jealous personality to anyone who tries to hit on Shido. Overall as a female protagonist she fits her role very well.
Kurumi Tokisaki is the unique character of the Date a Live series and is to me one of the best characters of all time. She is considered to be the worst of the spirits known to have killed over 10,000 people. She is both a gun wielder and can manipulate time to heal herself and revive clones of herself from her past. She is unique because of her dual personality, she first appears to be a girl with long black hair and is known for wearing a black dress that shows her innocent looks, however deep down she is a cold-blooded killer. Similar to Light Yamato from Death Note, her power to absorb the life energy (time) from humans allowed her to play the role of a justice bringer as she has killed criminals, animal abusers and rapists. However she became an evil spirit with the lack of positive response. It cannot be confirmed whether she is a protagonist or antagonist. However during the events with Shido protecting her from death, she is obliged like Tokha to protect Shido. She will constantly tease him when she is around him and at one point she wanted to marry him. Kurumi is one of my favourite characters of all time and given the events at the end of volume 11 I can only hope for the best for her.
There are other spirits that Shido encounters but that is where reading the novel helps.
Overall, this was a series I was unsure I was going to enjoy, I felt is would be a typical harem, however this novel has shown me that first impressions may not be the most reliable aspect. It is an excellent read provided you purchase the localisations, read a third party translation (like I have) or can understand Japanese text. Out of all the light novels and mangas, this ranks in my top 10. If you want a series that covers a wide range of genres but does so successfully I recommend this!
 Alternative TitlesJapanese: デート・ア・ライブ More titlesInformationType: Light Novel
Volumes: 22
Chapters: 146
Status: Finished
Published: Mar 19, 2011 to Mar 19, 2020
Serialization:
None Statistics Ranked: #4532 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #1001
Members: 19,721
Favorites: 1,867 Available AtResources | Reviews
Filtered Results: 9 / 10
Sort
Your Feelings Categories 
Feb 19, 2015
This is my first review, so I hope it you can take it as an idea of how this novel ranks!
Originally I got into the Date A Live series starting with the Dubbed Anime release in 2013 when Funimation released the DVD set. Since then because of curiously I wanted to keep up with the story from reading the Novel. It should be noted that there are 11 Volumes in this series with more coming in the future, however if you wish to watch the anime, know that... Volumes 1-4 Cover the first season Volumes 5-7 Cover the second season Volumes 8-9 and 10-11 cover unique arcs, however ... 
Jul 16, 2014
Tsunako is a pretty good character designer.
Tachibana is a pretty awful writer. I wonder what the hook was. Every passing volume, I wonder what this series could've been if it was written by someone competent, with the same premise and all. That's a pleasant thought. After deciding to catch up to the most recent volume, I can pretty much guarantee that the series isn't going to get better. This is a pretty odd series in that it presents itself as a parody of a typical harem genre formula, yet it strives to be one at the same time. At first this seemed like a very ... 
Oct 2, 2021
Date a Live has no complete reviews so here you go
Story 10 The story starts of pretty goofy, the MC Itsuka Shidou meets spirits and seals their powers so they can live in society by making them fall in love with him then kissing them. The story blends in some nice foreshadowing which contributes to the story from volume 10 onwards which was a nice surprise from something I didn't expect. The story is probably at the best from volume 16 onwards not to say that there aren't some great books before 16 for example 10 was really good. Volume 13 was probably the weakest feeling ... 
Nov 20, 2022
Date A Live (DAL) Light Novel Review
Story Okay, I will be honest here. The plot progress is so slow like a snail for the first 15 volumes. The first 15 volumes are more comedy and less story. Comedy is highly subjective. For me, DAL comedy is really fun. There are a lot of parts where I laugh hard and sometimes, I cannot stop laughing. Story-wise, there are less interesting volumes. Reading slump is highly probable. However, volume 16 is where absolute greatness starts. The plot progress is definitely faster. Volume 16 and onwards give me a lot of thrill. Peak action. Stories are really so sad ... 
Apr 30, 2018
DAL (Date a Live) has a very silly premise, we all have to agree that the concept is fairly unrealistic and dumb if you force yourself to compare it to reality, BUT I m expecting that anyone already knowledgeable of the harem genre can bypass such trivial matters.
I have read my fair share of harem light novels, what I expect the most out of them is pure enjoyment, silly comedy and the wish fulfillement from being surround by so many cuties! If one wants to write a sucessfull harem series, the criteria above has to be meet, the plot can suffer a bit here and there, ... 
Mar 21, 2022
I started watching anime when I was a kid, I first saw Naruto and started watching him and guess what? Yes, I got bored and quit. Then I found an anime site and it was a total treasure for me and this series came across. It was still a current anime and it was new. I got too hot with their characters and started watching. I look forward to new episodes every week. I don't know how I watched this anime when I was 13. I'm 20 now and it has become my favorite book and anime series.
I don't think I can finish this series ... 
Apr 11, 2022
There are multiple ways of getting into high rankings. One would be to write an actually interesting story with captivating characters and such. Another one would be to make a long running series that is a specific kind of awful, causing anyone but hardcore completionists or those who happen to be fine with the low quality to drop it after one or two volumes. Take a guess which kind it is this time.
Date A Live is, for most of its parts, painfully boring. I'll attempt to finish this review while I still remember at least something, before the brain finishes clearing up the fragments of ... 
May 23, 2024
Date A Live, written by Koushi Tachibana, is a light novel that skillfully combines romantic comedy, action, and science fiction. The story revolves around Shido Itsuka, a seemingly ordinary protagonist tasked with the bizarre mission of dating Spirits—powerful beings whose uncontrolled abilities could lead to global catastrophe. While the premise may sound absurd, the execution is surprisingly creative, offering a delightful mix of humor, heartwarming moments, and thrilling action sequences.
The Spirits are the true highlight of the series, each with unique personalities and compelling backstories that make them stand out. Characters like Tohka, with her innocence and charm, and Kurumi, with her dark complexity, add ...
Jul 10, 2020
Well first lets say this, This light novel should only be read if you at least enjoyed some of Date A Live the anime. If you didn’t enjoy the anime it will be hard to read something based off of something you didn’t enjoy. Of course this review is assuming that you are a viewer of the anime and you want to see how the light novel is compared to the anime. If you are a light novel only type of guy, be sure to read this, otherwise you will be missing out.
Date A Live seems to have a silly idea in the beginning, ... |
