Apr 5, 2022
*Minor Spoilers Ahead*
I began watching the series a few weeks back after a friend's recommendation due to the upcoming 4th season and was caught off guard by how much I enjoyed this movie, even as someone new to the series.
Story: 8/10
To put it one way, the movie felt like a feature-length episode of the anime, which I personally loved—with a basic but fun premise of the protagonist Shido, taking each of the spirit girls on individual dates while also slowly unravelling the mystery behind the mysterious spirit Mayuri and the concentrated low-level but potentially-dangerous-if-left-unchecked ball of spiritual energy hovering ominously in the sky above
...
his home city. I would have liked to see more of Mayuri, but I guess her lack of screen time does make sense since, in universe, she was sent down to observe Shido and the rest of the spirits.
Art: 8/10
Overall, Production.IMS did an excellent job on the art style, seeming to lean more towards the first season's more uncomplicated but crisp art style as opposed to the second seasons' art style. However, the overuse of subpar CG, some of the backgrounds looking messy or blurry at times, and the proportions of some characters' faces and eyes changing from scene to scene bring the score down a bit. Overall, though, a great effort.
Sound: 10/10
An excellent soundtrack overall, bringing back some of the tracks and OST elements from the previous two seasons, one notable addition being the season 1 opening, while also adding in new songs to help flesh every scene out and really immerse you into the movie as a whole with all tracks sounding spot on and complementing the scenes quite nicely. The voice actors also do a fantastic job reprising their roles, a special mention to Mayuri's voice actor, who managed to fit right into the even while only appearing for a short time.
Characters: 9/10
The movie mostly follows Shido and the six spirit girls from the previous seasons. With Mana, Kurmin, Origami, The Ratertosker crew and all the other side characters you have come to know and love popping up for gags, cameos, help Shido and the gang out or progress the film's story. With the addition of the movie-exclusive addition of Mayuri helping to round out the roster and bring attention to the overarching storyline of the movie.
Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall, I really enjoyed the film, the gas with the side characters in the background were fun to follow as well as the antics that Shido and the spirits got up to one the dates gave me a few laughs at times or were just downright wholesome *couch* *couch* Yoshino's. I also appreciated how as someone new to the series, they didn't throw in details or references that only a seasoned reader of the light novels would catch, so It didn't feel like I missed out on anything.
Overall: 9/10
If you enjoyed the previous seasons of Date a Live, this is a must-watch. With the Side-story base, feature-length and movie budget, helping to create a film that is basically a showcase of the best the series has to offer so far with some new additions to showcase what else the series potentially has to offer.
TLDR: if you enjoyed the previous seasons of the anime, it's much of the same with some new additions to showcase what else the series potentially has to offer.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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