“Shidou must romance deadly Spirits to prevent apocalyptic quakes, led by his sister's secret organization.”
Date A Live
デート・ア・ライブ
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Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
Synopsis
Shidou must romance deadly Spirits to prevent apocalyptic quakes, led by his sister's secret organization.
Thirty years ago, the Eurasian continent was devastated by a supermassive "spatial quake"—a phenomenon involving space vibrations of unknown origin—resulting in the deaths of over 150 million people. Since then, these quakes have been plaguing the world intermittently, albeit on a lighter scale. Shidou Itsuka is a seemingly average high school student who lives with his younger sister, Kotori. When an imminent spatial quake threatens the safety of Tengu City, he rushes to save her, only to be caught in the resulting eruption. He discovers a mysterious girl at its source, who is revealed to be a "Spirit," an otherworldly entity whose appearance triggers a spatial quake. Soon after, he becomes embroiled in a skirmish between the girl and the Anti-Spirit Team, a ruthless strike force with the goal of annihilating Spirits. However, there is a third party that believes in saving the spirits: "Ratatoskr," which surprisingly is commanded by Shidou's little sister! Kotori forcibly recruits Shidou after the clash, presenting to him an alternative method of dealing with the danger posed by the Spirits—make them fall in love with him. Now, the fate of the world rests on his dating prowess, as he seeks out Spirits in order to charm them.
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 134 sampled reviews
What 134 viewers settled on.
Polarized
σ 2.21 · split reception
5.4 pts
Recommenders 8.2 · others 2.8
↓ 0.10
Running avg · May 2013 → Aug 2025
- 10 “I really love this anime. It has a really nice and fine paced and directed story. The art quality is really nice. The characters were really nicely expressed and they were nice. Although i love...”
- 8 “Story- Spirits starts appearing. And who woulda guess it's in Japan and is girls like no one expected that. To top it all off they all wear non existent armor and such. Over size weapons and bla...”
- 8 “Pretty solid anime. I enjoyed it for the most part but I don't really know something just felt wrong ya know and I thought the main character was very dumb. I also laughed a lot in this show so...”
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- Format 12 × 25′ eps × min
- Total runtime 5h 00m all episodes
- Aired Apr 2013 – Jun 2013 Spring 2013
- Source Tv media type
- Rated R 17+ (violence & profanity)
- Ref. BS-7262 catalog
Produced by
- AIC Producer
- Kadokawa Shoten Producer
- AT-X Producer
- Nippon Columbia Producer
- Fujimi Shobo Producer
Licensed by
- Funimation Licensor