Date A Live II (Review)

Shido and his assembly of adorable aliens are back in the second season of this sci-fi rom-com romp! Itsuka Shido was a once a normal high schooler. But after a spacequake started by an armored girl rocked his world, life was never the same. Tohka, the extra-cute extraterrestrial continued to wreak havoc until Shido sealed her powers with a loving kiss. For a guy whose kiss can seal a Spirit, Shido’s still not great with the ladies. In addition to the sealed Spirits he already must appease, he’s got three more beautiful girls with volatile powers vying for his attention. And with a mysterious organization on the hunt for Tohka, the DEM’s various attempts to subdue Fraxinus, and a new lady loving Spirit, Shido can kiss his normal life goodbye!

Date A Live II picks up right after the first season. If you're not familiar with the show it falls into the category of harem. If that is not your cup of tea then this show isn't for you. Season 2 was a little disappointing. Instead of the usual order of 12 to 13 episodes. Season 2 only has 10 episodes which covers the volume 5 to 7 of the manga. The cast of season 1 returns with a brand new addition of two characters the hurricane twins Yuzuru and Kaguya Yamai and the Diva AKA Miku Izayoi. These new characters bring some new humor, situations and a little bit of fresh air when their own screen. However the shows premise still remains the same, kiss the girl and the save the world. The concept of the overall series is different than any other harem shows I've watch. However watching the show I felt like there were really no real stakes in season 2. The way the story is told and presented you kind of know what's going to happen and how it will happen. This doesn't make the show bad or terrible by any means but I didn't get that same feel I did watching season 1.  As much as I enjoy the twins they were very underdeveloped and I failed to really connect with them. However the show does have some enjoyment. 

I did enjoy the action scenes and some of the comedy really hits is mark. I did find our main protagonist Shido very entertaining. The voice acting is great in both Japanese and English dub. The animation is stunning when it comes to the fight scenes. The camera angles, use of color really bring out the show and it helps that it has a very good score to help you feel connected into the show.  The BLU-Ray/DVD Combo pack features episode commentary for episodes 1 and 6. Overall if you're a fan of season 1 you might want to pick this up to see how the story goes forward. However I think with more episodes and a little more time to develop characters this would have been more enjoyable.

Final Grade 3 out 5 stars.