Date A Live II: Kurumi Star Festival

One word for this OVA------> WOW! The story isn't the best ever but I must say that I really enjoyed it. It's simple, comedic and straight forward involving a good romance without beating too much around the bush. The end however is sad but not all romance stories have a happy ending BUT I would really love to see a sequel to the OVA or even better, a Season 3 of Date a Live. Whether or not you're a Kurumi fan it doesn't matter because the OVA is well made and enjoyable. I heard that there have been improvements when it comes to the art of thisOVA but I’ve barely noticed it. Well this is probably because I’ve always thought that the art for Date a Live for both Season one and two including the first OVA was really good. As for character, I guess we got the opportunity to see the innocent and cute side of Tokisaki Kurumi which I would love to see once again. As for the sound, they are the same one used as in the previous seasons which are still kickass. Generally speaking, it’s an amazing OVA without any exaggerations which really lives up to its original series. I bet a lot of you would really want a third season so bad and soon after watching it. Enjoy! ;)

Date a Live. Oh Date a Live. I have always praised this show for being something of a gem in the harem genre because it's harem, with a plot. And when this OVA and its plot was announced, well, I was ecstatic. Story (7.99/10): The story of this OVA follows the story of Shidou, our main protagonist, like the rest of the DAL series. On one faithful encounter, he finds on the corner of the street, the most dangerous spirit/best girl, Tokisaki Kurumi. Wary by her actions, Shidou goes along with her and does what he does best,go on a date. Now on the surface, this OVA doesn't really have much substance. Just like the rest of the series, it does what it does best, which is Shidou taking a spirit out on a date, only with a bit of a twist to it. What really makes this OVA very worthwhile to any fan of the series is character depth. It provides a good chunk of information and character on the one character that anyone who's watched DAL can agree is a fantastic character, Kurumi. The OVA follows the same format as the rest of the show, but at the same time, it gives a lot of depressing undertones that make this OVA more than just a simple extra episode. By the end of the OVA, we get to see more of who Kurumi is, or was, or whatever. (Time business is tricky.) It gives a lot of much needed depth to a very important character to this series, and overall, showcases that this series isn't just some generic harem. Overview: + Great thematic undertones +/- Somewhat standard plotline for the series + Kurumi being featured. Characters (8.21/10): The only two characters are really featured in this OVA from the DAL universe are Shidou and Kurumi "Nightmare" Tokisaki. And from these two, we get a large chunk of development that rivals a lot of other character complexity. Let's start with the real star of the DAL series, Tokisaki Kurumi. (Let's be honest here. She kinda is.) Kurumi has always been that yandere-esque character, being more sadistic and bloodthirsty than any other character featured in this series with the personality that to be honest, made the show a lot better than it could've been without her. With this OVA though, we have something I didn't expect which is, character complexity, without really any character change at all. The reason why this OVA becomes a lot more serious than the past two seasons is strictly because of the fact that we as the audience understand more on just how complex of a character Kurumi is. She's not just a straight yandere, she has motives that go beyond what we as the audience understand and has a similar personality to boot. She's kind of like an anti-hero in a sense, but also a villain. She's helpful in some sense, but hindering in others. You can kill her, but at the same time you can't. And adding the new piece that we learn about her to Kurumi's already puzzling character makes the series feel so much better. And then we have Shidou who, as expected, does not get a lot of development, but he gets a decent amount. What I really like about this OVA is not just how it added onto Kurumi, a character that we've wanted to see again for SO long, but how her character has made an impact on Shidou himself. She is currently the only spirit to not have been sealed and she remains that title to this day, being a very cunning and coy character to boot. And with the end of the OVA, you can see how much she has affected him, changing him as a character, and making him more of character rather than a plot device like all other harem MC's. (Looking at you, Ichika.) Aside from those two, Tohka, Kotori, and Yoshino all make appearances, but they're rather minor and only get about three or so minutes of screentime each. Overview: + Good character development on Shidou + Great additional complexity to Kurumi +/- Decent but somewhat unneeded cameos from other characters Art and Sound (7.32/10): The art for DAL has always been moderately well done, looking very bright and colorful with a nice white sheen over everything. Somehow though, this OVA didn't look as good as I thought. The quality seemed to have dipped a bit for the OVA as sometimes Shidou looks a bit awkward at times. But for the most part, the OVA still looks rather nice and stays with the artstyle that DAL has stayed consistent with. As for sound, we have both the OP and ED of the second season of DAL. I personally do like these tracks and nice heroic and triumphant music does fit with the season and with DAL in general. There is one theme though that I am quite glad made its return again, and that is Kurumi's personal theme. No other character in this series has quite a noticeable theme and it really does show the kind of character that Kurumi is. The sort of sexy Jazz fits incredibly well with her and I thank AIC+ for putting it in as it is actually a very memorable track that I enjoy every time it comes on. Overview: + Good Soundtrack - Art quality seemed to dip a bit Personal Enjoyment (9.34/10): Ok, Ok, I'll come clean. The series Date A Live is without a doubt, my favorite anime series, period. Kurumi is my favorite girl in this series, so naturally, I give this OVA a high mark in personal enjoyment because, I freaking love everything that happened with this OVA. And I am quite satisfied having had watched that. Did I like this OVA? YES. Kurumi is best girl, period. All fanboying aside, the OVA was quite enjoyable. It very clearly shows what this series has in terms of potential storytelling and how complex some of its characters can become. What didn't I like about this OVA? Aside from it being shorter than I would've liked it (I would've liked an hour long OVA), the pacing of the OVA was a bit odd. It was unbalanced with a very slow beginning and a very quick end. They didn't let the twist sink in enough at the end and I honestly felt quite unsatisfied while watching it. Would I recommend it? If you've watched the first two seasons of DAL and the previous OVA, and you liked all of it, this is a must-see. Aside from that, I wouldn't recommend it due to how all of the events from the previous seasons lead up to this one and one would feel out of place diving into something that has tons of backstory behind it. But rest assured, this is a fantastically crafted OVA. Overall Score: 8.01/10

An episode of Shido and best girl Kurumi. Story was nice and straight forward, with an interesting unraveling towards the end. 11/10