English Dub Review: Date A Live ” Beginnings of War; Final Respite”

Overview

Beginnings of War

Kotori and the others have gathered on the bridge of Fraxinus and learn that Kurumi has traveled back in time over 204 times to try and save Shido. meanwhile, Shido also tries to search his memories to learn who Mio Takamiya is, but things don’t go as planned…


Final Respite

The crew of Fraxinus sets about preparing for their battle against DEM with haste and high morale. The Spirits work hard to prepare snacks in order to encourage Shido and everyone else as the decisive battle draws closer by the hour…



Our Take

For the first episode, Kurumi traps Phantom and prepares her clone army for war against DEM (Deus Ex Machina Industries), while Westcott’s group plans to eliminate Kurumi and Shido. Shido shares Kurumi’s revelations with his team, sparking debate about the risks of giving Kurumi his Spirit power. Upon learning of DEM’s impending attack, Kotori suggests a secret confrontation. Meanwhile, Origami and Mana encounter resistance at AST (Anti-Spirit Team’s) headquarters when trying to warn them of an impending threat…

As for the second, The Spirit Girls prepare snacks for Shido and each other as they ready for the DEM battle. Using disliked ingredients as mental prep, as they struggle to eat (which gave me a slight chuckle) Tohka discusses Shido’s feelings for Kurumi, expressing guilt over his hardships. Shido values meeting the Spirits despite challenges. The team proceeds to confront DEM above Tengu City, seeking victory with Spirit assistance, everyone has a trick up their sleeve in terms of what to use against them…

Overall, this was quite the start of a massive-scale war that was about to happen. I had to binge-watch the first four seasons just to get myself prepared for this show, which was a herculean task in itself. But it’s weirdly compelling despite its sometimes-repetitive nature in terms of how Shido has made this unintentional harem full of female godlike beings mixed with a heavy dose of time travel, space battles, and existentialism. I’m also very curious to see how the story between Reina and Shido’s past is going to develop this season. After last season’s ending revealing Reina’s monumental importance to the story, I’m curious to see how it all plays out and if all of it will be massively significant in the show’s proceedings. But thankfully, none of it was dull.