English Dub Review: Date A Live IV: “What’s Yours Is Mine”

Overview: Nia (Mallorie Rodak) competes Shido (Josh Grelle), Kotori (Bryn Apprill) and other spirits to win the hearts of mangacon goers and sell the most volumes of their manga. 

Our Take: Kotori and the other spirits’ ingenious strategy finally comes into play and is one that Nia never considered that is a surefire way to turn the tables: sexy bunny suits. Never deny a man’s horniness and it is that humorous yet very smart move that Kotori and everyone are banking on in bolstering sales. It also creates a lot of fun in allowing for returning side characters to cameo in Origami’s team as well as Tohka and Shido’s classmates/friends. 

Nia’s reunion with her old friend and fellow manga author, Takajo, is a painful experience in her struggling with her decision to push her away for what Nia feels is her own good. Shido realizing this, does what he does best and has done to every spirit since Tohka, lending an ear and talking some heartfelt damn sense into her. Nothing original here that differs from past spirits, but it continues to be sweet with Shido being empathic toward Nia wanting to distance herself from Takajo because of her invasive spirit capabilities that invades one’s privacy, fearing she can not be trusted and will make people uncomfortable. Shido not giving a damn about her spying on him is classically Shido with how wholesome it is. 

Nia reads about Shido’s adventures and criticizes the “manga” in a way likely indicative of certain reader’s real world criticisms, making it a hilariously meta. Nia realizes Shido’s experiences with the spirits are all real thanks to Rasiel and is swept by his courageous actions, eventually leading him to play coy, giving Shido another chance at a date. 

The group merriment does not last long though when Isaac and his secretary, Ellen, resurface for Nia’s power. The two maniacal maniacs initial exposition-y conversation sticks out a little however reveals five years of torture that awakened her power as an Inverted Spirit which Isaac triggers. The spirits try to pacify Nia and fight her shadows. Isaac takes Nia’s Qlipha crystal, stripping her of her powers, giving himself the powers of Beelzebub. This is an interesting development in making him even more threatening than his wealth, influence and being the head of DEM already made him. He promises to come back for the others’ crystals eventually, departing. 

Shido plants a smooch on Nia, sealing her the remnants of her powers and she appreciates his help. It is great to see how quickly yet effective Shido has been in convincing her to reconnect with Takajo. An interesting tidbit is revealed in how Nia’s abilities were keeping her young looking with her aging moving forward now that her powers have been removed. A much bigger bomb is dropped when she questions the other spirits about when they became one and/or were them to start with before revealing that all spirits were humans at one point, much to the groups shock, acting as a great cliffhanger.