To LOVE-Ru Darkness

As close encounters of the twisted kind between the residents of the planet Deviluke (represented primarily by the female members of the royal family) and the inhabitants of Earth (represented mainly by one very exhausted Rito Yuuki) continue to escalate, the situation spirals even further out of control. When junior princesses Nana and Momo transferred into Earth School where big sister Lala can (theoretically) keep an eye on them, things SHOULD be smooth sailing. But when Momo decides she'd like to "supplement" Rito's relationship with Lala with a little "sisterly love," you know Lala's not going to waste any time splitting harems. Unfortunately, it's just about that point that Yami, the Golden Darkness, enters the scene with all the subtleness of a supernova, along with an army of possessed high school students! All of which is certain to make Rito's life suck more than a black hole at the family picnic. Unless, of course, a certain semi-demonic princess can apply a little of her Devilukean Whoop Ass to exactly that portion of certain other heavenly bodies!

(Source: Sentai Filmworks)

Deviluke, Momo Belia Main

Toyosaki, Aki Japanese

Konjiki no Yami Main

Fukuen, Misato Japanese

Yuuki, Rito Main

Watanabe, Akeno Japanese

Kurosaki, Mea Main

Iguchi, Yuka Japanese

Deviluke, Lala Satalin Supporting

Tomatsu, Haruka Japanese

Kotegawa, Yui Supporting

Nazuka, Kaori Japanese

Yuuki, Mikan Supporting

Hanazawa, Kana Japanese

Deviluke, Nana Astar Supporting

Itou, Kanae Japanese

Sairenji, Haruna Supporting

Yahagi, Sayuri Japanese

Nemesis Supporting

Hidaka, Rina Japanese

Ueda, Yasuyuki Producer

Nakayama, Nobuhiro Producer

Chino, Takatoshi Producer

Tanaka, Gou Producer

Reviews

Dec 21, 2012

Rezurrekt

Recommended

First off, I want to say To LOVE-Ru Darkness is not for everyone.

This show is NOT for people who hate fanservice and/or harems. This show IS for people who love tons of ecchi, harems, and more ecchi. To top it off, To LOVE-Ru Darkness actually has... wait for it... a plot. *Gasp* Really?! Yes, it does. It's not just mindless fanservice (although that's cool too). You should definitely watch this show if ecchi is your thing.

...But you all probably knew that since this is the third season of the To LOVE-Ru series and you've seen the first two seasons (To LOVE-Ru and Motto To LOVE-Ru, ... respectively). If you haven't, then there really is no point in reading this review! Go check out the first two seasons!



Now, there are a few things I want to go over about this show:


1) Story - 7/10

You claim all ecchi shows have no plot? Think again! At first glance, the To LOVE-Ru series might seem that way, but in reality it has many arcs that keeps pointing in one direction. Sure, it's not going to be some mindblowing masterpiece like Death Note, but how can you even compare TLRD to something so different?! We have to realize that the main goal of the show is to make us go crazy over which heroine the male protagonist will choose in the end. So far, it has done that well.

However, like I've said before this show does have a bit of a story. I mean, there are two girls from outerspace trying to accomplish different things with the male protagonist. Conflicting things, if I might add. Then you get to see many girls on earth who show interest in the male protagonist. Well, it doesn't stop there because in TLRD there are even more girls from outerspace trying to accomplish things with...you guessed it: the male protagonist.

Of course, if you are Momo Bella Deviluke such troublesome things look more like a great opportunity. So for an ecchi-harem, To Love-Ru should please many (in more ways than one ;)).

Don't get me wrong -- Yeah it does have a story but it's still considerably weak. It isn't anything compelling but there are moments where it leaves you wanting more. It's enjoyable nonetheless. I'll leave it at that.


2) Art - 10/10

The To LOVE-Ru series has come a long way in terms of artwork. In the first season, the visuals were great for its time. But damn, the second season and third season turned it up a level or two. The scenery, the characters, even the small background objects look amazing. However, I remember reading forum posts and reviews criticizing the second and third season's artwork. You see... when the studio colored the characters, they added this shiny gloss to them to give the illusion of rounded body parts (i.e. the chin, elbows, knees). Not a lot of people liked it but personally I loved it. I think the studio made a good decision keeping the artwork for TLRD the same as the second season.

So overall, I think the show has beautiful art.


3) Sound - 8/10

Since it has been a year or two since the last season finished airing, To LOVE-Ru Darkness may come as a surprise to you in the sound department. Beginning with the OP song, I found it to be very good. It's called "RAKUEN PROJECT" by Ray. It's sort of a mix of electronic/dance music with rock. It threw me off a bit because the first few seconds sounded like the last few seconds of an ED song. I literally said "Damnit, this isn't the real version of the episode!" However a few seconds later you get to the "actual" part of the song. It's a really good song. Kinda stuck in my head now...

About the voice actors - You may find that you dislike the chosen voice actors for some of the characters in the show. I remember when I watched the first episode... I was wondering why the girls sounded so much younger than they looked. I thought for a second maybe they changed voice actors since the last season because I didn't remember them sounding like this. So I did a little research but found out they used the same voice actors as last season. I shrugged and decided to just watch through the first episode and hope that the voices grew on me. Well what do you know? By the end of the episode I wasn't thinking twice about having someone else voice the characters. You might appreciate the voices even more when you get to the "naughty" scenes ;).

The background music was very good too. Subtle, but good. There is usually a ballad playing when it gets to storytelling time and an upbeat soundtrack during the rare intense scenes (fighting, heated dialogues with enememies, etc.). There aren't many sound effects besides the occassional boob/ass grab. Even I found that hilariously good.

I'm not particularly fond with the ED song. It's called "Foul Play ni Kurari" by Kanon Wakeshima. It is a fast-tempo song with a string orchestra. A good song, don't get me wrong but for an ending it's a bit too 'cutesy'. I would have preferred a rock song with a bit of a ballad-edge to it but this song is good, too.

4) Characters - 9/10

One of the first things you will realize in To LOVE-Ru Darkness is the lack of Lala Satalin Deviluke. In the first two seasons, she was the main heroine but she has since dwindled into just another heroine subject to equal competition. Actually, she doesn't even get as much screentime now. I really miss her and I find myself happy just being able to see her even for a second.

Sadly, because of all the new characters the show has pretty much changed from being a harem that ends with a relationship between just two people into a harem that strictly aims to create a harem ending. I have mixed feelings about the change. On the one hand, I want Lala to win but on the other hand I'm starting to see myself change opinions because of the numerous interactions the other characters have with Rito.

Let us begin with the male protagonist. Yuuki Rito. He's a pretty typical character. He's clumsy, thick-headed sometimes, but a good person inside. Many girls like that about him. What makes him stand out though is the fact he's notorious for getting into situations that end with him being on top or under a girl. Sometimes he's naked. Sometimes the girl is naked. Sometimes they're BOTH naked! Top that off with just plain dirty and awkward hand positions like breasts/butt-groping, face-in-crotch/butt/breasts and you have one lucky bastard (minus the fact he usually gets punished for it after).

Then we have Yami the Golden Darkness. Yami for short. Yami is a quiet kuudere/dandere whose mission is to kill Yuuki Rito - although she doesn't really seem to want to do it. In the first two seasons, we didn't get much of her. She was just another character in the story for the most part. However, in this season it focuses on Yami and uncovering her past. This goes back to me saying that this show has a story!

Mea Kurosaki will be the first new character you'll be introduced to in this season. She is an assassin who was sent to earth by a master to monitor Yami's actions. By the way, Yami and Mea are sisters. They both have the ability to transform their hair into weapons and such. Although she appears to be nice (and sometimes curiously perverted) on the outside, she has a dark heart just like Yami. She's like the second best character in the show IMO. I really like her dirty schemes haha. You get to see more of that later on.

Now...Momo Bella Deviluke. Oh my goodness...she is AMAZING.To me, she's the best character in TLRD. I even dare say she is one of the best female characters of 2012. Not many will agree simply because they don't know about the show but those who have watched To LOVE-Ru Darkness will agree. They have to! I mean, c'mon she's what fuels the fire in the season. The perverted tactician would be a suitable title for her. We mostly see the story from her perspective. Her main goal is to be with Yuuki Rito, but she's okay with Yuuki Rito ending up with every girl. Wait. She isn't just okay with it - she WANTS it to happen. She ACTIVELY pursues that goal! That's why she is so entertaining to watch. And just wait until you see her extremely perverted delusions. It's hilarious!

I'd talk about the other characters but there isn't much to say. That is not to say they don't have any character development because they do. Run/Ren Elsie Jewelria is one good example of a character with good development. There are a few more characters that have yet to be introduced but I don't want to spoil it and say what happens so just watch the show!

5) Enjoyment - 10/10

Let me keep it brief: I enjoy this series so much. It is definitely the best ecchi/harem series I have watched in the past two years of my anime life. This show is so damn hilarious and entertaining to watch. I even end up watching it as soon as it comes out despite not having subs! All because I'm impatient and want to watch the show as soon as it comes out.

It's not that bad for me to watch it raw though because I'm up to date with the manga and know a bit of Japanese so I know what's going on. But anyways, 10/10!

6) Overall - 8/10

Overall, I find To LOVE-Ru Darkness to be refreshing. Even though the show does an extremely good job at it, ecchi is not the main reason why this show is good. The main reason why this show is good is because of the story, artwork, and characters. Without those three, the ecchi would lack a lot of substance. I know it's weird saying that because people think those who watch ecchi are pleased with just boobs and butts but NO. We want more! And where do we find it? In To LOVE-Ru!

So go ahead and watch To LOVE-Ru Darkness. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good ecchi show. Perhaps even those who don't watch ecchi that much but have an open-mind. Try it out and see.




Thanks for reading my review. Thank you even more if you read everything I wrote and not just skim through it. Yes, I consider them two different situations. You know it's true. :)

Please hit the 'helpful'' if you find this review helpful.
Even if you didn't find it helpful, I appreciate you checking it out.


- DesolateOne

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Oct 26, 2013

GonzyChan

Recommended

One series can only be considered at the forefront of a particular genre that gives it its own identity or face; that series in question would be To Love Ru. It has had a rough start in adapting to the source material by not providing a coherent narrative to the manga. It has made a name for itself for being one of the top ecchi anime, thanks to the later seasons that are somewhat “reboots” if you want to take it that far. Now comes To Love Ru Darkness, a separate manga that continues the story of To Love Ru to breathe new life into ... its characters and comedy. To put it bluntly, it is a triumphant sequel that exceeds all expectations.

“That’s a perfectly natural behavior for a living creature,” says Mea Kurosaki. This quote itself, in which the word “that” is supposed to signify sexual thoughts, encapsulates the entirety of To Love Ru Darkness’s charm. It tells us how we should view Darkness as nothing more but a fun joy ride through joyous comedy and beautiful girls through sexual feelings, but we shouldn’t be ashamed by this mere fact alone. That is one of the main selling points of the show. It lives off of making us feel excited through hilarious incidents of girls in suggestive situations without making it feel demeaning or deliberate to either of the sexes. This aspect alone that To Love Ru Darkness expresses should be an example that all Ecchi shows should follow, which sadly isn’t always the case.

Now to express how all the things I mentioned in the previous paragraph work, unlike in most shows in what Darkness follows, the one thing that works is how every character carries the show with their likability despite their very cliched nature. Cliched in that, you have Yui Kotegawa, the stereotypical tsundere who wants order in the classroom. Nana, who’s another tsundere. Mikan, the younger half-sister who loves him. Yami, the Dandere psychopath. And Haruna, who the protagonist has feelings for, yet she so happens to be in love with him. Despite how many would view cliches as a negative term, however, how Darkness handles them is through sheer charm and personality makes them feel energetic and alive. You even feel contempt for them whenever drama happens between the characters, even with their stereotypical archetypes. However, if one character must have one entire paragraph alone to analyze would be the one and only Momo Deviluke.

Because she is the new heroine of the series, replacing Lala, Momo is what makes Darkness unique. Thanks to the glorious voice of Aki Toyosaki, Momo’s sarcastic and devious personality makes her such a delight to see on-screen. The best is when she has one of her humorous fantasies and clever schemes to make the girls fall more in love with Rito. With these things in mind, you might think that Momo’s personality only gives off this one-sided aspect, primarily being a devious pervert throughout the show. I want to describe a scene involving her and Rito in a gym closet room in the last episode. Momo is on top of Rito, seducing him as usual, until we suddenly see Rito finally give in to his instincts and do the same things to her. Then we suddenly see Momo in a very vulnerable state. It isn’t until later that we find out it was just another fantasy that Momo imagined while on top of him. This fantasy she envisioned took her by surprise, something which we had never seen her go through before. It wasn’t until Rito finally tried to stop her by putting his hand on her arm, which suddenly surprised her, and she jumped away from him quickly in fear and respite with her constant breathing and blushing face. We now see Momo in a completely different light than we are used to seeing her before. This scene alone makes Momo a three-dimensional character not through general exposition but character interaction.

Something that has changed from previous installments of the series is the art direction. While all characters still look the same, everything is now colored in very bright overtones. While many can argue that Motto To Love Ru's art looked better in terms of how the characters looked, that should not disregard that Darkness’s art still looks excellent in keeping the traditional manga art in context with the show. I’ve always admired the series, and more so in Darkness is how they’ve always drawn the girls and their figures that look gorgeous without overemphasizing anything on their body like other ecchi shows tend to do. Thanks to this, the girls look like high school-aged girls who have just hit their period of going through many body changes.

To Love Ru has not been widely known for having an impacting story to show forth underneath its charming fan service; it wasn’t until Darkness that we do have one that fills this very gap. Generally, most people will think that the writers wouldn’t bother writing a competent story because it is an ecchi series, and those typically don’t go so well. While Darkness doesn’t break any new ground in this aspect, it has an exciting twist in the harem genre where the heroine is doing all the work to help our protagonist get all the girls. As I mentioned with Momo’s schemes, her intentions in doing these are very well-handled in how it balances sweet romantic moments and pure fun comedy. Thankfully, there isn’t a sudden tonal shift between drama and humor to make it edgy. The plot might not be a deep one to experience. It doesn’t try to be one in the first place and sticks with it, which is very well appreciated.

As a protagonist, I would say Rito can be grating at times in how slow they build him up to be a harem leader after years of seeing him flustered over women falling over him. In Darkness, it still portrays Rito as if he hasn’t experienced a girl falling on him in a questionable position before, even though we’ve seen him in the past in these types of positions countless times before. You’d think he would get used to it by now and not be phased by it after all these months. He still has some moments where he comes across as caring and likable to everyone he meets, so there’s never really a moment where you think to yourself, “Why would any girl fall in love with this boy in the first place?”

Onto the comedy itself, needless to say, there will not be one person who is into suggestive comedies to be disappointed with Darkness. Almost every situation is handled with great comedic timing. Whether it be a scene involving Rito bumping into a girl and, in true ecchi fashion, being in an awkward position or a scenario that’s in a constant pace in showing jokes that involves hilarious dialogue, a great example would be between Nana and Mea or Momo, or vice versa. Not all of them hit the right notes throughout the show’s duration. Still, it will nevertheless entertain the masses who love to engage in hilarious perverted comedy like myself.

Not only do the characters themselves make the show enjoyable to watch, but the voice acting is what gives them their endearing personality through the sheer talent that Darkness brings to the table. I’ve already mentioned Aki Toyosaki previously, but she’s not the only great Seiyuu in the casting. Kana Hanazawa plays wonderfully as an upstanding little sister for Rito and gives Mikan a clear voice that feels perfect for her. Nana and Momo are among the best sister duos in anime, thanks to the great chemistry between Itou Kanae and Aki Toyosaki. They have previously worked together in a somewhat similar situation in Railgun. Only this time, it’s Aki who plays the devious one instead of Kanae, and it shows that Aki’s voice does fit with that archetype more than Kanae. Finally, we have Kaori Nazuka as Yui Kotegawa, probably one of the best tsundere roles we have had in a long time. Her authoritative voice, combined with childlike embarrassment, will surely make any man’s, no matter what age, heart burst with joy and pure ecstasy.

It all comes down to that Darkness won’t win any new fans that aren’t into something like To Love Ru, but even with that said, it is something that you should still at least try to see once to see if it pulls you in. Anyone who is a fan will feel right at home with this new installment that has so much to offer for ecchi fans and people who are fans of the series for more than the fan service. It will be funny and sometimes heartwarming in its romantic undertones for everyone who has followed the franchise. That will ultimately lead to our hunger for more, and for now, with the OVAs coming out to continue it. For now, Darkness is more than enough for us to enjoy while we wait for the next extensive anime installment for To Love Ru.

Grade: A

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Oct 27, 2014

Coolingheaded

Mixed Feelings

Funny

I wouldn't usually write a review for an ecchi/hentai/harem/porn/incest/whydon'tyoujustjackoffalready?-anime, but people are being driven crazy by this thing, it's already got a score of 7.99(at least when I wrote this) and the OVA basically is what they don't get to jack off to--I mean watch in the regular To Love Ru Darkness season, I mean, I get it, the show is good at getting your dick hard, good, and it can also make you have some giggles and good fun on the process? Great! But is it really a 10/10 show? No, it isn't.

And if there is anyone who dares to say that is the ... best anime they've ever watched, is because they probably mean it's the best porn they've ever watched, ask them to justify why it is the pinnacle of anime, and you'll see the anwser will be along the lines of "Can't you see how brave this characters are? They dare to have a guy touch them when he is already semi-kind of engaged! Not in this world man", "The art is soooo good! Have you seen the way those watermelons dance?", "I came 3 times that day", "My penis pretty much typed this review". And why? Why is it that all the people making reviews are getting so crazy about it? Well, that's because this is porn, what where they looking for when they watched this? Porn. The simple fact that they are looking at anime as a pure masturbation mean, makes them lose their criticism and can only say wonderfull things about it.

Now, I'm gonna stop being a dick to all those people who are controlled by their sexual lust and are not able to be critical about anime because of this reason.

Story (6): The story is not amazing, in Love-Ru we start off with the usual girl who falls in love with the main character and then they have a problem, and they have to fix it, they are given time, in that time more females are introduced, they all fall in love with the main character eventually, the problem comes back, and with enough -falling on their panties- moments, the problems comes back once again, and then it can either leave and come back later or end the problem and start something new. To Love-Ru is pretty much this, probably the only thing I've enjoyed in this new "lets create a Harem" deal, is the fact that Momo tries to get into Rito's mind and make him into a perverted playboy, wich adds somekind of psychological control, wich is a nice touch and I can appreciate it. I'd also like to add that Darkness probably beats the other To Love-Ru arcs, just for the fact that this might actually go somewhere, the character development is minimum but there is some of it...I think.

Art (9): I don't really care that much about art to be sincere, cause I believe a lot of people tend to ignore other animes just for the fact that the art style is strange or different to their usually anime, so I don't think the art makes the anime, but it can obviously be appreciated mostly in a show where the way characters look is so important. Darkness has a pretty solid art style and has a nice look to it.

Sound (7): I've never really liked the music themes in the To Love-Ru franchise, but I guess there might be someone out there who enjoys them, but is nothing I would consider memorable or outstanding, the sound effects in the show are good in setting the atmosphere, maybe not the greatest, but good.

Character (6): Well, maybe the part where most of the people might disagree with me, a lot of people can only say that the cast of characters is great, that they are all deep and amazing, original and well thought...this is one of those harem shows where the show is trying to make you pick which girl you like the most, there's nothing new to them, you can find them on other harem shows, where they try to introduce as many female personalities as possible (wich I wouldn't say is always bad -Kotegawa best girl) , the shy, the dumb, the responsible, the perverted, the athletic and then there's the one that's in love and the one that just wants some action under the sheets. Despite what must people may say, I think the characters don't have that much to them, they don't really seem to have motives in their lifes, they are always in the same mood until something happens to them, they don't really seem to be troubled with their every day problems, their personality just blends into the situation.

Overall (6): But overall, I enjoy the show, not because of the plot, not because of the music, just because it has some ok comedy and is good at getting my dick hard, I can't deny that. In the ecchi category I could even consider that it stands out from the others, but if I'm really critical about it and look at it as anime as a whole, is not that incredible, the plot is ok, sound and art are nothing life changing, but is enjoyable. An overall 6 in my eyes.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	Poll: To LOVE-Ru Darkness Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Oct 4, 2012	157 replies	by ichighost2234 »» Sep 20, 4:03 AM
	Poll: To LOVE-Ru Darkness Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Dec 28, 2012	134 replies	by llcrazyacell »» Jul 22, 1:31 AM
	Poll: To LOVE-Ru Darkness Episode 4 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Oct 26, 2012	75 replies	by llcrazyacell »» Jul 18, 1:51 PM
	Poll: Who is your LEAST Favourite Female Character in To LOVE-Ru Darkness? ( 1 2 3 ) ShiroiKishi- - Dec 31, 2012	107 replies	by AymenBeltaief »» Jul 22, 2024 7:57 PM
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