Story and setting
The story of elDLIVE revolves around the life of Chuuta Kokonose a fourteen-year-old middle school boy that one day was found himself face to face with an alien and is recruited into an intergalactic police force called elDLIVE.
The story of elDLIVE revolves around Chuuta’s life as a middle school student as well as his career as an officer of the intergalactic force elDLIVE as he and his fellow officers work tirelessly to protect the planet from all sorts of aliens and invasions. For the most part the anime is largely set on the planet Earth to which Chuuta and his friends and fellow officers reside however the series does also take place on the large mobile HQ that is used as a command ship by the solar system bureau that Chuuta belongs to.
In terms of story the idea of the main character being chosen to join a mysterious intergalactic police force that was unknown to them by the merit of the abilities that they never know that they had certainly was intriguing. The fact this force’s HQ was a mobile command ship that was located just over Earth was also another surprise. Arguably one of the more interesting aspects of the story was that Chuuta gets the chance to not just meet many different alien species but also to work with many of them as part of his career in elDLIVE. The fact that many of these aliens look like normal human beings was even more surprising.
Chuuta
Chuuta voiced by veteran voice actor Ayumu Murase is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of the series. A 14-year-old second year middle school student Chuuta is an honest, hardworking and diligent person that tries to do his best in everything that he does. A firm believer in justice and second chances Chuuta prefers to use diplomacy to deal with cases rather than physical force. Since he was little Chuuta has been hearing voices in his head which eventually culminated in a rather tragic accident that had a long-lasting effect on his personality. However, this voice eventually become something that Chuuta never expected it to be and become one of the primary reasons as to why Chuuta was chosen by join the intergalactic police force elDLIVE. Personality wise Chuuta’s personality changes as the series progresses and his character is developed and improved upon after overcoming challenges both in life and with powerful adversaries. In the beginning Chuuta was an average teenager that got scared easily and was reluctant to be part of something that they did not understand or believe.
However, as the series progressed and Chuuta and his partner drew got more involved with elDLIVE and solved more cases Chuuta become braver, smarter and more willing to stand up to adversaries no matter how powerful in order to protect his friends and innocents that may have been caught in the crossfire. Chuuta also become rather good at performing investigations on his own being able to talk to potential witnesses calmly and kindly and trying to sympathize with them for the effects that the crime has had on them rather than asking them straight out. One notable trait of Chuuta is that he cares a great deal about the people around him whether they are friends or just people that he had just met and as a result Chuuta will always try his utmost to protect them even if it meant sacrificing himself for them.
All in all, I felt that Chuuta was a pretty good character as despite the weird situation that he found himself in he was able to adapt to the situation relatively quickly and from there slowly become both a better person and a capable officer within elDLIVE. Character development for Chuuta I felt was done reasonably well and it was nice to see him slowly get braver and become a better person as he gains experience from getting involved in cases. I felt that Ayumu Murase did a pretty good job portraying Chuuta.
Misuzu
Misuzu voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Saori Hayami of Owari no seraph and the irregular at magic high school fame is one of the main characters of the series and the main heroine of the series. A fellow classmate of Chuuta’s and a fellow officer of Chuuta within elDLIVE Misuzu was sent to Chuuta’s school to observe him and judge whether he is appropriate for service in elDLIVE. Misuzu is a pretty, intelligent and hard working person and takes her job as a elDLIVE officer seriously. Personality wise Misuzu undergoes many changes as the series progresses though unlike Chuuta her personality can be considered to be the opposite. In the beginning Misuzu’s personality is cold, aloof and distant only interacting with those that she considers friends and viewing others with contempt. Her relationship with Chuuta at first was not the best first impression as she did not think that he was suitable for being an officer as she felt that he did not take the matter seriously and that he was rather childish in his personality. However, as the series goes on and after seeing how much that Chuuta has changed both in terms of personality and in nature Misuzu’s opinion of him started to change.
It’s not until one of the later story arcs that Misuzu’s opinion of him progressed to a point when she was finally able to place her full trust in him and accept him as a fellow officer of elDLIVE. The interactions between Misuzu and Chuuta I felt was well done as because they are both within the same division they more often than not are assigned cases in which they must work together to solve. In these interactions, we get to see not just how she investigates and deal with cases but also how she learns from Chuuta that she doesn’t hold in high esteem at first. More importantly we also get to see how Misuzu’s opinions of Chuuta change as she sees how much he has matured both in personality and in attitude. As with all members of elDLIVE Misuzu has powers of her own that are derived from the power of SPH which in Misuzu’s case takes the form of an angel like figure complete with wings. This form is only used when a peaceful arrest is no longer possible and really is a sight to see when she uses it. Overall I felt that Misuzu was a well-designed character and I liked how her opinion of Chuuta that she dismissed and loathed at first managed to change so much over the series in reflection of Chuuta’s own advancement and it was nice to finally see and hear Misuzu say to Chuuta that she now accepts him as a fellow officer. I felt that Saori Hayami did a excellent job portraying Misuzu.
Veronica
Veronica voiced by veteran seiyuu and actress Riho Iida is one of the main support characters of the show. A fellow elDLIVE officer and a friend to both Misuzu and Chuuta Veronica is an criminal investigation assistant inspector and is the head of her own division within elDLIVE’s CID division. Personality wise Veronica is a hot headed, blunt and rather competitive with fellow officers especially to Misuzu. However, while certainly aggressive at times Veronica takes her duties as an officer of elDLIVE seriously and in a way, she is similar to Misuzu in terms of attitude. Despite being aggressive Veronica as bereft of her rank and also as the commander of her division is not an idiot as people might assume from her personality and can be surprisingly inquisitive and fast thinking able to quickly ascertain what had happened at a scene or get to the heart of the matter without having to muddle through useless chatter. As can be expected from a division commander Veronica is one of the show’s most capable combatants with her combat style emphasizing her long legs which means that her kicks are relatively powerful. Her style especially makes use of a number of acrobatic moves that considering her normal clothing that consists of a miniskirt does tend to make male combatants get distracted which is probably why Veronica uses it in the first place. Like Misuzu Veronica’s attitude and opinion of Chuuta changes as the series goes on with her being curious about Chuuta when they first met but later accepting him as a result of a rather large operation/battle in which he managed to get both her and Nina out and solving the case more or less by himself. I felt Veronica was a pretty well designed character and I liked the interactions that she has with Misuzu.
Nina
Nina voiced by veteran seiyuu Lynn of High school fleet and Fuuka fame is one of the main support characters of the show and is a fellow elDLIVE officer that assist Misuzu and Chuuta. A member of Nina’s Division 5 of elDLIVE’s CID division Nina also serves as Veronica’s partner after they were assigned to the solar system bureau. Unlike Veronica who has a rather aggressive and blunt attitude towards investigations and to others Nina is the opposite in that she is kind, soft spoken and has a caring personality. Nina, Veronica and Misuzu are old friends having all joined elDLIVE around the same time and as a result she is well aware that the two often clash on a number of things when they encounter each other. As a result, Nina often finds herself pressed into the role of a peacekeeper as she tries to stop these arguments. Of the pair between Veronica and herself Nina can be best described as the intelligent and rational one and she often admonishes Veronica when she gets too hot headed and aggressive during operations. Like all members of elDLIVE Nina also has her own abilities that she derives from her SPH which in her case takes the form of wind funnels that she can use to attack enemies with. Although not one to attack first in a combat situation Nina is no less a capable combatant than Veronica is and is capable of holding her own in a fight.
As a side result of her SPH powers Nina’s outfit that she changes into when she uses her powers changes into a rather revealing outfit which is a contrast to her personality. This usually causes Nina to become embarrassed when others especially Chuuta sees it which I found to be rather amusing. Like Veronica Nina did not bear any special feelings towards Chuuta at first as she like her boss was curious of the special rookie that was in the bureau that they had heard about even outside of the system. Like Veronica Nina’s attitude towards Chuuta changes and she eventually treats him like a fellow officer. I felt that Lynn did a pretty good job voicing Nina.
Dolough
Dolough voiced by veteran seiyuu Rie Kugimiya of Nabari no Ou and Full metal alchemist brotherhood fame is one of the main characters of the show. An alien of the rare Monitalien race Dolough serves as Chuuta’s SPH organ and thus forms a symbiosis relationship with Chuuta as they both need to exist for the other to live. Having grown up alongside Chuuta Dolough is perhaps Chuuta’s oldest friend and understands the pain and hardship that he has gone through in life which actually is a side effect of having Dolough living inside him. The relationship between Dolough and Chuuta is one of the main parts of the show and arguably the most important relationship that he has. As a result of their rather unique relationship Dolough relies on the good feelings and emotions that Chuuta feels and experiences in order to maintain his form and be able to use his SPH powers to help Chuuta. As a result, if Chuuta for whatever reason begins to feel negative feelings like anger, regret and others then Dolough would start to lose his form. While the bond between the two did not start off under the best of circumstances the bond that they forged soon began to improve as their relationship improved as the series went on improving not just Chuuta’s personality but also Dolough’s as well. Personality wise Dolough is a curious and inquisitive creature that can be described as being similar to someone of Chuuta’s age group. Dolough can also be surprisingly insightful being able to offer some valuable advice to Chuuta when needed. The bond and relationship that Chuuta establishes with Dolough I felt was done pretty well with both characters being developed as their bond improves.
One aspect of their relationship that I felt was funny was how Dolough and Chuuta make use of each other in attacks. In this case Chuuta actually visualizes the attack that he will use and passes this to Dolough through the link and allowing him to launch that attack. This I felt was a great use of the symbiosis relationship that the two have. Overall I felt that Rie Kugimiya did a pretty good job voicing the character of Dolough.
Laine
Laine voiced by veteran voice actor Tatsuhisa Suzuki of Owari no seraph fame is one of the main support characters of the show. The commander of the solar system bureau of elDLIVE and Chuuta, Misuzu and Veronica and Nina’s commanding officer Laine is a laid back, carefree and friendly person that nonetheless has great faith in his subordinates and allows them to pursue their investigations if they can be proven to be important. At first glance Laine may appear to be a lazy and carefree person that doesn’t take his role as branch commander seriously however beneath this exterior self-Laine is actually a smart, quick thinking person that can be quite scheming but not quite manipulative. He’s also shown to have a good grasp of both military tactics and space warfare tactics which is surprising from him. Despite his laid-back nature, Laine is not one that will give up easily and even when confronted by the most powerful of enemies or the most hopeless of situations Laine will always try the best way to get through it with the end result always surprising to both allies and enemies alike. I felt that Laine was a pretty well designed character that both cared about his subordinates and also considers the larger picture and his keen strategic mind was really a surprise to me. I felt that Tatsuhisa Suzuki did a pretty good job voicing the character of Laine.
Arts and animation
In terms of art I felt that the environments that were shown in the series was well designed and colored and that there was a good variety of environments that the cast were featured in. The design for the bureau’s flagship and headquarters I though was pretty well done as the ship while not appearing to look like a warship had the firepower of a cruiser which I felt was important given that their role was to arrest criminals and enforce the law and not destroy them. The designs for the various alien species that were present in the show I felt was also another point that deserved praise as there was a large variety of aliens that were both beautifully designed and unique enough to stand out from among the others.
In terms of character design, I felt that the series did a reasonable job as each character was alike in terms of uniform but at the same subtlety different in their own ways. One aspect of character design that I liked was the design of the uniforms that the members of elDLIVE wore for their day to day duties. In terms of animation I felt that it was crisp and clear and that the fight scenes both in terms of personal combat between the elDLIVE members and aliens and combat between spaceships was pretty well done. In particular, I liked the transformation scenes that happen as elDLIVE members activate their SPH abilities.
Music
The music for the series I felt was particularly strong with both the opening and the ending themes being especially good. Scene music also felt appropriate as well.
Voice acting
The voice acting for the series I felt was pretty strong with Saori Hayami and Ayumu Murase who voiced the characters of Misuzu and Chuuta deserving some praise as I felt that they were able to portray their respective characters pretty well. I also felt that Rie Kugimiya, Lynn and Riho Iida who voiced the characters of Dolough, Nina and Veronica also did a great job portraying their respective characters.
Overall conclusion
Overall I felt that elDLIVE was a pretty well done and designed anime that had a great story, an interesting setting, well designed characters and solid voice acting. The premise that a middle school boy that had an alien inside of him being given the chance to join an intergalactic police force was certainly interesting. The subject area which in this case is to become a part of the intergalactic police force as an officer and from there protect the lives of not just normal human beings but also the lives of the aliens that have also made a home for themselves on earth was also interesting. In terms of story I liked how at first it made use of the normal villain of the week formula that is common to most animes and manga before slowly getting more serious as the villains become more apparent and powerful eventually culminating in their appearance near the mid part of the series. This type of slowly feeding in the main villains into the main plot was well designed move as introducing them too quickly would make the anime sound rushed and lower the dread that the characters would feel when they are confronted with them.
Character design and character development for the series I felt was pretty well done with the best examples of the former being the Chuuta, Misuzu and Nina and the latter being the personalities of both Chuuta and Misuzu and the emerging bond that the two forge as they began to accept each other. Voice acting as noted was particularly strong in this series with the seiyuu’s of Misuzu and Chuuta deserving some praise for being able to make their characters stand out.
