High School DxD - Reviews

I personally think that this anime would have been better without all the fan service. It has a pretty good story and a great cast of characters. But for be there was just too much random and unnecessary fan service. But if you can get past all of that it's a pretty good anime.

yes it's filled with fan service but the story is still excellent if it wasn't for the story and characters then I wouldn't give it such a high score. Definetly worth watching.

Anyone calling High School DxD is "typical romantic comedy ecchi harem anime" is wrong. But they are also right. It does everything ecchi harem can do, with a bit of spice to it, (Ahem) so it's not all ecchi harem, it includes more interesting sequences on the way. I couldn't get any pictures that were meaningful to the review. (All you can find is Rias Gremory's grocery bags of mens' dreams and wonders) So there are no pictures, but the important thing is; Is High School DxD worth it?

STORY

SO MUCH PLOT I CAN'T HANDLE IT HNNGGGGGG!

DxD's story is quite simply, really. I mean, the main character HAS to be average, right? Surprisingly, not as average as I thought, when I watched it I was surprised that he's not the most normal character I've seen in an anime in a long time. He's in a trio, not just any trio, a "Pervert Trio." Too unwilling to admit it, he decides that he will get a girlfriend and fondle her boobs all day. But no, he's also a gentle man, as a cute girl suddenly appears and says "Will you date me?" Obviously he agrees, and unfortunately for him, doesn't get to fondle her boobs all day. Instead, she kills him, she was a fallen angel, yadayadayada. (This is about half as complicated as Final Fantasy VII) He wakes up and it's all normal, until ANOTHER FALLEN ANGEL appears and attempts to kill him too. Then he wakes up again, naked, next to Rias Gremory, naked... That's episode 1...

It only gets more complicated, really. It's not as simple as the other ecchi harem series overall. It's not an amazing story, but it does the job. The ending ties up EVERYTHING. It could have ended there, and still work... But then Season 2 happened, which was good, but it ends in a cliffhanger, which means Season 3 came out. Pretty sure this is an excuse to see all the girls get into every possible fetishized event possible. At least it gets the job done, but other than that, it could have no story, or subtitles, and still make as much sense.

ANIMATION

 It's rather standard. Not bad, just standard. The characters are drawn sexily, and the background and lighting are accurate. I don't understand why some points are filtered in a red shade. (usually at night action scenes, there are a lot of those) Actually, every kind of scene has a different color shade, ask me and I'll come up with it! Promise!

SOUND

I believe that this show has a very good soundtrack. Especially battle music, most of which are just epic. The voice actors are pretty passionate, as every character sounds fit with their design. Some songs are a bit boring though, and usually those songs are played more than the good ones. While the dub cast (Someone insisted I rewatch it dub) is quite hilarious, the quality of the voice actors are a bit lacking for some characters, more so with the side characters. Also, there is a creepy jell-o sound for every time some character's boobs jiggle. Unless that actually happens, correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm a shameful virgin who sits on a computer more than anything else. The music is good, it has sexy voice actresses, and meh everything else. (Boosto)

CHARACTERS

The main cast is like every typical harem, you have 1-2 really hot girls, the go-with-the-flow younger girl who is always passive and stuff, the mean loli, and the guy that gets 1st place more than the harem-lord does. There are a few differences, as in most typical harem shows, the 1-2 really hot girls everyone wants to tap is usually mean to perverts, except in DxD's case, they're so OPEN!

The not-main cast is pretty boring, I would say. They're more static than a sloth in a closed room, and they're just plain. More plain than a plain bagel. Call them a pizza without cheese, or sauce, or pizza. Yeah, they're a cardboard small-size pizza box. Some of the not-main cast is just PLAIN awesome though. like Azazel, a manly man who has the body of every guy on the Old Spice commercials COMBINED. (EDIT: I realized that Azazel was only in High School DxD NEW and BorN, but he is still like a total bro, which is why i keep this sentence here, just to get my point across...) So, the main cast is great, and most of the not-main cast is a pizza containing no pizza.

FINAL VERDICT

Is High School DxD worth it? It depends on who you are. If you're looking for manservice, there is no manservice, only fanservice. If you're looking for fanservice, you've hit a pot of gold. However, if you're looking for an epic series with intense psychological conspiracies and people dying when they're killed, back away slowly...

High School DxD isn't bad, it's just not great. Calling it the best ecchi is a HUGE overstatement. Calling it mediocre is just WRONG. High School DxD (More like High School DD OH!!!) is a good time if you're looking for ecchi.

High School DxD completely-coincidentally gets a 6.9/10

Sex, lewd thoughts, and imaginations. Here's an interesting little trivia: Did you know that the average man in our world today think about sex nearly every 56 seconds? Fact or fiction, you decide. Of course, this is all normal. I mean, our minds is filled with all sorts of imaginations and dreams whether it'd be finding the perfect girlfriend or going on your first dream date. In this anime known as the High School DxD, our protagonist Hyudo Iseei goes from a lecherous second-year high school student attending Kuoh Academy to someone he hasn't began to imagine before.

At first glance, the title High School DxD doesn't really stand out much. The first two words “high school” is probably a place most of us made good (or bad memories) in our lives. Of course, Issei hopes to make good memories because the school has recently turned into co-ed from a former girls-only school. And where else would a healthy boy at his puberty stage wants to make most of it? High school of course. But not all is easy as he is known to be creepy at the academy. With few “real” friends, the chances of making his goal of high school memories is becoming slim.

That of course later changes when the unthinkable happens and he is killed by his very first girlfriend. Talk about bad luck, I can only think of one person off my head right now with the Imagine Breaker with that sort of luck. But is this really bad luck? Because the most beautiful and respected character of the school and series takes attention of him...

First, we have the beautiful Rias Gremory. She is someone everyone admires and lusts about. She is the president of the Occult Club. And she is of course, the main heroine as well as one of the reasons some of us are watching this series for the lulz. She takes a curious interest in our protagonist Issei after the incident but what really makes her unique is her definite character. Behind her outer shell is a girl who takes responsibility and does what she does best: helping others. These traits seem to pass onto Issei for despite his creepiness around the academy, he is known to be helpful and hardworking.

Then, we have some of the other characters. The sadistic Akeno who is also admired among the academy. Playful and flirtatious, she plays the role of the one-sama whom a lot of us wants to be “treated” by her. Then, we have our mascot, the all adorable loli Koneko-chan. Behind that cute loli apperance lies a girl of power and valor who puts her own life at risk to help others. Next, we have Asia-san, the pure girl that reflects the innocence of the series after all the lewd story arcs and peerage. Finally, we have Kiba who serves as the antithesis of Issei, whom he despises to no end. And of course, all these characters of the Occult Club are the bridge to Issei's path of becoming someone who he never thought he'd be.

By this point, some of you reading this review are probably thinking “god damn it, not another harem” or “fan-service...what else is new?” And of course, I agree there. Fan-service is nothing new but a device used to attract viewers. So, if you can't take the boobs, ass, and nudity, then feel free to watch another series. If you have a serious issue with the uncensored scenes and fan-service, then just drop the damn series as no one is forcing you to watch. However, if you can take it like a true anime fan, then kudos to you as you will be proud once you complete perhaps the ecchiest (if that's even a word) series of this year 2012.

The art of this series is just meh for me. I didn't take much notice of it as most people are probably paying attention more to the action and fan-service than art when watching this. I don't blame you, I mean who could take their eyes off one second of that million dollar body of Rias Gremory? :) Then, of course, the sound. I do admit that it does mixes in well especially in later episodes where the seriousness conveys the more dramatic visage of the story. It's not as powerful as Yuki Kajiura's soundtracks from Mai-Hime or Tsubusa Chronicles but still all in all, it does fit well once you listen to it carefully.

Despite being labelled as a ecchi and even harem on MAL, this series does have a storyline. Yes, can you believe it? An actual ecchi anime with a decent storyline! As such in series like this, you can expect the master and slave relationship. One catch though. This time, the girl is the master. Some of the viewers watching this may now think about the typical “master/slave” fantasies or “king's game” from your heads now. However, behind the scenes of the fan-service and nudity lies a story where a young boy goes from zero to hero. The storyline gets deeper in the light novels but the anime isn't all too shabby. It starts off as a predictable opening, goes to a more emotional setting, and then goes out with a bang. A literal bang thanks to what Issei learns and became throughout the series.

So, you're probably asking yourself now: “should I watch this?” Honestly, that's an ambigious question. When God gave us brains, we all have different views on everything like anime, manga, life, appearances, etc. However, if you just watched the trailer or first 5 mins of the series and decided to hit that drop button, then I feel really sorry for you. Why? Because this series is more than just about ecchi and fan-service. It has potential. It has emotion. It has drama. It has interest.

If you have serious problems with watching this anime, then maybe think about your High School memories. I bet Issei's virginity that the memories of your High School years won't be that much better than this series. (well, at least for me)

How can I say it. In first, I thought it will be ecchi anime with boobies, but you fill find out its actually good with nice characters, fight scenes and story. Its funny, pervert and its High School DxD.