Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. You know, a lot of anime today takes place in a high school setting. One could say this is laziness and lack or creativity on the part of the author but I think it’s a way for the author to connect more to the viewers. High school is like the pivotal part of anyone’s life, it’s where our character is fully development and the directions will go in the life. Even though the high school setting is overused a lot in today’s anime I think as long as the story is good with interesting characters nobody will mind. Case in point Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is based off a light novel under the same name by Ichiei Ishibumi. There’s also a manga adaption out there written by Ishibumi as well. The story centers around a boy who is killed, resurrected, and made the servant of a high class demon. There’s also big breast and uncensored nudity throughout the series as well. It came out in 2012 from the anime studio TNK, the same studio that bought us Hand Maid May, School Days (thanks for the nightmares), and L/R: Licensed by Royalty. So, how does this anime fair despite its obvious school setting? Let’s find out! This is Highschool DxD.
Opening/Ending song
The opening song is “Trip -innocent of D-” by Larval Stage Planning. It’s a pretty soft rock song that really doesn’t catch my attention. I guess it’s all because after hearing the opening of the Devil May Cry anime and knowing that this anime will involve devils I was expecting the opening to be something along those lines. In fact, I actually did an experiment where I put the opening song of the DMC anime with the opening credits of Highschool DxD and surprisingly it works for the most part of the video. Just go to youtube and mute the volume on the Highschool DxD video and play the opening song from the DMC anime and you’ll see what I mean. The ending song is “STUDYxSTUDY” by StylipS. It’s got a nice beat to it and the singers sounds pretty energetic. Not that it matters because you’ll be too busy throwing dollar bills at your TV screen or laptop because of the strip show the girls of the series are putting on throughout the credits.
Episode 1-5
Our story opens up with the main antagonist Issei Hyodo voiced by Yuuki Kaji hanging out with his two friends who serve no major part in this anime so why bother remembering their names as they talk about what all high school boys long to do. Touch the breast of girls (join the club, we meet on the 2nd Saturday of each month). You see Issei and his friends are well known perverts (they spy on girls changing, take peeks up their skirts, and stare at their boobs) in his school so all the girls stay away from them and ignore them. But despite these setbacks Issei still holds on to his dream of becoming the king of his own harem and getting a girlfriend (truly the dream of all male anime characters) and after school his dreams might come true because a girl named Yumma from a different school comes up to him and says she wants to go out with him (Oh sure, because this totally happens in real life. Girls randomly walk up to guys who’ve they never met or talked to before and asks them to be their boyfriend. I had the same thing happen to me 3 times just the other day. Oh wait, no I didn’t because I LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD!). So the two become a couple and go out on a date only to find out that Yumma is a fallen angel and kills him (okay, now this seems real). But even on his death bed Issei can’t help but think about wanting to touch breast (the man’s got priorities I’ll give him that) and a red-hair girl appears before him saying he will live for her now. The next day Issei wakes up in his bed totally fine believing that what he experienced was a dream. He walks home feeling weird (it’s just your hormones man, totally healthy for a boy your age) when a man shows up revealing himself to be a fallen angel and attacks Issei (a pervert who’s also a weakling? He really is the male lead of a harem anime) but before finishing him off the red-hair girl shows up with her companions stopping him. This red-hair girl is Rias Gremory voiced by Yōko Hikasa (Mio Akiyama from K-ON) a high class devil that is without a doubt one of the hottest anime girls you will ever see in your life. Also, why are all red-haired girls in anime hot? Yoko from Gurren Lagann, Kallen from Code Geass, and Aki from Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds I think Japan is trying to tell us something. I mean, does red hair really make a person more attractive and convincing? *Isis shows up with her hair dyed crimson red* (Isis): Excuse me master, I was wondering if it would be okay if you bought me this new processor chip for my system seeing as how my current one is outdated? (Nitsuj): Leave it on my desk and I’ll order it later on. Also, I don’t why but you look incredibly beautiful today. (Isis): *blushes* Why thank you *disappears*.(Nitsuj): The episode ends with Issei waking up once again in his bed naked (Eww!) but with Rias in the bed naked with him (Nice! Respect right there man!).
In the next episode Rias explains that their naked because she was healing Issei overnight by bathing him with her own magic (You know I’ve had a few back problems is there any way you can work that magic on me) and that she’s still a virgin (Damn! Well it’s still early, so I’ll give it time). After school Issei is escorted to the Occult Research Club (The school actually approved something like this?) which is run by Rias. Here we get to meet the other colorful characters of the group. We have the cute loli character Koneko voiced by Ayana Taketatsu (Éclair from Dog Days, somehow she keeps showing up in my reviews. I swear I’m doing it on purpose), the popular guy Yuto Kiba voiced by Kenji Nojima, and the classic Japanese beauty Akeno Himejima voiced by Shizuka Itou (Ryoko from Okami-San and Her Seven Companions, I wasn’t expecting to see her so soon on the show again). Rias explains that angels, devils, and fallen angels exist in the world and that the reason he was attacked was because he has what is known as a sacred gear dwelling within him. The sacred gears are powerful weapons that are said to have been created by devils and angels and that after he was killed Rias resurrected him as a devil and now he is the servant of Rias just like the others (So he’s a devil now but he’s the servant of a beautiful girl? All in all I say he broke-even here.). Throughout the rest of the episode Issei does small chores like delivery fliers so that people will summon him, he gets into a manga fight with this otaku about Dragonball Z about who’s the strongest (called Drago-soball in the anime.) and he runs into another fallen angel, only this time he activates his sacred gear which appears in the form of a gauntlet (I like to call it Boasto-san) and scares off the fallen angel. The episode ends with Issei walking to school only to find a girl fall over exposing her pure white panties and wearing a strange outfit.
Episode 3 is where we began our first of two arcs in the series. The first arc focuses on the girl who fell in the street. This young girl is Asia voiced by Azumi Asakura, a sweet and innocent nun girl with the power to heal wounds magically. Issei escorts Asia to the church since she’s lost and this is her first time in Japan (even though she speaks Japanese perfectly). However, as Issei gets closer to the church he starts to feel weird and makes an excuse from going any closer. Rias explains to him that churches are enemy territories (no shit) and that he should stay away from them (again, no shit). Later on, the group goes out to fight a stray devil, a devil that broke ties with its master and now does as it pleases. It’s here that we get to see how devils fight and see the different powers of each devil. Within the devil world they have wants known as evil pieces which are basically chess pieces given to top-class devils to increase their ranks by reincarnating other beings into devils; there are 15 pieces total (16 if you count the King piece). Kiba (the knight) is fast as lightning and a swordsman, Koneko (the rook) is indestructible and strong, Akeno (the queen) uses lightning to destroy her enemies and is a natural sadist (you know, I had plans to put her on the top 11 hottest anime girls list but I wanted to keep it to one character a series that way to avoid favoritism and I kinda like Rias more. So for the Akeno fans out there just know that she a potential candidate for the list) and Issei is the pawn. The group confronts the stray devil with the upper body of a naked woman, the lower body of a monster and she shoots laser beams from her breast (I guess that milk past its expiration date). The group makes quick work of her and go home. At a later time Issei goes to do another summoning only to find that it’s a trap set up by some insane maniac priest named Freed from the church and runs in to Asia again (it’s a small after all). Asia stands between Freed and the injured Issei saying that she doesn’t want to see him die because he’s a good person (Yes, a pervert but a good person). Rias and the rest show up to save Issei but leave Asia behind since only devils can past through the barrier.
In episode 4 Issei comes to the realization that he is weak and mad at himself for not being able to save Asia. So instead of just lying around and accepting it he goes to the park where he begins to train but you wouldn’t you know it, Asia shows up and the two go on a small date where Issei wins her a Raichu doll. Asia also opens up to Issei and talks about her past. When she was baby her mother abandoned her and she was raised by the church. During her childhood she discovered she had the power to heal people and became known as the Holy Priestess. However, one day she healed a demon and as punishment for her actions she was banished from the church, people began calling her witch, and with nowhere else to go she was taken in by the Fallen Angels. And speaking of Fallen Angels, Yumma whose real name is Reynare shows up and kidnaps Asia again. Issei informs the others about this saying that he wants to save her since he’s her friend but Rias refuses to take action and leaves with Akeno to take care of some business. After she leaves Issei, Kiba, and Koneko sneak into the church where Reynare plans to remove Asia’s sacred gear from her body and make it her own. While this is going on, Rias and Akeno teleport to the back of the church where they run into more fallen angels and seal off the premise so that no one can escape. The episode ends with Reynare removing Asia’s sacred gear and Asia dying. Throughout most of episode 5 Akeno and Rias fight the three fallen angels who are mocking Issei’s relationship with Reynare which pisses Rias off so much that she destroys them in an instant (never piss off a red-hair anime girl, you won’t live long to regret it). This is one of the things I really like about Rias, if make fun of her friends she won’t hesitate to strike you down. Meanwhile on Issei’s part, Reynare continues to mock Issei saying that she never really loved him, found the date they went on boring, and was just completely toying with his emotions for her own amusement. That is a bitch move! She is a straight up class S bitch! What she just did was equivalent to shooting him in the balls, stealing his wallet, bringing him to a room where she has sex with some random asshole while he watches, AND THEN HAVING SEX WITH 5 MORE OTHER GUYS JUST TO PROVE SHE’S A SLUT! Congratulations anime, I have never wanted to see a character die so much then her. Please, hear my wish and make this bitch die! And I might just get my wish as Issei finally learns how to control Boasto-san, he Falcon punches the bitch out of the church (trust me. It is very satisfying to see that) only to return to finish him off but is interrupted by Rias who shows up revealing that she has defeated all her lackeys and has come to destroy her. But even up till the end she continues to act like a bitch. She morphs into Yumma and tries to get Issei to stop Rias from destroying her. But Issei sees through this deception and tells Rias to finish her off (By God! Hearing her scream an agony as she dies is like music to my ears). After that, Rias uses one of her evil pieces (the bishop) to bring Asia back to life as a devil. The next day, Asia transfers to Issei’s school and Rias reveals to Issei that she used up all of her pawn pieces to bring Issei back to life meaning that Issei is her only pawn. She also reveals to Issei that Boasto-san is one of the rarest of the sacred gears called Boosted Gear (boasto!) which holds the soul of Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor, whose power is strong enough to kill a god and increases his powers 10x (that is badass). The episode ends with them having a welcome party for Asia and with this the first major arc of the season ends.
Episode 6-9
These next few episodes are where the season starts to slow down. In episode 6 Asia moves in with Issei and starts going to school with the others. Issei fails to get another contract with a client (this time it was a giant man who wanted to be a magical girl. HORROR! HORROR!). Tired of seeing Issei fail Rias goes with him to fulfill a contract promising that if he gets a contract she’ll let him touch her breast (she’s got me motivated). They arrive at the location where they help out a girl name Susan, a foreigner obsessed with Japanese culture and wears civil war armor to hide her appearance (You know Japan, when you have people like these in your shows it only makes the world think you’re crazier than what you let on to believe.). They help get her notebook from school because she’s too scared to go there alone (oh please, with that armor I’m pretty sure the Slenderman wouldn’t even approach you) but she has another request in wanting to confess her feelings to a boy she loves. They convince her to write a love letter and the next day the guy shows up all decked out in. . . his best knight armor (yes, I am speaking the truth. No, I’m not drunk nor am I smoking anything, this is happening and in broad day-light) and he accepts her. As for Issei and his reward, before he can get a chance to grab those sweet puppies the others walk-in and interrupt (fucking cockblockers!) but he does get a hug from her (he didn’t get the gold but at least he got the bronze). In episode 7 we find out the student council president is also a devil from a different family and is Rias’ friend and rival who challenges Rias to a series of sports to see who will get the next familiar which comes once a month on the night of the full moon. Rias’ team wins and on the night of the full moon they go to the forest of familiars; in the forest they come across all kinds of strange creatures such as the dreaded slime that eats a way the clothing of women (truly man’s best friend). Issei wants it but the girls destroy it. In the end Asia gets a baby dragon as her familiar and calls it Rassei which has a tendency to electrocute Issei anytime he gets close to Asia (reminds me of a small electric mouse that has a tendency to shock his friend.).
In episode 8 Rias sneaks into Issei’s room and tries to lose her virginity to him (Whooooo!). Issei is shocked by this and hesitates (don’t think just do it) but finally gives into his manly desires and decides to do the horizontal bop with Rias. Unfortunately a maid named Grayfia from the Gremory family comes in and stops the party. Rias apologizes for forcing herself on Issei and leaves (what is with the cockblocking in this anime?). The next day it gets revealed that Rias is engaged to Riser Phenex voiced Takehito Koyasu (Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo from Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. I swear on my life this is true. How you go from that to this is beyond me) an asshole who is the descended of the great Phoenix and believes he is better than everyone. Issei objects to the idea of the wedding and charges Riser but is knocked out by one his 15 servants (that’s right he has a full set and they’re all girls from the big-breasted girl to the classic Lolita to the tsundere sister. It is my belief that this man is not a pervert but a super pervert at best.). The episode ends with Rias not forgiving Riser and challenging him to a Rating game, a game in which a high class and their servants battle each other. If Rias wins the marriage will be canceled but if Riser wins Rias must marry him. Not much happens in episode 9 other than the group going to the mountains and training (cue Rocky music. No, wait, everyone does that, let’s try another song. How about Hearts on Fire from the 4th movie? *Starts playing the song* Yeah that works.). We also get a nice conversation between Issei and Rias. Rias opens her heart up to Issei about how she’s sad everyone looks at her as a devil of the Gremory family and how she wants to marry someone who looks at her as just Rias the devil and not Rias Gremory. Issei assures her that he’ll look at her as just Rias and confesses that he loves Rias as Rias and will accept her. After that scene, they finish up they’re training with Issei being able to fully use Boasto-san.
Episode 10-12
Episodes 10-11 is where the series finally starts to pick back up with the rating game beginning between Rias and Riser in what I have to admit is a pretty well done and well animated battle between the two teams. The battle takes place in this alternative realm that looks like the school where they can use their magic fully without getting exposed or destroying property. Rias’ team makes their base the Occult clubhouse while Riser makes his base the principal’s office and the game begins. While Riser may have more numbers it’s clear that Rias’ team is the stronger of the two. Throughout the two episodes all we see is one big battle so I’ll just sum up the important parts of the fight. During his training Issei develops a new technique called dress break which allows to the destroy the clothes of girls which does give him a major advantage in battle but brings shame to the team, even Kiba apologizes to the enemy for Issei’s actions. Issei, Koneko, Akeno, and Kiba go out to do battle while Asia and Rias remain in the base and come up with strategies. Issei and Koneko make their way to the gym where they fight three of Riser’s pieces, win, and blow up the gym with Akeno. After that, Koneko is taken down by Riser’s queen from behind and is removed from the game. Akeno takes her on while Issei and Kiba meet up on the track and field after Kiba defeated three of Riser’s pieces. The rest of Riser’s pieces come to the track and field and have a big battle where Issei combines Boasto-san with Kiba’s swords to take out Riser’s pieces. While this is going on Rias and Asia have sneaked into the principal’s office and confront Riser and Akeno gets defeated by Riser’s queen who also defeats Kiba. Issei makes his way to the principal’s office where he gets promoted to queen and makes his way to the roof of the building where Rias is fighting Riser. Riser seems to have the upper hand because he recovers from every attack Rias and Issei throws at him and takes out Asia with a fireball. The match reaches its climax when Issei tries to take on Riser himself but has depleted his power through the many fights that he becomes weak and no match for Riser. Riser continuously beats Issei relentlessly right in front of Rias who tells Issei to stand down but he refuses and keeps getting back up to fight Riser (Give the guy some credit, he’s got balls taking on a beaten like that and still getting back up to fight.). When Riser is about to deliver the final blow to Issei, Rias finally steps in and surrenders in order to save Issei’s life. She truly doesn’t understand a man’s resolve when she sees one does she?
In the final episode of the season we open up with Issei having a dream and chatting with Ddraig, the welsh dragon that resides within Boasto-san (boasto!) who warns Issei that he needs to get stronger because the white dragon is coming soon and Issei is destined to fight him. Issei awakes from his dream to find that he’s in his room and finds out all that has happen and is sadden at the fact that because of him Rias lost the match and is now going to marry that piece of trash Riser. Enough with the pity party *slaps* you can cry when you’re dead! Redeem yourself, go and crash the wedding, raise hell . . . in Hell. Well Issei heeds my advice and goes to Hell to crash the engagement party that Riser is hosting to celebrate his victory (Wow! A male protagonist in a harem anime who doesn’t take an episode pitying himself? This needs to be seen more.). So the party gets underway with everyone there except Asia (who stayed behind to heal Issei) until *Stone Cold Steven Austin music play* Issei busts in through the front door and proclaims that Rias’ virginity is his (you know she’s not denying the idea). Rias big brother Sirzechs appears saying that he planned for Issei to be here and that he was dissatisfied with the way the rating game ended and wants to see what Issei is capable of doing. Oh, Sirzechs is the leader of the Four Great Satans, the ones who rule the Underworld so he has a lot of leg room in ordering people around. So in order to settle this bout once and for all Riser and Issei have a one on one battle to decide the fate of Rias. The battle begins with Issei going into to Balance Breaker Mode, a mode that allows him to borrow the full power of the Boasto-san for 10 seconds and incases him in dragon armor. We see in a flashback that he actually talked to the Ddraig (Boasto-san) in his room after waking up and made a deal with him so that’s why he can use the power now. We’re told he gave his left arm to Boasto-san as payment for being able to use the full power of the sacred gear (explosion!). And surprisingly Issei looks like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle if they were red and shining when he goes into Balance Breaker Mode.
*Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme song instrumental plays*
Teenage Mutant Demon Turtle, Teenage Mutant Demon Turtle, Teenage Mutant Demon Turtle. Gonna be the king of . . . the harem. He’s the world’s most perverted high school boy (I like boobs). He’s a human who died and reborn as a devil~ (boasto!). When the evil phoenix steals his girl, this demon turtle won’t cut him no slack. Teenage Mutant Demon Turtle, Teenage Mutant Demon Turtle, Teenage Mutant Demon Turtle. Rias taught him how to use his powers for good (she’s a hot girl). He learned how to rip off clothes and shoot laser beams~ (explosion!). When he goes into Breaker Mode (boasto!) he only has ten seconds to fight! Teenage Mutant Demon Turtle, Teenage Mutant Demon Turtle, Teenage Mutant Demon Turtle. Ten seconds are up now, now he’s screwed!
*Song ends*
Lyrics by Nitsuj
Directed by Isis (Isis: I cannot believe you got me to do this)
After his ten seconds are up Riser grabs Issei and ia about finish him but Issei pulls out some holy water and transfers it into his sacred gear (transfer) which splashes on Riser’s face causing him unbearable pain (the power of Christ compels you biatch). He then transfers the power of the cross he got from Asia into his sacred gear (transfer again), charges at Riser, and knocks him square in his stomach knocking him out and winning the fight (scene here: https://youtu.be/iv745fxe7z0). After the fight Rias and Issei ride off on a griffon back to the clubhouse and for his efforts Rias gives him a kiss. During the credits we see everyone back at school, Rias deciding to move in with Issei much to Asia’s displeasure, Asia and Akeno restore Issei’s left hand back to normal and Issei and his friends do their perverted shenanigans and that’s the end.
OVA and Specials
There is an OVA that came out a few months after the anime ended along with a few short specials. I decided to include this in the review since it’s only one OVA and the specials are roughly 5 minutes long each. In the OVA the group captures a stray devil named Maverick who was working on developing chimeras and has an obsession with large breast (Just like every other guy in this series). The next day, Issei hears a rumor about school girls getting sick with anemia and how they all have one thing in common; giant breast. The group does some investigating and discovers that one of Maverick’s creations is behind it, a chimera that crosses a plant and dragon (a draglant or plagon?) that casts a spell on the girls and sucks out their spiritual energy through their breast. The group confronts the creature and it captures Rias and Akeno and it gets revealed that the creature creates breast plants that when eaten will make a girl’s breast bigger (how is Maverick the villain again?). Issei synthesizes with monster and begs Rias not to destroy it but quickly changes his mind when Rias says she’ll let him fondle her and Akeno’s breast all night if he destroys it. Rias and Issei team up and destroy the monster (fallen comrade I salute you.) but before Issei can get his reward he is punished for defending the monster and thrown into a hole to think about what he has done. I’ve heard that there’s another OVA coming out this Spring to gain excitement for the second season which is coming out around May but I don’t know when the release date is.
The specials as I’ve said before aren’t long and are relatively basic stories which provide fanservice. In the first one the group goes to the beach, the second one has Akeno training Issei on how to use magic, the third has Koneko turn into a pervert, the fourth goes into a little more depth at how Issei mastered his dress break technique, the fifth one has the student council making udon for Rias’ group because they lost in episode 7, and the sixth one focuses on Asia trying to act more like a devil.
Final Thoughts
Highschool DxD is one of the best ecchi animes I’ve seen in a while. It’s funny, the action is good, and the fanservice is great. Issei is definitely the best male protagonist I’ve seen in a harem anime setting. He knows he’s a pervert and accepts it, he doesn’t try to hide it or deny it, it’s who he is and he’s proud of it. He’s also aware that he’s weak and not the strongest guy out there but he still tries, he puts an effort into trying to get stronger so that he can protect his friends and live up to Rias’ expectations, that pretty admirable, respectful, and something you don’t see a lot of in male protagonist in these kinds of animes . Rias is also a very likable female protagonist; she’s beautiful, smart, funny, and clever. She has a good relationship with all of her servants treating them as members of her own family and never looking down on them. She also has a very soft spot for Issei, it’s strongly hinted that near the end of the season she has strong feelings for him and I like how Issei is the one she confines in the most as opposed to the other members who have been there longer (aside from Asia). We don’t get to know a whole lot about Kiba, Akeno, or Koneko’s past in this season which is somewhat of a letdown and I feel that they could have used episodes 6 and 7 to explore their past. To be fair, we do get a little insight into Kiba’s past in episode 3 about how hates priest (as a Christian and a person who respects other religions I’m gonna take the high road and let you insert your own joke) but we never hear the reason why he hates priest. The animation is pretty good, I like the character designs and the music is a joy to listen to. There’s also a mini character song album out there where all the girls sing their own song. They all sing very well but the only song I really liked was Asia’s song, you can find the songs on youtube if you want and give them a good listen to.
Final Score
Highschool DxD earns a 7.5/10 with a must watch seal of approval. The story is interesting and fun to watch and it only gets better as the series progresses. If you like the series and can’t wait for the second season and really wanna know what happens next I highly recommend reading the light novels here at: http://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=High_School_DxD and begin reading at volume 3 because the anime only covers the first two volumes. Well that’ll do it for me; I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
*Gets up and walks out of room where good friend Chris walks up with hair dyed red*
Chris: Hey Nitsuj, can I borrow your car for a trip to Las Vegas this weekend.
Nitsuj: *Pulls out stun gun to shock Chris*
Chris: Gwaaaaaaaaaaah! *Falls to ground twitching*
Nitsuj: No. *Walks over him*
Chris: But . . . the hair.
Nitsuj: It only works for women.
Chris: D’oh!
*All videos, music, and pictures used in this blog do not belong to me and belong to their respected owners. All rights reserved*
Thanks for reading, as always feel free to leave a comment, feedback, or request in the comment section below or send them to iamprojectnitsuj@gmail.com