OP Sequence

OP: 「BLESS YoUr NAME」 by ChouCho

「夏休み、冥界へGO!」 (Natsuyasumi, Meikai e GO!)
“Summer in Hell”

A naked pillow fight over Issei set to devilish music. High School DxD is baaaack!

A New Season of Oppai

If you haven’t seen the previous two season of High School DxD, you have some catching up to do, because this premiere didn’t waste any time getting back into the swing of things. Which is great! While I felt like there was a little wonk in the Nanoha ViVid premiere (not much, but some), this was a good reintroduction all around. It reminded us smoothly of the main characters’ personalities, and puts all the essential DxD elements out there (ecchi, oppai, flirting, Issei being goofy, magical combat) while not feeling token (and like a waste of time) like the first episodes of shows such as Date A Live II.

They hit us heavy and early with the oppai, but let’s face it, that’s why most people are watching this anyway. The naked pillow fight leading into the house remodel was hilarious, though I may have cracked up more at Azazel (Koyama Rikiya) teasing Issei (Kaji Yuki) about oppai in the bath. (I wonder how many times I will link a screencap to the word oppai this season. Begin the count!) The reason High School DxD works for me is that it’s so ridiculous I don’t take it seriously, so it can get away with just about anything.

Training In Hell

I’m really happy they’re going ahead with the plot, and got a little fighting in on this first episode. I’ve always liked how DxD’s magical combat is more than an afterthought—it’s not the primary draw to be sure, but it’s enjoyable in its own right. Getting some of that in the first episode was nice. I also just like that the story is going back down to hell, because as much mileage as they’ve gotten out of the high school setting, this should provide new avenues for action and antics. Though I’ll miss Kiryuu Aika (Yamazaki Haruka), who we need more of. Apparently Issei is packing. At least that’s one thing he doesn’t need to worry about, kyaaa!

Looking Ahead – Morose Koneko-chan, Buchou

Amid all the goofy ecchi and fighting, we got a few things that hint at the drama to come. Rias (Hikasa Yoko) wanting Issei to use her name instead of “Buchou” has an obvious end point, but I look forward to the warm and fluffy feelings when it’s reached. The preoccupation from Koneko-chan (Taketatsu Ayana) represents the more interesting vector. It looks like she’ll be the focus of this arc, to which I only have one thing to say: about time!

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – With ecchi, oppai, flirting, goofiness, and fighting, High School DxD is back in all its glory #haremking s3e1

Random thoughts:

  • I wonder why Koneko-chan is living at Issei’s place if she’s still full tsuntsun toward him? Kiba and Gasper don’t live there, and they’re part of the team too. Or maybe she’s just eating breakfast there.
  • I made a comment on the DanMachi intro about how I felt one element was chauvinist. To clarify, pretty much all harem (and ecchi) anime have some level of that (and reverse harem & related ecchi shows, the reverse). There are unfortunate implications (trope!) inherent in a guy trying to score all the girls. High School DxD has always been ridiculous enough that it never bothered me (trope, trope, trope, aaaaand trope!), though most viewers always have to just set that aside and enjoy these shows for what they are. Probably a good measure of the MST3K Mantra is appropriate in the future, which I’ll keep in mind.
  • “A woman’s breasts are infinity incarnate!” See what I mean? Ridiculous and awesome!

My first novel, Wage Slave Rebellion, is available now. (More info—now available in paperback!) Sign up for my email list for a FREE sequel short story. Over at stephenwgee.com, the last four posts: Cut away the boring bits, Sheet music, Wage Slave Rebellion is officially in print, and From LEGO to author.

Full-length images: 02, 03, 06, 08, 10, 33, 34, 41.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「ギブミー・シークレット」 (Give Me Secret) by StylipS

Preview

101 Comments

  1. BANZAI OPPAI~ > w< God, how many comments will be filled with oppai praise before the day is done?

    (Seriously, Rias is always best girl. Her boobs are just too amazing.)

    platinum
  2. First off, why do you have gasper vladi linked in oppai?!

    But besides that, something just feels a bit off about this first episode…
    Maybe it is the pacing or how they rearranged some parts already but it felt like something was missing or off… Can’t really put my finger on it what caused that feeling though.

    damrod
  3. LOL – such a HS DxD opening. XD Other than that, WOW are they compressing/changing source material! Season 1 & 2 had a 6 episodes/LN volume pace and they pretty much stuck to the source, both of which worked just fine for me. With Ep. 01, at times I thought storytelling was kind of jarring – lots of stuff in summary fashion until moving right on to the next. Guess I’m in the minority here, but personally, Ep. 01 wasn’t a strong start. Not bad, but not up to par compared to the past two seasons. :/ LN vol 05 is one of my favorites for this series. Nice to have HS DxD back, but I hope they don’t rush things too much in S3.

    1. Correction/clarification: Poor wording on my part. Above should read ” – lots of stuff in summary fashion, moving swiftly from one part to the next.”

      RC comment edit function back on the wish list.

    2. Actually, I also agree but as LN readers we shouldn’t get down for the non-readers. As long as the staff gets back to how they did the first two seasons after this we should be alright.

      Dorkus
  4. Honestly too fanservicey for me, so not actually watching (And if someone was wondering, no, haven’t seen the previous seasons), but I just might stick in for your writing and that oppai count. Who knows, maybe I’ll get brainwashed. Wouldn’t put that past the oppai.

    The real reason I’m posting:
    WHAT MANNER OF SORCERY IS THIS, UNCENSORED OPPAI IN JAPANESE TV!?!

    Erimaki
      1. That power is strong enough that it managed to give us the first official images of the Senran Kagura girl’s nipples in the Estival Versus OVA.
        It’s the first time in the franchise’s story they’re shown.
        God bless AT-X

        bassgs435
  5. as a LN reader i will always consider rias and akeno to be in a tie for best girl, but kuroka isn’t too far behind. strike the blood, trinity 7, date a live 2, and vanadis all did a good job keeping the seat warm, but dxd is finally back.

    cookievalenzuela666
    1. Here we go. DxD’s back in all it’s uncensored glory & starting off as it should – with boobs before we’re even 1 second in. Everyone’s looking great as usual, and is fun as usual. But special mentions go towards the man who’ll undoubtedly make this an even better experience since he’s with our group from the very beginning now, Azazel.

      I welcome the change of setting for this season from school to hell. Actual hell has no meaning for Issei anyway as he’s been everlasting heaven ever since Rias took him in.

      Also, Akeno’ playfulness get’s her a headstart in the best DxD girl of this season race. Rias might have to improvise a bit or she’ll loose ground. I have faith in her, though I’m not taking any sides between the two – not yet anyway – just recognizing Akeno’s efforts.

      MgMaster
  6. Well my god they ramped up the ecchi didn’t they this season (the ED…. >_< lol). Considering I'm a fan of Lost Girl the fanservice in this doesn't phase me but Issie consider yourself luck….. only Sultans can pull off a harem like yours. lol

    Ani_BEE
  7. Oppai Dragon is back! I’m not going to lie, but I was looking forward to this as much as UBW.

    As a LN reader, seeing your favorite parts animated is pure awesomeness.

    bakakubi
  8. Stilts, Koneko and all the other girls that weren’t already living with Issei were “ordered” to move in at the end of last season by Sirzechs, as an “experiment” for increased “cooperation” XD Oniisama knows what’s up.

    Even if they were over capacity though, that’s one sweet renovation! When your harem comes with government approval and an upgrade to a mansion, you know you’re living the life!

    Aex
  9. Yeah, as you said the reason DxD is so fun is because open and shameless they are, they really aren’t pretending to be anything else. I mean, the first five seconds of the episode pretty much gives you everything you need to know about it. and them going all the way makes it fun to watch.

    Also, another reason it’s so enjoyable for me is because I actually enjoy Issei too. Despite being a open harem-seeking pervert, he actually cares about the girls and determined in his ambitions, so you can kinda see why the girls wants to be in his harem. I mean, look at the part where he hugs Asia out of pure platonic concern – not only is this touching, it’s actually very rare to see in a harem lead (they’d literally put their nose where it doesn’t belong, sure, but an actual hug is surprisingly uncommon).

    Furthermore, and I feel this is related to how he never calls Rias by his actual first name, is how he remembers Yuuma and how she betrays her. When you think about it, you have many people in real life who had major issues in their life when their first love betrays and broke their heart. I fully believe that despite all his bluster Issei is actually a romantic at heart, and that he’s genuinely in love with Yuuma, only to be betrayed AND murdered. I’d love to see them following up on this, as it would also be a good reason why he doesn’t, you know, hook up with Rias for real already.

    shen
  10. I love how they show all the real PLOT in the OP and all the PLOT in the ED. 😉

    And once again, (just like with Oregairu.Zoku’s), I didn’t realize at first that ChouChou’s the one singing the OP.

    Red HeartGold ZX
  11. *Plants a flag with akeno’s face on the ground.*
    Akeno might be the best girl for Issei, if only for the fact that she is more open in her feelings towards the boy 😛

    damrod
    1. No, it’s just a method of showing he’s still traumatized over what she did to him and Asia, and why he can’t fully open his heart to the other girls’ real affection for him. She’s quite dead.

      Aex
      1. I think the MAJOR rule of thumb for many harem anime, manga or LN (unless they’re seinin) is to NEVER goes towards sex. It’s pretty much the end result. Of course, there are exceptions like GE and Domestic na Kanojo.

        bakakubi
    1. His prideful boast to Azazel about touching a boob with his right hand indicates that he still is, as he would probably be prouder of losing his virginity if he had done so. I actually like the way his relationships with the girls progress though, since he isn’t just being Ichika-level dense.

      SK
      1. As someone above said, despite Issei being quite open with his OPPAI! obsession and perverted tendencies, he is a romantic at heart. While he does want to get laid, there are still scars remaining from his first girlfriend killing him that prevent him from doing so. Spoilers not explicitly stated until later, but the material has been covered in past seasons:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        SK
      2. There’s also the fact that he possesses one of the thirteen Longinus, one of the most powerful Sacred Gears there is, so that also gives anyone incentive to claim him or, as Raynare had tried to do, eliminate him, by any means necessary (which would also include going after those around him, or seducing him and such), so there’s also most likely that doubt in his mind about where he would be were it not for having Ddraig; would Rias have even bothered to resurrect him, much less keep him around, if he didn’t have his Sacred Gear? Is she simply showing affection as a way to keep him around so as to not lose having his Sacred Gear on her side? Would “Yuma” have ever given him the time of day?

        Stuff like that is probably floating in his head.

        HalfDemonInuyasha
    2. His relationships with the girls develop slowly, and, as seen at the start of this episode, as well as in the previous seasons, every time he gets close to doing it another girl interrupts it for whatever reason.

      Pedro
      1. Isn’t that the one where a pervy priest wants the underwear of females to become an god of ero, only to be bested by a simple dressbreak?
        If so, that damned priest had potential to teach our lovable pervert a lot of techniques!

        damrod
  12. I stopped reading the LNs at the Mage Association Arc just after Issei’s re*****. I think I need to continue reading it again.

    And yay! The Blaze Meteor Dragon Tannin is on the house! His line art looks so kick ass! Issei’s literal training of hell is about to start.

    Maybe the reason why they showed so many Oppai at episode 1 is because Issei will be away for his one-on-one training with Tannin.

    S2 was a little bit underwhelming but the best arcs that makes HS DxD more than just “oppai” (but still all about OPPAI) is about to be animated. BANZAI!!!

    Also…

    “A woman’s breasts are infinity incarnate!”

    Best quote from the best sensei EVER! Azazel-sama, teach me!

    The OVA appetizer about the pervy lingierie stealing priest reminded me how ridicilously great this show really is.

    Reikakou
  13. The amount of spoilers in the OP is so crazy, OMG!!!!! (Seriously, Great Red and Odin) This episode is more dramatic than I would have expected, but I love it and can’t wait for what to comes in the future.

    Guilty Slumber
  14. Somehow feels like Rias bo0bs are same as Akane. I m pretty sure they had more difference.
    After last season that felt a bit cut on oppaaaaaiiiiii, now we get a blast.

    Yet I somehow disapointed that they dropped foreplay and I would enjoy some sexy lingerie from 1st season and some undressing.

    Anyways I cannot wait for dvd.

    laaa
  15. I gave up trying to bring my brains into the room when I watched the show in the perfect privacy of my own room.

    Seriously though, while I marathoned the first two seasons of DxD, 1 episode into the 3rd season and it doesn’t seem to have lost any of it’s blatantly ecchi flavour. The story though, unlike another devil/demon-based harem show (Shinmai), actually had some kind of plot (no, not that kind, you perv, since both shows had lots of those) that I could get behind.

    I’m enjoying the Azazel-Issei combo, with the absurdity of Fallen Angel Sensei’s suggestions accepted religiously by Issei, and also how they turned the focus on each individual character throughout the 3 seasons – some spanning a couple of seasons – to develop them and give the show an actual depth to it besides….

    …Oh, who am I kidding. It’s my guilty pleasure of the season for the ‘real’ plot, and more Akeno goodness. :p

    Owaranai
  16. Pressing the nipple like a buzzer…. oh my god, it’s foreshadowing for what has to be the funniest part (IMO) in this whole freaking series! When Issei achieves blank blank on his own for the first time. My god, when I read that part in the light novel I almost died. I literally couldn’t breath I was laughing so hard. I can’t wait for when we reach that episode!

    Hyosuke575
  17. Believe me… There are actually 3 things that you expecting in this season. 1st is Oppai (obviously) 2nd is Issei’s Power up. Lastly, is a song. Why? Watch it this season. Zoom! Zoom! Iyaan! Iyaan!

    Oh! BTW rewatch the OP of the anime. You can find at least 2 spoilers on what will happen through out this season… I wonder what are those?

    To Stilts Show Spoiler ▼

    Unnecessary Comments:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Ceimur
    1. I also noticed it that the studios decided to cram key events from several volumes into this season.
      Show Spoiler ▼

      The amount of events that the studios want to put is so big, that they have no choice but to make a 24 episode season, regardless of the 12 episode tag they have placed. Unless they decide to make a butchering of the original source material, like another title previously shown. [Fill in the blanks, please]

      gp1301
      1. It’ll be only volumes 5, 6, and 7.
        The Raynare bits are only to expand the foreshadowing for a future season.
        This was confirmed by the author himself on his blog.

        Pedro
    1. Hentai Parodies are always needed, regardless of the story and/or franchise! The reason being is that the author or the publishing house that forced the author to make decision refuses to make “certain” events and/or ships.

      gp1301
  18. Ep 02:

    Show Spoiler ▼

    WorldwideDepp
  19. What i spoiled myself after watching the OP:

    This my be speculation of myself, but after watching Ep2 some Speculation hints are there. So only click if you want to be spoiled…
    Show Spoiler ▼

    WorldwideDepp
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  21. Jesus, that remodeling………once upon a time, Tiger Woods’ ex-wife bulldozes a $12 million mansion. That would be one way hell of a way to renovate your own house.

    Issei, a devil living a heaven on earth.

    L002

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