First Impressions / High School DxD

「後輩、できました！」 (Kōhai, Dekimashita!)
“I Have an Underclassman!”

I’m just going to say this upfront – there’s no way in hell I’m going to accept this! It’s all a pack of lies – I don’t sense a tinge of testosterone, the Y-chromosome does not exist, and no matter what everyone says, Gasper is definitely not a boy, not a ghost of a chance! Indeed, Ishibumi sensei, the mastermind behind High School DxD, has played a very cruel and despicable prank on all of us. But I’ll also be the first to admit – credit where credit is due, the very perplexity that plagues my pea-brain is surely a testament to his supreme craftsmanship, both in character-construction and the improvisation of our most familiar tropes! The very notion of gender-bender inspires bouts of daze and ambivalence in me – fittingly enough, considering the subject matter at hand. Traps, artfully done right, could give rise to a crack-up of hilarity – but more often than not, the fine line between a success and a failure is hard to define! Gasper is, without question, a prime exemplar of a great trap – he is very easy to like, and it’s almost obnoxious just to see how many of the right buttons he has pushed! For starters, he’s pretty easy on the eyes – a buttery blond, an adorable little fang and a small puerile stature to complete the package! A “jailbait” unlike any other, Gasper is fraught with “danger” from top to bottom – suffice to sway even the most tenacious and make them commit the unforgivable sin! Both a shut-in and a reclusive misanthrope, Gasper also wears a rather fascinating persona – he is a bundle of nerves through and through, shy and skittish but not completely hard-hearted aloof! The “friendly” vampire has a whole lot going for him, and it’s not just his immediate and tangible attributes that stand out – just like many of his dear comrades, Gasper has a considerably intriguing backstory, and the brief insight into his beleaguered past was quite a nerve-rack to say the least!

The intense antipathy that he has for the outside world is no laughing matter – Gasper has been put through the wringer as a kid and I don’t think anyone, not even the most finicky, would blame the poor guy for turning out the way he did. Born as a hybrid between a vampire and a human, his very presence was detested by both ends of his genetic make-up. The humans sees him as nothing more than a monster, and he was fervidly discriminated for being a half-breed by his vampiric counterparts. As if that wasn’t frustrating enough, Gasper also possesses a Sacred Gear that he can’t seem to have a hold over – the Forbidden Balor View, a time-stopping ability, which is both feared and abominated by his family and peers. It’s not entirely clear how he came to be reborn as a Devil, but I’ll be very surprised if his circumstance is anything less than tragic – it could very well be similar to the wretched fate that befell Issei, a brutal death at the hands of a person he trusted the most! Speaking of Issei, the wannabe Harem King has proven once again that he deserves every bit of our profound admiration. “You’re my kouhai, my Devil sempai and an important nakama” – for certain, Issei has a way with his words and I was especially fond of the heart-to-heart exchange that he shared with Gasper. There’s always a sense of subtleness and sentimentality to High School DxD – Issei’s devotion for his comrades is surely beyond doubt, and his unfailing compassion is both an inspiration and a spur to push Gasper forward! Issei is fully cognizant of his shortcomings, and he is by no means, trying to shoulder the entire burden all by himself – teamwork is just as important as raw skills and a bona fide badass knows that very damn well! With proper steering and the right conviction, Gasper and his unique set of capabilities are unquestionably a great boon to Rias’ peerage – and it goes without saying, I look forward to seeing more of what he can do, both as Issei’s wingman and a full-fledged combatant on the battlefield!

High School DxD is no minor-league when it comes to the big plot – but make no mistake about it, Gasper’s introduction was not all somber and reflective. As a matter of fact, ecchi, fanservice and the prevalence of comedy were all featured early and throughout! Clearly, Gasper is the butt of every joke. He embodies a basket case of eccentricities, a boy who speaks, weeps and moans like a girl – Gasper also has a rather bizarre fetish for boxes, not to mention an intense distaste for blood, a deviate from his vampiric norm! For sure, the cute little trap is a gale of laughter in his very own right – but the side-splits are amplified in the tens of folds when he is accompanied with that of his equally quirky comrades! A vampire hunt that transpired as a mad chase, an obscene abuse of his repugnance for garlic, a quintessential erotic fantasy of boob-groping, and a paper-bagged face that is reminiscent of a kosher mega-hentai – the list of laugh-out-louds is long and elaborate, and just about everyone, Xenovia, Koneko, Issei and even Asia, had a hand in the big-tease and mockeries! Without a doubt, Gasper is a great addition to the cast – but he’s not the only one who has made his mark in this episode. Azazel, the Fallen Angel head honcho, continues to be thoroughgoing enigma, but there are odds and ends of his characterization that are slowly coming to light – starting with his vast knowledge on the subject of Sacred Gear! Azazel is probably not an outright foe – in fact, it looks increasingly likely he might even turn out to be an ally. The incoming summit between the three factions should shed some light on this matter – but before we can even get to the crux of the drama, there are other going-on’s that need to be taken care of first. The Archangel Michael, Xenovia’s ex-boss, has finally made an appearance – up to this time, the Church hasn’t exactly come off in the most positive light and it remains to be seen what his true intentions are. Needless to say, I can’t wait to see what comes next – especially when we know, for certain, the beautiful Akeno san could be the next character in focus, an exposition that is surely worthy of our heed and salivation!

Random tidbits:

  • That ass, that crotch and that cuddly presence, Gasper can’t be a trap! – There’s absolutely nothing down there and those are surely not male titties right?
  • “Why are you doing this to me?” – Just look at that smug on Xenovia’s face, she’s clearly having the time of her life. The newly-minted knight might just be as big of a sadist as Akeno sempai!
  • “Here, some garlic will cheer you right up!” – Xenovia’s not the only one who’s embracing her inner sadism. A battle of the loli’s, Koneko’s being such a meanie to Gya kun!
  • “Is that a red pantsu that I see?” – Good one, Xenovia! A huge step-up from that lame-ass blue-border underwear that she once had.
  • Snatched and swiftly pocketed – Clearly, Issei has some better use for Xenovia’s condoms! I wonder what that may be.
  • “I’m willing to do anything for you” – The BL vibe is strong in Yuuto! I’m increasingly convinced he’s in love with Issei.
  • Ohmygawd, Akeno’s eyecatch is finally here – Simply absolutely positively delicious, nuff said!
  • A very late post, but better late than never – Honto ni gomen ne! I’ll get Episode 10 out earlier, I promise…

tl;dr: @SeishunRC – High School #DxD NEW 09: An overload of moe moe kyun – a boy who speaks, weeps and moans like a girl! This year’s Admiral Achbar’s Award goes to… Gasper the friendly trap! #Anime
 
Full-length images: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 30, 33, 35, 36, 38, 41, 42, 44, 45.

 

ED2 Sequence

ED2: 「らぶりぃ♥でびる」(Lovely♥Devil) by オカルト研究部ガールズ(日笠陽子、伊藤静、浅倉杏美、竹達彩奈, 種田梨沙, 佐倉綾音) [Occult Kenkyuubu Girls (Hikasa Yoko, Itou Shizuka, Asakura Azumi, Taketatsu Ayana, Taneda Risa, Sakura Ayane)]

Eyecatch & Preview

86 Comments

  2. *insert Admiral Ackbar meme here*

    Gasper. He messes not only with time but your head as well. It’s a crime to be that cute and not be a girl. Mostly about him in the episode but it was still good. Azazel and Michael made it even more interesting.
    And Issei’s ideas are still as wild and ridiculous as ever. I still salute him for that.

    And the double whammy eyecatches. Delicious.

    belatkuro
    Reply

  4. Seishun, you are correct! Ishibumi sensei played a terrible game on everyone with the introduction of Gaspar and his Cross-dressing/Bishoujo-like appearance. You, me and Issei can’t believe that such “guy” exist in the anime world, he’s a girl with a dick! Still, he’s a better vampire than the shitload versions of Twilight. Not only that, Issei’s sweet-talk can corrupt anyone and turn them into pervs, is there’s a chance that he wants to be the “God of Infinite Erotism”?

    GP0125
    Reply

  5. Despite the fact that Gasper is male – like we already got told about 500 times by everyone saying it is a trap – he still acts, has the voice and talks like a girl. Guess he can actually still be seen as a girl, because he looked like one from the very beginning and it is an anime where your fantasy can be endless… (also referring to Seishun saying, Gasper can’t be a trap!)

    As we all know our imagination is the one being highly affected by all the other girls already. To be honest I dont really think some are gonna mind adding Gasper as girl to their fantasies evolving around Highschool DxD, after making up their mind/getting to know him in this episode (can almost say her)! 😛

    Pretty curious about the future, how powerful Gya-kun will become and how important he is gonna be to the club of Buchou Rias, but especially Issei.

    Hope they are gonna do this hilarious “man-combo” including Kiba to achieve Issei’s fantasies!!! XD

    fineyristensen
    Reply

  7. I agree with u completely Seishun… I just cant accept it… Even though its been clearly stated (by the entire occult club no less) that Gasper is a trap…. I just can’t seem to see him as one…… Its like Ishibumi-sensei is completely trolling us. Think Gasper is the first trap so far that has completely zero indications of being a male…..

    And yes… That Akeno eyecatch…..

    Euzio
    Reply

  8. Speaking of Xenovia, her condom antics were enough to force Issei to think fast and she has gained the points for the “Asking For It” Awards.
    While Koneko made the LOL spotlight for bullying Gaspar with her garlic offering and calling the Josou-yaro good for nothing.
    Gaspar: Admiral Ackbar Award
    Xenovia: Asking for it Award
    Koneko: Trolling Award

    Note to everyone: watch out for the episode 10’s eyecatch.

    GP0125
    Reply

  11. Why dont they give him Eyepatch of Power (Trope!) to both control his Evil Eye (Trope!)and amp up his moe To Eleven (Trope!)?
    Other than that, a masterful trap, done in a way only this series is capable of…
    My vote for Admiral Ackbar Award has been cast!

    ewok40k
    Reply

  12. -@Seishun

    At first, thanks for this cool review, again!

    Your passion and fanboy inside you reflect almost perfectly in every sentence and always show us lovely details we sometimes miss in this glorious Ecchi. You are THE blogger for this anime, without a doubt! I would love to see your posts for Highschool DxD coming out in time haha.

    Pretty sure I am not the only one who would appreciate that very much. As the fan base of this anime is already really big and steadily growing, it would be great to keep us up to date. As you might have already noticed your blog entries of Highschool DxD New belong to the most visited, most discussed and most beloved posts on the whole randomc-blog.

    As I am speaking for all the fans of that anime and visitors of these blog-entries, I would be really looking forward to faster posts with more Ecchi, Hilarity and the great Seishun we all know~

    Thank you for that time you share with us as blogger, anime-fan and human!

    Keep up the awesome work :3

    -fineyristensen

    fineyristensen
    Reply

    1. It was a great review, Seishun is the reason I keep coming back to RC. I don’t mind a post that is a little late as long as he maintains the high quality.
      I won’t have time to watch anime until the weekends anyway so an early post doesn’t make a difference to me, but that’s just me.

      Kimijima
      Reply

      1. Cheers!!

        I would still love to know why all the other bloggers of randomc during the latest summer-podcast said, if I am not mistaken, that you are some kind of super ultra mega V.I.P LOL !?!?!

        Pretty curious if there is something true about that, or if you guys are just totally fucking with us XD

        ~fineyristensen
        Reply

  14. yeah, hes a guy having read the light novel, I was enjoying watching the teasers towards him portraying him like he was a girl, unvealing him like he was a girl, I was waiting for somone to have this reaction, well worth it.

    ChaosoverlordZ
    Reply

  15. We finally get to meet Rias’ mysterious second Bishop in this hilarious episode of High School DxD!

    I’ll skip the Ackbar reference and get straight into the meat of the episode which was Gasper’s debut. Now, a girl dressing as a boy is somewhat of a staple of the Harem genre, but a full-blown trap? DxD is really carving out its own niche among Harem shows, and its all the better for it. And seeing everyone’s reaction to it, from Issei and Saji’s minor breakdown, to Gasper continually acting like more of a girl than the actual girls of the cast, was just perfect. I guess Issei could say that “My harem romantic comedy is wrong as I expected.”

    As a character, Gasper is as interesting as he is entertaining. For one, he’s our first look into another race of devils, the cult-classic vampires, but is far from the norm. He has the traditional fear of sunlight, but hates blood. Of course, it’s hard to blame him considering his complicated circumstances as a half-breed. His Sacred Gear’s ability, stopping time, has the potential of being a major game breaker in favor of the Occult Club, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to control it anytime soon. I’m not sure how his past of being rejected by his friends and fellow vampires contributed to his gender identity issues, and maybe I don’t want to know, but suffice to say Gasper seems to genuinely enjoy his feminine side. And having a box on his head evidently either gives him a huge boost in courage or reveals a split-personality. All in all, he seems like a nice addition to the Occult Club and I’m eager to see more of him.

    Leave it to our man Issei to be a proper senpai and bond with Gasper and get him to start coming out of his shell. Hearing how much his situation mirrored Asia’s probably really helped his motivation to help Gasper, which most likely took a nosedive after his dreams of having two blonde beauties in the group were crushed. And how does Issei do it? The same way he always appeals to people, by just being himself. Issei’s a pervert, no doubt, but he’s a pure, honest, trustworthy, and nice guy that’ll push forward no matter the situation or what people may say about him. And he doesn’t care whether you’re a Devil, Holy Sword Wielder, or Vampire, he’ll treat you as a person first and foremost and go from there. That’s one of the main reasons Asia, Rias, and now Akeno have fallen for him.

    And by being himself, Issei was able to achieve the impossible: someone whose not a pervert who genuinely respects Issei for his perverted ideas. Then again, I guess we could construe Gasper’s affinity for female clothing as a form of perversion… but I’ll give our little trap/vampire the benefit of the doubt for now.

    Going back to when Issei compared Gasper to Asia, it finally struck me how much the majority of Rias’ peerage, barring Rias herself, is made up of rejects or outcasts of a certain sort. Asia and Xenovia were rejected from the church and the faith that they had devoted themselves too through no fault of their own. Kiba was a failed experiment who was also abandoned by the very faith he trusted. Akeno is half Fallen Angel, which also probably puts her in a similar situation to Gasper. Even Issei fits, considering how he’s a pariah to the student body in his own school because of his pervert nature and luck with the top girls of the school. About the only one who doesn’t fit is Koneko, but we still have yet to get to her backstory.

    So considering how she treated Gasper, I guess Koneko just likes messing with people in general and it isn’t all just directed towards Issei. That’s actually a good thing in terms of her harem prospects. Speaking of, “I’d do anything for you Issei-Kun,” you’re not even trying to hide it are you Kiba? And considering how much Gasper seems to idolize Issei now, I’m half-tempted to call him as officially apart of the harem.

    Azazel once again rears his head again, offering advice to our heroes that places even more mystery on his true motives and highlights his immense knowledge of Sacred Gears. We even get to learn that Saji’s Sacred Gear also contains a powerful dragon, though in terms of power I doubt it compares to Ddraig and Albion. And it looks like Issei is going to find himself thrust into some intrigue as he finally meets his first angel and Irina comes back in the next episode. I can’t wait!

    Frontier
    Reply

  18. Well, the preview of the episode before this one had the line ‘Where are the boobs?’. And indeed, THERE WASN’T A SINGLE BREAST IN THIS EPISODE!! This has to be a first for this show.

    weird d
    Reply

  19. Honestly, I couldn’t stand that trap Dx He was getting on my nerves the entire time. I just wanted to smash his head into a bucket of garlic and hear him cry @.@

    Yeah yeah dislike my comment you haters I don’t care xD

    Btw that Akeno pic *O* love it! so eye candy and going straight to my desktop now :3

    shamaticgrl
    Reply

  23. Perhaps this Peace is critical for the World of them. Imagine if the Fallen Angels, extinct Angels and Demons. Will there be no Off Balance and turn the World of them into Destruction? Perhaps they saw that, and made the Peace to protect their World. And the 3 Overlords Perz hold the Balance for surviving…

    Well, i am bad in Explaining. But the ongoing life of Angels, Demons and Fallen Angels are Important for World Balance

    Germanguy
    Reply

    2. @Germanguy:

      Yeah, it’s as much self preservation as anything. As noted before (can’t remember the episode), if there was another all-out, 3-way war, the three factions would end up killing each other to the point of extinction. Of course, that would hugely affect the “normal” human world as well.

      Plus, as Ise will soon find out (assuming the anime doesn’t cut the scene :/), there is at least one other very nice benefit to peace. ^^

      daikama
      Reply

  27. so time meet other bishop aka gasper & yes it’s a TRAP person indeed give is a vampire-demon-human but always hide in a box.

    so give some training from sword run to garlic & oh azazel appear give some advice yet gasper still hiding.

    then issei learn on gasper’s past due being dad is noble vampire with mom as a human yet have probs with time powers indeed feel same story like asia had when she got bullied.

    so issei give inspire & good feel help gasper did well boost gasper’s mood & yet tip in asia, xeno, & koneko give gasper a bag mask to wear in.

    all good & now issei with akeno say hello michael of the light angels.

    dowcraw
    Reply

  28. Since I’ve already read the LN, I already know and prepared for this girl guy. But I think no matter how hard I try, this girl guy is hard to look at, especially at times when this guy looks very cute

    Ceimur
    Reply

    1. That is true, I’ve already read the LN and I knew about this Trap but no one expected that the studios would give the daywalker such appearance that shocked everyone and that his transvestite level would be at Over 9000. I knew that once Seishun published his review of episode 9, the entire post would be a LOL-fest. Two days later and were at posts number 82

      GP0125
      Reply

  30. Sorry, if i hijack here.

    Episode 10:

    So the 3 Forces agreed to “create” Guardians of the Peace?. Nice move. If the Leaders are not anymore capable to maintain the Peace, these Guardians with the most trust, will keep Peace in balance?

    Something like Guardians of Peace!!… Sounds like “Power Rangers!” 🙂

    Germanguy
    Reply

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