First Impressions / High School DxD

「聖剣、破壊します！」 (Seiken, Hakai Shimasu!)
“I’ll Destroy the Holy Sword!”

“Ero is power, Ero is justice” – say what you will about Hyoudo Issei, but you must admit he has his heart in the right place! Yes, I know perfectly well Issei’s a thoroughgoing mega pervert and his fervent obsession with boobs can sometimes drive us up the wall! That said, there’s clearly more to the wannabe Harem King than just that – Issei’s unrivaled compassion has been made conspicuous since day one, but who knew such kindness extends beyond his beautiful female companions.  Kiba Yuuto is the very manifestation of everything Issei should begrudge – he’s good-looking, charming, a powerful fighter, not to mention immensely popular with the ladies! It’s absolutely normal for Issei to harbor a certain schadenfreude, and he’s certainly not above such pettiness! The green-eyed monster that exists between those two is as clear as day, but it is also undeniable that Issei sees Yuuto as more than just a rival – he’s a friend, a nakama and part of the Gremory family! I don’t think anyone should be taken aback by Issei’s eagerness to help and there’s not a ghost of a chance that he’s going to turn a blind eye to Yuuto’s apparent struggles – especially when it brings Rias sempai such great despondency! Rias is obviously cast down by Yuuto’s blatant dissension and his decision to splinter off is most definitely a cause for disquietude! I’ll be very honest – it breaks my heart to see Rias in such fluster and I’m sure Issei feels the same way – nothing would make him happier than see a bright smile on Rias’ face and that alone makes his current endeavor a worthwhile effort!

It was, no question, all thanks to Issei’s razor sharp wits that gave rise to the unlikely alliance – a cooperation between the Devils and the Church minions! Their ground zero may well be poles apart, but the desired end result is pretty much the same difference – that is, the destruction of the stolen Excaliburs! Interestingly enough, Xenovia was quick to endorse Issei’s proposal and her implicit countenance was certainly antithetic to my expectations. Her willingness to play ball is perhaps a testament to the redoubtable threats facing them – Kokabiel, a high-ranking Fallen Angel of the Grigori, has a hand to play in this conspiracy and the mere mention of his name inspires dread and awe even in the likes of Rias, who is supposedly pretty formidable in her own right! While Xenovia’s acquiesce was swift to come by, the same can’t be said for Irina who has shown a much greater resistance toward the proposed collaboration.  The tacit discord that exists between those two underscores the inconformity of their personal ideologies, which is not exactly echoed in their personas at first glance. Irina’s supreme piety for her God is utterly beyond doubt, so much so that she wouldn’t hesitate to give up her life for an apparent suicide mission! Xenovia, on the other hand, has proven to be much more rational and shrewd, and her reservation about the current assignment is well within reason. It’s unquestionably to Xenovia’s credit that she didn’t let their self-conceit get the better of her – after all, an alliance with the Gremory Devils represents their best chance for success and she’s more than ready to bend the rules should it mean a higher survival probability!

If their brief scrimmage at the beginning of this episode is any indication, the forthcoming showdown is going to be quite a spectacle to behold. I have no doubt the newly-formed alliance is going to put up a great fight, and the myriad of tricks and stunts presented here will continue to keep us spellbound – not least of which is Issei’s signature move, “Dress Break”! Not surprisingly, Irina’s well-ripened body was a prime target for Issei’s lecherous spell, and he makes no subterfuge that he intends to strip as many girls naked as possible. Issei’s strictly on the level when it comes to his prurient desires and his unapologetic salacity has become somewhat of a trademark for High School DxD. But unfortunately for Issei, he wasn’t privy to all the steamy action this week and the second visit to Souna’s ever-so-majestic abode was, yet again, a feast for the eyes – while the erotica that I called attention to wasn’t especially ostentatious, the resulting sensual appeal was still quite an otherworldly experience, soothing and lush at the same time! There’s no two ways about it – this is precisely the type of fanservice that sets an eminent ecchi apart from a straight-up hentai, and High School DxD has yet to disappoint me in this respect! It’s safe to say the show has delivered on just about every level – the character expositions, sight gags and profuse fanservice were pretty much spot-on! But that’s clearly not all there is to this series – the mystery and revelations continue to unfold in a grand fashion, and it looks like there’s more to Issei’s enigmatic client than meets the eyes. The young man (Ohsaka Ryota – Kakumeiki Valvrave’s Haruto) who he was in company with is equally mysterious, and that person seems to possess a full-armor Balance Breaker which looks somewhat similar to Issei’s Scale Mail. Ddraig has made clear that a clash between the Two Heavenly Dragons is destined to happen sooner or later, and it’s certainly conceivable that one of these two might turn out to be the Vanishing Dragon’s host – needless to say, what’s in store for Issei is going to be quite a handful, and I have a sneaking suspicion this battle of grandiosity might not be too far ahead!

Random tidbits:

tl;dr: @SeishunRC – High School #DxD NEW 03: “Ero is power, Ero is justice” – more steamy sauna action, the return of Issei’s signature “Dress Break” and the foreboding of more mysteries to come! What more can you possibly want? #Anime
 
Full-length images: 01, 02, 03, 06, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 30, 32, 35, 36.

 

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74 Comments

  5. This season feels so much crappier than the previous one. I know it’s an ecchi show but seriously? if you eat chocolate pudding day in and day out then it’s not so good any more. Same goes for those boobs being shown at every possible occasion. Guess the story ain’t important anymore. It all feels like any of those generic oppai shows with crappy animation now 🙁

    HMm
    Reply

    3. This episode was actually way more story driven and focused than the previous two. I don’t remember Kiba being shown that much before in a single episode either. It seems odd that you talk about ecchi on this particular episode.

      Tassadar
      Reply

      1. I haven’t watched ep3 yet. I did watch S01 and it was far more entertaining than S02 so far. Maybe I was a bit too critical but seriously don’t you have a feeling that this anime kinda became a bit cheap. Even if there is story related stuff it’s made almost redundant as it’s only an excuse to show more boobs. I kinda can imagine 15yer old boys flocking around it and fapping to it but if you’re slightly older this kind of stuff gets very old quickly if not served right. And sure, most ppl will minus me but tell me I’m all wrong about it?

        HMm
        Reply

  6. Ahh, another…refreshing…yes, refreshing episode! <3

    Anyway, I'm guessing that the guy at the end is going to end up being the guy with the white dragon and oppose Issei and Ddraig or something.

    HalfDemonInuyasha
    Reply

    1. Refreshing – right after a steamy steam bath ufufu~
      The new characters are such a blast to watch – Xenovia and Irina are already quite a handful, “Kiritsugu” and “Haruto” should be a great addition to the cast too :3

      Seishun
      Reply

  7. I was rolling on the floor laughing, from the “friendly fire” with “Dress Break” resulting with KO from Koneko-chan, to the “God bless those kind-hearted Devils” resulting in awful pain on those “blessed”.

    ewok40k
    Reply

  8. Seishun i know him, that badass looking Bishie is _____________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________________________ quite,so!

    Master Avalon
    Reply

  9. Damnit ever since I started watching Highschool DxD (including season 1), I keep getting reminded of Folgore from Gash Bell. All I need to see is Issei doing an Oppai song and my life will be complete.

    Kai
    Reply

      1. Seishun I consider Parco as Issei’s ancestor. He has an extreme desire for oppai. Too bad he wasn’t able to do much beyond groping, and singing oppai songs. But his ‘Chi chi wo moge’ song is the best oppai song ever!

        Kai
        Reply

  10. Its Sona Sitri not Souna Sitri I think you misspelled it.

    ““When Souna gets mad, she gets really mad” – Poor Saji Genshirou (Iguchi Yuuichi) gets dragged around by the nose all the time. I have feeling sado-Souna is going to get along pretty well with maso-Akeno! “

    dangreg
    Reply

    2. Seishun is partially correct. There should have been more details regarding her name in the scene where the student council first came to the club room in season one. It was far clearer in the LN (spoiler tags to be safe):

      Show Spoiler ▼

      I suspect that it will eventually be clarified further in the future.

      RifuloftheWest
      Reply

      1. My bad then, I knew her name from the LN, then seems like that was from the demon side.
        And Souna seemed kinda silly I thought its some pun intended related to her “sauna” scene. 😛

        dangreg
        Reply

  11. issei got irina give trying dress break mode til oops got koneko & asia give with koneko punch issei still called him perv & enemy of women yet issei on full pervy-determine mode til scratch from blade is over.

    while kiba going many swords & full revenge mood also fall give xeno said you’re too much on revenge & not focus mood yet after spar give mention fallen angel faction is behind mention freed in it too.

    give indeed something big to happen yet kiba still bit have probs issues so issei, koneko, & other guy from student council get church girls & kiba to team-up cause both have same wanting.

    so they agree give kiba bit bother cause past has how he was saved due to fellow experiment to protect kiba & almost snow alive til rias found him yet let issei & koneko help in rid of excalibur swords projects.

    & after issei make call from his summon cause being busy his caller got a “visit”.

    B.I.T.W.
    Reply

  14. I loved that little detail they placed after this part when the camera panned to our guy. Notice the small white lights that disappeared when he showed up. LN readers should know what I mean.
    It’s these small things that make me a happy camper, besides the great episode that we had. Ohsaka Ryota seems like a great fit for him from just that one line. I kinda imagined him being voiced by Namikawa Daisuke but you can’t win them all.
    Next episodes should be a blast now that the names of the masterminds are out and the impromptu alliance(?) is formed. Should be fun.

    One minor complaint would be the choice of screencaps in the main page. Makes it hard to browse the site at work, even with the NSFW tag. And I feel that pic 5 could have been a better picture than just Irina’s boobs. Same with some of the pics in the sauna that could have been reduced to show some pics of Kiba’s past. But what the heck, Souna’s Souna is great as well as Rias’ Riasses.
    Just my 2 cents I guess. Keep up the good work.

    belatkuro
    Reply

    1. Maybe you shouldn’t be browsing while you’re at work 😛
      Or you could do what I do – when you’re at work, do your personal browsing on your ipad or a USB modem :3

      Seishun
      Reply

  19. It’s good to see you talked about the differences between Xenovia & Irina in such detail Seishun!

    Personally,I’m starting to really starting to like Xenovia.I can’t help but think that she’d be the type of person that would make a good leader or someone to break the ice between the church & devils,even if just a litte.She seems to be someone who knows how to keep herself & her people(in this case,just Irina) alive by acting on ration instead of blind faith,even if that means working together with her enemies.This might be too early but I’m expecting good things from her.

    In terms of decision making,I can’t say I expect the same from Irina but she’s fun as hell so I can’t really hate her 😛

    MgMaster
    Reply

    1. I hope I’m not reading too much into it – it’s all a wild guess at the moment and I might have to eat my words next week if Xenovia turns out to the one who is batshit crazy XD
      Xenovia and Irina are both great, but I think I’m leaning toward Xenovia too – Irina might have the better body but Xenovia has a pretty cool hairdo :3

      Seishun
      Reply

  20. Oh Hail Oppai!!!!!!!!!!! Nice ep I was worried that I couldn’t see to much fan service but the last part of the episode prove me wrong, so good…..but I got to say the last part of the episode was awesome to see him finally making his debut on the series……I hope we can see more of him…..just one line and it was so badass Show Spoiler ▼

    is the best but second after Isse and this week his pervert speech was the best!!!!!!!! Issei you’re the man and a pervert 😀

    Kyon12
    Reply

    1. That last bit of fanservice was quite something huh? It’s like DxD is not even trying, such exquisite ecchi just comes naturally for the show :3
      An honest pervert with a heart of gold, Issei really is the best 😉

      Seishun
      Reply

  23. This was a pretty fun episode overall. I think the way the sparring match between Issei/Kiba vs. Irina/Xenovia was nicely adapted. In fact, I think that Irina’s excitability in her faith was so well done. I feel that her character was given more life in that scene than what had come across in written form. One of the great things seeing a LN you enjoy in animated form.

    Definitely loved the “friendly fire” incident on Asia and Koneko-chan. I just can’t get enough of her deadpan scolding of Issei – “You are the enemy women” LOL.

    Then we get to the restaurant scene. I’m always amused when Asia would inadvertently damage herself when she would pray out of habit. But seeing Irina the holy church warrior unintentionally curse three devils with her good natured “blessing” was a riot.

    However, I was a little disappointed with a couple of things. Last episode, I had mentioned how it’s nice to see battles animated that were not detailed in the LN. This episode the opposite – it is case of some material not making into the adaptation. It is mainly in relation to Xenovia and to a lesser extent Irina. The scene where Issei and co. stumbled upon Xenovia and Irina on the street missed out on a really funny exchange between the two swordswomen. One that I was really looking forward to seeing.

    The more detailed reason they were there Show Spoiler ▼

    The restaurant scene in question had omitted some important (IMO) dialogue that would have fleshed out Xenovia’s and Irina’s character a bit more. Especially Xenovia. The episode had effectively differentiated Irina’s faith and resolve to sacrifice herself, and Xenovia’s prudent side in not wanting to needlessly die.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Now the missing material is minor in the grande scheme of the adaptation as the scenes themselves have adequately conveyed the needed development. The biggest issue I have is that I feel the material was left out in favor of fan service. The steam room scene this episode was anime original (as was last episode). While I had no problems with the first steam room scene, as it was a nice exchange (ignoring the fact it could have just as easily have been in the club room =P) between the two “Kings” with discussion on information Rias needed, this episode’s steam room scene wasn’t so important. I get that it was to there to show Rias’ concern for Kiba. I like that aspect of it. However, perhaps it could have been handled differently without taking so much resources.

    For me, this was the first bit of fan service that was included for hell of it. Especially, since it took resources away from showing more insight into Xenovia and Irina. Of course, I enjoy the fan service, so don’t get me wrong. It’s just I would rather it not be at the expense of details that give us more insight to the characters.

    RifuloftheWest
    Reply

    1. LOL, good one, +50 Seishun Points!
      Issei would get to Irina someday – plus, that delicious eyecatch more than made up for the lack of “dress-broke” Irina this week :3

      Seishun
      Reply

  28. Your first line in the Random tidbits:

    “There’s something especially sexy about these steamy get-togethers. I have a feeling they smell – and perhaps even taste – pretty damn good.”

    I can’t help but totally in agreement with you. Don’t worry, I know you’re a good person, Seishun.

    Dunn
    Reply

    1. They actually had funds. This was left out in the episode but Irina actually used up all their money to buy a fake painting because it looked like a picture of a saint. She couldn’t identify who it was in the painting later on though.

      belatkuro
      Reply

  30. DAFUQ?
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Aside from that, I’m a bit saddened that some minor but valuable parts of interactions and dialogue got cut from the episode. There were parts which really help flesh out Xenovia which is missing from here.

    Hope it’s not something they do a lot of. Date-A-Live was absolutely slaughtered in this way. lots of “minor” cuts build up to cause fatal damage.

    gundamjehutykai
    Reply

  31. At this pace, it would take a season or two more to finish the Arc.

    Rias. Asia. Akeno. Xenovia. Koneko. Revel Phoenix.
    Issei, you lucky bastard.
    P.S.-Show Spoiler ▼

    shadow~Wolf
    Reply

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