HomeAnimeHigh School DxD New | Anime Review

High School DxD New | Anime Review

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High School DxD is a series that I still struggle to fully enjoy. This is by no means because of the overarching storyline, which is surprisingly creative and enjoyable action-oriented plot. Rather, it is because the writers have found the need to pander to a wider audience through the use of excessive fanservice at every opportunity. Just like visual novels or video games, I have no conflicts with fanservice being in an anime if it is justified. However the overuse of “boobieshots” / “pantyshots” during every battle, and spending more time than necessary with the female cast naked or otherwise in skimpy clothing, takes away from the more sophisticated concepts introduced in the storyline. In all honesty, I spent a little bit too much time keeping an ear out for anyone who would barge into my media room and see a fully-naked animated girl on the screen. This is a shame as everything else was actually quite clever, and even justified some (but not all) of the fanservice during battles. Of course, if you don’t mind an excessive amount of fanservice, I have possibly given you the one reason to run out and buy High School DxD.

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[section label=”Storyline / Character Development”]

Following their release of High School DxD in 2013, Madman Entertainment decided to kick off 2015 by releasing its second season dubbed ‘High School DxD New’. Following on from the events of season one where Issei managed to save Rias from a forced engagement to Riser Phenex, the Occult Research Club resume their activities. However things quickly become complicated for Rias and her servants when a photo from Issei’s childhood manages to restore a hatred caused by Yuuto Kiba’s past, further exacerbated by the appearance of two angels searching for a particular artifact that Kiba seeks to destroy.

The twelve episodes in this season were split into two arcs which follow on from one another (With a couple of fanservice episodes throughout). By its conclusion, these episodes will bring a viewer up to speed with the first four volumes of Ichiei Ishibumi’s light novel series. Surprisingly, these episodes focus more on the male characters over the female character, with more attention dedicated to Kiba, Issei and a newly introduced character than Rias or Asia who were the focus of Season One. That being said, none of the female characters miss out on too much development, and all hold a pivotal role in season two. The writers also opt to begin properly developing the complication and feuds between Angels, Devils and Fallen Angels, and for a series that spends a fair amount of its time making not-so-subtle attempts at providing viewers with fanservice, was quite detailed and promises a lot for future seasons. I reserve my judgement on this storyline direction for future episodes. Fortunately fans won’t have long to wait, with Season Three planned to air in Japan later this year.

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Aside from the aforementioned fanservice that may or may not hinder your viewing experience, High School DxD New serves as a satifying follow-up to its predecessor. The character development of Kiba for example, takes the rarer route of putting emphasis on a male main character rather than shifting most of the attention onto the female characters and protagonist. Given I noticed that “Kiba received almost no attention in comparison to Issei” in my review of Season One, it was a pleasant surprise that he didn’t succumb to being just a background character this time around either. Looking at character development across-the-board, I wouldn’t say there was too much in the way of surprises or being unique. However there was enough to leave me curious about where each character goes from here. Although it would be nice for Issei to define himself as something more than a generic “run of the mill” perverted but otherwise kind-hearted male protagonist with a special ability.

Action / Magic hybrid battles are plentiful in High School DxD New, with each character having their own defining role and/or purchase in one or more battles. However, irrespective of how many powerful abilities/items owned or allies possessed by Rias, each battle always seems to be an over-the-top struggle that can only be completed after an excess of talking, at least one character gaining a new ability and/or Issei using his boosted gear in some new capacity. While it is discussed and the Evil Pieces system is highlighted throughout the episodes, there is no use of the Rating Game, which was a personal highlight of Season One.

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[section label=”Design”]

Featuring animation once again produced by the Japanese animation studio TNK, High School DxD New’s main claim to fame is that it is available completely uncensored. While there are no explicit views of the “Naughty Bits Downstairs”, there is no creative steam or other visual trick impeding your full view of breasts, nipples, panties and pretty much every derivative of these you can imagine. The animation quality is above average, with the quality jumping considerably during action-oriented moments. With a Blu-ray copy setting you back an additional $5 AUD over a DVD, the quality is good enough in my opinion to justify paying that little bit extra.

[section label=”Music / Voice Acting”]

High School DxD New features two opening and two ending sequences, both of which are associated to a particular arc. Both opening sequences “Sympathy” by Larval Stage Planning and “Gekijouron” by ZAQ are reminiscent of what you should expect after season one: solid animation with an emphasis on showcasing characters, an intense song and plenty of action. The endings “Houteishiki wa Kotaenai” and “Lovely ♥ Devil” are performed by the Japanese female voice actresses for the Occult Research Club members. The ending sequences are more upbeat and feature less elaborate animation, but are still worth watching once or twice. Do note that both endings feature noticeable fanservice, with the first one featuring clear nudity and the second displaying suggestive positions and apparel. The rest of High School DxD New’s soundtrack is a mixed bag of new and old, complementing the events quite well.

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Funimation Entertainment sure love their English dubs, and High School DxD New has not gone without one. The English dub is of an overall solid quality, with the main voice cast from season one opting to reprise their respective characters. Of course, as usual I recommend sticking with your language preference as both shouldn’t disappoint from my experience. Special mentions this time around go to Jamie Marchi (An incredibly long list of English dubs) as Rias Gremory, Alison Viktorin (Kuroko Shirai – A Certain Magical Index) as Gasper and Seasn O’Connor (Kurama – Kamisama Kiss) as Yuto Kiba.

[section label=”Extra Content”]

As one would expect from an anime released by Funimation Entertainment in North America, this series features a satisfying compilation of on-disc extra content. These include “Yoko Hikasa’s Voice Acting High School”, “New Material From Ichiei Ishibumi! Fantasy Full-Blast Gentleman’s Disc Club Promos – New!” and an assortment of usual extra content including commercials, trailers and textless opening/ending songs. While the two additional specials were a somewhat interesting watch (The latter being skippable in my opinion), I was nevertheless disappointed to see that Funimation did not decide to include any audio commentaries with the voice actors/actresses or production crew members.

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[section label=”Final Words”]

In my opinion, High School DxD New is not a series that should be exclusively rated by how it performs standalone. Instead, one needs to consider how well it serves as a stepping stone into later seasons – especially with the second half seemingly setting the tone and events for Season Three. I have indicated similar thoughts about series including Kamisama Dolls and The Severing Crime Edge, however unlike those two, High School DxD is fortunately up for a third season later this year and not having a questionable future..

Overall, High School DxD New is a fanservice-laden but otherwise intriguing series that delivers some solid combat, interesting characters and a concept that could be taken far. But with nineteen light novel volumes now published and the anime progressing at a rate of two volumes per season, I question how much longer the anime production team will go until they decide to end it all.

Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.
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