High School DxD BorN

I’m sure by now, High School DxD is a franchise that needs little introduction. There’s little reason that anyone should begin watching the third season without watching the previous series. That’s like reading a book backwards from the last chapter. The thing about the High School DxD franchise is that we have a perverted main character named Issei. Then, there’s a whole horde of harem characters ranging from lovely ouju-samas, a pure innocent blonde, a loli cat with the strength of Hercules, and even an Angel. The math is pretty simple to do. Issei wants to add all of them to his harem formula. However, ... unlike most harem series that ventures down a road of non-sense, High School DxD actually has a plot. As shocking as it may be, this harem show does actually have plot as the previous seasons proved itself to be actually effective. But unfortunately for High School DxD Born, effective has become a word of the past.

Directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa, the third season wastes little time to get straight to the point. In fact, the title itself suggest the tone with the word ‘Born’. For those who can guess it, it’s basically an indirect reference at the way boobs sounds like when they bounce around. I guess by anime logic that means we’ll see a lot of that both to satisfy fans’ needs and plot purposes. With all the buildup and events that leads from one point to another, the third season tries to seize the moment to capitalize on the story. The key word here is “try”.

Starting from the first few episodes, there’s already a lot going on. Discreetly, we can see that there’s something going on with Koneko that’s bothering her. Similarly enough, the show also reveals more events relating to Chaos Brigade as well as new antagonists. For Koneko, we also see a new girl that wants to take her back by any means until Issei and his group intervenes. Then, there’s other ominous foreshadowing with characters such as Akeno. To say the least, the show can actually be thrilling when it develops these little bits and bits of scenarios like pieces to a puzzle. And any fan of High School DxD can expect, fan service returns as well with boobs, ass, and seductiveness.

While the series has a promising start, it wavers down as the story progresses. I have read the light novels and the adaptations is not something that should be impressed by. Not only does the anime omits some appealing elements, it also fails to capture the point of the show especially in the second half. For what’s worth, the series went backwards on itself when it comes to story focus. While the first half of the series adds excitement with the conflicts in the supernatural world, it loses steam almost entirely later on. I say this because the show’s story turns messy with too many events happening and rapid resolutions. The plus side is that characterization retains a somewhat decent degree. But when it comes to storytelling, the third season pummels down the drain. For fans eager for some comedy though, you’ll probably get a good dose out of it from one of Issei’s new bizarre abilities that really emphasizes the ‘Born’ part of the title.

The main success of the third season is probably the characters. We have a very diverse and colorful range of characters. Ranging from the return of Issei and the Occult Research Club members to newly introduced characters such as Rossweisse, Odin, Kuroka, and Loki, the show captures the interest of its viewers when we want to see how their roles in the story. As some may guess though, Issei is still the main interest of the show as almost every episode still gives him a prominent role. This includes but not limited to saving from Koneko from her own self despair, giving Akeno the support she needs, or fighting against those he perceives as evil. As stereotypical as he can be, Issei does attract a good degree of honor as even characters such as Vali sees his purpose. However, the characterization doesn’t grow beyond than that as there’s too much happening for this one cour adaptation. Characters such as Ravel returns but hardly gains any spotlight. Rossweisse also makes little impact because of her sensitive personality (notice how she always thinks about how she may never get a boyfriend?). It’s things like this that doesn’t make first impression about a character. Although for perverted characters like Issei, her Valkyrie outfit is another story.

What’s really holding the series back though ultimately comes down to execution. In terms of buildups, the show knows what it’s doing. The characters introduced all show a degree of their personality that let anime only viewers anticipate what they may do next. However, the execution is cheesy. Remember the events of the first season about Asia nearly getting killed? Or the time when there’s fear that Issei’s feelings may never reach Rias? Yeah, we’ve seen that before and the third season wastes time again to exploit these themes. Also for whatever reason, the third season ultimately takes a route that is very cliché to the core. As gimmicky as High School DxD Born already is, this season really just doesn’t seem to keep up the momentum it has built. This isn’t just based on adaptation content but also the way the final few episodes are structured. It’s the lack of fun that results from this season’s experimentations that ultimately doesn’t live up to the hype. On the plus side though, there is still uncensored fan service for the fans. The emotional angles can be touching on occasions as High School DxD still retains a level of interest with its other characters. In retrospect though, this season is a very hit or miss for fans. For me, it’s much more of the miss.

As for technical aspects, there’s not much improvement for artwork. TNK Entertainment still handles the visual quality although there are hardly any changes to the environment of the show. The action is fun to watch on most terms with fine degrees of clever coordination. Unlike previous seasons, High School DxD born features much more of the supernatural world that is decorated to a fine degree to spark the fantasy atmosphere. The dragons, devil, demons, and all sorts of species you wouldn’t find anywhere is convincingly appealing. Then, there’s also the designs of the new characters such as Rosseweisse with her business-like and attractive Valkyrie battle outfit. Kuroka’s catlike dress is also alluring with its suggestive features while we also get modified and enhanced versions of Issei’s Boosted Gear. And at the center of it all, it’s the fan service. Surprisingly, it’s tamer than the previous season although it still seizes opportunities to show skin when it has the chance. Bedroom scenes, dress break, and clever camera angles are its trademarks. Any fan of the franchise shouldn’t be surprised by now as fan service has always been this series’ flagship.

The soundtrack is moderate and there’s nothing really to say much about it. In fact, the ED theme song that fans hope to see an improvement on really doesn’t live up to its expectations. I guess it’s perhaps the first season set the bar too high? Then again, soundtrack is one of the lesser noticeable features of the show. By OST context, the series delivers on most parts with its action features. When it comes to the emotional scenes, it stays honest and has the vulnerability that is convincing. However, that’s pretty much the only impression about it. Character voice mannerisms aren’t really impressive for our new characters. It’s gimmicky to the core with Kuroka’s ‘nya’, Odin’ ego, or Rossewisse’s nervousness. There’s even less of the suggestive moans and ahhs fans may be eager to hear out of the headphones.

High School DxD Born tries far too hard to make it look cool. Fans wants to see a fun, thrilling, and story that matches the momentum it has built. But what do we get instead? A clump of mess that digs itself deeper with inconsistency. Rushing and omitting parts is one thing but following down another road is another. As a 1 cour adaptation, it’s hard to salvage from its mistakes. From my perspective, the show tries to be far too serious as it should be. High School DxD has always been a show that mixes together plot, characters, and most importantly adding fun excitement. It’s almost if it’s self-aware and a main point of the third season never focuses on that point. That being said, you may still get some satisfaction out of the comedy (mostly fan service parts) or battle elements. Admitting, I have to say that some of the action bits improved while technical features such as visual quality died down. But ultimately, High School DxD Born is only a sporadically fun ride. It’s not even half entertaining as the previous season and is designed to be quoted than watched.

I've got an idea why the hell this is getting flamed. It's because some people can't see past the ecchi. They think it's all DxD's got, but it's not.
This season has got much less ecchi than before.
Characters are advancing, and so is the plot.
Sure it has some generic anime cliches, but hell, Nisekoi is based around cliches, and it's still rated fairly well.
It's a very enjoyable anime that anyone with a bit of a tolerance for ecchi can watch. If you are weak to that kind of thing, give it a shot, if you don't like it, skip it. That's my rule when watching anime. ... Enjoy it, so you don't have to bloody flame the show.

I enjoyed it for it's light-heartedness and actually pretty decent relationships between characters. It's a funny show as well, so it has it's pluses.
I don't like a few things to be honest.
First off, I don't like that it's a bit too fast moving for my tastes, but that might be due to me watching Monogatari series.
2nd, some characters that are gonna have a role of one of the main heroines (yes, I'm talking about Rossweisse) doesn't get nearly enough screentime.
And last, but not least, I'm gonna have to wait till I'm like 30 till I can watch next season :l

So yeah, a really enjoyable show, could be better, but I've had my fun. Anime is made to be enjoyed, not ranted about.

~ Just poke her breast already! - Dragon ~
[Pure Review: Anime Only]

Prelude:
The prior seasons have been a "big hit" to say the least; drawing viewers from both the fantasy, and ecchi realms. "Dragon of Dragon" has always been a franchise in my eyes with more storytelling and character development talent than the marketing lets off. Do I even have to quote FUNimation's introduction to "New"? ("more outrageous Oppai Battle Entertainment"). The series has always retained a curious mixture of action, intensity, suspense, realism, and of course: Oppai... It's a combination that in theory should drown out any seriousness, and while it's by no means a ... show to be taken deadly seriously; there are indeed some thrilling and suspenseful, passionately fought battles. Like a signature style for the show, DxD is one of the very few "Lewd productions" that actually gets you to care somewhat about the characters and outcomes.

Everyone came for the oppai (but some will try to convince you otherwise), and while many continue for the same reason, another would be that Issei is such a decent POV into this highly supernatural world. He's almost always in an enviable situation, but being naive, courageous, believable, and just downright hilarious at times - he's a very likable protagonist regardless.

BorN:
As the chronological continuation of High School DxD: New, High School DxD's third installment: BorN serves purely as additional anime content. It elaborates on the story from where we left off, introducing us to some new faces, developing existing faces, and creating an overriding sense of both progress and advancement. Following a similar formula as is shown in the previous seasons: Issei is once again battling alongside our beloved members of the Gremory household. He continues to deal with his devil career as the legendary red dragon, and we get front row seats!

DxD fans will be pleased to know that BorN continues to integrate the signature style/charm (explained above): incorporating passion and intensity into a very mature natured (*wink wink*) product. It should be safe to say then, regardless of my upcoming judgement, that DxD fans will at the very least be able to connect with the continuation of our story.

The conclusion of "New" was relatively open-ended, and BorN delves straight back into the grand-scaled religious warfare. It wastes little time, and pretty much uses a shock tactic: a burst of contextual information regarding the complexities of what's to come - in order to immerse the viewer in this particular section of the story. From a dragon's destiny, to a comrade's fate: BorN factors in a lot of important content into these 12 episodes. New individuals make their presence and roles in the war known, and we get more documentation of how the Gremory household's members are growing as a result of experience.

There are some perilous situations in which death looms over an ally, to invoke suspense and prove that character attachment values are in fact "a thing" in DxD. There are epiphany-like milestones and other key events in BorN's plot that really do make and impact and shift your perception to a degree of the entire series. We get development for previously underdeveloped members such as Koneko, and even talk more about our protagonist's destiny.
Clearly, you can't argue that there isn't enough SUBSTANCE to this third installment.

As the first DxD season to achieve a transformation of 3 whole volumes into anime form, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that this is also BorN's greatest downfall. Now if non-stop action is your forte, then congratulations: you can disregard this review and get to watching right away. The rest of us can pick up on the fact that we have some blatent pacing issues to note here...

With such an amount of substantial story content being squeezed into a mere 240 (or so) minutes, things aren't covered quite as comprehensively as in the first two seasons. Operating on a smaller scale gave a greater sense of understanding and personality to "DxD" and "New", whereas "BorN" quite literally operates through time and space. It's generally a very broad and more documentative rather than POV feeling interpretation of events. This documentation of the religious war lacks, but does not completely disregard:

Explanation - While a little slower to begin with, BorN quickly escalates through a series of events that shape the overriding plot. Whereas manga readers will not have problems with this, the sudden introduction of many characters - into the limelight for the first time, will somewhat live to confuse anime viewers. Besides "That's X, and they do Y", there's little answering the simple question of "What's going on?". For obvious reasons, this may reduce the viewers' ability to feel connected or passion toward the current happenings.

Suspense - In spite of the highly perilous plot that DxD was covering this time around, another demerit of the "rushing" many have noted, is that there's a very limited amount of suspense that can be offered. In the prior seasons, there would a definite build up to an unexpected calamity - which left visible scars. The fast pace of BorN however doesn't allow for enough prolonging of these "low-points", to make them believable.

The presented obstacles were overcome too easily. Simply-put, it's like brushing off losing a limb... At no point did I really "feel" the suspense of the fact that i'm never going to walk again...

Picking it back up though, and brushing it off... The show, not my leg...
It did exist to significantly further my contextual understanding of the DxD-verse, and I was even able to enjoy the enhancement of characters both new and old. The chemistry is still great, the dialogue is still very enjoyable, the battles (particularly the earlier ones) were still very heated, and it is of course upholding its cheeky ecchi aspect alongside a lot of classic innuendo humor. Typical DxD 101 you might say.

The audiovisuals? If you insist...
I'd say that BorN retains a similarly high art standard: well-defined characters on atmospheric backgrounds. The character shading has room for improvement, as does one of the weaker elements - depth... But casual DxD fans are likely to just say "Yeah, it's still pretty..."

The score is a little "flip-over-and-reuse" from prior seasons, but I can't argue with the fact that it's both sentimental-feeling where appropriate, and intense where appropriate. With the addition of 2 AWESOME new sequences (OP & ED), i'd say that the audio aspect has become a strong suit.

Accepting and willing DxD fans have nothing to lose by giving BorN a try. The story vividness is a little overly jeopardized for an anime - as a result of the pacing, but it brings forth a lot of relevant milestones and development to the table. While a little less impactual than the prior seasons, it's still an exhilarating and enjoyable thrill ride worth taking, brandishing that renowned DxD charm.

~ Why don't you just poke both simultaneously?! - Rias ~

My High School DxD BorN review.


Story

Ok, so the 3rd sequel has just ended , frankly it's unfortunate that studio Genco and FUNimation didn't thought about making this sequel a 2nd season. tbh the 2nd sequel is bonkers, but I gotta say they did add some development with the 3rd sequel. However despite the developments I'm not gonna give the story category a high score, since it still rely on the MAc's sexual innuendo, also, the action plot may have become intense it still rely a lot from the MC getting his ass whooped when saving his harem.

So my verdict: a fair 6.


... Art

Like the previous sequel, the anime still rely on the fanservice to sell and there is no explanation need , since sex sells in this anime and manga.

Therefore, my verdict: a Mediocre 5.


Sound

When it come to both the op and ed, I don't have much like for it, but I still like the VA's who did the character's voices like Rias, and Asia. Oh and I'm still not gonna give this category a high score.

So, my verdict: a Mediocre 5.


Characters

Ok, so what we have here are a bunch of character's whose portrayals were a complete dichotomy i.e.

Issei Hyoudou, ok as usual, he is still pervert who wants to have a harem, but the dichotomy about him was that he's in love with Rias and yet he want's to be the Harem King, which basically conflicts his character as whole where he never makes any attempts to do his harem that this fool already has, which was quite annoying that form someone who wants to be the harem king despite of having a lot of girls sleeping naked besides him would still be a virgin.


Ria Gremory, I always wonder if she is still in her teens or is she a hundred year old hag in the body of a teenage babe, let's not forget that in some of those flashbacks we see her meeting some of her servant whom are still very young while we see her the way she is. The dichotomy about her was that she loves Issei and yet she makes no attempts to keep some of the girls away from his man, the only attempt we saw her duking out for Issei's affection was with Akeno, but it never progress beyond it.


Akeno Himejima, if there is any real competition for Issei's affection, it would be her, but the way she competes was nothing short of just a petty quarrel with her master Rias, then again just like Rias, she too never makes any attempts to take Issei away from Rias.


As for the rest of the girls, they too never make any attempts as well to competed for Issei's affection as well, but Asia is a waste, thought she is wife material for Issei she basically placed as mistress thingy, also there is Yuuto who wasn't even given a piece of the harem pie.

Another, just like the 2nd sequel , two new harem members get's added into the mix notably Rosswiess and Irian who is now a full time member of the Issei's harem, which, aside from the dichotomy of the main characters, to sum it up, this anime category should have a low score but not that low.

So my verdict: a poor 3.


Enjoyment

So far just like with the previous sequels, the only thing I enjoy about this anime was the fanservice, and need I say more....maybe not, cu'z that's just the way I see it, so I hope you guys understand.

My verdict: a Good 7.

Overall

I'm not gonna give this anime a high score, sure if you sum it up it should be a 7 or a 6, but that's not how I do it, not because I like something about the anime doesn't mean that I appreciate the anime as whole, the score I give to each category only applies to that category but the overall is the top factor, so since this anime still relies a lot on the fanservice and with all that fancy cliche and dichotomy, my verdict for this anime as a whole would be.........

My overall verdict : a pathetic 1.

Peace

Honestly, even after watching all seasons up to this one it still owns the crown for best ecchi anime.

- It has PLOT (Yes, PLOT)
- It has great humor, I laugh out loud at the jokes
- Lots of ecchi that doesn't feel misplaced or silly
- It has its touching moments that bring tears to my eyes
- The male protagonist is actually MANLY. You know the typical males in ecchi anime are usually weak, never execute, and act like they are allergic to women that approach them sexually. That doesn't exist here.

If the reasons outlined above don't already have you wanting to watch this, there is zero ... hope for you to ever get into the ecchi genre. Truly.

Oh and as a small tip, if you have the option available to you, do yourself a favor and watch the uncensored version of this anime. I never saw the censored TV version, but I just don't see how it's possible to grasp a major part of this anime with censoring.

I can't name myself a great fan of this franchise, but I've got opinion about it.

What words are on your mind when you read "High School DxD"? Surely they are "bobs", "harem", "eсchi" etc. Indeed, this title is full of such things. But this is on the one hand. On the other hand, we see rather beautiful title with interesting plot and developed universe.

We are used to think that ecchi is all about stamps, but this title brings something new to ecchi genre and that's why I like it.

Surely, pantsu, boobs and nose bleeding are everywhere (what ecchi will exist without it?) but we still ... have the characters. Yes, they're typical women from the typical harem, but there stories are not confused. Each of them has individuality (even men). Each of them likes main character for their own reason, not because he's nice.

Speaking about main character, we can remember such guys from lots of ecchies and harems, but this one is different. He is helpful in every situation, though his thoughts are all about boobs. He will do whatever he need to do(remember the first season when he went to customers by bike).

All in all I can say that this title is based on really good characters that not every ecchi and even not every modern anime has. The plot is interesting too though we've seen this lots of times. So the score is 7.6 ~ 8. You should see it to know the difference between the average ecchi(which is not good) and good ecchi(wich is really good).

I don't care what you say; This anime is AWESOME!

Judge me if you want but I don't care.

The story line for this season was interesting. Unlike the first season which didn't show much of a plot, the series just got better and better.

The art for the fights and the character development was amazing!

Although Issei was the usually boob maniac; he still had his moments (a lot of cool moments).

... If you like good story plot then please; watch this series!
(Just gonna warn you that it is still in the Hentai genre; not full on 18+ but the show mainly shows a lot of boobs, but ignoring all of that story wise the show is perfect!)

I'm sure of it there will be a SEASON 4 & ovas /specials !!!!!! Bonus if made into a anime movie or a live action movie.

Season 4 is already probably in many HS DXD fans minds like me since episode 8 or 9 or better episode 1.

Looking foward to SEASON 4

Many unanswered questions and revelations...... So season 4 is a must must happen no matter what.......

1. We all know now DXD means Dragons Of Dragons. That answered part of it.

... 2. Brewing romance of casts
- Gasper & Koneko (coming of age sort of well his age is thousand years same goes with Koneko)..... who's older you decide, bottomline, they are a match.
- Yuuto & Tsubaki, hottest guy in school and the other hottest girl (outside Rias herself & Akeno).
- Souua & Saji (same like Issei & Rias)
- Xenovia & Asia, lesbian anyone....
- Possible linkage Katase or Murayama to Motohama or Matsuda.

3. The usual love triangles (who is the lover and who are the mistresses)
- Rias Issei Akeno
well all the girls have a a romance towards Issei so 3, 4, 5 way.....

4. The postponed duel of Issei & Vali.
5. Loki's revenge..... to think a prison can hold him for all eternity.
6. When where how will the Kaos Brigaide's next attack.......
7. Will Akeno finally reconcille with her father?
8. Will Rossweisse find her first love? I guess its Azazel..... they're both teachers / adults.
9. Will Koneko/Shirone turn her evil older sister Kuroka back to the good side?
10. Will Rias finally have a baby & Issei is the father?
11. Will the Red Dragon reveal his motives?
12. And will Issei finally have his Harem & be a Harem King? (although I think he already have it, he just make it a silly erotic perverted dream).

Quite simillar to Seikon no Qwaser, breasts energized the hero. In Qwaser squeezing, fondling, flapping, licking, sucking breastmilk gives energy to the hero while DXD is all but no breastmilk. A cut through to hentai mode. Almost.

Too bad there are no hentai versions of both animes, except Princess Lover. If there will be one..... I know it will be packed.

High School DxD BorN certainly was a very poor adaptation for what all fans of the series, such as myself, were awaiting. It is certain there are some positive points in it:
The story as always were the most valuable point, although not very loyal to the light novel, the anime series have acchived my expectations, it was a very funny, still serious season, 10/10. The sound was very good, I think the music and battle scenes were well balanced, not an epic song for a normal scene or a poor song for an epic battle, 8/10. The series was quite enjoyable, but not what was ... expected, 8/10.
Although those aspects received a good mark, the reason I gave it such a bad one (from my point of view, this mark could be considered appaling for such a masterpiece as DxD) were the following:
The characters development were poor in the animation, but I could not give a mark in this just for bad decisions made by the studio, I had to consider the light novel's writer work as well, otherwise I would not be fair, 9/10. Now to the most disapointing: the art. Some people might not notice, but bugs and other things even worse were frequent during the whole series, mostly in the characters eyes, I would not be exagerating if I rated it horrible, 3/10.
I do not think you would see this series if you had not seen the prequels, so I would consider fair to watch it as a link from the second to the fourth season.
Overall 7/10
Hope I helped.

First off I want to say that I have never read any of the novel so this is an anime only review.
High School DxD is one of those anime that I really want to love. When done correctly it can be funny, exciting and very very echii. I have all previous seasons and always end up rather disappointed. This new season though started out great but then suddenly went off the rails.

STORY: I've personally found the story in every season to be all over the place. This season started out different though. I really enjoyed the first half as it had moments of big ... crazy fights, shocking twists and some character development for several of the cast. I can't go into details but I can honestly say the first half of this season is really a joy to watch. If you come for just the echii moments, they are there but they weren't exaggerated. I think even the Issei has become used to walking around with every girl around him naked. He is still perverted though bless his heart. Some of the funnier moments come when he tries to fulfill his oppai fantasies, and all for a good reason. The second half, especially the final arc was a different story though. The story arcs lost any impact whatsoever. They managed to survive certain moments due to plain out miracles, or plot armor would be a better description. I really appreciate when an anime goes beyond belief and is brave enough to do something shocking. Very few do however, and those that do immediately eliminate it. Looking at you ALdnoah Zero. Anyways, my point is I would have enjoyed the final arcs more if they could keep any sense of danger, however everyone is miraculously fine.
As I said I've never read any of the novelsbut I do keep an eye on comments. I did notice that while readers did have complaints with the first half, they were essentially fine with it because it was still entertaining. When I noticed myself getting bored and annoyed at the second half I went back and found every reader to be angry and upset at how the story was jumping around. That made everything make sense as to why the end felt like a big mess.

Art: The art is good, not much to say really. The character designs are well done, The fighting scenes are exciting and the echi...well they know what they are doing. Nothing too overly impressive. I'm sure if you look at every scene frame by frame you could find problems but who does that?

Characters:
Lets start with the King herself....king piece...president Rias. I love Rias, I wish she could be better presented. I feel there is so much more to her than what we see. She's the type of person you'd be willing to devote your entire life serving at her side. That plus I like redheads....anyways....
The one that stole the spotlight this season by far I feel was Koneko. We got to see more of her past, how she came to meet Rias. Plus she is just plain adorable at moments, while a badass at other moments.
Asia I'm going to admit I don't really like. She is the little sister of the group and that is fine, I simply find her too dull. It's no coincidence her role was bigger at the second half of the season. Plus she is sooo lucky.
The rest didn't really have much to do this season. Akeno had a small personal arc that went nowhere.
Rossweiss, though not enough screen time, was fun to watch and I am interested in seeing her in the future.

Despite the fumble at the end, there were some enjoyable and memorable moments this season. You'll end the season thinking, "that was it?" There were good fights, funny moments, cute moments and the song oppai dragon automatically adds another point alone. So it was good, a step above decent. Would I suggest it to friends? Only if they are looking for something echii. If they care more about story though, I'd suggest something else

(This has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

Jugs, bazoongas, melons; no matter what they are called, breasts are a universal constant. Boobs bear the “nectar of life,” cause men and women alike to turn heads, and are something that everyone can get behind. High School DxD BorN, returning for a third season, believes the same, providing busts of the large, small, round, supple, and bodacious variety. Mammaries are a wonderful part of the world, and it is lovely to see them in anime or anywhere, but the question remains: for this one, is it enough? Can its smorgasbord of boobies keep itself afloat ... from start to finish? Sadly, no, the anime sinks where its brethren swam.

STORY

High School DxD is a series famous for its ability to balance both its plot-centric and “ecchi” material. Many moments even see a combination of the two halves – such as Issei’s “Boosto” ability – that demonstrate how well it capitalizes on the elements at its disposal. High School DxD BorN continues the tale, but chooses to deviate from its safe formula when it worries less about maintaining balance and more about dramatic events. Specifically, the lack of proper explanation, the exclusion of purposeful “ecchi” content, and the halfhearted exploration of sympathy prevent the show from having strength, resulting in a weak narrative that tarnishes the series’ reputation.

BorN’s (the shortening of choice) first fault comes from failing to detail a lot of the aspects that it introduces. Strangely, the anime hardly ever encountered such an issue before, simply because it prioritized world-building. One example is the idea of characters being chess pieces, which is logical once the show explained the underworld’s tendency to solve issues through games of a similar nature. BorN opts for a more confusing approach where the show actively seeks to avoid giving the necessary context to understand newly incorporated aspects. For instance, the “Chaos Brigade” is an opposing force throughout the season, but their goals, motivations, and identities are never made explicitly clear. Consequently, many of the plot points, like Loki’s betrayal and Red Dragon’s appearance, lose meaning since the details making them relevant are missing. The anime might have been trying to keep the focus on Rias and the other girls’ assets, which makes sense; at its core, BorN wants nothing more than to present uncensored boobs. But when the narrative includes occurrences like the swift appearance and exit of villains or the notion that willpower wins the day without also including reason, the plot goes from looking like eye-candy to looking like trash.

More garbage is found within BorN’s second fault: the “ecchi” moments rarely have a semblance of purpose beyond their superficial appeal. “Rarely” was chosen because there are select instances where the anime uses the risqué as a catalyst to drive the plot. One of the earliest examples of this is Issei’s first meeting with Kuroka where, to grant himself power, Issei plays with Rias’s nipple. Another happens much later in the series, in the form of telepathy through boobs, thereby earning Issei and his team the upper hand. Both are ridiculous, but rather than the “ecchi” existing just to exist it instead allows for the show to progress in a manner that is fun, arousing, and purposeful. In contrast, Rias in a devil outfit or Xenovia throwing herself at Issei are no doubt designed to be sexy but forget to mean much to the overall goals of the show. Asia’s kidnapping situation showcases the worst of this, where her mistreatment and nakedness are byproducts of the scenario rather than the scenario coming about because of the “ecchi” material. It is difficult to feel sympathy for the anime at this point because both halves – the plot and the “ecchi” elements – fail to be understandable and purposeful, respectively.

Coincidentally, sympathy is one of the anime’s only notable facets. Sympathy, not empathy, because Issei recognizes their hardships, as opposed to experiencing their emotions. It is a theme that is not immediately apparent, since it is hidden behind the shapely boobs and misshapen plot. Essentially, each arc in BorN focuses on a particular member of the harem, with Issei aiding each girl in overcoming her particular issue. He protects Koneko from her sister, he pushes Akeno from her past, he rescues Asia from her stalker, and he saves Rias from herself. His constant awareness of the people around him demonstrates to a degree the efficacy of sympathy when each girl, regardless of the predicament she is placed in, is helped through her troubles. Nothing grandiose – this is a common theme in many anime – but at the minimum Issei does not do it alone; in nearly all circumstances the remaining cast is present, fighting alongside the boy who has already done so much for them. Ironically, their feelings are cared for and not their bodies, which goes against the “ecchi” material. Therefore, the anime undermines its own ideals, serving somewhat as an explanation for the deterioration of the sexual and the narrative elements.

BorN might have many chests to stare at, but the problems with its plot, “ecchi” material, and themes are distracting enough to ruin whatever sequences it managed to piece together.

ANIMATION

BorN’s art style is neither distinct nor captivating. The show’s locations are limited, with mostly Issei’s mansion, the school proper, and reddish, craggy parts of the underworld visited. Near the end, the characters even enter an interdimensional vortex where the background becomes vomit. The anime does pay extra attention to its breasts, with shadows, contours, and depressions accentuating them as highly as possible for maximum attractiveness.

Attractiveness continues when the character designs remain almost exactly the same (to be expected) for the third season. Rias’s flowing red hair, Akeno’s long, black ponytail, and Koneko’s shortness of both stature and locks return, each sporting their signature school attire. Rossweisse, a newcomer, is clad in grey and silver to match her older “Christmas Cake” status. Other people, like Loki and Lucifer, look the part with their regal clothes and armor despite having a small role in the festivities. Overall, the designs remain strong even years after their original conception.

However, strength cannot be found in the show’s actual animation. Simply put, it is poor. Scenes rife with action – such as when Issei powers up or when large-scale battles break out – see the bare minimum of fluidity, with choppy hammer swings and lame choreography. Casual scenarios likewise see stunted animation, with little movement of even the most common of actions. The exception, once again, are the breasts that litter the anime; the boobs bounce and boing in their boisterous bountifulness.

CHARACTERS

Although BorN has major issues in regards to its story and animation, a theme of transformation chains the cast members together, with a weak link threatening the tautness of the connection between them.

The formation of the chain begins early when Rias and her household decide to train themselves individually to improve their abilities. Issei works with a dragon master, Kiba develops his sword skills, and Koneko practices her punches, each vying to increase his or her capabilities. In other words, labor transforms the characters for the better. Transformation also occurs at the end when Rossweisse is invited to join the harem, but it is more a clever joke than an improvement of her person – she foregoes her Valhalla heritage to spite Odin’s forgetting of her, but at this point she is “just another demon,” meaning she will still be forgotten. Nevertheless, transformation establishes itself both at the beginning and the end of the season.

The start and the finish focus on transformation, and the same can be said of the middle. As was previously discussed, BorN contains roughly four arcs that each focus on a separate girl, namely: Koneko, Akeno, Asia, and Rias. For Koneko, besides learning more about her sibling, the audience discovers the origins of her power. Descending from a line of felines, she had always repressed her other half because she felt that accepting it would somehow cause her to become her twisted sister. But through Rias and Issei’s sympathy, she comes to understand that change does not automatically bring hardship since one’s friends and family will be there to support such a movement. Thus, Koneko transforms into the catlike person she had always been, and bringing with her a newfound sense of worth. Akeno also undergoes transformation, although it is mental rather than physical. Interestingly, the anime delves far into her past to show the death of her mother, the loneliness she experienced, and the hate she brewed for her father. Such hate was childish, though, since she did not fully comprehend the circumstances. Subsequently her present behavior towards her father was childish as well – ignoring him, pushing him away, and generally being rude to her only parent. But when she attempts to erase her past in an irrational manner, she looks deep inside herself to reach the rational conclusion that she was to blame for being alone, not her father. Therefore, while Akeno had always had the body of a woman, the reconciliation she went through allowed her mind to transform into a woman, too.

At this point, the talk of transformation brings up a pressing question: why is Asia included on the list? After all, she has received a lot of focus during the prequels, most notably in the first season where she was reborn. Stranger still, she is sound of mind and pure of thought, with her knowing who she is, what she wants, and how she needs to act. In essence, Asia acts as a foil for the other girls since she does not need to transform, pronouncing to a higher degree the transformations that do take place. Comparing her difficulty to those of the other girls makes this more obvious; unlike Koneko, Akeno, and Rias, an outer influence attacks Asia rather than an inner struggle. So, while Asia is already a good and whole person, the counterintuitive angle taken expounds on this theme that much further.

Unfortunately, Rias’s obtuse transformation nearly rusts the chain. Throughout most of the season, Rias was what could only be described as jealous. Issei worrying for and helping out each girl other than Rias was not sitting comfortably with the president, with each new event slowly expanding the evil resting in her bosom. As the season heads towards the finale, she explodes, literally transforming from a motherly and kind leader into a despondent and angered villain. Donning dragon armor like Issei, all seems lost as she refuses (willingly or not) to come back to her senses. Issei eventually calls out to her, saving Rias from spelling her own doom, but the anime chooses to imply that she still holds these same feelings, just not to the extent that they once were. A devil’s advocate would point out that this is another angle of transformation, that there are certain people who cannot transform as quickly and as easily as Koneko and Akeno did. Given that this is true, Rias’s development throughout the season holds up well, but since the show chooses to have Issei conveniently forget the climax of her arc, it leaves the impression that Rias’s feelings are not as important as they obviously should be.

SOUND

The opening theme tries to be extravagant, both in voice and in instrument. But it is too much for the piece, with it collapsing upon itself due to the sporadic English words and all-over-the-place tone. The ending theme, in contrast, manages to be both fun and catchy, with the chorus, vocalist, and beat unifying to create a song that mirrors the happiness that can often be found in the series.

Happy times are also found when the soundtrack is heard. Many of the tracks adopt weird sound effects, such as in “Shikou no Yuuwaku,” that are designed to be silly so that they coincide with the slice-of-life moments. Other tracks, like “Omoi.Sorezore,” take into account the foreboding nature of the season, providing haunting arrangements that weigh on one’s conscious. Others still, such as “Shouri,” are quick and orchestral, pumping one’s adrenaline to new heights. Perhaps the “best” track of the bunch is “Oppai Dragon no Uta,” with Issei chanting his love of dragons and boobs, amusing all who listen. As a small aside, the squishing sounds of the breasts as they move is a detail not needed but much appreciated. Thus, the OST spans a wide range of genres that fit the anime nicely, making it an all-around positive offering.

A bit on the negative side, the voice acting for BorN is somewhere around average. While the show has everyone return to reprise their roles, there are neither exceptional nor appalling performances to speak of. However, a special shout-out is deserved for Yuuki Kaji as Issei for his screaming and pervert-esque voice.

ENJOYMENT

I like Rias, and I like Akeno. I also like Asia, Xenovia, Koneko, Issei, and everyone else that the series has on the table. But this one was just not entertaining for me. The drama was lacking intensity, the comedy was not funny, and the amount of non-brooding Rias was disappointing. One of the worst offenses was the ED’s visuals; the third ending theme did away with the sexy dancing that the first two championed, a decision that is nothing short of blasphemy. If anything, the uncensored boobs made the ride tolerable, but were definitely not enough to erase the troubles I had with the anime.

High School DxD BorN brings the breasts, yet simultaneously goes against “three times the charm.” Its mangled narrative, less-than-stellar art, and low value – in terms of emotion and laughter – are a bit too much to bear. While the characters are executed nicely and the soundtrack hits many notes, those aspects alone cannot prop this one up. Born it may be but beautiful it be not.

SUMMARY

Story: Bad, not enough details surrounding the world, the “ecchi” rarely has purpose, and the theme on sympathy is simultaneously consistent and undermining

Animation: Bad, boring art style, nice character designs, below average actual animation, with special care given to all of the breasts

Characters: Good, a theme of transformation forms a chain between Koneko, Akeno, Asia, and Rias, with the latter rusting it slightly

Sound: Fine, bad OP, good ED, good soundtrack, about average VA work

Enjoyment: Bad, pales in comparison to the first two seasons

Final Score: 4/10

I am probably going to get hate for this, but I watched the dubbed version of this series. It was a very good series. It has a good mixture of comedy and action. The main character's lust for boobs is what gives him all his power. Issei reaches a powerful form just because he poked his master's breasts. Plus, Koneko has some funny one liners in the show. The amount of breasts shown in this series is outrageous. In one episode I counted 35 pairs of breasts in one episode. Issei is usually put into awkward situations when breasts are out because the other girls ... attack him. It usually ends up with him getting interrupted and leaving a laugh. For example, he gets attacked by girls while he is putting something in a shed. It ends up with him getting caught by an angel while he has his hands on some boobs. All the angel said was that they shouldn't be doing that in the shed because it is filthy.

Now, the action is very good. Issei's heart in every battle is something special. He doesn't care about anything other than protecting his friends. The character is full of heart and does everything with such passion. When losing a friend he becomes full of hate and rage that he actually loses control and reaches such a powerful form that it almost kills him. The main character is a fool, along with a respectable person.

Good show.

Normally it takes a lot for me to do a review, But in spite of all the trolls here at MAL that don't read Manga, Light Novels and thus know nothing about adaptations. I'll go as far to say that many reviews that are low scored here were written without watching the anime and with the sole purpose to drag down shows they don't like as many of them seem to be have been written with their feet.

STORY:
DxD continues with the now third season of Born were the Light Novel is closely followed into the settlement that comes after the three factions Angels, Fallens and ... Demons are trying to set up camp and discuss further matter of the New Faction that seeks to destroy relations between the humans and the joined supernatural.

Some chapters were switched as many Light Novel readers are aware of and Icchei Ishibumi along with TNK decided to throw us the fans a twist, More of a foreshadowing for those who have yet to read Volume 20.

The arc here presents Loki and The Infinite Dragon God meddling with the three factions and wether there was some tweaking to a fourth season it's on the air.

Did it work?, Absolutely but i must warned you if you're a Light Novel reader you might be slightly pissed off towards the end as you can't no longer predict what will happen next as new things are thrown our way.

ART:
I have no complains, The art was astounding and easy to take in.

Sound:
The Intro and ED theme are astounding, The voice actors on Japanese are on their A Game and the OST are on point. For the Dubbing however we lost the voice actors for Issei and Akeno. The new actor for Issei it's alright you can hear he tries and the acting is by no means mediocre, Akeno on the other hand it's a bit off.

She sounds too nice and you can't feel the sadism the previous one portrayed so well. The rest of the cast are back.

Characters:
Further elaboration is all i have to say, We learn about Akenos past and this somewhat breaks the image we all had of her and we see her soft side. Many characters go in depth so he action varies and the ecchi scenes are maintained but since Akeno is down for the count due to emotional reasons since the person she despise showed up the level we all enjoy of teasing Akeno dishes out is reduced.

A new character makes a debut and she it's from the North Myth to the Occult Club.

Enjoyment:
This season was enjoyable and with subjective perspective wether what you anticipated being changed sat well with you or not. DxD continues to be the top Ecchi anime in existence.

Overall:
The third season was amazing however the chances of people that don't read the light novel enjoying it further than those who do it's about 70%, No fan base likes having the material they now so well be discarded for a change after all.

You don't watch Michael Bay's "Transformers" expecting an Oscar-worthy movie, likewise you shouldn't watch an anime like this expecting the next FLCL, SAO, or even Naruto.

Now, if you keep the content in mind, the fact that this is an ecchi harem comedy-drama, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the fact that there's an actual decent overall story, good characterizations, and excellent art.

The characters, naturally, follow the typical archetypes, but they grow from there and develop back stories that make you really care about most of them. The art, while it may be considered a cookie-cutter style, is an excellent sample of that style ... nonetheless. And there's just the right mix of ecchi and story to satisfy those seeking both quite well.

This particular season does progress a little rapidly compared to the first two seasons, starting and resolving some sub-plots a little too quickly, but otherwise a thoroughly entertaining way to pass a few hours.

High opera it ain't, but it IS high ecchi.

Simply the best season of DxD, seeing everyone maturing made me happy but I was impressed by how Issei matured, he's the character who needed it the most and oh boy how he was done properly, the writing is clearly much better than the first two seasons.
Only thing I have to complain about is the animation, it has it's weaknesses and I really hope that if there's no season 5 in the works, at least they'll be remade, I am watching the Blu-Ray version but the animation is still pretty bad sometimes, so hopefully it will someday get a remake with much better animation, that's ... the only thing I can honestly complain about for this third season of Highschool DxD.

The best part about BorN is that it breaks away from the "boring harem" realm. Creators have made the story really intense and dramatic in this season. I started watching the anime considering it was a light-hearted ecchi. But this season completely changes things.

Highschool DxD BorN is a great anime, truly. It's too emotional on too many levels. Issei has grown a lot more powerful. By the end of the anime, and it's completely a personal opinion, Rias becomes far more lovable than she ever was.

BorN has really great character relationships. The battle scenes are interesting. Quite indirectly, a lot of other species are shown ... involved in this whole drama.

BorN is the third season and it's more than just a continuation of the first two seasons. BorN is a complete anime altogether but you'll need to watch the first two to get a grip of things.

Some heart-wrenching things happen in the concluding episodes related to Rias and that makes the entire experience of watching this anime series worthwhile. It's a payback season. I won't spoil it for you, you have to experience it yourself. It was so powerful that I couldn't stop listening to the soundtrack, watching the last episode again and again, and waiting for the fourth season after finishing it.

And oh! Don't resist crying!

"The Breasts of a woman have endless possibilities!" - Azazel-sensei.
Highschool DxD isn't for everyone, I'll admit that, but is a good anime nonetheless. This season really was different from the other two, things really got crazy 'till the end, even so I've found it pretty damn enjoyable. THIS IS A CASUAL REVIEW!

- Story: 9/10 - Now let's be honest, for a harem/ecchi anime, the story is good... until season 3 came out I haven't noticed any plot holes, the whole demons - angels - fallen angels war was decent explained.

- Characters 10/10 - Pretty much the ordinary cast of a harem anime. Rias is ... the big sister No. 1 (also the best girl... just sayin'). She doesn't approve Issei lovin' other girls (that is really somethin' new... you know, in harem anime, the girls usually get along. Even help each other tryin' to seduce the MC. Rias - president, doesn't do it a all... she wants Issei only for herself). Pres. is that strong and dignified woman, but she is ready to trow everything away for her cute servant. - We haven't lost yet! You lose when you've given up
Akeno, big sister No.2 - A sadist fallen angel with a sad past... nothin' could have been better. She starts from the point where she can't stand her true nature and in Born she finally understands that it isn't his father fault...
"Even the phoenix that rises from the ashes can't recover instantly from mental damage"
Issei - one of the few harem MC-s that are actually pretty awesome... durin' the entire series he never lies about his desires, he never tries to hide the fact he is a perv addictet to ero and with a demonic desire to suck President's oppai.
"I'm not going to be discouraged by fate."

- Art 8/10 - I've not seen any remarcable improvement from previous seasons... the art looks great at close frames but when the characters are painted from a far away view they look shitty...

- Sound... the opening of the first season was the best... this one is almost like that one, also the background music is ok... 10/10

- Enjoyment - Damn, this was fucking hilarious... I was laughtin' my ass off most of the time... then I almost started to cry... then laught again... 10/10

- Overall - I'll say Higschool DxD is as good as Grisaia no Kajitsu in terms of songs, art, story... but it was a lot mor enjoyable than Grisaia who made me cry...

If you've read everything then I congratulate you... I'm not a critic so I give 10 to everything that made me feel great... sorry if I disturbed you with my casual review.

I can't name myself a great fan of this franchise, but I've got opinion about it.

What words are on your mind when you read "High School DxD"? Surely they are "bobs", "harem", "eсchi" etc. Indeed, this title is full of such things. But this is on the one hand. On the other hand, we see rather beautiful title with interesting plot and developed universe.

We are used to think that ecchi is all about stamps, but this title brings something new to ecchi genre and that's why I like it.

Surely, pantsu, boobs and nose bleeding are everywhere (what ecchi will exist without it?) but we still ... have the characters. Yes, they're typical women from the typical harem, but there stories are not confused. Each of them has individuality (even men). Each of them likes main character for their own reason, not because he's nice.

Speaking about main character, we can remember such guys from lots of ecchies and harems, but this one is different. He is helpful in every situation, though his thoughts are all about boobs. He will do whatever he need to do(remember the first season when he went to customers by bike).

All in all I can say that this title is based on really good characters that not every ecchi and even not every modern anime has. The plot is interesting too though we've seen this lots of times. So the score is 7.6 ~ 8. You should see it to know the difference between the average ecchi(which is not good) and good ecchi(wich is really good).

Warning possible Spoilers

Making it to a third season is definitely a rare sight and even rarer for a harem series and seeing DxD reach this shows how great of a show it truly is.

The third season continues with Issei and the others as they enjoy their summer by going to the underworld, but their time for relaxation is cut short by the Asgardian known as Loki.
What I like about each season is that it expands more and more of the world it is set in as the first season we had devils, angels and fallen angels, the second season we had vampires introduced and now ... we have the Norse Gods in this realm and it was fun seeing Odin and Loki yet no Thor we see his hammer, but not the God of thunder himself.
Once again the third season is split into 2 arcs the first concentrates on Koneko much like with Kiba in season 2 and we get to see Issei and the others fight against Loki whereas the second half gives a little more concentration on Asia and Ria's along with the Chaos Brigade mischievous actions.
This is also the first time we get to see the underworld which actually looks pretty nice compared to other illustrations, but we also get to see more of the devils culture and how they live.

Now the characters get further development this series along with a few new additions.
Issei has gotten to point now where he can use his full dragon armour with ease now allowing him to take on tougher foes, but we also get to see the full extent of his rage and powers if anything bad was to happen to the girls or his friends.
Ria's in this series starts to accept the girls affection towards Issei a bit more this season and actually becomes more paranoid about Issei's feelings towards which leads to her being the final boss of this season which certainly seemed surprising.
Asia gets a little more screentime too and even shows how powerful she is too since after she was rescued by Issei he went into a coma and she managed to use her powers to break him out of it which showed how far she was willing to risk herself to save Issei.
Akeno encounters her father and at first avoids him, but thanks to Issei she tries to reconcile with him so they can rebuild their father-daughter relationship.
Koneko definitely gets the most attention as we get more insight on her past and it is revealed that she is a neko which just immediately increased her cuteness levels, but you see how sad her life was before she meet Ria's and how afraid she was about using her special powers she was born with plus with Issei helping her out her affection for him finally appeared, although she still thinks he is a pervert.
There are some new characters introduced although they don't have as much impact as previous characters have they were still decent additions.
Rossweisse is Odin's security guard who he leaves behind so she stays at Issei's place with the other girls, she is a very fragile person especially when it comes to her love life, but when the fighting gets going she'll definitely kick some ass with her badass Valkyrie armour.
We even get introduced to Koneko's sister Kuroka who unlike her sister is evil and definitely flirtatious especially around Issei, but she does what she does because she wants to protect her sister.
The villains in this series certainly don't last very long as soon as they are introduced they are either killed taken captive very quickly, but it felt funny as they monologue how powerful they are and they just get cut down instantly.

The artstyle was given new boundaries this season since the new locations we went too looked pretty damn good like the underworld which looked very nice compared to other representations, but the area where the group fights Loki certainly looked lifeless and then there is the dimensional gap which looks like a barren wasteland of colours it was very pretty to look at.

The fanservice was again very enjoyable and the comedic moments in this series had some great moments that left me laughing like when Issei says to Ria's "Let me poke them Titties" that just left me laughing at how funny and cringey it was.

The action again was very entertaining and we even got to see some giant monster battles which was a spectacle to see along with when Issei went complete berserk dragon mode and destroyed everything in his path which just left me in awe of how powerful he can be if anyone messes with the people he dearly cares about.

Overall this was a great third series and hopefully whenever season 4 arrives this journey will continue to make me laugh and smile while also getting to see some excellent looking female characters.

The series works like a childish anime for adults. Replace pokemon with boobies and that's essentially how the show works. The action scenes are amazing and are very well done. However, what is great about High School Dxd and this season in particular. This anime is a great example of it's not about the destination. It's about the journey. By focusing on Issei's pervertedness and at the same time how he cares about the characters in the story. The show doesn't have to quickly add in fight scenes to be good. I think it's expected to an extent, and there are fans that enjoy that. ... Essentially, because the anime is good at multiple things it never gets stale and I always enjoyed the show which is saying something since it is a dub of japanese to english so some things don't always sound natural on the show. However, If you just get the general idea of some of the things they were thinking when they made the show it is very entertaining.