Animation:
DxD's revival includes a few animation touch ups including a slightly crisper look in addition to new characters. Expect a lot of scenes with a lot of emphasis on dark blues, purples, and magenta. The character styling is extremely similar to the first season and you can expect all major players to return. Looking back, tits aside, DxD really does have outstanding character designs.
This season feels almost as if it has even more action than the first. Now that character backgrounds are complete, the show focuses on quite a few fights. Expect a lot of magic attack spamming, divine circles everywhere, and, oh, ripped clothes everywhere; there are a lot of effects in this show, almost Valvrave levels of colored particles in many battles. The choreography isn't anything special but the battle progression keeps things interesting. I don't think there was as much death and blood as in the first season but I guess everyone is technically stronger at this point (foes included). Conveniently, defeated opponents simply "vanish' into thin air rather than being reduced to a pile of bloody flesh. With all the additional action, don't think they've skimped on ecchi. They're giving you a two hit combo with this one, more action AND more ecchi. From the very first minute of the show all the way through the final climax, expect topless girls. Granted, Issei's power seems to be driven by his libido so it sort of makes sense. In summary, expect a lot of "action" and "exposure" to keep you amused and entertained throughout the show.
Sound:
Interestingly, they decided to go with two OPs and EDs for this season-long show. Unfortunately, this is one category in which I think the first season did a better job. Both the new OPs are lighter j-pop songs that don't feel like they reflect the show as much as the first season's OP. The series also has two EDs sung by the female cast, the second of which feels more playful and in line with what one would expect with this series. The BGM is supportive but, like the first season, completely forgettable.
The VA cast returns for another strong performance. There are too many good performances here to give shoutouts but the majority of the female cast in general are great and give ample personality to their respective characters. Likewise, you can expect a lot of Gurren Lagann-inspired shouting from the male cast.
Story:
The second season builds off the ending of the first season. Having saved Rias from an forced marriage, Issei is now even more the center of Rias's attention. Unfortunately, soon a confrontation between the three major powers (demons, angels, and fallen angels) forces Issei to hold off on his harem.
Like the first season, we get two main arcs. The first arc focuses on Kiba's past and holy swords, which can severely damage demons with merely a slight cut. The second arc focuses on the mythical dragons contained within sacred gears like that of Issei. Each arc has its own rising action and climax though the second arc builds off of the first one to an extent.
Considering the wildly fiction-based story, I think the studio did a great job at making all the story elements accessible. While some of the antagonists are the standard, overused crazy power-hungry type, it doesn't feel too far off given that the protagonist is shallow and driven primarily by his lust for his female companions. Repeatedly hearing "boost" as a reaction to his drive to win battles so he can fondle boobs was quite entertaining. Few protagonists can proclaim such a simple, clear goal.
While there is a clear conclusion for this action-packed season, it is pretty clear that the show is aiming for a third season. And if this season is any indication of what's to come, I'm looking forwards to it.
Character:
There isn't nearly as much development in this category as in the first season. This season focuses on Kiba primarily, in addition to setting the background for new characters that will probably play a big role in the next season. Issei does get a lot of quality time (and physical contact) with Rias and her female peerage members so you definitely get a fair amount of harem-play.
If there's anything to complain about, it's that some of the new characters feel kind of thrown in artificially as if it were a last minute decision to include them; they feel completely underutilized and underdeveloped. That aside, this series gives you a diverse and entertaining cast. And if you're tired of the nice, male lead archetype that has to rely on the girls to do everything for him, you'll definitely like Issei's "just do it" attitude.
Value:
This was a fun and entertaining watch that further develops DxD's story line and answers some of the questions I had at the end of the first season. Assuming you can deal with the partial nudity, this is probably as good a combo of likable characters, action, ecchi, and character development as you'll get from this genre. Highly recommended for fans of the first season.
