High School DxD Hero Episode 11 – Anime QandA Review

What’s the show? High School DxD Hero, Episode 11.

Last episode the Rating Game was just heating up, more of the same only bigger this time? Bigger, louder, more action, more destruction—less boobs though…

Oh dear, is someone missing his gratuitous anime fan-service? It’s just unexpected to go this long without a bare boob in sight—okay there’s a ‘flashback’ to some breasts but it lasts like a second and a flashback doesn’t count!

Barely three questions in and things have derailed. Good job! If you’re still reading this, kudos to you and my sincerest apologies…It comes with the show, besides everyone reading this already knows what to expect from me, it should come as no surprise…

Couldn’t at leasthave waited ‘til the back half of the review to talk about boobs though? At least feigned a semblance of common decency?It was forefront in my mind writing this review and so now it is on paper… err, screen.

So what happens in the episode exactly? Roseweiss, Kiba and Xenovia fight against Sairaorg—and lose of course, but not before they take one of his arms off for the trouble. As a result Sairaorg has to use their team’s one and only ‘Pheonix Tear’ to regrow it in order to be at full strength against Issei. And that in essence was the best result they could have hoped for—they were horribly outgunned but at least Issei can go into the fight with the minor benefit of a ‘Phoenix Tear’ should he need to use one.

And now time for the main event? Not quite, Issei’s all “fired up” after watching Roseweiss, Kiba and Xenovia get beaten to within an inch of their respective lives and has a battle against one of Sairarog’s Rook’s. Issei warns the woman that he intends to fight with his full strength and we the audience are reminded that people can in fact die in the rating game if the hit is powerful enough to kill in one blow.

What? Does she die?! No of course not, Sairaorg withdraws her from the battle just as Issei’s punch is about to land—not wanting to risk the life of a team mate. And that’s a consistent thing this show emphasises about Sairaorg—he may be their opponent but he’s just as caring and sensitive about his team as Rias and Issei are about theirs. He’s a really good guy… but I still kind of want Issei to beat the crap out of him.

How come? The ego on Sairaorg is ridiculous—not unfounded though, he’s stupidly powerful—but still no one likes a gloater.

So now it’s time for the main event? Yes! Sairaorg proposes a team battle to close out the Rating Game, it’s Issei and Rias (with Asia on reserve) versus Sairaorg and newcomer Regulus Nemea, a dude who can turn into a giant Golden Lion or a battle axe or even a new set of armor (as we’ll see later).

Right. So what happens? Issei and Sairaorg exchange blows, and they seem pretty evenly matched—especially since Issei is so fired up. Rias however goes down against the Golden Lion and is bleeding to death; they call something of a time-out as Sairaorg admonishes Regulus for his actions and Issei uses the ‘Phoenix Tear’ to heal her. Sairaorg explains that he was only intending to use the Golden Lion’s “special abilities” if things got desperate but Issei is furious—he wants to face Sairaorg in his strongest form—only then will he be satisfied. Sairaorg accepts this challenge and the Golden Lion transforms into a Balance Breaker armour set called Regulus Rey Leather Rex (sounds like a bondage dinosaur) and the two again come to blows! But Issei is seemingly no match for Sairaorg’s super form and goes down quick.

“Maybe he’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline!”

Oh no! Is it all over? Not quite! In Issei’s mind palace—where the previous users of the Boosted Gear reside in spirit-form—they urge him to come to the dark-side and use Juggernaut Drive, the powerful—but incredibly dangerous over-powered mode that nearly killed him before. But Issei’s got something better up his sleeve, the power of oppai! Spurned on by the supportive shouts of “Oppai!” from the crowd and remembering who he really is (a pervert—his words not mine) and the supportive embrace of Rias, Issei prepares to fight back with his newfound strength and shows a powerful new form—Cardinal Crimson Queen! End of episode!

Well that was a more play-by-play style recap than I was expecting. It’s hard, when it’s something so action heavy you have to either focus on what’s on-screen or what you’re feeling while watching it.

Does that mean you weren’t feeling anythingwhile watching the episode? I was entertained, the episode went by soquickly—and that’s always a compliment for a show. I just hope we get at least a little bit of harem shenanigans in the next (and final) episode of the season! Other than the episode was an exciting, well-animated action spectacle with enough good character moments and development to not just be mindless violence.