High School DxD BorN – 20 Question Anime Review (Moderate Spoilers)

What’s the show? High School DxD BorN (2015).

Oh yeah, the demon boob show, you reviewed season 1 a while ago, so why are we reviewing this one now? Oh no reason…

It’s because there’s a new season airing soon isn’t it, and you thought might drive more readers to the site? Maaaybeee—

Right, so obviously you have something to say otherwise this would just be a rehash of the first season’s review? Indeed I do, because this, the third season of High School DxD, is actually quite disappointing.

Don’t cry, it’s not all bad!

Wait, 3rd season? What about the 2nd season? You haven’t done a review for that yet?! You want a review High School DxD Season 2 (a.k.a High School DxD New)? Okay, it’s pretty much the same as the first, it’s fun and entertaining and full of fan-service and interesting characters and good action and world-building. 89 out of 100.

Okay… thanks I guess? Well you asked for it!

This was hilarious btw.

I did, I did. Wait, season 2 was called ‘New’ wby is season 3 called ‘BorN’? No idea…

Well what do you know? I know that whoever was responsible for this season really dropped the ball. Like it’s kind of maddening, how that all the pieces were in place and yet there’s oh so many flaws with the execution.

Such as? Well first and most glaringly is the show just keeps adding more and more characters which might be fine if you’re reading the light novel version and you have chapters and chapters and even whole books to get to know about them, but in the show they are thrown in so quickly and in later episodes we’re even introduced to characters who are like seriously important and influential figures who’ve been secret masterminds behind things from as early back as season one only for them to be killed off in a single scene!

And to be fair this was one of the rare action scenes that was actually impressive.

Yikes, that does sound pretty bad. And I can’t speak for the source material because I haven’t read it, but I have to assume that so many of these big battle scenes had to at least go on longer in the books because otherwise I have to wonder what the point of them even is! Because in the show it doesn’t feel like they’re truncated because that’s how they’re supposed to be it feels like they’re abbreviated for budgetary reasons. And I get it, animating massive battles with a dozen main characters all with different powers and transformations fighting towering fantasy creatures would be expensive but if that’s the case then don’t put so much content into the season in the first place!

Oh noes the main character is dead in episode 3 of the series, I totally believe this…

How do you mean? This season feels so rushed, like I appreciate they probably wanted to have some pretty key dramatic moments in but they’re put in at the expense of making a well-paced story. Say what you will about seasons 1 and 2 but they never felt like they were skipping over things or cutting corners but here it just feels so lazy! Which is a shame because…

Because? The harem-y stuff is as good as it’s ever been, like the episodes that are at school or at home are genuinely fun to watch, even the irl waifu—who yes is still watching the show with me even after all the gratuitous fan-service and harem nonsense—was relieved when the show stopped being the confusing, rushed mess it was during the action and story oriented episodes and went back to the light-hearted, comedic toned harem episodes.

She’s just the best.

So it’s still got its head in the game as it were? I’ll take it that that’s some sort of crude innuendo.

Ahem, what I mean is that the show is still doing the whole harem thing right then? For the most part, just…

More of her please.

Just what? They kinda ruined Koneko.

Oh? How? Well she was always the one who was the most resistant to Issei, constantly calling him out on his pervertedness. While never full tsundere, the fact that she didn’t really want anything to do with him was a part of her charm. And that goes out the window here. Also they made her a cat girl, because of course they did. (And yes, I know it was foreshadowed because of her name, but it’s still kinda dumb).

Ugh.

So the harem grows ever further. I wouldn’t mind if it’d had taken the whole season for Koneko to warm to Issei, but it’s like a single episode from her being cold and critical to her sitting on his lap and purring. Like guys, you can have her be attracted to him and not make it upend her character, just do it gradually!

Sounds like you don’t have much positive to say for the show. Not true! The rest of the characters are great, there’s enough growth to make it feel like they’re not stagnating while enough humour to alleviate whatever inherent creep factor comes from the idea of a harem. There’s glimmers of the show it used to be and it’s almost worth it for that alone.

She’s still cool! Sometimes… rarely…

So with season 4 on the horizon are you hopeful? I just hope they have enough restraint to not rush the action and increasingly convoluted plot and focus on what made the show so great in the first place. But yes, I am hopeful.

Final score and recommendation? It’s hard to do a recommendation for a third season of something because let’s face it, if you’re reading this you’ve either already watched it and have your own opinion on it or never will watch it. So basically this is just my verdict on the season and an arbitrary numerical score attached to it. The problems of the show only compound when it comes to the plot and are alleviated by the light-hearted harem parts. But ultimately it’s the characters and their interactions and growth that has me coming back. 72 out of 100.

Ahem.

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5 Things I Learned or Want to Learn From Anime – Untold Questions

And this is? I straight up stole this blog idea from RemyFool, but basically it’s just a list of 5 things that, like the title says, I learned or wanted to learn because of Anime. It’s like a thought exercise or something…

Okay… so this is just a blog post and not an awards thing or review. Yeah! Pretty much, I mean when I want to talk I’m gonna’ talk!

Should I be worried? Well if things get a little R-rated, a little risqué, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Fair enough, so what’s the first thing?

#5        (I want to learn to…) Write a light novel.

This quote applies to SO many things in life.

This one seems obvious, at least to me. I’ve written a novel, but a western novel, and as much as I love it for what it is, a part of me just desperately wants to write a light novel for Japanese audiences (and of course Western otakus). I’ve got a few ideas that are itching to get out, but of course the hardest part is actually getting started and sticking with it. (Anime that evoked this reaction: A Sister’s All You Need, Eromanga-sensei)

Light novel, huh? I bet it’s something perverse knowing you… Shhhhh.

#4        (I Learned…) How to cook Japanese food.

Rice cooker is king.

I’ve always been a bit of a gourmet, I do all the cooking at home and that’s no exaggeration; the kitchen is mine and will always be mine! Watching anime though taught me a lot more discipline in the kitchen than I was used to and my cuisine has improved all the more for it. Also my love of rice has increased a hundred fold because of anime! (Anime that evoked this reaction: Food Wars, Toradora, Himouto! Umaru-chan!)

Okay there rice boy, what’s next?

#3        (I want to learn to…) BE MYSELF! 

Yes, that’s me, admiring the oppai that adorns the streets of Akihabara.

When I was last in Japan and specifically Akihabara I felt so at ease with who I was that it was like a revelation. But then returning to the west I became introverted again, afraid of admitting who I was to the outside world. Yes I still wear anime shirts to the grocery store, sporting best girls on my phone case, but I’m still super aware of people around judging me for it. I just need to learn to be myself and not care that someone is looking at me weird for it. (Anime that evoked this reaction: A Sister’s All You Need, No Game No Life, OreImo, Yuru Yuri, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid)

I’m judging you, but not because you’re an anime fan, but because you’re a pervert. There’s a difference. You ain’t seen nothing yet!

 

#2        (I learned…) that nipples are really sensitive!

Yes. Yes I do.

Okay this one is kinda dumb, I just wanted to say something rude… but you know what, anime seems really obsessed with the power of stimulating a woman’s nipple! Maybe it’s just because they’re allowed to show a nipple being “entertained” but not the other spot of a woman that is sensitive to touch. But yeah, the nipple can produce a pretty strong reaction, that much I’ve learned for sure. #TMI (Anime that evoked this reaction: Valkyrie Drive, High School DxD)

Good to see I wasn’t off base with that pervert comment before… It’s just the human body, man! There’s nothing perverse about it, man!

Quiet, hippy! And what’s number one, dare I ask?

#1        (I want to learn to…) Live a life that’s not dependent on corporations. 

The simple life, with not a Paris or Nicole to be seen!

This one is perhaps the most unrealistic, and the most vague, and the most not me. I mean, who am I kidding, I love being able to buy anything online at the touch of a button, or have the convenience of fast food chains to feed me or something as easily forgotten as the worlds entire knowledge on a phone. But a part of me wants to live the simple life, a life not ruled by schedule and not assisted by powerful corporations that offer the world at the expense of something personal. (Anime that evoked this reaction: No-Rin, Dagashi Kashi)

I kind of feel like you cheated with this list. What do you mean?

Well, there’s certainly a lot of abstract concepts here. I expected things like ‘I want to learn how to play Shogi’. Oh but I do want to learn to play ‘Shogi’! Except, well I know I won’t because I haven’t learnt actual Chess, so Japanese Chess is just as unlikely.

And it wasn’t particularly R-rated, either… Well it’s not like I can learn how to be in a monster girl harem. That’s a precious gift that few are afforded!

Well that’s enough of this for today! If you got this far, congratulations! And feel free to steal this format of questions like I stole it from RemyFool! Thanks for reading!

20 Question Weekly Review Week Ending 18th February 2018

So we’re doing another one of these, huh? And so soon after the first. They’ll be happening every Monday(ish) from now on, last weeks was only later in the week because I had the idea to do it later in the week. Besides, lots of anime and manga related things this past week to talk about!

And some personal stuff? Yeah sure, and some site news too.

Let’s start with something other than what currently airing anime you watched, since I’m guessing it’ll be the same as last week. Very astute, also correct.

So you got some anime merch last week? How’d you know?

Well if I didn’t know I couldn’t ask you questions and this whole blog format would be unsustainable. True. And yes! I did get some anime merch from amazon.co.jp. I got myself a Rias Gremory ‘High School DxD Born’ tapestry and an ‘Amagi Brilliant Park’ noren (Japanese door curtain) both for my anime room.

I have no shame.

I’ve yet to divide the curtain yet as it requires cutting the curtain down the middle, I don’t trust myself to do it right.

Cool. And you got some new manga this week too? Yes, here’s a picture because I mean you don’t really need me to write out the titles right?

I should be sponsored by Seven Seas Entertainment considering how many of their manga I buy!

I’m sure we’ll manage, thanks. Um… I do notice a common theme with those covers though. Oh yeah?

Lot of ‘cute girls’, huh? I know what I like.

Fair enough, what manga did you finish reading last week? Well I read Volume 1 of ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life’ which was expectantly cute and occasionally funny but as expected for a 4-panel manga was lacking in a satisfying story to carry my interest. Unlike most manga, which I read in a single sitting it, took three separate days to finish it.

Not much of a recommendation. Well I’ll probably read the other volumes just because I like the characters and universe so much, but it’s nothing special.

What else? I also read Volume 1 of ‘Sundome’, which is a delightfully twisted and considerably erotic tale with a much darker art style than I’m used to but I still enjoyed it a lot. But, my favourite thing of the week was Volume 1 of ‘Yokai Girls’, very much my kind of thing, monster girls + really inappropriate humour and situations + Akihabara set = love it! Definitely not for everyone, so I can’t really recommend it unless you’ve got a dirty sense of humour and like lots of really detailed fan-service… ahem.

No context for you! Unless I decide to review manga one day.

As expected, I suppose. So copy/paste what new anime you’re watching from last week just change the episode number? Pretty much. Episode 7 of: A Place Further Than The Universe, Citrus, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, Marchen Madchen, Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles, Pop Team Epic, Slow Start, Yuru Camp. And episode 6 of: Dagashi Kashi 2, Darling in the FranXX and Mitsuboshi Colors.

Still the same scores/opinions as last week? Kind of. Slow Start had a phenomenally interesting episode 7, which I talk about at length here. Pop Team Epic #7 was a bit more consistently funny that previous episodes, I loved the live-action ‘Hellshake Yano’ bit, very well done. Dagashi Kashi 2 Episode 7 introduced new characters and went heavy with the plot, which makes it all the more annoying these are only 12-minute episodes. Marchen Madchen Episode 7 went full deus-ex machina, but whatever I still like it enough to keep watching. Citrus episode 7 amps up the drama and is heading in all kinds of fun directions. Other than those everything else is of the same quality as last week.

Even if you don’t like the show, it’s worth watching this ‘segment’ alone.

Good to hear! Any other anime you watched this week? Yes, lots! Finished season 1 of Haikyu!! Expect a review in a couple of weeks. Binged all of Classroom of the Elite and wrote a review, expect a review of that one very soon. And some other things that I’ll keep secret for reasons…

Is it hentai? It’s not hentai.

Sure, sure. So what’s new in your life? Time to get personal, huh? Well I’ve been a bit down lately, due to not having a job. Money is rapidly becoming an issue. So I’ll have to do something about that soon.

But what about all the things you bought? Well not that I need to explain myself to you, but birthday money + selling things on eBay in order to help finance my anime/manga spending habits.

Fair enough! And you mentioned something about blog news? Well not so much ‘news’ as just housekeeping. First of all big thanks to my followers, I’ve hit 25 followers which is honestly very nice and I appreciate everyone who likes and comments on my reviews. Secondly, I’ve been nominated to do some blogging awards, which is very humbling. I probably won’t do them for a few weeks though as I’m going to have to make a ‘miscellaneous’ blog section on the site to accommodate them but I don’t want it to seem like it’s just tacked on, I want it to feel like it belongs within the context of the site.

Anything else? Well I know I promised these weekly reviews wouldn’t impede on the daily ’20 Question Anime Reviews’ but these seem to take a lot longer to do than normal reviews. So there may come a time when Monday’s only have a Weekly Review blog and not both. But not this week! So expect a review later today!

Okay then, so how would you rate the week ending the 18^th of January? With regard to anime and manga it was good often very good, personally not so much, but hopefully things will turn around soon! Thanks for reading!

Highschool DxD – 20 Question Anime Review (Mild Spoilers)

What’s the show? Highschool DxD?

And what’s it about? Broadly, an uneasy three-way truce between Angels, Demons and Fallen Angels and trying to keep that truce lest all hell breaks loose and everyone on Earth is subjected to a war of biblical proportions.

Hey, that sounds kind of cool, a bit like ‘Supernatural’? ‘Supernatural’, oh you mean the one-season anime about two brothers travelling across America killing demons?

No I mean the (as of this writing) 13 season, US live-action TV show, about two brothers travelling across America killing demons. If it’s not anime, I don’t care.

Anyway, so you said that’s what the show is broadly about so what is it really about? Boobs!

Of course it is. Is it a harem anime? Yes, and one of the best ones at that.

So what quantifies a good harem anime over a bad one? A likable male protagonist, female characters who are genuinely good friends with each other and have interests other than the protagonist. Plus having a genuinely interesting and well-developed story as a backdrop to the harem shenanigans is always a big winner.

So it’s a good story too then? Hey, it’s legitimately so good that you could make an edit of the show without any fan service or harem subplots and the show would still stand up on it’s own.

What is the plot then? Just quickly. Hyodo Issei is a bit of a loser and quite a lot of a pervert when one day he is killed by a fallen angel because he secretly possess a great powerful and ancient weapon. He is resurrected by demon, President of the occult research society and all around flawless specimen Rias Gremory who sees in him great potential and decides to train him as a part of her household.

Would you say the harem side of the show is unnecessary? The harem side of the story contributes to the plot; it makes sense in-universe why all these powerful girls would be attracted to him and none of the girls are in love with him just because of what he is but rather non-supernatural things, like his kindness or his braveness or his determination or his compassion.

Cool, and so you mentioned something about boobs before? Oh yeah! Issei is kind of a fiend when it comes to boobs, his story arc for the first season is that he wants to touch Rias Gremory’s boobs – consensually of course.

A-ha… what was that about ‘kindness, braveness, determination and compassion’ before? Hey! You can be all those things and a pervert; they’re not mutually exclusive.

So who’s your best girl? Rias Gremory is the easy pick, just because we get so much more of her back-story than any of the other girls, though that changes as things go on. As of season one Rias is best girl but I reserve the choice to change my mind come future seasons.

Changing best girl? Isn’t there some kind of rule about that? Is there?

I don’t know… I thought I could be cool and pretend like I knew something about anime that you didn’t. You’ll never be as cool as me.

If being ‘cool’ means owning an anime body pillow then I think I’ll pass. Don’t you talk bad about my Rize-chan!

Ahem, so you mentioned other seasons? Three seasons, soon to four come mid-2018.

That’s a lot of boobs! You’re telling me!

Any thing else to say about Highschool DxD? Even if the idea of harem and fanservice heavy anime isn’t all that appealing to you, there are enough interesting plot points, exciting action scenes and well-developed characters to carry the show through. If however you are into fanservice and beautiful girls and the kind of humour that can come from a well-written harem, then Highschool DxD is heartily recommended. 88 out of 100.

Heh, 88 looks like two sets of boobs. Now who’s the pervert?