Disclaimer: This is a SPOILERFREE review of the first season of High School DxDhttps://anilist.co/anime/11617/HighSchoolDxD/. Rather than a review this is meant to serve as an elongated personal impression. I bring up very subjective points and relate DxD to other anime however I hope you enjoy reading this nonetheless. High School DxD is notorious for its copious amounts of ecchi however lewd fanservice is not the only thing it can provide. It most certainly does not deliver a groundbreaking revolutionary story but it does deliver some good entertainment. Although its not on par with Toaru High School DxD will possibly go down in my book as one of my favorite battle harem series. Personally Im not a fan of most battle shounen but I must say that High School DxD has some aspects that I love about them. Even though High School DxD is in reality an ecchi battle series the anime adaptation holds much more than that. https://i.ur.com/yF8NDWO.png The story of High School DxD is nothing complex yet it is not extremely simple. Its not something that will make you reevaluate your life choices after all it is still an ecchi battle harem series. However DxD does have its fair share of lore. Im not saying that it contains elements that revolutionize the world of storytelling and I cannot talk about the story too much without spoiling anything. In terms of the source material High School DxDs first season does not deviate from the light novel too much. For the average viewer this should not matter. It might have added some bits and removed others but that does not take away from the enjoyment factor. Fights in this anime are also a joy to watch. It may not be ufotable quality but it most certainly isnt bad. The pacing in this anime is just right. Its not like High School DxD starts with Issei hanging out with his friends and then the next episode hes the ultimate being squaring up with God or something like that. https://i.ur.com/7zdl6N1.png The characters in this show fit into tropes and it is very apparent. Tropes in anime are definitely not a bad thing in fact they are most certainly welcomed in my book. But people have different tastes so they may not be enjoyable. First off I want to talk about Issei Hyoudouhttps://anilist.co/character/50387/IsseiHyoudou our main protagonist. Im sure many teenagers have had their own Issei stage in their life. You know what Im talking about the stage where all one can think about is the body of the opposite sex. Issei Hyoudou has that vibe of your average perverted highschooler with a generic shounen protagonist thrown into the mix. However when I say generic shounen protagonist I dont mean the Im going to fight things for absolutely no reason kind of shounen protagonist. The point is Issei is somewhat likable due to his moderately relatable character. Along with the main character the main heroines of the series are also pretty likable in my opinion. After all what is a harem without its heroines? I wont talk about them too much but I will say that they do fit into stereotypical anime archetypes. For example Riashttps://anilist.co/character/50389/RiasGremory and Akenohttps://anilist.co/character/51347/AkenoHimejima both fit the older sister archetype Asiahttps://anilist.co/character/51335/AsiaArgento fits the younger sister archetype and Konekohttps://anilist.co/character/51343/KonekoToujou fits the kuudere archetype. Personally my favorite character was Asia Argento due to her role in the story. The point is the characters arent dull but they are not vibrant. Furthermore Id like to talk about the voice actors. In my opinion the voice actors in this show did a great job at their respective roles especially Yuuki Kajihttps://anilist.co/staff/95672/YuukiKajis performance as Issei Hyoudou. At first I didnt think his voice fit the character but it grew on me fast. His performance really sells Issei Hyoudous character. Also the character design in this show is also nice. For instance I really like how Yuuto Kibahttps://anilist.co/character/51345/YuutoKiba looks in the ending sequence. https://i.ur.com/cTgk6Vv.png https://i.ur.com/hg7Ew4j.png Speaking of Kiba in the ending Id like to take my time to talk about High School DxDs infamous ending. It may be an overstatement but the visuals of the ending sequence are astounding. The animation itself flows extremely well and it glues my eyes to the screen like hypnosis. Its mesmerizing. Im not saying this because of the lecherous visuals it just flows extremely well with the combination of the song. The ending song itself is in my opinion a great song. Both the ending visuals and the song itself can stand on their own. I understand that this does not add to the overall plot of High School DxD but it surely adds some points to the adaptation. https://i.ur.com/JJ9IncA.png Along with the ending sequence the soundtrack and opening sequence are joys to the ears. Im very glad that I have the ability to hear in order to listen to this soundtrack. Its not a Kevin Penkin or Sawano Hiroyuki masterpiece but the soundtrack is splendid. The way everything in the soundtrack is orchestrated is beautiful in my opinion. For example the main combat theme Utsukushiku Akaihttps://youtu.be/yNTCKiR5Ofwfeatures a violin that gives off majestic vibes attacking the ears with flurries of alluring melodies. The soundtrack itself is one of my favorite things about the show. Also the opening sequence is great its one of those openings that I would listen to in my spare time. I dont know how I would explain the opening song in text so Ill leave this nice song herehttps://youtu.be/NA6kahymBUk. https://i.ur.com/Q7eWzah.png High School DxDs ecchi factor is most likely the reason why many people came to watch this show. When the term ecchi anime pops up chances are that High School DxD pops up in some peoples heads. While DxD does contain heavy ecchi elements breasts are not shoved in the viewers face every ten seconds at least in season one. However it does have lewd moments in scenes that do not need it. The ecchi factor in this anime is not extremely overbearing but it is not subtle. https://i.ur.com/ukZeKgg.png In general High School DxD is an enjoyable experience. I recommend it for fans of ecchi harem and action. While DxDs action and ecchi balance may not be the best in the world it most certainly isnt the worst. The characters and the soundtrack are the stars of the show and I would totally rewatch the first season for them alone. While the series is enjoyable it isnt exactly groundbreaking. So I give High School DxD a: 7.5/10 kuma https://i.kymcdn.com/photos/images/original/000/928/867/69b.gif https://i.ur.com/HQx1rOA.png