Review of High School DxD

Warning possible Spoilers Usually whenever I watch a Harem it's mostly the same thing, but there are few that I consider gems because they don't just focus on the fanservice and this is definitely one of them. The story begins with Issei Hyoudou a regular teenage pervert desperately looking for a girlfriend then suddenly his wish is answered, but it was a trap as the girl he liked was actually a fallen angel and attempted to kill him, however Issei was saved by the Devil known as Ria's Gremory and from this point Issei's life would forever change for the better. Now surprisingly for a Harem anime itactually has a pretty interesting story as it concentrates on the world of Devils and Angels along with the addition of a third party called Fallen Angels, getting to know each of their societies and history was actually very interesting to learn, during this season it mainly focuses on the Devils and the different houses they have along with the different roles that the members have whose powers are very similar to the pieces on a chess board.
The first season focuses on two arcs the first is about Issei and Asia's introduction to the Occult Research Club and pretty much what the rules are and the jobs they have to do since they are servants of Ria's, but it also focuses on the Fallen Angels who attacked Issei and wish to use the powers Asia has since they are very rare.
The second half focuses more on Ria's and her forced marriage to Riser Phoenix, the battle between the two houses shows how well Issei and the others worked together as there is some strategy involved in the fights that do happen in the series, it also shows how determined Issei is to protect Ria's and the other's in the club.

Now the characters were great out of all the harem anime's I've seen this definitely has the best mix of characters.
Issei is the male MC and is a really perverted guy, but despite his perverseness he actually does care for his other teammates and is willing to die to protect them no matter what the situation is, he also gains the powers of the Scared Gear known as Boosted Gear which actually has the Red Dragon Emperor known as Ddraig who helps Issei learn the powers of the Boosted Gear.
Ria's Gremory is the female MC and the leader of the Occult Research Club, even though she has an amazing figure she definitely shouldn't be underestimated because Ria's is certainly a badass and will use her powers to protect her servants, she is actually a very kind person and always wants to make sure her servants are safe from harm, she is also a good leader too as she always plans out a strategy whenever her team enters a battle with another Devil House.
Asia Argento is actually a nun of the catholic church that Issei befriends until she is captured by the Fallen Angels who wanted her rare ability called Twilight Healing that is until Issei and the others came to help her and after that she joined Ria's House as one of her servants. Asia is a shy, innocent and is fairly inexperienced at socialising which makes such an adorable character and her interactions with Issei and the other club member really helps prove this.
Akeno Himejima is Ria's Queen and is pretty much the most powerful member alongside Ria's, she is a very flamboyant character always teasing Issei (and us the audience) with her figure, but that doesn't mean she can be serious because if you get in her way you probably won't survive.
Koneko Toujou is the loli and Tsundere of the group she is also Ria's Rook and despite being small she has incredible strength as she is able to throw objects easily and has a powerful punch which she uses on Issei a couple of times because of his pervy nature.
Yuuto Kiba the other male character of the group is Ria's Knight and is considered the best looking guy in Kuou Academy by the ladies which makes Issei jealous of him until he knows he is working for Ria's, since they are the only male characters they get on very well and Kiba has a strong heart towards the protection of his friends.
Now High School DxD isn't known for having strong villains, but they get the job done. Raynare is the main villain for the first half of the series and is a Fallen Angel, despite her revealing outfit she is actually pretty powerful that is until Issei kicks her ass, Riser is the main villain for the second half of the series and is a very cruel person not caring much for his servants other than sexual desires and his overconfidence of his powers eventually led to his downfall, then finally there is the guy known as Freed Sellzen who is an Exiled Exorcist he's that type of villain you hate and like at the same time because his overzealous personality really made for some funny yet aggravating moments.

Now the artstyle was pretty good as the powers each member of Gremory team has were pretty damn cool especially Issei's Boosted Gear which does change from a metallic glove to a full bodied suit which was epic to look at, the uniforms were actually pretty slick and the characters looked well designed too especially the female characters, the intro and outro were actually surprisingly catchy and just didn't seem like something you would skip.

Now the fanservice is what we all came for and it is pretty consistent, but it doesn't take me out of the show like other Ecchi anime's, all the female characters had well made figures yes even Asia and Koneko and it really did make for some funny comedic moments which included the greatest power of all time which is the dress break power that Issei eventually learns which means he could break girls clothes just by touching them and this is certainly a power all men want.

The action compared to other Harem anime's wasn't just mindless punching and throwing yourselves at the enemy there was actually some strategy to it like when Ria's house was up against Riser's house, before they started fighting Ria's made sure to send her best people to the right areas and this felt really satisfying that they were coming up with plans and not just blindly running into the fire.

Overall this is a fantastic show, if you're into Ecchi/Harems then you need to check this one out and it won't disappoint you because trust me I've had quite a taste of Harem anime's and none have surpassed this one.