Review of High School DxD
This is one of my favourite animes, especially in the ecchi, harem style. And as the other reviews mention, it has a LOT of ecchi. So if over-the-top, not even a little subtle, TnA is not your bag, you may want to give this a pass? I mean, the story, humour, and action are top notch, IMHO, but some fans just aren't interested in shows with this much, borderline softcore "service". Hehehe... *Ahem* Sorry, mind went somewhere else whilst remembering some scenes... *drool* *Ahem, take two* Sorry, I'll focus up. Now, the animation in the first season is, by far, my favourite. The following seasons get slickerand more CG which isn't my personal preference but understandable given the cost and extreme amount of work the artists put in to make these shows! I'm just happy they kept making more and hope they'll make more, still!
The sound is awesome! The first season's intro song, "Trip - Innocent of D", which was performed by Larval Stage Planning, is one of my favourite anime songs of all time. I think it's a combination of the music, the tempo (which is highly suited to this action anime), and the imagery of the opening sequence. This is when I, personally, truly became smitten by the female MC, Rias Gremory, as sooo many other fans obviously have, as well!
Issei, the male MC, has some character traits I found irritating but they are far from uncommon (perhaps part of the reason they irritate me, personally) in the genres of, ecchi, harem, and fantasy/action. He is highly perverted and painfully clueless and romantically gutless (as I said, common tropes) but those are really my main criticisms of the characters in the show.
Bottom line:
The show is fun! Rewatchable! LOTS of, most often big, anime tiddies! Surprisingly engaging story. Many strong feels, especially in the beginning!
Despite the flaws I personally felt existed, I found the characters engaging and the story surprisingly complex for the genre and full of emotional ups and downs.
Is it a classic? No.
Is it a "masterpiece" of anime? Hahaha... No.
Did I enjoy it so much that I've seen it more than any "masterpiece" anime? Hells ya!!!
I hope you enjoy it! (or avoid it, it the themes aren't your cup of tea. Nothing wrong with having different tastes and interests in our anime, right?)