Highschool DXD Review

Highschool DXD Review

Warning: The following review may contain spoilers. If you wish not to know some events in the story, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series, please leave the page, since I don't want to damage a watching experience for you.

With that said, thank you, and onto the review:

Some people's first reactions to this post will be this:

You might be thinking:

"Dazz, why on earth are you reviewing a fanservice show? Doesn't that seem too far away from your alley?"

Well, not really. I've been seeing shows with fanservice for a while now. I heard of the term since I went back to anime in 6th grade. There was some nudity in Tenchi Muyo. I think I can handle at least most of it, unless it reaches inappropriate levels.

My first experience with this, being Ikki Tousen Great Guardians, bombed. The show was too busy focusing on how many breasts and panties it could successfully jam down your throat before actually giving a f**k about the story, which was in the last 4 episodes. And of course, that was after I dropped the show.

Highschool Of The Dead is another example, but that isn't all fanservice and ERRMAHGAD BOOBIES. It at least has a story, and development. I haven't seen it all of it, but I can still tell a difference between a good fanservice show, and a bad one.

This series I figured had fanservice right off the bat, since I first saw it on Behind The Voice Actors in May 2013. People have been going up and down yelling "BESTHAREMEVERKSLAJFLKAJFLAKSJFLAKSJDLAJSFLKDSJFLASJFLAKSJ!" at the top of their lungs. So after getting a bit more maturity, and jamming out to the opening 5 million times, I decided to watch.

So, is it the best harem show ever?

While some aspects of the show are enjoyable, and I found myself surprised that I liked it, it isn't all sunshine and rainbows. We have Mr. Irrelevant, the main female lead being too PERFECT for me to like her, and the exploitation of a 12 year old. There is story though, and that's always a plus for these types of shows.

Let's see how our main hero Issei got surrounded by all these gorgeous women, shall we?

Story

Issei Hyodo's life sucks hard man! (No pun intended) Though a second year, he hasn't had any luck with the ladies and is still a virgin. This doesn't help by him also being a massive pervert. But one day, a random girl by the name of Yuma Amano asks him out on a date.

STRANGER DANGER! STRANGER DANGER!

But because Issei thinks with his d**k and not with his brain, he accepts the date anyway. Afterwards, Yuma reveals herself to actually be the fallen angel Raynare. Raynare was sent by the Fallen Angels to look after Issei due to power developing in his body. She stabs him with one of her swords before taking off. After this, Rias Gremory, a third year who is one of the most lusted girls in the school, revives him to serve in her devil family, along with her other pieces.

When Issei wakes up the next day, he is surprised to find that he is still alive. Raynare has wiped out her existence from the world as Yuma, being removed from his phone, and his perverted friends not remembering who she is. He runs into another fallen angel by the name of Dohnaseek, who almost kills Issei again. However, Rias arrives in the nick of time, and rescus him. Only to be found in his bed stark naked by Issei himself the next day.

Rias then tells him that his is a part of her chess pieces, along with other members. they go under The Occult Research Club, and hunt devils who has gone away from there masters. Rias is the next heir to the Gremory House, and Issei is her newly required piece. Though he may be a pawn, he has one powerful weapon. and a goal of wanting to have a harem.

The story unravels when a nun comes to town with a special Sacred Gear, and it captures the Fallen Angel's attention. Add this with a later forced engagement, and a powerful Raiding Game, and you got yourself one hell of a ride.

Anyways, the story for this series was kind of interesting. The way chess can play a factor in a battle, and the powers that everyone had were developed nicely for the first season. The first story arc was very engaging, and while the second arc wasn't as good, the last 2 episodes of the series were quite intense.

Sadly, some of the characters weren't developed as much as I would have liked, and sometimes, this show takes into regard that fanservice is its main selling point. This can become annoying, but I'll get into that later.

Exposition about chess and the past of the Devils, Fallen Angels, and Angels was interesting, but it wasn't shown a lot. I think maybe explaining the backstory, we could hear about other demon families that were destroyed. I would add some members of those families who are still alive, those would make good villains. ;)

Let's talk about the characters next:

Characters

The characters in Highschool DXD can be a hit or miss. Some of them are properly developed and are very engaging. while others are stock tropes with no personality or effort put to them.

Let's start with Issei:

Issei can be you typical anime pervert, and is a pawn on Rias's team of devils. Rias used up all of her pawns (8) to bring him back to life, along with other chess pieces.

His destiny is to be surrounded by girls, and become the Harem King. He can announce this goal in his mind at some weird moments, and sometimes, the English script makes his perverted dialogue kind of creepy. But Issei isn't all disgusting. He can have a good heart, and will do anything to protect the people who matter most to him, mainly Asia.

Issei's main power is the Boosted Gear, which a Sacred Gear that is attached to his left arm like a gauntlet. It holds the red dragon emperor named Ddraig, and can be powerful. In awesomeness or deus ex machina tropes, you can decide.

Before the Raiding Game, Issei develops a ability he calls Dress Break, which can be used to rip a women's clothes off. This becomes his main ability, and in Episode 10, it was fun to see Riser's pawns get defeated by this.

Overall, I did manage to like Issei if he wasn't in mega pervert mood. I like his streaks of compassion, and how he can be dead serious when protecting others.

Let's go to Rias next:

*sigh* This is going to be very conflicting.

While I do like some qualities of Rias, I can't really scream that she's the best in this entire show like other people. In reality, she's too much of this:

WHO THAT, WHO THAT! I-GG-Y!

I mentioned in my comedy posts, Rias is the prime example of a PERFECT anime character who has no flaws at all. Even past her family drama and her arranged marriage, she's clearly there to add a main female that will be TOTES OBVI that she and Issei will get together.

Yeah, don't you realize that? Rias and Issei are going to end up together later in the light novels anyways. But is that such a huge spoiler? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA F**K NO!

The whole harem now just feels unnecessary, considering that Akeno wants him, Asia wants him, and god knows how many other random girls they throw into this gimmick.

I would describe more of Rias, but all of her is pretty much perfection. So f**k it.

Asia's turn:

Asia is a 12 year old nun who has recently moved to Issei's town after being shunned away from her old one due to her Sacred Gear. Her Sacred Gear is Twilight Healing, a pair of rings that can help heal people when they get injuries. Raynare captures Asia after having a fun day with Issei, and steals her Sacred Gear by forcing out of her, thus causing her to die. Though after beating Raynare, Rias decides to revive her as a devil with a bishop piece as her powers might be useful.

After being resurrected as a devil, she moves into Issei's house, and attends school with him as well. She is very nice and gentle to Issei, and often gets jealous when Issei acts perverted to other girls. Though now a devil, Asia tries to pray to God, though she gets severe headaches while doing so.

I like Asia, and I believe she is the nicest character out of the show, as well as my favorite. Though she doesn't rank high due to the fact that she is constantly used as fanservice bait.

How so? Let me show you:

In Episode 3, while trying to protect Issei from being killed by Freed Sellzen, an exorcist, he used magic to rip the top half of her nun outfit off, along with her bra later on. Because screw what you learned in science class, right? He then goes on to slightly grope her boobs.

Asia is 12 years old.

When Twilight Healing's power is sucked out of her in Episode 4, the shock is so strong, it pops one of her breasts out of her dress. Because once again, screw logic. It somehow magically goes back in her dress when she is revived as a devil.

Asia is 12 years old.

Since we don't want her to feel left out of showing all the girls in their glory, you guessed it. They show Asia nude in Episode 8.

Asia is 12 years old.

In Episode 7, after Issei gets hit in his sack during a dodgeball game, Asia heals the injury above his pants. Later on, the show decides to shove her butt in your face, because why the hell not?

Asia is 12 F**KING YEARS OLD!

At least Ikki Tousen didn't subject this treatment to Koumei. Seriously? Does anyone want to see a 12 year old girl's boobs? Really?

I think it's a bit more creepy then Jormungand, where Jonah has a six pack. And he's around 12. Yeah, let that sink in.

Despite this, I still do like Asia as a character, but the fanservice kind of ruins it for me.

Let's move onto Akeno:

Akeno is the vice president of the Occult Research Club. She is a third year along with Rias, and has a normally happy-go-lucky attitude. However in battle, she can become quite sadistic, and enjoys her opponent's pain.

In the game of chess, Akeno serves as Rias's queen, and mainly uses lighting magic. During two battles, she also transforms into a shrine priestess outfit, though I'm not sure she does in Episode 2.

At first glance, Akeno was probably going to become my favorite character from this show. However, like many other characters, her back-story isn't developed. Good news is that it will happen next season, and it sounds so interesting. Though I still do like her.

Koneko's up now:

Koneko is the youngest member of the Occult Research Club being a first year, and is the rook in Rias's chess pieces. Her powers mainly rely on strength, as she can easily withstand crushing forces, and can kick with the best of them. She gets irritated by Issei's perverted brain, and besides that show no emotion.

Koneko is the last of the club to receive back-story, and that's in the fifth light novel. right now, she's a bit too stereo-typical, but she at least has more presence than our next character.

Now onto Mr. Irrevelevant. Opps, I mean Yuto Kiba.

I don't need to bother putting up a picture for Yuto, he's that boring. Yeah, he's memorable, but for the wrong reasons.

Yuto is GORGEOUS. Okay, not by Free standards, but still gorgeous. All the girls lust after him, because HAWT!

Yuto is Rias's knight, and he does help defeat a lot of Riser's pieces in the rating game. His Sacred Gear is Sword Birth, which helps him generate a f**kload of swords. But besides a few funny jokes, cool battles, and other stuff, Yuto could easily just be scrapped. I get that he gets development in season 2, but I'm not so sure it will change my opinion on him. He's just not memorable.

I'm just going to move on to Raynare:

There's better animated scenes with Raynare, because in Episode 4 she just looks choppy. See her in Episodes 1 and 5, she looks much more refined, and has a more sleek appearance.

Raynare is the first main villain of the show, and a good one at that. She first appears to Issei as the human girl Yuma Amano, and after a date with Issei, she kills him because of his developing power. After hearing about Twilight Healing, she steals it from Asia, and plans to use it to build up her power.

Supporting her plans are three other fallen angels who get beaten by Rias after they make fun of Issei. Dohnaseek, Karawarner, and Mittelt are interesting servants, but like other sides, don't get development.

Raynare is a much better villain than Riser, who just is a bit too perverted for me to care. I mean, he's in a arranged marriage with Rias, and still resorts to making out with his queen piece, and fondling her?

Other characters include Issei's perverted friends, Riser's younger sister, his chess pieces, the next heir of the Sitri family, her pawn, Rias's older brother, his wife who also serves as a maid to the Gremory household, Sona's queen. the red dragon emperor in Issei's boosted gear, Freed Sellzen (interesting side characters FTW), Issei's parents, and various clients that wish to form pacts. All of these customers are hilarious.

Animation

The animation for this series was done by TNK, a studio often well known for its fanservice works. Some turn out well, like Bladedance Of The Elementalers, and some don't pay off in the end, like Daimidaler,

Overall, the animation for this series looks rather nice. The characters all look great, and the hair is very shiny, mainly Rias. The fanservice does manage to look good as well, but the animation staff sometimes forget to turn there fanservice brains off, and add it in where it's not even necessary.

It's mainly directed to Asia, who shouldn't even be shown stark naked, but what mainly bothered me was Episode 9, when the club is out training. When Issei wakes up during the middle of the night, he encounters Rias, who is going out to read. Later, she tells him about the Devils, and her own status in the House of Gremory. It turns from a serious scene, to Rias's nipples being shown through the top half of her nightgown yelling "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

To be honest, this pissed me off. Look, I understand that this is a fanservice show, but why oh why does it have to be now? It's a important part of the back-story, do you want me not to care? Don't pull an Ikki Tousen on me, and use every single important moment of this show to flash some panties, okay?

Also, the clothes eating slime in Episode 7? WTF?

I'm not saying that the animation is all bad when it come to the fanservice department but sometimes, it just got a bit unnecessary. The fanservice easily sucked up most of TNK's budget, because at some moments in the show, the main animation doesn't look as good as it could be. But this can mainly be for characters in the background, or more relaxed scenes.

The show still has great animation, even though they re-use some shots. But it's not too bad, unlike the two openings of next season, where they re-used majority of the animation from opening 1, and transferred it to opening 2.

Sound

The score for this series was composed by Ryosuke Nakanishi, who is also known for composing the scores for Love Stage and The Devil Is A Part Timer.

The score for this series was actually very good. I didn't feel as if the score was silly or took the fanservice to make annoying music. It felt really serious, and had a lot of high moments. Some tracks actually managed to surprise, by adding violin and piano. The score also has some fantastic battle pieces as well.

The opening for this show is perhaps one of my favorite openings of this year, and perhaps of my anime watching. I've lost track on how many times I've played it on repeat, it's just that good. The ending's a bit more ridiculous, but it's still a cute J-pop song. I'd call it ridiculous because of making the girls pole-dancers in the ending, but I can see some fans enjoying it. 

For this series, I actually watched it in its English dub, which I don't do as often as I used to. Back when anime returned into my life, I normally found it easier to watch series in dub. However, since I'm watching more recent shows, I've been watching the original Japanese, since the English dub hasn't been released yet, or the show is not licensed here in the US. Another reason is that it's a recent show that's airing in the season.

When it comes down to both being available for me to watch, it's up to me to decide which I should prefer. And time to roll on unpopular opinion time, but I find the original Japanese of Highschool DXD to be incredibly annoying.

Majority of the voices just don't click with me, minus Shizuka Ito and Yuki Kaji. It's odd to be honest, but I just can't really get into it. Yoko Hikasa's voice as Rias is kind of aggravating, unlike as Emi, in which she did rather well. And the cute voice of Gentoku was ANNOYING AS F**K in the original Japanese of Ikki Tousen, and with Asia, it's slightly better. though she still sounds  abit too moe for me.

However, the English dub was very fun to watch. The script by Jaime Marchi just shows how great her comedy is. Though some of the lines can get ridiculous, it isn't the same jokes over and over again.

Most of the voices in the English dub are amazing, and fit there characters really well. A lot of voice actors in this series are under-used, and I would love to see them in more series at FUNImation. I also wish for more Daniel Fredrick, but that would be too desperate.

Highlights include Scott Freeman, Jaime Marchi, Chloe Daniels, Teri Rogers, Jad Saxton, Sean O'Connor, Brittney Karbowski, Marie Charlson, Kyle Phillips, Christopher Corey Smith, Krishna Smitha, Lauren Allison, Felecia Angelle, Christopher Sabat, Tyson Rinehart (who actually wished me a very funny happy birthday message on Facebook), Ruben Tadeo Garcia, Chris Rager, Monica Rial, Mandy Lane (Morgan Garrett), Haley Esposito, Ben Phillips. Jessica Cavanagh, Jarrod Greene, Staci Moon (Anastasia Munoz), Ricco Fajardo, Lindsay Seidel, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Lara Woodhull, Ashleigh Domangue, Brina Palencia, and Alexis Tipton.

I'm sorry that I dumped a bunch of actors into my highlights. There's a lot of guest characters, and towards the end, they are pretty much Riser's pieces.

Verdict

Even though I've been throwing bricks at this show for the most of this review, I still managed to find myself enjoying it. The story, some characters, and the animation all provided some great entertainment, and I felt excited to watch each episode.

Though I did have some problems with it, I still this show is a must to watch for fans of fanservice everywhere. It may be boobs and panties, but it can at least have a brain when it needs to.

I will be watching the second season, as I have heard that it gets better. Let's just hope the first episode isn't as disappointing as Sekirei: Pure Engagement.

Score: 7.5/10

Positives:

Engaging story.

Some great characters.

Good animation.

Diverse score.

Amazing English dub.

Some fanservice is necessary.

AMAZING opening!

Negatives:

Some characters underdeveloped.

Asia is 12 years old.

Some fanservice is unnecessary.

The original Japanese isn't my favorite.

How to Create Prefect Love Interests (And Protagonists)

How to Create Perfect Love Interests (And Protagonists)

Warning: This post will be heavily sarcastic, and is meant for comedy purposes. Please don't take this seriously, as I'm only addressing tropes that constantly irritate me to no end.

Also, mention of every fangirl and fanboy's desires. 

With that said:

Welcome back young lads to our next educational lesson. Last time, I gave you a few tips on how to make your anime pop with uniqueness. Today, I will talk to you on how to make the most appropriate love interests, and some bad-ass protagonists.

Ahh, the greatness that is love. You can make it sad, ugly, happy, and sexy. All just from one touch of your perfectly manicured nails. From a shiny female with sparkles, and a sexy male with rock hard abs, this is a genre you don't want to miss.

So, grab a pen, and your handy dandy notebook. Here's what you need to do to have a successful romance:

First up, let's talk about girls, if you're in a harem kind of mood. Or, if you have a main boy in your story. One of the first things that you should ALWAYS do is not develop the main love interest. Sure, she may have some problems with her own family to deal with, but should you really care about that? It's much more interesting to make her FLAWLESS, as I've said before. There will be no need for a harem if you follow this, even though it's own of your main genres.

Also keep in mind to make her gorgeous as well. Because without these looks, what will become of your two main characters? He'll probably fall in love with one of those unimportant skanks, and you wouldn't want that, now would you? Long hair, GIGANTIC boobs, and a sexy body are the main assets you should always follow. And don't forget a important title!

For personality, make sure you dig into anime archives to make her have some typical personality tropes. Make her a cutie pie, a tsundere, a bitch, or a completely flawless leader who has no shame. It's super easy, and very fun to go for as much uniqueness as you possibly can.

If you want to go a different route and have a female as the main protagonist (or a reverse harem). make her a complete idiot. You know those Mary Sues in YA literature everyone just praises? Well, it's just like that, only in anime form. 

Make her have some stupid decisions that the viewers can't help but keep on loving, and make her utter a few words every single time she tries to talk. It's perfect, and will make your story sell lots more. Just trust me on this.

Now onto our males, or as our fangirls like to call them:

Besides in real life, in which the wonderful Man Candy Monday exists, it can still be in anime form. After shows that have been popping out of creators' minds that focus on our males rolling out of Abercrombie & Fitch, it makes perfect sense to make any male love interest look this way.

First up, our main male character in every harem. Follow every other anime, and make him super generic. If his personality is literally a cardboard cutout, the better. Your harem girls are going to be better remembered anyways, so there isn't a single worry. As I mentioned in my last lesson, this is VERY important.

If we're going for love interest appeal on the other hand, make it as least reach over 10. Lets be honest, some guys can be okay, and some guys can be HOT. Go for the hot route. Make him supremely gorgeous, with perfect tousled hair, but make it dark. YA's doing it, so why don't you?

If his shirt comes off, time to cue screaming. We know that Kyoto Animation has been exploring with our temple of sexiness, so make him have a six pack. Eight packs exist as well, but aren't used as often, unless you're bad-ass.

Just one note, don't make your protagonist 12. We don't want another gun show situation, do we?

Yeah, thought so. 

In a reverse harem situation, make sure to give all of your guys classic tropes, since that always works. Try to make one happy all the time, one the opposite, a douchebag, a prankster, and the silent type. There's more tropes out there in the world, but this is a great list to start off with. Oh, and if all the guys are brothers, don't forget to make them sadistic!

Plus, make the guys all fall in insta-lust with the lead heroine for no reason whatsoever. Simple reasons such as "She's hot." will work quite well. If it's in the matter of 5 seconds, that's even better.

If we're talking about supernatural creatures, go for vampires. It's not over-rated, and you can explore it in fun new ways. At least make them suck as much blood as possible from the girl, that you'd think she would be dead. But she isn't, because of your own sweet magic.

 Kisses are up to you. Will it be sweet? Or incredibly sloppy? It's all up to you on what's more romantic. Favorite a guy, so that shippers will pop out everywhere. This guy may not be all proper, but hey, he's SOOOOOO HAWT, remember?

If we want to go to boys-love, just remember. Make the uke feminine, and the seme to be hot and older. This can get you a lot of more fans, including fangirls. plus, it's the right golly thing to do.

The relationship needs to at least have some pacing, and 2 OVA's should do it. Even though your manga might have at least 10 volumes, it shouldn't really matter.

If you follow my advice, love will surely blossom like a red rose. Inspiration can be really contagious, and it's always great to pass it on, good or horribly bad.

Unfortunately, we're running out of time again. Thank you so much for joining me, and I hope to see you again for another lesson.

 I did elaborate on some I did mention last time, but to put more clarity on them. 

What do you guys think? Any anime tropes that you liked, or ones I should talk about next time? Feel free to leave any feed-back. 

Haganai NEXT Review

Haganai NEXT Review

Warning: The following review may contain spoilers. If you wish not to know some events in the story, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series, please leave the page, since I don't want to damage a watching experience for you.

With that said, thank you, and onto the review:

Haganai's first season managed to impress me with it's fun characters, unique set-up, and interesting music. So when I found out that there was a second season, I wanted to watch it immediately. though it took a while to watch, I watched it every night once I got the set, which was almost a year after I saw the first episode.

Well, in the end, how was it? Was it better than season 1?

In terms of comedy, no. In terms of character development, hell yes.

To be honest, this is perhaps one of my favorite slice of life anime. Though now with extra story, and mysterious engagement, this made for one awesome final episode, and a ending that will make you scream "DAMN IT GIVE ME THE THIRD SEASON ALREADY!"

Let's here what's new about the story:

Story

We don't really have a main change in premise. The Neighbors club still exists, and it mainly focuses on there daily shenanigans in the club room. however, we have some new characters to help with some new encounters of our dear main character.

In the series, we are given constant foreshadowing that Sena might have actually known Kodaka since they were kids as well. No not as friends, but mainly for a arranged marriage. LE GASP!

Soon, this unfolds rather surprisingly. What if Kodaka has feelings for Sena? What will happen to the love triangle? Will this affect the club's interactions with Kodaka?

The final episode ends with a intense brawl scene with Kodaka and Rika, which might end up with you biting off your nails. Because the feels, and the intensity.

This story twist actually adds a lot of fun to the story. Though it may seem to some just a ploy to get shippers of a couple to squeal to the top of the tree-tops, I found it to be kind of interesting, including Yozora and Rika reaction to the news. XD

All in all, it's a nice change to the normally slice of life random comedy of this show, and it's great because of some great character development, 

Characters getting developed eh? Let's talk about that:

Characters

Besides meeting back up with our old gang, we have some newbies to talk about as well. Though two are given more screen time, and I guarantee you'll be attached to them more.

Let's start with Kate Takeyama:

Kate is 16 years old, and is the older sister of Maria. She meets Kodaka after he's done with finals, and is walking outside. She takes a liking to Kodaka, and also calls him "Big Brother" just like her younger sister. Often she can be seen acting in a laid back attitude, and has a habit of farting and burping in public.

She also has a friendship with Pegasus, aka Sena's father, as she occasionally goes on fishing trips with him. We can hint that she's heard about the engagement from the end of Episode 7.

I liked Kate. She was a nice addition to the supporting cast, and had some great moments in the episodes she was featured in. I can see her as relatable, due to the fact she she does have some aspects of my lazy personality, though it doesn't come out as often.

 Now onto Aoi:

Aoi is the student counsel treasurer, and is Sena's rival in school. She has ranked second every single time a last year exam has rolled around at St. Chronica's, and is also envious of Sena's popularity and other excellent attributes. *flips hair*

On two occasions, she tries to disband the club by reading off rules from the handbook, and by proving that Maria isn't actually a sister. However, these fail when Yozora offers alternates to the rules, and Sena bribes- I mean, asks her dad to temporarily promote Maria into another position.

There's also the student council president, but she hardly maters right now.

All of the supporting characters from the first season do manage to re-appear, besides of course the main cast.

Animation

The animation was done by a branch of the studio AIC, known as AIC Build. They are most known for the Tenchi Muyo franchise, Heaven's Lost Property, and Date A Live.

For this season, some of the staff did manage to change. the animation does look a bit different, and a bit more sleek. For example, Kodaka's hair is lighter when it's blonde and darker when it's brown, the faces look a bit different, you get the point.

I still find it to be nice animation, and a step up from last season. Majority of the characters do look better than they did last season, and overall it still hold well.

Sound

The scores for this series is once again composed by Tom-H@ck, who also composed the first season of the show.

The score still has a familiar feel to it, while also adding some new pieces to it as well. These new pieces are actually pretty good, especially the dramatic ones.

The opening and ending for this show improved, as both are really catchy, and so fun to listen to.

All of the voice cast from the Japanese and English dubs all return, though the English dub tacked on with a new ADR director. The dub has improved since the first season, although it was almost a year apart in recording. The voice actors who didn't do as well have improved, mainly with the aspect of Jerry Jewell. I also got used to Yukimura and Maria's Japanese voices as well.

All of the new additions in Japanese and English are prefect, and all of them are highlights. Though kudos to Brina Palencia for owning Kate.

Verdict

Overall, this was a pretty successful second season, and it triumphs Date A Live's efforts in very way. Though the comedy isn't as strong in the final episodes, the character development is easily one of the best aspects. 

To fans of the first season, this should really be near the top of your to watch list. Not only can you explore more interesting aspects to a show you already love, but it has so much more.

Also, I NEED A THIRD SEASON! NOW!

Score: 9.5/10

Positives:

Great character development.

Good story.

Improvement in animation.

New OST tracks are good to listen to.

Also improvements in Japanese and English dubs.

Negatives:

Comedy isn't as strong in the latter half.

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko Review

Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko Review

Warning: The following review may contain spoilers. If you wish not to know some events in the story, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series, please leave the page, since I don't want to damage a watching experience for you.

With that said, thank you, and onto the review:

It isn't a surprise that I've longed to watch this show for a long time. Erio is without a doubt a real eye-catcher, and for some reason, the show sounded super quirky.

In the world of ANTM, I've used Erio like other girls in shows, and have made it far in some, and not so far in others. And, out of all the shows that NIS America licensed, this was the show I wanted to watch the most, besides Pandora Hearts.

So, this summer, I started it, and finished it in September. What did I think?

To be honest, I found it surprising that I really liked this show. Not only for the characters, but he animation and score are very good as well, and embody the mood of what I like to call one of the most unique animes I've seen. Though the story could have been a bit stronger in some areas, and some episodes did get a bit boring, this show was still very fun.

Let's go on to the story:

Story

Makoto Niwa travels to his aunt's house for the semester. After she picks him up from the airport and takes him home, he meets a girl that is constantly wrapped in a futon. After trying to unwrap it from her, but with no success, he finds out why she is constantly wrapped in her futon. She got into a accident after she tried to fly her bike off a railing near the ocean, and she failed.

Also, keep in mind that she went missing for half a year, and reappeared in the sea. And add to the fact she claims herself to be a alien. Yup, that's Erio Towa in a nut-shell.

After talking with her more, and meeting other unique people, it's going to be an interesting and long 6 months.

One part that I liked about the story was it's development of characters. What I found to be a problem is that it doesn't really know when to grow. When the characters begin to shine, this show knows what to do. But there isn't a lot of plot development. and the show often feels more like a slice of life rather than a interesting somewhat sci-fi yet still comedy.

Also, I found myself getting bored when watching episodes, which isn't really a good thing, but the characters helped save it for me.

Now onto what I can say is a pretty well rounded set of characters:

Characters

The characters in this show are clearly the best part about it. Not only do they supply some great comedy, but they also are very unique in personality, to the feel that they aren't all too stereotypical.

Let's start off with our lead:

Out of all the characters, I can admit that Makoto is clearly the most stereotypical, but that doesn't make him bad. I still find him to be somewhat interesting.

Makoto moves in with his aunt in the city after his parents go overseas for a reason not explained. He has these things in his mind called adolescence points, which can rise and fall based on his encounter with girls. He also has a strong disbelief with aliens, and all that science fiction gizmo. That makes it hard for him to get to know Erio at first.

He does makes some friends with other girls in the series, but we can talk about them later on.

Speaking of Erio, let's get to her right now:

This is probably the character that people are going to remember most from this anime, and with good reason. Erio is super adorable, and she has a interesting back-story as well.

In her first year of high school, Erio went missing. Six months later, she was found floating in the sea near her home. She has no memories of how she got missing in the first place, but since then has developed a long fascination with aliens, even believing that she is one herself.

She mainly wraps herself in a futon after she broke her leg trying to fly with her bike. Later on, she doesn't wrap in it as much, but still does when she's embarrassed. She is often reluctant to go back to school because of her shady reputation, so instead, she mainly works in her great-grandmother's candy store. Since her birthday is forgotten, her mom decides to celebrate it a day after hers.

I really like Erio because she makes this anime stand out, and has a unique presence to her as well. And she's cute, but we can thank the illustrator of the source materials for that. But her personality is nice, and I thin she would have made the anime a lot

Now time for Meme:

Meme is Makoto's aunt and Erio's mother. She starts the series at 39, but turns 40 in Episode 5. Also, she's kind of crazy.

She often acts happy all the time, and often teases her nephew by attempting to seduce him. She also has many great moments in the show, especially when she throws Erio after getting mad in Episode 1. And in all of her seduction attempts.

She lets Erio not attend school and do whatever she pleases, and she's not as constricting that some parents can do. Though at some points, she nearly acts the exact same as her daughter with her being eccentric.

I find Meme probably the best comedic relief in the anime. Not only is she super funny, but she can have a good heart at times. I liked the episode where it explained a bit about her childhood, which made me drawn to the screen.

Ryuko's turn:

Ryuko is Makoto's classmate who has a crush on him. Due to the kanji in her name, Makoto sometimes calls her Ryushi, which she reminds him to call her Ryuko. And she always has a cute signature hello.

She is quite energetic, and also plays on the basketball team at school. Though she can be less bouncing off the walls, though she isn't shown with any other emotion.

Other characters include another one of Makoto's classmates who calls him transfer student, a childhood friend of Meme who wears a cowbell on his right ear and makes bottle rockets, a young girl in a astronaut suit who claims to also be from outer space, and two members from the baseball team.

Animation

The animation was done by the studio Shaft, who are also known for animating Negima, Monogatari, and Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

One thing that Shaft never seems to fail is with it's gorgeous angle on all of it's shows, as well as amazing animation quality. This series doesn't manage to disappoint. The opening and ending are cluttered with gorgeous visuals, along with the series as well. A gorgeous sunrise, amazing character designs, nice shots. This anime has a lot of it.

It's pretty impressive, but considering what Shaft has done in the past and more recently, this shouldn't be a surprise.

Sound

The scores for this series was composed by the scoring group Franz Maxwell I., who haven't really done anything other anime scores besides this, although one of it's members has composed songs by other artists.

The anime does really well with it's happy and somber tracks. Not only do some of them incorporate some unique instruments and synths, but depending on what scene they can be in, it makes them better in some ways.

The opening is good, but I do away with that horrible auto-tone on the opening, then I would like it more. The ending is super adorable, and makes me want to snuggle in a blanket.

The show did get released here in the USA, though not with a English dub. The Japanese does have a distinct quality to it, If this does get a English dub, I really hope the staff does put some good work into it, as it needs it.

Highlights include Miyu Irino, Asuka Ogame, Ai Nonaka, Emri Kato, and Yuka Iguchi.

Verdict

Before I watched this show, I was a bit concerned on how this was going to end up. So, it was a surprise on how  much I did actually like this show. The characters, the animation, and the score did play a big role into why I did like this.

Though I would have liked more story, and didn't manage to get bored during some of the middle episodes, I think this show would have gotten a higher rating. But for what it is, it's still a great show, and I highly recommend it.

Score: 9/10

Positives:

Unique and diverse characters.

Fantastic animation.

Great score.

Stellar original Japanese.

Negatives:

Story doesn't take as much focus as I would have liked.

Some parts can get a bit boring.

D-Frag Review

D-Frag Review

Warning: The following review may contain spoilers. If you wish not to know some events in the story, or simply don't wish to find out what happens in the series, please leave the page, since I don't want to damage a watching experience for you.

With that said, thank you, and onto the review:

If I could pick a show that I was most looking forward to from the Winter 2014 season, it would have to be D-Frag. Not only did it look like a show right up my alley, but it had a nice pinch of comedy, plus slice of life rolled into one, two of my favorite types of shows.

However, it took a while for me to watch it. I was a bit too full with some other anime shows. But in July, I decided to pick this show up, and hope that my expectations were proved.

And they were, because this show was amazing.

Though there wasn't a driving story (then again, slice of life doesn't typically have stories), this show didn't really need one. With it's great comedy, charming characters, and incredibly funny dialogue, this show is one of my many recommendations for a comedy or slice of life anime.

Let's go to the plot of this show:

Story

Kenji Kazama, a delinquent student most known for being a member from the Kazama Party, has just started the school year. He hasn't thought of joining a club, that is until he meets Roka Shibasaki, the president of the Game Creation Club outside. From there, he meets the rest of the club, who is composed of the vice president, a first year, and the faculty adviser who mainly uses the club room to sleep.

After being almost forced to join the club, he tries to constantly distance himself from them. Until he meets other people in the school, and seeing how insane they are. Though he normally just comes back to the club.

Besides his friends, there's the real Game Creation Club, the Band of 14 Devils, the ex-student council, and one random member of the Game Creation Club who really doesn't do anything besides love jokes. But still, who cares? Kazama's school life has already gone to hell anyway.

This set-up actually plays off pretty well in the end, because not only does it offer some funny interactions with the club members, but we also get to meet some pretty amusing characters. Though stories don't normally have a impact in slice of life and comedy anime, this one did a fairly nice way of incorporating it into the mix of things. It was interesting to see some of the ways we got to meet the characters, and it was all very fun indeed.

Something in my mind tells me what I should talk about next.

Hello character ville!

Characters

 The characters in this anime are all pretty well done. Of course there are 4 stand outs that I can't do anything but talk about. As when serious shoppers talk about:

Besides that though, let's go on with our main character:

Yes, I'll mainly be using commercial bumpers for pictures of the characters. They're so adorable, I really couldn't resist. XD

Kazama is our main protagonist, and the leader of a group of delinquents named the Kazama Party, who have known each other since they were kids. He is forced into the Game Creation Club by the other members after a incident in which the girls used their "powers" to ignite a fire. Because of this, Kazama is now the newest member of the club, admist his dismay. Well, in the beginning.

Though he can actually fight someone, he can never hit a girl because apparently he is no match against the other girls in the club. However, he does have some ways of trying to win some competitions, like one in the middle of the show where the girls and gals battle for Roka's bag, which he can outsmart some people. So yay, smarts!

The girls eventually declare him a wind elemental, due to his name. Okay, it's time to save..

Oh, oops! This isn't Skylanders. 

And remember those straight man characters in comedies? Yep, he fits the exact bill of those, though at all times. Unlike Kei in Cuticle Detective Inaba, who happens to have some moments of this, here it's more frequently, which is much more fun.

So overall, I like Kazama as a main character and for his personality. Yeah, it's a bit cliched, but it's a nice balance, and he's very funny to watch in some moments, when something unfortunate happens to him, or when he yells.

Now onto Roka:

Don't let the cuteness fool you! While she may have moments like this, and her element is fire, be warned. Because she exceeds in ze power of darkness.

Roka is the club's president, and her main style of attack is putting a bag over her opponent's head, rendering them blind. She may be very tiny, but she can still possibly own you with her diabolical methods.

It seems that she also has a lot of extra bags around, and Hachi seems to be one of the only people who obsess over them. That is until that match comes around.

The Game Creation Club's most famous game is a game in which the players have to collect porn magazine. Very classy. Not to mention, a lot of the club members can actually get into it. I wonder what I would think of it in my universe.

Next up is Chitose:

 Chitose is a second year who is the student council president, who actually beat one of Kazama's friends,who ended up becoming the vice president. She has such high authority, and besides the students. even the teachers are in fear of her.

Her main element is earth, and her tactics with it are very good. She might someday accidentally cause a burial. Besides this, she's also good with dirt.

She has got to have some of the funniest moments in the show with her disses to Takao. She also tried to feed Kazama her own lunch after he forgets it one episode, and drops something on the floor. And she picks it right back up. I couldn't help but burst out laughing at that.

Now onto Takao, who may seem like a rival at the beginning, but later takes a turn for the best:

Takao is the president of the Real Game Creation Club, which is in fact the actual Game Creation Club. Roka decided to leave the club, and create her own on negative terms. Though Chitose had a major role in doing so. However, the Game Creation Club had to add Provisional to their title in order to not be shut down.

At first, Takao has a rivalry towards the club, and challenges them at the school festival. However, when her club loses, she actually spends more time with the Provisionals rather than her own club.

She later starts having feelings towards Kazama, which lends to some pretty adorable moments in Episode 8, where she repays him for the infamous zipper shot that got him knocked out of the fight for Roka's bag temporarily until he got back in the game. 

Becuase of this, several others give her the Boob elemental power, because they seem to always come in handy. Huh, who would have thought? 

Here's the infamous zipper that popped off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ry5sEeHbJ9Q

Other characters include a first year student in the club who has the power of water, the faculty adviosr of the club who just sleeps mainly in the club room, the only male member besides Kazama who is mainly ignored, the members of Takao's cub, the Kazama Party, the ex student council who appear in the final episodes (including Barfy-senpai), Kazama's little sister, and a classmate of them who is a cute beauty.

Animation

The animation for this series was done by Brain's Base, who are also known for Durarara, Princess Jellyfish, and Penguindrum.

What I liked about Brain;s Base is that they normally change up the staff that works on character designs, and overall feel. The animaton always looks unique, and for that I praise them. Some studios tend to rely on the same director, character designer. (TNK for a while until Blade Dance) but this studio doesn't.

While this animation is simplistic like SNAFU, it still has a unique quality to it. It still offers at least some enjoyment to the viewer, and it isn't too complicated.

Sound

The score for this series was composed by Nijine, who has also done score for the series Baka and Test and Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!

The majority of this score has a lot of happy, upbeat pieces. And while I was watching, my mood seemed to brighten with some episodes. Not only is this score super positive, but like many others, can blend into anything it wants too. which it makes super enjoyable for me.

The opening is a jammer that will make you bounce up and down in your seat. the ending doesn't have this effect, but it still is a pretty cute and unique track.

The Japanese audio brings out some of the best comedic moments of some seiyuus, which can crack some laughs out of me. It may not be the best for some people, but at least it's good enough.

Highlights include Katsuyuki Konishi, Kana Hanazawa, Chiwa Saito, Ami Koshimizu, Koki Miyata, Shizuka Ito, Megumi Toyoguchi, Jun Fukuyama (no s**t), Emiri Kaito,  Akira Ishida, Yuuko Sanpei, and Eri Sendai. And a cameo from Nobuyuki Hiyama.

Verdict

So overall, my impressions of D-Frag are pretty high. Not only does this have some great comedy, but it has some story, plus great characters that I think could keep any viewer interested. 

Really, this is perhaps my favorite comedy show of this year, though overall this ranks behind Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star, both of which are great as well. But this just seemed to click with me for the mean time.

I suggest this to viewers who want a good comedy series, and who have a couple hours to kill.

Score: 10/10

Positives: 

Good story.

Fantastic comedy.

Great characters.

Unique score.

Negatives:

None major.