- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Romance, School, Sci-Fi
- Airing Date : July. 2016 – Sep. 2016
- Studios : Production IMS
Contains Spoilers
Masou Gakuen HxH Introduction and Story (Spoilers)
Masou Gakuen HxH is about a teenaged boy named Kizuna who receives word from his sister Reiri, that his help is needed in aiding the defense core at Ataraxia, the school she is currently high commander of. With some hesitation, Kizuna boards a train headed towards Ataraxia in order to transfer and become an asset to the school. Reiri wants Kizuna to join up with the ace team known as Amaterasu, and use his Eros Heart Hybrid Gear to compliment the rest of the team.
However, the most prominent issues the pilots are dealing with is the high magical power consumption and slow recovery rate. Reiri figures that Kizuna’s Eros gear will potentially be instrumental in resolving that problem with the current Heart Hybrid Gear pilots of Ataraxia. Regardless, they have another large concern and that’s the impending doom that the invading enemy forces from another world look to deliver.
The Amaterasu team is initially comprised of a considerate and straightforward guy named Kizuna, a tough but stubborn girl named Aine, a strict and mature female named Hayuru and lastly a friendly and confident American girl named Yurishia. They all bring something different to the table as far as looks and personality goes. The character that got the most development throughout the series had to of been Aine. Outside of the fanservice, this has to be one of the strong points of Masou Gakuen HxH; the ability to support one character with an absorbing background and advancement throughout the series.
Seven years prior to the start of the series, Kizuna was the first person to be implemented with the Heart Hybrid Gear thanks to an experiment from his mother. When she abandoned that project she moved on to Aine. Aine then met Kizuna seven years later after he transferred to Ataraxia. Unfortunately for Aine, she can’t recall much of her past. From then on every time Aine and Kizuna become sexual with each other she remembers more and more about her past. Some of those memories she would’ve gladly left behind.
As her bond got stronger, she became more powerful and unlike the others of Amaterasu, her appearance changed. That included her hair color going from silver to pink, thanks to the fusion of powers with Kizuna. This all builds to the finale with Aine’s sister making an appearance in what should make for an interesting second season. It was made clear from the ending that the initial plan was to have a second season of Masou Gakuen HxH.
What We Liked About Masou Gakuen HxH
Masou Gakuen HxH while flawed, is still really enjoyable. The best parts of this series are the ecchi and comedy moments. You would be hard-pressed to find any top moments that don’t include one of those elements. Now that brings us to one moment that comes to mind during episode five. It escalated into one awkward and yet, spicy scene involving Kizuna and Hayuru. Near the beginning of the episode, Reiri instructs Kizuna that he’s allowed to use the baths in the girl’s dorm for the night, interruption free, or so he thought... Kizuna agrees that would be a good idea and decides to head in there unbeknownst to him, however, that his crafty older sister had other intentions, which included Hayuru.
This ends up with both of them meeting each other unexpectedly in the shower with their naked bodies exposed. Hayuru quickly covers up while calling him every name under the sun, most notably an “eros overlord.” Despite the misunderstanding she uses force beyond her normal capabilities and calls upon her Neros gear and attacks Kizuna, triggering a large explosion in their vicinity. The reasoning for that unwelcome set up was because Reiri wasn’t seeing any development from Kizuna and Hayuru and wanted to move things along at an accelerated pace. The pace quickened no doubt about that, but perhaps that wasn’t the best idea she has come up with.
Discussion Time: Should You Watch Masou Gakuen HxH?
Masou Gakuen HxH is an ecchi lover’s paradise. The director, Hiroyuki Furukawa wasn’t shy about letting the audience know what to expect right out of the gate. Immediately the first episode soaks you with a borderline h-scene of main characters Kizuna and Hayuru on a bed pleasuring each other. Although Hayuru is being the submissive one, it’s clear that Kizuna is getting some satisfaction out of it. All this fanservice is not for nothing, however, as it’s used as a tool to power up the girls and thus making them more powerful. These erotic scenes are placed throughout the anime in order to further the story and develop some of the characters relationships with each other. That’s one of the best takeaways from Masou Gakuen HxH is that it’s not relegated to mindless fanservice. There is a method to its madness.
With that being said the fanservice isn’t enough to call Masou Gakuen HxH a safe bet for everyone. While it brings together a captivating sight of voluptuous females and eroticism, it fails to deliver a truly compelling story. The series is never able to shake the stigma of being just another run of the mill ecchi. Yes, we did mention that the fanservice does further the character development and story to some degree, but overall, the story is in the overwhelmingly large shadow of breast fondling and butt rubbing.
The story at times is hard to follow. There are episodes where you think you know who the true villain is and then all of a sudden, it changes up on you and you’re not really sure who it is anymore. For example, in episode five we are introduced to Aldea. She was powerful and became an immediate threat to the Amaterasu. It wasn’t long after until Gravel was introduced as another powerful henchwoman and a love interest to Aldea.
It seemed plausible that they could have been a powerful duo, but no, a couple episodes later and we see Kizuna’s mother who was working with the enemies. Those enemies included a handful of females who were stronger than Aldea and Gravel and used them as play toys and slaves. It just became a tangled mess that seemed unnecessary to go through so many villains.
1. Main Character Avoids Harem Stereotype
That’s right ladies and gentlemen; Kizuna the main male character in Masou Gakuen HxH is one of the brighter stars in this series. Anime enthusiasts all know too well how the prototypical male character acts in harem anime; he’s usually dense, weak and has an insatiable appetite for sex. Kizuna doesn’t fit that bill at all; in fact, in most cases, he exhibits the exact opposite traits.
Kizuna takes charge of the three ladies on the battlefield and is seen defending them in several instances. He’s certainly not driven by his libido, sure he gets pleasure out of fondling them but the real reason that he gropes his teammates is to make sure they stay alive. If it wasn’t for him being able to deliver climax hybrids to the team, there is a good chance they wouldn’t be alive.
2. Diverse Cast of Females
One of the best things that can be offered in these harems is the simplicity of having a plethora of females. It’s no secret that having a wide-range of girls in a harem will have the viewer’s stuck with the same indecision that the main characters have to deal with when he is surrounded by beautiful girls. It’s not exactly easy to choose just one, and that’s what makes it so fun, the variety makes it engaging to some.
Masou Gakuen HxH has a large cast of females to fantasize about on both sides of the coin. Whether you like shy and honorable girls or warped and commanding ones, there is someone for everyone. There’s even several yuri moments showcased in the series, particularly within the enemy camp. Aldea and Gravel sure do make a devilishly delightful couple.
3. The Power of Sexuality
When you ask others what the appeal of this anime is, it’s fair to say that nine out of ten times you’re going to hear people comment on the ecchi elements of this show. You might have heard this before, but let’s be honest, sex sells and for this anime, it’s no different. The idea that the fanservice is the driving force of the story will direct any ecchi enthusiast in the direction of Masou Gakuen HxH.
The main character Kizuna literally had to molest Aine in the first episode in order to save her. The fondling becomes a little more consensual later on in the series but the fact that Kizuna has to stimulate the girls with a solid portion of sexual foreplay in order for them to hit their “Climax Hybrid” says a lot about this anime. The girls are gorgeous, the story exploits the fanservice in a good way and it walks a fine line from hentai. With that being said, you’ve got all the right ingredients for a steamy showcase.
1. Heavy Reliance on Fanservice
Just like an abundance of fanservice can be a positive to some people, it can also detract others from other elements of this anime. Without question, Masou Gakuen HxH delivers in the ecchi department. There are very few meaningful scenes that don’t involve some sort of breast or butt shot. Now that might not sound awful to some fans, but when meaningful scenes are drenched in fanservice it can take away from the plot that the studio is trying to get people invested in. It’s basically telling us, “hey look at us, we can do fanservice with the best of them. Don’t take our story too seriously.”
2. Dull Characters
As mentioned before Masou Gakuen HxH relies on excessive fanservice to extend the character's life of the story. Instead of telling compelling background stories about each individual character it seems the studio insists on trying to develop the characters through sexually-fueled scenes. The main protagonists in Masou Gakuen HxH offer your prototypical words of encouragement and don’t typically have many interesting things to say.
Aine is the most fleshed out character and even then there is still so much to learn about her as the season finale indicated. Even worse are the antagonists, who are juggled throughout the series and you’re not sure who the true enemy is. They present us with a convoluted cast of enemies who fail to deliver any sense of dread throughout the anime.
3. Inconsistent Animation
Masou Gakuen HxH generally speaking looks great. There isn’t too much to harp on when it comes to the finer details of the setting or characters. The female characters are voluptuous and their Heart Hybrid Gear is well detailed. The problem is the inconsistency with the use of the CGI in this show. The inconsistency rears its ugly head early on in the series and it continues right until the end. It’s brought to the forefront with the Magitech weapons interacting with the protagonists. Every time there is a portal that dispatches enemy ships and Magitech from it, all we can do is groan.
In fact, one of the defining moments in the series comes towards the finale. During the final battle in the last episode, the animation becomes extremely inconsistent. One moment it looks great with the females duking it out in a high-octane battle for the ages. Then all of a sudden we get introduced to some seemingly low budget use of CGI that looks a bit wonky. When the tri-headed Magitech appears in front of Hayuru and roars, it just screams low budget animation. It’s unfortunate because the action between the rest of the cast is solid but those hulking machines doing battle really disengages us from what should be a character defining moment.
Final Thoughts
That concludes our review of Masou Gakuen HxH. Do you agree with what was said? Regardless, we would love to hear from you! If you were to cut out all the ecchi parts in this series, it would be one extremely short anime. I think that statement speaks volumes to the overall depth of Masou Gakuen HxH. What’s worth noting is that this was being reviewed from the uncensored version of this show for maximum effect.
This series isn’t going to shatter anyone’s expectations and there are most certainly better options out there. However, if you’re interested in sexy females in revealing outfits getting fondled every episode, this anime will deliver in that regard. After all, there are worse ways of spending your time. Interestingly enough there is going to be a second season made for this anime. Say what you will about this series but that does show there is some interest in this anime. Let us know what you liked or disliked about this series in the comments section below.
Author: Kain
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