- Mangaka : Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero
- Publisher : Yen Press
- Genre : Fantasy, Action, Adventure
- Published : October 2020
Devils are vile creatures. They feed on human desires and trick humanity in order to harvest their souls. This is why they’re always depicted as horrifying creatures in pop culture. Well, not in otaku culture. In the world of anime, manga, and light novels, devils aren’t exactly always scary. They take different forms, from kowai to kawaii. Interestingly enough, devils belonging to different parts of the spectrum can all be hit or miss. Simply put, being a cute devil or a heinous devil doesn’t guarantee a good plot, in all sense of the word.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
High School DxD follows the story of Issei Hyoudou, a lecherous high school student. He has been confessed to for the first time in his life in high school. As someone who is into women but has zero experience with them, he readily agrees. He prepares for their first date like he is going to war, but at the end of their date, Yuuma Amano, his girlfriend, asks him for an unconventional request. She tells him to die for him, then she killed him. On his dying breath, she manages to summon a devil, who also turns him into one.
1. It’s a true classic
High School DxD is renowned in our culture. After all, it’s one of the true ecchi classics that almost every otaku has at least heard of. As it’s known for, the series has a lot of ecchi scenes. The protagonist, Issei Hyoudou, is a lecherous bastard that represents a huge chunk of males. However, he interestingly has morals. Despite being a creep, he doesn’t really just force himself on others like the perverts in other series.
2. Interesting plot
Even though High School DxD is known for being a classic ecchi, it’s actually more than that. The plot (no, not the pervy kind) is interesting. This is something most ecchi series miss on. High School DxD doesn’t just focus on doing fanservice, but there’s also character development and even power-ups. The plot also continuously develops logically. In fact, the series can probably stand on its own without the ecchi, but it’s more interesting with it in it.
1. It’s like listening to a narrative
Since it’s a light novel, we’re to do our own visualization of the scenes. High School DxD does a bit of a poor job at helping the readers do that. Written in the first person, we’re taking the view of Issei. Instead of describing to us what’s happening, he’s merely telling it to us. This makes us understand the story as a whole, but it makes it hard for us to have an exact image in mind. Fortunately, the novel comes with great illustrations.
Final Thoughts
As a renowned classic, we’ve expected a lot from High School DxD. We, therefore, conclude that it deserves such a title. High School DxD is filled with raunchy ecchi scenes, but it doesn’t sacrifice the plot for it. There’s a good and interesting plot, and the characters are continuously growing as a person and as a devil. For an ecchi manga, it’s also nice to see that the ecchi scenes are not forced.
Author: Christian Markle