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High School DxD BorN
Episode 28

by Theron Martin,

Every so often the High School DxD franchise (mostly) eschews its emphasis on fan service in favor of an all-out battle episode. When it does – when it actually plays battle scenes as battles and not just excuses to get clothes torn up – it can get some pretty spectacular results. This is one of those times. In fact, this episode would stand up quite well even if judged against a true action series.

The exact circumstances are almost an afterthought. Loki was only temporarily sequestered in the last episode, so both Rias and Sona volunteer to spearhead a delaying action while Odin summons Mjolnir, Thor's hammer, which in this case has the power to mete out divine punishment. (The obvious question here is why Thor isn't coming along with the hammer, especially since Loki is involved, but perhaps this will be explained later.) Joining them are Rossweisse (as Odin's representative), Irina (as Michael's), Koneko, Akeno, Yuto, Xenovia, Sona's followers Genshiro and Tsubaki, and of course Issei. When Loki, who seeks to initiate Ragnarok (i.e., the Norse version of Armageddon), summons Fenrir, Fenrir's children, and a copy of the Midgard Serpent, a mass battle breaks out. Although the anti-Loki force fares well, what happens when the one person who can actually wield Mjolnir gets taken down, and after their healing reserve has been used to boot?

For the devils and their allies, this is a chance to show off the results of their training (for most of them), their new status (for Irina, who has been reincarnated as an angel), and/or their greater acceptances of their true natures (for Koneko and Akeno). This results in a dynamic, rapidly-shifting battle with all manner of fancy moves and powers flying around, and it is to the production team's credit that it smoothly and successfully transitions between the various sub-fights, hence keeping the whole of the battle in front of the viewer at all times. (Strong work from the musical score certainly doesn't hurt, either.) Want to see how to properly manage an anime battle between ten good guys and five bad guys? This is a textbook example. Even when Loki throws out some burst-attacking powers capable of rattling the whole battlefield, the animation conveys the impact impressively well despite clearly taking some shortcuts.

The one significant flaw in the episode is that nothing Loki does here gives any sense of his traditional character as a trickster; he's simply a generic godly powerhouse. Those watching primarily for the fan service may also be slightly disappointed that, aside from the closer and eyecatch, the fan service is limited to a couple of panty shots and Issei and Genshiro ogling Rossweisse's figure; nothing outside of the closer even needed to be censored. However, the episode delivers so fully on both action and character fronts that neither of those matters much. Harem series don't get much better than this.

Rating: A-

High School DxD BorN is currently streaming on Funimation.


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