[kujoe]

Originally Posted by Guido

People are complaining that this episode was shifting too much into battle shounen territory leaving less time for ecchi jokes.

I have to digress.

I believe High School DxD offers something else and delivers at doing it.

Thanks to the pacing, the story is kept consistent and allows to focus the setting from light-hearted and slapstick comical, romance to gloom and serious battle and back again to light-hearted.

I'd have to agree. Granted, the show is filled with ecchi humour and whatnot, but you could see that battles were going to be a part of the overall package from a mile away. Devils, fallen angels, crazy inquisitors, the scene of Issei dying during the start in episode one... all these elements have been part of this story from the very beginning. It's just that DxD indulges in humour and light-hearted harem moments with its perverted protagonist to such a degree that you almost forget that there's a lot of greater things going on in the background.

I don't see this current episode as straying far from what the show has always been. And if recent developments are any indication (as all anime of this sort are wont to do), Issei and co. will just continue to grow stronger, develop new abilities and so on, as they meet new friends and enemies alike. This anime barely covers the entire novel series after all, so there's still definitely more to come as far as content and possibly 2nd (or even 3rd) seasons are concerned.

Originally Posted by Guido

I admit that I was much surprised that Rias forced herself to resign and throw the game in order to save Issei, and most people have wanted the Gremory's to score their first win in the Rating Game.
However, you must pay attention to the conversation between Rias, Riser, and Grayfia in the eighth episode.
Rias's the youngest heir of the Gremory's and that's putting too much a burden to be the heir the family has the highest expectations on her with the bridal engagement to the Phoenix.
Until this Rating Game, Rias has never ever participated in any other rating game previously, hence, this was her very first Rating Game, and, moreso, her very first Rating Game as King of all her assembled set representing her clan.

On another note, Rias resigning out of fear for Issei's life serves up the drama side of things when you realize that a king has willingly surrendered for the sake of her pawn. It's true that Issei would have likely been killed—but in a game of chess, pawns are meant to be sacrificed if need be whereas the safety of the king is paramount. It's left unsaid and almost unnoticed, but the significance is a symbolic reversal of how the game is typically played. It's significant in such a way as to highlight Rias' growing feelings for Issei. Had Rias not resigned, the Rating Game wouldn't be only thing she might have lost.

Originally Posted by Guido

Technically, Issei costed his comrades the loss of the Rating Game, but at an intellectual and tactics level, it was Rias's shortcoming not having realized before how much unlimited determination and undying love Issei held for her to willingly put himself at such extreme lengths of danger to win to save her and his comrades.

Judging from the preview, it does seem that Issei will think like this as well, believing that it was his inexperience and weakness that ultimately cost them the Rating Game.

As for what I thought of this episode... first of all, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was immediately reminded of UBW. Overall, I was glad that the intensity of the fights was greater and more serious. With the confrontation of two queens, a disadvantage in numbers and all that talk about Raizer's power being the bee's knees two episodes back, I definitely expected something more action-packed this time around.