Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero

This is one of my favorite anime I've seen in a while. The deep character development, the application of realistic issues in a magical world, and animation were all beautiful. There are countless episodes I could go into detail on, but I will try to focus on what I consider the major points. I'd love to give this anime a 10 out of 10 but the rushed pacing in the beginning is the one thing that sets this anime back for me. The first few episodes really just throw the audience into the main plot. Instead of the intro beingtwo episodes, it could have easily fit into three.
I would have liked to see them focus just a couple more minutes on what Naofumi's life was like before being sucked into this new world, allowing for us to get a better idea of who he was as a normal person. Then after meeting Princess B**tch the writers could have spent the remainder of the additional time focusing on her building a relationship between her and our main character. This would have allowed the audience to bond with her as a character, and would have created a greater tragedy upon her actions as we would have better felt the sting of her betrayal.

The episode of Naofumi and Raphtalia bonding should have been two parts, with the second part focusing on their adventures in the mines and Raphtalia facing her own fears.

Overall though, I found the character development fantastic.

I know many people hate on the anime for using the false accusation of rape to be a plot devise, but from someone who has seen people affected by these false accusations in the past, I appreciate the anime's willingness to tackle such a controversial subject.

Watching Naofumi's character evolve over time was a thrill. Seeing someone completely rejected by the world, nearly ready to turn into a villain himself because of it, was so realistic on how many criminals in real life are created. I felt pushed into his shoes, spending the entire first couple of episodes trying to figure out what was going through his mind. His first time meeting Raphtalia is a fine example of this, as it is left up to audience to determine what his true motivation was for purchasing her. Yes, I do realize the Manga elaborates on this, but letting the audience have their own interpretation was a smart modification to the source material.

His distrust of royalty at first made complete sense giving his past, and once again gave a realistic light to his character.

The idea that Naofumi's good deeds not going unrewarded was pleasing to see. I enjoyed emphasizing the concept that no matter how much the world tried to run him down, he still had the affinity for good, and the people he helped remembered it.

I only wish they had slowed Naofumi's development down a little.
For example, when the village was being attacked by monsters in the first wave, it would have contributed greater to Naofumi and Raphtalia's characters if it had been Naofumi hesitating to save the people and it was Raphtalia who encouraged him.

Raphtalia is an equally well developed character. Watching her go from this timid girl to a bad-ass warrior is a joy. Her affections for Naofumi are also believable when knowing her past. My only critique about her is towards the end of the season, the series practically re-writes her past, trying to make it darker and allowing her to be portrayed as an even stronger character. This I did not appreciate. I had already grown to enjoy Raphtalia as a character and viewed her a strong person. Adding in an even greater tragic backstory when we had already been given one felt like the writer was trying to force the concept that she was strong, and just wasn't needed.

As for the remaining main cast, I have mixed feeling about them. Melty and the Blacksmith are pretty solid, with strong and realistic moments. Filo on the other hand I hate with a passion. She just feels like a third wheel. I also got irritated with the Bow and Sword Heroes' constantly flip-flopping. Sometimes they acted as if they didn't trust Naofumi at all, but at other times they acted as if they suspected Princess B**tch's schemes.

The action scenes in this Anime are extremely well coordinated. I would have never thought a shield could have so many applications to it, and Naofumi's teamwork with Raphtalia and other characters in several scenes is phenomenal.

The plot over all is well done, but I will admit there can be some shaky moments at times. This mostly occurs towards the end when they decided to throw in a religious antagonist. While I felt this came out of no-where and almost felt like an anti-religious message, everything else is pretty solid. The Anime is strongest when it focuses on Naofumi becoming a true hero and better person, despite the world that shunned him, and the anime does a good job of focusing on that.

Personally I would have ended the anime at episode 21, and let the remainder of the episodes carry over to the next season. However, the ending is still strong, allowing Naofumi a last moment of growth, and a touching scene between him and Raphtalia leaving me craving for more to come. I can't wait for season 2!