Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero

Tate no Yuusha is a Kinema Citrus anime based off of a light novel by Aneko Yusagi. For those of you who aren't familiar with Kinema Citrus, they worked on the second series of Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka with White Fox and they were behind the heavily over-rated Made in Abyss. But who knows. Maybe this will be their crowning achievement. Story: Our protagonist is an otaku named Iwatani Naofumi. He's examining a strange book when he finds himself pulled into the world described by the book. He's told that he's one of four Cardinal Heroes that's destined to save the world from waves of monsters.To be specific, he's the shield hero. Things go badly for him pretty quickly when he gets no respect and is promptly accused of a crime he didn't commit. He finds himself without resources and virtually alone in a world he can only escape by defeating all the waves or dying.

The big problem with this narrative is a simple one. The way the kingdom of Melromarc acts towards Naofumi makes no sense. From the moment he arrives, they act like he's basically useless and they shouldn't have summoned him. And to make this more egregious, we find out they didn't have to. There were other kingdoms that actually wanted to summon the shield hero. So, why did a kingdom that thought he was useless from the start even bother summoning him? It would be like dragging the chubby kid who starts sweating if they have to walk a couple centimetres into a sporting game that you absolutely need to win. This plot point would make sense if all four had to be summoned together or if they considered him useful until he was falsely accused but neither of those is the case. We even find out that the kingdom that summoned him has a sizeable cult that thinks the shield hero is basically Satan. So, why did the representatives of this kingdom think summoning him would be a good idea?

There are also some issues with consistency. To use a big example, Naofumi is approached by the chocobo... I mean filolial queen who berates him because the heroes have all been gathering together instead of each going their own ways to fight aspects of the waves in different areas. Shortly afterwards, she gets upset with him for quarrelling with the other heroes because they all need to fight together to beat the waves. So, they should be splitting up against the waves but they also need to fight together or they won't survive the waves?

There are also points where Naofumi does come across as over-powered in comparison to the other heroes. In theory, this makes some sense since he's had to go it without the perks and other advantages they've gotten, but when the series has a levelling system and he's the lowest level, it's a bit absurd.

With those criticisms out the way, there are a lot of good aspects to the narrative. Having Naofumi serve as a scapegoat for a certain, unscrupulous member of the royal family leads to some strong tension. The way the series hints at something more behind the waves and uses that in its climax is really well handled. The series is also pretty consistently engaging. There's always something happening to keep your interest. And the series does end on a strong point with good reasons to watch the follow up and a satisfying end point for the series.

Characters:
For me, the strong point of characterisation is Naofumi himself. I appreciate that he isn't your stereotypical, bright-eyed paragon protagonist. Nor is he the completely obsessive, dark and tortured type of protagonist. Nor, for that matter, is he the magnificent bastard variety of protagonist. He has some aspects of all three but they're combined in a way that makes him unique. He does strive to do what's right but he's also pragmatic and completely willing to take advantage of the rules of the world he's in to advance his own position. He's even willing to play up his own notoriety when he thinks it will give him the edge he needs. Which combines to make him a very interesting character.

His party is quite interesting too. Raphtalia, Filo and Melty are all compelling characters in their own right. The biggest issue I have with the three of them is that there are points where the series is almost harem-like in their dynamics with him. Which is annoying. Especially when they're dynamics with him are so much better when the series plays up a more familial relationship with him as either a surrogate father figure or a big brother type.

The other heroes are a bit boring. Itsuki and Ren don't have much to them and Motoyasu's big purpose is to be the more naive, paragon type of hero in order to play against Naofumi's pragmatic approach.

The antagonists do deserve some credit. Early on, the series hints at there being more to them than just, mindless monsters invading cause that's how they are. And the climactic scene at the end gives us exactly why the waves are happening and what those responsible stand to gain. There's certainly more to be extrapolated upon, but what we do get is really interesting.

Art:
As a rule, the anime does look pretty damn good. It captures the feel of a game world really well. It has some strong designs, especially when it comes to its fantasy weapons and armour. The action sequences are, as a rule, well executed and flow nicely. Kinema Citrus also did well with background details and fleshing out the world that way.

Sound:
The actors do a good job with their performances. Ishikawa Kaito, Hidaka Rina, Seto Asami and Uchida Maaya all deliver in the main roles. There are good actors in the supporting roles as well. Han Megumi and Inoue Kikuko both come to mind. The music is a bit mixed. I'm not really fond of the theme tunes but a lot of the incidental music is well done. Kevin Penkin deserves a lot of credit on that front.

Ho-yay:
There are definitely moments betwixt Filo and Melty that read as more than a little gay.

Areas of Improvement:
Give an actual reason for Melromarc to summon Naofumi. Because, as is, it's a pretty big problem and really makes zero sense.
Proof-read your story. There's really no excuse to have inconsistencies of that magnitude.
Focus on Naofumi as a father figure and not a potential love interest. Yes, the borderline harem element is worse in some rubbish anime like Sword Art Online or Goblin Slayer, but that doesn't make it good or even acceptable here. It just comes across as a lazy way to prop up the hero while sacrificing the potential for more interesting avenues for character interaction.

Final Thoughts:
There are quite a few elements to this series that I appreciate and I would like to give it a good rating. Unfortunately, the borderline harem interactions and various story problems are bad enough that I can't, in all honesty, call this a good anime. I would still say it's pretty decent, certainly better than some other isekai series out there. I'm giving it a 6/10.