Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero

Wow, this was unexpected. I went into this anime apprihensivley on a reccomendation, and came away with a new favourite, claiming it's rightful spot in my top 10. For the first 5 or 10 minutes, the plot was very generic, a hero has arrived to save the day, and has been adorned with money and women, but after that the anime takes a turn and never looks back. In terms of what makes this anime great, is taking a step back, looking at the details and the actions of consiquences. The acknowledgment that our 'hero' is in himself very very far from perfect, even to a pointwhere I cannot always tell his intentions and motivations, but still everything that he does is grounded in reality.

Watching the party grow throughout the anime has its perks, and in time we see the efforts of the group rewarded, but not through lack of effort.

The real beauty of this anime comes from the seemingly selfish acts portrayed by our MC, which upon closer inspection might have alterier motives.

If you're in the market for a new spin on the common hero saves the day story, this could be the anime for you!