Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero
The Rising of the Shield Hero, for those that are not absolutely sick of the tropes typical for the isekai genre, had the potential to be a 10/10 series. It starts in a very intense way, with the protagonist, a hero summoned from another world that had the misfortune to wield the despised shield as his weapon, rather than the revered spear, sword or bow, being framed and shunned in an excruciating fashion. Not being able to come back to his world or abandon his duty as a hero, he goes through hell time after time, his resentment for those that betrayed him with noprovocation being his main driving force. He gets a few likeable companions (with totally unnecessary harem undertones) and grows stronger through his struggle, in the end growing into the only hope of survival for the world that wronged him in countless ways. It's quite a compelling premise, supported by the excellent main heroine accompanying the Shield hero (demi-human slave named Raphtalia), great production quality and some really emotional, heart-wrenching moments all along the way.
Why is it not a 10 or 9 out of 10 then? Basically, for replicating all the problems typical for isekai anime. Quite quickly, the protagonist becomes disturbingly OP and leaves the other three heroes far behind, which really makes no sense in the show's setting and hurts the narrative in a major way. The villains' motivations are often completely obscured or they're over-the-top evil only to contrast with the protagonist, who starts as an anti-hero of sorts, being selfish and openly hateful to everyone that wronged him, but obviously has to be turned into the second coming of Jesus by the end. Humour, already pretty scarce, rarely hits the mark well. By the last few episodes, the whole thing starts to feel like all the power-fantasy isekai ever, with the whole world starting to accommodate the protagonist as the only meaningful actor - thing that I don't mind so much on its own, but which feels heavily out-of-place in a show whole point of which was the lead character being an underdog.
That sounds quite bad, doens't it? Why an 8 then? Because when it works, The Rising of the Shield Hero is still a very emotional and interesting show. It didn't know how to utilize its premise to the fullest, but the better episodes left me absolutely captivated and emotionally invested. Even with a few minor tweaks (not making the other heroes into total idiots, fleshing out the antagonists a bit more) it could've been brilliant. But even as it is now, I still think it's a solid and very enjoyable show. If you're not sick of isekais by this point, give it a try.