Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero

I put off watching Rise of the Shield Hero because i had just finished watching "the time i got reincarnated as a slime" and i wanted to take a break from isekai. However, i picked up the show once the final episode was airing and decided to give it a shot. It also helped that the show was getting very positive rankings overall. Rise of the shield hero is one of the few anime that i have watched heavily in a while. Normally, an anime has to be pretty good for me to watch five or more episodes a day. The show was able to drawme in for a few reasons.

For one, this anime isn't a cut and dry isekai. The main character Naofumi may be a hero, but he isn't treated like one. The viewer quickly discovers that most characters in this show aren't very good people. At times, it seems the writers of the show design certain characters to be hated beyond belief (the characters myne and the king are such characters).

For reasons beyond the viewers initial understanding, the main character naofumi is treated horribly beyond belief at the very start of the show. This makes the viewer immediately sympathize with his struggle and keeps them watching to see him overcome the gargantuan obstacles in front of him.

One things that makes Naofumi different from other isekai main character is the circumstance he is put in and the constraints on his power. As the name shield hero suggests, Naofumi's initial powers are defense based. This requires him to rely on other characters such as Raptalia (a demi human who acts as his sword) and the bird creature filo (who acts as a typical cute moe character in the show). Naofumi's lack of offensive ability requires him to rely on these two characters to overcome the obstacles in the world. In addition, he is forced to put his trust in his comrades even though it seems he is faced with betrayal and hardship around every corner of the world he is thrust into.

Over the course of the anime, Naofumi becomes a true dynamic character who changes from an angry, cynical misanthrope to someone who truly embodies what a hero should be. The side characters in the anime serve a great purpose in shaping who the protagonist is. Characters such as the king and Myne put Naofumi through great hardship so that he can develop his own resolve that helps him survive in the world. The other 4 heroes summoned to the world (Motoyasu. Ren. Itsuki) serve as examples of arrogance and unchecked narcissism which prompts Naofumi to deviate from their course and become a hero that understand the consequences of his actions and rises to the occasion when necessary.

The characters Raphtalia and filo showcase Naofumi's kindness despite his anger toward the characters who wronged him. Throughout the anime, the viewer is captivated viewing their bonds develop with Naofumi and they become a main cast truly worth caring about.

Raphtalia is a true candidate for best girl of 2019 as she not only shows considerable strength and resolve fighting alongside Naofumi but also showcases gentleness, love, and compassion. At times, she becomes the main driving force for how Naofumi later develops into a hero.

I can't say that i cared much for filo. I found her to be annoying at times and she tends to ruin intimate moments between Naofumi and Raphtalia. However, i came to realize that she is not only a great fighting force, but also has considerable resolve. Despite this, her childlike behavior and annoying habits make me wish she had less screen time.

Another character who i like is Melty. She is a royal princess who likes to act prim and proper, but is really a child with tsundere tendencies. She showcases how she differs from the people who wronged Naofumi early on. Initially Naofumi doesn't trust her. However melty helps to push Naofumi to become more virtuous and overcome numerous obstacles. In addition, her mother, the queen, is savage at times.

One flaw with the show is the poorly developed villains. Early on, it just seems like they do awful things just because they are evil for its own sake. They do serve their purpose of being hate-able and it is satisfying when they get what is coming to them, but poor development is still poor development .
Although most of the anime just seems to show instances where the main character gets trashed on and suffers enormous hardship, it provides a fresh take on the isekai genre where the hero has to develop internally as well as externally. In addition, the main character is someone who has to continuously work in order to become stronger. This is a fresh deviation from the overpowered main characters we see in other isekai.

While i do wish the world was a little more developed and the truth behind the evil forces in the world was explored, the viewer quickly understands that nothing in this world is a clear as it seems and that there isn't even much of a line between being good or evil. In fact, the anime shows that the characters we would normally tend to think would be good, such as the other heroes, are actually some of the most flawed individuals in the show.

The rise of the shield hero is an underdog story. I kept watching episode after episode hoping he would overcome the obstacles in his path. I was angry when he was betrayed and rejoiced when he succeeded. The main characters were great and i enjoyed seeing them episode to episode.

Although the hype can be misleading at times, i feel the hype for this anime was justified. I'm looking forward to either seeing a season 2 or reading the manga. If you want a isekai anime that bucks the trend and engages you though all its episodes, I recommend you give this show a shot. It was one of the best anime I've seen in a while.