Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero
Before I start this review, I wanna clear some misconceptions about Shield Hero that people are using to stop folks watching the show. Shield Hero is a story of vindication, not revenge. Shield Hero is a story about becoming a better person through family, not having a loli harem. Shield Hero is about getting through rough times, not being edgy by stacking the world against you. I really didn't expect to enjoy Shield Hero as much as I did when I started watching it, but after a couple episodes, it's quickly become one of my favourites. Yes, it's an isekai, and if you're not into that youprobably won't enjoy the show, but even so, i'd urge you to give it a chance and go in with an accepting mindset, because this show stands head and shoulders above the more common isekai.
The story is pretty top notch. Everything is set out from the get go to distinguish itself as a stereotypical isekai, only to break the mould and focus its attention on the character dynamics of the main character Naofumi and his party members, Raphtalia, Filp and Melty. It focuses on properly building up its world, showing the main character putting some skill and work into their job and how he takes care of those he works with, like a father or an older brother. It might seem to start out somewhat edgy with initial implications, but all it's doing is setting up its protagonist for development against the odds. Another theme in the story is about skill, tactics and teamplay overcoming sheer power, shown with Naofumi using tricks and his party members to overcome tough enemies, with exceptions such as a certain trump card I won't talk about for sake of spoiling. But he is not an overpowered protagonist, everything he does earnestly does feel like he's struggling and doing his best to fight back and it's honestly pretty endearing. It's not exactly the finest story ever written, but it fits the scenario and very easy to wrap yourself up in with a sympathetic main character and a world that is distinguishable from the norm as our characters do interact with it far more.
The art is very decent, I don't have much to say about it since fights are well animated and characters look good, I didn't notice any particular errors. However I do have to dock points for the poor implementation of CGI in places and it is a shame. Considering I watched Overlord's first season not too long ago and that had far better CGI, I can't help but wonder how the industry hasn't sorted this out yet. For now, it mostly feels like scotch tape holding some of the weaker parts of the anime together, but it is worth getting through for everything else.
Sound is good, not much to say again but both opening and ending themes are still fresh in my memory, particularly the first one. Otherwise most of it is servicable and not much above your typical anime.
The characters are easily the best thing about Shield Hero. Naofumi is an excellent protagonist, set up for failure by the world around him and resenting every minute of it. You understand his worldview and his actions instantly and why he has such a cynical edge to him and it's fun to watch him slowly come out of that side and accept people into his life. His party members all have fun interactions with him and they all feel distinct, none of them overlap too much. The outside cast is also good, the antagonists are fun to hate and there will be times you get frustrated by what they're pulling, like a good antagonist should. Some have argued the characters are too stupid for falling for things and therefore it's bad writing, but this isn't the case. It's not as if deception from authority is common in fantasy worlds.
As I said before, I highly enjoyed Shield Hero and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something a little different from your standard isekai. Its protagonist and a lack of being overpowered, its character building and world make it a good example of how the genre can still be appealing no matter what. See it for yourself and make your own judgements.
I know I won't be shielding my thoughts from this show for a long time coming.