Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero

For a disclaimer: I'm not the biggest fan of Isekai. I just haven't watched them because I'm put off by my heroes using cellphones as their schtick. Regardless, I found Shield Hero refreshing from all of the Isekai memes and just seeing the raw amount of saturation. This' also my first review, please be patient with me. I'll keep this spoiler free just in case. To anyone who says this is an "incel powertrip", there's some level of cognitive dissonance to think a character's behaviors reflect the fans' lives and beliefs. It's on the same level as theones who said Goblin Slayer fans are "rape apologists" for not having a Twitter rant about the first episode.

Actual review: Shield Hero's basic structure was really well defined. Naofumi comes to terms with living in a world that doesn't want him, regardless of him being an "esteemed" savior. The rape accusation was explained as leverage with another group within the kingdom. The conclusion to it was a very good moral check for Naofumi as a character, and makes the viewer question why they felt the way they did leading up to the event and its outcome.

The character relations, sadly, is where Shield Hero fails most. It seems the author wants to just have Raphtalia be the main love interest but is playing it safe so fans can fantasize about ships and headcanons. I feel the character interactions could have been more fleshed out if not for pandering to make Naofumi interact with everyone in ways to further swoon them. I was hoping L'Arc would become a good male party member, but disappointingly he wasn't. I do think everyone individually is very strong, but don't get to bloom when with each other. I like every side character that reoccurs, good dialogue with them.

The plot development and pace felt really smooth. Not too rushed, definitely not slow. I binged all 25 episodes in two days, and my only complaint was that the recaps were a bit too long for my taste. Him going on his own personal journey, leading back to a central point with the waves and other issues in the kingdom.

That's all I really have to say about Shield Hero. Sorry for not talking about animation or music, I'm just writing this at 3 AM right after my binge of it. I hope the story going forward amends the few issues I had with season 1.