Review of The Rising of the Shield Hero

This one surprised me. I seriously liked it. It's got some standard RPG elements that I have no problem with (TBH I enjoy straightforward leveling/class systems), and it's got some standard characters but with some compelling motives. What made me like it a lot was the way the first episode gets you on the MC's side by making everyone else unlikable. It also doesn't waste time making him down on himself, and it's completely understandable. There are some fairly aggravating parts, though the show largely and cleverly builds it into his character and serves a purpose with some big payoffs, particularly when a certain twocharacters get name changes (lol). Sometimes it can be more of an ugh, like with the spear guy, though it's tolerable. Looking forward to the second season, there's some good potential for something even better.