The Rising of the Shield Hero

I do not believe the hype that this is the best fantasy anime series of recent years, however, I do firmly believe it is still a very satisfying show. The “Justice Porn” (as some are calling it) is very good in this show. Naofumi could have been a great main male protagonist if he had not been unlucky enough to only get his hands on a shield. They tried to get rid of him by ruining the reputation he was building, accusing him of terrible crimes, and leaving him to traverse the countryside. The anti-hero then comes to save the world - The Renegade! After all, it is great when the anime’s creators lure you at the very beginning of the show and shock you with all the injustices they let the main male protagonist suffer. Plus, throughout the following episodes, they are repeating this idea several times, because it is all building up to the moment when everything comes to a head and gets resolved, something the audience is able to fully enjoy. You get to experience the feeling of growing to hate some of the characters, rooting for the main male protagonist, and occasionally questioning who could have selected the other heroes, because I would have been hard-pressed to find a bigger bunch of (I will attempt to restrain myself here) fools and arrogant ignoramuses who have probably never heard the word logic in their lives. Plus, when the main male protagonist's karma is in negative equity practically from the beginning, and his motivation is at an all-time low because of all the injustices he has suffered, then the character development, the character's advancement practically happens by itself. Then again, people like to see the change from all the negatives turning into positives - it is inherently satisfying... Those are the main attractions of this first season, in my opinion, and I for one am curious to see what (if anything) the second season will come up with...8/10. (07/03/2022)

Season 2 of The Rising of the Shield Hero definitely isn’t as good as the first one. It's hardly a surprise when the best thing about the first season (Justice Porn) is no longer there, leaving only a mediocre fantasy. After resolving the first story arc and completing the hero's revenge, the writer seems to be at a loss about where to take the story next. The way the tortoise is introduced into the story feels kind of unnatural and forced. Instead of moving on with the story that clearly hasn't ended and has room for development, it is cut off in a weird way, and a completely different danger B is inserted to replace danger A, without any detailed or logical exposition. A tortoise has appeared, be afraid! Unsurprisingly, it doesn't work at all. The part with the tortoise has no tension, it's not scary, and it’s an odd build-up to the second half, in which we’re hastily transported to another place to deal with something else, which has almost no impact on the overall plot, and the second season ends more or less where it started. It almost makes it seem like season two was just a pointless filler poorly grafted onto the main storyline. That's the way I feel about it. It would have been okay if the side plot was at least good. The first half drags, and tries to tug at your heartstrings, but only ends up being boring. The second half tries to be dramatic but uses the cheapest means.  There are other worlds of other heroes (which isn't a spoiler because that’s been known since the end of the first season) but the show doesn't make me interested in the concept. So, what did I get in season two? A sexy tortoise, a moronic psychopathic villain, a new mascot of the series, some cheesy drama, the ever-so-lovable Raphtalia, and a finale with the qualities of a below-average OVA. This season really didn't do it for me. I hope the next one will be better... 4.4/10 (29/06/2022)