If you’re into fantasy anime, then you might’ve heard a lot about “The Rising of the Shield Hero.” Since Berserk made its way into the top of the anime charts, there hasn’t been a decent anime like Berserk until the ‘Shield Hero’ rose. The Rising of the Shield Hero offers you everything you need from an anime. Hate, Love, Cuteness, Selfish, and a lot of other stuff are initials in this anime. I’ve never read any novels related to the anime, but the first episode gave me a blast, and my expectations were too high. Not going to lie, it did reach my expectations until the very end.
To put it in one word, it isn’t a typical Isekai anime. It has much more depth than the regular Isekai anime shows, and it proves itself as one of the best Isekai anime. You might encounter a few cliche moments in the anime, but overall it is fantastic. There are more than enough reasons to watch this anime. To know the reasons, make sure you read the full review. Let’s get started then.
The Rising of the Shield Hero
Genre: Action, Adventure
IMDb: 8.0/10
The Rising of the Shield Hero is a Japanese anime adapted from the light novel series of Aneko Yusagi. And initially, it published as a web novel, and later by Media Factory, twenty-two volumes went into the public with illustrations by Seira Minami. The anime aired under the adaption of Kinema Citrus from January to June 2019. The second and third seasons of the Shield Hero are yet to come and according to the production staff, they’re in progress.
Also read: When will the season 2 of The Rising of the Shield Hero come out?
Synopsis
Naofumi Iwatani is an Otaku living his normal life in Tokyo. One day, he is summoned as the shield hero along with the other three heroes. And the people have a negative view of the shield hero because he has weak offensive skills. Starting with the poor popularity, he is betrayed and has become a fugitive in people’s minds. Losing faith and trust from other heroes, he decides to prove everyone what a shield hero can do. As he starts his journey, the anime becomes even more exciting and beautiful. With the entry of other main characters like Raphtalia and Filo, it will totally change your perspective on it.
Plot
The storyline of the anime resembles Sword Art Online in some context. But unlike SAO, The Rising of the Shield Hero has a stronger plot and better character development. In 25 episodes, it made us experience a lot of fan-favorite scenes and even some epic visuals. Since the plot focusses mostly on the shield hero and his crew, you get to watch a lot of cute and adorable scenes.
To be honest, in the first few episodes, I can’t even think of taking a tea break for the sake of the story. It was too anxious to give a thought of watching it later. And unlike a fewer anime, it doesn’t take much time to get you involved. So, if you’re going to expect anything from the plot of the anime, you better watch it now.
Characters
I bet you didn’t watch much anime with excellent character development. Unlike other isekai anime, MC in this anime is an Otaku who doesn’t know much about the outside world. And when he has to face the whole kingdom for a crime which he doesn’t commit, you can expect how he arises. Probably the title “The Rising of the Shield Hero” is enough to make you understand how this anime developed the main character.
With each episode, the characters get better and likable. And not to mention Naofumi (MC), he turns out to be a worthy shield hero. If you can recall, Raphtalia (female lead) won the best anime girl of the year at the 6th anime trending awards and I’d say, she deserves it. If you’re looking for anime with great character development, stop searching and watch it already.
Music
As epic as the anime is, the music nonetheless is a fantastic aspect. The sound effects are brilliant and mainly when the shield hero uses his ultimate moves as ‘Shield Prison’ and ‘Shield Cage,’ the music gives you cold shivers with its dark music. And the thing that ‘Mad Kids’ performed the opening ‘RISE’ of the anime makes me scream out loud. You can watch the opening here:
I never listened to an epic intro like this in recent days and never thought I’d watch the whole opening in all the episodes. It’s just that it is so heroic to listen that you just can’t skip it. Well, I’d willingly consider Music is one of the best aspects of ‘The Rising of the Shield Hero.’
Animation
I won’t say it has the best animation, but it definitely is the best work of Kinema Citrus. With all those action scenes involved in the anime, it would’ve been messed up if it wasn’t for such a fantastic quality of animation. And the art is astonishing combined with the dazzling visuals. The blend of CGI with the character designs is unbelievably acceptable. No wonder, it nominated for the best anime as per the visual effects in the 6th anime trending awards. While the story stands aside, animation brought it back to life. So, the animation of the anime is one of the strongest aspects for sure.
Action
It won’t be any good if you don’t expect a few epic action scenes from an action/adventure anime. This anime impresses you, at least with the shield hero abilities. In the anime, the protagonist can’t use many offensive attacks. All he is capable of defense except when he truly unleashes his terrific move- Rage Shield. You’ll know how epic it turns out eventually once you get past three episodes. The action is without a doubt, one of the best aspects of this anime.
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