This anime was never on my radar and probably wouldn’t have made it at all if not once again from my annoying friend at work. But it did, and here we are now. Let’s start with what this anime is supposed to be about, a young 20 something university student gets transported into another world after finding a book about four heroes. After being transported Iwatani must continue to survive in a world that hates him without really knowing him and trying to gain strength with the hero title that he is stuck with, The Shield Hero. The point of the four heroes is to fight in each of the waves of calamity, hopefully to win against the villains that come through these awful events during the period of time that calamity is striking. It is our knowledge and that of the heroes that if they prevail and win against these evil foes, not only will they be saving the world they are in but that they will one day be able to return to their own world. Did I forget to mention that each of the four heroes all come from a different universe of the human world? Almost a bit like what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is setting up, anyway when meeting the heroes compare history of their worlds and so forth to come to this conclusion too.
Now, I barely noticed what this show was about and my friend told me a bit of a different summary. The main thing he told me, as I’ll tell all of you who might give this anime a chance as well. Wait it out. The first episode is long and there’s a lot that the show is trying to fit in right away to get to set up the rest of the first season. You will also be mad as hell and want to strangle a certain person immediately because of course you will see the betrayal a mile away, unlike our Shield Hero. Once the first episode passes by, slowly as it feels, the rest of the season picks up and we are off running. Although I wasn’t as invested as I am in most of my other anime’s (mainly because reading them is better, but the manga has just kind of taken off for this series), I did find myself binge watching this in about a week. With Iwatani as the underdog you will be rooting for him and getting mad on his behalf, even going as far as being as protective as his girls are of him (and no, it’s not what you think at all!). Other than the rooting for our Shield Hero, you will most likely be laughing your ass off because our main girl, Raphtalia believes if you kiss it makes you pregnant (which is pretty damn funny if you ask me).
Toward the end of the first season it seems that we enter into a new arc and realize that there are other heroes from other dimensions. All of whom are fighting to save their reality and homes, so what our current four heroes have been fighting during the waves of calamity is actually other heroes just trying to save their own world. I do think I have to take back what I said about not being as invested in this anime like the others I follow, it was a lie because I really want to see where this story goes. This first season of The Rising of the Shield Hero (which is 25 episodes) can be found in it’s entirety on Crunchyroll.
It was also just announced that season two will hopefully be coming out in April of 2022, after having been delayed due to the current world crisis.
Are you going watch the series? Have you already? Feel free to leave a comment below or chat with me on Twitter!
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