Isekai anime have become a very popular trend in this modern day and age, with various Isekais coming out every single season. Each time we see a person living in the modern world die and get reincarnated or else just get teleported to an Isekai world. Many of which end becoming the heroes of that world.
With that said some Isekai offer something new, perhaps a new idea, an amazing story, or something similar. Does Rising of the Shield Hero offer a new idea? Well to be honest it doesn't, does it have a completely unique story? Once again it doesn't. HOWEVER, while it doesn't introduce any new concept, it does everything right!
The main issue with most modern day Isekai, isn't whether or not they introduce something new, but rather how enjoyable it is to watch. I personally am sick and tired of seeing very boring characters end up in an Isekai world with insane super powers, and end up with some harem of people who I have no idea why they fell for the main character. This is where Rising of the Shield Hero differs from most bad Isekais.
Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari introduces us to an actual likeable protagonist, with his own personality and character, and while his character isn't anything new, at the very least its a character who I can understand, someone who likes things and dislikes other things. While at the end of the day, just like other Isekais the main character will end up becoming powerful, at least we see the various limitations of his power throughout the anime. Furthermore, we actually see him slowly working himself up to become powerful, and even with all his training, there are still moments where his opponents are too difficult for him and he is forced to retreat.
This is all an amazing thing! This Isekai is actually realistic, with this there is also a very interesting story, each kingdom feels like an actual fantasy kingdom, with its many issues as well as wonders. Nothing is perfect, but nothing is horrible either. This amount of realism, make this anime an amazing Isekai, and while I didn't see anything new introduced into the show, I sure as hell enjoyed everything I saw in this show.
As I have mentioned above, nothing new is introduced, but with that said, the basic story is in itself very interesting, its not too cliché, and it is overall done right, there aren't any moments where nothing of interest occurs, and at the same time, there aren't any moments that feel too rushed, or unbelievable.
When considering Art, I consider both the Aesthetics of the anime (ie how the anime looks like), as well as the animation. With that said:
The artstyle is overall amazing, its pretty detailed, all the environments are colorful, or dark when the need arises, and there is a lot of detail put into every scene. Furthermore, the character designs of some characters, both main characters, and a couple of side characters is pretty amazing.
The animation is also really well made, I guarantee you that you will enjoy most fights in this anime, as apart from being well animated, they are also pretty strategic and entertaining to watch.
Overall I liked both openings of this anime, as well as the first ending. Throughout the anime I always felt like the music matched the theme. The only reason I am not giving this a higher score is because there aren't any specific jaw-dropping soundtracks or music which I feel like I would need to pause the anime in order to find out where the music originated from.
As I already explained in my introduction, the characters in this anime, are pretty well written, and overall they feel alive. The main character is his own character, and not a boring emotionless mc most anime tend to use, the other main characters are also pretty entertaining, with their own likes, dislikes and ideologies, which definitely make me interested in learning more about them.
Furthermore, this anime tends to also make the side characters a bit detailed as well, obviously unlike the main cast, they aren't insanely detailed. But I always felt like each side character introduced in this anime, was his/her own character living in this world, with their own unique personality.
While nothing new is added, everything that is in the anime is well made, and enjoyable to watch. I was never bored when watching this anime, and I feel as though anyone watching this anime would also agree that it is entertaining to watch.
As a person who uses the entire rating spectrum, meaning that I give bad anime a rating between 1 - 4, mediocre anime 4 - 6, and so on, a score of 8 from me is a great score, and I believe that this anime is definitely an anime that you as a viewer would enjoy seeing. Best of luck, and enjoy the anime!
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