To describe Shield Hero in a word is simple: obtuse. The Shield Hero himself is a socially inept, dour, doormat who constantly allows people to get the wrong idea about him. His conversation modes are A) silently brooding and B) getting loud and physical, like an abusive partner or some raging NEET. Unsurprisingly, having the tact of a semi-conscious, territorial, house cat gets him into dumb situations.

Through the story, he climbs his way from being the cynical personification of angst to a vindictive, petty, borderline sociopath, to finally a mellowed out Deus Ex Machina user. Somehow, his character is actually somewhat enjoyable in the rare moments he acts like a human being, ironically because of the non-human characters with him.

The real obtuseness comes in with the Spear, Sword, and Bow "heroes." If these three were told that the Shield Hero is actually mecha-Hitler bent on killing everyone in the world by some drunk peasant on the side of the road, they'd fucking believe it without a second thought. "Of course! I knew he was mecha-Hitler all along!" Even when it's absolutely proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Shield Hero was being framed and conspired against, their little pea-brains are one excuse away from ostracizing his ass.

If the world needed to be saved by these four "heroes," I'd have to make and complete a bucket list in record time before everyone died.

At this point in the review, you are wondering, rightly, why on earth I've rated this anime as an 85, given how awful I think the supposed protagonists are. That's because every other character in the anime is well-written with fleshed out motivations. In other words, they're people.

Raphtalia. If this character didn't exist in the pure and innocent form she does, I don't write this review, because I drop this shit like it's hot and forget about it. I am so glad she isn't some over-sexualized, ditzy, princess-in-a-tower, type female protagonist. All of the good moments in the show are between Raphtalia and the Shield Hero, because she's the only one who came make that moron be normal. She's like Asuna in SAO before they neutered her and made her into a glorified ornament.

The King and Princess Malty, though indescribably annoying and immensely unlikable, make for convincing antagonists. The jealousy of Princess Malty is especially juicy, serving as a flashpoint several times in the story. The King's blatant racism and inferiority complex make it very satisfying every time he's made a fool of. They remind me of Team Rocket in Pokemon, a consistent thorn in the side, yet ultimately too stupid to do anything properly.

The mysterious nature of the Waves is something that is teased at, slowly being revealed, and still far from understood. It's clear that whatever ultimate conclusion the story reaches, it will be related to the Waves origin. Though the idea that the Four Heroes in their current state could do anything about it is laughable.

In conclusion, Shield Hero is a diamond in the rough with plenty of rough. It's probably not going down as a classic, but it may be the best isekai anime of 2019.