When I saw that this was a story set in a virtual MMORPG, it gave me a pause.
Honestly, I would’ve enjoyed this anime a lot more if it weren’t set in a virtual reality videogame. Why couldn’t it just have been set in its own pre-established fantasy realm and not a fictional world within a fictional world? This could’ve easily been God of War (2018) mixed with some Game of Thrones if done right.
I know—I know, it’s isekai, which is basically a synonym for wish fulfillment. And boy is this anime wish fulfillment at its finest.
It’s not that Shield Hero is bad, its actually quite enjoyable if you turn your brain off long enough. What makes this anime watchable is seeing what the protag will do next. He’s basically an anti-hero who’s falsely accused of raping the kingdom’s princess. So now he has to build his reputation from the ground up and earn his respect as a Hero in this fictional world within a fictional world.
Outside of that. Shield Hero has a great premise, but the execution just isn’t quite there. Why? Because the writing is just all over the place.
So the Shield Hero is part of this otherworldly league of heroes summoned to fight these (ridiculously convenient) monsters who arbitrarily attack the virtual kingdom. For reasons unknown, the Shield is automatically reviled by the kingdom’s people and the monarch. Why even bother bringing him in the first place, then? It's like betting on the Cleveland Browns and being disappointed when they lose.
Why treat the hero like this when his only job is to save the kingdom from annihilation? Makes 0 sense plot-wise. It just seems like artificial melodrama to kickstart the plot and the protag’s future behavior.
The show also features dark themes like enslavement and racism, yet these themes are soon forgotten to make room for an unnecessary harem to come to play later. I have no problem with harems, but they almost always devolve into one guy getting all the honeys without flexing a muscle.
The female characters are ‘badass’ of course, but when there isn’t fighting, the only thought that passes through their minds is how badly they want to suck the protags d**k. Good harem is a two-way street: the guy has to have a reason to be involved with these women and vice versa. The women in Shield Hero (if they could be called that?) just love this guy for no other reason than that he feeds them.
Things that REALLY grind my gears…
1) I saw no point in making the bird creature a loli. Like… what purpose did this serve???
2) Why are grown men growing boners around this loli who clearly looks 8 years old??? (*FBI has entered the chat*)
3) Why is a society that practiced ‘human supremacy’ so acceptant to a demi-human walking around freely???
4) Why was a king, (who imposes the law of the land: including enslavement) so willing to free a demi-girl loli from bondage when HE MADE IT THE LAW TO ENSLAVE THEM!?!?!
5) Somehow slavery is a choice, even after you’ve been made free, apparently.
6) An invincible protagonist who wields the mighty power of ‘plot convenience.’
7) Since this is all a videogame (even though the protag keeps telling himself otherwise) what’s truly at stake here? Isn’t this the equivalent of ‘it was all a dream’ trope?
8) Thoughtless masturbatory female characters who are clearly underage and used as creepy eye-candy.
9) Why treat the Shield like dirt when he’s virtually one of four people currently saving your life right now??? It’s like verbally berating a heart surgeon during the middle of the operation.
10) The armory guy looks like Kratos and that makes me sad… because I really had an itch for this show to be like God of War. It is…sorta-kinda.
11) Why are all the female characters dependent, submissive or outright bi**hes for no reason???
12) why the hell even bother making Raphtalia transform into a 20-year-old woman when she could've easily just stayed a kid and the story would be no different if not better.
13) Why are the other Heros dumb as hell and gullible for no reason other than to add artificial tension???
With all that said, you won’t hate yourself for liking Shield Hero. It has its moments, but don’t think too much on what’s going on and you’ll like this show just fine. This is a review coming from a guy who very rarely watches anime. Attack on Titan and Samurai Jack pretty much sums up my limited exposure to this culture. Anyway… Peace!
