Story: Shield Hero's story is fairly extensive, especially for one season. While the first arc can be split up into many smaller ones, the overall idea was to show Naofumi's redemption and how he grows not just as a party member, but as a person. The show starts off really strong, and only eases a little towards the middle near the pope arc. The main story is never put to the side, and is always interesting, especially with how Naofumi reacts to the different situations he's put into. His actions affect the story, which is different from other isekais, where the story happens and events occur around them. This formula could be a problem if done only to give fanservice, but luckily, the show only utilizes one beach episode that makes sense with the story. The only problem that I had with the story was with the fact that since it was a large season with 2 cours, certain plotpoints that were seen weren't referenced too much later. The slave dealer was an interesting character, and his usage past the first few episodes was minimal, only appearing in the very last episode. This may hint at his importance in the next season, but he could have affected the story more. Another problem was with the other heroes. After the first wave, you would think that they would have trained intensely in order to be able to hold their ground against Naofumi, but instead, they shake it off and act as if the waves never happened. They live in luxury instead of actively settling out their hate and distrust of him in the start.
Art: Character designs in this show are detailed and varied. The 4 Cardinal heroes all look distinct, and their personalities are reflected in their appearances. Motoyasu also looks like Mordred, which is a plus. The side characters are also not spared from the detail, with personalities such as the slave trader getting attention. He could have been given a suit and the typical shady dealer vibe, but they gave him more, and a personality with his formal businesslike tone. While Raphtalia looks a little plain, her outfit with her art brings out her character. She's a simple village girl, and this is seen distinctly.
Sound: The openings weren't really my thing, but I really love the first ending. The emotion you can feel in that song bring layers of detail to the show and the emotional impact that the first few episodes with our favorite raccoon is greatly increased. The voice acting also is great in this show, but that's obvious.
Character: While I do like the main characters, the first problem that you see is with the supporting cast. They're there to live one role without explanation or development. This can be seen with the 3 other heroes, with one very minor exception of the sword hero, who ironically is supposed to be Kirito. The side cast exist in the world to further the plot, but not themselves. This doesn't make them memorable, whereas characters in other story driven shows are because they do eventually go through a character change that puts the spotlight on them. It may be a little early to judge these characters based on the fact that certain shows do wait until the second season for greater development, but this should not excuse the first season from only giving us basically a paragraph of information for character development on certain characters. Specifically, Malty. While she is given a reason for trying to bring the Shield Hero to ruin, it's only because she's a pawn for the king and not because she wants to ruin him by her own desire. This is a problem as it gives us no actual drive behind why she does what she does, giving her no personality besides that she's easily manipulated by her father. With the other heroes, it's even worse since they start hating on Naofumi without even questioning anything knowing that the kind of person he was in the beginning was the opposite of what Malty claimed he was later on. With that out of the way, I would like to talk about what was done right. The main cast of characters are given the most development and thus the most likability. Naofumi's struggle is one that shapes him even if he himself never loses his distrust for other people until late in the season, but his drastic change while still showing care for others as he did before grounds his character more in reality. Although he never brushes off his cold exterior, you still see his old self in his hopes for the future, especially with his party. With a character like Raphtalia, the story allows for greater depth to be attained with her once you find out her past. The arc that focused on her past after she goes from jailbait to best girl cemented her place as one of the best characters in the show. You realize that her fight is one that's of importance just with her introduction, and it's amplified by her later arc with her return to her hometown. The 2 character arcs that the show gives each main party member really helps the development of them.
Enjoyment: Shield Hero had its flaws, but these actually kept me watching and enjoying the show. I didn't read the manga as to not spoil my experience, and that kept me tuned in every week to find out if the other heroes would change at all. These ultimately would combine with the good points of the show to bring a memorable experience that has me waiting for the next season.
Overall: While yes, it could have been done better, the show itself is solid and won't disappoint if you're still not burnt out from isekais.
please don't lewd raccoon still
