This week we see Myne is up to no good again by working alongside the Three Heroes Church (well, so much for their alliance) to smear and frame Naofumi for kidnapping/attempting to assassinate Melty. The rosary the woman showed Naofumi last week was actually a warning not to trust them. I swear to god, Myne is the most despicable and infuriating villain I have encountered in a long time. She is so bloody annoying, and it drives me nuts how everyone continues to be manipulated by her, might as well say she’s using such magic at this point because it’s actually ridiculous how many people go along with her. She is the type that just wants to watch the world burn to ashes.
Dear god, did this episode make my blood boil! Thank goodness for the last five minutes where Ren and Itsuki finally fucking noticed that Myne was trying to kill her sister, goes to show there is hope in this grim world. I’m just glad while this was more or less a repeat of what has happened in the beginning of the series (which makes it all the more infuriating to watch), not all the characters fell for Myne’s plan. I cannot stress how big of a deal it was that at least Ren (who Naofumi shown to have some degree of faith in to trust he will be able to investigate on his own) and Itsuki were able to recognize the true threat. This is a step in the right direction because it is essential for the heroes to be aware of how dangerous and psychotic Myne actually is.
Actually I don’t believe I shared this yet, but Ren is actually my second favourite hero. He is the character I see with the most potential to grow since he actually has it in him to actually question things ever since Naofumi told him about what has happened with the dragon corpse. Of course, it would have been all the more sweeter had Ren actually picked up the the mind control bullshit from the get go, but I’ll take what I got. And honestly, I would love Ren to become friends/allies with Naofumi. I feel like the two can actually click together. Unfortunately, I don’t think we are going to get the chance to see that play out given the way things are going. It would be nice if that actually were to happen though!
Sadly, this is also where I am going to end my coverage. After this episode, it more or less solidified that this is a show I am better off simply watching for sanity’s sake. It is something I have been mulling about for a little over a month now since I have noticed it’s been difficult for me to write about. Who knows, maybe if I am feeling up to it, I’ll be inclined write up a Random Review when it’s over.
Status Dropped
Reason: More comfortable to watch than to cover.
PS: The new OP is great, glad to see it’s MADKID doing it again. Loving their music!
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Do you plan to do a final impressions post once Shield Hero ends?
All I will say for now is that as bad as things get, they WILL be resolved; especially once the Queen of Melromarc makes her proper debut into the series.
As for the pacing, assuming the anime’s doing 20+ episodes they’ll likely cover the 1st 4 out of (presently 20) LN volumes.
(Yes, the LN version is THAT long, ongoing and very different from its source.)
Hmm, right now it’s really hard to say. One of the main reasons why it was hard for me to write about this show is because I am not particularly invested in this series, it doesn’t excite me to the point I’m eager to write about it. So if I were to write a final impression as an overall thoughts sort of thing instead, then it really depends whether or not I am super happy with the way it’s resolved.
How different is the novel to the current adaption at the moment? Would you say it’s faithful or are they cutting important things out, or possibly even exaggerating some scenes more than it did in the novel?
So far the anime’s following the novels pretty closely; the main change is the anime’s early foreshadowing and showing off the Queen of Melromarc, who plays a pretty main role in the later story.
If anything, the anime tones down some parts, like Naofumi’s inner trauma and hatreds. His thinking goes to pretty dark, intense places in this part of the story; it’s Raphthalia who has to pull him back from the brink.
Spoiler
in the LN he muses about picking Raphthalia as his slave because she reminded him of Myne; he wanted to set her loose against monsters so he could revenge-fantasize it was Myne he was sending to her death. I’ve personally suspected Shield’s author was using the early story to vent out their anger against some big betrayal they suffered prior to writing Shield.
The LNs greatly diverge from the source webnovel starting from Vol 5 and beyond – there’s rearranged content, brand-new story arcs, and even brand new characters. You even find out more about Glass and where she truly stands.
PS. Some extra trivia on the 3 heroes’ method of operations and state of existence that may interest you, beware bigger spoilers:
Spoiler
The 3 heroes are incredibly flawed in how they handle their companions. Motoyasu is fairly obvious – a gullible dumbass who’ll believe anything a pretty, sweet-tongued girl tells him. Ren’s a loner who prefers going solo and refuses to cooperate with others, leaving them behind. Itsuki has a self-righteous superiority complex, doing “good deeds” solely for praise and attention. All 3 strongly believe they’re in their respective game worlds and refuse to believe otherwise.
Also unlike Naofumi who was teleported,
Spoiler
all 3 died in their original worlds. Ren died saving his friend from a serial killer. Itsuki was run over by a truck. Motoyasu was brutally stabbed by 2 girls he was double-dating.
Shield Hero is the only anime I take seriously, this season.
One of the main character points, that actually means something; is that when Raphtelia was freed from her slave curse, she was so taken (in a good way) with Naofumi, that she asked him to have the slave stamp put back on.
Naofumi is the first person in years, that actually cared for her. He feeds her well, heals her sicknesses and injuries, and when in town, always provides decent meals and a decent place to sleep. All things she had almost forgotten the importance of. He is a true mentor, tough and demanding, but also concerned and kind, when needed.
Filo figured him out quite quickly too! The girls behavior, when around him, looks simple, but is breathtakingly complex on several levels.
This story is much more than a dating guide. And, as others have glommed onto, Glass might actually have a bigger stake in things than she initially appears to have.
I always save Shield Hero for late in the evening, a bright spot in my day.