Something About an Evil Plot

I can’t stress enough how much I didn’t want to watch The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 5. And I also can’t stress enough how much I don’t want to be writing this review of the episode right now. It’s actually the worst anime I’m watching this season.

Alright, well, let’s get into my string of complaints about this episode, as usual. First up, someone from another world is behind the Spirit Tortoise’s awakening. That alone isn’t that bad. But, we’re told by L’Arc & friends that this villain’s motivation is that he wants power for himself.

Sure, most villains want power. But that’s also the most boring, generic motive possible. At least L’Arc and his comrades are antagonists because they’re trying to save their own world. In that sense, they’re pretty much the same as the player character in Fate/Grand Order.

This is another example of how the plot of The Rising of the Shield Hero is painfully bland. And, yes, I understand the anime is currently speedrunning the light novel content. But, I don’t see how the plot would be any better in the novels. It’s the same plot, only faster.

At least I’m seeing a lot of people recognize that the series isn’t good thanks to this season. I’ve seen people who were big fans of the first season say they dropped the second because it’s so bad. They’re the lucky ones. I wish I could do that. But, the reviews must go on (for now).

It was also revealed in Episode 5 that there are other Spirit animals. I’m hoping that we don’t have to watch Naofumi’s party deal with them all. The sooner we can get this arc over with, the better.

Kyo Ethnina, Wielder of the Book Vassal Weapon

First of all, Kyo Ethnina is a stupid name. Second, he’s the wielder of the Book vassal weapon? More like he’s a nerd. And third, he’s the poster child for the generic mad scientist villain trope. The only unique thing about this series is that Naofumi owns slaves.

How do you know an anime character is a mad scientist? They tend to have long, white hair. They also wear glasses, because what kind of scientist doesn’t wear glasses? And, they need to have an annoyingly smug personality that makes you want to punch them in the face.

Guess who checks off all three of those boxes. That’s right. It’s Kyo Ethnina, mad scientist extraordinaire. And, of course, the fact that his vassal weapon is a book only adds to the trope. But, Kyo’s character design is actually better than I first thought it was.

You see, when Kyo first revealed himself, I thought he had random vials of liquid attached to his chest. You know, to show that he’s a scientist. But, upon further inspection, I don’t know what those objects are. They’re not vials of liquid. They kind of look like they could be scrolls.

Anyway, just as I’m hoping this arc won’t include the other Spirit animals, I’m hoping it’s the last time we see Kyo. I can’t remember any “important” characters getting killed off in Shield Hero so far. But, I can still wish that Kyo dies by the end of the Spirit Tortoise arc.

If Kyo turns out to be a recurring antagonist of the series, I’m going to drop it. I can already guarantee that I will never see him as a good character. He’s not even going to be an okay character.

Ost Horai, the Spirit Tortoise

For a moment, I thought that my prediction bout Ost becoming one of Naofumi’s slaves was about to happen. When Ost was “on the brink of death” and a seal appeared on her chest, I thought this was a slave seal at first. That wasn’t the case.

On one hand, I’m a bit disappointed that my prediction didn’t come true (yet). But on the other, I don’t see what Ost brings to Naofumi’s party. I guess she has gravity magic. Though, I’d say the fact that she adds a black-haired woman to the harem is the only real benefit to keeping her around.

And even though the seal on Ost’s chest is that of the Spirit Tortoise, that doesn’t disprove my theory. You see, Kyo revealed that Ost isn’t actually a familiar of the Spirit Tortoise. It’s more like she is the Spirit Tortoise. She’s the Spirit Tortoise manifested in human form.

So, why does this matter? Well, because the easiest way to kill the Spirit Tortoise is now to kill Ost. And, to me, it’s pretty obvious that Naofumi isn’t going to kill her. So, how else can he stop the Spirit Tortoise from rampaging?

Well, the simple answer is that he can enslave the Spirit Tortoise so it. If he makes Ost his slave, Naofumi may be able to put the Spirit Tortoise back to sleep. I can’t see him being able to control the Spirit Tortoise, though. That would be too much of an instantaneous jump in power.

Also, even if Naofumi could control it, the Spirit Tortoise still runs on human souls. He wouldn’t be able to use it without supplying sacrifices, which isn’t going to happen. Oh, and speaking of souls, it sounds like it’s possible to recover them from the Spirit Tortoise.

Conclusion

What do you think of The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 5? Do you actually like this season? Is the mad scientist trope a good trope? And should Ost join Naofumi’s harem? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 6 is available now.

Impoverished Nobles

At the start of The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 4, we get some Rishia backstory. And I’ll be honest, this backstory doesn’t make me care about her any more. Even the slight character development she got in this episode didn’t make me care.

But, let’s still go over Rishia’s backstory anyway. To start off, she says that she comes from a family of “impoverished nobles.” That might sound like an oxymoron, but it’s not. You see, being a noble actually has to do with the family you belong to, not the wealth of your family.

Even if you’re completely poor, as long as you’re from a noble family, you’re still a noble. And, as a noble, you’d still have power over commoners. Now, whether anyone would enforce that power without money behind it is another story. But, the power still exists, at least in theory.

Another thing I should point out about nobles is that they’re usually related to the royal family. So, Rishia could be Melty’s very distant cousin. Does that matter? No. And I doubt it will ever come up within the series. But, it’s possible.

Anyway, a higher-ranking noble had it out for Rishia’s family. He gave them some illegal debt he knew they couldn’t afford and took Rishia as collateral. We don’t know whether he wanted to keep Rishia for himself or if he intended to sell her off. Either way, it wouldn’t have been good for Rishia.

But, luckily, the Bow Hero came to Rishia’s rescue. And from that point on, Rishia devoted her life to serving him. If only Itsuki could see Rishia now. The girl he saved from becoming a slave is now… the Shield Hero’s slave.

Naofumi and Ost

I’m not sure why I didn’t notice it before, but Naofumi and Ost Horai are definitely connected. All the evidence you need is right before your eyes. Look at the picture of them down below. They share the exact same color palette.

Also, the Shield Hero is the most defensive of all the heroes. What comes to mind when you think of a defensive animal? A tortoise has to be one of the first creatures. They’re pretty much walking shields. So, it makes sense for there to be some connection between the Shield Hero and the Spirit Tortoise.

Additionally, we know that there were people who lived on the Spirit Tortoise’s back. They had a shrine dedicated to the Spirit Tortoise, and there was even a message left there by a previous hero. My guess is that this is where the Shield Hero “originates” from.

There’s one little problem with this theory, though. The Spirit Tortoise is a calamity. It roams the land killing people so that it can absorb their souls. How could that be something connected to one of the heroes who’s supposed to save the world? Well, there have already been some hints that point toward the Spirit Tortoise not being an enemy.

Episode 2 told us that the purpose of the Spirit Tortoise was to stop the waves. That’s also the purpose of the heroes. And, after killing the Spirit Tortoise, the heroes should take its place. So, the heroes and Spirit Tortoise are actually on the same side.

In this episode, we got another hint from the Japanese text within the shrine. Part of it read. “____ defeat this monster, you must ________.”

I’m going to guess the first blank is “don’t.” And the second might be “free it” or “save it.”

Into the Belly of the Beast

There are a few things I’m not understanding about the current events of the series. One source of my confusion is likely the terrible adaptation that is this season. The other thing I’m confused about is likely meant to be confusing.

Let’s start with the confusing part that might not be intentional. One possibility is that there’s an issue with the (Crunchyroll) subtitles. The other possibility is that the anime cut out the information that would make this make sense. I don’t see a third option in which there isn’t an error involved.

So, you might remember that in Episode 1, the other Cardinal Heroes left the meeting. They said they were too busy to deal with the Spirit Tortoise and that they wouldn’t be helping. Okay. But, then why is it assumed that those heroes are now trapped within the Spirit Tortoise?

At first, when Rishia heard that the Spirit Tortoise defeated the other heroes, I thought it was a rumor. We saw the other heroes say they weren’t getting involved. So there’s no reason for them to have been in a position to get defeated.

But, since then, the series has doubled and tripled down on this idea. We keep getting told that the other heroes are inside the Spirit Tortoise and in need of rescue. Why? How? I don’t understand.

The other confusing thing is L’Arc, Therese, and Glass appearing inside the Tortoise. This is likely intentional, though.

We heard that the Seven Star Heroes were currently in distant lands. And yet, here are three of them within the Spirit Tortoise. Either they lied about their whereabouts, or the other leaders working with the Queen are in on it. There’s a conspiracy of some kind here.

Conclusion

What do you think of The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 4? Did Rishia’s backstory make you think any better of her? Do you think there’s a connection between Naofumi and Ost/the Spirit Tortoise? And, are we actually going to find the other Cardinal Heroes within the Spirit Tortoise? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 5 is available now.

The Spirit Tortoise Awakens! (again)

It’s time for another review of a bad Shield Hero episode. The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 3 may have had some action, but it was still bad. The animation, characters, and plot aren’t good enough for me to care about what’s going on.

Speaking of animation, they used CGI for the Spirit Tortoise. It’s not the worst CGI I’ve seen in anime by any means. But it doesn’t look good. And considering the Spirit Tortoise is a big deal in this season, it should look a lot better than it does.

Now, I know nothing about the source material of this series. But, I have to say, this doesn’t feel like important content. I may not remember exactly how the first season ended. And yet, I’m pretty confident in saying that it didn’t set up anything to do with the Spirit Tortoise.

Here’s a question for anyone who’s read the light novels. Is the content of this season anime-original? Or is there actually a Spirit Tortoise arc in the source material? I thought we were going to get content with the Seven Stars Heroes, or whatever they’re called.

Yes, the leaders of the various countries mentioned those heroes in Episode 2. But, I didn’t get the feeling that was because they were going to be immediately relevant. Remember, they told Naofumi that those heroes are currently away in other countries. They could show up toward the end of the season, though.

Anyway, back to the Spirit Tortoise. It’s woken up and begins heading toward where the countries have their armies amassed. The trap they laid for it didn’t work as planned. But, in the end, they were successful in immobilizing the behemoth. Now they only need to kill it.

The Battle Begins

Somehow, the battle against the Spirit Tortoise wasn’t what I had expected. As we know, the plan was for the combined armies to lure the Spirit Tortoise into the trap. Once there, they would immobilize it and Naofumi and his slaves would behead it somehow.

But, the Spirit Tortoise also has familiars to worry about. To protect the soldiers from these familiars, Naofumi uses a skill to attract them all to himself. His plan is to lure the familiars away and then slaughter them all with the help of his comrades.

Those parts of the battle make sense. What I wasn’t expecting is how the Spirit Tortoise itself would fight. I guess I never thought about that. The primary way the Spirit Tortoise fights is by summoning familiars. Aside from that, it crushes things by stepping on them.

This should have been obvious. But, I wasn’t expecting the Spirit Tortoise to use its body as a weapon. I don’t know why, but I was imagining it using various magical attacks. You know, like firing an energy beam out of its mouth or something like that. This is a shounen anime, after all.

Now, the Spirit Tortoise does use other magical attacks besides summoning familiars. But, it only does so after the armies are able to immobilize it. If the Spirit Tortoise can no longer collect souls the old-fashioned way, it has a backup plan. It turns itself into a giant Needler from Halo.

When this happened, I thought that the giant pink needles were going to start hitting cities. But, that’s not what happened. Instead, the needles targeted the remaining soldiers on the battlefield. It’s unclear what the range of this attack is. It’s possible the cities are out of range.

Tortoise-Slayers

With the help of the whole gang, the Spirit Tortoise was finally beheaded. But, it should come as no surprise that this didn’t kill it once and for all. We’re only on Episode 3. There’s no way they’d kill the Spirit Tortoise already.

But, the reason we know the Spirit Tortoise wasn’t killed is that Ost Hourai is still alive too. As a familiar of the Spirit Tortoise, she’ll disappear when it’s killed. Or, at least that’s what we’re led to believe. I have my doubts. I’m betting Naofumi will figure out some way to keep her around.

Look, all I’m saying is that if Naofumi happens to make her into one of his slaves, she might survive. And, if she becomes his slave, he might also gain a shield that allows him to manipulate gravity too. I don’t know how he would, but it’s possible.

So, now that we know the Spirit Tortoise still lives, what’s next? The legend said that it would die once decapitated. As we saw, the legend is wrong. Or, it could be that the legend didn’t tell the whole story. What if decapitation is only the first step?

I said this in my review of Episode 2, but I’m convinced that they’re going to end up inside of the Spirit Tortoise. Now that its head is off, they don’t need to worry about getting chomped. They can slide down its throat with ease.

Once inside the Spirit Tortoise, I’m assuming they’ll have to make their way to its “heart” to destroy it. It might not have an actual heart, though. There could be a giant mana core in its center or something. Either way, they’re going to have to destroy it from the inside.

Conclusion

What do you think of The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 3? Are you enjoying the season so far? If so, what is it that you like about it? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

Planning for War

I know a lot of people really like The Rising of the Shield Hero, but this review is going to be all about how garbage it is. It’s not garbage because the protagonist owns slaves. I don’t care about that. It’s garbage because of how terrible the writing is.

This episode was so boring that I was seriously considering dropping the series as I watched it. What happened in this episode? We got some pointless dialogue, another bad character was introduced, and we were reminded of who the pink-haired background character is.

However, I’m slightly surprised that, so far, Season 2 has a lower rating than Season 1 on MyAnimeList. Both seasons are grossly overrated, of course. But I’m glad to see that people are recognizing that this season is worse so far.

The entire first portion of the episode doesn’t really matter. This is when Naofumi is sitting in on the meeting with the local rulers as they decide how to defeat the Spirit Tortoise. Or, at least, that’s what the meeting is officially about.

In reality, this is just a dick-measuring contest. Each of the rulers talks up their own country/military and then declares that they’ll be the ones to play the most important role in the upcoming battle. Obviously, none of them really matter. We know it’s just going to be Naofumi’s party doing all the work in the end.

And, I’m going to predict right now that Naofumi’s party will kill the Spirit Tortoise from the inside. It seems to be the size of a mountain, so they should have no problem getting swallowed. Also, it looks like the OP (which is horrendous, by the way) shows them fighting inside of it.

The Spirit Tortoise’s Concubine

Okay, so the first portion of the episode was extremely boring and pointless. But at least we’re introduced to a new character, right? At least there’s a cute, new girl for us to look at. Well, let me tell you how disappointed I am with Ost Hourai.

The first problem with Ost Hourai is that her introduction itself is supposed to be a twist. She appeared before Naofumi and asked him to kill her before disappearing. And then, when she’s actually introduced, all the rulers in the meeting know her as the concubine of the former King of the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom.

But, the twist is that she’s actually not the concubine of the former King. Instead, she’s the familiar of the Spirit Tortoise itself. That could have been a good twist to reveal in another 3 or 4 episodes. However, revealing it literally seconds after her introduction defeats the purpose.

Alright, so the big reveal about Ost Hourai failed. Fine. But, now that we know who she really is, we’re going to get some good information from her, right? Wrong. The only previously-unknown information she provides is a contradictory account of the Spirit Tortoise’s purpose.

Ost Hourai claims that the Spirit Tortoise is the defender of the land; it prevents the Waves from occurring. That’s great. Except, the way it does this is by killing everyone and using their souls to stop the Waves. Okay, so it’s not defending everyone then, is it?

Also, even though the Spirit Tortoise is currently stopping the Waves, which is its job, it wants to be killed by the Heroes to prevent itself from killing off humanity. And also once the Heroes kill the Spirit Tortoise, it expects them to continue its job of killing off humanity to prevent the Waves.

Am I the only one who’s not following this? None of that makes sense.

The Harem Grows

Moving on to the final portion of the episode, we’re (re-)introduced to Eclair Seyaette. Honestly, I still have no idea if this woman was in Season 1. Part of me wants to say she was and this was supposed to be a reminder. But another part of me wants to say this is her being retconned into the story.

If you remember Eclair from the first season, let me know. I feel like I should remember her since I tend to like pink-haired characters. But I really have no recollection of her — or the old woman frequently seen with her.

Alright, so I actually looked up Eclair on MyAnimeList after writing that, and according to their database, she did not appear in the first season. Maybe MyAnimeList is wrong. But for now, I’m going to take that as evidence that I’m correct about her being retconned into the story.

In Season 2 Episode 1, we added Rishia to Naofumi’s harem. And in Episode 2, it looks like we’ve added both Eclair and Ost Hourai. Eclair I don’t mind (yet). Rishia and Ost Hourai are a different story.

I already complained about Rishia in the previous episode review, so I won’t do that again here. But just know that all the same complaints still apply — even if I was somewhat joking about them.

Ost Hourai brings a, let’s say “not so bright,” concubine to the harem. Despite being the Spirit Tortoise’s familiar, she’s completely useless when it comes to dealing with it. All she’s done so far is bring some implied ecchi to the harem by telling Rishia to seduce the Bow Hero. Good contribution. Very cool and deep character.

Conclusion

If you’re enjoying The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2, even Episode 2, good for you. Don’t let me tell you what and what not to like. But at the same time, I want you to recognize that the anime you like is garbage. It’s okay to admit that. I admit I love watching trash incest anime.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 3 is available now.

The Rising of the Spirit Tortoise

The Rising of the Shield Hero is back with the first episode of Season 2, and I don’t remember anything about how the first season ended. A few minutes of recap at the start of this episode would have gone a long way — unless this season doesn’t pick up where the first left off.

What confused me most of all, though, were the characters who I don’t remember. The new green-haired girl, Rishia, for example. I don’t remember ever seeing her before; I have no idea who she is. All I know is what was said in this episode, that she used to be a member of the Bow Hero’s party.

I also don’t remember the old woman who was training Rishia at the start. And, I don’t remember the cute pink-haired knight we saw for a moment. But I certainly hope to see more of her.

One thing I did remember, however, was that Myne has the best character design of the entire series. But, even Myne’s presence was confusing because Crunchyroll’s subtitles called her “Slut.” Wasn’t she renamed to “Bitch?”

Either way, I thought it was amusing that Motoyasu actually called her by that name. As far as I know, there’s nothing forcing him to follow along with that punishment of hers.

Anyway, in this episode, we’re told that a creature known as the Spirit Tortoise has awoken and needs to be defeated before it destroys the world or something. But, of course, the only Hero to agree to help out is Naofumi, because all the other heroes are just cartoon villains.

Their reasoning was just “the right thing would be to help, so we’re going to do the opposite of that.” I’d forgotten how poorly written the characters are in this series.

Naofumi’s New Slave

Before I watched this episode, I had seen a picture of when Rishia asks Naofumi to make her his slave. Obviously, my immediate reaction was that this is going to be a great episode. What could be better than Naofumi enslaving another cute girl?

I’m sure this episode is going to set off another round of people feigning disgust at the fact that this series includes slavery. So, allow me to make it clear that I don’t care. I’m not going to sit here and kink shame an anime character just for wanting to be Naofumi’s slave.

Something I will say was a bit odd was how excited Raphtalia was to recruit another girl to be Naofumi’s slave. I understand where Raphtalia is coming from. But, she seems a little too accepting of slavery as a valid system.

Also, when we got to see Rishia’s stats after she became Naofumi’s slave, I noticed that Filo isn’t listed as a slave. I forgot that was the case. And if I’m remembering correctly, Filo is next in line to be the Queen of the Filolials after Fitoria dies.

Speaking of Filo, we can also see that she’s the highest level of Naofumi’s party. I guess she gains experience at a faster rate than both Naofumi and Raphtalia. Or, maybe she just kills more mobs than either of them does.

Going back to Rishia, though, she’s the lowest level of the party and is also said to have low stats for her level. We also don’t know if she has any special skills (she probably doesn’t). All we see on her status screen are what qualifies as her disobeying her master and her party settings.

Can You Return a Defective Slave?

When all I knew about Rishia was what she looked like and that she was Naofumi’s new slave, I was pumped. But, as it became clear what kind of person Rishia was, I lost interest in her. In fact, I think Naofumi should break his contract with her and get rid of her.

Let’s go over what we know about Rishia based solely on this episode (since I don’t remember her from the first season). She’s weak and useless to the point the Bow Hero kicked her out of his party and Naofumi was surprised she could even hold a weapon.

Rishia also claims that magic is more her style. But, Naofumi already has Melty if he wants a mage in his party. And I think we can safely assume Melty is the more proficient mage of the two.

Also, Rishia’s just annoying. She’s a crybaby and she makes weird noises that Naofumi has told her to stop making. I don’t think any characters in this series are particularly good. However, Rishia is definitely the worst of Naofumi’s party members (Melty included).

But, potentially the worst thing about Rishia is that she continuously disrespects her master. She uses the honorific -san after his name rather than -sama. She doesn’t listen to his orders. And she keeps talking about how she wants to serve the Bow Hero. She serves the Shield Hero now and she’d better start showing him some respect.

Imagine if you forged a master-slave contract with someone and then they started acting that way towards you. If she likes the Bow Hero so much, maybe she should have begged to be his slave instead. Naofumi only enslaved her out of the goodness of his heart and this is how she repays him?

Conclusion

What do you think of The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 1? Do you remember anything about how the previous season ended? Which character would you like to enslave? And what’s your opinion on Rishia? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me over on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server if you’re interested in discussing anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 2 is available now.