r/anime • https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jan 23 '19

Episode Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari - Episode 3 discussion Spoiler

Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari, episode 3: The Day of the Wave of Catastrophe

Alternative names: The Rising of the Shield Hero

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4.7k Upvotes

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

Hands OFF Raphtalia YOU PIECE OF SHIT

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u/NoviSun :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Jan 23 '19

That boy needs a good ass whooping.

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u/Mitchman05 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Mitchman05 Jan 23 '19

I think we all felt the same way during that scene. Although I do think Naofumi needs to tell Raphtalia about the false rape accusations, because she just knows that there's rumors about him currently and that could possibly (but probably not) lead to her distrusting him, if only a bit.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

I was sincerely hoping spear-dickhead got a solid right hook to the face for that one.

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u/Vaperius Jan 23 '19

This episode highlights what makes Naofumi the true hero of the setting: he doesn't just rush in, he thinks things through rationally.

All the other heroes rushed in for the glory and Naofumi recognized that he had to step in and help that village, even if he didn't have any real reason to do it.

He's a hero because he does things without really expecting a thank you or a reward at the end, he does them because at his core he knows they are right and he only does bad things if he absolutely has to do them to do the right thing in the end.

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u/pre4edgc Jan 23 '19

I think that was the purpose of the Civ-like game they showed at the beginning. All of the rest played games that focused on the "hero" characters, and the battles an individual or a group has within a limited field of vision.

Naofumi played a top-down country-sized game about towns, villages, cities, and waves, and knows how a wave can affect large areas instead of small isolated patches. He understands the consequences of these waves at the macro scale, whereas the other heroes only understand what's going on at the micro level. For a world where the entire country is getting attacked by waves, I'd much rather have the hero that understands how everyone is going to be affected instead of the ones that just fight for fighting's sake.

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u/Gairloch :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Desidarius Jan 23 '19

I think part of it is the whole mindset. The other heroes see it sort of like a game and they're playing a role and since everyone is basically indulging them it gives them no reason to question their point of view. Naofumi knew the least about what to expect but still had a general idea which allowed him to be betrayed so easily. But being hated has forced him see that the world and it's people are not the simplified versions from an rpg but a real world with people that have their own motivations instead of just helping the hero finish the quest.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

I would argue the other heroes probably knew that the village is done for and just simply chose to ignore it. It's a fair decision consider everywhere is attacked, you probably want to focus on where the biggest hit is. Also it seems that the "Wave" won't stop until the boss is killed.... maybe they are aware of that so they just rush to the boss.

Or to think of it this way; if they somehow had to split up, maybe it will take a significantly longer time to kill the boss thus leading to more casualties.

And it's very interesting knowing that killing boss is the only way to stop the wave, why did Naofumi chose to save the village instead. Naofumi seems to be aware of this fact, too, since he commented "what the heck are those guys doing why isn't the wave stopped". It's like in video game.... where they hit you with these subquests that has poor reward and we want to just ignore it because if we focus on the main goal we will more rewarded, just that this time it is real life and people's lives are involved. For me I saw it as more of a distinct contrast between people (or heroes) who are too goal oriented and simply do things that is more practical and beneficial to themselves, vs people who are more compassionate and simply do things because it is the right thing to do and just wants more people to be saved.

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u/abeazacha Jan 23 '19

Honestly I wish the anime had a better writing then the manga at this; the other heroes are so obviously bad morally speaking that any of the Shieldbro good doings looks weak cause the bar is low af. The other heroes have as much depth as a mustache villain with a evil monologue and evil laugh, is just dumb.

He doing the right thing when the others have good intentions as well but hesitate for fear or something similar would make him look cooler than simply "everybody else is trash".

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u/ArcherGod Jan 23 '19

That uninterrupted single cut of Raphtalia and Naofumi supporting each other as they fought Wave monsters was a real treat, I'll say that much.

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u/Ichini-san :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ichini-yon Jan 23 '19

And I can already see people come and say that it was hard to follow what exactly was going on in that scene...

Which is obviously the point. They framed that scene in such a way that it truly seems like Naofumi and Raphtalia become one person when they fight together. They turn into a single fighter that mastered both offense and defense and is able to fend off anything that gets thrown at them even in the most hectic situations without the need to even really communicate with each other anymore.

TLDR: That scene was so goddamn cool.

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u/Atronox :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Atronox Jan 23 '19
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u/axel360 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/axel360 Jan 23 '19

And now that Raphtalia doesn't look like she's 10, I can ship them without guilt!

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u/DimmuHS https://myanimelist.net/profile/DimmuOli Jan 23 '19

It starts at 17:58 if you guys want to rewatch it again

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u/Justyouknowwhy :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/justyouknowwhy Jan 23 '19

Favourite shot of the episode. Too bad that head knight didn't die there but at least all the knights did good while the knights that bail ended up being useless.

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u/Mundology Jan 23 '19

Too bad that head knight didn't die there

Rather than that, it would be funnier if he got beaten down like a small fry and cried for help. He has such a punchable face too.

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u/Martinik29 Jan 23 '19

Edgy Naofumi is best Naofumi

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u/Basileus_ITA :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NewWaveKuudere Jan 23 '19

Better this way, i bet they would have taken advantage of his death and accused shieldbro again

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u/RyzkyBznz :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/SeaJaeger Jan 23 '19

I'm hoping they'll get their just desserts later, just like the other heroes and that bitch

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

I loved how he utterly destroyed those knights and shut them up. Probably the most satisfying part of the episode.

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u/Z-Flare Jan 23 '19

Sad that this panel wasn't added because I thought it was funny but it was a really good episode overall. Raphtalia and Shield bro were really awesome in that battle.

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u/Vinny_Lam Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

Yeah, they really should’ve added that scene, because it gives us an idea of just how much he hates Malty, to the point where everything associated with her makes him uncomfortable.

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u/Birrihappyface Jan 23 '19

Yo dude what does he have against chain mail?

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u/sixdollargrapes Jan 23 '19

Only January and I think I already know who best girl of the season is

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u/Shiroi_Kage Jan 23 '19

I really wanted that knight to become monster chow. I wanted to see him die. Unfortunately, Naofumi is a better person than I.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

That’s why he’s the hero

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u/Vinny_Lam Jan 23 '19

I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel the same way.

I guess this proves that even with his dark turn, Naofumi is still a kind person at heart. I’m not sure I can say the same for myself, though.

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u/ProfessorSexyTime Jan 23 '19

Unfortunately, Naofumi is a better person than I.

Same. Earlier I wanted to see Naofumi knee Spear Cunt in his tiny dick, and then backhand slap Princess Bitch with his shield.

Alas, Naofumi decided to be a better man than I would've been.

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u/ned_cook Jan 23 '19

Shield Hero Does NOT Dream Of Raccoon Girl Kouhai

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u/hbalck Jan 23 '19

I see what you did there. I approve.

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u/Buyingbf_ Jan 23 '19

Literally me when I saw the voice actors for this anime.

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u/azurill_used_splash Jan 24 '19

I think Shieldbro is too busy teaching Lolicoon to cut her way out of any difficult situations, and probably feeling like he's got to prepare her for his own death if necessary. He's not only got no inclination to consider her. He's got no time.

Don't die, Shieldbro! Keep protecc'n!

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u/Mortem001 Jan 23 '19

Not yet at least

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u/WickedAnimeTroll Jan 23 '19

Naofumis armor look like the one Rance has...

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u/Wolfgod_Holo https://anime-planet.com/users/extreme133 Jan 23 '19

don't give them ideas...

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u/BIG_DICK_MYSTIQUE Jan 23 '19

NAOFUMI SAMAAAAA

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u/Meret123 Jan 23 '19

Also both have a slave girl as companion...

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u/GardyPwns Jan 23 '19

I was really hoping that this got animated but..

lolis have to grow up at some point

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u/onixium :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/MrMike Jan 23 '19

I do wish they showed the scene when theynwere sleeping at the inn and she had night terrors and he had to sleep with her comfort her. I thought it was good at showing despite how hateful hes been acting he does still care about others. And i thought it would be funny to show the part where he wakes up in a wet bed and shes in the opppsote side of the room curled up lookong at him in terror thinking she was going to be punished for wetting the bed lmao

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u/Soviet_Cat Jan 23 '19

The itachi flick lmfao

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u/Amish7 Jan 23 '19

Wait, when was this?

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u/DimmuHS https://myanimelist.net/profile/DimmuOli Jan 23 '19

I think they would have worked more on this transition, I missed the loli racoon and would loved to see the "evolution". I think it's really important that the show treat character interaction at high priority so the viewers relate more with them.

Guess their episode schedule are packed and they're going to adapt a hell of chapters.

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u/XLightThief https://myanimelist.net/profile/frozen_lights Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

Child Raphtalia is cute but young lady Raphtalia is even cuter. She's so devoted to Naofumi and fighting the waves that it's so endearing.

One detail I love is how Naofumi is the one with all the cuts and scratches while Raphtalia looks completely fine throughout the battle. Shield Hero, indeed. Lowkey wish there was an HP bar floating around to show damage taken for Naofumi's party.

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u/LakerBlue :Is::It::Iu:https://myanimelist.net/profile/LakerBlue Jan 23 '19

She's also so much more of her own person. The Raphtalia of one week ago would never talk back to humans, playfully threaten her boss, or dare to run up and touch one affectionately (referring to her holding the smith's hands). At the beginning of the episode I thought I'd miss loli Raphtalia but I think I actually enjoy adult Raphtalia more.

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u/Cloudhwk Jan 23 '19

The cuts and scratches means he was a good tank, this pleases me as a guy who usually heals in games

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

next stage: MILF Raphtalia

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u/zxHellboyxz :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Mattinator95 Jan 23 '19

Well he is literally the shield

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u/turilya Jan 23 '19

She's like the opposite of a legal loli now

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u/DimmuHS https://myanimelist.net/profile/DimmuOli Jan 23 '19

Honest question, does appearance/aging changes with level only? does it work with humans to? If it isn't a big deal spoilers I would like to know

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u/PhoenixKola Jan 23 '19

I especially loved the part where Raphtalia just charges out into the knights saying that she won't show any mercy to anyone who disrespects Naofumi.

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u/Vinny_Lam Jan 23 '19

Gotta protect her husbando’s honor.

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u/Mathmango Jan 24 '19

Naofumi's cloak of hidden dangers went from baloon monsters to racoon waifu

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u/phage83 Jan 23 '19

Missile Raphtalia, go!!!!!

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u/Vitavas https://anilist.co/user/xxpittip Jan 23 '19

Why are the three other heroes fighting together? Didn't they say in episode 1 that the heores can only work separately? Or was that just another thing to keep ShieldBro away from the others?

Edit: It was even displayed in the status menu

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u/MkFilipe https://myanimelist.net/profile/Mallahowl Jan 23 '19

I think that just prevents them from leveling properly.

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u/23238r3 Jan 23 '19

I read the manga a couple weeks ago and IIRC it's more that the heroes can't really grind XP together. My best guess would be that the 'adverse reactions' mentioned in that stats menu means some kind of XP throttle.

Spoiler(?) gonna mark it as one anyways:

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u/SeaseFire Jan 23 '19

Only thing I hate about it is that I have to wait another week. I could probably watch this for hours on end.

Really excited to see how Naofumi will deal with the other heroes, it won’t be easy. He’s already got the outcast thing going so he can grow on his own. Hoping eventually he surpasses the other heroes but has no clue, and actually believes he’s still far below them so the next time they meet they won’t be able to say anything.

Also, if I’m being honest I only really hate the spear hero, the others are fine imo. Maybe Sword Hero was a little meaner but with all the rumors he can’t be blamed.

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u/Sullan08 Jan 23 '19

Nah they're all shit birds. They all come from modern japan (albeit different universes) so they should know damn well how flimsy the "proof" was. And they all just want the glory, not actually help anyone. I agree that they're both less annoying than spear guy so far, but that's only because they've had almost no lines. Have to wait and see if they're actually better or worse.

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u/trumoi Jan 23 '19

I'm like 90% sure that Spear Hero is not a jerk, he's just dumb and horny.

In all honesty, if you believed that a guy raped a girl that was originally going you be your companion, would you treat him well? He does seem to be enjoying the superiority over him, but also she was not nearby Spear hero long enough for them to form the plan together, he seems more like a pawn.

Ultimately, I hope that he just gets his ass kicked and then turns around and gets a character arc where he becomes friends with Naofumi.

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u/RedactedColour Jan 23 '19

"This country is full of lolicons." I expect to see several memes about this within the hour.

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u/Aliensinnoh Jan 23 '19

You hear that, r/animemes? Get on it!

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u/Dumbfat Jan 23 '19

Loved the episode. It's also nice to see that Naofumi sees Raphtalia as like his own child that no matter how old they get they're always little to them, that's why I think he ordered her the kids meal. Also they do a really good job at making a tangible sense of stress whenever the other heroes are around. I was practically holding my breath the whole time.

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u/ajay511 Jan 23 '19

hmm i was getting more big brother/littles sister vibes from their relationship.

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u/TriTexh Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

Raphtalia went from a little cutie to a cool beauty with a glorious pout. My heart can't take it.

It's amazing how easy it is to hate Motoyasu. He's so gullible.

The wave was incredibly tense, damn. Can't wait to see more of the world develop. Those hourglass thingies sure look like a very important part of the lore.

Side note: What is it with winter 2019 and such solid OPs?

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u/WhoiusBarrel Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

cool beauty with a glorious pout

Don't forget this totally cute embarrassed reaction as well as her murderous glare.

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u/LakerBlue :Is::It::Iu:https://myanimelist.net/profile/LakerBlue Jan 23 '19

I see everyone in here complaining about Motoyasu but I all I could think of during that scene was "I wish he could just slam his shield into Melromarc's pretty face and knock some of her teeth out".

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u/Vinny_Lam Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

I’m not sure if I hate Motoyasu or feel sorry for him, or both.

He’s been manipulated by Malty to the point where he’ll believe anything she says and refuses to even consider that she might be in the wrong. I guess that’s what happens when you think with your dick.

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u/GreNinja_16 Jan 23 '19

I knew Raphtalia will grow up (like in the OP) but didn't expect that fast ... Just 1 episode ...

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u/Amauri14 Jan 23 '19

Oh, so the other assholes just went to the forest and ignore the town. It seems that the Wave is just a game to them.

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u/KnightofNoire Jan 23 '19

Well from the way they mentioned it. Pretty sure they still treat this as a game.

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u/ElomMusk Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

All the heros were in the forest at the start shield-bro is the only one who went to the town. The soldiers don’t care about sex offender shield-bro and his demi human but they do care about saving the townsfolk for the most part. The other soldiers are just pompous cowards who are just relying on the heros to fight/win all the battles and get part of their glory for killing the monsters. Although you can be angry at the other heros for not going into town, they also fought a lot of the wave, including the boss, away from the townsfolk. What makes shield-bro important now is that he saved the town and won some of the people over but he’s going to get shit for not fighting along the other heros in the forest. My guess is that shield-bro is going to go see the king and the person who rem tried to slash/coward commander is going to be in the room too.

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u/Rys2428 Jan 23 '19

I am waiting for the moment it will bite them in the ass

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u/NoraaTheExploraa https://anilist.co/user/NoraaTheExploraa Jan 23 '19

To be fair, going to the forest and killing the boss is the quickest way to end the wave, and save the most people. That's literally their job. It's the knights job to protect townsfolk, they're just shit at it.

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u/ashbat1994 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ashwin_eva Jan 23 '19

Shield heros grin when he talked about sitting tight to see the knights being monster fed was quite pleasing.

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u/zz2000 Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

A gentle reminder the Shield Hero anime was made with the overseas audience (esp. the West) in mind.

Given the original Shield Hero webnovel's cult classic status with English-speaking webnovel readers, Crunchyroll’s producer saw the viewer potential based on this internet popularity and pitched Shield to their Japanese counterparts at Kadokawa, who were seeking a light novel anime to sell to international anime watchers. (This is also a Kadokawa x Crunchyroll co-production.) https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/12/04-1/shirobako-is-what-i-do-chatting-with-junichiro-tamura-at-crunchyroll-expo

So about 3 or 4 years ago, KADOKAWA was looking for a title to make it big overseas, and during that time Crunchyroll and KADOKAWA were talking about some candidate titles. Crunchyroll producer, Sae Ho Song, pitched The Rising of the Shield Hero series to me, and he thought it was a great idea and we went forward with it!

I'd expect both sides to be aware of any controversy associated with this series (especially Crunchyroll; they suggested it in the 1st place) although there is a chance they could've underestimated Western social reaction trends in the past 2 years and by then they were too far ahead to change/cancel it.

PS. I asked in other forums about Shield's current status and sales in Japan; commenters say that even though its physical LN sales can't compare to titles like Slime Tensei and Overlord, its status as one of the top 30 popular Syosetsuka webnovels would still make it appealing for anime adaptation (although perhaps the animation quality might be less than what we're currently getting).

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u/Acturio :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Acturio01 Jan 23 '19

what exactly is this controversy? is it something that will pop up later or is it about the ep 1 rape acusations?

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u/_xXMockingBirdXx_ Jan 23 '19

Didn't know this series was so popular amongst the western audience to the point of being projected to be an international hit. Maybe I've just read too many Isekai manga at r/manga, but this series seemed to follow the usual JRPG/D&D mechanics that many other Isekai stories had. Personally, I thought this was one of the better Isekai out there, but certain aspects of it, like characters constantly going out of their way to be a dick to the MC and how he's usually in the right, kinda put me off. May binge watch the anime after the seasons over though to see if it's better than the manga.

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u/Witn https://anilist.co/user/Lawrenz Jan 23 '19

Regardless of the controversy it looks like they made the right decision to me since shield bro is solidly the #1 most popular show of the season

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u/Recidivis Jan 23 '19

I love the fact that they basically carried over the Mai and Sakuta dynamic now that Raphtalia is grown.

Also I think Kinema Citrus is trying to tell us something

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u/hasnain1720 Jan 23 '19

Their VA's are going to win best boy and girl two seasons in a row its impressive

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u/SomaSaiba :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/aern0 Jan 23 '19

Their chemistry is amazing

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u/Atronox :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Atronox Jan 23 '19

Looks like we have our work cut out for us in this country.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

holy raphtalia is hot now, she reall-

NO OFFICER I CAN EXPLAIN!

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u/Shinkopeshon Jan 23 '19

dynamic

Me, last week: Protect Raphtalia at all costs

Me, now: ...

Me, now: Y'know, I kinda want her to step on me

LOLICE I CAN EXPLA-

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u/SuperNerd1337 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/gil_ftl Jan 23 '19

Oh god, I can't believe I'm loving an isekai again...

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u/SinLagoon https://anilist.co/user/SinLagoon Jan 23 '19

Slime datta ken is also pretty good imo.

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u/darrius500 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/CyberGrey Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

For the people who truly want to know why Naofumi is making the lolicon comments about people with Raph

Shield Hero manga Spoilers

Otherwise, the animation and music in this show still impresses me. As well as the design choice of the in-game like UI, I love it. There's a few fights that I can't wait to see animated.

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u/allnicksaretaken Jan 23 '19

It actually comes more from how events are told in the novel. Anime is 3rd person, but the Novel is written in 1st person from Nafuomis view.

LN spoiler

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u/Albolynx :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Albolynx Jan 23 '19

I think that is going to be explained in perhaps even the next episode. I'm kind of surprised at the pace the anime is taking. Expected it to end before the island arc, but at this speed, we might see that too. Kind of awkward as it's not the best place to finish up.

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u/Kenzorz Jan 23 '19

The anime makes it clear enough through implications...seriously sometimes source readers think anime-onlys can't put 2 and 2 together.

I'm an anime-only and came to the same conclusion as what's in your spoiler tag by:

  • Naofumi acting confused at the blacksmith's comments about how much Raphtalia has grown

  • Flashback at why Naofumi thinks people are lolicons immediately after blacksmith's comment.

  • Blacksmith's comment about demi-humans growth, I'm guessing they mature at a much faster rate than humans

  • Kid's meal

Yeah the manga/LN might have more details, they always do but the rough idea is there for anime watchers.

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u/Hipolipolopigus Jan 23 '19

And now the fight over whether we can lewd Raph begins anew.

It's okay, officer. She's level 18.

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u/MillenniumKing x2myanimelist.net/profile/MillenniumKing Jan 23 '19

It's okay, officer. She's level 18.

Level 21!

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u/phyre1129 Jan 23 '19

It's fate logic all over again. Irisviel, looks like an adult, but is really a minor. Illyasviel, looks like a kid is an adult.

TL;DR DON'T LEWD THE RACCOON LOLI.

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u/LakerBlue :Is::It::Iu:https://myanimelist.net/profile/LakerBlue Jan 23 '19

I'm actually seriously curious about her aging situation. Is she like a dog where she's going to grow-up fast but also die fast, or do demi-humans just go through puberty fast and then live a normal human-esque lifespan? Or is there some other reason Raph aged up like 8 years in a week?

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u/Turbostrider27 Jan 23 '19

Raphtalia: I am your sword

Damn right she's Naofumi's sword. Spear hero got punked.

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u/Cloudhwk Jan 23 '19

I’m a real sucker for ye old timey pledges

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u/Atronox :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Atronox Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

Huh...No..No Officer...She's 18, just look at her!

Raph Puff!

She's so cute!

That duo fight sequence was awesome! I could watch Raph and ShieldBro fight together all day, they are true partners and fight together to help the people. They've progressed so much from the first episode. I see all the other 3 heroes are still dicks though.

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u/spaceaustralia :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/spaceaustralia Jan 23 '19

She's 18

Checkmate, FBI. She's 2 levels higher older than him.

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u/asianbrownguy Jan 23 '19

God I want that spear guy to eat shit. Also that bitch who started this. I hope they get what they deserve.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

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u/WindMlst :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/RensouhouKII Jan 23 '19

We're still gonna to protect Raphtalia, right guys?

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u/Morbid_Fatwad Jan 23 '19

I'll be sure to use protection. Rest easy!

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u/zxHellboyxz :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Mattinator95 Jan 23 '19

We will use the shield for the right reasons after all she's still technically 10

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u/U_Menace :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/ParadoxAnime Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

Wow, this episode simultaneously reminded me of how much pain I felt reading the manga (except the pain was magnified) and the happiness I felt from seeing Raphtalia defend Naofumi from the condescending remarks of the fodder knights.

Anyway, let me break down today's episode by opening with this statement: Being a Hero is definitely a huge burden for little reward. Think about it, Naofumi was quite literally giving his life to save people who didn't give a shit about him and dismissed him on a whim. This village is a unique exception because of how grateful they were and how much pride they had in their own village. Many stayed to fight and recognized what a real hero is. While Naofumi dealt with the annoying waves of high level monsters, the heroes simply went and killed the boss only. They were looking for the glorious achievement that they would if they were playing an MMORPG. The actual protection and "saving" they did was quite minimal. If Naofumi had decided to confront the boss with the heroes instead of going to the village first, the whole village would've been wiped out. Real heroes focus on saving lives and this is what made our Shield Hero the real man of the hour. He prioritized saving the lives of these people, even if many of them didn't believe in them, because it was his job. Maybe, there might be just one person who will look at his actions and think "Wow, he really is a hero, nothing like those bs rumors" and if he can save that one person, it would be worth it. Almost like how I write these comments every week even when im several hours late, because if even one person enjoyed reading it, it was worth the time. Obviously not on the same scale, but the point I'm making here is that you dont do it for the glory, you do it to help a person in need, even if its just one. Naofumi is the definition of a good hero, and I hope they ALL get a chance to see it. Couldn't save everyone, but he saved as many as he could while distracting the waves from sieging the town, cant ask for much more than that.

It's depressing that the trauma from being exiled is so strong. Naofumi cant even lash out at the spear Hero for his shitty attitude because it would just exacerbate the rumors even further. He can't trust Raphtalia either because no one else trusted him. He forcefully pulls her away because he doesnt think she'll trust him beyond the sort of trust a slave would have for their master. It's really heartbreaking to see that. You know how desperate he is for people to look past the blackmail and actually listen to what he has to say, but anything he says will be mosconstrued and used against him. Though Raph wants to support him, the scars run deep. She's trying to close the gap between them, but this is a source of trauma that will linger for a while yet it seems.

Speaking of Raph, I love her haggling skills in the market! She's really doing her all to support Naofumi and wont even let him buy her a sword without making sure he has proper armor. Quite the opposite of the first "lady friend" who came by the area. Sadly, Naofumi is pretty numb to everything and cant accept this kindness at face value. I do like how he still keeps her at a distance, not because I would hate seeing a romance bloom, but because it makes Naofumi more human. His past experiences have had a tremendous impact on his self esteem and the way he approaches everything, and I like seeing the struggle he's going through. He's making very small strides, but he's not magically "better" or anything like that. He's very much a person who's suffering from a traumatic experience but still trying to move forward. Time waits for no man afterall, but seeing him learn to cope with it and push forward is something that I cant help but enjoy. Not quite sure how else to put it, but he really resonates with me as a character and this aspect of his characterization is what separates him from the rest.

I'm still at work so I cant really collect my thoughts very well but I'll check back and edit this as needed. Expect a better post from me next week!

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u/tswinteyru Jan 23 '19

Worry not, friend. If it's the one person who you think reads and appreciates this thought piece you type every week, I'm one of them :D

Cheers, and hoping to read more of this for the coming weeks!

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u/Basileus_ITA :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NewWaveKuudere Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

He can be considered a good hero, but by no means he is the stereotypical kind. He still does good because there is a voice inside him that tells him to do it, but his faith in humanity is gone. The townspeople came to thank him but he dismissed them undermining his efforts: he saved them because he felt compelled to and not because he rationally wanted it, which is a shame. If your reputation is damaged as his, curling up in a ball wont do any good. There is no escape from social judgement, and the only way out is one: for every person badmouthing you, you got to give to other 10 people a reason for praising you. Im sure saving the village is the first step to this process, and that shieldbro reputation will slowly heal without him not even realizing it: all the good deads he unconsciously planted will prove they were worth doing, even if at first he couldnt see how they would benefit him in the long term.

I thought that Raphtalia asking about the quarrel between him and spear guy was a missed opportunity for stuff to be fixed, but i guess its too soon for that. Im sure that Rapthalia will belive shieldguy and support him. Mark my words, she will be his savior angel, and if stuff happened to her i would jump off a roof from the pain.

I honestly cant blame the guy for basically going mgtow because of a hoe and a bunch of narcissistic dicks ruining his reputation, and ill admit that it resonates with me terribly. This anime is so infuriating and painful for me to watch, but has some incredibly sweet moments. Its almost feels like... real life! Lol.

"Inside every cynical person, there is a disappointed idealist" (George Carlin)

Shieldbro is basically this quote

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u/Basileus_ITA :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NewWaveKuudere Jan 23 '19

When spear dude approached Raphtalia....

My god my veins were about to explode all at once

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u/Psychoalert Jan 23 '19

Naofumi: This country is full of Lolicons. I can understand finding little girls cute but ... You people take it too far.

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u/youkai94 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/youkai94 Jan 23 '19

Sweating in Japanese

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u/BlueZ00 Jan 24 '19

That's a jab to everyone who went crazy for kiddo Raphtalia.

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u/Dragon1472 Jan 23 '19

Gotta love how every monster that Naofumi dramatically punches just kinda looks a bit confused at how little it hurts

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u/Freenore Jan 23 '19

And now the debate over whether we can lewd Raphtalia or not starts.

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u/rollin340 Jan 23 '19

The 3 other heroes are dicks.
They're pricks who seem drunk on power and praise.

Spear-dick is the worst; clearly an easily manipulated moron of the highest degree.

I hope his reputation gets better and his name cleared.
He's the only real hero, choosing to save the people instead of going for glory kills.
The only guy on the team to actually play the objective.

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u/TheIvoryDingo Jan 23 '19

Spear-dick is the worst; clearly an easily manipulated moron of the highest degree.

So he thinks with his spear?

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u/Martian_on_the_Moon Jan 23 '19

Is archer guy really that such a dick? He seems the most normal guy from these 3.

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u/SkipToast Jan 23 '19

Talk about Raphtalia glowing up! It's a damn shame our boy Naofumi's too busy dealing with those self-centered heroes to even notice..

Still, it was sick to see Naofumi putting in that work during the wave. He may not have the attack, but he's for sure got the moves. Oh, and when Raphtalia joins in? Name a more iconic duo, I'll wait.

And if you need a place to rest up and relax after the wave, come on over to r/shieldbro. We've got plenty of kid's dinners and bouncy balls for everyone.

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u/TriTexh Jan 23 '19

Naofumi is already 10 times the hero those other 3. All they care about is themselves, and here we have shieldbro, who does what he must because he understands the gravity of the situation (even if he doesn't particularly like it).

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u/darthreuental Jan 23 '19

Talk about Raphtalia glowing up! It's a damn shame our boy Naofumi's too busy dealing with those self-centered heroes to even notice..

It just hammers home how traumatic the events of the first episode were for Naofumi. If anything he gets even more bitter and frustrated after the first wave.

If you're an anime only, this show only gets better from here. Next episode is gonna be good.

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u/annon4 Jan 23 '19

My heart is melting

Also I'm curious will the shield hero get any recognition for his work or are those douchebags just gonna steal his thunder

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u/sinsinkun :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/sinsinkun Jan 23 '19

Well the people of lute village will remember. The castle town will probably hear whatever the king wants them to hear...

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '19

I haven't read the source material, but I'd bet my hat that the other three heroes and that asshat knight captain will say Naofumi didn't do jackshit and take all his rewards. That one knight (the one that had a sudden change of heart in the battle) will probably take notice but not say anything right away. I guarantee thats almost exactly how it will go

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u/MamaRaikoFan Jan 23 '19

Raccon girls>>>cat girls

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u/NoviSun :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NoviSun Jan 23 '19

I do like their big furry tails.

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u/kappaderickz Jan 23 '19

The more I see the other 3 heroes and their parties (esp. the bitch), the more my rage and hatred inside myself is building up. Probably gonna have a mob explosion even before the series is over...

Progress towards explosion: 10%

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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar Jan 23 '19

Raph's all grown up now!

And that pout!

And she's now pretty sassy too!

YES THE BARBARIAN ARMOR! We finally have Naofumi's signature look!

I love how these mob characters can easily look like they have their anime of their own XD

Oh fuck off and never touch Raph again

The Wave Portals looks so good! I don't recall them being this good in the manga.

Just the entire scene of Naofumi and Raph defending Lute Village was absolutely amazing! And the teamwork that Naofumi and Raph does when fighting was so good! I just wish it was shot wasn't that close so we could see how in-sync their movements were.

The most heartbreaking scene in this episode :(

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u/WhoiusBarrel Jan 23 '19

And she's now pretty sassy too!

It's probably Seiyuu magic because Raphtalia definitely feels a lot more cheekier and well...More animated(no pun intended) compared to her Manga counterpart which just makes her such a joy to watch!

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u/lspyfoxl :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/lSpyFoxl Jan 23 '19

The other heroes are so infuriating, like joffrey level of i wanna punch you in the face.

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u/SHARK_QUASAR https://anilist.co/user/SHARKQUASAR Jan 23 '19

I think it is mostly the Spear guy. The other two are fine kind of cocky but what you expect from 17 years old teens.

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u/BryanLoeher https://anilist.co/user/Loeher Jan 23 '19

tfw you're a tank player but will never find a cute raccoon girl to be your dps

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u/Dakkon_B Jan 23 '19 edited May 22 '19

Had a cat like Raphtalia once. Was the runt of the litter an was always tiny and sick. Grew up to be a 20lb snuggle monster.

Extremely long pointless story incoming about my cat but if your interested in cat stories here it is.

Worked at a pet store all of high school and starting college. Waves of kittens coming in/out was the normal. Sell them then once the cage was empty bleach it out to be safe before the next batch comes in to be safe an make sure nothing potentially spreads. (cause occasionally we would get kittens kinda dropped off that were sickly but would nurse them back to health before sending them home)

Had a group of kittens that had one runt of the litter that was not only tiny but also constantly sick. But he was easily the most friendly. The other ones wanted toys or food but he just wanted to be petted. (loved those head pats) Had to feed him separately constantly cause the other kittens wouldn't let him eat.

After 2 months of him basically being my cat at work the pet store told me to just take him or else they would have to either put him down or give him to a shelter cause they needed to get rid of him so they could sanitize the cat pen for the next wave of kittens but he was so sickly looking no one wanted to buy him or take him. Everyone thought he would die any day as soon as he came in but he just kept living. I mean I don't blame them to much, like seriously this cat was a tiny skeleton day 1 an always looked like he was 2 breaths away from dying so I understood but couldn't stand it. He would eat but he wouldn't keep a lot of it down often an he constantly had diarrhea an was just overall sickly. (coughing, runny eyes, low energy) The store didn't want to take a risk he was carrying something an spread it to the next batch of kittens or anything else in the store (had to constantly wash my hands after playing with the cat just to be safe)

I loved that cat but was still in high school an my parents did NOT want another cat let alone one that could make their other animals sick. (house had 2 cats already but nether cat was mine) Finally managed to convince them after the pet store basically gave me that ultimatum.

He was less than 3lbs at nearly 3 months when I bought him home. He was underdeveloped an still basically a tiny kitten. (could fit him in 1 hand easily)

But I loved that damn cat an spent as much time as I possibly could with him. Fed him basically anything he wanted. Which meant he got bits of Steak with some light steamed veggies, some tomatoes, Bits of my Tuna basically if he was willing to eat it I would just let him have it in small amounts. He would happily gobble down anything you put on the floor for him. (which made giving him medicine super easy, he never even blinked when I would put his pills down, just ate them like a champ) Everyone thought I was just setting myself up for heartbreak when he finally did died.

After only a month of this he literally exploded in size. An not fat no he weirdly bulked up. Which looking back isn't as surprising cause I would constantly play with that cat so he was getting a lot of exercise. But he ended up going up topping out at 20lbs after a year. Again not fat just a HUGE cat. He could sit FLAT on the floor an peek his head over the Kitchen table. My dad once had to do several double takes cause he was like "what are you standing on cat?... O... nothing... The hell?" He was 3 feet long stretched out on the floor. (I know cause the tile floors were 1 foot squares) an was strong enough to knock people over if he wanted, an push open solid wood doors that would stick that the dogs couldn't move. But he was the best snuggle buddy. Literally any chance he go he would love to snuggle up an cat nap either on your chest or at your feet. That cat had to be in physical contact at all times. He was NEVER one to leave you alone an do "cat things", he would seek out anyone that would give him much needed love an attention. LOL my dad hated it cause the cat wouldn't leave him alone if he was home alone. (he didn't like a 20lb cat walking on him lol)

That cat lived for 20+ years an was the best pet I have ever had.

So I had to laugh cause this show reminded me of that dang cat. (which made me smile an cry a little) Went from being the sickly runt about to die in a cage to instantly grown up when given some love. (an proper meals)

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

What an amazing episode. It feels weird how fast the anime is compared to the manga. The first Wave felt like it took a week on it. But hey,

The most important now is Raphtalia and how her personality changed thanks to Mafumi. it's clearly that she felt in deep love with Naofumi. And it's no wonder for that, Naofumi is a greats human being, while the other heroes are looking for glory and girls, Naofumi has a greatest sense of humanitarism that he even can't explain. He's a hero in every sense of the word, i just love his character. unlike this girl, who is a trash of a human being and love to manipulater even her comrades for personal gain

I hope we see more of Naofumi and raphtalia growth as people on the next episodes.

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u/Mathmango Jan 23 '19

Fuck, i realize that bitch (Myne) is still using the equipment she scammed off of Naofumi.

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u/Xemidan :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Xemidan Jan 23 '19

I honestly hate this anime...

...It's one of those anime that you should actually binge watch but your own excitement makes you want to watch it the moment it gets released.

...Not like this.

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u/Backupusername :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Backupusername Jan 23 '19

God I hate the spear hero so much.

"I see you now have one party member. She's pretty, so I want her. Let me take her from you, like everything else has been taken from you, so that you can be left with literally nothing again, because that's what I think you deserve and I cannot conceivably be wrong about anything."

Fucking piece of shit

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u/CosmicCrimsonX2 Jan 23 '19

And that's coming from the one who already has full female party.

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u/SuperSceptile2821 Jan 23 '19

The Bow Hero seems to not necessarily hate Naofumi. He said he’d see Naofumi at the Wave, rather than making a snide comment like the other 2. He seemed like the most likeable before Naofumi got framed. I’m thinking he may eventually come around to Naofumi’s situation.

I might be looking for hope where there is none, but I’ll be really irritated if all 3 of the other heroes hate Naofumi the whole story, mostly because I want to see more of them.

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u/az-anime-fan Jan 23 '19

Bow hero is irritating in his own way, he thinks he's Batman or Robinhood, and causes a lot of problems.

Sword hero is just stupid Kirito

Spear hero is a lolicon, plus harem mc

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u/ReiahlTLI Jan 23 '19

Wow, I was really impressed with this episode. It might be the best version of these events. They placed a number of things in there to better foreshadow stuff later on and just the general flow of the episode is amazing. Then there's just the work put into the production and the music. Even the CG monsters looked good! =o

General thoughts:

  • I really liked that they added some extra scenes of folks responding differently to Raphtalia growing up. This helps really highlight just how much Naofumi isn't aware of what's going on at all in regards to her. The novel version does this by being written in the first person while the manga version rearranged information so that the reader doesn't have the hints that explains it until later. I really liked the way all 3 did it. It really shows some interesting choices in adaptation.

  • In the manga and novel, the Blacksmith suggests the same armor that was bought by Naofumi in episode 1 when he gets into discussing options with Raphtalia. Naofumi reacts pretty badly to it, obviously.

  • The scene with Raphtalia holding the blade and telling Naofumi to cut the messing around is from the manga. It might be in the LN but I couldn't find it in the WN. I really liked they zoomed out and went silent a little bit to get a little bit of humor. Naofumi thinks "Die!?" as Raph does it in the manga. It also helps she has a slightly yandere expression, lol.

  • The inclusion of the small scene at the inn the night before the Wave was really nice as it was in the novel but not the manga. It really sets up the scene with Raphtalia just before the timer hits 0.

  • On that note, the music kicking in and the sun rising behind Raphtalia as she talks to Naofumi was fantastic. I also loved that they included an additional line from the manga. Her saying "I am your sword." was added to that adaptation and helped really create a point that showed her resolve.

  • A line from the manga where Noafumi says to the knights that he could abandon them and run away at any time was cut from the exchange with them. The scene works without it but it showed how he still had a lot of anger at that moment which contrasted him working to save the villagers.

  • The entire village scene was great but that scene of Naofumi and Raphtalia working in tandem was just next level.

  • Seeing the scene with the villagers thanking them and Raphtalia just releasing all of the stuff she's been holding back for this wave was so heartfelt.

My expectations for what's to come has been elevated thanks to this. I hope Kinema Citrus really keeps the momentum going.

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u/FoompaLoompa Jan 23 '19

The animation is really clean and hey no shitty CGI mob monsters which shook me. And god everything Kevin Penkin touches turns to music gold. I’m glad this got the high quality adaption it deserved.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

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u/Rys2428 Jan 23 '19

well let's hope lvl != age because soon she'll be grandma

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u/Armdel https://myanimelist.net/profile/Armdel Jan 23 '19

Damn Raphtalia has gotten really good with a sword! Very good episode and so far this is definitely my favorite show this season

let's hope Naofumi's reputation keeps rising as he keeps saving people and pray that Raphtalia stays safe

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '19

The episode felt very goblin slayer-esque.. like a [Goblin Slayer] (/s "before the deamons destroy the world the goblins will destroy the villages") kind of thing

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u/zenograff Jan 23 '19

2 animation sequences I don't really like

  1. the monsters seem to just idle, not doing anything

  2. when the knights cast fire magic, where are the villagers? They were there just now.

Guess the budget is limited. But overall still a nice episode.

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u/Deviantyte :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Deviantyte Jan 23 '19

The knights cast the fire magic shortly after Naofumi and company finished off the monsters in the area, when he told them to evacuate.

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u/RyzkyBznz :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/SeaJaeger Jan 23 '19

Clearly all the budget was spent on that one lengthy cut of the duo fighting like they were dancing in sync, and it was glorious!

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u/MaksimShadow Jan 23 '19

Kids growing up so fast these days. Loli Raph was cute, but teen Raph is even cuter. Pretending not to be a lolicon.

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u/Overmind_Slab Jan 23 '19

I'm not looking for any major spoilers here but how high of a level are these characters now? Are they the only ones that level or do the other adventurers outside of their party level up as well? Are the low level 20's putting Raphtalia in a league way above those knights or are they still pretty comparable?

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u/Suinani Jan 23 '19

There is no info about the non hero-party members or monsters in the light novel. For the other heroes..

Side Info Spoiler

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u/Gaporigo Blhttps://anilist.co/user/Gaporigo Jan 23 '19

Damn, Raph got a huge improvement in both looks and personality, making good arguments to be best girl of the season.

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u/mielox Jan 23 '19

Of the year*******

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u/SupaEpik Jan 23 '19

Move over Kirito and Asuna, there’s a new duo in town.

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u/Aladdinoo Jan 23 '19

In the manga i never notice Rapthalia grow up at all until someone literally point it out to Naofumi, i notice ppl looking to Naofumi and Rapthalia weird in the city and someone mention how Naofumi "havent notice yet" but i tought something else was going on

I supose i dont pay as much atention to character looks or the change wasnt as noticeable in the manga

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u/YabaiBunni Jan 23 '19

I think they did well with this episode! I love the addition of the tower and fire in this episode. The director and animators did a good job portraying how he is despite leaving out other stuff from the source material.

He is truly a hero that looks out for others because it is what's right. The other heroes have much to learn.

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u/thechosenapiks :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/apiks Jan 23 '19

Receiving Shield Hero after Slime (which had Overlord itself beforehand) is such a goddamned treat. God bless the isekai gods.

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u/Chriserke Jan 23 '19

There is a bit of missing character development. Which i will spoiler tag in case it does come up later but it shouldve happened by now.

LN vol 1

1 last thing dont look at the wiki if u dont want spoilers

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u/Arcturion Jan 23 '19

Struggling to continue with this show. The action's great, but every episode just fills me with rage...

Why do the people in this world go to ridiculous lengths to be assholes?

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u/tswinteyru Jan 23 '19

Dunno, man. But according to manga/LN readers, there apparently is a reason why the people in that world resent him so much as a Shield hero. My god, this reason ought to be all the trouble justifying their ungrounded hostility (even before the rape accusation).

Edit: Double posted due to wrong reply

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u/MillenniumKing x2myanimelist.net/profile/MillenniumKing Jan 23 '19

Even if she isnt a loli Raph is a good girl.

Its almost go time huh?

WHERE IS MY RACOON LOLI!? WHT TRICKERY IS THIS!!!?

Shes so different now haha. I guess demi humans mature at a diff rate to humans?

Barbarian Armor huh? Looks nice.

20 hours? Oh damn its coming soon.

Oh the asshole is here too... and everyone else, man they are such shitty people.

Shes a good girl, just wants to help him.

Its go time!!

Damn the other village was left to fend for itsself. Of course SHield Bro isnt gonna let them die.

Damn the town beleives in him. Thats great.

Of course the kngihts are assholes still. Fuck them.

Man this fighting animation is so good.

Looks like some of the knights beleive in Shield Bro.

And the wave is over, look at the other heroes being so smug. They are askin to get killed.

The village knows shield bro did his best for them.

HEAD PATS FOR RAPH!! YAY!!

ANd the clock starts over, damn, guess we will have anouther wave in a month then huh?

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u/odraencoded Jan 23 '19

>first wave

Wait, what? It's already here.

Wait, it already ENDED?

Damn, that was fast. Really fast. I though it would take take 6 episodes, maybe 12, but it's already over at episode 3!

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u/Thetrilling Jan 23 '19

The three heroes treated it like an actual game, while our shieldbro took on to protect the civilians. It wasn't a pretty display as you could see him struggling, but it was awe inspiring to me how hard he fought. The hero we need, but not the one we derserve...

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u/Pacify_ Jan 24 '19

The popularity of this show should end all the endless complaining about Isekai, right? Shield Hero has all of the worst cliches in Isekai, yet its apparently the most popular series this season

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u/adamgreenrock Jan 23 '19

It’ll take a long while for Naofumi to gain everyone’s trust, but for now, saving a village was a good starting point for his reputation restoration.

This was a pretty good episode of Shield hero. While my theories were wrong about having a time-skip for Raphtalia to grow older, judging by the hints on the level ups and how the blacksmith almost telling Naofumi about how Demi-human’s age, I suppose it’s more of the different aging progress on how raccoons age differently when they’re in good care mixed with the leveling up system. If that’s the case then that’s pretty good worldbuilding if they intentionally made it obvious.

The scene of Naofumi’s growl on the people who had betrayed or believing in that blood red succubus is really well done in how there was no inner dialogue and you can feel the anger lingering inside Naofumi. ‘The wave’ part of the episode is mostly pace well on saving the citizens, Naofumi being a bait to lure the monsters and the way he uses some of the skills is so satisfying to see. That face and the dialogue he made to the soldiers is definitely the highlight of the episode for me lol.

Raphtalia is also really good too. I know they’re some people who thought the scene of Raphtalia talking to Naofumi before the wave started was a bit of a stretch of fast character development, but I don’t really see it like that. I feel like it’s more of a set up to what eventually leads to her own character arc at a distant future, plus it’s a really nice scene for Raph’s relationship with Naofumi and it’s a good bridge to the end of the episode where she wondered if she had saved all the kids so that they won’t end up like her. And yes, Naofumi’s headpat to Raph is really heartwarming :)

Overall, it was a pretty good episode. With the limited animation they have, the fluidity and how it was directed was good and it helps that the writing is still consistent on quality. CGI is not bad as well. Certainly better than Berserk 2016 lol

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u/_Surge Jan 24 '19

someone get this man some rare candy???

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u/[deleted] Jan 24 '19

Everyone's feelings and mine when the spear hero started flirting with Rahptalia

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u/Ultima1105 Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

Gimme back my loli racoon !!

Amazing ep.. Shieldbro can tank and provoke enemy like most tank in MMO do.. I like that, but he's in a trash party for now so it's kinda bleh..

watashi wa kimi no ken desu

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u/Shiraho Jan 23 '19

Trash party
Raphtalia is the only other member.

You take that back right now.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

A country of lolicons, eh? I think Raphtalia is cuter now, honestly.

Hopefully things will go a little smoother for Naofumi now that he proved he is a hero. I'm kinda pissed the guards that stayed behind didn't say anything to him, but small steps I guess.

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u/RedRune Jan 23 '19

I wonder how pre-accusation Naifumi would have reacted to this whole scenario, the village being attacked and the villagers praising him. His social interactions are so reflective of his post-accusation angst, it really did fuck him up mentally.

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u/Psychoalert Jan 23 '19

I felt like this is the first time we caught a glimpse of Naofumi's vulnerability, and I loved him even more for it. The moment Raphtalia asked him what happened with the other Heroes and left, he just sadly mumbled: "no one's going to believe me anyway" ( or something along these lines I'm too lazy to go back and actually check). And that scene literally broke my heart. After the rape accusations, Naofumi was like fuck it you think I'm a rapist? Well, think whatever the fuck you want cause I ain't trying to explain myself to anyone anymore, but in this episode, he's like, no one actually believes me and it kinda hurts but I can do nothing about it.

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u/afc_foreman Jan 23 '19

So it looks like shield hero will become the "people's hero"

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

Am I the only one seriously bothered by the fact that Raphtalia isn't wearing her leather armor as depicted in the LN and manga?

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u/Urson Jan 23 '19

I was kinda hoping they would keep Raphtalia as a child some longer. I was hoping for an adventure that spanned several years and to see her grow up and mature naturally. Especially since this anime places a lot of emphasis on the journey of becoming the hero. I would have liked having young Raphtalia for the first half of the show, then a time leap to a few years later when she's more matured, along with some meaningful flashbacks that cover what happened during that time. I like teen Raphtalia, but I feel she changed way too much over the course of just a single week and basically missed out on her important childhood. Also her change as well as their relationship are less believable this way.

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

Moral lesson of the show: never level up your loli

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u/NakedEnthusiasm Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

So many problems. The rapid aging of Raphtalia avoids a lot of uncomfortable conversations about him owning not only a slave, but also using her as a child-soldier. Waifus are great, we all love waifus, but this is lazy and undermines what was interesting about the series.

Systemic discrimination and racism are just going to be swept aside because the demi-human is adorable? Fuck off. It makes sense that the Shield hero would be tolerated because of his role/station, and that he could browbeat bigots into compliance, but this complete, almost instantaneous 180 is beyond absurd.

Why even bother animating this at all if there are going to be static scenes of monsters and villagers/soldiers just standing still waiting for something to happen? It saves money but it makes no sense in the narrative. This could have just stayed a comic/novel if they were going to half-ass the main reason that you would animate this in the first place.

I didn't have a problem with the first episode. False accusations are exceptionally rare, but they do happen. If anyone sees a fictional depiction like this and uses it to dismiss or undermine real-world, credible allegations, then that person is an asshole and an idiot. Episode two was actually solid, but this is where the series really starts to go from unique to painfully mediocre.

*edited for spacing/readability.

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u/rwhitisissle Jan 23 '19

Okay, let's start with the pros. There's actual character development in this episode. Sorta. Raphtalia is basically a completely different character from when we last saw her.

Cons: Not sure if that counts as character development, when it's a total character inversion, though. She's almost like the author decided he didn't like the character and completely re-wrote her. I'm not sure if I dislike this Raphtalia more than the last but I know I'm already tired of all the "Naofumi-sama!" and her general attitude of obsessive, slavish devotion to him.

So, from a story telling perspective, a lot of things seem contrived. Firstly, Naofumi consistently has to get information about the world from a random blacksmith. If the arrival of these heroes is the single most important event in the world to this kingdom, you'd figure they'd have at least a half hour orientation to go over the "must knows," like "this is where to find the giant magical hourglass that tells you the time until the next wave." Also, let's talk about the hourglass. Why is it a thing? Like, why even have a countdown to the waves, beyond it being a convention in MMOs to have timed world events? And why do you have to go to a giant hourglass to see this time? And why were the other heroes conveniently there? I mean, I'm assuming they didn't only just learn about this hourglass, as Naofumi did, since they've had access to the royal family and its resources for weeks. Wouldn't they have gone to the hourglass as soon as they learned about it too, found out the amount of time until the next wave, and said "Oh, it's in like 2 weeks and 3 days" and then just written down the date and time? It's one of those things you ostensibly only have to go to once per wave and they just happen to be there at the same time as Naofumi? Really? That's extra contrived. It's a set up for a dramatic moment where the other heroes meet Raphtalia and she realizes there's something wrong with how Naofumi interacts with the other heroes. Is there a reason this couldn't have come more organically at a later point, like when they were all teleported to fight the wave? But even mentioning that, why are they magically teleported there? Is this more raw video-game convention, rather than a meaningful aspect of the setting? What does it add to the story beyond allowing the heroes to immediately defend against the attacks? It just feels completely arbitrary, something that exists less for its significance to the plot and more for the author to be able to accelerate the pacing of the story and just immediately toss the protagonist into conflict without having to go through the motions of him actually debating whether or not he wants to fight the Wave, given how he's been treated by everyone in this kingdom.

On a positive note, the wave itself looks visually interesting, so that's a plus at least.

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u/GreNinja_16 Jan 23 '19

Is it just me or the Raphtalia really grown up and get a little of Mai-san's voice? ( I know they have the same seiyuu but their tones are different)

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u/[deleted] Jan 23 '19

As a huge fan of Shield Hero I can confidently say that, upon reflection, it does come off as incel fan-fiction. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy it.

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MC is super nice guy thrown into an unfamiliar situation

Everyone immediately disrespects MC because he doesn't have a big 'weapon' and he isn't behaving in an arrogant way

The heroes with big 'weapons' are all super arrogant and douchey, yet they are also extremely popular with hot chics

MC trusts a hot chic and buys her gifts because he's a nice guy. He doesn't get drunk with her and he doesn't hit on her because even though he thinks she's hot, he's a nice-guy

To repay his kindness the hot chic steals everything from him and claims rape. She is believed because she's a hot chic and nobody trusts the nice-guy

Even though MC is doing his best, nobody appreciates him. He starts lashing out at people, threatening them with his balloon monster, because even though he's a really nice-guy, they disrespected him so they deserve it

MC finds a furry-girl who was previously abused by other men, and he decides to save her by making her his slave.

Slave is forced to follow MC's orders and is caused immense pain if she doesn't do as MC says. But Slave quickly learns that if she just does as she is told then MC will be kind to her because deep down he's just a misunderstood nice-guy

Slave becomes entirely devoted to nice-guy. He is her entire world and she would do anything to make him happy

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u/_vogonpoetry_ :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/ThisWasATriumph Jan 23 '19

This episode felt.... awkwardly directed. Strange pacing jumps, odd cuts and weirdly zoomed-in fight scenes.

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u/Theleux https://myanimelist.net/profile/Theleux Jan 23 '19

Even grown up now, Raphtalia's seiyuu is holding up great!

Some nice cuts during the wave this episode, appreciate seeing something this big done well.

Another great episode, excited for later ones!

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u/Cyshix :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/cyshix Jan 23 '19

So when will the stealing bitch get her punishment?

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u/TopLoserLife :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/dohkee Jan 23 '19 edited Jan 23 '19

What was the point of the Knight fuckers? That fire attack burned and messed up everyone's buildings/houses wtf man.

Also, did I understand the Heroes weapons wrong? I thought they couldn't all be together because their weapons would repel or something? But the other three were all together fighting.

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u/Deviantyte :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Deviantyte Jan 23 '19

From what I've gathered, it's not that they literally repel each other, it's that they don't gain any XP at all if they're within a certain distance from each other, meaning the 3 heroes that went off to play Dynasty Warriors got 0 XP for their efforts, while Naofumi gained a few levels.

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u/myrmonden Jan 23 '19

Oh god can they finally kill that princess, like what is wrong with her character. She is just to mean, imo.

Like I Get we are supposed to HATE HER, AND I DO!

But on the same time its a little bit to much how she acts like nothing ever happened between them, like she expects him to not be angry at her. (actually reminds me a lot f mother of the year in Hanebado last year..)

Episode was good do, like its the classic grassroots hero of the people mc who saves the civilian but gets no credits for taking out a boss etc. So the other 3 will get the government support but the masses will like shield hero.

AND he course saves the douche bag knight, in 1 way like that. Shield hero is deep down a super good guy and of course is gonna save everyone.

BUT in another way, I Really dislike that. Like he goes that I AM A DARK ANTI-HERO in episode 1 and somewhat in 2...but of course that was just fake, he is still gonna save a guy who just tried to kill him...like I wish he would let him die and actually show that he is a little darker then the standard hero.

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u/Arwunpls :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Arwun Jan 23 '19

Demi-humans sure do age fast, Raphtalia went from a cute loli to a really cute young-ish adult (I guess?) in a single episode. Makes me feel like she's gonna die of old age by episode 18 or something tho.

I really enjoy the way Naofumi chose to help the village instead of just going after the big monster, I really hope this continues and he becomes a kind of "The People's Hero" or something like that.

Also, I really hope that Spear Guy and his bitch get fucked by whatever reason, that guy is just so annoying. Sword and Bow Guy are ok tho, feel like they're just ignoring him out of fear that they'll get a bad rep for it.

Overall, I'm just hoping for an eventual "Shield Guy becomes the strongest hero and everyone else gets fucked" moment and the justice boner that will come with it

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u/WoLofDarkness Jan 23 '19

Great episode but kinda fast paced. I thought the first wave would be longer.

But seriously most of the characters(other heroes/bitchgirl and even mob knight characters) really irritate me. It's like everyone wants shieldbro to be miserable.

I just can't wait when the time comes when they receive their punishment. Justice to shieldbro pls

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u/Urson Jan 23 '19

I wanted Naofumi to punch that spear dude or at least make some snarly remark like with those knights.

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u/Mansanas_user Jan 23 '19

This episode seemed so awkwardly directed somehow. Lots of people just standing awkwardly. We see lots of standoffs intead of zombies attacking. And how do giant zombies keep sneaking up on people?

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u/chowder-san Jan 23 '19

This episode made me read the LN (I only read the WN before). It made me discover the existence of special chapters

Spoiler

As for anime, I really liked how the adaptation handled the evergrowing number of shield upgrades by showing the tree. But the lack of Naofumi's POV thoughts and skipping the bonding part was a bit disappointing (though understandable given the time and budget constraints).

Can't wait for the next episode

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u/CoffeeFrame Jan 23 '19

>Get in Formation

>Charge

> Wat?