The Rising of the Shield Hero (2022)

[盾の勇者の成り上がり]

Season 2

Director: Masato Jinbo
Studio: Kinema Citrus, DR Movie
Starring: Kaito Ishikawa, Asami Seto, Rina Hidaka
Episodes: 13

Synopsis:
The countdown to the next Wave stops abruptly due to the rampage of a creature called the Spirit Tortoise and Naofumi is summoned to join an alliance of nations to stop the beast.

Impressions:
As I enjoyed the previous season, I was looking forward to a continuation, but it didn't take long for the disappointment to set in. Apparently the Spirit Tortoise Arc wasn't very good in the source material and so the showrunners decided to speed through it. The next arc had some potential, but it was plagued with pacing issues and the overall antagonist for this season was rather lame and obnoxious. Rishia, the new addition to Naofumi's party, is widely disliked for being a whiny hanger-on of Itsuki who disturbs rather than enhances the dynamic of Naofumi's existing slaves. (Oh, did I mention that Rishia becomes Naofumi's slave? Yeah, that happens, with Raphtalia's enthusiastic endorsement, because slavery is so great, you know?) As if issues with plotting, pacing and characters weren't enough, the workload gets split with another studio and there's a noticeable dip in production values as well. Given that things have gone downhill on almost every front, I would be inclined to just tell you not to bother, but there is one little glimmer of light, and that's the character of Kizuna. She's alright, almost enough for me to feel like I haven't completely wasted my time, but it'll be hard to get me back for Season 3, if there is one. Fans aren't likely to be too happy and you're not likely to be lured in as a casual viewer either, yet for dear Kizuna's sake, I'll be generous and say take it or leave it.

Rating:
50/50