The Rising of the Shield Hero (2023)

[盾の勇者の成り上がり]

Season 3

Director: Hitoshi Haga
Studio: Kinema Citrus
Starring: Kaito Ishikawa, Asami Seto, Rina Hidaka
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
With the appearance of the Phoenix drawing nearer, Naofumi must recover his lost strength and bring the Cardinal Heroes together, something far easier said than done.

Impressions:
What can I say about this season? Well, it's better than the last one. "But Season 2 sucked," you say. I didn't say it cleared an especially high bar. Don't expect much. I liked some of the new characters well enough, but Ren and Itsuki falling for the same trap as Naofumi and Motoyasu is really stupid, and that's not even touching on the Gaelion bit or the really dumb setup for the new conflict in the season finale. The reports from readers of the light novel don't give me much hope for the future of the series, so I get the distinct feeling I'm not going to be available if a Season 4 is in the offing. I don't think most viewers will find enough here that's worthwhile, but I can't very well give it a lower rating than Season 2, so take it or leave it.

Rating:
50/50