Source Material: Light Novel

Studio: Kinema Citrus

Synopsis: “Naofumi Iwatani, an uncharismatic otaku who spends his days on games and manga, suddenly finds himself summoned to a parallel universe. He discovers he is one of four heroes equipped with legendary weapons and tasked with saving the world from its prophesied destruction. As the Shield Hero, the weakest of the heroes, all is not as it seems. Naofumi is soon alone, penniless, and betrayed. With no one to turn to, and nowhere to run, he is left with only his shield. Now, Naofumi must rise to become the legendary Shield Hero and save the world.” -Anime News Network

First Impression:

Luckily, I got to see the 40-minute pre-aired episode and Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari is everything I imagined! Don’t worry though, the regular broadcast will start on Jan 9th, 2019! Our shield hero is off to a rocky start and the story is somewhat predictable for the first half but how it develops after that is something to look forward to. The art and animation don’t excite me as much as it should have, but I’m still excited about the story. Curious to see how far the Naofumi takes the anti-hero attitude.

Recommendation:

YES

If you’re looking for another Sword Art Online then this probably won’t be your cup of tea, as it seems like Naofumi is on the edge of hero and anti-hero. There seems to be a darker side to the story as well as the episode ends featuring slaves and half humans. But if you liked Re: Zero and darker Isekai shows, then this will be a good one!