Rising of the Shield Hero
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@db0ssman I know what you mean, I've read quite a few other isekai series and SH is probably one of the worst ones. I can only go off what I've read so far, but from what others have said, it sounds like it gradually becomes a dumpster fire, later in the series.
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@db0ssman haha, I try not to compare things to Bookworm. I could never read Death March or Rear Guard if I did.
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@mbuono If I didn't read bookworm when I did I probably would have given up on light novels in general. The first three books I read in order were Shield Hero, AoB, and Goblin Slayer. And if I thought that Shield Hero and Goblin Slayer really were supposed to be the best the genre has to offer I just would have stopped.
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@db0ssman My first 3 series were Overlord, Deathmarch, and Reincarnated as a Slime. I started off with some good series, and then Amazon suggested SH to me, so I thought I'd give it a shout... And here we are. Haha.
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My first series was Resurrection of a Slime. Then I think I read Reincarnated as a Sword, which has fun papa vibes with the weirdness of some other series. I like Death March, but the romance angle squicks me out. Not as bad as Shield Hero, but still pretty bad.
Oddly enough, The Great Cleric, has been filling a niche for me that I didn't know I needed. Especially since it's essentially about a salary man getting beefy in a fantasy world while drinking bad pre-work out drinks and advocating for healthcare reform.
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@mbuono I've just recently picked up reincarnated as a sword, I agree, it is a fairly fun series. The romance angle of Deathmarch is a little dubious, I'll give you that.
Yeah. Great Cleric is a series I never knew I needed as well. I read businessman in another world, that was an interesting series.
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Rising of the Shield hero isn't worth continuing, but if you like the world or characters you could give a try to the spin-off centered on the Spear hero.
TBH I've only read 2 volumes, and considering the author track record there's definitely a risk that it will become a boring mess later on, but so far it's been better than the main series.
Like SH later on, it's a power fantasy but since the author wrote it after SH he already knows everything in his world so it feels way more cohesive, unlike the main series where bigger threats just keep on appearing at just the right time.
But the biggest strength of the spin-off is definitely the MC since it follows a completely insane time-traveling spear-hero. His warpped POV makes for great comedy but he is also, at times, surprisingly interesting (at least more than Naofumi in later volumes). -
@Raitoiro Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for that one. It's becoming apparent that I'm not the only one that felt there was something amiss with SH. Haha.
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@HeroicScrotum said in Rising of the Shield Hero:
@mbuono I've just recently picked up reincarnated as a sword, I agree, it is a fairly fun series. The romance angle of Deathmarch is a little dubious, I'll give you that.
Yeah. Great Cleric is a series I never knew I needed as well. I read businessman in another world, that was an interesting series.
The would-be waifus in Death March don't bother me because the MC is a 29-year-old (in a 15 year old body) and is just not interested in anyone younger than 20-something. It's typical LN wish fulfillment for everyone to fall in love with the MC, but he's not interested, sometimes a little amused, and is looking back fondly at teen crushes from an older man viewpoint. Arisa (who is also not really her body's age) is more amusing than creepy.
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i was gonna read it, but it seems like i shouldn't, should i?
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@kaguya_sempai it's not a recommended read, but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy it. I'd definitely recommend not bulk purchasing though, so if you wish to try it, only go a volume at a time.
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@GeorgeMTO Alright guess I'll give it a try. Thanks!
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@mbuono Holy heck. I didn't even realize it boiled down that way.
Guess I know why it clicks for me as someone trying to loose weight while looking at whether to try and run for a local office.
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@kaguya_sempai An alternative view to that is that I'd probably recommend to people to read the series until the trial (book 4), and then pretend like it ended while it was still one of the best series out there, IMO.
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On a side tangent, I do have high hopes for the anime, though. If you get the Wikipedia explanation of everything that happens in the series its sounds very interesting and well planned out, and it's mostly an issue with what the author chooses to focus on and the lack of set-up and payoff. Like most of the interesting points of the new female characters only get glossed over and instead the narrative focuses on their relationship with/obsession over naofumi instead. To a large degree, they get ignored as individuals and treated as different flavor waifus. I think with the anime they have a golden opportunity to refocus the narrative priorities. Though it could make that aspect even worse than the LN. We'll see.
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@HarmlessDave I understand what you mean. There were times where it just felt forced, but that's just me. I still enjoy the series, nonetheless.
@db0ssman The first season was reasonably enjoyable. I'll probably give the second season a shout, and see how it pans out.
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@HarmlessDave I mean, coming from my western/american pov, the mixed bath thing is hard to deal with. I realize though there is a level of cultural difference there. I just don't know how much.
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@mbuono I'm no expert on Japanese culture either, but he sees the others as adopted family and still children. He made a men's bath for himself anyway, but the kids insisted on joining him.
