"He was clumsy and rude, but he was a good person.
His eyes were dark and filled with hatred and sadness.
He was violent, angry and vulgar. He was scary.
But he understood pain, and at his heart he was kind.
Yes, he is the person Rifana and I longed for... the Shield Hero."
-Raphtalia
Were you expecting another generic fantasy harem with the done-to-death "ordinary guy transferred to an alternate world" premise?
The "alternate world" part is true, but "generic fantasy harem", The Rising of The Shield Hero is anything but.
This is a story of an underdog mistreated by society, his distrust, anger and hatred towards said society, and how finding just one person who believes in him can change everything.
I'll admit, One Peace Books' synopsis makes it sound as if the word "generic" was invented for series like these; it simply does not do The Rising of The Shield Hero justice. The Rising of The Shield Hero is neither Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon , Sword Art Online , Accel World nor Log Horizon. You will neither find an obligatory harem, a stupidly dense/overpowered protagonist nor a godly tactician here (as of volume 1, anyway). Instead, you will find an averagely intelligent human being. He's also pretty pissed at everything, if i hadn't mentioned that.
So before you scream "generic", bear with me.
Naofumi Iwatani is a college student and one day, through means which are still a mystery, he was summoned to an unknown world. The first 6 chapters are relatively slow and uninteresting; they mainly serve to introduce the basic characters and setting for the story. Up to this point, there is really little to distinguish The Rising of The Shield Hero from its peers. However, chapter 7 is when those similarities come to a grinding halt. What really sets the story apart is its eerily human protagonist, unique plot progression and character development. Naofumi, who appears to be an uninspired goody-two-shoes, transforms into a walking mass of malice and anger. He despises the world which summons and grossly tramples upon him. Chewed up and spat out by the world, Naofumi is left with only his shield, his wits and his rage. The reader, to some degree, will sympathize with Naofumi: he has every right to be angry, to loathe the world after how it treated him. Note that Naofumi is by no means an incompetent idiot. He is much more intelligent than your average light novel protagonist; he quickly adapts to and exploits whatever the environment around him has to offer, in order to compensate for what he hugely lacks in strength.Throughout the story he can come across as morally ambiguous at best and morally defunct at worst; his actions do not agree with his words. One thing that is apparent though, is that no matter how much he wants everyone to drop dead, at the core of his being, Naofumi is still a good person. His character was executed in a such a way that even while blinded by hatred, traces of the former kind person he once was still shines through.
For the sake of not revealing too many elements of the story, Naofumi is all I can write about. The entire story is told through his cynical and bitter perspective; he is the highlight of the story for me. That is not to say though, that Naofumi is the only well-developed character, or that the rest of the story is non-existent. There are plenty of other characters with various pasts, motivations and personalities that are distinct from one another. I daresay its characters is this novel's strongest point: they are realistic and relatable. Readers will definitely find that some characters resemble those they already know or will know in life. The plot is not lacking either; it moves at a relatively fast pace, fast enough to keep you reading. There is also a fair amount of world building and action. If the first volume doesn't intrigue you with its world and story, it will make you sympathize deeply for its well-developed characters (especially the protagonist). However, I am aware that such a protagonist is not for everyone; I can imagine many being put off by Naofumi's pessimistic and scornful disposition. I'll also acknowledge that some plot points may make certain readers uncomfortable, due to the moral implications that they bring. Rest assured though, that many of these issues will iron themselves out by the end of the book; readers will find themselves sympathizing heavily with Naofumi, in spite of themselves. Volume 1 manages to wrap itself up with a heart-wrenching and satisfying climax: the kind where cascades of emotion come crashing down; the kind which resembles the vertical drop after a long ride up a roller coaster hill; the kind that haunts your mind and makes you want to go back and read it over a few more times just to soak up every last drop of emotion that oozes from each sentence. As a bonus there are two extra chapters at the end which provide greater insight into the personalities and backstories of two major characters of the story. One thing to keep in mind though, is that the author is an amateur. The Rising of The Shield Hero originated as a web novel, which the author updated with chapters every single day for the past few years until a publishing company picked it up. Therefore if the writing seems amateurish in this first volume, the author will most likely improve in the later volumes.
Complimenting the story are great illustrations and character designs. Even by light novel standards, the illustrations are very well done and impeccably depict various scenes. What I liked the most was how they perfectly captured Naofumi's facial expression: you can feel his anger seeping through every corner of his perpetual frown, through every nook and cranny of his dark, glaring eyes.
Now, onto the quality of the translation and publication itself. The book had 300 pages but each page was smaller and had less words than books by other light novel publishers. However, I researched and found that the original Japanese tankobon had the same page count, so I'll assume that One Peace Books' is not guilty of toning any printing quality down. There were some typos and questionably worded sentences I noticed throughout the book. Furthermore, dialogue can get confusing sometimes when there are three or more characters talking at once. Although I am disappointed to say that One Peace Books' translation is mediocre at best, it gets the story across. It wasn't anything bad enough to ruin my enjoyment of the story, although I really hope they step their translation game up in volume 2. However, as stated before, this was written by an amateur author so some kinks in the writing quality here and there might not entirely be One Peace Books' fault. On a side note, the quote at the start of this review is a direct quote from their translation which I particularly like.
I look forward to volume 2 of what seems to be a deeply promising series with a protagonist one just can't hate.
(Originally reviewed on Goodreads, then revised and posted Amazon. Also, thanks for the images, kind imgur user).
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Then I finally found out who he really was. His eyes were dark and filled with hatred and sadness. He was violent, angry, and vulgar. He was scary. But he understood pain, and in his heart he was kind. Yes, he was the person that Rifana had longed for . . . the Shield Hero.Highlighted by 154 Kindle readers- I mean, if you really think about it, even the Bible is a type of fantasy novel.Highlighted by 124 Kindle readers
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The hero we need, but not the hero we deserve.
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2015
"He was clumsy and rude, but he was a good person.His eyes were dark and filled with hatred and sadness.He was violent, angry and vulgar. He was scary.But he understood pain, and at his heart he was kind.Yes, he is the person Rifana and I longed for... the Shield Hero."-RaphtaliaWere you expecting another generic fantasy harem with the done-to-death "ordinary guy transferred to an alternate world" premise?The "alternate world" part is true, but "generic fantasy harem", The Rising of The Shield Hero is anything but.This is a story of an underdog mistreated by society, his distrust, anger and hatred towards said society, and how finding just one person who believes in him can change everything.I'll admit, One Peace Books' synopsis makes it sound as if the word "generic" was invented for series like these; it simply does not do The Rising of The Shield Hero justice. The Rising of The Shield Hero is neither Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon , Sword Art Online , Accel World nor Log Horizon. You will neither find an obligatory harem, a stupidly dense/overpowered protagonist nor a godly tactician here (as of volume 1, anyway). Instead, you will find an averagely intelligent human being. He's also pretty pissed at everything, if i hadn't mentioned that.So before you scream "generic", bear with me.Naofumi Iwatani is a college student and one day, through means which are still a mystery, he was summoned to an unknown world. The first 6 chapters are relatively slow and uninteresting; they mainly serve to introduce the basic characters and setting for the story. Up to this point, there is really little to distinguish The Rising of The Shield Hero from its peers. However, chapter 7 is when those similarities come to a grinding halt. What really sets the story apart is its eerily human protagonist, unique plot progression and character development. Naofumi, who appears to be an uninspired goody-two-shoes, transforms into a walking mass of malice and anger. He despises the world which summons and grossly tramples upon him. Chewed up and spat out by the world, Naofumi is left with only his shield, his wits and his rage. The reader, to some degree, will sympathize with Naofumi: he has every right to be angry, to loathe the world after how it treated him. Note that Naofumi is by no means an incompetent idiot. He is much more intelligent than your average light novel protagonist; he quickly adapts to and exploits whatever the environment around him has to offer, in order to compensate for what he hugely lacks in strength.Throughout the story he can come across as morally ambiguous at best and morally defunct at worst; his actions do not agree with his words. One thing that is apparent though, is that no matter how much he wants everyone to drop dead, at the core of his being, Naofumi is still a good person. His character was executed in a such a way that even while blinded by hatred, traces of the former kind person he once was still shines through.For the sake of not revealing too many elements of the story, Naofumi is all I can write about. The entire story is told through his cynical and bitter perspective; he is the highlight of the story for me. That is not to say though, that Naofumi is the only well-developed character, or that the rest of the story is non-existent. There are plenty of other characters with various pasts, motivations and personalities that are distinct from one another. I daresay its characters is this novel's strongest point: they are realistic and relatable. Readers will definitely find that some characters resemble those they already know or will know in life. The plot is not lacking either; it moves at a relatively fast pace, fast enough to keep you reading. There is also a fair amount of world building and action. If the first volume doesn't intrigue you with its world and story, it will make you sympathize deeply for its well-developed characters (especially the protagonist). However, I am aware that such a protagonist is not for everyone; I can imagine many being put off by Naofumi's pessimistic and scornful disposition. I'll also acknowledge that some plot points may make certain readers uncomfortable, due to the moral implications that they bring. Rest assured though, that many of these issues will iron themselves out by the end of the book; readers will find themselves sympathizing heavily with Naofumi, in spite of themselves. Volume 1 manages to wrap itself up with a heart-wrenching and satisfying climax: the kind where cascades of emotion come crashing down; the kind which resembles the vertical drop after a long ride up a roller coaster hill; the kind that haunts your mind and makes you want to go back and read it over a few more times just to soak up every last drop of emotion that oozes from each sentence. As a bonus there are two extra chapters at the end which provide greater insight into the personalities and backstories of two major characters of the story. One thing to keep in mind though, is that the author is an amateur. The Rising of The Shield Hero originated as a web novel, which the author updated with chapters every single day for the past few years until a publishing company picked it up. Therefore if the writing seems amateurish in this first volume, the author will most likely improve in the later volumes.Complimenting the story are great illustrations and character designs. Even by light novel standards, the illustrations are very well done and impeccably depict various scenes. What I liked the most was how they perfectly captured Naofumi's facial expression: you can feel his anger seeping through every corner of his perpetual frown, through every nook and cranny of his dark, glaring eyes.Now, onto the quality of the translation and publication itself. The book had 300 pages but each page was smaller and had less words than books by other light novel publishers. However, I researched and found that the original Japanese tankobon had the same page count, so I'll assume that One Peace Books' is not guilty of toning any printing quality down. There were some typos and questionably worded sentences I noticed throughout the book. Furthermore, dialogue can get confusing sometimes when there are three or more characters talking at once. Although I am disappointed to say that One Peace Books' translation is mediocre at best, it gets the story across. It wasn't anything bad enough to ruin my enjoyment of the story, although I really hope they step their translation game up in volume 2. However, as stated before, this was written by an amateur author so some kinks in the writing quality here and there might not entirely be One Peace Books' fault. On a side note, the quote at the start of this review is a direct quote from their translation which I particularly like.I look forward to volume 2 of what seems to be a deeply promising series with a protagonist one just can't hate.(Originally reviewed on Goodreads, then revised and posted Amazon. Also, thanks for the images, kind imgur user).
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2015
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 15, 2015
His eyes were dark and filled with hatred and sadness.
He was violent, angry and vulgar. He was scary.
But he understood pain, and at his heart he was kind.
Yes, he is the person Rifana and I longed for... the Shield Hero."
-Raphtalia
Were you expecting another generic fantasy harem with the done-to-death "ordinary guy transferred to an alternate world" premise?
The "alternate world" part is true, but "generic fantasy harem", The Rising of The Shield Hero is anything but.
This is a story of an underdog mistreated by society, his distrust, anger and hatred towards said society, and how finding just one person who believes in him can change everything.
I'll admit, One Peace Books' synopsis makes it sound as if the word "generic" was invented for series like these; it simply does not do The Rising of The Shield Hero justice. The Rising of The Shield Hero is neither Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon , Sword Art Online , Accel World nor Log Horizon. You will neither find an obligatory harem, a stupidly dense/overpowered protagonist nor a godly tactician here (as of volume 1, anyway). Instead, you will find an averagely intelligent human being. He's also pretty pissed at everything, if i hadn't mentioned that.
So before you scream "generic", bear with me.
Naofumi Iwatani is a college student and one day, through means which are still a mystery, he was summoned to an unknown world. The first 6 chapters are relatively slow and uninteresting; they mainly serve to introduce the basic characters and setting for the story. Up to this point, there is really little to distinguish The Rising of The Shield Hero from its peers. However, chapter 7 is when those similarities come to a grinding halt. What really sets the story apart is its eerily human protagonist, unique plot progression and character development. Naofumi, who appears to be an uninspired goody-two-shoes, transforms into a walking mass of malice and anger. He despises the world which summons and grossly tramples upon him. Chewed up and spat out by the world, Naofumi is left with only his shield, his wits and his rage. The reader, to some degree, will sympathize with Naofumi: he has every right to be angry, to loathe the world after how it treated him. Note that Naofumi is by no means an incompetent idiot. He is much more intelligent than your average light novel protagonist; he quickly adapts to and exploits whatever the environment around him has to offer, in order to compensate for what he hugely lacks in strength.Throughout the story he can come across as morally ambiguous at best and morally defunct at worst; his actions do not agree with his words. One thing that is apparent though, is that no matter how much he wants everyone to drop dead, at the core of his being, Naofumi is still a good person. His character was executed in a such a way that even while blinded by hatred, traces of the former kind person he once was still shines through.
For the sake of not revealing too many elements of the story, Naofumi is all I can write about. The entire story is told through his cynical and bitter perspective; he is the highlight of the story for me. That is not to say though, that Naofumi is the only well-developed character, or that the rest of the story is non-existent. There are plenty of other characters with various pasts, motivations and personalities that are distinct from one another. I daresay its characters is this novel's strongest point: they are realistic and relatable. Readers will definitely find that some characters resemble those they already know or will know in life. The plot is not lacking either; it moves at a relatively fast pace, fast enough to keep you reading. There is also a fair amount of world building and action. If the first volume doesn't intrigue you with its world and story, it will make you sympathize deeply for its well-developed characters (especially the protagonist). However, I am aware that such a protagonist is not for everyone; I can imagine many being put off by Naofumi's pessimistic and scornful disposition. I'll also acknowledge that some plot points may make certain readers uncomfortable, due to the moral implications that they bring. Rest assured though, that many of these issues will iron themselves out by the end of the book; readers will find themselves sympathizing heavily with Naofumi, in spite of themselves. Volume 1 manages to wrap itself up with a heart-wrenching and satisfying climax: the kind where cascades of emotion come crashing down; the kind which resembles the vertical drop after a long ride up a roller coaster hill; the kind that haunts your mind and makes you want to go back and read it over a few more times just to soak up every last drop of emotion that oozes from each sentence. As a bonus there are two extra chapters at the end which provide greater insight into the personalities and backstories of two major characters of the story. One thing to keep in mind though, is that the author is an amateur. The Rising of The Shield Hero originated as a web novel, which the author updated with chapters every single day for the past few years until a publishing company picked it up. Therefore if the writing seems amateurish in this first volume, the author will most likely improve in the later volumes.
Complimenting the story are great illustrations and character designs. Even by light novel standards, the illustrations are very well done and impeccably depict various scenes. What I liked the most was how they perfectly captured Naofumi's facial expression: you can feel his anger seeping through every corner of his perpetual frown, through every nook and cranny of his dark, glaring eyes.
Now, onto the quality of the translation and publication itself. The book had 300 pages but each page was smaller and had less words than books by other light novel publishers. However, I researched and found that the original Japanese tankobon had the same page count, so I'll assume that One Peace Books' is not guilty of toning any printing quality down. There were some typos and questionably worded sentences I noticed throughout the book. Furthermore, dialogue can get confusing sometimes when there are three or more characters talking at once. Although I am disappointed to say that One Peace Books' translation is mediocre at best, it gets the story across. It wasn't anything bad enough to ruin my enjoyment of the story, although I really hope they step their translation game up in volume 2. However, as stated before, this was written by an amateur author so some kinks in the writing quality here and there might not entirely be One Peace Books' fault. On a side note, the quote at the start of this review is a direct quote from their translation which I particularly like.
I look forward to volume 2 of what seems to be a deeply promising series with a protagonist one just can't hate.
(Originally reviewed on Goodreads, then revised and posted Amazon. Also, thanks for the images, kind imgur user).
The hero we need, but not the hero we deserve.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 15, 2015
"He was clumsy and rude, but he was a good person.Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 15, 2015
His eyes were dark and filled with hatred and sadness.
He was violent, angry and vulgar. He was scary.
But he understood pain, and at his heart he was kind.
Yes, he is the person Rifana and I longed for... the Shield Hero."
-Raphtalia
Were you expecting another generic fantasy harem with the done-to-death "ordinary guy transferred to an alternate world" premise?
The "alternate world" part is true, but "generic fantasy harem", The Rising of The Shield Hero is anything but.
This is a story of an underdog mistreated by society, his distrust, anger and hatred towards said society, and how finding just one person who believes in him can change everything.
I'll admit, One Peace Books' synopsis makes it sound as if the word "generic" was invented for series like these; it simply does not do The Rising of The Shield Hero justice. The Rising of The Shield Hero is neither Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon , Sword Art Online , Accel World nor Log Horizon. You will neither find an obligatory harem, a stupidly dense/overpowered protagonist nor a godly tactician here (as of volume 1, anyway). Instead, you will find an averagely intelligent human being. He's also pretty pissed at everything, if i hadn't mentioned that.
So before you scream "generic", bear with me.
Naofumi Iwatani is a college student and one day, through means which are still a mystery, he was summoned to an unknown world. The first 6 chapters are relatively slow and uninteresting; they mainly serve to introduce the basic characters and setting for the story. Up to this point, there is really little to distinguish The Rising of The Shield Hero from its peers. However, chapter 7 is when those similarities come to a grinding halt. What really sets the story apart is its eerily human protagonist, unique plot progression and character development. Naofumi, who appears to be an uninspired goody-two-shoes, transforms into a walking mass of malice and anger. He despises the world which summons and grossly tramples upon him. Chewed up and spat out by the world, Naofumi is left with only his shield, his wits and his rage. The reader, to some degree, will sympathize with Naofumi: he has every right to be angry, to loathe the world after how it treated him. Note that Naofumi is by no means an incompetent idiot. He is much more intelligent than your average light novel protagonist; he quickly adapts to and exploits whatever the environment around him has to offer, in order to compensate for what he hugely lacks in strength.Throughout the story he can come across as morally ambiguous at best and morally defunct at worst; his actions do not agree with his words. One thing that is apparent though, is that no matter how much he wants everyone to drop dead, at the core of his being, Naofumi is still a good person. His character was executed in a such a way that even while blinded by hatred, traces of the former kind person he once was still shines through.
For the sake of not revealing too many elements of the story, Naofumi is all I can write about. The entire story is told through his cynical and bitter perspective; he is the highlight of the story for me. That is not to say though, that Naofumi is the only well-developed character, or that the rest of the story is non-existent. There are plenty of other characters with various pasts, motivations and personalities that are distinct from one another. I daresay its characters is this novel's strongest point: they are realistic and relatable. Readers will definitely find that some characters resemble those they already know or will know in life. The plot is not lacking either; it moves at a relatively fast pace, fast enough to keep you reading. There is also a fair amount of world building and action. If the first volume doesn't intrigue you with its world and story, it will make you sympathize deeply for its well-developed characters (especially the protagonist). However, I am aware that such a protagonist is not for everyone; I can imagine many being put off by Naofumi's pessimistic and scornful disposition. I'll also acknowledge that some plot points may make certain readers uncomfortable, due to the moral implications that they bring. Rest assured though, that many of these issues will iron themselves out by the end of the book; readers will find themselves sympathizing heavily with Naofumi, in spite of themselves. Volume 1 manages to wrap itself up with a heart-wrenching and satisfying climax: the kind where cascades of emotion come crashing down; the kind which resembles the vertical drop after a long ride up a roller coaster hill; the kind that haunts your mind and makes you want to go back and read it over a few more times just to soak up every last drop of emotion that oozes from each sentence. As a bonus there are two extra chapters at the end which provide greater insight into the personalities and backstories of two major characters of the story. One thing to keep in mind though, is that the author is an amateur. The Rising of The Shield Hero originated as a web novel, which the author updated with chapters every single day for the past few years until a publishing company picked it up. Therefore if the writing seems amateurish in this first volume, the author will most likely improve in the later volumes.
Complimenting the story are great illustrations and character designs. Even by light novel standards, the illustrations are very well done and impeccably depict various scenes. What I liked the most was how they perfectly captured Naofumi's facial expression: you can feel his anger seeping through every corner of his perpetual frown, through every nook and cranny of his dark, glaring eyes.
Now, onto the quality of the translation and publication itself. The book had 300 pages but each page was smaller and had less words than books by other light novel publishers. However, I researched and found that the original Japanese tankobon had the same page count, so I'll assume that One Peace Books' is not guilty of toning any printing quality down. There were some typos and questionably worded sentences I noticed throughout the book. Furthermore, dialogue can get confusing sometimes when there are three or more characters talking at once. Although I am disappointed to say that One Peace Books' translation is mediocre at best, it gets the story across. It wasn't anything bad enough to ruin my enjoyment of the story, although I really hope they step their translation game up in volume 2. However, as stated before, this was written by an amateur author so some kinks in the writing quality here and there might not entirely be One Peace Books' fault. On a side note, the quote at the start of this review is a direct quote from their translation which I particularly like.
I look forward to volume 2 of what seems to be a deeply promising series with a protagonist one just can't hate.
(Originally reviewed on Goodreads, then revised and posted Amazon. Also, thanks for the images, kind imgur user).
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 13, 2020
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