Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

The Rising of the Shield Hero: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie Review

A deluxe collectors set for die-hard enthusiasts.

The Rising of the Shield Hero is an action-adventure fantasy anime. The production was mounted by the team at animation studio Kinema Citrus (Code:Breaker, Made in Abyss). Adapted from both the light novels (which started the series) and the subsequent manga volumes, the anime version offers audiences some good fun – if in the mood for some more action anime. The Rising of Shield Hero – Season 1, Part 1 includes the first 13 episodes of the season.

Naofumi Iwatani (Kaito Ishikawa) is just a ordinary university student living out his days of unexciting events moment-by-moment. Living life as a geek, Naofumi spends most of his free time getting manga to read from his local library (though he doesn't consider himself to be an obsessive fan for some odd reason). Life seems to lack surprise.

Things change drastically for Naofumi when he is transported to a new world: the gigantic kingdom of Melromarc. Brought in to a video-game style universe, Naofumi is assigned the role of becoming The Shield Hero. Unfortunately for Maofumi, The Shield Hero is considered the weakest hero of the land and can only use a shield to protect himself and fight for survival.

Attempting to navigate the newly appointed role (while other heroes were summoned for more popular and meaningful roles), Naofumi soon finds himself betrayed by his one and only ally on the road. Can The Shield Hero even survive the new video-game like world before it is too late? As things twist and turn during the story, The Shield Hero also stumbles across an unfortunate slave girl, Raphtalia (Asami Seto) and a new journey starts to unfold.

A gorgeous box-set collection.

The animation is top-notch throughout the entire batch of episodes included on the first set. The Rising of the Shield Hero excels visually and has some stunning art work that will appeal to fans of fantasy anime. The chief animation director Masahiro Suwa (Chaika – The Coffin Princess, Scorching Ping Pong Girls) gives good detail to the background art work as well as the characters.

Featuring the excellent character designs of Masahiro Suwa, the animators brought a lot of energy to the table for this production. Everything is so crisp and detailed. The cinematography by Yukiyo Kajiwara (A Lull in the Sea, Shirobako) gives the animation a heightened sense of wonder.

The fight scenes might be one of the most popular elements of The Rising of the Shield Hero and it is no surprise that fans appreciate these moments. The action-adventure excitement is strong during the introductory episodes. The second half of the set ramps up the excitement considerably and brings some new adventure to the fold. There is a strong sense of tension.

The series music by Kevin Penkin (Made in Abyss: Dawn of the Deep Soul, Implosion: Zero Day) is another compelling element at play. The music heightens the fight scenes. The drama unfolds with added vigor. The characters are given dramatic backbones through the score. A solid effort by the composer.

Takao Abo (Eureka Seven, Macross Frontier) admirably mounted the production as head director for season one. Using the story crafted for the series by Keigo Koyanagi (Under the Dog, Classroom Crisis), The Rising of the Shield Hero is generally solid during the first half of season one. The earliest episodes are slow to start (though episode one is consistently engaging) while the series becomes more interesting as the set delves further in to the adventure elements. While the set is a little inconsistent at times, The Rising of the Shield Hero shows considerable promise. Will the second half of the season live up to the hype?

The Rising of the Shield Hero: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, The Rising of Shield Hero – Season 1, Part 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release has exceptional color reproduction that makes the series far more engaging and beautiful to watch. The encode quality is strong too: the release doesn't have a problem handing the action scenes (which are compression free) and there are no noteworthy issues regarding banding. The animation looks splendid throughout the entire collection. Fans will be quite pleased.

The Rising of the Shield Hero: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release includes two audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 with English subtitles. Either of the lossless audio options will provide fans with a listening experience that does not compromise on the overall sound quality for the series. The music score is beautifully reproduced throughout the release and makes a big impression. Dialogue is consistently crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The surround sound track on the English dub is also exciting: with a good use of the rear surrounds adding real gravitas to the action- packed adventure. The fight scenes carry more weight in surround-sound. While the dub lacks a bit in the LFE department, it is still an impressive and crisp presentation.

The Rising of the Shield Hero: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The limited edition of Season 1, Part 1 comes packaged in a collectors art box. The set also includes a host of enticing goodies for die-hard fans of the series. The set comes with an art book, art cards, a tapestry, and a collection of key chains. These are cool collectibles that any major fan of the series should find enticing. When the bonus collectibles box is removed from the art box packaging, fans should be able to slide-in the second set (available separately) as well: housing the entire season. Simply fantastic.

Please Note: The Rising of the Shield Hero is presented as a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Combo Pack release. The first printing of the set includes a stunning o-card slipcover that slides over the case. Anime enthusiasts will appreciate the effort which went in to the artwork.

On disc extras are as follows:

Promo Video (HD, 2:23)

TV Spot (HD, 00:17)

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

The Rising of the Shield Hero: Season One, Part One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Rising of the Shield Hero shows considerable promise during the first half of the introductory season. While the plot-line gets a little overly-dramatic at times, the action scenes and sense of adventure make it more engaging. The animation looks stunning and the music is exceptional. Funimation has put together a fantastic set with superb video-audio presentations. This is an outstanding release for fans of the series. The Limited Edition set is especially fantastic and includes a art box, art cards, tapestry, key chains, and an art book. Serious collectors will want to opt for the premium set with the extra swag. Recommended.