episode three of The Rising of the Shield Hero – Season 2 aired Wednesday, giving fans one of the worst episodes of the entire Spring 2022 season. From terrible cuts to a botched CGI Spirit turtle, nearly everything about episode three was unbearable. Everything ridiculous that happened can be completely ignored if you try hard enough because the ending still left us with a lot to be desired thanks to Ost Hourai.
The Good – Ost Hourai and a Stellar Soundtrack
Ost was properly introduced to us in episode two and quickly became a major player this season. In episode three, we finally saw what she was capable of and luckily we did because she was arguably the only exciting character in this entire episode. Whether it’s taking on a whole bunch of familiars with her gravity incantation or amplifying the power of Naofumi’s shield, she’s brought about plenty of thrilling moments in addition to a wonderful soundtrack, which has in fact gave at the end of the battle the impression that something great was actually accomplished when it was not necessarily the case.
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The episode’s biggest moment came when Ost dropped the bombshell on everyone that the spirit turtle wasn’t actually dead despite having its head cut off. Luckily, this ending with her has completely made me forget everything that happened before and gives some hope that Season 2 is about to get a whole lot nicer.
The Bad – Everything Else
Several times in the episode we see soldiers who are 2D characters one moment and 3DCGI the next. The big moments seemed to have been invented on the spot. And the thrill of beating the walking beast of destruction that planted fear in everyone’s hearts for the past two episodes was nowhere to be felt. At one point we hear Eclair let out a battle cry leading his men and their horses while running towards the battle, only for him to cut into the back of each of them, making it sound like that they just walk.
Raphtalia and Filo pulling new moves out of nowhere were far from over the top due to absolutely zero buildup for them, as well as questionable camera angles and cuts showing off those moves. Rishia gives these two a “bibbity bop” boost out of nowhere with a stock-like sound effect, also leaving fans wondering – where the hell did this all come from? It felt like throughout the episode we just got a compilation of random events picked from a hat.
The queen’s orders did not leave us with a frightening sense of power and leadership. The new movements we witnessed happened so quickly that we hardly realized what had happened. And the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom commander’s death seemed completely unnecessary and didn’t give anyone a boost of energy or leave fans with a single shred of sadness, even though all the rulers, including the Queen, had a moment. of random silence of a fraction of a second. for him towards the end. Over to you, Commander. We barely knew you.
A CGI turtle
It’s hard not to talk about what was supposed to be the focus of episode three, especially when it’s such horror. What gave some fans hope after watching the size and beauty of the spirit turtle in the key visual that dropped before the season ended up leaving fans with red faces after facepalming each other so much in watching episode three. Not once did our favorite characters feel in danger or intimidated by what was supposed to be a giant mobile fortress capable of destroying countries single-handedly. And what made it worse were shots like the one below that depict the Spirit Tortoise as a giant animal in a cutaway scene you’d see in an old Playstation 2 game.
With the suit of 2D blood under a 3DCGI carapace, Spirit Tortoise’s temporary reign of terror was almost comical to some degree. At least, that’s how he feels when his head has been cut off and he just hit the ground with a shocked look on his face. One that almost looked relieved that Raphtalia and Filo had saved him from the absolute embarrassment of being a CGI turtle again. Raphtalia and Filo were blessed to give fans an epic moment that would leave us all excited and excited. Sadly, that was overshadowed by the sheer ridiculousness of everything surrounding the Spirit Tortoise.
It is time to move on
Shield Hero fans, let’s forget everything that happened and focus on what really matters right now: Ost and who she really is. Episode four of The Rise of the Shield Hero – Season two airs Wednesday, April 27 on Crunchyroll.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll,
©2021 Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / Shield Hero S2 Production Committee