English Dub Review: Rising of the Shield Hero “Racing to Catch Up”


Overview

Fitoria appears when the Spirit Tortoise revives, and with her help, Naofumi attempts to destroy its heart and cut off its head at the same time. L’Arc arrives as well, but all of them are helpless before Kyo’s overwhelming power.


Our Take

Picking up immediately from the last episode that introduced the cackling sadistic madman who calls himself “Kyo the Book Hero” (Voiced by Sean Chiplock), Kyo reveals what Ost actually is. And as an added bonus we see what’s become of the other three Heroes Itsuki, Motoyasu, and Ren. (The very same problematic piece of shit “heroes” whose rude, arrogant, and consequence-free lifestyles hurt those around them) At the very least, Fitoria making her presence known was a welcoming surprise.

Rishia finally had her moment and it was well portrayed when going up against Kyo which also threw me off as she felt like a different person. At least for once, she wasn’t behaving the way she usually used to, so who knows how long that’ll last… I also just didn’t understand why Naofumi didn’t feel rage which would’ve fueled his, I mean he has several reasons to feel angry towards Kyo right? This didn’t sit right with me, it all just felt too convenient and written as an excuse for Naofumi to use his new spirit tortoise shied, they suddenly showed him not angry.

Overall this episode wasn’t perfect, but it keeps topping itself with one twist after another. Predictably, Kyo would have a trick up his sleeve. And now with Naofumi chasing after his ass, it leads to a journey into the unknown. With how things ended, I’m left with so many questions that hopefully will get answered in later episodes.