Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari, or "Rising of the Shield Hero" is great when it needs to be, and sticks to the predictable formula the rest of the time. A main character who is easily sympathized with and an adorable supporting cast carry this manga to success.

Story: Iwatani Naofumi is one amongst a billion otaku protagonists, whose main purpose - with a bland appearance and personality - is to allow the reader to insert themselves into the story. That is until the generic hero story goes majorly awry. Rise of the Shield Hero doesn't delve too deeply into the realm of anti-heroism, but there is a pervading vindictiveness that shrouds each arc.

Art: Looks nice, at times determining exactly what was going on in a panel was confusing (probably just me).

Character: Despite his lack of flavor, I enjoyed Naofumi. He treads the line between righteous anger and petty revenge - perhaps a bit too much - but he has redeeming moments. The real stars of the show are Raphtalia and Firo, fulfilling the roles of waifu and comic relief at different times. Raphtailia is heartwarming and determined, but there really isn't much to her beyond the surface, similar to characters like Mikasa Ackerman. Firo is even more lacking in depth, but she's damned cute and provides much needed lightheartedness to the dour story. The antagonists are worthy of whatever comes to them because they are shown to be thoroughly despicable people. However, their exact motivations for being so evil are not adequately explained or justified.

Enjoyment: Considering how popular Rising of the Shield Hero is becoming, it is a breath of fresh air. The protagonist isn't a boring one dimensional do-gooder, and the supporting cast is entertaining. I would have continued reading to where it's currently at, but it's the middle of an arc and I'm too keen on this series to torture myself with waiting.