The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 Episode 7 aired on Wednesday keeping the ball rolling with another solid episode. While it didn’t have the level of action that last week’s episode did, episode 7 was by no means a bad one. It was a great transition into the new phase of the story—the New World Arc.
The Hunting Hero – Kizuna Kazayama
Kizuna was introduced to us in episode 7 and left a lasting impression. Not only did she reveal herself as the Hunting Hero, but her level—105—is leaps and bounds beyond where Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Rishia currently are, even after training for a bit. With those three now in the new world back at lower levels, Kizuna becoming their guide is going to prove to us just how strong she can truly be when push comes to shove.
We don’t know much about Kizuna, but we know enough to get a general idea—that’s a good thing with less than half a season now to work with. Episode 7 did a wonderful job of giving us enough information in an entertaining way that forced the viewers to become invested in her and what she brings to the table. This was definitely one of the high points of the episode and one of Ichii Ippei’s seasonal directing debut high points as well.
Ippei did a solid job of introducing Kizuna by showing off a bit of her strength and then transitioning into a bit of her life story and the internal conflicts she faced while in the Infinite Labyrinth. As stated before, we still don’t know much about Kizuna yet. But as Naofumi and company trust her, Ippei’s directing and storyboarding made the viewers also feel like we can trust her as well after this episode.
Episode 7 Was Solid on All Fronts
Overall, the episode wasn’t mind-blowing but it also wasn’t a mess like episodes earlier in the season. It was a classic, enjoyable episode of The Rising of the Shield Hero that fans can be happy with, anime-only and light novel fans alike. The action was minimal, but it was enjoyable seeing moments such as younger Raphtalia attempting to swing a sword too heavy for her to handle.
Episode 7 also gave us some moments that were nods to the first season. One of those is the Bio Plant seed. Seeing Naofumi use the Bio Plant seed to rescue everyone in this episode was a nice turn around seeing as how they were attacked by it in episode 7 of the first season. Another one is Raphtalia cutting the cardboard box monster off of Naofumi’s arm, which is a nice tribute to the exact same thing she did in the first season with the orange balloon monsters.
Even the little moments together with Naofumi treating Raphtalia to some food, her pigging out which ends up with her blushing because she’s still hungry, and even the banter between the two is reminiscent of how they were in the first season. And instead of Naofumi dealing with his taste problem, he now has a refined palette. All of these smaller moments, including the bigger ones, are what made episode 7 enjoyable. So credit to Ippei and the rest of the staff that worked on this episode.
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Shield Hero Season 2 Takes a Drastic Leap Forward With Episode 6
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The only odd situation that occurred in episode 7 is everyone’s main priority at the beginning was focused on finding Filo. But as the episode went along, it’s almost as if they forgot about her or didn’t even try to think of where she’s at. While Rishia did try to break the tension by saying Filo is probably feasting on food somewhere, Naofumi and Raphtalia have a worse sense of what could have possibly happened to her. So one question remains unanswered—where is Filo?
What’s in Store for the Rest Shield Hero Season 2?
With just six episodes left for The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2, there’s still much that needs to be covered. Perhaps we’ll receive a second cour announcement at the end of episode 13. But it’s normal to feel skeptical of how the rest of the season is going to go. We’ll just have to trust that the staff knows what they’re doing.
But with back-to-back solid episodes that left fans excited, and managing to land a spot in our top-10 weekly poll in back-to-back weeks, it’s safe to say The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 has finally turned it all around for the better.
Episode 8 of The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 2 will air on Wednesday, May 25, on Crunchyroll.
Screenshots: Crunchyroll
©2021 Aneko Yusagi / KADOKAWA / Shield Hero S2 Production Committee
