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Dated 21 January 2019: Eh, I guess I'm watching Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari for the next six months

Naofumi
At least he's not in high school.

So far, the reactions to Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (The Rising of the Shield Hero) don't seem to be as intense as the Goblin Slayer! initial reactions were. Then again, Goblin Slayer! came out of the gate with rape and murder, while I hear Shield Hero works in its more controversial content over time. I'm ignorant enough of the franchise that it's unclear to me what is specifically so distasteful about the show to some people, but I have seen some of the more generalized accusations levied against it. Based on the first two episodes (and the first episode was double-length too), it does seem Shield Hero leans heavily on using themes of betrayal and unfair accusations in order to make its protagonist more appealing. Ostensibly, the viewers most likely to appreciate this setup are those who feel the world unfairly demonizes them as well. (Hence the associated criticism about Shield Hero courting "incels.")

Raphtalia
At least the weather's nice.

I'm unsure this reasoning necessarily follows, mostly because I've not seen any indication that the Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari protagonist is particularly popular with anyone, regardless of how they like the show. I suppose this might be because he's been pretty much a grumpy sourpuss for most of the show so far. With a week-long break between the first and second episode, I did feel less inclined to appreciate why he might be in such a foul mood. Maybe someone who marathons the series in the future will be more sympathetic. Thankfully, the animation has been surprisingly good, at least for moments that need it, such as while showing Raphtalia's terrified expressions turning to relief during early interactions between Slave Hero and his bargain bin acquisition. Oh yeah, apparently there are going to be a lot of slaves in this show? I'm not sure if that's true, but I did read that somewhere. He's only got the one, for now, but Shield Hero is set to run for two cours, so there will be plenty of opportunities to buy more, especially considering how cheap they are on the seemingly unregulated open market.

Dated 18 March 2019: I'm starting to think Slave Hero might be a douchebag

Melty and Filo
There sure are a lot of kids in this show.

It's been 10 episodes and the titular protagonist of Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (The Rising of the Shield Hero) has leveled up a bunch of his video game attributes, but doesn't seem to have improved at all as a person. Bear in mind the show is now quite a few episodes past its "big moment" with someone finally sticking up for Naofumi while he's balled up on the floor retreating from the world. It's almost as if Naofumi isn't really a very nice person even though he's kind enough to feed his slaves every day.

Filo and Raphtalia
Raphtalia is, like, 10.

Regardless of how a viewer might feel about Naofumi initially (and I can appreciate that there may be those who commiserate with him on at least some level and genuinely believe he got a raw deal, even if I don't personally hold that perspective), it seems even the most sympathetic fan must surely by now also be tired of his arrested emotional state. After all this time he's STILL suffering from a crippling inability to trust anyone? You know, maybe the problem is you, dude.

Dated 10 February 2020: Adding Slave Hero to Isekai Quartet hasn't ruined it yet

Naofumi and Raphtalia
"Naofumi, what are we going to do inside the Shield Prison?"

Finding out that the cast of Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (The Rising of the Shield Hero) was joining Isekai Quartet did not exactly fill me with a lot of confidence about its second season (which inexplicably isn't called Isekai Quintet), but it's been okay so far. Then again, the Shield Hero cast hasn't been in the first four episodes very much. Most of my trepidation derives from my fairly negative impressions of Shield Hero as a show (I watched 13 episodes), my lack of interest in the characters, and the rather defensive attitude the franchise's more vocal supporters seem to adopt on the Twitter. These did not seem to be ideal additions to a comedy about characters being portrayed as dipshits.

Ainz and Aqua
Aqua is sort of racist, to tell you the truth.

Naturally, the Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! cast fits right in, because they're dipshits to begin with. Aqua is a delight—so much so that I want retcons of other Tenchan roles except portrayed as basically Aqua analogs. (For example, Asseylum Vers Allusia from Aldnoah.Zero except with Aqua's personality and intelligence. You can't tell me Slaine's tragic loyalty to Aqua Vers Allusia wouldn't have improved the second season.) Given a choice, I'll definitely take idiots like Aqua over sourpusses like Naofumi when it comes to wacky comedy crossovers.