Ueno is the president of the science club at a certain junior high school. She’s a master inventor beyond her years but can’t seem to confess to her crush Tanaka. – ANN
Episode Summary: Necessity is the mother of invention, and Ueno’s greatest motivation is being able to confess her feelings to Tanaka, her clueless crush. Being straightforward about her emotions is too embarrassing for her, so she makes attempts at articulating her feelings by developing strange inventions that put Tanaka in a position to understand just where she’s coming from.
Her first invention is a filter that can take any dirty water and purify it to a drinkable state. She tests its power by filtering her own urine and demanding that Tanaka take a drink from the glass. Tanaka neither sees the point or gets the hint. Later, Ueno develops a device that creates an area of dark matter that obscures whatever it envelopes. She recruits Tanaka for an experiment involving the device, her skirt, and her lack of underwear. The device turns out to be a success, but Ueno’s quest to get Tanaka to see something interesting beneath her skirt turns out to be a dud.
We’re a few days into the new year, and while weeks, months, and years are arbitrary markers (at least as far as what specific days they encompass), there’s something about the darkness, quietude, and chilly nature of this time of year (at least in the Northern hemisphere), that leads one to some introspection. I’ve already posted a little bit about some of the plans and goals I have for 2019, but I read a post from Karandi at 100 Word Anime that got me thinking more about what things sustain me as a blogger, and I’d like to try my hand at answering the question that she was given: What will keep you blogging in 2019?
I think the obvious first answer to the question is “new anime.” From the beginning, my writing has been focused around examining new anime series as they’re released each season, and on being one of the voices that helps other viewers to hone their personal watch list. While sometimes, by the time I get around to them, the anime series aren’t quite so new anymore, I’m always surprised to learn from other people that they don’t independently keep up on what’s available for them to watch, so I feel like this singular purpose can keep me afloat for a while.
Naofumi Iwatani, an uncharismatic otaku who spends his days on games and manga, suddenly finds himself summoned to a parallel universe. He discovers he is one of four heroes equipped with legendary weapons and tasked with saving the world from its prophesied destruction. As the Shield Hero, the weakest of the heroes, all is not as it seems. Naofumi is soon alone, penniless, and betrayed. With no one to turn to, and nowhere to run, he is left with only his shield. Now, Naofumi must rise to become the legendary Shield Hero and save the world. – ANN
Episode Summary:Note – the first episode is double-length (45 minutes).
Naofumi leads a relatively comfortable life, which he lives while indulging his otaku habits. One of his favorite activities (after spending all his money, that is) is checking out light novels from the library. On a particular day he discovers a book he’s never seen before, which describes 4 legendary weapon-wielding heroes. As he’s paging through it, a glowing light envelopes him and he finds himself drawn into another world. He’s joined by three other young men and discovers that they have taken on the mantle of the 4 Cardinal Heroes described in the novel. They learn from the local king that they were summoned to stop the prophesied “waves” of malevolent attacks that have already begun.
The four Cardinal Heroes enter the picture. Screencap from Crunchyroll.
Naofumi’s three companions seem to have familiarity with this scenario whereas he does not, and he soon discovers that they hail from alternate versions of Japan in which this story is part of a video game environment. Another bit of bad news is that the shield hero, which Naofumi represents, is generally reserved for poor and inexperienced players, since all the character class is good for is defense. Worse yet, word of Naofumi’s naivete has quickly spread, and no experienced adventurers want to join with him to form a party. After some protests he’s eventually joined by Myne, an attractive young woman. She shows him the ropes, helps him kill some low-level monsters, and even eats dinner with him. But the relationship turns out to be a set-up; Myne uses Naofumi’s trusting nature to rob him blind and frame him for a terrible crime.
Left without resources and essentially exiled without aid, Naofumi begins to learn more about the specific power of his legendary shield while contemplating his revenge. The experience has hardened him and he stops trying to make nice with anyone, including vendors to whom he sells his meager earnings. Without a partner on the offensive, leveling-up his powers is essentially out-of-the-question. Learning of his plight, a mysterious man offers him a way to gain a party companion, though it’s a particularly distasteful method of doing so.
