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I'm not a huge fan of Shield Hero, although that's not to say I hate it. Rather, I was simply disappointed in the mediocre turn it took after a very promising beginning. I felt bamboozled, betrayed, like I'd fallen for the old bait-and-switch. However, despite these hard feelings, I decided to give the second season an open-minded shot. After all, sometimes second seasons are better than the first. Besides, I'd given the first season a 5/10, so a fairly average score. I was not blinded by my hatred, but was simply an objective viewer. Sadly, this season has ... been quite disappointing so far, and it doesn't look like it'll be improving any time soon.
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Story: 2/10
This season's plot seems to be a bit of a side quest, if you will. Instead of fighting the Waves like last season, Naofumi and crew are taking a break to fight a very large tortoise that just kinda treads the land crushing things, like the Rumbling, but there's only one of it and it's quite slow so it's not that threatening and I cannot take it seriously. It has to be one of the least interesting antagonists I've seen in awhile, if you can even call it an antagonist, since it's just...you know...a big tortoise. I think there's some sort of conspiracy going on also, but I guess the writers forgot to add intrigue and mystery to that aspect, because it's not very compelling. I forget about it most of the time. Plot-wise, there's really nothing of interest here. It's just so lackluster.

Art: 5/10
Considering this anime's popularity and how long it's been in production, I was expecting this season's art and animation to match last season's at the very least, and hopefully go above and beyond. Maybe they would finally stop using CGI for every monster. Alas, my wish was to be left unanswered, because while I thought the art last season was pretty good, something seems off about this season. Not only is the CGI still prevalent, but the 2D art also seems worse for wear. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems kinda...dull, especially animation for the fight scenes, which is underwhelming, to say the least. The art doesn't seem particularly inspired, it's just there. I guess there's nothing really wrong with it, but I expected better after three years for only thirteen episodes.

Sound: 8/10
I don't have much to say about this; I don't usually pay much attention to sound. The voice acting's good. The opening is fine. That's about all I have to say.

Characters: 3/10
Like last season, we still have our main cast of Naofumi and his waifus Raphtalia and Filo. Naofumi's still cool, I've always liked that guy, even though the underdog narrative seems to be pretty much over by now, which is disappointing, but to be expected as the series progresses. Raphtalia has never been my favorite, she's just a bit boring to me, and she's the same this season, but if you're a Raphtalia fan, you'll like her this season, too. Filo is still cute. Overall, a fine main cast. However, this season, more waifus have joined the harem, and they are all unwelcome additions. First we have Orst, the tortoise lady. She's supposed to have a bunch of knowledge on the tortoise, but she's apparently forgotten all the crucial details, only to conveniently remember them five minutes later. Besides that, she's virtually useless. Next, we have Rishia, the worst character. She was techincally introduced last season, but let's be honest, nobody remembers that. Rishia's a little like Inoue Orihime from Bleach because she's supposed to be cute but ends up just being annoying, and she's also very weak. However, at least Orihime has a few powers that come in handy, whereas Rishia is consistently useless. Also, she cosplays as Filo for some reason, which is a bit jarring in a fantasy setting. Everyone else is dressed in armor and regal-looking robes, and Rishia's out here wearing a big bird costume. Okay. There's also an old lady who is good at fighting and I don't really know why she's there. Finally, there's some random knight girl who I think is supposed to be Rishia's fighting instructor but she doesn't have a personality so I always forget about her. So basically, all the OG characters are fine, and all the new ones are bad.

Enjoyment: 1/10
Needless to say, I am not having a good time with this show. Nothing in it grabs my attention; I am always either bored or rolling my eyes. Since I only have to watch one episode a week, it's not like I'm really suffering, but I'd probably lose my mind if I tried watching it all in one go, or maybe I'd just fall asleep.

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Conclusion: 2/10
Though not a fan of the franchise, I still hoped for the best with this season, but sadly, I was disappointed. Nearly everything about this season is worse than the first season, from the plot to the art to the characters. I'm going to finish this season out of a feeling of obligation, but I doubt I'll be tuning in for season 3. Thanks for reading, and I hope this review is helpful for y'all.