If there is an afterlife, then there better be a special place in Hell for adults who abuse kids, especially if it’s their own. Thanks to Makina (AKA Bitch II), any attempts to end the liberation of Q’ten Lo without bloodshed are for naught. Shildina has been ordered to go back and fight Raphtalia and Naofumi’s forces, making her their last obstacle to the Capital. And the only way they can get past her without killing anyone is by beating her one-on-one. And the only person she’ll fight? Her sister, Sadeena.
Oh, dear.
Sibling Inferiority Complexes are Hard to Handle
From the outset of this fight between sisters, Shildina makes it clear that she has no illusions as to how things will turn out. She fully expects to die facing down her older sister. However, her decision to do this goes beyond following orders, no matter how unfair they are. It’s because she has a personal grudge against Sadeena.
A showdown between two generations of Water Dragon priestesses.
Left with no choice, Zodia challenges Sadeena to a duel as thunder and wind clash…?✨
As this episode reveals, Shildina was only born after Sadeena left the country. Their parents and clan created her for the sole purpose of taking up her sister’s role as the Water Dragon Priestess and the Emperor’s executioner. They put her through hell for that, not even treating her like her own person. And now, Shildina is using her suicide mission as a means to let out all the hate and anger in her heart against the person she deems responsible.
#shieldhero I just wanna say, I love Sadeena, rather human or beastman form, she is sexy af. Also, Shildina is fucking KYOGRE lol Plus, we get a twisty twist, that is very twisted. Good episode and look forward to the next episode pic.twitter.com/jLCQxWTKAL
Ever since the group arrived in Q’ten Lo, the show has implied that a part of Sadeena regrets leaving without trying to change things for the better. However, no one can fault her for leaving. Many people who grew up in an abusive household don’t look back after getting out. If anything, the only regret that Sadeena has after meeting her sister is that she wasn’t able to beat some sense into her deadbeat family. But now that she has Raphtalia and Naofumi by her side, she can change all of that.
Ultimately, Shildina is technically the person who wins the duel, managing to overwhelm her older sister thanks to a trump card she had in place. That victory proves hollow, though, as Naofumi and the others all rush to her aid while Shildina has no one. The only person who cares about her as a person is the Heavenly Emperor, and he was powerless to stop her from going to her death. Thankfully, Shildina doesn’t die. Something just as bad happens to her, though. Somehow, she gets possessed by a spirit!
It’s not really explained that well in the anime, and the light novel doesn’t offer as much of an explanation as to why this transformation happens. Given how this new form is the spitting image of Raphtalia, though, it’s safe to say that Shildina has been possessed by the spirit of Raphtalia’s ancestor. On the one hand, she doesn’t continue the fight with Sadeena and immediately flies back to the Capital. That’s when she proceeds to give Makina the karmic justice she deserves.
On the other hand, though, Raphtalia’s ancestor is possessing the body of a kid against her will. That’s not good. If they want to save Shildina, then Naofumi and the others are going to have to fight this spirit.
As is the case with many of the fights this season, it wasn’t the most exciting thing to watch. However, what it lacked in excitement, this episode made up for in raw emotion. It really wants you to feel for Shildina when you hear her backstory, and make you want nothing more than to beat her parents faces into the ground. If we’re lucky, we’ll get an anime-exclusive scene of that next week during the finale. Until then, though, we have the battle against Raphtalia’s ancestor to long forward to. After that, we crown our Tanuki Goddess!
It’s only been one day since Naofumi and his party arrived in Siltvelt, and he’s already growing sick of the place. His only goal right now is to get to Q’Ten Lo and stop them from coming after him and Raphtalia. However, Siltvelt’s leaders seemed determined to keep him in their country for as long as possible; likely forever! And as the follow-up episode demonstrates, the leaders of Siltvelt will play dirty to make sure that that happens. Fortunately, Naofumi has a zero-tolerance policy for red tape and stalling, and when one of the country’s leaders tries to make a move, he decides to put them all on the OPP’s list unless they give him what he wants.
You got to admire someone who refuses to deal with baloney.
Before we get started, let’s back up to the season premiere. A few days before it premiered, I remembered I had the light novels that this season should be covering on my smartphone. I started reading through them, and thanks to that, I’m better able to notice a few things that the anime has changed or rearranged. More importantly, it made me remember that the story established earlier than the anime that Jaralis was going to be a problem. For example, in the light novel version of his audience with Silvelt’s leaders, Jaralis starts by singing Naofumi’s praisings before twisting his words into saying that they should go out and crush all who oppose them. And then he basically ends the meeting early by having everyone walk out.
Naofumi vs. an Army of Horny Demi-Humans
Unfortunately, this episode, while rearranging the order of certain events, still meets with the same outcome: irritating Naofumi. Firstly, he’s told that his party must stay in a separate bedroom while he sleeps in one meant for royalty. It’s clearly an attempt to separate him from those he trusts. It’s only thanks to his insistence that Raph-Chan stay with him that it falls through.
And it’s a good thing that Raphy (Raph-Chan’s name in the dub). Without her, he might not have made it through what happens next with his chastity intact.
While the light novel doesn’t have the water laced with aphrodisiacs and the women were waiting in advance, everything else is accurate. If Raph-Chan hadn’t been there for backup and to call Raphtalia, Naofumi would’ve had his chastity stolen that night. Not lost, stolen. And considering what Witch did to him messed him up so bad he’s all but sworn a life of celibacy, this experience was one giant trauma button for him. Needless to say, his blow-up at Werner is more than justified.
Atla and Fohl are more important than you realize
Unfortunately for Naofumi, the rest of his experience in Siltvelt isn’t any more productive. He’s forced to attend parties, banquets, and other social gatherings in his honor, all while listening to the elites trying to outdo themselves in their efforts to glaze him. He doesn’t buy it for a second, and the longer they stall, the more Naofumi decides to just figure things out on his own.
Thankfully, this is where Fohl and Atla manage to come in handy.
I’m not sure how much of their story has been revealed thus far in the anime, but Fohl and Atla are not ordinary Demi-Humans. They are part of the Hakuko, AKA the white tigers. Years ago, they had been one of the four most powerful races of Demi-Humans in Siltvelt, and their father had been a prominent leader. However, when Siltvelt lost the war against Melromarc, and they lost their parents, the Hakuko fell from power. And we know how Naofumi found them.
In any case, though, the siblings still have allies in Siltvelt. Through them, Naofumi starts making his own plans to get to Q’ten Lo, since it’s clear the country is useless to him. But then something happens that makes everyone leading the country into an OPP: someone tries to poison Naofumi and his party.
Jaralis did it. We all know he did it!
Well, to be fair, it’s Jaralis who did it. The smug look on his face says it all. However, when Jaralis and Werner continue to be at each other’s throats, Naofumi decides that this farce has gone on long enough. In a rather surprising twist, though, he’s not the one to start blowing off. It’s Atla.
This should be interesting to watch. That girl is Naofumi’s number one stan, so seeing her get mad at the people in charge of Siltvelt should be entertaining. Still, it’s a little frustrating to see multiple scenes from the light novel get removed from the anime. But the plus side is that this makes me look forward to seeing what will happen when Allen Blaster’s fanfic gets to this point!
Ten Anime and Films to Look Forward to in Summer 2025
Now that it is meteorlogically behind us, I think we can all be honest about the Spring 2025 season of anime: it wasn’t that good. There were a number of great anime, to be sure. My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Wind Breaker, the return of One Piece, and Lazarus (at times) were all good. However, it feels like many of the anime this season were a bit of a let down. The Beginning After the End, for example, had the potential to be the next Solo Leveling, but became a laughingstock. However, deep down, I think most people knew that the spring was going to be a lean time for many anime fans. What everyone was really waiting for was the arrival of summer, because we’ve got one of the strongest anime lineups in years. Spring might have been lean times for many, but this summer, fans shall feast!
Lord of Mysteries (June 28th)
After the disasterthat wasThe Beginning After the End’s anime (THANKS A LOT, A-CAT!), isekai fans need a palette cleanser. Whereas TBATE was born in the USA, though, the next big isekai, Lord of Mysteries, comes from China. The premise is that a young Chinese man suddenly finds himself reborn into a world that’s a combination of the Victorian Era, steampunk, and magic. Now going by the name of Klein, the man is entangled into some sort of supernatural conspiracy as he tries to find a way home. I know next to nothing about the series, but everyone who talks about it on YouTube says its on par with Re:Zero and Mushoku Tensei in terms of quality. That alone is enough for me to be intrigued! Though, it won’t be the only isekai to look out for this summer.
New Saga (July 2nd)
What’s the one thing better than the chance of being reborn into a new world with a clean slate? Going back to an earlier part of your life with all your memories intact, giving you the chance to change how your life turns out. That is the premise behind this new anime, New Saga. Set in a fantasy world nearly destroyed by a war between humans and demons, this anime tells the story of Kyle, the hero who saved the world at the cost of his life, only to awaken four years in the past. Given a second chance to save everyone he loves, how will he put this time to good use? I don’t know, but I’m eager to find out.
DanDaDan Season 2 (July 3rd)
Sometimes, life is good. It’s only been a few months since the first season of DanDaDan ended, and we’re already getting season two. Then again, given the cliffhanger the first season ended on, anime-only watchers wouldn’t want to wait very long. The second season looks set to pick up right where we last left off with the Evil Eye Arc, with Okarun and Jiji hunting for the ghost haunting the latter’s home, while Momo has to fend off a group of perverts in a bathhouse. And judging by the trailer that we’ve gotten, not only will the animation be as good as ever, but the story will get even crazier. Given how the series became one of the biggest hits of 2024, expectations for DanDaDan remain at an all-time high. At the very least, here’s hoping that the new OP is as catchy as “Otonoke.”
Nyaight of the Living Cat (July 6th)
Of all the versions of the zombie apocalypse, this is, by far, the most cruel and evil version I have seen to date. In this comedy horror, a mysterious virus spreads throughout the world, turning everyone who touches a cat…into a cat. Given how beloved cats are by humanity for their companionship, endearing behavior, and natural floofness, this is pure torture! As a cat-lover myself, having to avoid petting their floof feels scarier than any zombie horde. Which is probably the whole point. It’s not meant to be taken seriously and is meant for laughs.
New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt (July 9th)
After all these years, Panty and Stocking have returned. For those who don’t remember, this was an action-comedy about two angelic sisters who got kicked out of Heaven for bad behavior and have to redeem themselves by killing evil ghosts. Sadly, they’re easily distracted by their respective vices of men and candy. The show happens to be a favorite of the founders of this blog, so it’s return is going to be a big deal. Just don’t let any minors see it. It’s raunchy enough to rival the likes of South Park!
The Rising of the Shield Hero Season 4 (July 9th)
Just when things seemed to be going Naofumi’s way, the Shield Hero ends up facing a new problem. Thanks to a misunderstanding, Naofumi discovers that his companion, Raphtalia, is actually the long-lost heir to an isolationist nation with techniques capable of beating the Cardinal Heroes. Rather than let them keep coming after her, Naofumi opts to travel eastward so he can stop the fight at the source. Unfortunately, the only way to get there is by going through the Shield Hero-worshipping nation of Siltvelt, and they have their own plans for him. In addition to uncovering more about Raphtalia’s lineage, this season will also shed light on the lineage of two of his newest allies, Atla and Fohl. Given how Shield Hero has managed to remain consistently good (barring its second season), this going to be one of the big isekai of the summer.
Sakamoto Days, Part 2 (July 14th)
It’s been a few months since we last saw any new episodes of Sakomoto Days, but the new shonen anime about the former assassin who doesn’t kill is coming back with a new cours. The first half ended in the middle of the Sakamoto Family fighting Lu Xiaotang’s Triad family for the right for her to stay with them. However, the second half seems to have the stakes get raised as more assassin’s begin to target Sakamoto. Most notably, the trailer explictily shows that these new hitmen are willing to target his wife and daughter. Even if he didn’t kill anyone anymore, though, that’s still going to be the biggest mistake they ever make! You don’t mess with a person’s family unless you’re ready to risk your life!
Kaiju No. 8 Season Two (July 19th)
Much like DanDaDan, Kaiju No 8 is a shonen series from last year that’s returning for its sophomore season. At the end of the last season, the main protagonist, Kafka Hibino, was forced to out himself as a humanoid Kaiju to his comrades in the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force. Thankfully, he was able to convince them to give him a chance, leading him to be taken in by the First Division. With the threat of Kaiju No. 9 hanging over Japan, Kafka will have to gain greater control over his Kaiju form if he hopes to be of any help. While it might have gotten overshadowed by the likes of DanDaDan and Solo Leveling in terms of hype, Kaiju No. 8 remains an amazing anime with great animation, so it’s going to be one to look out for.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle
This summer, the final battle between the Demon Slayers and Muzan is about to begin. Shortly after the end of its fourth season, it was revealed that Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba wouldn’t be getting a fifth season. It would be getting something better: a three-part film trilogy covering the events of the Infinity Castle Arc, and presumably, the final battle against Muzan. While it’s still unclear when the films will be released outside of Japan, fans are ecstatic over this news, and will no doubt flock to movie theaters to give the beloved series the ending it deserves. The D&A Anime Blog will be included among them.
Chainsaw Man: The Reze Arc (September 19th)
At last, Chainsaw Man HAS RETURNED!! Despite how I felt about the ending to the first season, I was still interested in seeing the rest of the series unfold as an anime. And like many people, when I heard that the next arc, the Reze Arc, would be getting the movie treatment, I had one question: what day does it come out? Sadly, like Infinity Castle, we don’t know when the film releases stateside, but when it does, I hope to be there to see it. In all of its bloody glory.
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