A reset ability allows Spear Hero Motoyasu Kitamura a chance at redemption!
Creative Staff
Orignal Story: Aneko Yusagi
Story/Art: Neet
Translation/Adaptation: Nathan Takase
What They Say
Summoned to another world to serve as the Spear Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura is a pitiful young man who eventually finds himself only able to love filolials. But after being fatally injured in battle, Motoyasu wakes up yet again in the exact circumstances of when he was first summoned. It turns out that his spear possesses an ability known as Time Reversal! With his stats unaffected by the reset, Motoyasu decides to fight once more. His motivation: to once again see the smile of Filo, the filolial that he loves more than any other! Could this be considered the start of a new game in god mode?! The long-awaited otherworldly redemption fantasy begins!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Reprise of the Spear Hero is a spin off of the The Rising of the Shield Hero. If you are not familiar with The Rising of the Shield Hero light novel, anime, or manga, you should stop here and check out Shield Hero first. However, as long as you’ve been exposed to one version of the Shield Hero and don’t mind possible spoilers, The Rising of the Shield Hero can be a humorous take on the biggest idiot of the cast.
As the title suggests, the spinoff’s main character is the Spear Hero Motoyasu Kitamura, and it begins with Motoyasu dying in the story’s original arc. There aren’t details on what killed him, but that’s okay because they’re not important. What is important is that upon dying, he finds himself in the magic circle that first summoned the Four Heroes to Melromarc. In other words, his life has been restarted. However, while the other three heroes are as they were when they initially arrived, Motoyasu retains the stats he attained prior to dying as well as certain memories of his previous life. Those memories include the truth about the scheme to frame Naofumi, and he seizes the restart as the chance to correct the mistakes of his previous life.
Thus, Reprise winds up as an alternate version of The Rising of the Shield Hero. While Naofumi figures largely in the story, Motoyasu is the main character. In addition, whereas Motoyasu originally played the role of easily manipulated fool and womanizer, he is a reformed man, eager to prevent the injustices once inflicted upon Naofumi. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is his obsession for Naofumi’s filolial companion Filo. If anything, it has gotten worse. Due to the reset, Filo hasn’t been born yet, but Motoyasu is ever purchasing filolial eggs in hopes of becoming her new master.
As for Naofumi, because Motoyasu immediately thwarts the plot to frame him for rape, he’s a much kinder person than the original Shield Hero. He is initially put off by Motoyasu’s aggressive familiarity toward him (Motoyasu calls him “Father”), but Motoyasu’s actions quickly win Naofumi’s trust. Unfortunately, even though the king’s initial ploy to defame the Shield Hero gets thwarted, he retaliates with more aggressive plots to eliminate both Motoyasu and Naofumi. Thus, the focus of this series is less on the waves attacking the world and more on Motoyasu determining the best means of protecting Naofumi while he’s at a vulnerable Level 1 state.
Due to Motoyasu’s modified actions, Naofumi doesn’t get to encounter the slave trader who sold him Filo and Raphtalia, and Motoyasu outright rejects the party members the king selected for him. However, the two heroes don’t journey alone. An unexpected detour through the castle dungeon brings the knight Éclair Seaetto into their company. The noble-minded swordswoman brings additional offensive power to their party along with some badly needed common sense to offset Motoyasu’s excessive enthusiasm.
For those familiar with the light novel, the manga version contains fewer details, but it is much easier to follow. The drawings of the Minute Hand of the Dragon and the trap that sends Motoyasu to the dungeon are much easier to understand than the corresponding novel scenes. The manga also makes clear what it means for Motoyasu to see women as pigs.
In between the volume’s four chapters are summaries of events and character relationships from the original series as well as character profiles, and at the end is a short story from the perspective of one of Motoyasu’s angel filolials. It appears that these pages were originally designed in color, but because they were printed in black and white, some of the text is difficult to read. In addition, there is an inconsistency regarding Malty’s name of shame. On some pages, it is “Witch,” but on others it is “Bitch.”
In Summary
Motoyasu gets a game reset as the Spear Hero. Rather than pursuing glory and girls, he’s out to atone for his past transgressions by protecting Naofumi while exuding his love for all things filolial. If you’re in the mood for a comic spinoff of The Rising of the Shield Hero and don’t mind Motoyasu as the star, give The Reprise of the Spear Hero a try.
Content Grade: B+
Art Grade: A-
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: One Peace Books
Release Date: October 16th, 2018
MSRP: $13.95
