The Rising of the Shield Hero is 2019's Most Continuously Watched Anime

The Rising of the Shield Hero will go down as one of the most popular series of 2019 as it was all many anime fans could talk about during two cour runs across the Winter and Spring anime seasons. In fact, the first season was such a huge hit that it has already confirmed that not one but two new seasons are in the works. But according to a report from Culture Convenience Club (via Crunchyroll), The Rising of the Shield Hero is so popular that it's actually the most watched series of 2019 for fans in Japan.

Researching the watch rate for fans across the Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa regions in Japan between January and October 28th this year, it was concluded that The Rising of the Shield Hero is the series that most fans have watched all the way through from its initial premiere and continue to do so in large numbers. Here's the full breakdown of the Top 10 most watched series:

1. The Rising of the Shield Hero
2. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
3. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
4. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
5. Dr. Stone
6. Wise Man's Grandchild
7. Dororo
8. Karakuro Circus
9. Demon Lord, Retry!
10. Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II

Director for the series, Takao Abo, once spoke about the series' popularity, and believes much of it has to do with Naofumi's struggle, "I think that's something that resonates with the viewers, as well as the way the two characters have their own dark sides or painful feelings, but they suppress and overcome them, and they are able to go out into the world and go on adventures. I think that's the strong feeling of the two characters–they leave a strong impression on the viewers."

Whether or not this is the reason behind the anime's massive popularity, this reports confirm that it's definitely made the right impression on lots of fans. If you wanted to check out the anime before the premiere of the second season next year, you can currently find The Rising of the Shield Hero's first season streaming on Crunchyroll and VRV in both its original Japanese language release and with an English dub.

Originally conceived as a series of light novels written by Aneko Yusagi in 2013, The Rising of the Shield Hero's anime adaptation is produced by Kinema Citrus and directed by Takao Abo. The series is described as such, "Iwatani Naofumi, a run-of-the-mill otaku, finds a book in the library that summons him to another world. He is tasked with joining the sword, spear, and bow as one of the Four Cardinal Heroes and fighting the Waves of Catastrophe as the Shield Hero. Excited by the prospect of a grand adventure, Naofumi sets off with his party. However, merely a few days later, he is betrayed and loses all his money, dignity, and respect. Unable to trust anyone anymore, he employs a slave named Raphtalia and takes on the Waves and the world. But will he really find a way to overturn this desperate situation?"

via Crunchyroll