Title: The Reprise of the Spear Hero Vol. 1
Author: Aneko Yusagi (Story), Minami Seira (Characters), NEET
Publisher: One Peace Books
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 176
Genre: Fantasy, Isekai, Action
Publication Date: November 12, 2019
The Story
The Reprise of the Spear Hero is a spinoff manga series that involves the Spear Hero Motoyasu after the events of The Rising of Shield Hero… and before the events of the parent story as well! To make sense of that, Motoyasu has a new spear weapon called the Minute Hand of the Dragon. This spear has the power to send Motoyasu back in time to when he was summoned to the world whenever one of the four legendary heroes dies. He is sent back after he, himself, had died but he has no recollection of how he met his untimely end.
What he does remember, though, is everything that happened, including getting tricked by Myne and the framing of Naofumi for rape. With these memories retained, he intervenes after Naofumi is accused and agrees to aid him. Motoyasu also comes to realize that at this point in time, his beloved Filo-tan had not been born yet. He spends his coin on a Filolial egg in hopes that it would hatch into Filo… but it doesn’t. He even mentions to Naofumi about Raphtalia but because Naofumi hadn’t become jaded like in the original story, he opts not to buy a slave, thus robbing everyone of their favorite waifu!
However, we end up getting some Re:ZERO vibes when Motoyasu is sent back in time before he can discover which egg was Filo’s. It was at this point he figures out how the Minute Hand of the Dragon actually works. He ends up testing this theory out several times and it proves to be true. With this knowledge in hand, Motoyasu vows that he’s going to protect Naofumi (aka Father) by smuggling him out of Melromarc.
This is a pretty interesting side story. While Motoyasu is trying his best to redeem himself for all of the mistakes he has made, it’s still really weird seeing him in this kind of light. Then again, nothing much has really changed. Even though his desire to protect Naofumi is there, his biggest motivation is the chance to see Filo-tan all over again. Motoyasu was always obsessed with her and it clearly shows more than ever in this spinoff. This ought to be a fun adventure but it makes me wonder how it’s going to end. If a hero dies, things will just keep repeating themselves over and over. With that plot point, this story could, in theory, go on infinitely. Needless to say, there are a ton of possibilities here.
Characters
Obviously, the man taking center stage is Motoyasu, the Spear Hero. He’s still a bit arrogant but he’s no longer a brainwashed fool under the thumb of Myne like he was in the parent story. Here, he is indebted to Naofumi for raising Filo and wishes nothing more than to see Filo again. He remembers calling Naofumi Father and keeps referring to him as such which makes things a bit awkward for Naofumi. Still, Motoyasu is still the panty-chasing pervert we all love… even if he’s only interested in one girl now.
Naofumi is drastically different this time around thanks to Motoyasu. Instead of being completely jaded and insufferable, Naofumi is kind and caring. Motoyasu was able to get to him before being framed for rape could fully settle into mind, thus warping his personality. We finally get to see Naofumi in his pure form because of this which makes it a bit odd. We are used to see the cold and calculated Naofumi that showed flashes of his former self when he was around people like Raphtalia, Melty, Filo, etc. Now, he’s just your common passive main character. It’s a little on the trope side but since we’ve already seen the ugly side of him, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to see his kinder side this time around.
We also get the reintroduction for Eclair Seaetto who was being held prisoner in the castle, stripped of her knighthood. After Motoyasu is tricked and thrown into a pit, he uses a spear technique to break through the wall and finds himself in the castle’s dungeon. He recognizes her as one of Naofumi’s friends and ends up freeing her. After learning that Motoyasu is from the future and of the King’s true intentions with the Shield Hero, she quickly accepts to accompany Motoyasu to rescue Naofumi and get him out of the country.
Final Thoughts
This is an absolutely fun side story. Of course, with all side stories, they are to be taken with a grain of salt so as long as you don’t spend your time trying to think about how this affects the parent story, you’ll have a great time with it. I just see it as viewing The Rising of the Shield Hero from a completely different angle. Often times, we ask “what if” when we see certain events unfold in our favorite stories and The Reprise of the Spear Hero is offering us a glimpse into that very question…. Several times, actually.
This is also giving us a chance to see some characters in a completely different light. It also means with Motoyasu’s knowledge, some events from the parent story are going to change and/or arrive at different times. Some of the other characters, like Ren, for example, are taking on other’s roles. With Motoyasu not joining up with Myne, Myne has sunk her teeth into Ren, turning him into the one who was brainwashed into thinking Naofumi was guilty no matter what. Little things like that shifting around makes this unpredictable and even more interesting!
It’s like the series has entered into New Game+ mode! I’m enjoying this so far… I just wish we had more Raphtalia…
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This item was provided for review by One Peace Books
