The Eminence in Shadow
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Isekai, Mystery
Studio: Nexus
Hello my friends. Welcome to another entry of my blog.
Here is a very special occasion, because it is the fifth anniversary of my blog.
(picture of the occasion)
And I want to thank all of you my fans and my readers, because it is you who actually motivate me to continue with this work that I am doing. It is you who made possible for my blog to stay alive. I do not have enough words of thanks to all of you, but to every single person that reads me has a special place in my heart.
Also, I want to apologize with you for not posting anything in my blog for almost a month. As you know, Work has taken a lot of my time, and I recently finished a course of Transcendental Meditation, which has improved my life, I definitely recommend it to all of you. But, shortly after finishing the course, my body started feeling very heavy. I never thought my arms and legs would be so at me for not giving them enough rest.
Anyway. After so many weeks, I was able to prepare a new anime that I watched some days ago… started to watch some time ago.
And that is…
The Eminence in Shadow.
But before I start with my words, I must ask you the typical question:
Are you guys ok? Feeling healthy?
If the answer is yes, then I am happy.
So… Now is it time to leave the shadows and seek the light. This is The Eminence in Shadow.
PREMISE
The Eminence in Shadow, or Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! (陰の実力者になりたくて!) is based on the series of light novels written by Daisuke Aizawa and illustrated by Tozai. The Eminence in Shadow tells the story of a young man in Japan who is very obsessed of exerting the power under the shadows, which technically means to defeat villains, manipulate the events of daily lives, and leave an everlasting impression to the people without revealing his identity and always operating under the curtains, and that is why he trained in martial arts, in many disciplines, and science. But one day, on one of his secret trainings, he gets hit by a truck and dies. And as a normal isekai, he gets reincarnated in another world, as Cid Kagenou, the son of a noble family. In this new world, he becomes a master in dark magic and secrecy, founding an organization called Shadow Garden, which he uses to fight the evil Cult of Diabolos that controls the world.
Except for one detail – everything is a lie. There is no Cult of Diabolos. Cid is merely role-playing and having chuunibyou tendencies. In fact, in both his former life and new life, is to become an NPC character that is mostly mediocre and underwhelming. Nonetheless, turns out that Diabolos actually exists. Now, Cid is hooked in a secret war under his alias Shadow and his constant “role-play”.
The Eminence in Shadow started publication on November 5, 2017, and as of February 28, 2023, it has five volumes, under Kadokawa Shoten for Japan, and Yen Press for English. Also, recently Studio Nexus released a 20-episode anime, which broadcasted between October 5, 2022, and February 15, 2023, with a second season recently announced.
Finally, The Eminence in Shadow features a very ensemble cast, including Seiichiro Yamashita, Kana Hanazawa, and Rina Hidaka.
STORY
Before I start with my opinions regarding the story, I must clarify that I watched the famous Gigguk video analysing The Eminence in Shadow. Here is the link because I find the video pretty worthy.
But seriously, I will suggest all of you to be ready to a very unpopular opinion of my own. First and foremost, I want to talk about the good elements. First one is the animation. Personally, I loved the animation and the colour scheme, which really brings the tone of what The Eminence in Shadow tries to be, a mixture between dark fantasy, mystery, isekai and school life, at least from the first episodes. Of course, the animation of Chainsaw Man and Blue Lock! is way superior, but I will say it is pretty well done.
Furthermore, the backstory of our main character is… pretty decent, and how he founded Shadow Garden is well-written, although sometimes can be a bit slow. Finally, the character design is also enjoyable, especially in the members of Shadow Garden. Those are the elements that I mostly enjoyed from The Eminence in Shadow.
Now it is time to the “bad stuff.”
Just like I enjoyed the backstory of both Cid Kagenou and Shadow Garden, I also found the conflict and setting of the Cult of Diabolos pretty laughable, impossible to take it seriously, because Cid Kagenou made that up, and then turns out that Diabolos exists, with every element that Cid Kagenou mentioned about it, without even having any previous, clear evidence of his words. And I thought:
Really? Now Cid is saying the truth like that out of nowhere?
I found it pretty convenient and rushed. Like there is goddess…
…listened to his words and wanted to shaped reality according to his delusions.
Also… Was that “lie” even necessary? Why he just finds out about Diabolos later on and say something else? Furthermore… Why doesn’t Cid just say he wants to be a vigilante? Or just fight for the thrill of adventure? Something like that.
I don’t know. For me, that was weak.
Another problem that I got is that from one episode to another is that Shadow Garden disappears from Cid. And yes, I know they eventually get back to him, but I wish I could see more about their fight, or shall I say “game”. Or more depth on the relationship between Seven Shades and their master, so I will not feel that Cid was being a jerk. But that sudden departure of Shadow Garden left me unfulfilled, like something was missing. And I think it was the delusions of Cid. I felt that he was being immature and childish, and from there, I found almost impossible to take the story seriously.
Finally, the transition between the plot of “Shadow” and Cid assisting to academy made me feel like I suddenly was watching another anime. Out of nowhere. And that jeopardised my experience with The Eminence in Shadow.
I know it is hard to explain, but that was my impression. And believe me, I still have a lot to say about Cid Kagenou, or “Shadow”.
Bizarrely enough, I also enjoyed the nature of the story as well. As if I said to myself.
If Cid Kagenou does not seem to take myself seriously. Why should I?
What I am trying to say is that the corniness that The Eminence in Shadow, far from forcing me to leave this anime, it encouraged me to stay, like some kind of guilty pleasure.
Anyway. The Eminence in Shadow does not have the best story, but at least is pretty fun.
CHARACTERS
Now. I have the same issue with the characters. Because the members of Shadow Garden, especially the seven shadows, are pretty interesting, having definite personalities, powers and backstory. Not the best, but memorable enough.
I think my favourites are Alpha, for her beauty and power; Beta, for her charm and design, Delta because… Animal ears and strength, and Epsilon because of how badass she is. Also, Alexia and her sister are very good characters, but I prefer the latter because of her personality. I am not saying I hate Alexia, but she is not just my type.
And finally… we got Cid.
Despite being the MC, it is absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to take him seriously, because he lives in another world, but doesn’t have the charisma of Megumin. His delusions and obsession to be in the secrecy is what make me get tired of him.
Also… The way he dies… (Don’t think is a spoilers, because it was for sure something like that happened to him)… is so stupid!! He gets obsessed with power, more than Palpatine.
And then he LITERALLY throws himself to a truck. Seriously. This guy makes Kazuma’s death as heroic.
CONCLUSION
Overall, The Eminence in Shadow is a must-see if you are a fan of isekai. Nonetheless, I will be a bit concerned if you are a die-hard fan of Re:Zero, The Rising of the Shield Hero, Youjo Senki and Overlord, because sometimes you will feel like The Eminence in Shadow is a parody, and not a good one, so you might not like it.
But that’s only my opinion.
And again… thank you so much guys for these wonderful five years. I hope I can stay with you for another five years.
Keep the spirit of Anime alive… See you soon!
Jainituos Presents 