The Eminence in Shadow

Episodes 1-3

(*Note: The review of the first episode is copy-pasted from when I reviewed it for The Fall 2022 Preview Guide—which also includes two additional reviews of this episode from other ANN reviewers. The episode 2 and 3 portions of this review are completely new.)

Episode 1:

I've been reading The Eminence in Shadow (both the manga and web novel) religiously for years at this point. The fact that we're getting an anime of it is literally the highlight of my year as an anime fan—especially after seeing this episode. What's great about it is that it does something neither the manga nor web novel do. It not only gives us a rather lengthy look at what our hero was like before he met Truck-kun, it also shows us what he was like through an outsider's perspective.

In his everyday life, Kageno seems almost arrogantly unconcerned with the world around him, to the point he can't be bothered to remember others' names. In his alter ego, he seems unstoppable and over-the-top as he literally monologues what he's doing like he's a character in a shonen anime. The mystery of his true thoughts lays some great groundwork for what's to come by helping us empathize with the characters he interacts with. We were in their shoes too at one point, after all.

It's only after we see Kageno from an outsider's perspective that we are granted a look inside his head. He is literally trying to become a fictional character archetype—not the “hero” but the overpowered shadowy figure that pops up from time to time to aid the hero. You know, the guy who appears randomly, defeats the enemy in one stroke, and says something cryptic that turns out to be profound only in hindsight. The problem with that is how does a person become “overpowered” to that extent in a world with body armor, guns, and nuclear weapons? The sad fact is that you can't. However, if one were to be reincarnated in a fantasy world... Well, the existence of magic changes everything.

All in all, this is one of these episodes that you need to watch twice—once normally and then one more time while knowing that Kageno is living in a delusion of his own making. On the first watch, it's serious and heart-pounding—you're never sure where it's going. On the second, it's more than a little comedic with all the mystery behind his actions revealed. While not what I was expecting as a fan of the source material, it was a welcome surprise and I can't wait to see more.

Episode 1 Rating:

Episode 2:

The first episode of The Eminence in Shadow was all about introducing us to our hero, his driving insanity, and who he had been before he was transported to the fantasy world that the vast majority of the story takes place in. The second episode, on the other hand, is focused on showing us how he reacts to being in a situation where the existence of magic allows him to become the “Eminence in Shadow” he always wanted to be.

This episode is basically comprised of two one-off adventures: Cid's first encounter with Alpha and the subsequent founding of Shadow Garden, and the kidnapping of his sister and Shadow Garden's first big fight against the Diablos Cult. It is through these adventures we experience the series' twist on the isekai formula.

Cid (as he's called in the fantasy world) is still heavily influenced by the common sense of our world despite being reborn in a new one. While magic allows him to play the role he always dreamed of playing, he knows that's all he is doing: playing pretend. Sure, he can go out and kill bandits and act as if they are part of some greater, world-spanning evil conspiracy, but he's basically just doing “extreme LARPing” and nothing more.

...you know, except for the fact that he's not.

The comedic core of the whole series is the fact that all the BS Cid makes up for his game of pretend is always 100% true, whether it is the whole story about the Diablos Cult and the curse afflicting the descendants of the heroes, or the location of the enemy's hidden base revealed through a haphazard throw of a knife. Or, to put it another way, he is the only one who doesn't realize he actually is a real Eminence in Shadow.

These two early adventures also reveal that, for all of his focus and drive, Cid is lonely. His voiceover states that he was sad in his first life when other kids stopped pretending to be heroes and villains, leaving him alone to carry on the dream. Perhaps this is why he reaches out to Alpha. There was no reason for him to be “Shadow” in front of her. He could have just been normal, mediocre “Cid” and acted as if he had randomly stumbled upon her. Instead, he weaves a world of pretend for her—for them both.

And not only do they play in it together, Alpha pulls in more and more similarly afflicted outcasts, expanding the game to new heights. For years as a child, he has friends that are willing to indulge in his delusions and live in his dream with him. This is why the final scene is such an emotional punch to him. From his point of view, his friends have once again grown up and decided to leave him behind.

Of course, the humor and tragedy of the whole situation is the fact that Alpha and the other girls aren't playing and never were. To them, he is the savior who stopped them from turning into discarded monsters and gave them a purpose in life—not to mention a sure path to revenge. When they say it's time for them to leave his side, you can see on their faces how hard it is for them. But for him and his cause, they are willing to go out into the world and prepare for his coming without even being asked. It's just too bad he can't see their love and loyalty for what it truly is.

Episode 2 Rating:

Being dark, brooding, and stupidly overpowered is only one side of the “Eminence in Shadow” coin: the other is the mild-mannered secret identity. While it was touched on briefly before (when showing the relationship between Cid and Claire), this episode is all about the fact that Cid puts just as much effort into being an unremarkable loser as he does in developing his overpowered magic. He purposely chooses unpopular cowards as friends, loses bets, and debases himself for money. Of course, the joke is that, in trying so hard to be “normal,” he is conspicuously abnormal. After all, he is acting like a stereotype rather than an actual person—which is probably why he finds himself drawn into the foreground with Alexia.

Alexia is a girl living in the shadow of her older sister. While a princess in her own right, she lacks her sister's inborn talent with the blade. This has caused her to see the darker sides of people—how they look down on her and compare her to her sister when they think no one is looking. Thus, she hates anyone who seems too outwardly perfect, believing they must be hiding their true selves like she often tries to do herself. Ironically, this makes Cid, so obviously filled with flaws, the one person she feels she can reveal herself to. However, what she doesn't and can't realize—because it's so antithetical to her worldview—is that Cid's mask is to make himself look worse instead of better.

Yet, here's the thing about Cid. He is more like Alexia than her sister. Everything he has obtained has been through an undying drive to attain his dream. It's not talent, but hard work, that has made him powerful. So even if he doesn't like Alexia, he does respect her as a sort of kindred spirit working tirelessly towards a potentially unobtainable goal. This is what he means when he says he likes her sword style. He knows what went into it and to call it anything but beautiful would be to deny his own hard work to become the Eminence in Shadow. And while he may be completely devoted to his secret identity, there are some lines he cannot and will not cross even in the pursuit of his dream.

Episode 3 Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• I wonder if Akane will show up later in the series. They spent a lot of time setting her up just for her to be a one-off character.

• As a manga/web novel reader, I'm so happy that they tweaked the story to include Zeta and Eta in these early episodes, and I hope they continue to do so moving forward as well.

• The slime suit is such a great concept—especially since Cid has thought long and hard about how to best use it. You know, like by making swords come out of his boots instead of his gloves.

• You have to love how much of an ass Cid is when fighting. He really is just messing with them—using them as a chance to act out all the clichés he can think of.

• They did a great job of visually showing how Claire learns from her brother.

• I guess the maids didn't notice that Cid can freaking walk on water.

• I love that the show doesn't skimp out on the blood.

• My first thought when seeing Cid's dad: “Finally, an anime character that looks like me!” (I've long been jealous of how many characters look like Lynzee.)

• Episode 2 ending picture: Alpha in her pajamas. Episode 3 ending picture: Beta doing sit-ups. If episode 5's isn't Delta playing fetch, I'm going to be unreasonably depressed.

• In my head, Alexia was always more of a stereotypical tsundere character. The anime's portrayal makes her far more nuanced thanks to the excellent voice acting.

• Cid's friends are hilariously pathetic.

• I'm somewhat shocked Claire didn't find a way to get Cid into the campus dorms—if for no other reason than to keep an eye on her brother.

• The idea of framing Cid for the kidnapping/murder of Alexia is a bit too ridiculous to be believed. No one in their right mind could possibly think he would be able to overpower her—much less have the connections needed to get someone else to do so. (You know, despite the fact that he both can and does.) Of course, he was likely chosen as the scapegoat specifically because he is a lesser noble and no one would be willing to stick their necks out to help him—even knowing he was innocent.

• Next week we'll get to see how Cid deals with being framed for kidnapping/murder—not to mention how Alpha and the other girls feel about it.

The Eminence in Shadow is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.