When is an isekai not an isekai, or rather when is an isekai supposed to be an isekai? That's the questions I ask because when I think isekai I think of "a fish outta water" story where a character from one time or place has to adapt to another time or place BUT "The Eminence In Shadow" is more or less a parody of this and beyond. Minuro Kagenou was an unassuming young man in high school, just like anybody else, so normal was he that he was barely recognizable, HOWEVER, underneath Minuro's unassuming nature was a strength beyond comprehension as Minuro was actually something of a vigilante and not only that but freakishly strong, had a vast array of talents and abilities and was an expert in combat so apt that he was even able to go toe-to-toe with a former solider without suffering any damage. One fateful night while attempting to learn magic Minuro was struck by a vehicle (isn't it always) and was reborn in another world as Cid Kagenou. Now in a world filled with magic Cid continues his quest to become the Eminence In Shadow...but what does that even mean?
Cid, like most of us, has a power fantasy and his power fantasy is being the strongest, smartest, most powerful person in the room without anyone knowing, with the power to move and change events at will all while remaining unseen or at the very least a rumor that doesn't die and he wants to achieve all of this all for the sake of "Because it's cool.". Quite a lofty goal and while we don't see much of Cid's pre-isekai life in his new life...he's accomplished this goal in spades the ONLY problem is...he doesn't realize it. Cid upon arrival in this new fantasy world (because isn't it always?) managed to rescue an elf from being a rotting mass of flesh, after re-naming her Alpha, Cid began to reveal to Alpha the reason why she was a rotting mass of flesh and that was all due to an evil organization called The Cult Of Diabolos a vast conspiracy sweeping several generations, several kingdoms and even the religious order...however...Cid is making all of this up...and...it all turns out to be 100% true...all of it...
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| Cid meeting Lady Alpha for the first time |
"The Eminence In Shadow" is weird, to say the least, I'm not sure if I should laugh or just enjoy it as it is, and while I do enjoy it the major frustration for me is the fact that Cid doesn't recognize that he's achieved his dream 100% and then some. Cid managed to mass a group of female warriors known as Shadow Garden (a name he coined) and as Shadow Garden operatives they have managed to implant themselves in every facet of their world from business to fashion to pop culture all in the name of funding Shadow Garden's mission to destroy The Cult of Diabolos and all for the sake of their Lord and Master Shadow a.k.a Cid Kagenou. Cid has regular meetings with Shadow Garden and commands them with authority calling for assassinations of various figures and other schemes (like robbing bandits) but ultimately has no clue just how much influence he has over the world at large. Also, all members of Shadow Garden are crazy strong, none stronger than the 7 Shadows (the seven original members) led by Alpha who effectively runs Shadow Garden.
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| Cid with Lady Alpha enjoying a hamburger (one of the many things he introduced to their world) |
Shadow Garden as I've mentioned before is a covert group of female warriors but their public face is The Mitsugoshi Corporation, a global conglomerate funded by things such as coffee beans, chocolate and other innovations Cid informed the 7 Shadows about. Cid himself is a broke student of the Knight Academy constantly in need of money...which unbeknownst to him he's actually the richest man in the world. Cid's cluelessness is what makes the show somewhat difficult to watch because his understanding of Shadow Garden is simply his old playmates (the 7 shadows) are messing with him, this makes his frustration when he sees members of Shadow Garden making massive amounts of money as an author based on stories (popular manga that we'd know) from his past life or becoming celebrated pianists from playing Classical music from our time kind of irritating.
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| All thanks to Gamma, beauty, and brains but NO coordination. |
What I do love about "The Eminence In Shadow" is Shadow Garden as a whole. Despite being completely conned by Cid and him having little to no care for their wellbeing (at one point actively seeking to destroy them) they are effective and awesome to watch, Alpha and Delta being my favorite, with Beta being a close 3rd...oh yeah, and Epsilon...I like them all, they're all great. Cid is effectively One Punch Man, HOWEVER, while One Punch Man is Neutral Good, Cid the very definition of Chaotic Neutral...in terms of personality...in terms of effectiveness, Cid somehow ends up being Chaotic Good and solves most of if not all of the problems going on in the kingdom...once again completely unbeknownst to him. Cid though is fun to watch as a character when he's fighting because every fight is ultimately Cid wins, you'd think it'd be boring but it's not simply because Cid is so freakin' insane that you actually wanna see the results of his actions and how it affects things moving forward.
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| The Seven Shadows (from right to left) Eta, Zeta, Delta, Lady Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Epsilon, |
Overall "The Eminence In Shadow" is a fun watch but I wish the isekai element was more relevant, as in his past life played more of a role, that's looking to be the case in Season 2 but we'll see. So far this is probably my favorite of the isekai genre, not being too bogged down in comedy and managing to get its tone just right. Cid although being the main character is NOT the main character ironically enough, yes, the story does revolve around him BUT there is so much going on outside of his knowledge that the actual story of the anime is far more interesting than what's going on with Cid, he just so happens to be present when all of the significant story beat happen and just so happens to be the right solution. Great anime and, fun story with great characters.
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