Eminence in Shadow is a refreshing take on the over-saturated genre.
Coming into Eminence in Shadow after reading the synopsis, you might think it’s yet another power fantasy about a reincarnated protagonist who gets insane powers and all the hot girls with no actual plot or character development. And after watching the first episode, some viewers might leave with the impression that this is exactly what’s happening. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Based on the original light novel by Daisuke Aizawa, the anime series revolves around a modern high school student who dreams of becoming a master manipulator working from the shadows. His daydreaming is cut short when he gets hit by a truck and reincarnated as Cid Kaganou in a magical world, where he attempts to cultivate powers while pretending to be average.
After he cures an elven girl named Alpha of a disease, Cid pretends he’s a leader of a secret group that he makes up on the spot. He also comes up with an evil organization called the Cult of Diablos and declares them his enemies. The plot twist? All of Cid’s imaginary enemies are real. We know it, all the other characters know it, and only Cid is blissfully unaware of the horrors of his world. Hilarious misunderstandings ensue.
What Eminence In Shadow does so brilliantly is to create a double narrative where two stories are being told simultaneously and without the main character being aware of it. It’s serious on the surface and a parody of every isekai trope known to man underneath, taking them and playing them up to the extreme.
Writing a straightforward parody is easy; Eminence In Shadow takes itself too seriously to become one of those tired, gag-heavy comedies that tells the same joke each episode until you get bored of it. The stakes are high, the drama is there, but the meta-narrative won’t allow them to overshine the humor at the core of the show and it still manages to balance both stories into a complete package.
With a multilayered concept, the anime has so much going on that it’s easy to miss the point. The biggest mistake you can make is take Eminence In Shadow at face value.
Fans of the anime will be happy to know that we will meet our hero again. Season 2 is set to come out in October, so get ready to witness Cid’s misadventures soon in what we’re sure is going to be a fantastic new season.
Eminence in Shadow is a refreshing take on the over-saturated genre.
Coming into Eminence in Shadow after reading the synopsis, you might think it’s yet another power fantasy about a reincarnated protagonist who gets insane powers and all the hot girls with no actual plot or character development. And after watching the first episode, some viewers might leave with the impression that this is exactly what’s happening. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Based on the original light novel by Daisuke Aizawa, the anime series revolves around a modern high school student who dreams of becoming a master manipulator working from the shadows. His daydreaming is cut short when he gets hit by a truck and reincarnated as Cid Kaganou in a magical world, where he attempts to cultivate powers while pretending to be average.
After he cures an elven girl named Alpha of a disease, Cid pretends he’s a leader of a secret group that he makes up on the spot. He also comes up with an evil organization called the Cult of Diablos and declares them his enemies. The plot twist? All of Cid’s imaginary enemies are real. We know it, all the other characters know it, and only Cid is blissfully unaware of the horrors of his world. Hilarious misunderstandings ensue.
What Eminence In Shadow does so brilliantly is to create a double narrative where two stories are being told simultaneously and without the main character being aware of it. It’s serious on the surface and a parody of every isekai trope known to man underneath, taking them and playing them up to the extreme.
Writing a straightforward parody is easy; Eminence In Shadow takes itself too seriously to become one of those tired, gag-heavy comedies that tells the same joke each episode until you get bored of it. The stakes are high, the drama is there, but the meta-narrative won’t allow them to overshine the humor at the core of the show and it still manages to balance both stories into a complete package.
With a multilayered concept, the anime has so much going on that it’s easy to miss the point. The biggest mistake you can make is take Eminence In Shadow at face value.
Fans of the anime will be happy to know that we will meet our hero again. Season 2 is set to come out in October, so get ready to witness Cid’s misadventures soon in what we’re sure is going to be a fantastic new season.
_15486.webp)