Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: The Eminence in Shadow
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Nojay
Posts: 112 |
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I laughed out loud when I saw how Cid came up with the name "Diabolus" for the imaginary evil cult in episode 2 -- he happened to spot two bottles on a box and that gave him the inspiration. "Dia" = 2, "bolus" = "bottles".
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Emerje
 Posts: 7336 Location: Maine |
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Came into this show really not knowing anything more than the synopsis and fell for it instantly. Ticks a lot of isekai boxes for me. Finally putting that HiDive sub to good use, they picked up a few really good shows this season.
The slime suit is basically a Marvel symbiote and it works amazingly well in a fantasy setting. Emerje |
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Kenfra
Posts: 127 |
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Loving Alexis.
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4074 |
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I know nothing about the source material and I'm generally not a fan of ISEKAI style stories but seeing how this one started its power fantasy in its "real world" combined with how the story loves to give Cid what he wants but never in the way he wants makes him come off more as a cosmic plaything but one who's still being supported by it.
It doesn't have some of the unhealthier undertones that comes with some author's power fantasies... there's no bitter feelings to the universe in general or one person (woman) in particular... it's the story about a lead character who wants nothing more than be a side character- though still the nominal hero when he shows up- but the actual author is having none of that. I have given up on expecting characters from previous episodes reappearing or even connecting to whatever Cid's current predicament is... I still don't understand how the first lead character connects to anything, the second should make Cid more important but doesn't somehow and the third walked out on her own... What does it all mean? I don't know. In the end, "I just don't know" is one of the best ways to keep me watching. |
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Aerdra
Posts: 321 |
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Note to episode reviewer: as someone going into this series blind, I think some of your prior knowledge from the source material accidentally slipped into your review (more precisely, the random thoughts section). At the end of episode 3, spoiler[Cid is a suspect regarding the disappearance of Alexia. There was no indication of a plot to "kidnap/murder Alexia", nor a deliberate attempt to "frame Cid".] In addition, another possible spoiler is spoiler[the phrase "how Alpha and the other girls feel about it", suggesting that they'll return to deal with the current situation.]
Last edited by Aerdra on Thu Oct 20, 2022 9:13 am; edited 1 time in total |
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MFrontier
Posts: 11138 |
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I love how utterly crazy and different the show is and how Cid is basically just a (kind of insane) dork trying to live out his Chuuni fantasy as the world bends to his will (and he's oblivious to it every step of the way).
The voice cast is stacked, especially when you have Yui Horie of all people playing the "fake" Main Heroine and we've got Asami Seto, Rina Hidaka, Inori Minase, and Kana Hanazawa some of the other girls. Also the ED themes sung by then that also show off more fan-service with the ladies. The production values are also surprisingly solid, which is appreciated. Just a good balance of craziness, comedy, and actual action. I hope we get more of Cid and Alexia together before the rest of the Shadows inevitably come back. |
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Andrew Cunningham
 Posts: 443 Location: Seattle |
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I found the first episode of this really off-putting. Spending a whole episode on a pretty dull story instead of establishing the show's actual premise was a huge mistake, and I really think they should have started with episode 2. It's been a lot more enjoyable since.
Speaking as an anime only, I though both of these things were obvious and would have assumed anyone who's seen this type of story before would know where this was going. I'd also argue that suggesting the solution would involve Alpha and the others resurfacing is a reasonable assumption, too. |
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Iron Maw
Posts: 489 |
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Out of all scenarios for why Cid got truck-kun'd in the first place, jumping in front of one was definitely not it. lol
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dmanatunga
Posts: 53 |
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Honestly, as someone who loves the manga (but hasn't read the web novel), I'm a little disappointed in this adaptation so far. I even subscribed to HiDive just to watch it.
The animation is clean and looks good, but it feels like some of the great humor of the manga is lost in the anime. The latest episode with the confession is a prime example. In the manga, they do a lot of explaining on how much effort Cid puts in to come off as a Mob character. Like with the confession, it talks about how he intentionally stammers, sets the exact right distance, and then does a 90 degree bow to get the perfect Mob confession. spoiler[ Somewhat related, I feel like the anime doesn't make it as clear on how Cid thinks this whole Diabolus cult thing is a story he just made up so he could act as an Eminence, and that everyone else also realizes this and is just playing along with, as opposed to the actual case where everyone in Shadow Garden actually believes the story. But this might come off clearer in future episodes. ] The first episode felt weird too. It feels disconnected from the main story, and I was a little turned off by the fact he lets the girl get kidnapped to act out his power fantasy. And it left out a great visual gag from the manga where Cid basically gets the body of the guy from Danberu in his quest to become the Eminence, but at the same time thinks he is blending in as a Mob. These are somewhat minor complaints, but if HiDive is correct and this is only getting 10 episodes, it kinda reinforces the feeling that the first episode was a waste. |
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MiloTheFirst
Posts: 429 |
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I am really digging this series. as someone who also went through a chuuni face in his teenage years, and still has a taste for edgy scenarios and aesthetics in storytelling, so far this story seems like a love letter to childhood romanticism, the the desire to keep believing in one's dream even as we keep getting more jaded and disenchanted with reality.
In his previous live our protagonist dedicated his entire being towards staying loyal to his absurd dream, until such devotion pushed him to the brink of despair. now after being granted the powers and environment needed to live up his fantasy for real he no longer can acknowledge it as a a possibility of reality, and insist everyone else is just playing along with his self indulgent roleplay I got a feeling that this is not meant to serve as a wish fulfillment power fantasy as many other generic isekai do. but rather do some commentary about the nature of dreams, despair, denial and loss. it will probably not be very deep but I like what it is seemingly trying to do As an anime only watcher, I thought tthe protagonist ran into the truck because he was dizzy from all the hits he had just inflicted on his head. but if he jumped in front of it deliberately then it would contextualize his emotional state even after being reborn. |
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Thesarum
Posts: 402 |
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Cid is an interesting protagonist. He's clearly more than a little insane. He maintains something of a split personality - one side that believes his self-myth about his skills, abilities and intelligence. And other that doesn't believe any of what happens is real. Both are wrong.
We've not developed any of the girls enough yet to know whether they're all just tropes in catsuits or actually interesting... there's some potential there, but it's not been delivered yet. I liked Alexia though. Cid probably needs someone in his life to call him on his shit a bit... not that it'll happen, it'd ruin the core joke. With respect to the spoilerish "extra thoughts"... while nobody explicitly accused Cid of kidnap or murder, "would you mind answering some questions down at the station?" always carries an implied "we think you did it", and when you're the last person to see someone kidnap and/or murder are pretty much the options. Cids reaction (surprise and unpreparedness) suggests he's being framed, because it doesn't appear he was just helping her run away. And as for truck-kun, I read it as accidental. He was clearly in something of a frenzy in his desire for (/attempts to unlock?) magic, and kinda threw himself off the side of a hill... and a truck happened to be there. Though it's Cid, so you can never be entirely sure what he's doing on purpose and what he's not, because I don't think he knows himself most of the time. |
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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Is it? Episode 1 was literally textbook example of power fantasy where the white knight save the princess (who's of course a popular actress) from the evil rapist by single handely beating them all. |
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MiloTheFirst
Posts: 429 |
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quite the opposite actually. the tone is just as important as the events that occur. I encourage you to re-watch it, just as the reviewer suggested. when one evaluates the events after losing the mistery aspect and knowing were the sotry is headed, it becomes apparent how depressing and perhaps a bit tragic everything that took palce really is. there isn't a white knight or a potential love interest in distress. there is just a guy who is too mortified about not beeing able to beat a nuke in a fist fight to care at all about celebrities or the fact that one sits next to him in class. he just saw her crisis as an oportunity to do something exciting and ended up more somber about his own human limitations. you can tell he isn't a hero by the evil grin he showed when she got kidnapped and the fact that he could have just called the police considering he followed them to their hideout |
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jr240483
 Posts: 4376 Location: New York City,New York,USA |
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at least they didn't use the actual name for i highly doubt DMM/FANZA GAMES/ENOA would approve of using the name of one of their characters! |
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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That still very much a hero fantasy, of course he doesn't care that she's a celebrity, he's just too cool for that. But the writer still chose to make her a celebrity, something he absolutely didn't have to for the story, he did it because he know that the audience want the fantasy of rescuing the beautiful princess and saying she's an actress is an easy way to establish that. The version of this story that's not a power fantasy would be him failing to rescue the ugly unpopular girl who then berate him for not calling the cop in the first place. Maybe even have him die in the process and use that to reincarnate him rather than truck-kun. Even the tone and camera angle where all about making him out to be heroic, sure he didn't call the cop, but that's because he doesn't need to, he's just too good for that and could never lose. |
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