Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!

I am usually not a fan of Isekai or Light Novel Adapatation anime, but I was able to see the charm of this show, even if I thought it could have been done better. The funniest part of the anime is when Cid is just bluffing is way through the Isekai world, and whatever he says becomes reality. I wish they would do more jokes that revolved around that. The animation is pretty good. There are some genuinely funny moments in the show. The show does not do a great job of explaining why exactly the protagonist feels the need to run around as Medieval ... Batman with an army of Elf Waifus, but if you can manage to turn your brain off for long enough it is okay I guess.

So I'm five episodes in, the the power balance is out of this world. I'll try to keep this short. Basically, if you're up for fairly ridiculous premise as far as the protagonist's goals and powers go you may be in for a blast. I can see why this may not be everyone's cup of tea but as someone who have no never reads light novels and has only touched three mangas in my life, this show is entertaining me plenty.

The comedy is there, and as long as it doesn't let go of it (which it hasn't thus far 5 episodes in) and keeps the ... action interesting I'm in for the long-haul. Apparently if you've read the manga this show is a miss, but if you don't have any specific expectations except for a power show-off with comedy sprayed on top I think you'll find a good ride here.

***Spoiler free***
As a seasonal isekai anime watcher I looked a bit into the anime adaptation of this piece I've never heard of.
I thought the concept of the crazy guy who's so deep into his chuunibyou and that randomly discovers secret organizations was fun.
So i watched a few episodes, and liked the premices, was bored to wait and made the greatest mistake a man could make, I looked the manga.
Boy do I wish you did the same...
Yes, I'll be that guy, yes I will say that the manga is better than the anime, hate me, but man, as i looked through the anime, i said to ... myself, where is the funny? The tags of the anime clearly mentionned comedy and that's probably what they omitted in the anime adaptation.
In the manga you get a good understanding of who the main character is, a dumb man that only wants to do cool stuff and say badass things because... because it's damn cool!
Yes his chuunibyou is well depicted in the anime, but it's off. he seems to do random things while beeing serious through all the episodes.
But what is not shown is that he is a normal guy in the inside. In fact they totally forgot to represent his inner thoughts that creates this gigantic gap between what he is and what he appears to be to the people around him. This gap creates the comedy gold moments i read in the manga that appeared as pitiful jokes in the anime.
As an allegory, it's as if they made the handa-kun anime, without you knowing he is paranoïd on the inside. It changes the whole spirit of the piece and it's what is happening to this anime.
But when you get a hold on this piece of art and comedy that is the manga, your vision totally changes about this story.
Also the secondary characters are much more appreciable and the art is amazing.
In conclusion I would highly recommend Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!, but maybe if you read this, consider starting with the manga and I hope you will love it too!

sorry for the bad phrasing and my bad english grammar, it's not my main language, and it's my first review

It is pretty hard to put into words what I'm thinking about this show. I mean, in one hand there is a very good balance between comedy with well paced jokes (when the MC acting like a mob character), action, some cheap drama, gore, good animation, good OST, name it you have it. It is really entertaining watch. On the other hand there is this one trope which I wholeheartedly hate. Namely, when the protagonist doesn't have a clue what he is doing, but things just always turning out in a way that it is perfect for the MC. He is kinda interesting and ... unique, so this cluelessness doesn't fit him at all, because of it this trope triggers my suspension of disbelief like crazy... I mean, come on, he is hell of an actor, yet he cannot realize that others are not acting around him? (Not to mention the fact, that he is basically commit mass murders... I mean, what?) I know, I know, it is a comic relief element, and for the first few episode I was even laughing on it. However, every joke has an expiry date, and if it is used for too long and too often, it will became stale. The main issue isn't this with it though, but the fact that, when the MC is in his "shadow" form there are no other jokes (I mean, apart from the sheer OPness, but I'm pretty much numb to it), so I felt like: "Should I take him seriously in this form or shouldn't I? If I don't, where funny? Or is he serious? But why he stupid?" I mean seriously, he is pretty much a budget Batman, and nobody laughs on that winged rat just because he tells a few "uh, oh society" edgy lines... So you know, kinda fell in the middle, and I didn't know what to think about it.

All in all everything will fall in place retrospectively at the of the show. Either I'll hate this show, or I'll love it. We'll see. As it stands now, it is pretty much a miss for me.

The biggest flaw of this show to me is the fact that he doesn't even wear a mask as Shadow but somehow everyone who knows him has absolutely no clue that shadow is Cid Kagenou. Absolutely no one suspects him despite having the same bottom portion of the face, the same hair, the same height, the same everything. The only difference is he's wearing his costume and he has a hood on AND NO ONE HAS A CLUE. If this were strictly a comedy that is a parody of unoriginal Isekai's then I could understand this, but this show tries to be serious at times ... and I can't take it seriously when Cid doesn't even try to put a mask on to conceal his identity. I know what I signed up for when watching this show but THERE IS NOT ONE GOOD REASON HE DOESN'T HAVE A MASK ON. I cannot emphasize this enough. That being said the show can be fun mindless entertainment so I still rate it decent.

As an light novel, web novel, and manga reader my review may be biased. This anime isn't meant to have mystery, or action. Those are all just sides to the main course, the misunderstanding. Yes, the whole plot revolves around the comedy. If you watch the anime for any other reasons then the comedy, you will leave disappointed. This anime isn't meant for everyone's tastes. Well, maybe if you like harem you won't be disappointed as the harem is ridiculously large.

TL;dr this is just the most generic isekai you can think of + misunderstandings, but that's what makes it entertaining.

At first, the anime runs great. However, it seems like at the middle it became a bleep and turns out good at the Ep20.
I love how the main character is overpowered.

I have watched many anime already and the story of this anime is not that unique and relative to others. I do not see the exact plot of the anime as it has 'many' happenings that you even need to go back just to rewatch again some scene. The animation looks good.

There is always an intriguing part where some frames are good to skip.
Not gonna lie, but the end part is amazing and we wish ... for season 2. Those who love watching OP mc anime would like this.

Edgy, cringe and funny - this is the mixed bag that you will find in the anime that is Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!.

I was ready, once again, to watch my seasonal isekai trash to keep up with that side of anime. But then everything changed - this isekai was unhealthy doses edgier than a regular isekai.

No, seriously. This is one of, if not the edgiest anime I've ever had to lay my eyes on, along with Tokyo Ghoul and some others. Anyways, how does the edginess play a part here? You will be cringing on the edge of your seat every episode, crying ... from the second-hand embarrassment and perhaps even laughing? No, you will definitely be laughing as you recognize how dumb this plot is.

No matter how much people will shit on this anime because let's be honest, they are on to something, we cannot look over the insane entertainment value it offers. I just can't stand idle and let enjoyable series be named as average trash for them to just bury under the hunderds of actual average trash, which will make the future generations of anime fans miss this little gem of cringe.

It was portrayed as a parody which it half-succeeded in being. It did manage to stand-out from the others by kind of making over the top jokes of itself. However, in many occasions it seemed as it was actually introducing isekai tropes like it needed to, not because they were making fun of them. So, as a parody, they weren't the most successful, but made it work enough to stand out, I guess?

The sound design is great, OST-s are around average, art is surprisingly and consistently good, characters are not special, but they bring the cringefest' of a story together.

Final point being, you will definitely enjoy this as long as you are not looking for great writing, but maybe something to cure your anime burnout. Stay safe!

A self-aware schizo post. The show intends to be ironic but the mask slips sometimes.

CENTRAL PREMISE : The highlight of the show is the MCs personality, a bewildering-but-somehow compelling mix of an edgelord and a wanna-be normie. The MC is perfect for a comedic deconstruction of isekai. Sadly, this strength is shafted when the show feels the need to betray its irony (rare instances)

CHARACTERS (non-MC) : The sidecast lacks depth and this wasn't done ironically. Waifus are more quantity than quality, given how many pop up they should have had more differentiation.

COMBAT : The animation is quite solid here but the combat mechanics are ... shallow. This a tragic flaw, an entertaining combat mechanic would have done the show wonders by spacing out comedic beats.

PLOT : The story drags when it takes itself too seriously but this season ends on a high note.

It's a good anime but it had the potential to be great.

This is ridiculous show with ridiculous plot. This show is clearly not made for all..... DO I THINK THIS IS A WELL MADE SHOW? no. DO I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD WATCH IT? upto them.

The main reason I am writing this review is in order to clear some misunderstanding and misconceptions from the initial episodes of the show. This show revolves around a very special kind of protagonist who is clearly suffering from some kind of delusional syndrome of sorts. The man is not just delusional but is also a psychopath with very little emotion. His main ideal is to become a specific type of hero. ... This is the main setting of the show and this is how it'll continue. Its edgy but that's the humorous part of the show. Its clearly moronic and ridiculous.

The plot itself isn't complicated but it has an interesting world and a proper goal. The main character just go along with his delusions and it moves the plot forward. The plot is something you would expect from a fantasy show. I believe it is something you can watch when you are bored and you'll clearly enjoy the hysterics of the main characters and his delusion.

The characters in the show are pretty average and nothing special to talk about but their seriousness is one of the main contrast to our protagonist. THIS IS JUST THE INITIAL PART. The characters might or might not grow later in the series. Anyway, the ridiculous cast is something many people could enjoy and have a laugh at.

I AM NOT REALLY A BIG FAN OF THE OPENING OR THE ENDING SONG BUT IT HAS SOME GOOD OSTs..

I find the show funny and I would like everyone to at least give a try.

i guess its good, its like if you combined the story of Don Quixote and a generic isekai anime in one. I can say the first 8 episodes were enjoyable and funny, but its gotten to a point where i feel the story its taking itself a bit too serious. When it shouldnt at all, i even dare to say it has become kind of repetitive and have no substance whatsoever.

This might change in later episodes but currently, as im watching it right now, its kind of a bummer to watch. The story might had a kinda unique twist on it, but other than ... that its completely predictable, i honestly thing they could have done more with how predictable it is and make it have a little twist in it but no.

So Basically this show is Amalgamation of our 14 year old edgy Chunni fantasy and Sense of our heroic feelings. This show has all trashy trope from mc being Overpowered,Harem,Our beloved Truck-kun etc. But what this show also has a intrigue plot ,Good Comedy ,Hilarious Characters etc
If you are as a new to Watching anime this show is the perfect introduction to the comedy genre as most of the Comedy Genre tropes are blended in this anime.
... Is MC overpowered ....Sure ,Is MC Cringe Sometimes...... Sure. But Something About him makes you forget about what happening around You . Story is not unique but it does reveal mysteries surrounding the plot,And set up is complete for future in a good way.

"The Eminence in Shadow" is a unique anime that subverts the conventions of the isekai genre. The story follows Cid Kagenou, a young boy who dreams of becoming a mastermind supervillain. He creates a secret organization and leads his comrades to carry out elaborate schemes while maintaining his secret identity as a normal high school student.

The animation style of "The Eminence in Shadow" is vibrant and captures the essence of the anime's themes. The character designs are unique and memorable, and the fight scenes are well-animated and thrilling. The voice acting is also commendable. While some viewers may find the anime's premise and execution cringe-worthy, ... it is precisely this element that sets it apart from other anime in the genre. "The Eminence in Shadow" is an unconventional and daring take on the isekai genre that is worth watching.

In conclusion, "The Eminence in Shadow" is an enjoyable anime that offers a refreshing take on the isekai genre. Its unique premise, intriguing storyline, and well-animated action scenes make it worth checking out, despite the potential cringe factor.

the Director of this anime doing terible job the light novel and the manga was really great to laugh and so exiting but this anime was so ilogical and the comedy was getting ruined by him
its such a waste to have really great animation but the story getting ruined the Director of this anime doing terible job the light novel and the manga was really great to laugh and so exiting but this anime was so ilogical and the comedy was getting ruined by him
its such a waste to have really great animation but the story getting ruined


the Director of this anime ... doing terible job the light novel and the manga was really great to laugh and so exiting but this anime was so ilogical and the comedy was getting ruined by him
its such a waste to have really great animation but the story getting ruined

Hey folks, this will be my review for Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute. Not bad, not great.

The story is a slippery devil. Is it a hero show? Or perhaps a power fantasy isekai? I don't really know at the end of the day. I have some guesses, but overall that's all you can really do is guess. Our MC Cid Kagenou trains hard and all the time so that he might fight injustice from the shadows. Initially he has some success as a low tier trash man, removing bandits and thugs. However his dreams, training, and ambition eventually net him a butt-load of power and ... influence that he now uses to fight real global threats like the Cult of Diablos. Unfortunately that's where some of the confusion begins. Cid seems to believe that he made the Cult of Diablos up in order to sound cool, meanwhile they do in fact exist and his words have spawned a shadow organization whose sole purpose seems to be to fight them.

Honestly this show seems to be solid, but I cant tell if someones yanking my chain. A chuuni MC with incredible powers and story akin to irregular at magic high, and stupidity akin to Ainz from Overlord. The frustrating part of the experience for me is there is no follow through. Our MC has a harem, I guess? Yet he doesn't interact with them. He becomes popular at school based on dumb luck, and after an episode or two the plot moves forward and we are supposed to just assume that his "mob characteristic" are the leading factor that these people seem to forget that he exists. Some characters seem to become main characters, and others that seem important simply disappear. The dude has a sister that simply vanishes for most of the first season even though she likes her brother and they go to the same school. Normally that might seem problematic, but the writing is well crafted enough that my guess is that the story will bring itself around and we will see everything in the end.

Art isn't bad. Fight scenes are basic and a little lack luster, but there are some sharp visuals for the rest of the show.

The characters are all interesting just by how the story is being told. Our MC is an overpowered protagonist but he refuses to be that. So we get to see him mess with the world and drag the other characters into the messes that would normally take the highlight. The tough and crazy strong princess character is going to compete in a fighting tournament, but of course our perspective will follow Cid...I wonder whats going to happen. In a way I find this frustrating as the overpower protagonist is supposed to move the plot forward and skip all the usual drivel of "I need to train", or "with the power of friendship". Unfortunately we trade that tripe for him telling us how hes going to pretend to be a background character. It's funny, but slow and frustrating when interesting stuff is happening all the time. The anime is bloody and twisty, it makes you want to see what happens next. I guess I was just disappointed with the how it was handled. We need answers, we need these characters to show us who they are, we need some connection to the story. In Overlord when Ainz fights it is a battle that we can understand the value of. We see the plans forming, the mistakes hes making. In this show we simply go from one event to the next with very little to explain what the hell we just saw and why it happened. I don't know who these characters are, who they want to be, what there connection is to the story, what the story is even about, whats happening in the world, or what these characters do in the world. I just watched 20 episodes, I was conscious the entire time, wtf happened?

Overall the anime was interesting, but it really needs to drop the bass. We are being edged with action and situations but we are no nearer the sweet release of understanding. I certainly hope the second season will be more enlightening. If however the show continues in the same vein I'm afraid its a bit of a dud. Overlord, Irregular at magic high, and dozens of those dollar store isekai do this but better.

This show is definitely good, but it's execution of jokes aren't the greatest. Make no mistake this show is a satire like One Punch Man and viewers don't seem to be picking up on those nuances. If you like this animated series at all you should 100% be reading the manga. It's a hilarious parody of the isekai genre and much like a DnD campaign. MC makes up scenarios for his roleplay and then they turn out to be real. He thinks his followers are just pretending to like him, but they believe him to be some kind of underworld mastermind. He doesn't take himself ... seriously much at all

I Watched till episode 3, i thought it is that good, cuz its novel is actually rated fairly high in novelupdates, but damn its actually just the usual for teen kids staff, all significant characters are unnaturally all female actually kind the stupid that way, i dont hate harem but i dont like characters being 2d as well, i think this anime ganna be just good for early teens.

I notice its good part as well, like the use of misunderstanding is actually funny, mc are being force in to situation he doesnt expect to, will make you smile, overall i know why its good ... for some, but its just not the anime for me

The Eminence in Shadow is surprisingly enjoyable for isekai power fantasy trash with an mc that does stupid stuff. Normally edgy or cringe main characters are an immediate turn off for me but somehow it just works.

The story isn't very impressive. It's mainly follows a magic harem high school plot where the mc is also part of a secret organisation. The fun part about the story is the way it is created. This is because the main character is quite literally roleplaying his way through life and the anime adapts to his random stories. The main character makes up a random lie about a ... cult? The anime creates said cult. This way the story becomes an interplay between the mc making things up, the anime creating those things and the main character then having to deal with the things he made up which makes the story enjoyable despite it not being very original.

As a character the main characters isn't very good. He's pretty edgy and obsessed with power. He makes stupid decisions and acts weirdly in school. However I do not mind this as much because it is all roleplay. The mc has a fantasy and is just acting it out which makes the stupid actions less painful to watch. The other characters in the anime have clear personalities but most have little character development or depth to them.

The animation and character designs were quite good and it was nice to watch. The anime has surprisingly nice sound and the music makes some scenes way better. The opening is also pretty neat and fits the anime well.

Overall this anime can be very fun to watch. It definitely isn't for everyone and you probably shouldn't bother if you're not intersted in power fantasy or isekai. If you are into those things however this anime can provide a fun twist.

Standard formula with superior production team. The jokes are pretty bad and poorly acted out but still some what funny if you know what they mean.

Best part about this anime is the visual, the suspense and tightly packed pacing and arc structure that can keep me watching. The scenes are well shot, music fitting. Sound effects are very good. VA is mostly pretty good. Plot is decent. The rest will depend on if you like this type of material.

The bad, by personal preference, the blood spill looks and feel really bad. Somethings are just complete bs and doesnt make sense but the quality of production ... covers for it somewhat. The script is kind of average or even below average at times. It's not a matter of character development. It's about whether you can make the character attractive or not. There are multiple things that can make characters attractive. The main character dialogue seems to be particularly bad. Animes with long character development are the worst, basically zero story progression, might as well not watch it just fillers and most are very boring at that, quite prevalent at the moment.

Despite all it's flaws it manages to keep everything together to be a good show. Only a handful of animes can claim this feat.
I have not seen an anime with the overall production quality for a very very long time.

I hate to be one of those people, I really do, but I’ll open up with saying… seriously, the anime is not that good. It is genuinely quite godawful. I both do and don’t understand the huge boom in popularity Eminence in The Shadow has garnered since its anime debut, and whilst it deserves it, it seems it’s “not for the right reasons”. Now that I’ve gotten your attention, Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute (Otherwise known as, Eminence in The Shadow) is an isekai, and your seemingly typical boring power fantasy isekai at that. But no, it’s so, so much more, in that there is ... simply something unique and special thinly veiled within “this” as a whole, something that no other isekai seems to have. But, the anime depicts it in some of the worst ways I’ve ever seen within an adaption and some can probably tell why.



< Minor spoilers but they’re only in reference to the manga where some parts aren’t even shown in the anime, which are completely non-detrimental to the plot, along with references to comedic scenes which carry nothing to the story at all. >


<< Story >>
Eminence in The Shadow starts off sombrely with an intro to a typical school setting, highlighting its clear focus on what seems to be a typical normal day. That is till we’re met with Nishino Akane, our temporary main character and famed, beloved student who puts a mask of her true character on to maintain her status in school. She is adored by all, except the one man who she can’t understand and always gets her name wrong, Minoru Kagenou (Also Cid Kagenou), a man of mystery, skill and immense strength, but with his own human limits he fully comprehends. Nishino Akane soon finds herself late one night walking back home kidnapped by two conspirators seeking to use/ sell her, and finds her soon-to-be saviour, a masked man dubbed the Stylish Ruffian Slayer and wielding a crowbar beating the ever living hell out of them. He disappears into the shadows as he frees Nishino and restrains the criminals, leaving Nishino to call the police and head home safely. All the whilst, the Stylish Ruffian Slayer, secretly Minoru Kagenou, contemplates on being “The Eminence in The Shadow”. Following the next morning, she greets Kagenou, and he greets her with the right name, relieved she realises he too, hides behind a mask. The day after following some twisted circumstances, Nishino soon finds out that Minoru Kagenou is dead. After Minoru Kagenou is killed, and by our beloved idol, Truck-kun, he finds himself to be reincarnated as Cid Kagenou in a fantasy world of magic, the one thing he so desperately sought after to become more powerful, and now he had it. And with that new-found power, Cid came to train, and train endlessly day and night to become the “Eminence in The Shadow”, all the whilst under the guise of trying to remain as much of a boring, simple background character as possible. He later continues to grow, building his strength until he comes across an elven girl covered in something named “possession”, a cursed disease buried within many that turns their bodies into deconstructed magical slop. Cid, effortlessly cures it and dubs the nameless girl as Alpha, the first of seven within “Shadow Garden”, a group that would soon come to rid the lands of the “Cult of Diabolos”.
My first complaint to start off with has to be, “Why didn’t they adapt the manga instead?” I know. I know. Comparing it to the manga is a no-no. But, that whole opening school sequence never happened in the manga (School-scene was only 5 pages long). I saw that opening as a relatively big nothing further contributing nothing to Kagenou’s character and established nothing other than he’s strong and wants to be stronger for a whole 15 minutes. Oh, and also Nishino’s character which doesn’t really need establishing for anything. Overall though, it seems as if the decision to adapt this from the light novel instead of the manga has impacted a lot of aspects of the anime, in particularly the story. I may be wrong, but it skips past a lot of dialogue ALL THROUGHOUT THE ANIME that is typically said and a lot of the comedic humour is sucked out for the sake of edginess, being cool and staying serious, which honestly kills it a lot. Not to mention, the backstory of characters, which I’ll highlight next.


<< Characters > >
Right off the bat, I’d like to describe how the side character backstories, mainly the 7 Shadows of Shadow Garden are completely skipped in the first cour of the anime (Ep. 1 - 12), aka, Alpha (excluding beginning parts of Alpha), Gamma, Beta, Zeta, Delta (best girl), Epsilon and Eta. Delta is one of the known core favourites for Eminence in The Shadow (check the favs on MAL), but here she is given almost no screen time whatsoever, no side events, very little comedic dialogue and no backstory. Honestly, quite shameful. And some of the other characters are the same. When there isn’t a focus on the characters supporting the main character, it makes the story feel all the more emptier since all they act and seem like is just pawns or dolls doing his bidding instead of people with complete understandable devotion to Cid to fight for his cause. That’s what of the Shadows feel like in this anime. For example, Gamma had a scene with Cid regarding Mitsugoshi and it was objectively hilarious, and there’s 8 more other scenes that aren’t explored that are like that, and give depth to those in Shadow Garden, their purpose and how they affect the world, especially Mitsugoshi as a company. Whereas most other characters are seemingly abandoned for the sake of advancing only the main story plot which shamefully hurts a lot of the background and world building.
However, Beta, Alexia and Rose are some of few side characters, if not partially close to main characters as well, that are explored thankfully well. In reference to the manga, some of their golden dialogue is skipped, and some jokes are as well, but their chemistry nonetheless mostly remains with the exception of pure unbridled hatred between Beta and Alexia, which instead seems to be more “You’re standoffish, I don’t really like how you act” from Alexia, and lesser so Beta towards one another.
I would also like to give an honourable mention to the nobody character that is Barnett Sherry, whom to my knowledge doesn’t exist in the source, but, that may be because she’s the most tropey boring and useless kuudere(?) character to exist as some kind of “consequence” to Cid. And that may have been the joke in the manga, but it’s most certainly not conveyed that way in the anime, which is another gripe of mine. It keeps taking the characters, even the villains too seriously, and it’s hard to laugh at them when there’s no character to contrast their evil with aloofness, stupidity or funny dialogue. It vetoes a lot of that from the anime, or perhaps simply the light novel, which is a huge shame, because a lot of the golden humour is killed because of this. The only time there is that same comedic dialogue is with Shadow, because he is the only one who can’t seem to take any of them seriously because, at least in the manga, he thinks it’s all some elaborate joke planned out by Mitsugoshi to entertain his dream with Shadow Garden. Whereas the funny dialogue by the Shadow 7 is usually because they’re so powerful they just don’t care and see most fights as a quick job so they can get back to doing whatever they’re doing. And this specifically isn’t really conveyed through the anime because of a lack of dialogue that should be used from the manga to slowly build their personalities and what they do when they aren’t tasked with missions, which is quite disappointing. This is generally what I felt throughout the anime seeing most of the characters, thinking of how they could’ve been expanded on had they dedicated more time away from the first 2 episodes of dragged scene setting and elsewhere.


< < Art >>
Of course… it’s hard to put my hands together for this. But it must be done. This… is, considering Nexus’s track record and literally no name animes (excluding Darwin’s Game for some reason), brilliant. It’s no OPM, but boy, some scenes, blow you away, literally. Two of the most stunning scenes in this anime is easily Shadow’s “I Am… Atomic.” That, is the Rule of Cool being blown away there. To be honest, I very much like this art style. It’s true to the manga and especially Sakano Anri’s detail of characters, design, complementation of background, the surrounding world and so on. I can’t complain about pretty much anything at all here. The fights, I do wish had a little bit more detail and expression, but I realise that’s not within the capabilities of Studio Nexus, because they’re not Ufotable, they’re not Bones or Madhouse, but they do a brilliantly amazing job displaying the fights, the small details in character’s expressions, finger movements, clothes- you name it. Everything is there, and it fits so well in the world. If I didn’t care so much about the story and comedic aspect of Eminence In The Shadow, the art quality and style alone would’ve sold me instantly. There’s so much creativity and exploration in how they decide to animate some scenes and abuse the Rule Of Cool when showing off moves and attacks, especially when it switches the color palette to being completely black, white and red with the slightest hint of purple to illustrate that shit is ABOUT TO GO DOWN. I’m a sucker for scenes like that, as much as it can be edgy or cringe, it does it so very well that it often takes me in and blows me away.


<< Sound / Music >>
The OP was pretty decent and memorable, and the ED was nothing to sneeze at.
But… but. Sound quality, bravo. I really shouldn’t have to say more on this, but, the slight foot movements against ground, the small gasps of air, the chinking armour, explosions, murmuring, conversations in the background, cloth rubbing against other objects. Some, you see typically in anime, isekai anime even, some of the detail that can be spotted now and there, is pretty damn up there. But, it’s the scenes, the fights with Shadow that sell me on it. And, of course, it’s always the wise, smart decision of whatever sound engineer thought it would be coolest to isolate, and kill every sound, every dead noise, to curate the rule breaking, “I am… Atomic.”


<< Summarisation & Conclusion >>
I have to give it to this anime adaptation and especially Studio Nexus, they fucking nailed every technical aspect of this anime to a huge T. They gave the quality of the animation, the smoothness and detail of the battles a huge amount of justice. And CANNOT forget, they blew the audio quality out of the park. But, I give my hands to the excellence of the animation alone, sound quality, and the subtle character expressions and details. If we were to grade this purely via its technical ability in its rightful style, this anime would be a near masterpiece. But, unfortunately for the anime, I'm a fan of the manga, and a long, long-time reader of it (2019 woo). Clearly (and I'm not the only one), the anime delves too harshly onto the edgy side, detracting from the enjoyment of it, and whilst it does have scenes that are overwhelmingly the rule of cool (e.g "I am Atomic"), it pushes too hard into what appears to be "cringe".
This affects the story, a lot. And, it is the weakest aspect for me, and that hurts, because it was one of the best in the manga alongside the comedy. Which, dare I say, is only half as good in the anime as it is in the manga. Meaning, "its alright, I guess?" But, on the edgy side of itself, the anime contradicts the whole purpose of the manga, which was intended to be a parody of failed isekais and repeated tropes. But, the anime has clearly tried to be a parody and failed very harshly at doing so. And I blame the adaption of the Light Novel for that, as that is what Studio Nexus were told to do, so it’s not even their fault. What’s even more annoying is that the anime clearly takes reference from the manga for a lot of scenes too (e.g background scenes, character expressions, designs, so on). Mostly, It's disappointing since the manga perfects that VERY VERY thin line of being "unironically cool" and "making fun of other edgy isekais" without tarnishing itself, and I adore that, since so few manga, let alone animes have done that properly. What annoys me so is whilst the popularity is deserved for Eminence In The Shadow, its all for the wrong reasons, because it does "being edgy" in the most glamorous way possible, putting it under this guise of quality. Whilst it looks stunning, I can't help but be pulled away from it because it doesn't do the characters and dialogue justice when there’s clearly so much more potential had they given more time to some characters. Especially the 7 main girls in Shadow's arsenal, because it skips most of their backstories. It would've taken 2 minutes of slot time to even go over them in a quick slideshow/ equivalent, showing how he meets them, instead of skipping straight past it and simply saying they all came to meet and formed "Shadow Garden" after several years. It killed portions of their character development, especially Delta (she deserved it the most) and Alpha, who especially and mostly gets hidden background character screen time and no-focus scenes on her, as she has a fantastic character and involvement with influencing the world. It’s a shame to have to say this, but whilst this is a stunning anime by itself, it’s a poor portrayal that leaves me reflecting “what could’ve been” had it utilised all the dialogue to its best potential and at least some side scenes available, especially since Eminence in The Shadow solely got popular off the manga, and not the Light novel, which is why this decision doesn’t make sense to me.

Another day, another anime. If you want an edgy anime with stunning visuals and audio quality, more so closer to a “turn-your-brain-off” kind of action than a quality anime, then this’ll fit like a glove for you. If you’re coming from the manga, I’d say turn this away from your list, you’ll be more disappointed than you would be satisfied were you to watch it. In fact, I’m willing to call it a Tokyo Ghoul 2.0 situation but without the suffering, and all the coolness of a character done fairly well, but in a poor supporting cast and storyline. Hopefully, season 2 can execute some portions more successfully and build on top of what it already has going for it, because it has the chance to become one of the Top 25 anime of MAL.