The Eminence In Shadow is a dark fantasy isekai directed by Kazuya Nakanishi and released by the Japanese animation studio Nexus Co. It is based on the manga written by Daisuke Aizawa and drawn by Anri Sakano. The first season of the show had twenty episodes and was streamed to HiDive.

Japanese teen Minoru Kageno (Adam Gibbs) is a delusional kid who wants to be the ’eminence in shadow,’ a mastermind behind the scenes. After he is killed, Kageno is reincarnated in a magical world as Cid. Using his knowledge from the modern world, he advances quickly in magical skills, though he keeps this a secret. He rescues an elf he names Alpha (Christina Kelly) and she becomes the first in his vigilante group called Shadow Garden and he becomes Lord Shadow. Pretending to be a background character attending a dark knight academy, his growing vigilante group fights the Cult of Diablos and corruption within the kingdom.

First of all, the animation is sublime. Cid, Alpha, and many of the supporting characters are well-designed. I will say that apart from some of the originals, many of the Shadow Garden members do start to blend together. Setting that aside, the battle sequences and the cityscapes are amazing. The peak was the Cid versus Beatrix, voiced by Allison Sumrall, and Princess Alexia Midgar, voiced by Olivia Swasey. That was amazing. Beatrix was such a cool character and I hope we see more of her.

As for the story, at the start, I did not care for Cid. While many isekai stories have an OP protagonist, they tend to have a winnable personality. Cid is aloof, uncaring, and comes off as a real jerk sometimes. Over time, he won me over as you watch his obsession with staying disguised as a “background character” and being a secret mastermind. These contradicting attitudes often clash leading to some comedic misunderstandings.

Also, seeing how the other characters react to him is pretty funny. Many see Cid as a gifted, though lackadaisical person, but truly fear his persona as Lord Shadow. He is not so careful in picking his enemies and this leads to consequences he must fix. The irony is, he started Shadow Garden as a lie about the Cult of Diablos to recruit a secret society, but that turned out to be a real cult, and his meddling in their affairs led to some cool battles between him and a bad guy, or his warriors.

It is well-written and thrilling. Now, this is not a “hunky dory” isekai. This one can get dark in places with its subject matter and its battle scenes. If are looking for something that matures, this is definitely an anime to add to your watchlist. Personally, I cannot wait to see season two.

Check out the trailer below:

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Rude humor, Strong foul language, Gory violence, Frightening images

This review is based on the dub from Sentai Filmworks.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review. While you are at it, check out my reviews of The Ice Guy And His Cool Female Colleague and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more posts like this one.

Connect with me on social media. Consider supporting StudioJake on Locals.