The Eminence in Shadow was a show that I have praised to high heaven and back. Those first 12 episodes were just fantastic, a great premise that it commits to, cute girls and so much good humor. It was my personal favorite of the year and something I suggest anyone watch. It was also a show that had a few more episodes in the tank. I wanted to take some time to go over my thoughts on this “second half.”
My thoughts on the first half of the series is right here!

- The third story arc of the series does feel like it drags on for one or two episodes longer than it should. There were just a few times when I thought things were being extended more than they should. I did like Cid’s conversations with Aurora and Delta going absolutely batshit insane. Epsilon’s boob gag was also bloody fantastic.
- The fourth story arc however is an excellent return to form. Cid wanting to be the ‘weakling that is actually super powerful” was hilarious and I loved seeing how Annerose kept trying to mimic his moves. The show is truly at its best when it is about people reacting to Cid’s antics.
- Beatrix was a cute addition, and I enjoyed how she reminded me of Saber from Fate/Stay NIght. Her final throwdown with Shadow was bloody fantastic, and she has a great design. Hope she sticks around.
- Rose had a solid story arc, and her falling in love with Cid just because he wanted to act out some stupid fantasy was comical as all hell. Her decision to kill her father and that entire story was not bad, and I was glad that it didn’t dominate the entire plot like in the Aurora-arc.
- You know this show is having so much fun with its naming scheme. Perv Asshat is so fucking great, and Imatry Nottolose makes me snicker. This series is so confident in what is trying to be that it can have this sort of humor and make it work. Mundane Mann just might be the most powerful swordsman in anime history.
- Iris’s breakdown and the pressure she has put on herself is a cool story beat that I hope we get to see more of. I do have a theory that Cid’s actions are creating enemies unintentionally and I wonder where the story will go from there.
- The animation is pretty decent throughout and I was glad that that saved the money for the scenes that matter. There is a general sense of consistancy and no hint of corners being cut. That’s always good from a mid-tier anime like this.
Overall, The Eminence in Shadow is going to go down as one of my favorite anime I’ve watched since I started this blog. Absolutely a series I want to own on Blu-ray, and one I am dead set on collecting through the light novel. Everything I praise in my full blog post remains true, this is a gem of gems guys. Make sure to check out.