(This review is based on the first season. At the time I'm writing it, the second season has been announced but not been aired yet.)
'The Eminence in Shadow' tells the story of Cid Kageno, whose ultimate goal is to become the titular eminence in shadow, i.e. The powerful force in the background that remains unseen. While forming his shadowy society 'Shadow Garden' in the shadows, in his public life he tries to appear as a 'background character' as much as possible.
The story is very obviously a tongue-in-cheek parody of those Isekai shows where the protagonist ends up being an undefeatable hero who gets all the girls. 'The Eminence in Shadow' pretty much starts with that, with a protagonist who is pretty much the epitomous Mary Sue, and an array of gorgeous female characters that make up his secret society. Cid often only tries to appear enigmatic, yet because he literally can do no wrong, his thoughtless decisions uncover treacherous plots and defeat heinous enemies.
What bothers me most with the show is its inconsistency. In many episodes Cid is this borderline incompetent and overdramatic Japanese-guy-reborn-in-a-fantasy-world stereotype whose plot armour makes him undefeatable, yet in the next scene he will suddenly turn actually competent as his role suggests. For many episodes the show is an obvious parody, not taking anything serious and focusing on humour, yet at the end it tries to build up a complex and serious story. In its first half the show keeps a tight lid on the fanservice, yet in the second it is fairly lewd (though still pretty tame for a typical anime of this genre). All of these facets are at odds with each other, and IMHO they don't really work.
The characters are, unfortunately, another issue. Cid is partnered with an absurd array of gorgeous females, some of whom become secondary protagonists. Yet those that should be closest to him, the various members of Shadow Garden, are so underdeveloped that I don't even know who is who after twenty episodes.
The production level is at least very high, with nice animations, a solid soundtrack, and (English) voice acting that ranges from serviceable to excellent.
Ultimately I'm quite happy that I'm done with the first season, and quite surprised that a second season was even made. Many episodes felt like a slog to get through, so bland and boring that I wondered why I was actually continuing. The final episodes are pretty good, but it's difficult to take the properly dramatic events serious of the antagonist is literally called 'Perv Asshat'. Honestly, it would've made more sense to make one serious show and one parody, keeping the two themes separate. This is just a mess.
Bonus points for Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, though.
The story is very obviously a tongue-in-cheek parody of those Isekai shows where the protagonist ends up being an undefeatable hero who gets all the girls. 'The Eminence in Shadow' pretty much starts with that, with a protagonist who is pretty much the epitomous Mary Sue, and an array of gorgeous female characters that make up his secret society. Cid often only tries to appear enigmatic, yet because he literally can do no wrong, his thoughtless decisions uncover treacherous plots and defeat heinous enemies.
What bothers me most with the show is its inconsistency. In many episodes Cid is this borderline incompetent and overdramatic Japanese-guy-reborn-in-a-fantasy-world stereotype whose plot armour makes him undefeatable, yet in the next scene he will suddenly turn actually competent as his role suggests. For many episodes the show is an obvious parody, not taking anything serious and focusing on humour, yet at the end it tries to build up a complex and serious story. In its first half the show keeps a tight lid on the fanservice, yet in the second it is fairly lewd (though still pretty tame for a typical anime of this genre). All of these facets are at odds with each other, and IMHO they don't really work.
The characters are, unfortunately, another issue. Cid is partnered with an absurd array of gorgeous females, some of whom become secondary protagonists. Yet those that should be closest to him, the various members of Shadow Garden, are so underdeveloped that I don't even know who is who after twenty episodes.
The production level is at least very high, with nice animations, a solid soundtrack, and (English) voice acting that ranges from serviceable to excellent.
Ultimately I'm quite happy that I'm done with the first season, and quite surprised that a second season was even made. Many episodes felt like a slog to get through, so bland and boring that I wondered why I was actually continuing. The final episodes are pretty good, but it's difficult to take the properly dramatic events serious of the antagonist is literally called 'Perv Asshat'. Honestly, it would've made more sense to make one serious show and one parody, keeping the two themes separate. This is just a mess.
Bonus points for Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, though.