The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 23) – The Hour of Awakening

Shadow has reached the top of the Crimson Tower and hasn’t located the main boss. Maybe, it’s not that sort of event! Anyhow, he runs off to find more gold and while he’s gone Claire and Mary run into Queen Elisabeth!
The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 23) – The Hour of Awakening
What did you watch?
My life has been a bit hectic of late which meant I only managed to sit down to catch up on this episode last night (the night before this post went live). With all the craziness going on, it was nice to have a half-an-hour to just sit back and enjoy myself, and knowing this series, I was certain that I would enjoy myself. I’ve run out of manga volumes to read so now I leave myself in the hands of the anime for the time being, and given how well they’ve done so far, I have no doubt that it will continue. Anyhow, let’s see what Cid gets up to.

What happened?
Shadow defeated Crimson and given how easily it happened, he was quite certain that he wasn’t the main boss. So, with no one else around, he decided to look for more gold. As soon as he left the top of the tower, Claire and Mary came running up the stairs. Mary was surprised by the carnage and Claire was desperately looking for Cid. Then, something pierced Claire’s shoulder. Mary recoiled in horror when she realised that Queen Elisabeth had returned to them. She feasted on Claire’s blood as she regained her powers. Beta and her group appeared in a flash, saving Claire and momentarily incapacitating Elisabeth. However, they knew it wasn’t a decisive blow.
Elisabeth unleashed her full power, overloading the girls’ blood with magic which made the possessions return. Then, Claire woke up in the nurse’s office in a school. The nurse turned to her and trained to explain the situation. She introduced herself as Aurora and left Claire with a mark on her left arm. That reality shattered as Aurora took control of Claire’s body and fought back against Elisabeth. She even tried to use Shadow’s atomic spell, but Claire’s body couldn’t handle it. Regardless, she was just buying time until he arrived. Shadow appeared out of nowhere and held back Elisabeth. He had to watch as her attacks destroyed most of his plunder. Finally, he flew into action and after a bit of showboating, he decided it was time to end it. He uttered the words – I am Recovery Atomic…

What did you think?
This series really is fantastic. It handles the comedy perfectly and the action is on another level entirely. The cinematography and direction is superb. I get goosebumps when Shadow appears and everything slows down. Not to mention when he begins to cast the atomic spell. Of course, this time he put a twist on it and used it to correct the flow of magic that is present in Aurora’s blood. The same blood that flows through vampires and the possessed. I did wonder in the last episode if Cid would be able to cure Elisabeth and given one of the final shots, it would appear that he was successful. I can’t wait for the next episode.

What was your favourite moment?
The fight with Elisabeth was something else, especially how it began with Shadow being upset about the gold he was losing and Beta mistakingly thinking he was talking about the girls of Shadow Garden which he was protecting anyhow. Then, they flew into battle. I loved the commentary from Juggernaut and Yukime as they watched him holding his own without breaking a sweat, flying, and then saving the day. The twist on the I am Atomic spell was interesting, especially as it opens up the possibility that he can do other things on a similar level. I also loved that we got to see Aurora again and I’m curious what she did to Claire who she mentioned had the right constitution for something… Aurora, you tease!

Who was the most impactful character?
It has to be the return of Aurora. My guess is that Claire is the perfect vessel for her to take control of when she needs to, although Claire’s not strong enough to use all her powers. I wonder if what she put on her hand will allow her to get stronger. Does Aurora want to come back? She certainly likes Shadow and that seems like enough of an incentive for her. I did enjoy the scene in the nurse’s office and how it was like a school back in Cid’s previous life. That raises so many more questions. Was it a part of Cid’s memories or could Aurora have been Isekaied to this world by the Cult of Diablos so that they could use the powers she would gain in the process? The plot thickens!

What have you learned?
I ended with Shadow meeting with Yukime to discuss something. We know that Yukime and Juggernaut don’t get along so it could be that she wants his help to take over the Lawless City. That could be something he’s interested in as he likes that he can go get gold and money whenever he feels like it and there would be no repercussions. We also saw that Juggernaut was considering launching an attack on Shadow Garden for fun… That guy is absolutely crazy. Who would want to go up against Shadow after seeing him in action? Anyhow, it looks like the vampire arc is over, but Lawless City could be very much involved for a while.

Other posts in the series
Series Information
English Title | The Eminence in Shadow |
Japanese Title | Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! |
Author | Daisuke Aizawa |
Artist | Anri Sakano |
Genres | Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Isekai, Magic |
Demographic | Seinen |
Anime
Season One
Season | Season One |
Released | Fall 2022 |
Animation Studios | Nexus |
Episodes | 20 |
Bonus Posts
Analysis | How Much Does Cid Know? |
Lists | Five Best Fights |
Season Two
Season | Season Two |
Released | Fall 2023 |
Animation Studios | Nexus |
Episodes | 12 |
21 | The Lawless City |
22 | The Haven |
23 | The Hour of Awakening |
24 | The Mask of Falsehood |
25 | He Who Pulls the Strings |
26 | John Smith |
27 | Something Precious |
28 | The Dragon’s Tears |
29 | The Key |
30 | Caged Bird |
31 | Determination |
32 | Highest |
Manga
Volumes | Ongoing |
1 | We Lurk in the Darkness and Hunt Down Shadows |
2 | I Am Atomic! |
3 | Hidden Normie Technique |
4 | Battles Are Like a Conversation |
5 | A Memory I Never Want to Lose |
6 | What Beautiful Swordplay… |
7 | A Fancy Bandit Slayer |
8 | The True Aberration!!! |
9 | He Who Destroys All and Rebuilds it Anew! |
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The school nurse’s office might have happened all in Claire’s head.
They have some serious writing skill to take an OP character who always wins by casually doing an OP thing and make it interesting.
What if Claire starts feeling romantic towards Shadow, not knowing he’s her little brother? What if Aurora starts feeling romantic towards Shadow when she’s in Claire’s body?
I still think this entire story is his reward. He saved someone at the loss of his own life so heaven decides to reward him by making him the hero of how own fantasy.
I agree, it was in Claire’s head although it was Aurora who was dictating the scene which makes me think that she is aware of things similar to Cid.
Absolutely. The fact that he could just heal everyone in one go and no one is like this is stupid is incredible. I love how easy it is for him and yet it’s still thoroughly exciting.
There are some complications with Aurora taking over Claire’s body given that she obviously likes Shadow, and now that Claire knows that Shadow saved her but doesn’t know Cid is Shadow will cause all sorts of problems.
He didn’t die saving someone though. He ran head first into a truck in a delusional state as he sought magical powers… Sounds more like coma dream. Either way, I can’t wait to find out what’s going on, because something is!