The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 27) – Something Precious
The market has come crashing down and it looks like the MCA and Mitsugoshi are going to be the big casualties. However, none of that matters since Alpha has realised that they are being abandoned for not keeping up with him…
The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 27) – Something Precious
What did you watch?
In the last episode, we saw Cid/John Smith/Shadow upset Alpha and it left a bad taste in just about everyone’s mouth. Seriously, it feels like a turning point for Cid and I’m not sure if he’s going to be able to make up for it. Hopefully, he has a good plan on how to apologise to all of the girls of Shadow Garden… Although it is Cid we’re talking about so we should probably be ready for a real lame duck of an excuse and apology if we ever get one. Let’s dive in.
What happened?
Alpha had lost hope. She believed that Shadow had abandoned them for not being able to keep up with him. That could be the only reason that he has forsaken them and created a situation that would bankrupt Mitsugoshi. Gamma tried to reassure Alpha, but instead, she too ended up feeling like they had lost everything. Then, Beta rushed into the room with a translated version of the letter Cid had given her. Eta had cracked it and it revealed everything. Cid knew that the Cult of Diablos was going to flood the market with counterfeit notes so he did it first. He’s also collected large quantities of gold and hidden them in a secret location. They just needed to collect them and Mitsugoshis will be saved. Well, at least, that’s what the translation said…
John Smith went to look at his vast piles of gold and was stunned to see that they had all vanished. Then, Yukime’s attendants rushed in to tell him that they had lost contact with Yukime. It must be Gettan. Of course, Gettan. He took the gold. He was the final boss in this arc of the story. John Smith rushed to Yukime’s aid and attacked Gettan who was using the red tablets from the Cult of Diablos to strengthen up. Even so, he stood little chance of beating John Smith who attempted to beat out of him the location of the gold. Of course, he spoke in approximations to remain cool and misunderstood when Gettan’s dying words were that he would leave him with something precious, pointing at Yukime. John Smith healed Yukime and then went to search for the gold under that snow because that’s what he thought Gettan meant.
What did you think?
While I enjoyed this episode, it was also utterly infuriating. I can’t believe Cid is going to get away with treating Alpha and the others like that without so much as an apology. Now, about that letter that they translated, that told them everything. At first, I was sure that it was the random notes that Cid had been scribbling about closing the window and how to make a sandwich, but I went back to the last episode and he appeared to quickly write another note before handing it to Beta. Maybe, it was just an extra line, but it could have been another page entirely. It did look that way. However, he definitely didn’t tell them where the gold was because he was still looking for it after defeating Gettan. I’m very curious to find out what Delta found as that will probably have some huge significance going forward.
What was your favourite moment?
I do enjoy misunderstandings in stories, especially when someone gets what they deserve. The girls of Shadow Garden obviously mistranslated the page and it surprisingly made perfect sense with how it explained what Shadow had done and why. It even told them where the gold was and who he was working with. That led to Alpha approaching Yukime to bring her into their team. Yukime was all in, especially as she realised that Cid saved her when she was younger after Gettan’s first attack and had come to save her now, even if he was just looking for the gold. That whole sequence made me chuckle to myself.
Of course, the best part was the flipside of that where Cid thought that Gettan was talking about the gold which he had buried in the snow behind Yukime. That left Cid digging in the snow for a considerable amount of time, although he had to rope Delta into it in the end. I definitely prefer the way he talks with Delta as he doesn’t try to sound cool and mysterious.
Who was the most impactful character?
I guess it’s Cid. Whether he realises it or not is another question. One thing that I really didn’t like in this episode was the way that Alpha pretty much forgave Cid for everything because of the mistranslated document. He had been terrible to them and now he doesn’t even have to make up for it. To make matters even worse, he has no intention of apologising as he believes that he can just pretend it never happened and they’ll soon get over it. His notion that it’s how babies win fights was pretty apt though as he has become a giant baby in my eyes. I’m still enjoying the series, but his actions have definitely impacted my overall enjoyment.
What have you learned?
So everything played out pretty much as expected. The girls of Shadow Garden have gotten even stronger, gaining a monopoly over the economy and adding a major underworld player to their lineup. Cid ended up exactly where he was before it all started, which was pretty funny. Was it predictable? Yes. However, it wasn’t all bad. There were some fun moments such as spending more time with Delta. I do feel like we need to see Cid actually gain some awareness of what he’s doing and stop playing the fool. It would be nice to see him actually need the help of someone else for a change. Sadly, I’m not sure we’re going to get it. I don’t think humility and humbleness are traits associated with a shadow broker!
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 part where John Smith smashes his foot right into Gettan’s mouth is particularly brutal.
Anyway, I feel like this series always has a central theme about sacrifice whether it’d be Cid giving up a social life, Lutheran murdering Sherry’s mother, Iris discarding her pride or even Gettan abandoning Yukime.
I mean, it’s no coincidence Cid has been facing opponents that are parallels to him. Cid thinks they have weak foundations and excuses but that’s not truly the point. I feel like there’ll be a point where he has to understand that giving up Shadow Garden is not going to make his dreams come true.
I would like to see Cid in a dream world where he got what he wanted but at the end feels isolated and distant from something he always wanted. And then that’ll make him realize how important his connections are.
Yeah, that was a particularly brutal attack, even for Cid.
I hope you’re right about Cid experiencing something that makes him realise that by sacrificing everything he ends up with nothing, because it’s going to be kind of sad if he does slowly discard Shadow Garden and anything else that isn’t helping him get to where he thinks he wants to go.
What if this is the dream and at the end, he wakes up from a coma in the real world and realises that the path he was walking leads to loneliness and emptiness? I’m not a huge fan of the “it was all a dream” ending, but it might work here if handled correctly.