The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 28) – The Dragon’s Tears
Po and Skel find six VIP tickets to the brand new hot springs resort run by Mitsugoshi in Cid’s bedroom and decide to use them to finally get a girl. Unfortunately, they drew the attention of Nu and things escalated from there!
The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 28) – The Dragon’s Tears
What did you watch?
Will Cid finally apologise to the girls of Shadow Garden for almost bankrupting Mitsugoshi or is he going to just hide until it’s all blown over and everyone has forgotten what he did? You better believe it’s the second option. In fact, Cid is doing such a good job of hiding that he’s not even in this episode. I don’t know about you, but his actions have already left me ready to be disappointed. Hopefully, they can do something to lift the mood around here…
What happened?
Po and Skel were looking for Cid and found that his room was unlocked. When they went inside, they discovered six VIP tickets to the new hot springs resort run by Mitsugoshi. How did Cid get there and why were there six tickets? Surely, he meant to invite them and maybe three willing girls to turn the event into a date! Well, since he wasn’t around to confirm, they decided that they were right and took the tickets. They began searching for girls outside Mitsugoshis and drew the attention of Nu who wanted to know where they got those super exclusive tickets. Fearing that they had been caught, they told her that Cid gave them the tickets. Could this be a way for Cid to contact the Seven Shadows in secret? Why did he always do things in such a convoluted way?
Nu took the information to the Seven Shadows who decided that three of them would go. Of course, everyone wanted to go so it turned into a bit of a fight. In the end, Beta, Delta, and Zeta won and met with Po and Skel at the resort. They were a little surprised to see that Cid wasn’t there but were reassured that he was running late… At least, that’s what Po and Skel told them. The rest of Shadow Garden watched from the sun loungers to see if they could work out what was going on. Well, it turned out that the resort was built on the site that had once been a kingdom where a girl and dragon met an untimely demise. The dragon’s tears were the source of the hot spring. Could that have something to do with why Cid wanted to meet them or did he just want them to take some time off? Who knows?
What did you think?
All right. It’s another hot springs episode, but this time all of the girls of Shadow Garden are involved. This should be a time to rejoice and enjoy the much-needed break from Cid’s insane shenanigans. Shouldn’t it? So, why am I not enjoying this episode? I have some initial thoughts on the matter. Firstly, Cid wasn’t in it which would be fine if he should be on his knees begging the girls for forgiveness. Then, there was the matter of the six tickets. They gave Cid six tickets so it shouldn’t have been a surprise to see his friends trying to invite some people to come with them. Of course, the girls saw meaning in this action that wasn’t there. At the moment, they feel like a bunch of astrologists looking for meaning in everything. It doesn’t help that they seem to find something that validates their responses, however, the joke is getting old now. I want them to have more agency and not rely on random things happening because of Cid. This should have been a fun episode but I couldn’t get into it.
What was your favourite moment?
It was nice to get to spend some time with the Seven Shadows, even if I would have rather they weren’t fawning over Cid. Anyhow, the best moment for me was when they were arguing about who should go with Po and Skel. Nu said that she should since they asked her. That idea was instantly shot down by Alpha in a most deadly manner. Then, each of the girls tried to justify why they should go, giving reasons that they could back up with their own skills. However, Delta simply said, “I’m going to the hot spring with the boss.” The arguments continued, but Delta remained consistent. Then, when they left it to chance. Delta won. Delta gets what she wants.
Who was the most impactful character?
Po and Skel obviously got this episode moving and while they were completely useless in every sense of the word, they were the ones to draw the girls’ attention to the magic in the hot springs. I did laugh at the book they were using as their reference point for everything they did that was written by Count Virgin Boy. They really don’t pull any punches with the naming conventions in this series. Other than Po Tato and Skel Etal, we’ve had Manly Mann and Perv Asshat. Anyhow, that was mildly amusing even if they weren’t.
That said, I feel like Nu took a big step in this episode. She wasn’t one of the girls directly recruited by Cid so I feel like she has more of an outside perspective than the others and she’s starting to get frustrated with him. I loved her mafia boss-style performance as she questioned Po and Skel, especially as she had girls cleaning weapons behind her. Could Nu be the key to changing things around here? Maybe, it hinted at her past back in the school terrorist arc. I need to know more about her.
What have you learned?
The only takeaway I have managed to draw from this episode is that not all hot springs episodes are created equal. I’ve seen a lot and generally have a lot of time for them. This, however, was not one of the better ones. If you’re not going to advance the plot or reveal more about the characters, you’ve got to make it fun. This episode had a couple of funny moments, but nothing that really made it stand out. I also think the reliance on the misunderstandings from Cid’s actions took away from the girls’ time to shine. I really wanted to like this episode but I just couldn’t do it. Even the appearance of the superhero costumes from season one’s OP couldn’t save it.
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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Honestly, as much of a jerk Cid is, he at least kept things in the series fresh and moves the plot forward.
Skel and Po…..they could just “F” off. Having them together with the Seven Shadow is so underserving for the girls. Have the girls know the truth, I’ve no doubt Skel and Po would received the most merciless, unholy beatdown of their lives.
He does, but what a jerk!
And yeah, the only time I want to see Po and Skel is when the Seven Shadows are handing out a beating. They’ve had far too much screen time of late.
I think the message here is that Cid is favored by the gods for whatever reason. Maybe they are just having fun.
Damn, those fickle gods and their callous whimsy!
“Delta gets what she wants.”
That was pretty much my key takeaway from the episode!
And long may it continue.