The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 31) – Determination
Cid makes a startling discovery that should give Rose the push she needs to become a tyrannical ruler, however, she struggles to cope with this information. By the time of the wedding, she should be there though!
The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 31) – Determination
What happened?
Cid attended one of Epsilon’s piano performances when Margaret, Rose’s personal maid sat down next to him. She was worried after losing him in the gardens. Then, she went on about some strange guild following her around and how she believed that his master was seeking to control his talent. Of course, Epsilon showed up and took Cid’s other hand as the two continued to argue. Cid, wanting no part of it slipped out of his clothes and sat down at the piano to play a routing melody in his underwear… After that was over, he went for a walk to see what he could find out which was when he stumbled upon Perv Asshat and Rose’s mother talking about killing Rose after the wedding. This could come in useful, especially as he believed that the only reason Rose hadn’t taken over was because Perv had her mother as a hostage.
That night, Shadow appeared before Rose and told her to see the truth. He showed her Perv and her mother having sex, still talking about how she drugged the king and that they should have killed Rose first. Rose was beside herself. She threw up and then passed out. Shadow returned her to her room. She woke to find Cid playing the piano on her balcony. He talked about the things he wants and the things he doesn’t. He likes the moonlight because it forces us to focus on what we want without distraction. Then, he vanished leaving the Ring of Succession behind. However, he didn’t mean to. Oh well. Three days later, Rose enters the church and refuses to marry Perv. She put on the ring and it played a message for the entire kingdom incriminating Perv Asshat.
What did you think?
This was without a doubt the best episode this season. It was a complete return to form. I mentioned in the last episode that I thought Rose’s mother was more involved with the plot than it appeared, however, I never expected her to be ready to kill her own daughter. Still, it’s nice to have that confirmed, although the scenes where they were making love and talking about killing the King and Rose were quite uncomfortable. I can see why Rose threw up so much she passed out. Talking about Rose. Damn, she really has had it rough and I’m not sure how things can turn around for her. At least, becoming the ruler of the Oriana kingdom will give her some space from Cid, although she’ll always have a thing for him.
So, Cid managed to get the job of playing the organ at the wedding and continued to play the melody that he always plays for Rose. It’s almost like a trigger to get her to step up. And step up she did! Take that Perv and Rose’s mother. I was a little disappointed that it was Mordred who beheaded them and not Rose, but then she’s the hero so can’t have her just executing people. The only person we’ve seen her kill was her father and that was to save him from Perv’s control. We also got to see the Black Rose and then watch as this immortal god from another dimension lost an arm to Shadow. I laughed so hard when I saw Mordred’s face!
What have you learned?
Cid accidentally losing the really important ring and Rose finding it is what this show is about. I love the way it weaves these coincidences into the story, making each one a significant event that moves the story forward. I find them more entertaining than when Cid makes a statement, thinking one thing, but in reality, it’s something else. Those are fun, but not as clean.
This series is also best when bad things happen to bad people, especially when Shadow has something to do with it. That’s why this arc resonates with me more than the previous one where Shadow Garden were on the receiving end. To be fair, Perv has had it coming since the end of the last season, so it’s nice to see him get his comeuppance. And, for Rose’s mother to get her so soon after the revelation of what she’s up to also felt long overdue. At least her father was good to her… and she had to kill him… Poor Rose. Anyhow, the next episode will hopefully give us Shadow versus the Black Rose and Shadow versus Mordred. There’s lots to look forward to.
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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Hey, I was playing around with videos and I found something hilarious.
Play two videos at once.
1. The 2nd Trailer (it’s 43 seconds long) for the final episode of Season 2.
2. Darkwing Duck theme (Start on 0:17 of the video)
After what she had seen, Rose understood that she didn’t went back to square one, not even zero. She dropped to “Minus One”.
Thankfully, Cid (unknowingly) gave Rose a lesson which is what this whole season is about: Sacrifice.
In Season 1, Cid revealed that to get to his dream, he had to “trimmed the fat”, remove the unnecessary things that was slowing him down. Season 2 delved into that.
Others had tried to do that but still they, including Cid, failed. Not only that, they never considered how their own actions affected those around them.
Elizabeth ended her own life to prevent another tragedy, only to make it easier for Crimson to restart it again.
Gettan betrayed his tribe to side with the Cult and gained power but at the cost of turning Yukime against him.
Cid became John Smith and betrayed Shadow Garden, leaving many of its members heartbroken. As much as that action really painted Cid badly, it’s ultimately necessary as it makes the conclusion that more impactful and satisfying.
Season 2 isn’t Cid’s story, it’s Rose’s, a person that we became invested in her journey and hardships.
Rose joined Shadow Garden in order to protect her kingdom however she suffered setback after setback, making the same mistakes others had done before.
Yes, Rose made mistakes because she did it out of love for her family and people but Cid makes the point or at least, the point Rose understood. That love is two-way: You love them but they also have to love you back.
So instead of her doing what she thinks her loved ones want, do what they actually want.
In a way, Cid’s message about focusing on the things you want and how the moon-light helps him to ignore the distractions was kind of poetic. I can see why Rose would get inspired by that, especially after everything she’s been through.
And after everything she’s been through this season, Rose really deserves a happy ending. Although, it she every realises that Cid doesn’t love her back, it cold undo everything.
So, Perv and Rose’s mother are dead, Rose ascends the throne with her name cleared, Shadow annihilates the terrible weapon of old, and Mordred, who has evaded Shadow Garden pretty well until now, is caught, topped off with enough collateral damage that Shadow’s invincibility is that much more established and the local populace will probably see Rose as their savior. Once again, Shadow is a god in the eyes of his followers.
I have to laugh at Perv, of course, as all his schemes came undone. First he finds the ring gone at the height of his monologue, then he is exposed and everyone turns against him – yes, that’s how it works, Perv, you cannot trust people who are yours only because of what you can do for them – and finally he’s beheaded before he even knows what hit him. Now that’s a rough day at work. 😉
Indeed, he will have achieved everything that they thought he was going to… Meanwhile, he failed to install a tyrant or make any money. It’s kind of funny when you look at it that way.
It was good to see Perv’s entire plan fall apart right in front of him. And then Rose’s mother got her comeuppance too.
Also, despite Perv presenting himself as a somewhat serious threat last season, S2 really shows how completely pathetic he is.
He never really took part in any fights, he lets his soldiers and connections to do the work for him. Then, there his relationship with Rose’s mother is disgusting, showing how far he’ll degrade himself to get what he wants.
By the end, Perv got betrayed by everyone since unlike King Oriana, they were all spineless fools that turn on anyone if that meant saving their own skins.
Yeah, they had him looking like a pretty sinister strategist but he turned out to be hopeless. I never really expected him to be a fighter like some of his other opponents, which is what may have made him more interesting, to start with. In truth, everyone has been shown to be weak when they end up against Shadow so it’s not unexpected.
Rose going to need to clear out all the sycophants if she has any hope of ruling well. As they’ve shown they’ll support whoever serves them best and change sides at the drop of a hat.