The Eminence in Shadow (2023)

[陰の実力者になりたくて!]

Season 2

Director: Kazuya Nakanishi
Studio: Nexus
Starring: Seiichiro Yamashita, Asami Seto, Inori Minase
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
Cid travels to the Lawless City in search of new adventures as a plot unfolds to revive the Blood Queen Elisabeth, a powerful vampire.

Impressions:
If you read my review of the previous season, you know how much I liked it, so I quite enthused to hear a followup was coming out. There are several series I've like quite a bit this season, but even among them, only a few can guarantee so swift a viewing. Now, as with the first season, if you don't vibe with the series' sense of humor, you're not going to get the most out of it. For me, I love how it both skewers the tropes of isekai while also playing them straight. The story is very serious to all the characters except for Cid, who is himself both genius and idiot (and more than a little pyschopathic). We get interesting new developments and some new characters I like quite a bit (particularly Yukime). I was expecting the Lawless City to be the focus of the entire season, but it only gets three episodes because, well, Shadow has a way of solving problems rather expeditiously. Of the Seven Shades, Delta gets some particularly nice moments and I love her dynamic with Cid. I also love that Jun Fukuyama voices Cid's alter ego John Smith (much as Hikaru Midorikawa did for Jimina Seinen, a.k.a. Mundane Mann, last season) and I didn't realize it at first because Sei'ichirou Yamashita's chuuni voice is a fairly close match to Fukuyama's. While Rose is far from my favorite character, I like how they handle her arc in the latter part of the season and we end on quite the cliffhanger for next year's movie, which I'll definitely be in the theaters for. Seeing the online discussion for this series, there are some people who either don't get what's being done here or simply don't enjoy it. However, for those who get into the grove that's been made for us, it's a fun ride that I strongly recommend adding to your collection.

Rating:
Own It