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「嫌いなクラスメイト」 (Kirai na Kurasumeito)
“The Hated Classmate”
Sometimes I hate seasons like this. Not because of the shows on tap – but because everything interesting falls on the same day. Saturday this time after all is utterly ridiculous, yet Wednesday is not far behind, particularly for fantasy and isekai lovers. And what’s leading the midweek charge? None other than Eminence in Shadow.
While I had a pretty good idea what to expect from Eminence in Shadow given I previewed the thing, I must admit I did not see this sort of premiere coming. For a start you could be forgiven for thinking you’re watching the wrong show as we’re treated to the daily life of the totally popular (and not at all putting on an act) Nishimura Nishino and her running battle with Minoru Kagenou (Yamashita Seiichirou) for half an episode. Nishino you see loathes Minoru for his persistent failure to get her name right – NPC indeed, I admit I choked when that line was dropped – but in reality that means she is secretly interested in him because mysterious and no shits given. Oh yes, the usual story, except not entirely.
Where things start picking up (and getting more on script per say) is when Nishino’s past catches up to her and she winds up kidnapped because zaibatsu father brings in the money. Well, temporarily kidnapped. The resulting beatdown courtesy of Minoru physical prowess should give a pretty good idea of what to expect for visuals in this show – i.e. no flinching away from bloody and literally impactful violence – and also just what to expect from Minoru himself. Besides crazy training regimen and aspiring mastermind backstory teasing a chuunibyou mindset, you also have the humour courtesy of naming conventions and a (mostly) deadpan personality. We haven’t hit Lelouche levels of crazed just yet mind you, but something tells me we’re part of the way there.
As for what Eminence in Shadow will actually be about, well that will have to wait a week to find out. Outside of Truck-kun helping Minoru into a world replete with magic, cute girls, and lots of pointy ears (and no Nishino, sadge) it’s all imagery and hints of fun times coming for the moment, though I think you can get a good idea of where this story is heading from them.
Minoru has found himself in a world letting him live his dream, and you can bet he’s not going to waste the opportunity presented. And thanks to this premiere I for one am very eager finding out just what he gets up to in the process.
OP Sequence
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OP: 「HIGHEST」by OxT
I love the imagery of the OP. What the opposite of a shadow organization could be.
I had to double check 2 times to make sure I was not watching the wrong show as the first 5 minutes threw me for a loop. Though I have to admit, the comedy did not really shine in the premiere (subtle hints of it here and there) and here is hoping the laughs become more prominent is the coming episodes.
As someone who has read the manga, I did think I watched the wrong anime. Kageno was so damned “skinny” after all. XD The only hints was in the animation and audio department. Could really tell those shoes and his bag was real heavy when Nishino greeted him.
What I find really intriguing about this first episode is that it probably shows how future episodes will be like. Be it perspective, character dynamics or plot structure. I think you can see a lot from this first episode, even if the characters don’t come back. Hoping they could keep the quality level too, even when the budget runs dry…
Probably safe to say that Kageno is a different kind of crazy compared to Loulou. He’s serious about that nuclear thing.
According to novel readers, this 1st episode adapts content from an extra chapter of source novel Vol 4, which was used to setup a future story arc in the novels. The original intro was somewhat short and generic, although it did show you how…special MC’s delusions are.
Thank you for the explanation. Like others here, I also thought I had got the wrong show, because the beginning looked nothing like the beginning of the manga. Now I understand where it came from.
Can’t say I liked the fake-out this first episode did. I will be watching the next episode not because I feel invested, but because I feel like I need to watch it to know what my actual first impressions are