Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! – 13

「消滅に捧げる血闘」 (Shoumetsu ni Sasageru Kettou)
“A Bloody Showdown as an Offering to Annihilation”

Something something predictable, something something saw it all coming: can say plenty of things about how Eminence in Shadow sets up its arcs, but at least you can say they’re never particularly boring. There’s always something to laugh at and something to marvel (oh the marvelling indeed), leaving the only question what comes after the dust settles. Or you know, the fire rises.

While I’ve said it before it always is worth a mention: damn does this show keep the comedy tight. For all the inevitability of the latest matters coming down to Cid being Cid, it was still a hefty chuckle at this universe’s Excalibur unable to be pulled out by Cid, Cid ad-libbing the whole ordeal, and having said imagination wind up materializing. Well, mostly materializing. Hell even tack on Alpha just upping and leaving when the mission is complete (courtesy of Delta showing why she’s best girl don’t make me knife you over it) and Epsilon showing why busty humour will never not be funny and you’re looking at a clinic on how to keep the humour rolling and the story advancing. Only a shame there wasn’t more choice chuuni moments to complement the occasion.

The real fun of the moment, however, naturally lies with what Cid gets up to next, because oh boy are we in for some serious shenanigans. While the lack of nuclear kaboom hurts the soul, some exerting of control over the husk of Olivier certainly does the trick for wicked and proper mastermind mentality, particularly given Cid’s little spiel on the lack of discussion emanating from his swordplay with the former hero. Even without the comedy the small things like this keep me intrigued with Eminence in Shadow because they’re the thing other series would elaborate and provide explanation on out loud. Here? Use your inner chuuni and let the imagination flow. It’s a nice change of pace from the usual light novel adaptation and gives Eminence in Shadow some better staying power, particularly when affairs play out more or less as expected.

It’s not to say that masterpiece isekai is upon us, but with seven episodes yet to go I’m quite liking where this show is going.