Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
The Eminence in Shadow Episode 10 – Quick Summary
In The Eminence in Shadow Episode 10, “The Sacred Land, City of Deception,” Cid tried hard to blend in by getting all bandaged up in the medical tent. However, Princess Rose found him and pledged her heart to him, given how he had saved her life. That meant things got complicated. Alpha, acting on intelligence, told Cid to head for the Sacred Land ford a festival. Rose was also headed that way. Can Cid get away from her long enough to perform his mission? Will Beta’s book launch (yes, book launch) go well? And exactly what is Alexia planning to do on her trip to the Sacred Land, given what she’s buying from Gamma’s department store?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from The Eminence in Shadow Episode 10
Cid has got to find a way to let Rose down gently. Or maybe that’s impossible, given who Rose is! Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
I felt sorry for Sherry during the last arc. Not only because of what happened to her mom and how her adopted father had betrayed her. But also because of how any relationship she might have had with Cid was doomed from the start. Cid’s just not into that kind of thing.
I’m getting similar vibes from Rose. I also have a feeling she’ll be harder to get rid of than Sherry. Rose is very, very extroverted, and she’s used to getting her way. Cid’s going to have a hard time keeping her at arm’s length.
Rose uttered what might be the understatement of the season. It’s also my favorite quote of the episode. After arranging for Cid to travel with her in her private train car, she waxed poetic about how their relationship was preordained. Yet, given his social standing, she foresaw trouble.
Taking Cid’s hand in both of hers, she said (14:08), “I am quite certain that our path together will be a thorny one.”
Yeah, she’s got that right!
Favorite Moment from The Eminence in Shadow Episode 10
Alexia must be an outstanding writer. Because she knows exactly how to use her punctuation marks! Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Channeling Lycoris Recoil
I wonder if we’re seeing the start of a trend? Remember Lycoris Recoil? Remember how episode 4 was all about Takina’s panties? There were two things that I found remarkable about that episode. First, before that episode, I can’t remember seeing an entire episode about undergarments. Agent AIKa doesn’t count despite its remarkably high PPM (Panties Per Minute) — it was ostensibly about spy-craft and the panty content was incidental.
Though we all know that was just a facade.
The second thing remarkable about Lycoris Recoil’s fourth episode is that not once did we ever see the subject. The show wasn’t just circumspect. It was practically chaste! But in reality, it was very flirtatious. In fact, I’d suggest that it was extremely effective from that perspective. I remember that episode better than if Takina had spent the entire episode traipsing around in her undergarments. Because anyone can animate lingerie. It takes an artist to fully engage your imagination.
Speaking of imagination – when Gamma was showing her thong to Iris, the camera followed this store worker as she prepared the merchandise. Talk about a great way to engage the imagination! Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
My favorite moment was a work of art. Actually, it boiled down to a single sound. But it was very much in the flirtatious vein. Alexia had gone shopping for stuff she would need on her trip to the Sacred Land. She had brought Iris with her. Since they were royalty, Gamma made sure to give them the literal royal treatment.
Setup: Gamma Picked Up on Alexia’s Subtle Request
Alexia tried to describe what she was looking for without describing what she was looking for. Iris kept asking her questions and she kept giving irrelevant answers. Finally, Gamma caught on. She might not be able to walk down stairs without face-planting, but she’s shrewd when it comes to business and fashion. She asked one of her helpers to bring out the prize merchandise.
Which was very lacy, very sheer, and very revealing panties. Gamma gave them a name that was apparently not well known in this world: thongs. Iris was so scandalized she could barely breathe. On the other hand, Gamma had practically read Alexia’s mind. She immediately began examining the wisps of fabric.
Gamma pointed out that “the menfolk” seemed to very much appreciate the craftsmanship that went into the design and construction of those garments. Okay, she said guys liked them. But it sounds better the other way. Iris’s scandalized level went through the roof. She turned to Alexia and begged her sister to tell her that’s not what she had in mind.
I have to admire Alexia’s energetic and quite well-founded confidence! Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
This next quote was so almost my favorite moment. Alexia answered (09:44), “I am confident that I have finely shaped buttocks.”
For the record: Alexia’s insight into this subject is spot on. I applaud how accurate she is. I also applaud her resolve, because she was absolutely determined to try them on. She drug Iris with her into the changing room. She tried them on and pronounced them comfortable despite Iris’s increasingly shrill assertions that there wasn’t enough fabric — and what was there was see-through.
Delivery: Alexia is Better Than Iris on Some Fields of Battle
Keep in mind we have not seen Alexia in these panties. The entire conversation is happening off screen. In case you’re wondering, that’s a great way to engage the human imagination, which is adept at, well, imagining. Now, the camera switched to Alexia and Iris in the changing room. Iris has objected so much that Alexia backed her sister against the wall. Wearing only a shirt and (as far as we know) the panties she had wanted to try on, she said she really wanted to chart her own course in life. She wanted to do her own thing. But if Iris forbid her from buying the thong, she would obey.
But Alexia had one more card to play. She said (11:23), “So please answer me this, Iris.”
Now, for the first time, the camera shows us a shot of the topic of the scene. But it’s just the very top, along with Alexia’s left hand. As she says these next words, she runs her finger under the leg’s elastic. “Do thongs really deserve your absolute and unwavering rejection?”
Alexia outperformed her sister on this particular field of battle! Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Alexia snapped the waist’s elastic band to punctuate her sentence. And I must say, that was really effective punctuation. It should have its own section in Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. In fact, that’s my favorite moment, right there! But I think what happened next was a great denouement. Pressing her face even closer to her sister, Alexia demanded an answer by saying, “Iris?”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘absolute’…”
That’s the way to deliver flirtatious humor. It’s an underrated art, and I was happy and impressed to see that The Eminence in Shadow was up to the task.
What did you think of Cid’s scenes with Rose? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to share in the comments!
The Eminence in Shadow Episode 10: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! | The Eminence in Shadow – Episode 10 discussion
- RABUJOI: The Eminence in Shadow – 10 – Advent of Chaos
- OTAKU SINH: Tempting Fate with a Wobble Wobble, Jiggle Jiggle! The Eminence in Shadow Episode 10 [Review]
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 1: The Hated Classmate
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 2: Shadow Garden is Born
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 3: Fencer Ordinaire
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 4: Sadism’s Rewards
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 5: I Am
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 6: Pretenders
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 7: A Fencing Tournament of Intrigue & Bloodshed
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 8: Dark Knight Academy Under Attack
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 9: The End of a Lie
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 10: The Sacred Land, City of Deception
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 11: The Goddess’ Trial
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 12: The Truth Within the Memories
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 13: A Bloody Showdown as an Offering to Annihilation
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 14: Your Life, Your Wish
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 15: The Strongest Weakest Man
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 16: Unseen Intentions
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 17: The Moonlight That Pierces the Darkness
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 18: Betting on a Moment
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19: Dancing Puppet
- The Eminence in Shadow Episode 20: Advent of the Demon
Gamma has a fantastic future as a salesperson.
Eminence has really grown on me. Started out as a fun bit of shounen isekai and got interesting.
I’d buy whatever she’s selling!
I gotta agree with you — this show started fun, but especially in the last several episodes, it’s accelerating! It actually has me looking forward to Wedneday!
Alexia *finally* got a one-up on her sister! Whoo! And that is all I am going to say about that! 😉
As for Rose, I read your sentence, that she might be harder to get rid of than Sherry, and my mind went to exactly what just went into getting Sherry gone, namely, the murder of her father in the midst of a burning school and her quest for revenge. And she’s not exactly aware of Cid’s identity as Shadow, so she’s not entirely gone forever, either! I do not want to see what, exactly, tops that, ya know?
I have to say, Cid is definitely taking the whole obtuse male character thing to a great extreme. How, how, HOW could he hear what Rose was saying and think, “She’s trying to convert me to her religion?” I mean, the one saving grace here – as far as suspension of disbelief goes – is that we know that his mind is entirely wrapped up in delusions. If he can keep pretending to himself that the Cult isn’t real and that he isn’t fighting a real war, then I suppose an extreme mistranslation of Rose’s words and behavior is believable. But, still! Good grief!
As for the ongoing plot, I am wondering about the mystery involving the heroes, which that religious official might have known about. I can appreciate Cid staving off a sword with a little wooden spoon, as well as Epsilon’s entrance. I’m looking forward to seeing how things unfold, partially because we’ve already been so thoroughly surprised by this show. 🙂
Alexia really is in a different class than Iris, at least in that realm!
I’ll grant you my line about Sherry and Rose lacked sufficient context. That’s the problem with trying to write within the confines of a specific format — or maybe its a problem with my writing skills!
Though I suppose it could be both…
What I had hoped to convey is that from Cid’s perspective, all he really did to contribute to Sherry’s departure was not tell her the truth. That was straight-forward. The rest of it, including putting down Sherry’s adoptive father, felt to me like “this is one thing, that’s another.”
But I admit it’s an artificial distinction.
I think you’re right about Cid. His delusional state explains a lot. But, yeah, believing that Rose was going to try to convert him in her nightgown, carrying her pillow… that’s extreme delusion!
The heroes, the church/religious hierarchy, all of that — it’s surprisingly complex for a show about a character as delusional as Cid! Or maybe it’s just because we only catch glimpses of those wider issues when Alpha or another of the Girls of Shadow Garden is the point of view. And I agree — the show’s been surprising in a good way!