Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
The Eminence in Shadow Episode 13 – Quick Summary
In The Eminence in Shadow Episode 13, “A Bloody Showdown as an Offering to Annihilation,” unleashed by Alpha’s command, Delta tore into their enemy, Jack Nelson. Nelson attacked with dozens and dozens of clones, each as powerful as the original. No matter how many Delta struck down, more appeared. Who will run out of energy first? Meanwhile, Cid took a stroll down memory lane with Aurora. Literally. Will they find a way out? What is Aurora really up to, anyway? And would it kill Cid to have a little more respect for the force of gravity?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from The Eminence in Shadow Episode 13
My favorite quote from this episode is from Delta, and it’s all Alpha’s fault. We spent a good part of this episode (and I do mean “good”) watching Delta just cut loose. Putting aside the obvious appeal of her disintegrating slime suit and the fact it’s clear she never skipped ab day in the gym, she embodied the phrase “wild abandon.” Her bloodthirsty glee was a joy to behold.
I like watching good craftsmanship. I can’t say that Delta is really a skilled fighter. It’s more like she’s a bulldozer turned loose in a pottery shop. The carnage can be fun to watch, but can I really say she had a lot of precision or skill?
Though I can say with a degree of certainty that precision doesn’t matter if you’re the bulldozer.
My favorite quote came at the end of the battle. Alpha had just explained to Nelson that yes, she and her team were leaving because he was just too insignificant and they had better things to do. Delta, though, still growled at him. Clearly, she wasn’t done with wrecking Nelson clones.
With a sigh, Alpha decided to use her Voice of Command. “Delta!”
I think the space of time it took Delta to go from growling in fury to utter submission was about 1 frame. “Right away!” Delta said, her expression terrified (15:38). “I’m sorry, your ladyship, sir!”
And once again, I have to wonder just how powerful Alpha is, to have that effect on a woman with as much raw power as Delta.
Favorite Moment from The Eminence in Shadow Episode 13
It’s a quick shot, but it’s a sobering reminder of the effect Cid has had on their lives. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Setup: Some Harem Anime Have a Major Weakness
I feel kind of awkward presenting my favorite moment. I mean, the show was jammed with so many delightful options – Cid and Aurora’s banter, Delta’s rampage, Cid’s and Aurora’s fight against the zombies, and Cid’s fight against Olivier are just some of the possibilities.
I’m going to choose a moment that helped me understand a little why I enjoy this show so much. In form, it resembles a harem comedy, doesn’t it? We have a single oblivious male character at the center of a large number of attractive, powerful women.
I’ve said before that I like harem anime. I’ve even inducted Monster Musume into the Caw of Fame. But it’s not that I like all such shows. In fact, I actively dislike most of them. The ones I don’t like have one thing in common: the main character has no business at the center of a harem.
I want to like To Love Ru. Lala is a lot of fun, and Momo’s planning in later seasons was great fun to watch. But I just could not accept Rito as the main character. I could not understand why Lala, Momo, or any of them would like him at all. It’s not that I thought he was a bad person. I just thought he was weak and undeserving.
I talk a lot about a strong MC. But strong harem members make a show more enjoyable, too. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Contrast that with Kimihito/Darling-kun. The guy had two confirmed super powers: cooking with almost no ingredients for a house full of monster girls and almost complete indestructibility. The latter was important because he relied on it constantly when he tried to fight on behalf of the rest of the harem. Or be the object of their affection — they’re monster girls, after all. I could see him as a harem magnet.
My favorite moment in this episode was more somber, but it was the same idea. Why did Alpha stick with Cid? Why did Beta, or the rest? Cid might well be asexual, so it’s not sexual attraction – at least, not completely. It’s something more important.
Delivery: The Eminence in Shadow Does Not Suffer from That Weakness
Under Alpha’s orders, Epsilon led a team to learn more about the Sanctuary. A zombie came around the corner, and her two guards tried to protect her. Epsilon waved them aside, though, and they watched, shocked, as the zombie attached Epsilon – and vanished. Epsilon said it had been a memory. One that reacted to them.
“To us?” they asked.
“Yes, us,” Epsilon said (06:50). “The possessed.”
That triggered memories for all of them. Memories of their bodies being terribly disfigured, their lives destroyed by the effects of possession. In that state, there was only lonely suffering and darkness. Cid had visited each of them, and through his power, he healed their bodies and gave them their lives back.
Epsilon explained that their status as ex-possessed people triggered the memories. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
In case we missed the point, Epsilon said as she looked through the Sanctuary’s experimental records (07:07), “This would be us if we’d never met Lord Shadow.”
Makes it easy to see why they’d think well of Cid, doesn’t it? It also feeds a fantasy I think many of us have. Wouldn’t it be great to have the power to help people like that – and then actually use that power to help them? It might not make a conscious impression on Cid, because to him, it probably seems like a game. Still, it’s pleasant to daydream about having that kind of positive effect on lives, isn’t it?
What did you think of Cid’s fight against Olivier? What were your favorite moments in the episode? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
The Eminence in Shadow Episode 13: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! | The Eminence in Shadow – Episode 13 discussion
- RABUJOI: The Eminence in Shadow – 13 – The Beast Girl, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- OTAKU SINH: Cid Fights the REAL Protagonist?! The Eminence in Shadow Episode 13 [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
Well, harems… I didn’t have a problem with Rito in To-Love-Ru (the first anime, which is the only one I watched; I dropped Darkness pretty quickly). I don’t worry much about whether the protagonists make sense in the position, since – to me – in harem shows suspension of disbeliefe is the default position when it comes to protagonists being centre. I see no difference, that way, between Rito and Kimihito, for example. For what it’s worth, I do agree the difference exists; it’s just not one I find relevant. The reason?
There’s this… sense of entitlement that harem shows might inadvertantly propose. I do something for you and thus I deserve your “love”. Nope, you deserve gratitude, and only if you made sure that your help was wanted in the first place (harem shows sometimes reward meddling – I wish I could think of examples, but I’m mentally exhausted and can’t think). Gratitude is a flimsy basis for love. You need to get along, too. And you need to be attracted to the person. The show does a slightly better job with the younger princess (?) and the blond sword lady than with Shadow-sama’s operatives, though, because they actually interact. Science girl seems to be on her way to become an antagonist?
I’ve just learned that this show has 20 episodes. I thought we were near the finale – now I’m not sure if I’ll stick it out. Probably; it’s not that bad. Oddly enough, next season will see the return of our reborn demon lord Anos – and that’s the show this one’s reminded me of the most – with this show being what happens when you remove the charm from the other one. So having both in one season might prove fatal for what’s left of my enjoyment of this one. We’ll see.
Good point about “doing something” <> “love.” My text made it sound like I suggested it was equal. So, my bad.
The problem with me trying to be concise is that I remove words at the expense of nuance. If I were a really good writer, I could do both — reduce word count and increase nuance and clarity.
Someday, maybe…
Still, Rito’s ineptitude annoys me to no end. I’ll grant he’s kind to Lala, and there might be a little chemistry there. At the same time, I think there’s more chemistry between Kimihito, Miia, and Centorea. Maybe Rachnera, too, though it’s hard to tell with her!
Alexia feels attracted to Cid, and the show’s given us some good reasons for it. She admires his sword technique, and he was honest with her. The praise he gave her was honest, too, and that seemed to mean a lot to her.
I’m looking forward to The Misfit Of Demon King Academy’s second season. It will be interested to compare/contrast the two. For what I’m looking for in a series, they’re different enough to both hold my interested. Provided that Demon King Academy keeps it’s writing standards intact!
When Epsilon fears an enemy seeing she’s flat: KILL!
When Epsilon is quite blatantly revealed to her subordinates: “Did something happen?” “NO.”
Absolutely nothing went the way the Cult guy wanted things to. Delta slaughtered the clones with ease, Epsilon gathered information, and they just walked like bosses away right when Olivier the Last Resort was brought out, totally stealing that guy’s thunder. And then he walks straight into Cid, who clearly has something up his sleeve. I have a certain hunch that he’ll be able to use being stabbed to draw the sword and cut the chains, but that’s pure speculation. Either way, he seems to have managed *something* with one of his crazy plans, and I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
I like how it’s not only Cid who’s powerful — it’s at least the top seven women in Shadow Garden. Maybe more of them. They waltzed in, stomper all over the Cult guy’s hopes and dreams, then waltzed right back out.
Ordinarily, I’d feel like such a display of over-power would be boring. But it’s not at all! This is giving Lycoris Recoil a run for my favorite series of 2022.
Though I guess I could change the criteria to say 2022 = shows that ended in 2022. Hmmm. Guess that’s why I don’t do year-end best of posts!