Anime Best in Show

The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19: Favorites

Quick SummaryBest MomentSetupDeliveryOther Posts

The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19 – Quick Summary

In The Eminence in Shadow episode 19, “Dancing Puppet,” Cid somehow survived Claire’s wrath. Now, he’s back in the VIP section waiting to watch more bouts. Iris, remembering her past and the ever-narrowing scope of her opportunities, resolved to win her battle against Mundane Mann. Yet, she had no idea of who she was really up against. Does she stand any kind of chance? How will Mundane Mann/Cid approach the fight? And how many more sandwiches does Beatrix have in that bag?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19

The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19: Cid was in background character heaven

Cid seems to be in heaven – or its background! Capture from the HIDIVE stream.

Cid has been working very hard to blend into the background around Iris. It’s his mode of operation, isn’t it – to become the power hidden in the shadows? So this quote seemed to show that he was in absolute Cid Heaven.

He was sipping coffee while Iris and Beatrix talked to three other background noble characters. As he took a sip, a realization hit him.

“Looking around, this might be the most background charactery I’ve ever been,” he thought (06:44). As he thought that, Iris and Beatrix carried on a muted conversation with the three nobles. “A background character in the background of background characters surrounding named characters. I love it.”

It seems Cid has realized at least one of his dreams. And it only took nineteen episodes to do it!

Favorite Moment from The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19

The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19: Cid relished the opportunity to fight Beatrix

Plot? What plot? Beatrix wants to play — and so does Cid! Capture from the HIDIVE stream.

Setup: Cid and the Narrative Structure

I anticipated that we’d see Cid/Mundane Mann fight Iris. I wasn’t sure how the fight would go. Only recently, it seemed like Cid wasn’t sure what scenario would best suit him – a straight-up victory or maybe becoming an assassin.

That’s important – because it shows that Cid isn’t in this narrative like the other characters. He’s doing his own thing. That plays into my favorite moment.

I also thought we’d see Rose come back and confront Doem Ketsuhat/Perv Asshat. I didn’t know exactly how it would play out; I didn’t know what role her father the king would play, or what role, if any, Cid would play.

But the show went beyond what I anticipated. I was thinking in terms of what would be logical based on the narrative. I forgot, even if Cid didn’t, that he’s only loosely, maybe even accidentally, associated with the plot.

The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19: Mundane Mann made quick work of Iris

It’s not that Iris was weaker. It’s that she wasn’t on the same plane of existence. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.

Yes, we saw Iris fight Mundane Mann. More precisely, we saw her try to fight him. Mundane Mann’s attacks managed to make a foregone conclusion entertaining. Yes, we saw Rose come back and take action – including killing her own father! I have to admit, I thought the king forgiving her carried a lot of emotional weight.

And yes, we saw Cid become involved when Rose threatened to kill herself. “Is that the choice you’ve made?” Cid asked (19:00), still wearing his Mundane Mann disguise. That was also a very entertaining moment. Saving Rose, helping her get back on the right track, felt emotionally satisfying.

Delivery: Cid and Beatrix Dance

All entertaining; all pretty much along the lines of what I expected. Then, Beatrix got involved.

Beatrix watched Mundane Mann fight Iris. Showing more emotion than I remember seeing from her, she said she really wanted to fight him. When he revealed himself to be Shadow, you could see her start thinking about what that might mean.

And by the way, Rose interrupting Cid’s dramatic dialogue with “The Stylish Bandit Slayer!” was hilarious (19:36). And it was all Cid’s fault for using a throw-away line when he was a kid!

But my favorite moment, the culmination of a number of escalating moments, any of which could have been my favorite, was when Sir Asshat asked for someone to stop Lord Shadow.

“I’ll do it,” Beatrix said just before she lunged (21:41).

Cid just laughed.

The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19: Beatrix did not hold back, much to Cid's delight

Beatrix wasn’t holding back. And Cid wouldn’t have it any other way. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.

It’s like Cid was just done with the boring plot stuff and was ready to have fun. And Beatrix was going to help. The sheer exuberance both of them showed, the utter abandon, made the moment all the more enjoyable. 

And it all revolved around Cid being Cid. It was a moment custom made for that character, in this anime, near the end of the season. I could stand for more anime like this in my life!

What did you think of Beta telling Rose to (14:09) “Go forward, and fulfill your mission?” What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19: Other Posts

Other Anime Sites

This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)

tcrow
Copyright 2022 Terrance A. Crow. All rights reserved.
https://www.crowsworldofanime.com

13 thoughts on “The Eminence in Shadow Episode 19: Favorites

  1. This pretty much confirmed my earlier assessment of Iris, made some time ago, that her hostility towards Shadow Garden is rooted in how she finds herself playing second fiddle to them. She’s accustomed to being the lead characters, but now she’s been shoved into a secondary role, far surpassed to the point of becoming irrelevant, and she hasn’t taken it well. I wonder how she’ll react when she realizes that she lost so thoroughly to Shadow himself.

    Super kudos to Rose’s father, managing to go off-script and say exactly what his daughter needed him to say in his final moments, even though he’d been overwhelmingly addled by the drugs they poured down his throat. His death is sad, but I’d say he demonstrated more dignity at his lowest moment, and more courage in his final moment, than anyone in the Cult ever has. So, naturally, the cultist used him as a human shield, completely underestimating the resolve of both father and daughter.

    I loved how Beta took the lead in encouraging Rose as Shadow Garden cleared the way for her, and Cid’s intervention was most timely indeed. Though it was also hilarious, as she recognized his style from so many years ago.

    I have to wonder if Beatrix has actually realized that Cid and Shadow are one and the same. I mean, she picked up on the king being drugged instantly, and she knows Cid is more powerful than he’s made himself seem, *and* she persisted in asking him about her niece, Alpha, after their first meeting.

    1. I’m curious to see how Iris reacts, too. I have a bad feeling it won’t be the kind of response we got from Annerose.

      I gotta admit I got a little choked up at how Rose’s father did the Plus Ultra thing to overcome the drugs, if only for a moment. And Asshat really did underestimate both father and daughter, didn’t he?

      Though I can’t blame him for underestimating Rose. She’s more or less a member of Shadow Garden now, and, well, we all know what they’re capable of!

      I’m still laughing at a) Rose interrupting Cid’s big moment (well, one of them) with “The Stylish Bandit Slayer” and b) how much she perked up at the memory.

      Interesting question about Beatrix. She’s brighter than she lets on, I think — she might figure it out. I’m also very curious what she’ll do when she finds Alpha. If she finds her, that is.

        1. I still remember Annerose’s expression when she showed Mundane Mann she could crack her neck. Her smile was just beautiful!

          And if you saw episode 20, well, we know how Iris responded. Wow.

  2. What’s terrifying is that at any point, at any time, Cid could have just killed any of his enemies in less than a second. Imagine if one tries to charge at him, Cid could easily slices their arms off leaving them screaming as the blood pours out of their injuries. Or having run so fast that when he hits someone, they explode.

    1. That realization really shines a spotlight on Cid’s dedication to creating his moments, doesn’t it? There’s literally nothing stopping him and Shadow Garden from obliterating the Cult in a few months. Alpha thinks logistics is involved, and for her, it is. But Cid just makes it up as he goes.

      I am really starting to think his super power is materialization of his BS into reality!

  3. I may have missed something. Did she intend to kill the King or was it an accident? The King would eventually recover from his drugged stupor and father and daughter obviously loved each other very much. I would think that Perv would have been the real target.

    Leaving Perv alive and then committing suicide gives Perv a total victory. At least get your vengeance and protect the kingdom.

    1. The King was too far gone to recover. If Rose had just continued attacking Perv, it won’t change the situation. Killing her father was the only sure way to prevent him from controlling anymore of the kingdom.

    2. TBH, I wondered about that, too. I think Atomic Beast has the right idea. I got the impression that Asshat intended to order Rose’s dad to murder Alexia’s dad and start a war. I’m guessing he was too far gone to rehabilitate. Though I can’t point to anything that says that for sure.

      I mean, we know that she could carve up Asshat’s bodyguards. We saw what she could do in a previous episode after Cid healed her. I think if she could have taken her father to away, I’m guessing he would have died instead of recovering.

      But… even with the explanation, and even given Rose can make hard decisions, I think I would have liked a little more explanation.

      1. I don’t read manga. So if there was explanation there, that’s a failure of the anime.

        He remembered her and loved her despite the drugs. And we know Asshat had to keep administering them to keep him in thrall. Stop adminstering the drugs, kill the Perv and he’s no longer in thrall. Dying a normal death, rather than being murdered by his daughter.

        Even if you are absolutely determined to euthanize your father, at least first kill the bastard who messed him up. Don’t let him walk away.

        I consider it a major plot flaw. I hate it when characters behave not just irrationally and stupidly, but unrealistically.

        No daughter who loved her father would do such a thing even if he might only survive briefly as a free man. And sometimes miracles do happen. If Cid could heal her, why not the old king?

        1. I wish I had a reason that made sense, but even what I’ve made up doesn’t cover everything.

          I get the impression Cid could heal the women of Shadow Garden because their malady was magical. I don’t know if Cid’s powers can do anything for drug-inducted damage. But your point stands: even if Rose figured out that Asshat was going to use her father to start a war, why not go after Asshat himself? Like you said, killing him would stop the flow of drugs.

          I managed to overlook it, but it took effort. And I don’t think it was necessary for it to play out that way!

Please let me know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.