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Cid Kagenou

Book Review: ‘The Eminence in Shadow’ #4

The Eminence in Shadow, Vol. 4 by Daisuke Aizawa My rating: 2 of 5 stars As the characters stumble into a mediocre filler arc, one must pluck and pry, for the first time in a long time, something of substance to pull from this novel series. The novel's bifurcated narrative structure does well to frame Cid's exploits as a dingus master of dark connotations, yet fails to build a compelling story on the whole. THE EMINENCE IN SHADOW v4 contrives a decent mid-narrative climax, only to whimper and flail its way through the book's remaining 130 pages. Cid ducks into the goings-on of the nearby Oriana Kingdom, and he has it in mind to thwart the shenanigans of an upstart duke. It's a wild, curious affair, full of kidnappings, betrayals, secret forest ruins, and a magical ring that doesn't make any sense in the context of the narrative (but is kind of cool, regardless). After all, what more could a kingdom racked by civil strife and urban power struggles wield to even the stakes than a forced political marriage? Well, that and the unveiling of some practitioners of the dark arts, a little bit of demon summoning, and a hilarious non-confession in which Cid and Rose accidentally agree they'll never be together because, evidently, that's exactly what destiny calls for. The action and drama of the novel's first half is good, if a bit lacking in organizational precision. Cid and the Shadow Garden's involvement in the affairs of the Oriana Kingdom brings peace and stability (in addition to the requisite chaos of a bloody wedding). And while it's fun to see these characters muck up somebody else's kingdom, the story is full of plot holes: the furtive ideations of secret societies, the wayward ambitions of shrewd royals, arcane artifacts of inexplicable origin and power. THE EMINENCE IN SHADOW v4 is fun but nonsensical; this time, in a purely literary sense, rather than in a broader, figurative sense. And the problem worsens in the novel's second half. After Cid defeats a fellow named Sir Mordred, the Knight Beyond Men (the bad guy of the first half), he destroys the interdimensional portal that ferried a massive beast to the local plane. And because Cid's an idiot, he jumps through the portal before it closes up (followed closely by the ever-dutiful Beta). Where does the portal lead? Apparently, to future-day Japan, not long after Cid left. The world is ravaged by dangerous magical beast creatures and is limply coordinated by rival survivalist factions. Cid and Beta must finagle their way into the good graces of the locals until they can reopen the portal and find their way home. Could be fun. But it isn't. Not really. THE EMINENCE IN SHADOW v4 bends and twists in too many ways to count, attempting to make this post-apocalyptic Japan more interesting than the parallel world the previous three volumes have done well to validate. Characters from Cid's Earthling past? Corrupt science from well-meaning researchers? Tales of bias, greed, and insincerity among humans struggling to survive? The return trip home being owed to convenience rather than to insight? The tropes are well-worn, and their ordinary nature conveys a lack narrative urgency. On the plus side, Beta plays the ingenue, and spends quality time teaching herself modern Japanese while pulling apart every piece of technology she can find, from laptops to bedside clocks. To this end, Beta's diminished role, in the second half, is the novel's largest oversight. What could have been an extended buddy-adventure instead swerves into the boorish tale of sheltering the Wild Card off-page (only to waste time on much simpler matters). The novel would have been far more engaging had the author made Beta the star of the show. Altogether, one finds THE EMINENCE IN SHADOW v4 a forgettable entry. The events of the novel's second half are tiresome and rote. The conclusion of which is predictable. The events of the novel's first half may bear some consequence on the series' greater story, but little of what occurred on the Oriana Kingdom could not have happened by way of second-hand summary. The only exception would be Mordred's truly fascinating treatise on beast magicology and the viability of parallel realms. The villain provides extraordinary detail on the nature of magical beasts, their biology, and their origin, and in doing so, the character could open the novel series to a new angle of worldbuilding. (Whether the author will actually capitalize upon this revelation is another question entirely.)

Light-Novel Reviews || ahb writes on Good Reads

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Megami Magazine December 2023 Issue (#283) - Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! 2nd Season (The Eminence in Shadow 2nd Season)

Cid Kagenou Whump | The Eminence in Shadow

1x01 - Arm sliced, actually dies 1x02 - Knocked back x2, sneeze 1x03 - Headbutts rock x2, kisses truck aggressively, very nervous 1x04 - Interrogated, [tortured; beaten, stabbed x3] 1x05 - Sliced offscreen (18:35), bloody (21:50) 1x06 - Aftermath of sliced offscreen ^ (11:40), honorable sacrifice (12:50) 1x07 - 'Striked' in the stomach x14, tackled, bandaged, chest sliced (21:40) 1x08 - Bleeding out, passes out 1x09 - Sliced x2 1x11 - Bandaged (12:10) 1x13 - Knocked back x2, stabbed x2 1x14 - Bleeding, stabbed 1x15 - Punched x4 1x18 - Choked

2x01 - Dragged (that's all for S2, don't think i stopped watching 😭)

kagen no tsuki (1998-99) ai yazawa

Cid Kagenou (Work in Progress)

The Eminence in Shadow - wallpapers

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