To be frank, this arc of The Eminence in Shadow is my least favorite so far. Sure, Cid has always been self-centered to the extreme—it’s the central aspect that allows this series to work as a dark comedy, after all—but this time, Cid’s gone one step too far. It’s one thing when his dream of being Shadow drives his actions—there is a certain nobility in his insanity that makes him worth rooting for. However, that’s not what is driving him now. Instead, it’s a mixture of greed and envy.

Now, that’s not to say this is entirely out of left field. We’ve seen Cid annoyed by his lack of money—even loading himself down with treasure in the last episode before losing it all in his fight against the vampire queen. We’ve also seen his jealousy at the Seven Shades taking his tales of Earth and making vast amounts of money from them more than once. Yet, the girls have never lorded this over him. They do their best to pamper him at every opportunity—whether in his Shadow form or as Cid. Perhaps that’s why it stings so much to see him work to destroy everything they’ve built.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I get that the joke here is that he wants to destroy Mitsugoshi and rebuild it with himself at the top—even though he’s already at the top but doesn’t realize it. However, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s hurting those who care for him—and he cares for them as well—for the sake of his greed and envy. And he knows it.

Luckily, Delta is back to lessen the blow. After being forgotten for two arcs, she has finally returned to the city—though still as scantily clad as when she faced Nelson in his magic-draining field. What helps here is that, in these scenes with Delta, the better parts of Cid’s nature shine through. Seeing her nearly naked, he gives her his vest. He lets her climb all over him since she is so excited to see him again. He helps her to remember her mission so she doesn’t get in too much trouble with Alpha—and then goes to hunt bandits with her to make her happy. If actions speak louder than words, then it’s hard to debate the idea that he cares for her.

But beyond doing a bit of character rehabilitation for Cid, we also get a fair bit of Delta’s backstory. Delta, formerly “Sara,” is the daughter of the wolf beastman chief. When she got possessed, her father “hunted her” (read: “tried to kill her”), but she escaped and was found by Cid. All this information comes through her surprise meeting with Zabra. But what’s interesting here is how easily she kills her estranged brother even as he begs for his life.

While she goes on to explain she has over a thousand siblings, so it’s not like they were close; that’s only the surface level of what’s being said through her actions. Simply put, her father and biological siblings are her clan, but they aren’t her family. Her family is the one that found her and supported her—i.e., Shadow Garden. They are the ones she is loyal to. Now, that’s not to say she’s not down for having Shadow kill her father and take over that pack, too, but in her world, there is one chief she serves (and wants to make 100 babies with), and that’s Cid.

So, all in all, while I wouldn’t say I like the general direction of the story, it’s not all bad, and at least it was appropriately foreshadowed. We’ll have to wait until next week to see if Cid’s economy toppling scheme works out as planned.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• I’m happy whenever Chi, Omega, and Nu get a few lines. I love that the anime isn’t afraid to expand on the original story.

• It’s funny how “Is that really what you think?” becomes the single most intimidating question ever.

• Does Yukime live in that private train car of hers when not in the Lawless City?

• In this week’s Kagejitsu, Eta invents trading cards.

The Eminence in Shadow 2nd Season is currently streaming on
Hidive.

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