Kadokawa recently revealed exciting news: Shadow Garden Numbers, a group consisting of Ikumi Hasegawa, Maaya Uchida, Mayu Minami, and Ryōko Maekawa, will perform the second ending theme song of Daisuke Aizawa’s The Eminence in Shadow (Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!) anime adaptation.
The ending theme song is titled Polaris in the Night. The season will premiere on October 4 at 10:30 p.m. JST on AT-X, followed by broadcasts on other networks. This season promises 12 exciting episodes, with HIDIVE handling streaming duties and offering an English dub simultaneous to the Japanese premiere.
The anticipation is building for this anime, with HIDIVE and Kadokawa having already treated fans to a world premiere screening at Anime Expo on July 1 earlier this year. The creative team from the first season is returning for this second installment at studio Nexus, and the opening theme, grayscale dominator, will be performed by the duo OxT.
For those who enjoyed the first season, the wait is almost over, as the sequel continues the isekai story that premiered in October 2022 and concluded last February.
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Everything to Know About ‘The Eminence in Shadow’
The anime is directed by Kazuya Nakanishi and produced by studio Nexus. Makoto Iino is adapting Tōzai’s original character designs, Kanichi Katou writes the scripts and Kenichiro Suehiro composes the music.
The story was initially serialized on the “Shōsetsuka ni Narō” website by Aizawa in 2018 and found its way into physical volumes published by Kadokawa, featuring art by Tōzai, starting with the first volume in November 2018.
Anri Sakano released the manga adaptation, which made its debut in Kadokawa’s Comp Ace magazine in December 2018. Additionally, a spinoff manga titled “Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! Shadow Gaiden” (The Eminence in Shadow- Shadow Side Story) was launched by Seta U in Comp Ace in July 2019.
Fans of the series were also treated to “The Eminence in Shadow: Master of Garden” game, which made its debut on iOS, Android, and PC platforms in November 2022. Crunchyroll Games took charge of releasing the game in English.
The Plot
Some people just aren’t cut out for the flashy hero or villain gig with all the dramatic flair. Cid, on the other hand, prefers the shadows, where wit and cleverness dominate. When he’s unexpectedly transported to another world (isekai’d), he seizes the chance to become the mastermind he’s always imagined.
Cid weaves a web of deception and finds himself at the top of the clandestine Shadow Garden organization, battling a cult (that he completely made up). Little did he know, his wild fantasies collided with reality as the very cult he fabricated turned out to be all too real, and they were none too pleased with his meddling in their sinister affairs.
How was Season 1?
The Eminence in Shadow, a power fantasy parody, embraces the inner child in all of us who once dreamt of being an unbeatable hero.
Our protagonist seeks to be a plain-looking guy with hidden strength, and the show delivers this with a hilarious twist. While it’s not for those craving intense battles, the meta-breaking fights add a unique flair. The humor here differs from Overlord; our hero just wants to be the coolest in the room, making up absurdities that somehow turn out true.
While fights impress, the animation feels unbalanced, and some scenes appear lower in resolution. The ED stands out visually.
For isekai and power fantasy enjoyers, Kagejitsu or The Eminence in Shadow is a worthwhile watch. If you can roll with the humor, give it three episodes to see if the plot hooks you. Personally, it’s 9/10 for me.
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