The Eminence in Shadow is one of my top favourites which I have rewatched quite a number of times. There has been, so far, no other anime produced that has been as good as this. While I am also a huge fan of That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, its score is surprisingly not as high as The Eminence in Shadow.

(Picture Source: Times of India thru' Google Image Search)

First, the concept of our main protagonist, CId. Cid has chuunibyou where he refused to outgrow his childhood fantasy of being an anti-hero working in the shadows. While it may be frowned upon in his original world, we could safely say that his fantasy is fortunately a reality in the new world he was reincarnated to. CId was oblivious to the fact that the criminal organisation he made up on a whim after saving Alpha when they were still children actually existed.

Cid also created a persona which he showed only to the general public. He dubbed it as the "background character" persona. Due to this obsessive trait of his to consistently be a background character, it made others underestimate him. This created countless scenes where Cid could demonstrate his power easily in the near future.

(Picture Source: otaku sinh thru' Google Image Search)

Second, despite Cid's best efforts to avoid drawing attention to himself when he is not being Shadow, he has a knack of getting dragged into situations where he would be placed in the spotlight. One such scenario is when he accidentally became the boyfriend of a princess in his school. There are also other incidents where he was coerced to be in the spotlight which some times aroused from misunderstandings.

(Picture Source: rimuru-tempest890 on Reddit thru' Google Image Search)

Ultimately, what drew me to this anime is the story itself. The scenes are captivating and makes me want to continue watching the next episode for more. The seven shadows who are still very loyal to Cid and their interactions can be quite light-hearted and hilarious, making what is supposed to be a serious anime series turn into a comedic relief, not letting its audience be drowned in its heavy atmosphere. However, the anime series has also provided some realistic views of the characters involved, such as Shadow Garden being dubbed by the in-show government as a criminal organisation.

Overall, the anime is one of my top favourites and a personal highly recommended series to watch.