#-NO SPOILERS-
Does this anime need another review? Probably not but I felt like writing one again, so if you just want an answer to the question "should I watch it?" my answer is "yes".
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The Eminence in Shadow is an anime I've been putting off for a long time, ever since it first aired and I honestly wish I hadn't because man is it fun. That's what it boils down to really, this show is just extremely fun.
Let me start off by saying I had zero expectations going in, the only thing I knew about this anime was that it's supposedly a parody of the Isekai genre and while that's true to a certain extent, I don't think it's a very accurate description. If anything I'd compare it to One Punch Man which is technically also a parody of the superhero genre as a whole, by having the protagonist be the ultimate Super Man without the kryptonite, but at the same time it also very clearly embraces being a superhero story. The Eminence in Shadow, like One Punch Man, is less a parody in the sense that it makes fun of what it's trying to parody, but more so that it takes everything that makes the genre fun and entertaining to watch and amplifies those aspects by 10 while discarding all the unnecessary fluff. Yes it can be extremely edgy at times, but that's part of the charm in my opinion. It's not like it's trying to hide it or pretend like it's any deeper than it is, so it works regardless.
As far as the art and animation go, this show isn't really anything to write home about. It honestly looks like your average Isekai but what sets it apart is how they actually managed to make the fights feel dynamic and interesting even with their seemingly limited budget by what I assume is simply the result of having a good director and knowing the basics of cinematography which really can't be said for most Isekai or anime in general. The sound design also plays a big role in this which I think they've nailed as well; the "I am atomic" scene for example being by far the most memorable in the entire season, is in my opinion at least, in large part due to the sound design.
The story is honestly what surprised me the most. It's once again nothing that hasn't been done before and I'm not going to talk about it in-depth, but the pacing of each arc is just so perfect there was never a single boring episode. There is more than enough variety, new characters are being introduced exactly when they need to be, and the conclusions always transition seamlessly into the next arc, the show just flows extremely well.
Character-wise this anime also doesn't disappoint. Usually shows like this suffer from introducing way too many filler characters that appear like once or twice and take up way too much screen time for no reason and while Eminence in Shadow does have a ton of characters, it does a good job of balancing their appearances throughout the show. In terms of writing they aren't anything out of the ordinary, but they are definitely unique enough, both in terms of design and personality, to where you won't immediately forget them a week after finishing the show.
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It doesn't really excel at anything in particular, but there's also nothing that bothered me. It's just pure, straight-forward entertainment and once in a while that's exactly what I want. In a way it made me feel like I was 13 again, where I was able to watch absolutely any anime, no matter how horrible without worrying about whether they were good or not and I'd enjoy them anyway. And I definitely enjoyed this one a lot, would recommend.