Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute!
The Eminence in Shadow

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Not an Isekai trash/ Chunibyo to the MAX/ Dark Comedy

Before I read this manga, I thought this is just another normal Isekai or Isekai trash with harem… little would I know, after reading 8 chapters, that this manga is currently sitting at one of the top of my “must follow” list.

Before you read this manga, Cid knows that you will enjoy this manga because he has already "envisioned" it. Everything is according to his plan. He "knows"!

*Minor Spoilers*
Q: What happens when a person (with symptoms of Chunibyo) talks sh*t randomly and say something imaginary to act cool?
A: He is f**cking stupid, ignore him.
Q: But ... what if all those delusions and imaginations are actually true and the person himself doesn’t even know it?
A: o.o -> o.O -> O.O -> ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯

Yeah, this manga is about the MC, Cid, “unknowingly” created a secret organization and thought that the world revolves around him when in fact this particular Isekai world DOES revolve around him… Cid believes that the members of his secret organization are acting along with him when in fact what he happens to say or think are actually true. Even his imaginations and predictions, with no basis of proof or no shreds of evidence, happens to be true as well…

Story: 9 (Very creative; moreover, I really love that the story blur past the growing experience section and gets to the main content that the audience wants to see. Lots of Isekai cliches were being used, but turns out to be funny and entertaining regardless)
Art: 10 (When a person with Chunibyo appears to be so badass and stupid at the same time, you know the skill of this mangaka is legendary. Also, the hot ladies in this manga can’t be unmentioned)
Characters: 10 (Really really well thought out, each character has their own unique attitude and purposes. Even a poor truck-kun has his own role…)
Enjoyment: 10 (If this is less than a 10, then I don’t know why I was on the ground catching my breath)
Overall: 9.5 (-0.5 for potential error, but this manga has such a great vibe and start. It is going to be hard for this manga to be unrecognized if this kind of story content keeps on coming)

Wait a second!!! Cid already knows that I am writing a review about him o.O

The protagonist is a psychotic chuunibyou version of Haruhi in a fantasy world. Most of his delusions turn out to be true, but he isn't self-aware enough to realize it. If that sounds absurd, that's because it is - but man, what a ride!

Although the story essentially relies on one joke, it remains consistently hilarious, and later on, in a strategy similar to One Punch Man's, we see a bigger focus on the side characters, so whenever the protagonist makes an appearance with his chuuni antics, it's always a treat.

The manga also pokes fun at isekai tropes which should get a laugh out of any ... seasoned reader of the genre.

TL;DR - Hilarious. Recommend to everyone.

The isekai genre is known for being a hackneyed and predictable genre that has dominated the manga market in an attempt to be the next big thing, but ended up all being different variations of the same blank slate main character, the same harem with the same harem stereotypes, the same backstory and lore, and a plot so simple that one might think they were all written by the same three year-old.

Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute completely disregards all of these notions. In fact, whenever a stereotype shows up in this manga, it intentionally pokes fun at it in various, ... creative ways. The best instances of this occur when the main character, Cid, responds to a typical scenario in isekai. While most protagonists will say something cool in an attempt to make themselves seem badass, Cid will say something cool and then reminisce on how good he felt when he coined that one-liner and mentally store it so he can use it again.

Cid is a pretty fun character to watch. His only goal is to become a "master of the shadows," one who pretends to be a mob character but is actually extremely powerful and defends justice as a masked anti-hero. Basically, he embodies all of our childhood spirits, back when we would make swords out of dry erase markers and pretend to smoke lollipop sticks in an attempt to roleplay as badass antiheroes. Except Cid is actually blessed with superhuman abilities, effectively making him able to use this new isekai world as his personal playground.

When presented with the opportunity, Cid makes up an organization (the Diablos Cult) and convinces a young elf that her illness comes from this cult. He then proceeds to cure her with his incredible magic ability and recruits her to his side, so that he might have some fun acting like a mafia boss and pretending to attack hideouts that belong to the cult. This grows a little out of hand as his new recruit finds other members and tells them the same story, and the organization begins to branch out rapidly, expanding and accumulating immense influence at an incredible rate.

In a satirical twist of fate, the Diablos Cult ends up being quite real and the Shadow Legion actually becomes a massive force to counter them. Cid convinces himself that he's just playing around, but everything that he says during his made-up roleplays end up being true. Some of the best moments in the manga are when the side characters react to his decisions by overanalyzing everything that he does. This is a bit of an overused cliche in many stories that involve overpowered main characters, but the manga doesn't stop to dwell on anything, and jumps to something else in an instant. It's a clever tactic that prevents any of the gags from becoming stale.

Some more tropes you see in manga a lot are a sad backstory and a rival to catch up to. Cid does share a brief story of his previous life, but it's quite hilarious. And his arch-rival? A nuclear bomb.

The pacing in this manga is so fast that you might be surprised at how much you need to slow down in order to really soak in everything. It packs so many things into one chapter - lore, plot, character introductions, JoJo references, special moves - that if you don't pay close attention, you'll miss something. But even if you do, the manga never loses its charm of being brutally honest and making fun of every cliché it possibly can.

To be quite honest, most of the side characters don't really matter. They simply serve as archetypes to fill out their roles in Cid's world. But the manga never tries to make it seem like they are more than what they are, and makes these boundaries very clear. This parody takes a refreshingly unique approach to a trite genre and completely delivers with every chapter.

I highly recommend this manga. It really makes you FEEL like a badass shadow leader.

No spoiler review.
What makes a good manga story? Great Art, a Good Story, Good Characters, and Enjoyment in every chapter. Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute aka The Eminence in Shadow has it all. The manga made me read the whole web novel and after that, the whole Light Novel, and I can assure you that it's really good.

How the story portrays the main characters and the side characters is brilliant. The main character himself is a gag and the story handles the dark moments with the comedy really well. The whole story is a gag, so if you are looking for a serious manga with ... serious tones, this one is not for you. Just expect pure comedy out of this.

If you like fantasy and isekai elements you'll love the manga. Recently, there was also an anime adaptation news about the story. So, if you don't want to read the manga, the anime adaptation is worth the wait as well, it's that good. Hope they portray the story in a good way in the anime.

Edit: The anime adaptation is also really good, go check it out.

There is a certain type of japanese comedy where they are intentionally stupid and just play along with it, I think it's one of those things that you either like or you don't. Judge if you want to read this based on that first. Bottom line: Funny man accidentally badass in an uncool way but so earnestly that it becomes cool.

Isekai is currently the most popular genre in fantasy, to the point that we don't have just direct parodies doing the opposite of what's expected but a full range of absurd takes on the concept. You have the land of the failure that is Konosuba, ... you have cute girls doing cute things disguised as isekai with Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne!. And in this case you have the standard OP protagonist taking the chance to be the biggest chunnibyou* ever.

Unlike the crimson mages from konosuba that are comedic exaggerations of over the top dark heroes, we're supposed to be part of the joke instead of mocking them. The MC is living his life the way he wants and doing the most of it. When he spouts non sense badass lines he himself doesn't understand, when he worries if he's going insane for doubting a human can take a nuke one on one, or when he's training secret techniques to get his ass handed to him in the most background character way, the reader is supposed to laugh, clap and respect his way of life. He is a badass, not for the things he can do, but for his dedication to the most idiotic things possible. Everyone around him progresses in life while the invincible MC is playing pretend.

My main complain so far, with 15 chapters read, is that the initial joke where his chunni openly fake story happens to perfectly match with the huge conspiracy to take over the kingdom and destroy the world for no reasson. All the time we're seeing both sides of the story: his impression of what he's doing and how others see it; and the outsider perspective matches the world when his doesn't. That's the joke, he's brute forcing his fantasy into a working world. But the initial building block of the whole plot just happens, because. I assume that at some point it's revealed that either the world is being changed around him, he's responsible for everything bad happening, or some god implanted those ideas. But having that hanging is like a thread that needs to be pulled and I fear it will take away the fun when it does.



*Chunnibyou, or chunni, eight grade syndrome, is a term that refers to people who has self important power fantasies in 8th grade, made them public and maybe kept them in HS. For boys it's usually being a secret badass hiding a huge power (probably tied to an arm or eye) and for girls it's seeing the future or cursing people with magic. If they took it in stride it'd be just a thing they like, but being a chunni is tied to the embarassment from realizing how lame you were while trying to be cool. It's a pretty universal thing.

I'm writing this review before the anime begins because the anime is either gonna be a total hit or a complete flop - and that will 100% depend on the studio's ability to adapt the source material IMO, because the source material itself is easily 10/10.

I'd say it's very easy to mess up the "OP protagonist" story. It's common that in these stories protagonist's primary trait just becomes "wow he/she is OP!" because the character's personality is just... kinda weak with no development. Fortunately, Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! has a protagonist that is actually interesting and likable. Let's go over a few reasons ... why:

- His goals are unique + complex, allowing him to show off how he's actually clever instead of just OP.
- He is extremely confident and passionate, which actually makes him cool + he commands attention.
- Unpredictable
- He's actually funny AF.

And it's important that the protagonist is actually interesting because he drives the story forward. The side characters are interesting enough but they are primarily there to play off of the protagonist; although, we are still relatively early in the story so there's definitely room for development.

While this is definitely a character-driven story, the plot accomplishes what it needs to in order to keep things interesting. Because of how grand the protagonist is, the plot is able to become grand to match that energy. Plus, there's the freedom that the author has to essentially craft perfectly cool and interesting scenarios that fit well with the plot because they fit with the nature of the protagonist. Trust. If you read, you'll get what I mean. Our protag really takes you for a ride.

Also, yeah, the art is solid which is important for any manga that has a decent amount of action in it.

Anyway, great read. Highly recommended. I do hope the anime lives up to the source material.

What if anything you can think of when you are having your chuuni moments, come true?

STORY:
First things first, I still have no idea (and I'm sure it's intentional) whether Cid has chuuni powers or it's really all just coincidences. The whole story evolves around this trope and wow, it delivers a lot of entertainment value. However, things do get confusing at times and I feel that there are parts skipped. I haven't read the LN but there are times that a new member suddenly pops up without much introduction on who they are. And since there are already quite a number of characters, I sometimes ... have to reread to remember who a certain Shadow Garden member is again.

ART:
I have no idea if it's just Cid's chuuni powers at work, but darn, the whole Shadow Garden is filled with gorgeous women. Even some allies are also gorgeous women. So you are free to pick who's best girl. He has them all. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

CHARACTER:
Cid is just downright funny. He tries to be a mob character but is actually a big player from behind the scenes. The girls are also unique and not just copy pastas of each other. Although as mentioned above, it does get confusing sometimes due to the amount of characters. Plus, the lack of backstories to some of them.

ENJOYMENT:
I love memes. And Cid is like a meme.

OVERALL:
This manga makes me want to self-insert and be Cid. This manga makes me want to be a chuunibyou and make those poses. How about you?

Thanks for reading my review and God bless.

This manga is one-of-a-kind, legendary.

Story (10/10):
When it comes to misconceptions, this manga takes it to the extreme and delivers outrageous comedy! It does have few shortcomings, but when it comes to cracking a laugh, this is the one to read without a doubt.

Art (8/10):
With it's dorky comedy, switching between serious and crude humour. The art delivers very well. No need to be critical.

Character (8/10):
Our main character is an extreme chuunibyou, and everything surrounding him is serious, which creates the ideal dark comedy I'm looking for.
...
Enjoyment (10/10):
What did we do to deserve such hilarious comedy? This manga doesn't scream any type of trying too hard stereotypes. It's pure enjoyment and laughs. Nothing cringe. Puts a great smile on your face.

This kind of manga can't be found anywhere else. I highly recommend giving it a read!

This shit is so funny you won't believe it, I like how the character is just a big ass chuni that, with crazy luck, get's all his delusions to come true. And how stupid his logic is xD. I honestly enjoy this manga, and the comedy is so gold.

A must read if you love the Isekai genre, Comedy genre, and Action.

The art for this manga is honestly very appealing, it fits the story and the fight scenes look very nice.

The story is alright, it's basically Usopp, with crazy luck, overpowered, and have girls as his followers.

14 chapters in right now, and I can say for ... certain that this is a must read.

This manga is definitely for that Isekai Trash that got fed up with the tropes and is about to give up Isekai as a whole.

This manga is comedy gold. From the MC (Mob Character in this case) quirks that are relatable and just all-around funny to the entire situation and how what MC BS always come true and even the banter and with side characters and even his inner monologue that borderline fourth wall breaking and witty. I have not seen a comedy isekai of this caliber after Konosuba. In my opinion, it might even surpass konosuba if the core of the story is ... kept well in the future and an anime will certainly help a lot.

Story:(9/10)
A great setting that makes it feel so fresh what if a chuunibyou got trucked and what if he was a fan of the trope of edgy heroes in the shadows like Batman. Another thing that I would praise is the idea that how the author handles the cliche and basically threw it out of the window and just create new ones that parody the old one. Though I have a slight problem with the pacing sometimes it seems that so many things are happing at once and you need to reread to fully grasp it.

Art:(7/10)
Just well done it is captivating enough yet I feel a Lil dizzy sometimes as the art can be a little confusing but overall I still love it.

Character: (9/10)
This is where the author shines if you ask me MC is edgy but not to the point that it gave you a flashback to that one period you are edgy, yet just enough that it is comedic serving its purpose. I also find his interest to become a mob character which he accomplishes in extreme ways (Still want to learn Mob Fu) really refreshing as I have seen Mob Main Character that kinda failed at their job in being one. But this MC does it well that I enjoy all his attempts to erase his presence. Side characters were written well enough that it makes the comedic moment shine more as it cames from their unique quirks.

Enjoyment: (10/10)
Comedic Fresh and just all-around fun. I have a feeling that the author just keeps coming up with ideas on how to make it more ridiculous in a fun way. Also, I can see myself with his Chunnibyou characteristic if I was said.

Closing Words:
Fantastic Settings, Comedic Moments, Characters that I can fall in love if you have enough of typical Isekai Type you would love Cid type. Also, keep in mind he is the perfect Mob Character fight me.

I'm really looking forward to the anime adaptation of this manga. Really, Manga deserves a 10 rating from me. Anti-hero? Overpowered Mc? Anti-Naive? Harem? Comedy? Dark fantasy? Interesting storyline? Amazing plot twist? Everything is in this manga.

Cid kagenoh, He is the main character who deserves the title of protagonist. Hahaha, I'm kidding. I didn't read the light novel, but I think so far, this Manga is very good. I'm still waiting for the next chapter. 10/10.

Every chapter of this manga makes me laugh. Because every sentence said by MC is always true and his subordinates think that his master is very strong and knows ... everything. In fact, what is in MC's brain is only wealth and power. Hahaha, I love this MC. I gave this MC a nickname, namely: Ainz vz 3.0. Why not vz 2.0? Cid surpassed the power of words from Ainz, whose jokes were taken seriously by his subordinates and his jokes were true.

This goes beyond isekai- it's just a damn good manga. The comedic timing is spot on, and Cid is such a fun main character. Hell, I didn't even have to look it up his name. I've reread this manga multiple times because it brings joy to my heart. It definitely plays around with what's usually expected out of the 'isekai' genre, in very entertaining ways.

Like for example, usually the twist of an isekai is just in how the main character arrives there, or how the world itself operates. This manga goes beyond that, because it's not simple wish fulfillment of the author. It's wish fulfullment ... of the main character, Cid. Big difference there! It means you see Cid's antics in trying to reach his goals and all of the misunderstandings that arise along the way. It's just so good, give it a shot, you won't regret it.

TL;DR - You would do yourself, and the world, a big favor by reading this masterpiece of a manga

You know, I really do feel bad for the authors of this manga (and the LN of course). I can't imagine how tough life would be if you had to wake up everyday with the burden of creating the greatest art of all time.

Because that is what this manga and story is. Art.

A masterpiece that manages to wow you at every step of the way. It is so incredibly funny and captivating at the same time. With a great story, great characters, great action, and great comedy. ...

As long as you don't take it too seriously you will definitely appreciate the masterpiece that is Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute.

It is the best in every category it falls in tbh. Top-tier isekai, top-tier fantasy, top-tier comedy, top-tier action, top-tier manga. It has it all. And on top of all that, there is an anime in the works, so if you want to see it animated you don't really have to wonder what it would be like. Granted, none of the details have been worked out and it could be a flop, but that's all the more reason to read the manga! (Plus the better the entire thing is recieved, the better the chances of a good anime)

Is it a powerfantasy isekai? yes. Is it poorly explained and sloppily written? Probably. Is it enjoyable? Yes. Don't take the manga too seriously, because even the protagonist doesn't. Its a fun manga where the main character is fully aware of how edgy he is, and leans into it, creating his own powerfantasy. Its *almost* a parody, and thats when I enjoyed it the most. Narritive wise its not the best, nor the most intricate with its world building, I wouldn't recommend this manga if you were to take everything at face value, because then it becomes another boring OP isekai manga.

Plot: When a chuunibyou gets isekai'd and becomes an OP assassin.

Review:
Different than conventional Isekai, the story feels theatrical-like: comedic and exaggerated in execution but grounded in story. The narrative focuses more on other characters and less on the MC, like One Punch Man, which is understandable since they're already OP. Plenty of absurd plot twists which is why I recommend it for the laughs. The art is amateurish tho, although you only notice it when you focus on the art rather than the story.

Honestly, the manga is a hit or miss. If it misses, you're better off not continuing since it doesn't change much ... overall. But if it hits, as it did to me, you're gonna have a good time. Test the waters with a few chapters and bail if you don't like it by then.

Cheers.

*Note: review is on the manga version only

Story(9/10):
The Eminence in Shadow, written by Aizawa Daisuke, is an isekai manga and even in the oversaturated ocean of isekais in the manga industry today, it still manages to stand out. The story puts an interesting and creative twist on the generic OP, black-haired, harem protagonist that other isekais cannot compete with. What if the protagonist is a chuunibyou and not only that… but whatever he deludes about and says is coincidentally true?! This premise allows a whole lot of interesting and genuinely funny scenes to be conveyed. The story is neatly organized and planned out which does ... confuse me and retains my attention well. Overall, the story is great.

Art(8.5/10):
The art of The Eminence in Shadow exceeds the quality of other mass-produced, generic isekai mangas and is consistent in its artstyle. The art is beautifully drawn by Sakano Anri, as well as the panel drawings. There were never any particular panels where I was awestruck but I was well-satisfied with the detailed and aesthetical drawings of the environment, characters, and effects.

Character(8/10):
The characters, besides the protagonist, in the manga are simple, cookie-cutter personalities that I’ve seen many times before. Despite being generic, Aizawa Daisuke manages to execute them well and turn them into easily likable characters.

Enjoyment(10/10):
I really enjoyed this manga and was greatly saddened by the fact that it only has 27 chapters the first time I read it. This manga was a fresh breath from all the isekai mangas I’ve read. If you like isekai, then this manga is a must-read for you. All in all, this manga is one of few that actually made me laugh and is also one of my favorites, so I suggest you, whether an isekai-lover or not, to give it a try of 5 chapters before dropping.

Final score: (9/10)

The manga is about a dude who has a dream about being a mob and blending into the background while secretly being overwhelmingly strong and dies and becomes just that with the addition of the mc being an idiot who has the the ability to not notice anything in his surroundings and skip over blatant facts that even a 7 year old would notice. I can't explain how this series is rated above a 6. It's not funny never has been. Honest to god makes me think anyone who rated this above a 6 is a 6 year old. It's just the same repetitive I ... win because I am OP and look at how dumb I am and how I run an international crime syndicate where my followers think I am god and a genius. The art is great and the characters are decent.