The Eminence in Shadow: Season Two Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

The Eminence in Shadow: Season Two Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 is an action-adventure fantasy exploring a dark and otherworldly world. Created by Daisuke Aizawa, The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 features original character designs by Tōzai. Executive produced by Akira Kubota (Bibliophile Princess, RPG Real Estate) and Asuka Yamazaki (Harem in the Labyrinth of Another World, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World) and Hiroaki Arai (Deca-Dence), The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 features animation production by Nexus (Chivalry of a Failed Knight, Granbelm).

Produced by Masahiko Takeuchi, Shō Tanaka (Classroom of the Elite, Wasteful Days of High School Girl), Aya Iizuka (Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest, Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious), Hajime Maruyama (Blessing of the Campanella, The Genius Prince's Guide to Raising a Nation Out of Debt), Hiroto Utsunomiya (A Place Further Than the Universe, Deca-Dence), Kazufumi Kikushima (Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, Shōnen Maid), and Takeo Mizuguchi, The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 continues the hit anime. The second season finds the characters encountering more thrills and intrigue. The Japanese voice-cast includes performances by Seiichirō Yamashita and Rina Hidaka.

Cid Kagenou (Seiichirō Yamashita) lives a stranger life than most would ever expect and one with plenty of fantastical surprises in a magical world. Cid lives under the codename Shadow. As Shadow, Cid uses his powerful abilities to run a top-secret organization. The organization fights a mysterious cult of evil doers. Cid also works alongside his sister Claire Kagenou (Rina Hidaka). Claire and Cid head to Lawless City, a dangerous city where things are becoming more intense by the moment.

The character designs by Makoto Iino (The Eminence in Shadow - Lost Echoes, Suppose a Kid From the Last Dungeon Boonies Moved to a Starter Town) are well done. There is a good degree of quality on display in the character design work. The characters are well-designed and fit the fantasy world. An effective effort by Iino.

The animation is one of the greatest strengths of the production of The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2. The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 features art direction by Beom Seon Lee (The Honor Student at Magic High School, The Unwanted Undead Adventurer) and chief animation direction by Makoto Iino (Akashic Records of Bastard Magical Instructor, School-Live!) and Usaku Myouchin (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Chivalry of a Failed Knight). The team of animators did a solid job with the art style. The animation is top-notch and has a good amount of creativity. The style capably suits the high fantasy setting. These aspects help the series to achieve a more effective and immersive aesthetic and there is something to appreciate about that in spades. The background animation has impressive art and moments that shine. The line artwork on The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 looks enormously crisp and well detailed as well.

The cinematography by Takeshi Hirooka (Sword Art Online, Strike the Blood) is a strength of the series, too. The cinematography is one of the highlights of the series. The cinematography has an impressive sheen to it and there is a lot to appreciate about the aesthetic style. The visuals work well within the darker undertones of the production.

The score composed by Kenichiro Suehiro (Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-, Uncle From Another World) works well within the series. The score adds to the action-adventure and fantasy. The music is effective at adding solid background music for the production.

Written by Kanichi Katō (Welcome to Demon School, Iruma-kun, Black Clover), The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 is a decently written anime with a compelling concept. The characters and concept add to a stylistic series. The emphasis is on the action-adventure with some decent writing by Katō.

Directed by Kazuya Nakanishi (Comic Girls, The Eminence in Shadow - Lost Echoes), featuring storyboards by Kazuya Nakanishi (Darwin's Game, Comic Girls) alongside co-storyboarder Tōru Shakujii, The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 is a series that will continue to appeal to fans of the first season. Audiences following along with the series will be pleased to dive back in and experience more action-adventure. Director Nakanishi brings the series forward with The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 also providing more action and adrenaline.

The Eminence in Shadow: Season Two Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high- definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition presentation is solid and adds to the presentation quality. An outstandingly well-produced series, the animation shines with good detail and clarity.

The Blu-ray release benefits from the quality of physical media encoding. Blu-ray disc tends to provide higher quality compared to streaming video services. Streaming video platforms tend to have lower video bit-rates and more compression. Streaming also has a lot more variables to consider – such as router quality and internet speed.

The Eminence in Shadow: Season Two Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release capably preserves the presentation with sound direction by Jin Aketagawa (anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Daphne in the Brilliant Blue). Dialogue is clear and easy to understand. The score is well reproduced on the release. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors.

The release provides lossless audio encoding. The lossless audio adds a lot to the presentation quality. Lossless audio is a hallmark of the physical media format with Blu-ray discs. Streaming services only provide lossy (non-lossless) audio encoding. For home theater enthusiasts and audiophiles, Blu-ray remains the best option from both a preservation standpoint and also for the higher bit-rates and encoding quality.

The Eminence in Shadow: Season Two Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes in a standard Blu-ray case. The release does not include an o-card slipcover. The release does not include any bonus pack-ins or collectables.

On disc supplements include:

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 3:04)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 7:40)

Em-Shade! Shorts:

• The Seven Shadows Want to Increase Their Brand Power! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want to Design Cute Clothes! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want to Start a New Trend! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want to Make Incredible Bills! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want Praise for Their Exploits! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want to Go Hunting in the Lawless City! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want to Follow the Lord and Master They Always Believed In! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want to Go on Drunken Rants Sometimes! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want to Be Seen as At Least a Little Smart! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want to Be More in Touch with Music! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Want to Show Off How They've Matured! (HD, 2:02)
• The Seven Shadows Never Falter in Any Situation! (HD, 2:02)

Episode Previews (HD, 8:07)

Alternative Previews (HD, 8:15)

Japanese Promos (HD, 3:48)

The Eminence in Shadow: Season Two Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Eminence in Shadow: Season 2 continues the adventure for fans of the program. The second season provides more action-packed episodes. The series has impressive animation and production values.

The Blu-ray release features a solid high-definition presentation. The release also includes lossless audio. The box-set also provides a surprisingly decent assortment of bonuses with the inclusion of Em-Shade shorts. The additional shorts add some value to the package and help to round out the collection. Fans looking for a permanent copy to add to their shelves may wish to pick it up and add it to their growing collection. Recommended.