English Dub Review: The Eminence in Shadow: “Sadism’s Rewards”

Overview: Cid (Adam Gibbs) suffers heavy abuse at the hands of the academy’s knights as Alexia (Olivia Swasey) deals with being abducted by a blood crazed lunatic. 

Our Take: Watching Cid put on a charade, pretending to be a weakling and getting the crap beat out of him can be frustrating, especially in how he could make quick work out of the knights. With that said, it is easily forgiven in how equally amusing his nonchalant attitude about the situation and how slick he thinks he looks. 

Alexia’s torture at the hands of a scientist with a blood fetish, specifically her own, as it contains demon DNA, is surprising. How she entertains his derangement is enjoyable in her dry wit coupled with a directly obliging disposition. 

Cid is still dim-wittingly unaware of the Diablos Cult. How he rationalizes the Shadows continuing to visit him, bringing updates of their expansion in them encouraging his role-playing is ridiculously dumb in the best way possible. The entire thought process behind scrambling for money being extravagant furniture is utterly hilarious. 

Despite how cold she can be, Alexia’s warmer side is fleshed out. We see how that smartly shines through in how she subtly focuses the mad doctor’s abusive attention away from the mutant girl and back on her blood. 

Mistakenly believing it is merely the work of corrupt knights, Cid’s killing of the knights who tortured him is brutal yet satisfying in his dismemberment of them. The mad scientist dying at the hands of his own incompetence is amusing, especially in Alexia’s clear warnings not to give her blood to the mutant girl.

Xenon’s corrupt nature is less than surprising, considering the cliché of the gross arranged fiancé. He is also not especially interesting either with his sole motivations being money and fame. Although, he is imposing in knowing where to apply pressure in berating Alexia’s status and skill compared to her sister. It will be a gratifying treat to watch Cid whoop his ass as he comes to her rescue in the next episode