English Dub Review: The Eminence in Shadow: “Pretenders”

Overview: Cid (Adam Gibbs) discovers the murders posing as the Shadow Garden as Iris (Patricia Duran) and Alexia (Olivia Swasey) investigate both his organization and the Cult of Diablos. 

Our Take: With Sherry being a supremely intelligent researcher, it starts to become clear what her role is in helping track down the Cult. It would have been better executed had it not been in the form of clunky dialogue that communicates her importance and that of her vice principal father. 

Cid does not get it and we love him all the more for it. He is so dense as to the expansion of Gamma’s huge chain of malls that it is both hilarious and embarrassing. It is hysterically stupid when he has a vast fortune at his disposal, making his scrambling for funds pointless. 

Even worse is how little he understands Alexia in believing her to be the murderer posing as Shadow Garden. The story of a raging poop he tells his friends to draw them away is ridiculous, pointing to the asinine charm of Cid and his friends chemistry. 

Disposing of the imposters is less than eventful, but it gives the newest recruit, Nu, a chance to brutally shine. It also allows Alexia to see the Shadow Garden’s true intentions in Cid saving her. However, it also brings us one step closer to the metal clad mastermind lurking behind the scenes. 

Iris is still hellbent on taking down Shadow Garden, despite her sister’s reservations. Hopefully, she doesn’t become moronic to ludicrous levels, merely serving as a contrived conflict for the Shadows.

All of the boys’ confessions with chocolate are funny in how dweeby each of them is with girls. Cid’s aloof “confession” with Sherry highlights his disregard for anything he remotely deems background character territory, not seeing the comic irony in him being the main protagonist of the series.

Sherry and her adoptive father, Ruslan, have a sweet relationship in how he pushes her towards having a normal life, despite being devoted to her research. It is also amusing how seriously he thinks Cid’s feelings are for her with the chocolates, like any normal boy would. With any luck, Cid will come to have strong feelings for her in one way or another and give a damn about something besides his dark hero persona.