The Eminence in Shadow, a light novel series written by Daisuke Aizawa and illustrated by Touzai, celebrated its fifth anniversary yesterday. The serialization of the light novel started in 2017 and now has a total of five volumes out. To commemorate the anniversary, a new visual drawn by anime character designer Makoto Iino has been released.
The Eminence in Shadow light novel has sold over 5 million copies as of now. The manga adaptation by Anri Sakano started in 2018 and is currently ongoing. The Eminence in Shadow has been adapted into an anime series with studio Nexus animating it. The first season premiered in October of last year, while the second season began airing this October 4.
Daisuke Aizawa, the author of the light novel, left a message on the official website of The Eminence in Shadow where he showed his gratitude and appreciation for the fans in the light novel’s fifth anniversary:
I was aiming for the top of a mountain and before I knew it, I felt like I was flying. I am not sure what I am talking about, but I have reached a higher altitude than I could have ever imagined when I started. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported this work!
The illustrator, Touzai, said in his message that before, his life was quiet and lonely, but now, he is doing his best to work hard every day. He expressed his joy on the The Eminence in Shadow light novel’s fifth-year anniversary: “Thanks to everyone’s support, we are celebrating our 5th anniversary. I will not forget to be grateful and not let the momentum of the work get me down, and I will do my best with all my might!“
The Eminence in Shadow anime is being directed by Kazuya Nakanishi, with Kanichi Katou handling both the series composition and the script. Beom Seon Lee is in charge of the art direction, with Toshiro Hamamura as the 3D director, Jin Aketagawa as the sound director, and Takeshi Hirooka as the director of photography.
The anime is currently covering the events in Lawless City, depicted in the third volume of the novel. Yen Press describes the plot as:
Deep within the Lawless City lies the Blood Queen, a Progenitor Vampire, slumbering in her coffin for many moons. An expert at landing himself in trouble, Cid should know better than to go after her…but he’s dying to get a piece of the action. It’s time he shed his daytime persona to take on the role of Shadow! It seems, however, that he’s not the only one with this idea. Soon enough, he finds the three rulers of the Lawless City-Juggernaut the Tyrant, Yukime the Spirit Fox, and Crimson the vampire-are all on his tail. To complicate things even further, the Shadow Garden descends on the scene as the hour of the Blood Queen’s awakening looms closer and closer…
Source: Official Twitter and Official Website
©Daisuke Aizawa, KADOKAWA／Shadow Garden