Two Sides of the Same Coin: Voicing Cid in The Eminence in Shadow

ANN's coverage of Anime Expo 2023 sponsored by Yen Press!

The Eminence in Shadow follows a young man named Cid who would much rather train to be the ultimate background character and use his strong powers to change the scene from the shadows instead of being in the spotlight himself. After dying and being reincarnated into a new world with magic, Cid finally has the tools to play out his ultimate power fantasy. After forming an amazing team of powerful, competent women and developing his own abilities, Cid is ready to take on the secret organization that seeks to take over the world!

The problem is that while Cid is the one who formed his team, he thinks he's playing a self-aware game that he's making up as he goes along, not realizing that the secret organization actually exists. We spoke with Cid's voice actor Seiichirō Yamashita about voicing a character with two different sides and what makes The Eminence in Shadow anime so unique.

ANN: How did you first acquire the role of Cid for The Eminence in Shadow anime? Did you audition? Were you called in? What was the process like?

Seiichirō Yamashita: During COVID, I started doing a lot of auditions from home, and I got the audition for this one for Cid. I recorded it at home and sent it to my agency. So, it's kind of lonely work being all by myself at home. But the agency that gave me the audition got back to me after a little while and told me I had the job. I was very surprised and happy about that!

ANN: This genre of show seems like it's new for you. You know, the whole “character dying and being sent to another world and they need to adjust to a new way of life” genre. What was it like jumping into such an eccentric version of that type of character?

Seiichirō Yamashita: So you're exactly correct! The genre that you just described, the sort of “being reincarnated in a fantasy world” sort of thing, is great, and I had always thought, “Oh, it's too bad that I'm not getting those kinds of jobs. I guess maybe it's just not meant to be.” And then this came along, so I was very surprised. When I was called for the audition, I checked out the original novel. It was really incredible. The theme of the story is really obvious and strong, so I liked that a lot. And it's well-liked by many as well. So it felt very fresh and exciting to be involved in such a project!

ANN: I want to focus on the story you mentioned at the panel about doing multiple takes of his catchphrases and declarations. Are there any particular scenes or moments with Cid that stand out to you? Either because maybe it took a while to get them right, or you were just so overwhelmed by either the comedy or the seriousness of it.

Seiichirō Yamashita: So throughout season one, there were a lot of areas where I had to switch back and forth between Cid and Shadow. They're very different in the script as well, and they're even listed as different characters, “this is Cid's line, this is Shadow's line,” and that sort of thing. But when I was actually in the booth recording, I was sometimes asked, “Oh, stick with Cid” or “Don't switch over to Shadow for this part.” Or they would even change it from what was in the script. So having to make that switch and that flip was really difficult. It was kind of a technical thing for me as well because it really was like flipping a switch and being a different person when I voiced those two characters.

ANN: It's funny you put it that way because Cid is putting on an act. He thinks it's all kind of a game and that everyone is in on the joke. What do you think would happen if he just unequivocally found out that he was right about everything he was making up and that things were actually serious?

Seiichirō Yamashita: So I think about exactly what you just mentioned sometimes because the original series is still ongoing, of course. So I think it's going to be a big plot point when he sort of finds out or how he finds out, or even if he finds out. So the question of what he will think is a big one in my mind as well. Although I kind of have a feeling nothing will change for him, and he won't really care, I'm curious if the moment comes

ANN: Is there anything more you'd like to see from Cid as a character to get to know him better?

Seiichirō Yamashita: So in the video game, I was able to discover parts of the character that I didn't know before, and so I really appreciated that. Cid puts a lot of effort into the things that he does. He works on his magic, and he trains a lot, and that was sort of when he discovered Alpha. Discovering Alpha was kind of the beginning of his story. So it was great to get to know him a little bit deeper in the video game. And because he becomes another character, Jimina Seinen, in the latter half of the anime. It's almost like he doesn't even have any limitations to what he could be

ANN: Cid has many different faces, and he uses them skillfully. Who would you say is the real person? Cid or Shadow?

Seiichirō Yamashita: Oh, that's a really hard question to answer, but I think what he really wants as a person is sort of represented by Shadow. I think Shadow is like his true nature in many ways. But I think the real “true self” is like the monologue that you hear in Cid's head. You get to hear what's really going on. Shadow is really sort of more like his way of life, which is kind of weird, I guess, in some ways. But yeah, that's what's really portrayed by Shadow.

ANN: Cid wants to put on a play or a performance, and similar to a little kid who uses his imagination to come up with these big bad guys that he wants to fight. Have you ever done something like that when you were younger?

Seiichirō Yamashita: Myself, yes. So I think kids, especially boys, tend to dream or they have a vivid imagination. We play pretend, essentially, and there are some who also truly worry about things in an imaginary world as if they could really happen. For Cid, it's kind of like, “Oh my God, what if terrorists come to the school?” kind of thing. But I tend to imagine, for instance, if I had this tremendous power like Cid did, what would that be like? That sort of thing. But it's a little different, I guess, from what you're saying. But I do have those moments.

ANN: Would you say you channel those moments when you're playing Cid?

Seiichirō Yamashita: Yes, I definitely do. It's kind of like remembering the freedom to combine that feeling of power and just think back to, “Oh yeah, I remember how it used to be to imagine things like that,” and just kind of go into it. It's not like I use that per se, but it's more like I remember the good old days, and that becomes part of it.

ANN: When it comes to Cid, as we talked about before, he's putting on a performance for everybody, but no one else really gets that performance except for him. Isn't it kind of interesting that you're also putting on a performance through him? It's almost like it's your job not to get noticed as an actor behind a character the way that Cid doesn't really want to be noticed by anybody.

Seiichirō Yamashita: So I think maybe I'm not as particularly talented as Cid is in some ways. He'll say things really off the wall, and they'll turn into part of the story. I think that's really because of his luck. He has incredible luck, and it kind of makes you nervous as an audience member watching because it's like, “Oh no, here he goes again.” But because of his amazing luck, it's exhilarating to watch. I think that's something Cid can do that maybe I can't do.

ANN: Well, while luck is something outside of your control, I think you're doing an amazing job!

Seiichirō Yamashita: So your words mean a lot! I'm just really happy that even though I'm speaking in Japanese, the anime still comes across, and audiences are enjoying this outside of Japan. I'm embarrassed to say myself, but watching movies or other shows that are in different languages sometimes makes it hard to grasp some of the detailed nuances and that sort of thing. So I'm just honored that you can feel it, and I think it's amazing that through anime, we get to share this kind of understanding, and it's just like, wow, humans are amazing!

ANN: If you had Cid's abilities, if you could control this secret organization that would help things behind the scenes, what do you think you would do with that power?

Seiichirō Yamashita: So like Shadow Garden.

ANN: Yes.

Seiichirō Yamashita: So if I were actually Shadow because there are the seven women, I think I would just be incredibly nervous being around them all the time! So I don't think I would really be thinking about ruling the world or what I want to do. I think I'd just be a nervous wreck. That's my real answer because humans are great sometimes, and Cid is really impressive in that way. But if I really had that power, then I think I would sort of make things better by just improving things around myself and my environment. That sort of thing.

ANN: That's totally fair! With season two now coming out, I know you can't tell us anything specific, but is there anything that you're looking forward to exploring either in the story or through Cid?

Seiichirō Yamashita: So in season one, there's a lot of sort of side stories and subplots that are introduced as well. So I think it was exciting to see so many big things happening. In season two, I think you're going to experience being introduced to so many new, attractive characters. So if you liked season one, then season two is going to be even better. So I just hope everybody enjoys it.

ANN: I'm sure we will. Thank you so much for your time!