Shadow Skill: Eigi (1998) — Story, Release Date, Rating

Synopsis:

Kuruda is a realm where martial prowess intertwines with mystical ability, and the pursuit of the title Sevaar dictates destiny. The narrative centers on Elle Ragu, recently crowned Sevaar and burdened with the unexpected responsibilities that accompany such a position. Elle navigates the complexities of training her younger sibling, Gau, while simultaneously defending Kuruda from external threats – political maneuvering by neighboring kingdoms and outright invasions. Beneath the surface of heroic battles lies a more grounded story; Elle’s struggles often revolve around practical concerns, notably mounting debts incurred through frequent indulgence. The series presents a blend of action and slice-of-life elements, exploring themes of mentorship, duty, and the often-unromantic realities faced by those who hold power.

Episodes:

Episode 1: The Power of My Blow has No Equal! (Aired: 07/03/1998)
Episode 2: Duelists (Aired: 07/10/1998)
Episode 3: Phantom's Keepsake (Aired: 07/17/1998)
Episode 4: What My Father Left Me (Aired: 07/24/1998)
Episode 5: Proud Battlefield (Aired: 07/31/1998)
... and 21 more episodes

Characters:

Arcana, Fia (Main) - Voice Actors: Mizutani, Yuuko, Auten, Christine
Ban, Gau (Main) - Voice Actors: Ayres, Greg, Matsuoka, Akio, Nagata, Ryoko
Lyu, Kyuo (Main) - Voice Actors: Ootani, Ikue, Haag, Hilary, Oeffinger, Marieke
Ragu, Elle (Main) - Voice Actors: Hayashibara, Megumi, Christian, Luci
Ashubal, King Van (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takahashi, Hiroki, Hickman, Jay
Baldy (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Vance, Mike
Bandit Leader (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Douglas, Jason
Captain (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Douglas, Jason
Caravan Master (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Douglas, Jason
Caravan Wife (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Byrd, Elizabeth
Darkness (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Kusao, Takeshi, McFarland, Mike
Deez, Gian (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ishimura, Tomoko, Crenshaw, Kayla
Di, Glad (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Mignogna, Vic, Rieger, Stefan, Tachiki, Fumihiko
Doga (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Nakajima, Toshihiko, Manley, George
Eihei (Supporting) - Voice Actors: McFarland, Mike
Fais (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Honda, Chieko, Vincent-Davis, Kira
Feorina (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takenouchi, Minako, Rial, Monica
Fransneel, Louie (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Mignogna, Vic
Fuuma, Ren (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Seki, Tomokazu, Shepard, Blake
Genrou (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hanks, Gerald
Gig, Gana (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Neya, Michiko, Schubert, Karin, Boone, Jessica
Gunsou (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Fleck, Marty
Hulem (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Swasey, John
Icks, Kor (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hickman, Jay
Jinevia (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Uemura, Noriko, Calene-Black, Shelley
Khan, Shia (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Ootomo, Ryuuzaburou, Stringer, Lee
Klack (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Gremillion, John
Lai (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Grant, Tiffany
Low, Faulstis (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Igarashi, Rei, Byrd, Elizabeth
Low, Vy (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Swasey, John, Matsumoto, Yasunori, Steeger, Marco
Lowengren, Scrib (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Yamaguchi, Kappei, Guardiola, Illich
lu Luka, Kaira (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Nishimura, Chinami, Vincent-Davis, Kira
lu Viju, Lilbelt (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Amano, Yuri, Rial, Monica
Lynn (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Mignogna, Vic
Mr. Ohiba (Supporting) - Voice Actors: McFarland, Mike
Oh, Sai (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Sogabe, Kazuyuki, Stringer, Lee
Old Mustachioed Soldier (Supporting) - Voice Actors: MacRae, Mike
Old Tall Soldier (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Mungle, Rob
Phalanx, Kain (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Hickman, Jay, Tsujitani, Kouji, Rieger, Stefan
Ragu, Dias (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Douglas, Jason, Miyamoto, Mitsuru
Sculptor (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Mignogna, Vic
Shink, Kai (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Koyasu, Takehito, Patton, Chris
Spy (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Shepard, Blake
Sutra, Iba (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Satou, Masaharu, Jungwirth, Christian, Fleck, Marty
Umbra, Lunaris (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Takagi, Reiko, Novotny, Nancy
Village Chief (Supporting) - Voice Actors: Fleck, Marty

Staff:

Yokoyama, Shinjirou (Producer)
Sunaga, Tsukasa (Director)
Kameyama, Toshiki (Sound Director)
Hishikawa, Naoki (Episode Director)
Satou, Teruo (Episode Director)
Shimizu, Akira (Episode Director)
Shirahata, Bob (Storyboard)
Yoshinaga, Naoyuki (Storyboard)
Kasumi (Theme Song Performance)
Abe, Takuji (Key Animation)
Hashimoto, Hideki (Key Animation)
Hashimoto, Takayoshi (Key Animation)
Ishikawa, Youichi (Key Animation)
Kadonosono, Megumi (Key Animation)
Kazui, Hiroko (Animation Director)
Kizaki, Fuminori (Character Design)
Kojima, Masao (Animation Director)
Kumazawa, Hideki (Key Animation)
Kuroyanagi, Kenji (Key Animation)
Masuda, Hirofumi (Key Animation)
Mochida, Takeshi (Color Design)
Nakahara, Hisafumi (Key Animation)
Nakamura, Mitsuki (Art Director)
Okada, Megumu (Original Creator)
Ootsuka, Ken (Animation Director)
Sakamoto, Masaki (Editing)
Sakuma, Shinichi (Key Animation)
Sogo, Masashi (Series Composition)
Sotozaki, Haruo (Animation Director)
Tezuka, Osamu (Music)
Tomioka, Takashi (Key Animation)
Tsunaki, Aki (Animation Director)
Yamaguchi, Ryota (Screenplay)

Reviews:

User N41X (Score: 8/10):
I am invincible. My shadow skills are unmatched. The power of my blow has no equal. With these words Shadow Skill – Eigi enters the arena to determine whether it really is what it claims to be... An anime worth your time. Story: 8 The story of Shadow Skill – Eigi takes place in the land of Kuruda, which is one of four lands that protect the Holy City of Julianess. (Each land has its own unique fighting style but only Kurudan is actually looked at beyond just name and one move.) Among the four, Kuruda is known for its long history of invincibility due totheir elite warriors known as Sevalle/Sevar. The main heroin, Elle Ragu is one of these warriors, namely the most recent one, and thus maybe not that well known at first. Along with her step-brother Gau Ban, whom she took into her care once his family was killed, they face various adventures in Kuruda. Along the way hey meet some old friends like Fia Arcana, who seems to have a history with Elle, or some new ones like Kyou, who is a member of an demon-beast hunting group. The first “half” of the series is in a bit lighter tone, concentrating more on the adventuring and so, rather than doing anything too deep. Testimony to this are the various comedy moments which are not rare for fantasy anime but here comedy does not play a major role. This however changes after a while when the real plot starts to unfold. All the seemingly unimportant things start to matter as they begin to play their main role in one man's plan to annihilate the so long managed peace. The ending is nice and fulfilling despite the fact it leaves some questions unanswered. Maybe a sequel in some distant future ? Who knows. (doubt it ^^)nnCharacters: 8nnThe characters in this anime are diverse and in tone of the old days of fantasy anime. Elle is the strong type that acts lazy but when push comes to shove she is dependable and acts mature. She earned her title and it doesn´t get to her head. She is quite protective of her little brother but in her own way. Gau, the second of the two main characters, is Elles adoptive little brother. He trains hard and does his best to be of any help to Elle. He is portrayed as the weaker individual climbing his way to fame and strength thanks to the support of his surroundings. However, he has his own inner demons whom he has to face so he can become like his older sister. This though, becomes more apparent in the second half of the story. The other characters are also done very well but they are a bit neglected. Indeed Fia and Kyou got some attention regarding their personal backgrounds and so on but the rest is either minimal or shrouded in mystery at best. We have many characters whose past has been hinted a few…
User warniefn (Score: 8/10):
They don't make them like they used too. This is a must see classic. I haven't enjoyed an anmie like this for quite a while , its just a good old school butt kicking ,ass whopping heroic in the face of death and just plain funny type of anmie , that keeps you involved and rooting for your Heroes all the way through. Story - yeah its a fantasy, but on the whole , it was well done. I liked the whole four county concept. nnArt-- old school type , but some of the emotions on the faces and the action was outstanding.nnSound- I heard only on dubbed , but it was not bad at all . The voice actress who did elli captured the mood exactly.nncharacter.- On those that the anmie focuses , they are developed very very well.We get to see their history , weaknesses , strengths and interactions with each other.There is more than hint of romance with a love triangle as well.nnThe love letter episode was classic , i couldn't stop laughing.any more would be a spoiler.nnyes , its an awesome anmie and yes it deserves to be watched and enjoyed.
User SeedlE (Score: 6/10):
Essentially, Shadow Skill is initially a unique anime which can make you laugh, feel inspired, and get connected with the characters all at the same time. But, it fails to carry through, as the ending is terrible. The well planned story from the beginning crumbles into a series of disconnected and haphazard series of screens (which are often overused). I don't want to shoot the series down completely, because honestly most of it was very enjoyable. Just be forewarned that you'll probably being tearing the hair out of your skull following the fight with Darkness.
... and 3 more reviews

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Related Anime/Manga:

Shadow Skill (anime - Prequel)
Shadow Skill (manga - Adaptation)
Shadow Skill (1996) (anime - Alternative Version)

Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Shounen, Super Power
Themes: Martial Arts, Super Power
Demographics: Shounen
Studios: Studio Deen
Producers: Bandai Visual
Licensors: ADV Films, Manga Entertainment
Rating: 7.07 / 10
Rank: #4165
Popularity: #5704
Users Listed: 16,308
Users Scored: 5,285
NSFW: No
Last Updated: 10/05/2023
Aired: July 3, 1998 – December 25, 1998 (Summer)
Type: tv
Source: manga
Age Rating: PG 13
Episodes: 26
Broadcast: Friday at 01:15 (JST)

Shadow Skill: Eigi