Zankyou no Terror Episode 5

This episode introduces us to Five. The most noticeable thing about the images below is that her face is always not in full view. This is a straightforward way of giving a character an air of mystery but her striking first impression comes from the lighting. You’ll notice there’s always light on her. In the first image it’s the summer sun, the sunlight through the window in the second and the lamp in the third. This is opposed to most of the characters who spend a good amount of their screentime in the shadow. This contrast gives her an aura of brazenness and boldness.

A few more things that make these shots attention grabbers are the use of bloom and shallow depth of field. The bloom in the first two shots highlights the character. The shallow depth of field in the first and third shot directs the viewers’ eyes to her face. This was especially effective in the third shot where the viewers’ attention is drawn to that daring look in her eye.

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In this episode Shibasaki and his superior butt heads about the handling of the bomb threat.

I think this shot best illustrates the strongly diverging views of these two characters. Notice the subtle use of a line of separation; the lamp stand is aligned with the window frame to form a line between the two. The window itself and the vertical lines of the blinds serve to accentuate the gap between them.

This deep focus and high angle shot gives us a diminutive look of the chief. It communicates Shibasaki’s disappointment and perhaps loss of respect.