Zankyou no Terror Episode 11

While the finale didn’t meet my expectation of gripping composition and more dynamic camera work, I still think it delivered some interesting shots. It’s also hard to be disappointed when the finale also delivered a strong cohesive visual storytelling from the countdown to the aftermath.

The red beams in the background serve two purposes. First, they give the audience an idea of his location (Tokyo Tower), which explains Nine’s high vantage point. Second, red is a striking color further intensified by the muted foreground. This combined with the movement of the elevator creates a dynamic shot that expresses an imminent dangerous act that builds anticipation. This shot is far more interesting when seen as a contrast to this shot (cool vs. warm) and part of the visual narrative.

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The camera behind the wall, the shallow focus and a very slight shaky cam give a feeling of a first person view of Lisa and Twelve. This makes the shot feel more personal and involving. The park setting and the soft lighting create intimacy.  I like that the soft lighting wasn’t used to spotlight the characters, which would’ve taken away the subtlety of the shot.

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The explosion created an intense and warm lighting. It’s an astonishing and moving sight for everyone except Nine. As you can see in the second image, he’s unstirred by it. To him this is just a final part of a long tragic journey.

The after-effects of the explosion produced a green glow resembling that of an aurora borealis. This scene acts as the cool color contrast to the previous one. The contrast is best demonstrated by the expressiveness of Nine’s face. He’s amazed by the serene and calming sight in front him. It’s also a look of relief, as if to say, “It’s finally over.” It’s an expression reflecting the relaxing scenic view that signals the end of this whole ordeal.

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Some of these still shots show the aftermath of the explosion; the once crowded streets are now empty and the train at a standstill. Interspersed among them are stills from the earlier episodes, a restrained way of showing how it all began. This sequence of stills also serves as a breather for the audience. It acts as a transition to a playful scene of the three characters with their guards down and acting like kids for the first time in the series

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A year after Twelve and Nine died both Lisa and Shibazaki are at peace with all that transpired. The peaceful nature of the dialogue is reinforced by the use of an S-curve (stream). The graceful line of the S-curve is a compositional tool often used to evoke a feeling of tranquility and gentleness. In this shot it also acts as leading line guiding the viewers’ attention to the two characters.

Zankyou no Terror Episode 9

The thought of children being harmed would make anyone feel uneasy. This was exactly the feeling the Aoki interview scene evokes as he reveals the harmful effects of the experiments on the orphans. To create this sense of unnerving tension, the scene uses frame within frame shots and some really odd and unconventional framing to isolate Aoki. This visual isolation was a way to contrast his extremely skewed and inhumane moral values with the more balanced morals of Shibazaki and Hamura.

The first three images break the Rule of Thirds by having Aoki way off to the side of the frame. The unbalanced composition fits the sense of unease the scene was going for. There’s also a sense of isolation and soullessness by having all that empty space in the frame. What makes these shots even more effective is how they contrast with the more balanced framing of Shibazaki.

The last image doesn’t really break the rule but what makes it odd is the lack of nose room. Again, the unbalanced composition reinforces the unnerving content of this interview.

Here’s a couple of frame within frame shots that isolate Aoki. The first one provides the strongest visual of isolation. Aoki is first detached from the other two characters by using the door frame as a line of separation. Then framing him with that little opening completely separates him. Also, notice how this shot only shows Aoki’s side of the patterned door. The way the patterns contrast with everything else draws the audience’s attention to his isolation.

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The Ferris wheel scene uses cool colors (green and blue) to establish a calming intimate moment despite a rather dire situation. Red is usually associated with romance but in this situation it would’ve overly romanticized the scene in an off putting way. The usage of cool colors in an extreme circumstance gives a feeling of emotional and visual balance that complements the way Twelve and Lisa have come into terms with their feelings.

Zankyou no Terror Episode 7

The Rule of Thirds is a general guideline to help with balancing a composition and avoiding splitting a picture/shot in half. This episode broke this rule with numerous centered shots to provide more tension and impact to the more significant moments. Perhaps it was bit overdone but I think most of these shots at least had a set-up and reasoning behind breaking the rule.

From left to right:

1. This was the scene where Shibazaki and his colleagues were thinking about the possibility of the authorities orchestrating the bomb threat. This last shot is Shibazaki basically confirming it.
2. A winning shot of Nine after beating Five in chess.
3. A centered shot of Five that expresses her commanding and controlling presence. This also nicely sets up the scene where she loses some control after being outwitted by Nine.
4. POV shot of Nine pointing the gun at Five. I have to admit this was a bit cheesy.
5. Probably the best rule-of-thirds breaking shot of this episode. The first encounter between Shibazaki and Nine.
6. In addition to breaking the rule, there’s shallow focus and foreground framing. Combined they frame Lisa to make her look even more helpless.
7. This sets up the first conversation between Shibazaki and Nine.
8. Five insulting Shibazaki. This and the POV shot were the most unnecessary ones.
9. Being centered accentuates Nine’s triumph and also adds some bravado to his mocking salute towards Shibazaki.

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This is a great shot. It uses foreground framing and shallow focus to frame Five in her moment of defeat. Also, the forced perspective creates an imagery of a giant gun being pointed at Five. A clever way to illustrate that in this given situation an indirect threat is better than a direct one.

Zankyou no Terror Episode 6

There were numerous amounts of extreme close-up shots in this episode, specifically the eyes. The reason for this is perhaps to underline a turning point that occurred for a few characters in this episode. Those turning points would be, Shibazaki forming a camaraderie, Nine showing a sign of acceptance towards Lisa and the start of the Five vs. Nine rivalry . Extreme close-up shots of the eyes just have a naturally gravitating effect that is very useful for emotionally involving the audience into significant character changes and events.

Almost right from the beginning this episode tries to have the audience invests themselves into Nine with an extreme close-up showing the weariness and emotional drain in his eye.

A disapproving and suspecting look from Shibazaki. In his mind he’s already acting as a lone wolf. This sets up the scene where he discovers that he’s not alone in this fight.

Part of this scene was just Nine and Lisa looking at each other intently. Nine was reading Lisa while she was giving him the look of determination that gained her a semblance of acceptance. This was also a good use of eye-line matches to visually communicate the situation with little dialogue.

This extreme close-up of Twelve seeing white feathers sets up the reveal that he has synesthesia.

The game is afoot.

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.