Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal

A look back on the first episode of a classic.

In the clip below, Kenshin just finished burying the dead, both the victims and attackers. The low level of framing exaggerates the height of the crosses and creates an imposing view of the tragedy that just occurred. As the camera tracks Seijuro, it slows down significantly as he stops behind Kenshin and Kenshin speaks for the first time. This slow camera movement and Kenshin mostly remaining obstructed strongly draw the audience’s attention to his dialogue. It lets them absorb the pivotal moment that shaped Kenshin as a person.

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The juxtaposition of flowers in the midst of violence is one of the more vivid images in Trust & Betrayal.

In a previous scene a man named Kiyosato Akira promises his fiancée (Yukishiro Tomoe) that he will bring flowers back after a bodyguard duty. It then cuts to a shallow focus shot of flowers, representing the promise but also the serenity of a peaceful normal life. The focus then shifts to Kenshin, who’s now an assassin. This change in focus creates an imagery of an impending violence about to take this peaceful life away. This is further reinforced of an insert shot of Kenshin stepping on the flowers on the ground as he confronts his target and Akira.

This overhead shot of a bloodied up Akira and the flowers provide the strongest imagery of a life and a promise broken by violence.

Knights of Sidonia Episode 12

In the Episode 7 and Episode 8 write-ups I talked about the show's great sense of scale and speed, and usage of camera movements and slow-motion. The scene below exemplifies all of that but what stuck out to me happened around the 00:20 mark. The camera tracks Nagate as he avoids another attack, it then pans to the rest of the platoon that are about to enter the Gauna. I thought this was a good use of camera movement to transition from out pivotal moment to another.

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Izana saving Nagate was my favorite scene in this episode. The clip below begins with a close-up of Izana's Garde. The up close view of her thrusters in full blast and the camera moving to show her Garde's head directly looking at Nagate are images that show her full commitment to risking her life to save him. Afterwards, we see a beautifully done forward tracking shot of Izana chasing after Nagate. The camera then changes angles to transition to a lateral tracking shot that focuses on Izana's hand reaching out to Nagate and finally grabbing him. This emphasis on the hands was a way to extend Izana's compassion and caring through her Garde and as they hold hands it even reaches a level of intimacy.

As humans we often use our hands to express ourselves. This episode took this notion and applied them to mechas in order to express the pilots' humanity through these machines and in essence humanizing them.

 An image of trust. Nagate holding a bullet entrusted to him by Ren to avenge her sister.

 An evocative and intimate image of Izana saving Nagate.

A balled up fist expressing the urgency to help Izana. 

Awww Yes.

Best news to confirm my hopes. Pacific Rim 2 scheduled for 2017 release. Muahahhaha!

Sidenote: Animated series is coming out but I am not holding much hopes for it.

One Week Friends Location Spots

Got these from http://likeafishinwater.com/, which compiles blog links of anime pilgrimages.

Sources: http://hauyashi.blog.jp/archives/cat_216654.html 
               http://rimatai.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-432.html

One Week Friends Episode 12

After the truth behind Kaori's selective memory loss was revealed, Hase withdrew himself from her out of fear of hurting her and getting hurt. Consequentially, a gap between the two has formed. 

This episode uses the scenic shots of a bridge as an imagery of the reconnect and the closing of the gap between Hase and Kaori. Perhaps its usage was a bit strong and made the episode too predictable but it was still a good example of using scenery to complement the narrative.

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Here's a couple of more examples of scenery being used for imagery.

After the cold open, the episode title intro starts with a shot of the gray overcast with the camera panning down. This image is indicative of the cloudy and uncertain relationship between Hase and Kaori.

After the two reconciled, the episode ends with the camera panning up to the clearer and bluer skies, an image reflecting the optimism between the two.

Trigun's Mangaka Got Another Anime - Kekkai Sensen / 血界戦線

Yashiro Nightow, the mangaka who likes to insert black cat in Trigun has another adaptation for his manga, Kekkai Sensen.

To be honest I know nothing about the manga so this is the official synopsis:

"A breach between Earth and the netherworlds has opened up over the city of New York, trapping New Yorkers and creatures from other dimensions in an impenetrable bubble. They've lived together for years, in a world of crazy crime sci-fi sensibilities. Now someone is threatening to sever the bubble, and a group of stylish superhumans is working to keep it from happening."

No other infos are available for now though. At first glance, it looks like a seinen stuff with strong imagery of martial arts mixed with supernatural stuff. It looks intriguing enough for me at the minimum.

Ping Pong The Animation Episode 11

Yuasa and his animators really went all out with the camera movement for this finale. The video below is only the warm up. It starts with a medium shot of Smile and Peco in their stance to establish the anticipation. Then cuts to a close-up and extreme close-up that ratchet up the tension as the match begins. Around the 00:13 mark there's a steady-cam like movement where the camera rotates behind Smile then zooms into the ping pong ball. At 00:31 mark we see a really quick push-in shot on Smile which cuts to a reverse tracking shot as Peco slams the ball. This was a frantic combination of camera movements and quick cuts that creates the initial excitement.

This frenzied start was a quick glimpse of Smile being brought out of his shell by Peco. A long-awaited moment. This feeling of fulfillment is encapsulated by the last shot, a close-up of Smile smiling as the camera pulls away to show him absorbing the moment, the cheers of the crowd and the fun that is Ping Pong.

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The next video is where the camera movement and animation really shine. It begins with the imagery of Smile finally breaking out of his robot shell, as excitement and emotions overwhelm him. From the 00:29 to 00:37 mark, the hectic exchange between Smile and Peco seems to have been done in one shot but it wasn't. Close-ups of their paddles and quick left and right lateral tracking covered up the cuts and cleverly created a seamless exchange. At the 00:40 mark we finally get a full shot of the competitors. The constant pushing and pulling of the camera accentuates the exchanges between the two and engages the audience to the intense match.

Again it ends with Smile smiling. The desaturated image of him enveloped with light gives a calming sense of self realization. He's not a robot, he's human, he feels, he sweats, and he bleeds. Poignantly he then says "My blood tastes like iron."

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Images of the beach were spread throughout the finale. I believe it's an image to express the feeling of calmness as all the characters, at some level, found peace within themselves. Although in the end scene Kazama feels uncertain about his life, the big difference now is he's expressing this uncertainty instead of bottling it up. 

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And now lets end with this.