I find that Granbelm has been on a bit of a slump these past two episodes. If you want to know exactly what I mean, I talked about it in more detail over on Karandi’s blog.
Visually though, there’s also a bit of a loss in consistency and polish. I don’t know if it’s just because the novelty wore off but I’m seeing more off angles and frazzled looking characters lately.
It should be noted that I only keep the screen caps I think are the prettiest which may not be the best way to go if we really want to get a good ideas of the visuals. In any case, the opening tag was fine although I’m finding that Shingetsu’s hair looks a little bizarre, especially in wider shots.
Man Anna’s face is expressive. I love how much she use to look like her younger sister while not being identical. The de-aged character models are quite good.
I also noticed that the little sister has the same pattern of side swept hair ornaments we’ve been seeing in all the mages. Although she hasn’t exhibited any magical power so far she does read cards and this might be a visual clue that she could become a mage some day.
Nothing much to say here. The dampened light on a rainy day was nice.
I really like the indigo\ purplish blue they’ve chosen for nighttime scenes. It’s a beautiful color and dark enough to actually make it look like night time while still being able to see what’s going on.
It’s a lot more vibrant then most nighttime colours I see in anime. On the one hand there is something slightly childish about it, on the other it allows you to really take advantage of the singularities of the medium.
Again in the kitchen scene, Shingetsu looks odd to me. The close up on her eyes is a bit off as well.
Those two last screen caps are taken within seconds of each other. Anna needs to get back on her meds.
It’s another grey day and another emotionally charged scene. They aren’t being subtle about the weather tactics. It is striking considering the breathtaking sunset and dazzling sunny days we’ve seen in this show.
That gif of Anna you use to open the post really shows how well the scenes are composed in this show. You see her slump in degrees, and then the camera pans forward to remind us of the ax.
I agree the visuals are quite nice. The direction feels a bit more rushed lately.