We open with this set of images:
These images all share some things in common: they are tightly framed details of a body. Not the whole thing at once, and importantly not the face. This is because Tsukimi is a very shy girl. She won't even introduce herself with one picture, we have build to the revelation through these small snapshots of her.
Of course, what still images can't display in this finer details of the animation as she holds her body in a very nervous and shy fashion. Many of the characters traits have been introduced using the minimum of shots and images.
Finally, we get the whole image :
Note that even though she's the main character, she doesn't dominate the frame. That would not be consistent with her personality. Consistent with what the snippets displayed, Tsukimi is holding herself in a very shy manner. We can't even see her eyes (this picture may be low resolution, but trust me).
And then we get some Kuranosuke:
The contrast between them couldn't be any sharper. Kuranosuke is standing confidently, his frame is far larger than hers, he's taller, better dressed, more traditionally feminine etc.
Importantly when he appears we see Tsukimi's eyes for the first time, he has 'opened her eyes' to a new way of thinking about things. (Alt. readings acceptable).
And so on. This is all good visual storytelling, achieved with no dialogue and with an impressively small number of frames.
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mAcOdIn said:
I guess I should use this lull to ask exactly which direction Jexhius is talking about.
If he's talking camera or visual direction I don't see what that has to do with the show being any good, although I would say it does indeed have a better visual direction than OreImo and a more varied one as well, not that I find the latter always necessary.
By good direction I mean good film form. Which is :
Cinematography : Lighting, Framing, Camera Movements, Lens etc
Editing : Continuous or Discontinuous, slow or fast, Kuleshov effect (if present)
Sound: Diagetic (dialouge, sound effects, ambient sounds) and Non-Diagetic (Music, Voice-over)
Mise en Scene - Cinematography, Movement within the show, Propts and costume, Settings/Sets, Actors, Space
Performance : Of characters/actors
And good direction is what separates bad shows from good shows and average shows. The material in itself can only be understood through the lens of the director, any reaction or feeling the audience get from a show is wholly the product of the efforts of the direction, and those involved in that process.
As for the rest of it, the fight between the two groups of badguys started out allright, though the way Mary and Kate won was kind of screwed up... though that was the point of course.