[Switchblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Hey, so, you see this shot that's staged so that Hirose is literally in the dark while everyone else is normally lit? How clearly she's separated from the rest of the characters in the frame, who are tightly packed together? Usually I go looking up directors when you call the direction out, but seeing this one shot was enough that you didn't need to mention it at all. 39 and 40 are Ishida's last episodes of Blade, so look forward to the back half of this one.

This scene reminded me a lot of Amazons season 2 in that the staging is very obviously constructed for the camera. Unlike that show, though, this still feels mostly natural and unforced. Also, Kotaro’s total failure to read the room here was pretty great. Second funniest moment in this block of episodes after Hajime clotheslining Mutsuki.

Speaking of Kamen Rider Hanging Art Feature, we get to the one part of this era of Blade that has always underwhelmed me: the lack of advancement in Leangle’s story. I’m sure a lot of it has to do with just how much of the show’s 20s felt like it was all-Mutsuki, all-the-time, but it really feels like he’s just stuck in stasis during this period. Tachibana isn’t doing a ton, either, but he’s at least directly involved with the Trial plot. Mutsuki just feels like he’s hanging around the edges of the show, waiting until it gets back to him again.