[Kamen Rider Die]

What's a night off even worth, when there's great direction to dissect?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Now, I only even know what a komainu is because I looked it up, so as for explaining the significance this has?

I definitely think it's meant to symbolize the Hoppers as angry guardians, higher powers who are indifferent to the nuance that Daisuke's found. Reina is a Worm, Riders kill Worms, the end. They're coming into the scene with wrath, with judgment. Daisuke's gotten weak, so they're going to do his job for him. They are here to render justice, like a deity or spirit might.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Here, I'll give one more instance of a sequence that's way too smart for me – it's Die's first sceencap, actually, when Rena is giving Daisuke that message for when she loses herself again. It consciously defies basic film conversation logic by having Daisuke's reaction shots on the exact same side of the frame as Rena, looking in the exact same direction. The latter is because Rena is turned away from Daisuke, but I mean, go look at that picture again. Your brain assumes there must be someone on her left there, doesn't it? And again, I'm reasonably sure this is somehow brilliant, but I couldn't pin it down if I tried.

Let me take a run at it!

Some of the framing is to draw attention. By putting the speaker somewhere other than the center of frame, you're forcing the viewer to work to find them. It gives the dialogue more weight, because the viewer is more active in the process.

Also! The thing to remember in these scenes, these shots, is that the plot involves three characters, not two. It's Daisuke, Reina, and Worm Widow. Every time the frame is empty, that's where the missing third character is. In the first shot, when Reina's telling Daisuke how she wants him to talk to Worm Widow, it's shot like this:



That dead space on the left side, that's where Worm Widow would be. It's Reina, trying to appeal to her shared existence with Worm Widow, trying to get her to understand how much Reina's life should matter to her.



In the second scene, with Daisuke and Worm Widow, the right side is empty. That's where Daisuke is speaking through Worm Widow to Reina, trying to find a way to bring back the woman he loves by repeating her request. The right side is Reina, listening for her chance to reassert herself.

At least, that's my take!

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Okay, since no one else brought it up, let me call out my favorite visual motif in the episode:







The director is constantly looking for ways to keep Daisuke and Reina in the frame together, while still separating them. In an episode all about these two trying to forge a connection in the face of overwhelming odds, these shots subconsciously reinforce all of that tension. Daisuke can't seem to get close enough to Reina to rescue her. Reina is getting all of this encouragement, but she's still trapped, boxed in. It just burns with longing, with hope, while countering with unease, with foreboding. Super smart blocking!

A billion things to talk about from this episode. I even have half a take on this one as an unintentional trans narrative, but there's no way I wouldn't mess that up in an attempt to analyze it. Definitely has other things to draw from it!