[Fish Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

I'm Indiana Jones to his Professor Henry Jones Jr.

Wait, but Indiana Jones is-

You know, I'm just not going to read too hard into this comparison. On the subject of overlooked details, though, I somehow completely forgot there was something I wanted to say about episode 14 still, so let's just pretend it's a day or two ago for a second.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kamen Rider Die

That suspicion curdles into a big ol’ Takumi pout, and my favorite visual of the episode. As Kusaka is humbly, so humbly, accepting the role of Kamen Rider Kaixa, he’s lauded by Mari and Keitaro, flanking him on the couch. But Takumi isn’t onboard, and the camera takes sooooooo long to pull back and get Takumi into frame, since he’s seated about twelve feet away from the rest of the group, pouting at the dinner table. It’s a beautifully done gag, with Takumi basically in another room, so reluctant to even breathe the same air as Kusaka.

The shot Die is talking about here, it's really hard to get across just how simple and elegant it is just by talking about it. For such a minor moment, it's great, and I think, in my ongoing quest to try and find out what makes Kamen Rider directors stick out from each other, this kind of thing might be Ryuuta Tasaki's unique talent when it comes to visuals. He's not wildly creative in the same way guys like Ishida and Kamihoriuchi are, but he's really good at getting in there, and quickly finding appealing yet straightforward ways to shoot scenes. There's a hypothetical version of that scene where it starts with a wide shot that immediately shows Takumi at that table well before he speaks, and probably even a version where nobody thought to emphasize the physical distance at all, but Tasaki, I think he probably makes snap judgments like that on a dime. Have Takumi sitting off to the side. Only put him onscreen once Keitarou asks for his opinion. Make sure he's looking away from the group, and right into the frame, so we can see his pouty expression in all its glory.

Somebody has to actively think of all those little things for them to happen, and assuming Tasaki is the one doing all that, I mean, I've described him as "workmanlike" before, but just know that is most definitely not an insult.