Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (Your Lie in April) Episode 6

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This show continues to use lateral tracking in interesting ways. There was the Kousei tracking shot in Episode 2. Then, there’s the tracking shot of Tsubaki in Episode 5 that made use of the lateral movement as a wipe transition to a brief flashback.

In these tracking shots both characters lack nose/lead room and the framing is obviously unbalanced. The lack of balance is uncomfortable to look at. For this scene it was meant to be that way in order to convey Tsubaki’s uncomfortable realization that Kaori’s usage of “we” did not include her with Kousei.

Also, notice how the two are framed at opposite sides to each other and in the overlay (third image) of the two shots they’re facing away from each other. The mismatched visuals of the two reflect their incompatibility and Tsubaki’s lack of feelings for him.
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This a more conventional tracking shot but what makes it interesting is the dissolve to a graphic match of the older and younger versions of the characters.  It’s a very pleasing way to create a parallel between the present and past. What I really liked is the contrast between the sunset colors of the “past” shot and the night colors of the “present” shot. As if to suggest that just like the sunset growing to a night, Kousei has grown stronger as a person.
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Blackening most of the background served to put more focus on Tsubaki’s feelings and provided a visual that she’s in a dark and painful place. Keeping the baseline not only functioned as a leading line but it maintained a sense of movement. The single line could also be interpreted as an imagery of Tsubaki’s emotional single-minded thought process, as she repeats “I don’t like this” and “look at me.”

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