i love how consistently ena has been portrayed as the light source to mizuki’s shadow throughout the story.
in mizuki’s untrained for secret distance, kanande and ena are in the sun sitting opposite from mafuyu and mizuki respectively, signifying how they are each going to be the salvation of the girl sitting in the shadow in front of them. whereas in ena’s trained for that same event, ena is shown in a fully lit space, worriedly peaking into a dark room.
in the hermit set (untrained), ena is bathed in the warm sunset light as she makes her promise of devotion to mizuki, and the sun is shining bright behind her. clearly mizuki is right in front of her, once again being illuminated by ena’s feelings. mizuki’s untrained in fact shows mizuki’s face completely in the shadow as she gives her back to the viewer (because of her tendency to turn her back and run away). there’s a light in the bathroom but it’s cold and sterile and doesn’t reach her face, unlike ena’s warm light right in front of her.
and in the trained cards, ena ventures in the snow (leaving spring, where they saw the cherry blossoms bloom) to look for mizuki with a lantern (again, another light source) in her hand. while mizuki is lost in the snow, nearing a precipice, with no light to guide her home.
in mizu5 they’re on the school roof at dusk again, but this time ena has lost her determination. her face is more in the shadow, but she is still partly illuminated by the warm light cast by the setting sun. she’s still in the light, but the bottom of the card is becoming engulfed by darkness. and even though it’s the same twilight, the lighting in mizuki’s untrained is harsh and dark, and her whole figure is completely enveloped by darkness.
this pattern continues in their trained cards; ena in a blinding white light, reaching tenderly for someone who’s drowned, as mizuki looks up in a completely dark room of naked mannequins as though she has completely given up.
in ena5 they are (once again!!!!) having a Moment at dusk. in the untrained, mizuki is still party in the shadows, but the warm light is catching up with her. in ena’s, ena is practically glowing in the sun, as the light finally starts to partially bathe mizuki.
and in their traineds they’re both FINALLY in the light, facing each other openly and without reservation. hermit searcher found her hermit in the dark of winter and dragged her with her whole strength into the light of spring 🌸
