kaleez's ina11 sideblog

i really like this panning shot. you have four groups of characters in different places: tenma in the first plan, tsurugi in second, raimon in third and the second squad in the background. and further in the background there's inazuma tower looming over the field, the groups and the town as a whole.

or more like, tenma exists in the foreground, tsurugi and the raimon team in the middleground and the second team + the tower in the background. it's kind of hard for me to translate the terminology from polish to english in this case, since in polish we use the word "plan" to refer to different positioning in a frame: "pierwszy plan", "drugi plan" sometimes "trzeci plan" although usually that's already "tło"; it really depends on the complexity of the composition.

the camera is positioned near the ground, behind tenma, as we observe the confrontation with him, but we are also observing him. that's why, i think, the point of view in this scene isn't literally through tenma's eyes, but from a position from which he's also participating in this stand off, although not by saying anything, but by simply standing apart from either opposing sides, indicating an alternate view on the situation, and his lack of belonging to either of the groups

it's also fun to think about how you could consider this to be a "soccer ball POV", which i think fits with tenma's personification of soccer, and in this case, would be soccer literally watching with bated breath as its fate is discussed. the tower in the background emphasizes the setting, as the spiritual, i think would be the right word, birthplace of soccer as inazuma town the place and inazuma eleven the series know it.

and i think the position of the camera this low also emphasizes the stakes of this moment; we're almost hidden, helpless, capable only of watching what transpires. from this low near the ground, we cannot 'interfere'. if we take this further into the "soccer ball POV" direction (yes REALLY), the lack of influence becomes more pronounced, because as an object the ball has no will of its own - its the characters' actions or beliefs that infuse it with a desired meaning.

i like how having five distinct points of interest on the screen (tenma, tsurugi, raimon, the second squad and the tower) manages to capture your attention between all of them at some point during this shot. i also like how tenma begins in this shot closer to raimon, but as the camera moves slowly the change in perspective forces him apart from them. i think it aligns tenma initially on their side to illustrate that they're his goal, but the growing distance conveys a sense of separation that he will have to overcome to actually belong in this group. and from an ideological standpoint, they're forced apart, because although tenma doesn't realize it yet, they don't have the same view of soccer as he does at the moment, because of fifth sector's damaging influence. in order for them to become united, they will have to bridge this gap by overcoming their individual roadblocks and choosing to stand up for true soccer - one that's free, welcoming, that doesn't judge and inspires connection.

and despite the change in perspective, while tenma moves away further from raimon, he crucially does not come visually closer to tsurugi at all, indicating their opposing views.

this separation into different groups & their placements also highlight their narrative importance: tenma as the main character is up front and center; tsurugi the cape-wearing antagonist stands directly opposing this iterations' ragtag group of misfits that forms the new raimon; and the second squad are more or less set dressing, but an effective one.

the aforementioned second team is completely removed from the ongoing interaction - tenma doesn't speak either, but he is in the center of the frame basically at all times, and he reacts to the conversation by facing whoever is speaking at the moment. plus his tense body language (straightened posture, clenched fists) indicate that he's engaged with the action that's the focus of this shot, the conversation between tsurugi and kudou/shindou. in contrast, the second squad has no bearing on how the scene progresses, but they're instead a reminder of what has happened just moments prior, and the threat that tsurugi poses to the soccer club, as his form obscures them at the start.

and speaking of obscuring, the shot also begins with tsurugi almost entirely covering the inazuma tower in the background. i think it indicates his intentions of destroying the literal and metaphorical symbol of inazuma town, the raimon soccer team and the spirit they carry. he's here to snuff out the flame of the burning torch passed down from generation to generation at raimon, to end their legacy here and there. but the tower does not remain hidden behind his form. it emerges from behind tsurugi quite quickly, becoming a judge of his intentions, a silent witness to the conflict of a new era and a sort of foreshadowing of tsurugi abandoning his role in the future and rallying under the lightning symbol, instead of against it.

the tower is probably my favorite element in this shot, a visual representative of Inazuma Town and the raimon soccer club, the iconic symbol of the setting, the community that is the raimon soccer club and the franchise as a whole. but it also represents the legacy of the raimon eleven and inazuma japan who achieved many grand victories against all odds, most crucially for the plot of GO, their triumph on an international stage that changed japan's soccer forever. its presence in this shot is this reminder of the significance of raimon on a larger scale in the world of soccer and a looming weight of the history that raimon carries in the present day, the weight that the new generation but also the regular residents carry as well.

i also love the atmosphere in this entire interaction. the grey skies and muted colors of the background really weigh this scene down. it creates this down to earth and somber tone, but not without a possibility of change - the skies will clear eventually after all. i especially like that the grey clouds connect visually with the clouds of smoke tsurugi evoked with his brutal shots in his introduction. it really makes him feel like this storm cloud, an approaching harbinger of doom, who disturbs the status quo of the world, both negatively and positively - negatively, because he brings pain and attempts to bring an end to raimon, but also positively, though not deliberately on his side, because by coming to annihilate, he allows for growth and change to flourish in these new, threatning circumstances. the pain of continuing with the same modus operandi outgrows the pain of change - tsurugi's appearance is the start of a domino effect that leads raimon to a better future.

the smoke and the destruction tsurugi brings can also be paralleled with teikoku's introduction in the og series, both in the very first moments of ep1, where we don't even see their faces yet, and during the moment when their bus arrives at raimon, stirring up clouds of dust into the air, and how they rise up when the team steps out of their tank-like mode of transportation. this visual really elevates both of those scenes for me, and feels slightly different in each instance. during teikoku's arrival at raimon, the dust clouds are a literal physical reaction to the sheer weight of their bus - it's grandess, it's scale, it's a foe before which the ground trembles. symbolically the clouds of smoke carry this element of mystery the team has to them and the darkness residing in teikoku. i also really love how this visual in regards to teikoku combines both this fairytale-like feel (which for me comes from an association with a dark forest, a setting usually accompanied by spooky mist) and a more modern, smoke-machine feel? in that the visual is so perfectly fitting it crosses over from mysterious to staged. the smoke also appears when the team boards the bus after giving up the match if i remember correctly. it's almost comical how it accompanies teikoku's entrance and exit, like a character in a stage play, which is where the smoke-machine association comes from. for me it also carries this "someone behind the scenes is pulling the strings (to arrange such a perfect visual cue)" which i think is a brilliant way to hint at what is happening at teikoku.

tsurugi's dust clouds have that storm-cloud association i've already mentioned, which also connects with hakuryuu in a really fun way, they share this cloud motif when they rain destruction upon those who oppose them. i think there's more pure force behind tsurugi's compared to teikoku, because well, he's the physical cause of all of that motion, compared to the bus for teikoku. it does kinda make it weaker for me though, because it's just less layered in possible interpretations. does this make sense? i hope it does lol. it still conveys tsurugi's raw power both as an individual, and as it pertains to his SEED status, and therefore, as an extention of fifth sector's enforcing force (buttery butter kind of word arrangement lmao)

back to the scene though. the central characters pop with their bright, saturated colors, as the ones shaping the present and the future of this world. the clothes they wear also further separate and distinct them from one another: tenma is in his school uniform, the uninformed outsider in this years-spanning conflict (not with tsurugi specifically of course, rather on a individual soccer clubs - fifth sector level), but one, that already aligns himself as part of raimon; tsurugi, in a modified, improperly worn uniform that very clearly marks him as the antagonistic, outside force in this scenario; and the raimon team, all wearing team uniforms, marking them as belonging together with each other, and belonging under this banner of a "Raimon Soccer Club".

Bonus 1:

This is not really related but we noticed interesting simularities....(their core beliefs and such are different But Still)

Bonus 2:

low effort doodle of a shared sentiment

Alternative versions of the hair because it took too long, might as well cycle it through different layers (and without bg flag):

Now everything that could go wrong went wrong with this one: confused the layers and had to cut things out or redo, one of the layers became partially transparent even though I didn't set it to that ?? Overall, this taught a valuable lesson of letting go when it becomes too much🤧

There was supposed to be a 3rd Fubuki but we got tired, so it is what it is😮‍💨

The screenshots and quotes are from Z.A.T.O.'s trailer ! Everyone should play Z.A.T.O