Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita – 11

Given the unorthodox and distinctive art style of Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, the anime is able to utilize a number of aesthetic techniques to offer us a refreshing and remarkable appearance to its characters and their environment.  Continuing to impress me throughout the anime is the innovative display of lighting and colors, illusions created from a bizarre array of peculiarly-shaped polygons of varying sizes and colors, layered in an arrangement to form the backgrounds, enhance the mood, and structure the setting that is Jintai.  And with a variety of breathtaking shots of the scenery and numerous scenes where the lighting deepened the emotion, it’s about time to provide recognition and acclaim to such a dazzling artistic technique.

Whereas a majority of anime present lighting as a contrast of available light (or ambient light) with shadows, Jintai uses layers of brighter colored shapes as a basis of light.  Combined with the presence of shadows, this creative technique puts an emphasis on the presence of light and not only the absence of it.  Because of these superimposed layers, often in varying colors that bisect the background and the characters, there is the additional effect of drawing one’s attention to its whereabouts and providing an impact where otherwise light would be overlooked or ignored.  The illusion of lighting based on these bright polygons gives each shot, whether a wide shot to establish the time and location or a motionless character’s face set on capturing a reaction or emotions, a distinctive appearance and feel to it, regardless of whether it’s Watashi’s face again or our first look at her boarding school.  And though there isn’t always an underlying motive for the lighting to be presented as an arrangement of figures, rather there is often no rationale for such a display, it never fails to enhance the art style that Jintai employs.

Sometimes the haphazard polygons overlapping the animation and art work conflict or contrast with the conventional colors.  In these situations, the purpose of these highlighted shapes is to authenticate the timing or locations of the scene or to enhance the emotion and atmosphere for the characters.  For an example of both, the sunset where Watashi first encountered a fairy is perfect.  Blanketing the world in an overpowering red, Jintai was able to stage a sunset with Watashi by her lonesome, accompanied by the sun which leaving her as it leisurely descended beneath the horizon.  With that, we understand that it is now dusk and Watashi is sitting among the ruins, quietly thinking to herself.  The powerful colors were not only a drastic change from the previous scene, a conversation with the kind-hearted blonde student in Watashi’s candlelit yet dark dormitory room, but it cast Watashi in a different light, effectively supplementing the emotion of the scene.

The distressing red polygons which saturated Watashi showed her out of her element, out of her comfort-zone, out of her norm.  She was reflecting on her situation after rejecting the opportunity to forge a friendship with what appeared to be an outgoing and compassionate student.  It was painful to be in Watashi’s situation and the light of the sunset, as an array of uncomfortable red silhouettes, covered her character with that overwhelming feeling.  Yes, it was an example of heightening the emotions and feelings Watashi felt, not simply a shot to ascertain time and location.  And this isn’t the only example from this episode, too.  It is the same as with the first sunset, inside the broken clock tower, where Watashi was on her undesirable trial for her dorm key. And again, with the green lit hallways giving it an eerie, supernatural sensation to that nighttime scene, the colored polygons were able to determine a time, location and improve the emotion of that scene.  Returning to previous episodes will yield the same result though to varying degrees and event complementing the comedy, too.  Yes, the countless shapes of varying light and color play significant roles in helping the anime establish its setting and enhancing the emotions that the characters present and feel.

The lighting is so uncharacteristic and atypical for an anime that it also comes across as something exclusive and distinctive for Jintai.  A majority of modern anime never add in more light than what’s figured to be the available light for a scene and only hint at it through the use of shadows or the direction the characters are facing.  And whenever an anime adds in additional lighting, it often is employed because it presents the shot in a different color or for the purpose of placing the sun or something bright in the shot.  And even then, it’s only performed the anime with exceptionally high budgets or talent because an easy mistake could cause the source of light to look faulty or unappealing.  Jintai, however, offers a simple solution to this problem with its pioneering display of colorful polygons.  These shapes are able to convey the same effect as the addition of lighting without requiring too much budget or talent.  There’s also the added effect of providing emphasis given its presence.  And with the art style of Jintai already being unique with its character designs and setting, the representation of light as stylized shapes further emphasizes the wonderful aesthetic design that Jintai has.  It truly supports the innovative and original feel Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita has for itself.

As with any anime with some exceptional and stunning display of colors and lighting, I feel the need to voice my favorable opinion on the matter.  If you’ve followed me over the years and understand my preferences for art and animation, then you already know how passionately I feel about how anime use light and color to enrich its product.  Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita has featured this aesthetic technique since the beginning and it continues to impress me every time something significant happens or when these polygons change.  I’m extremely fortunate that this anime has chosen such a fantastic and noteworthy way to present light.  I can only hope that after finishing this post that you all can appreciate the representation of light in Jintai and in any other anime where it’s performed with such ability, creativity, and significance.

I was desperately hoping for an episode free of the fairies, satisfied with the explanation from the previous episode where Watashi joined her Grandfather at the UNCC branch of Camphorwood Village.  However, that was not to be as Watashi saved the life of a luckless and lonely fairy that lived among the ruins near the school.  And though I don’t know everything of what the fairy did, though it seems it erased the memory of Watashi and changed the kind-hearted student into some enthusiastic psychopath, I almost wish it never appeared.  It would’ve appealed more to me to see Watashi overcome these issues by herself without the aid of a magical fairy thought this outcome may prove to be more entertaining than otherwise.  Still, I want to see Watashi struggle with and eventually triumph over these obstacles by herself.  Not to say I’m disappointed with the involvement of the fairy, just I would’ve been happier otherwise.

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