So everybody is gushing over the
Kekkai Sensen ED but I thought I would talk about how well done the OP is instead, in some ways I think it's better storyboarded than the ED. It starts off with some gorgeous Kimura art of normal New York before it turns into Hellusalem’s Lot.
It utilizes a whiteout from the glare of the sun to transition into the next sequence, it’s smooth but nothing that notable by itself. It is an indicator though of Matsumoto's storyboarding and editing in how scenes can either flow into each other or 'skip'. Right after, there is a super quick flash of New York being literally upside down and that is supposed to represent the Tunnel opening and how the world got turned upside down emotionally. It's very literally but I think it's effective and getting the point across in a really efficient manner. There has been mention that the anime doesn't 'represent or feel like NYC' however stuff like the scenes in the OP really help to contextualize the setting and make it feel like proper NYC and not just some regular Japanese location. A lot of the scenes in the OP are really focused around the city itself and making it feel alive.
Afterwhich we have a ton of pictures which not only ties into Leonard’s history as a photographer/journalist but it also shows snapshots of people’s lives. The camera zooms out to give a picture of ‘New New York’ but we can still see the individual pictures that make up this new city. This is a representation of how all these different perspectives not only make up the city as individuals but how they come together as a whole to create the city. It’s a clever way of showing the ‘melting pot’ visually. The fog also comes up in a mushroom like shape which could be taken as a throwback to the nuclear bombs dropped in Japan, in that old New York has been destroyed and a new city is being constructed from the remains. I guess it can also be seen as a tree and the buildings as roots in a way.
There is a quick frame cut of pidgeons which can symbolize a number of things. I’m not a pidgeon expert (as I view them as rats with wings) but they can mean things such as home, communication between two worlds, and peace/forgiveness. They’re generally grouped under doves in the symbolism meaning. So it can be taken as a representation of Hellusalem (I really hate this name) being Leonard’s home now, Leonard trying to come to terms of his sister being blinded and possibly forgiving himself, and the obvious thing about how Earth and another dimension is linked. Also the damn city is overloaded with these fucking birds.
Anyway the next shot is of a crowd, in which you can barely see Leonard. This can be taken of how he’s a small part of a large city. However the way the show zooms in on his quite playful in that everybody else becomes black and white yet he’s the only one in color. It’s an effective way of making him stand out yet still putting him in context with the rest of the city. It draws the viewers eyes to Leo, and the ripped pages then help to again frame him along with everybody else. The ripped pages and black and white components could also be a homage to the source material which is a manga. An alternative analysis would be that the black and white parts also contain grain and sort of like an old black and white video recorder so it could be Matsumoto framing the scene in an old tool and contrasting it with a modern one, which would highlight how Hellusalem is a mixture of the old and new. It's great use of color to create not only a striking image but also allows the director to keep the focus on the character. The camera then switches to Leonard’s front to show the back of Klaus and so again connects the two. Klaus being the only person in color on his side helps draw the viewer’s attention to him in a quick manner. The two walking away from each other might symbolize a falling out down the road as well, similar to how
Kyousougiga uses an extended red 'lens flare' in the OP to signify distance.
This sequence does a good job of showing not only the new life in this dense city but also the protagonists without flashing their names while they pose on screen compared to say
Euphonium's OP. This bit is pure Matsumoto in that she uses the camera as a framing device to show Leonard messing around with the Libra crew, through a series of super quick cuts. These goofy images cement how the characters are all friends while still retaining the focus on Leonard by using his device as the framing tool. Matsumoto loves framing elements, whether they're visual or narrative.
Here's an example from
Kyousougiga TV where Matsumoto uses the camera to frame the scenes in the OP. She later uses cracks in the camera lens itself to show the fractures of the characters themselves.
It then switches back to show Leonard walking forward while the 'King of Despair'(or whatever) is walking in the opposite direction before disappearing. I’m guessing the guy in blue is a 'ghost' like his sister but it can also highlight how you don’t need to be an actual ghost to disappear in the city. Not to mention him being close to Leonard without Leonard knowing is referencing him stalking Leo. It ties Mr.Despair to the city just as much as Klaus or Leonard. In addition by ever so slightly angling the camera upwards from Leonard’s feet, it could be a representation of how powerful he is, compared to Leo.
Next up is a timelapse sort of sequence where White, Leonard’s sister, and White’s brother are all in the center not moving while the rest of the city is moving super fast. This shows how time has stopped for those three. It then leads up to another great match transition of the sister’s face into Leonard’s face. This not only signifies the connection between the two but also Leonard’s primary goal as he opens his eyes. It's a great transition not only because of the seamlessness but because it gives the cut an additional bit of emotional by connecting the two through the eyes.
The tempo kicks up and we get an Avenger’s type of introduction to the characters surrounding Leonard, both emotionally and physically in this case. Matsumoto uses a rotating camera, which I’m sure is a reference to Avengers as that the show deals with superheroes in a secret society protecting the public. She mixes it up a bit though by having Leonard in the center which visually reinforces that he’s the main character and that events and characters are circling around him. The OP is really focused around his perspective not only of the city but the characters and his relationships to them.
There’s then this ‘carnival’ shot which might be where the endgame for where the cour takes place or it could symbolize how crazy the city is. Either way Leonard’s on stage, which matches with the lyrics. Then there is a TV static effect which Matsumoto uses to show Femto watching Leon. There are a lot of video recording elements in the OP such as interlacing lines, static, and grain.
This is probably the least connected cut in the OP in that we see the city on fire and the 'King of Despair' as introduced earlier.
It then jumps back to the stage and through a series of quick cuts shows all the different characters. This can either be taken as all the characters get their moment to shine or that they’re all connected to Leonard through that physical space.
The empty wheelchair is ominous as all hell but it could just represent that his sister isn’t with him in the city. I liked the quick cut of Leonard crying on the ground after the empty wheelchair as it connects the two and the gamma levels being changed visually show Leonard’s grief.
Leonard then clenches his fist which obviously shows his courage and determination afterwhich he’s painted in almost angelic light. The sun is literally shining down upon him. It’s a very strong image visually. There’s also the red rose petals throughout the OP which symbolize the relationship between him and his sister. Unlike the other scenes though, he’s standing tall which shows his development as a character.
Oh and there’s this super slick final cut where it zooms past the Libra members into Leonard’s eye, which is reinforcement that Leo is watching everything and being stylish at the same tinme. It’s really great storyboarding in that the OP not only contextualizes the main character but the setting as well.
