Blog Assignment 7

Blog 7

My first image is of the character Goku from one of the greatest animated programs of my childhood “Dragon Ball Z”, while my second image features a character from possibly my most favorite hyper violent anime series “Afro Samurai”. Each one captures a unique intensity that is created from elements in the image such as; color, to create a point of interest within the frame, and movement, which helps structure the rhythm of the animation. Although both images use bright oranges and yellows in the shots, each one has a different function. For example the bright pillars of energy around Goku are parallel with each other with him in the middle making him appear taller and more powerful, however the orange and red sky in the background of Afro (that’s his name as well as the title of the show) directly contrasts with the cold blue and brown color of the ground that he is standing on, possibly symbolizing his struggle. Another quality of color the images use is darkness to attract and/or hide the focus, for instance in the image of Afro the eye is immediately drawn to the point of his sword because of its brightness and linear/curvilinear design that creates contrast brings us to the rest of his body which is darker and further away from the camera. In comparison, the image of Goku is framed by the darkness behind him and the pillars which center him in focus. Elements of movement are also present in both images such as the overlapping action created in the first image while Goku is yelling his aura burns and writhes around him creating the impression that he is on fire, but in the second image Afro is standing straight up, however there are curvilinear lines all around him that denote movement like his headband blowing in the wind and the smoke rising off his cigarette that contrast with him. Although the two images depict different directions, both of them similarly show weight in simple ways like the ripped and baggy clothes that each character is wearing, and in non-realistic ways such as the pointy hair that stays straight up when Goku has his head backwards and Afro’s flowing wispy afro that stands up.