Da Zhu Zai (2023): Nian Fan 2

I am concerned that, despite certain improvements that have been made in the image quality and brightness of the animation, the way the scenes are organized and directed may actually lead this season to be of overall lower quality than the last. I will continue this thought below with respect to direction.

I am going to take a moment to add that the plot advancement of these first 4 episodes has been head-spinningly fast. That's ok if they are simply trying to set up an arc and pace out the entire season, but if they maintain this speed, they are going to completely undersell the storyline ... that ties together so many different universes. The plot is moving forward like a storyboard checklist instead of visual story telling.

Of course many fans of donghua might say, forget the plot, I'm here for the fights! And here is my greater concern: Almost all of the shots in the first couple of episodes are drastically zoomed in, often framed by random body parts of other known characters. Many of the shots, even at mid range for conversational scenes, are framed in such a way as to awkwardly cut off the top of a speaking characters hair, or parts of their body.

I understand the directors are intentionally zooming in on action scenes to guide focus, build tension, emphasize emotion, create visceral impact, or combining with other movements like tracking shots to heighten frantic energy, making the audience feel trapped or to highlight a crucial detail amidst chaos. Forcing the audience's attention and creating dynamic pacing can be a good thing when used wisely.

The problem is, that when there is no relief, the viewer becomes fatigued by the constant high tempo and narrow framing and the action becomes stale. Broader shots are necessary to establish context and provide relief. This universe is unfathomable, without broader shots on set up scenes, the directors are missing the opportunity to set a sense of scale. This is something that was done much better in Season 1.

I am hoping for the best. Da Zhu Zai is an awesome story to get to see visually.