telophase | (no subject)

Something I've noted while obsessively combing through three chapters of Death Note looking for reference for the doujin[1] is that - probably due to the need for visual flow and to push the reader's eyes onward, 90% of the time, L is looking towards the left, so we see the left side of his face and head. Unfortunately, due to the same aforementioned need for visual flow, I have to have L looking to the right. Which means that I'm basically making up what I think the right side of his hair looks like.

In the same vein, Light is most often seen with a camera directly at him, or from slightly above, while L is msot often seen with the camera angle directly on him or from slightly below. (I draw the opposite. God only knows why. Massive reference problems.) I'm sure that Obata-sensei is doing that deliberately, but I'll be damned if I can figure out why. When Light goes extra-special-evil, he tends to be shot from below looking up, but for the most part, downwards.

[1] I am as of yet not quite clear on what the difference between 'doujin' and 'doujinshi' is. I shall merrily continue using them at random until someone gets offended enough to let me know.

What, me look it up?? That there's crazy talk!!

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Bah, who wants to finish one thing before starting on the next? It's a stifling way to work.

To the other thing: YES. I would love to see a Death Note analysis. I've heard that one of the biggest selling points of Obata's artwork is that his characters are more expressive than most--they have more facial expressions. I can't rememeber whether I heard this from you or got it from the Jump interviews, though. (arg, it's like thinking through a filter. can't concentrate)

Heh. Don't think you got it from me. :) But it's right. And it's amazing that his characters have such a range and *still* manage to be more ... er, realistic, I guess, than most manga.

And Light looks to the left a lot, too. I ahve my Giant Page o'Raito Hair, a 9x13" printout that I made from cutting-and-pasting many many pictures of Light from DN, then printing it out and managing to close the file before saving it. :/ Anyway, almost every single one, he's facing to the left in some way.

Another thing I've noticed about pro manga vs. amateur -- the pros lamost enver do pure profile shots. They're usually at a 3/4 or 2/3 view of the head, with a lesser amount of straight-on shots, and very very few profiles. And what profiles are done are usually at a slight up or down angle. Obata does this a LOT - I had to look hard to find profiles in the three chapters I've got printed out. And none of the ones with the mouth open more than a smidgen are pure profiles (at least in the chapters I've got). If a character has their mouth wide open, they're at a 3/4 view.