Luck and Logic: Dogakobo's Foray into Color

Today, I will try out something mostly new. Some may recall my art critique of Hyouka. Today, I want to forgo a plot analysis and focus on how the artstyle interacts with the other elements of the show. Naturally, there is bias, as I will probably write about a show that I find beautiful.
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To begin with, Luck and Logic is an anime-original show by Doga Kobo Studios - it started last week. Lacking any source material, this show is, at least apparently, free in whatever artistic approach it seeks. This story focuses on the Logicalists - a portmanteau of Logic and specialist - who work in tandem with Goddesses. (For example, a specialist in the Monogatari series tracks down and slays apparitions. This role is analogous to the "specialist" in Luck and Logic if "apparitions" are replaced with "foreigners" or "monsters.") Their goal is to protect society from insidious foreigners.

As a science fiction show, the art is meant to be futuristic. This idea is rather abstract but you tend to see particularly electric colors, especially blues, that fill up the screen - objects are cleanly mechanical in depiction, symmetry, and all that. But the backgrounds tend to be realistic style, and grounded in some realism.

Though this premise is followed in L&L, the show appears to utilize 'unrealistic' signifiers that differentiate the "action area" from the true background; for this effort to work, a broad perspective must be used to separate these areas. Figure 1 indicates a simple example - the giant teal gate, floating in the sky, stands in contrast to the environment. As a result, we can understand that the gate represents a fundamental departure, ensuring its existence as alien. Through this effort, one can see that the Logicalists, despite acting as an extension of society, exist partially outside of it.

Figure 1. A Sky Gate Summoned by Tamaki (one of the Logicalists).

 The relative reticence so far tips off one fact - most of the episode utilizes a "normal" act of realism. However, the show has particular moments where it shows off the true capabilities of the Logicalists. If every depicted scene was as bright as Figure 2, the effect would be considerably lessened. One concept brought up in the show is the "Paradox Zone" which appears around foreigners (monsters, essentially).

 In the below, two Logicalists - Mana and Tamaki - are depicted in special - that is to say, flashy - uniforms as they fight in this Paradox Zone. For example, both are wearing unusual headwear: Mana, a black hat, and Tamaki, pink flowers. This zone is represented by a color scheme borrowed from molten magma - there are patches of bright, saturated orange unevenly mixed with brown, an effect that screams danger. These two styles are linked by being completely separate from the ordinary surroundings, which places both outside of the society. Neither the Logicalists or the monsters they fight fit within such boundaries.

This approach suggests something troubling: if they are visually distinct from society, then why can they act as a policing force? Then, this society may be run according to a police state, suggesting that order is preferred over the exchange of free speech and free ideas. Mana and Tamaki, wielding dangerous-looking weapons, maintain the order by defeating and restraining foreigners; thus, they are entirely police in the offensive manner, forgoing duties such as directing civilians to safety or seeking nonviolent solutions. (Yoshichika, a civilian, for example, makes an effort to direct civilians outside of the Paradox Zone.) Then, the art style cements the story as dystopian - intentionally pondering this different future.

Figure 2. Mana (left) and Tamaki (right) glare at a monster facing them.

 Yoshichika, the aforementioned civilian, is pulled away from the Paradox Zone (Figure 3), caused by the same monster but in a different location, by the Goddess Athena. Compared to Yoshichika's simple garb, Athena seems outlandish - she wears a white dress with a blue ribbon but also has hair that appears as slightly green. However, this scene indicates that her role is similar to the Logicalists in its emphasis on the Paradox Zone; yet Athena plays a much more defensive strategy than Mana and Tamaki. If anything, Athena visually seems like the medium between the Logicalists and Yoshichika; compared to the Paradox Zone, Athena and Yoshichika are both distant and small.

Figure 3. Athena (left) pulls Yoshichika (right) away from the Paradox Zone - and the same monster.

 In short, this show utilizes the lava-aesthetic to differentiate the battle-zone from the rest of society. Thus, the Logicalists, as a special police branch, are portrayed as different from civilians, such as Yoshichika, and the building surroundings. As a result, a contradiction is created: they fight for the civilization but play a role outside of it. Their actions can only be seen as above-and-beyond civilians, allowing for the story to seem dystopian. Characters like Athena bridge the gap between civilian and Logicalist, which adds nuance to this authoritarian dynamic. Ultimately, Luck and Logic is a story about the individual and the state, with an emphasis on the latter.
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Here the art critique folded into a plot analysis. One concern of mine in these posts is my inexperience in the rigorous analysis of artstyle, especially in an animated show. However, because animation is an imitation of real life, sociological themes can be drawn out based on the very style. In an animated show especially, the aesthetic approach pursued represents key concepts portrayed in support of the plot. It can never just be seen as meaningless and disconnected from the true backbone of the story.