Next Tsukasa Event Is Like: Taking Him To A Therapist

Next Tsukasa event is like: taking him to a therapist

A very thorough; very long analysis of Tsukasa's latest card.

I first want to preface this by saying thank you to Tsukasa for coming in only 40 pulls. I still have a good amount ready for your next limited!

:)

This card has made me go insane.

This an exaggeration on my part, but it seems like every time I look at this card I find another detail I've overlooked that just makes me love this card even more. It's an understatement to say that the artists of the Project SEKAI cards put a lot of thought into composition, lighting, and the theme for each set--especially for story-driven cards. So this post will be my in-depth analysis of this card and my personal thoughts and theories.

This post is separated into parts in hopes of this post having some semblance of organization.

Card Artwork Composition

Tsukasa's trained artwork from the card A rush of Excitement shows Tsukasa at the very forefront of the card. The camera is positioned slightly upright--giving the viewer the feeling as though they're looking up at Tsukasa. The art is also positioned at an angle, giving a sense of movement which works to emphasize Tsukasa's pose: A confident stride toward the warmly lit stage. The bright light fills the dim backstage with light. This is further emphasized by the billowing movement of the flag he clutches behind him, the tail of his suit, his bowtie, and his hair. He's giving the viewer a bright smile full of confidence

His card highly contrasts Rui's card Blowing in the Evening Breeze. He's static--sitting farther away from the camera. A barrier separates him from the viewer: a tilted hourglass that he watches with a solemn expression. He's surrounded by clutter and darkness floods the room he's in--only a small sliver of light reflecting against the hourglass and highlighting Rui's eyes.

For Nene's card A Childhood Friend's Gaze, there's more movement (shown by her hair and skirt), but she has a bittersweet smile and is seen stopping to look at a nearby hourglass. The light behind her is similar in color to Rui's: a bright white, unlike Tsukasa's warm yellow.

Overall, Tsukasa's card seems very out of place when you compare it to Rui and Nene's cards in the same set. Additionally, there's a large emphasis on the hourglasses in their cards (I'll discuss more on that later).

I feel like this decision to make Tsukasa's card such is very intentional on the artists' part and was the first thing that caught my attention when I saw them. Rui and Nene's cards have a solemn vibe to them--fitting alongside the plot of the set's corresponding event. Tsukasa's not so much.

It's almost as if he is ignoring the weight of it all.

Background Analysis

Let's return to Tsukasa's card.

Tsukasa is backstage, the warm light of center stage behind him floods a usually dim area with glowing light. This symbolizes Tsukasa's dream to be a world-renown actor and that the steps he takes in the present bring him closer to that light--his dream.

But this isn't an event about entering the stage. It's about leaving--saying farewell. A Sorrowful Farewell at Curtain Call--the part of a show where all affiliated actors bow to the audience and the show comes to a close.

It's strange that this card illustrates the polar opposite of the event name itself.

Now, let's talk hourglasses.

The appearance of the hourglass is especially important throughout the event. Hourglasses represent the passing of time--finite time specifically. They could have chosen a simple clock, but the idea of limited time--which the hourglass best represents--fits perfectly when we think of the future end of WxS. Their time together is limited and their goals--the closer they become--will pull them farther apart.

Rui's is situated behind one, glaring at the large hourglass. The hourglass is tilted, but the sand is still falling representing Rui's wish to stay with WxS longer (hence the hourglass being tilted in an attempt to stop the sand from falling to the bottom). This event focuses on Rui's shattering realization that his time with WxS will end in order for him to achieve his dreams. He'll have to let go of the people who accepted him and back into a world where that situation is not guaranteed.

Nene's card has many hourglasses, but here they stand upright and act as supports for the building behind her, symbolizing her dream. She's somewhat come to terms with the thought of WxS disbanding as showcased in past events (Mermaid Admiration and Island Panic) and can deal with it although with a bittersweet smile. She focuses on the good times she had and the good times yet to come with the troupe.

But take another look at the hourglasses in Tsukasa's card.

The hourglasses are small, upright, organized;

caged.

He doesn't interact with the hourglasses at all--not even a glance at them. He's focused on us, the audience, and the stage ahead. You can argue the idea that he just doesn't realize that his time with WxS is slowly fading away, but Tsukasa is a lot more aware than that. We've seen this shown multiple times throughout multiple event stories. He does know, but he doesn't want to think about it. Ignorance is bliss, after all.

Why sulk about the future if you just focus on the present? Why reminisce about the pain of the past if that doesn't make anyone smile? Forget the pain in those bad memories. Push them away, lock them up and never think of them again.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

This is further shown through the flag he carries behind him. We've seen this flag in his card in only two instances. His 2-star and 4-star from Wonder Magical Showtime. These two cards symbolize a great shift in the story of WxS: the formation of the troupe and their promotion to park ambassador respectively. The flag partly covers parts of the hourglasses as though he's involuntarily trying to hide them. The flag Tsukasa carries has been a symbol of WxS since the beginning. It's almost like he's trying to reassure everyone. "Everything's alright. We're still good ol' Wonderland x Showtime!"

Tsukasa has yet to come to terms with the future of WxS and the pain that it will cause him. So he does what he does best: he ignores it and forgets it. He smiles, reassuring us and the people around him that there's nothing to worry about.

But the hourglasses remain unchecked, and the longer Tsukasa ignores them, the more sand that will fill the bottom. They're bound to break someday under the weight, and Tsukasa will be left to pick up the pieces if nothing changes.

TLDR: Tsukasa, sweetie, it's okay to be sad.