It's really hard for me to figure out if the issues I'm having with Touma and Mei (and, honestly, most of the characters on Saber so far) are the fault of performance, direction, or writing. Every time either does to the big 'waaaaaaaaah' [eyes open in shock] reaction, though, it doesn't feel like they're in character doing it. All the scenes between characters at the moment are really awkward because I don't get much sense of intention from any character and more that they're just doing what they're doing because it's what's on the page. I'm genuinely curious if covid has left them having to use a lot more first takes than usual or if the safety precautions in place means there's less time for the director to actually direct.
