Melodrama in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Melodrama in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Introduction

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is an action game set in the late Sengoku era that follows the titular character's journey to take back his master after they are separated. While it would be difficult to holistically classify Sekiro as melodrama, the cutscenes and character interactions do use melodramatic tropes and effects.

Background

The story is set in the last days of the Sengoku era in the country of Ashina. Ashina is using its remaining strength to maintain its independence from the new shogun. The country was formerly led by a fearsome warrior named Isshin, but due to his age he no longer participates directly in conflicts, and instead leaves command of his military largely in the hands of his grandson Genichiro. Genichiro's passion for his homeland matches -- and may even exceed -- his grandfather's. In order to gain an edge in this fight against the shogun's forces (referred to as the "Interior Ministry" in game), he seeks the assistance of the master that Wolf's (not yet known by the name Sekiro) father charged him with protecting, the Divine Child Kuro. Kuro is the last living possessor of the Dragon's Heritage, which makes him and those he chooses to give his blood to immortal. Kuro does not permit Genichiro this power, and so he is taken away by force. Wolf retrieves him, but is defeated and has his arm cut off by Genichiro. With the help of the one-armed sculptor Sekijou, Sekiro is given a prosthetic replacement, and sets off to retrieve his master again.

Melodramatic Characters and Their Actions

We have defined melodrama throughout the semester as possessing a number of qualities, one of which is how character's actions are not appropriate or don't necessarily reflect the circumstances at hand. Some characters are traditionally melodramatic; they are boisterous, loud, and the antithesis of subtlety with respect to their emotions in low-intensity scenarios. Others, however, are the opposite. That is to say that their emotions are played down or absent in situations that should be tense. Interestingly, we observe that characters who fall into the former group are mostly villains and enemies, while characters that fall into the latter are the protagonists. Isshin Ashina is the best example of this. While his antagonistic nature is subject to debate (he both assists and antagonizes Wolf throughout the game), his personality is most identifiable with the 'villain' camp. Isshin seems aloof, even when Wolf's actions are directly dismantling the country he has made. He even goes so far as to offer Wolf sake. Even when greater issues are at hand, he instead dons a tengu mask and calls himself the Tengu of Ashina and kills members of the Interior Ministry rather than Wolf. Wolf himself is an excellent example, and indeed typifies members of the 'protagonist' group. Wolf is at every turn berated and laid low by various enemies. From the very start of the game enemies remark how useless he is. Even in light of these various stresses, Wolf remains emotionless. He is singlemindedly concerned with rescuing Kuro. There is one character who shifts from the 'protagonist' group to the 'villain' group in terms of his actions in the form of Wolf's adopted father Owl. Owl's raising of Wolf is all a part of his plan to obtain Kuro's blood for himself. This is not revealed until Wolf decides to defy Owl about halfway through the game. Owl prior to this was much like Wolf -- emotionless and cold. In the brief scenes we see of him after Wolf severs ties with him, he becomes like Isshin, in a way. Flamboyant, boisterous, and insulting. He even goes so far as to feign tears. Though he was always a villain, his change to a more melodramatic personality makes it ever more salient.

While on the subject of melodramatic actions and characters, one particularly poignant example is the Sculptor, Sekijou. Throughout the game he serves as a quasi-mentor figure, and what little he tells us about himself points to him having succumbed to rage over the death of his friend, and was only stopped once Isshin severed his arm. He mentions that Buddha only shows him images of flame to imply that his rage is not quelled, only temporarily subdued. He vanishes later in the game and reappears as an optional enemy to fight, but this time he is in the form of a fiery demon. This is implied to be the result of his refusal to confront his emotions. His inability to act as he should, and instead opting to remain emotionless even if it harms him has caused him to take this form. Perhaps the most melodramatic and salient evidence for this is how he acts when you first approach him in this form. He assumes a Kabuki pose called a mie typically reserved for moments where a character's emotions are at their zenith.

Sekijou, as the Demon of Hatred, assuming a mie stance

Positioning

Positioning and lighting also operate similarly in Sekiro like they do in the works we've been viewing over the course of the semester. They are used to further enforce previous ideas and enhance emotions in a given scene. One prominent example is Wolf's battles with Genichiro. In their first fight, Genichiro cuts off Wolf's arm with his sword and the resulting shot is one where Genichiro is faced away from him, both of their backs are to each other, and Wolf is kneeling while Genichiro stands. This enforces the notion that Genichiro possesses the "upper-hand" (no pun intended) in their rivalry. Genichiro has power and leverage over Wolf in that he has stolen his master from him. Contrast this with their second battle where Wolf emerges victorious. The resulting scene has a standing Wolf clashing blades with a kneeling Genichiro. Wolf's face is dead-pan and expressionless, while Genichiro is visibly struggling to prevent Wolf from overtaking him. Interesting to note is that in this scene snow suddenly begins to fall. This strengthens the notion that Ashina has entered her winter, and will soon wither and die with the defeat of Genichiro. 

A second example of positioning playing a role in storytelling akin to how we've seen it is in Wolf's fight with his father, Owl. Three years prior, Owl (unbeknownst to Wolf) backstabs Wolf, causing Kuro to use his powers to grant him immortality. Owl's backstabbing Wolf is representative of the way that he has manipulated him since his youth to further his own goals. In their final fight, Wolf backstabs Owl, bringing getting revenge for a slight he didn't know he had incurred.