A multimodal framework for tracking Sesshomaru's character development in an anime movie – Inuyasha: Swords of an Honourable Ruler – an appraisal and gestural perspective

Abstract

In this article, I propose an integrated multimodal framework for tracking a Japanese character's development, that of Sesshomaru, in the anime movie, Inuyasha: Swords of an Honourable Ruler. The language part of the framework focuses specifically on the appraisal analysis of the language spoken by the characters. The visual framework builds on Lim's system of gesture by integrating Martin and White's system nodes for appraisal analysis into Lim's gesture framework for a nuanced analysis of the characters' gestures. The framework is then illustrated through a close comparative analysis of two scenes from the anime movie. I explain how the relationship between the language and visual semiotic resources based on appraisal analysis changes from convergence between the language and visuals to divergence, which could be correlated with character development. I conclude by discussing how the narrative context influences the semiotic representation of the character Sesshomaru.