[Translator’s note: here
is the original article written by @latin-dr-robotnik, originally written on the 18th of May 2020] Today we’re going to talk about one of the aspects
SEGA is more secretive about: Sonic’s relationships. [Translator’s note: this
article was written to celebrate Seaside Hill Paradise’s 200th entry. If you’re fluent in
Spanish, I highly recommend you to check it out! And if you aren’t, go follow
Latin’s Tumblr blog if you haven’t already and you’re into Sonamy, analyses, gushing about music and shitposts.] This article concludes
my Sonamy trilogy, and I recommend you to read the previous two articles: “SEGA and the eternal issue of the Sonamy dynamic” and “’I love you’ – forbidden words in Sonic”. This means this is a shipping article – if you’re
not interested into another essay about the love life of a blue hedgehog, I can
redirect you to other articles such as “Sonic and speed: are we misunderstanding them?” and “What went wrong with Classic Sonic’s music in Sonic Forces?”. Everybody
else, welcome to today’s article! It
should be noted that this article focuses more on the semi-official and
strictly official aspects, since there is really not much to say about the
fandom. Nowadays the fandom has a relatively peaceful coexistence, creating
art, fanfics and more, for all kind of ships; sometimes there’s an occasional
fight between ships or a ship that clearly is not appropriate… but besides that,
everything seems relatively calm, at least in my experience and compared to
other fandoms. Too
cool for relationships… Few things are as
mentioned and yet silenced by the official SEGA media as the fateful words “girlfriend” and “Sonic” put together. In official terms, Sonic has always been
this young, cool hedgehog, with a pure love for nature and never too worried
about life, but with a moral code that makes him fight against injustices.
During his first years, Sonic was almost impatient and a little emotionally
distant, although
as it was the ‘90s and things were not so clear for the young SEGA star,
different interpretations would take the character through different paths -
some more radical than others. As the years went by, and going through many
redesigns, certain aspects of his personality would be perfected, exaggerated,
or even flanderized. His position on relationships, on the other hand, would
remain relatively constant over the decades, with a few particular exceptions. The this is that
Sonic, in the words of his own creator Naoto Ohshima, has always been
considered “a young man with a child’s heart”, which has helped to
substantiate and understand why the character would remain relatively distant
from his feelings, and much closer to his own interests associated with the
life of adventure. …
or is he? Despite
everything I just said, they tried in many occasions, if not succeeded, to give
Sonic a girlfriend, with various results. As carefree as Sonic
is, and as much as SEGA tried to clarify this point over and over again, the
people behind his character have always tried to introduce one or more
relationships into his life. Even Naoto Ohshima himself has made his own
suggestion as to who might be a hypothetical partner for his character. The
different interpretations I’ve mentioned have tweaked Sonic’s character to make
it more apt to certain types of dynamics, and the cultural gap between the East
and the West (which I analyzed a few years ago with the first article of this “trilogy”) also has a considerable impact on the type of
relationships that would be established for Sonic from very early in his history
until today. Author’s note: the concept of “Sonic + human woman” of
1990 wasn’t completely forgotten, no no, it was brought back 16 years later,
in… well… the worst way possible. Let’s see an example.
Going back to his very origins, in his pre-Sonic 1 sketches Sonic was often
depicted with a stereotypical damsel in distress, Madonna, his own
“Princess Peach” that ended up being scrapped for many reasons, including the
similarities with Super Mario. As the years have gone by, this concept has not
disappeared, but rather the writers and directors of the series have taken it
down different paths over time. While Madonna was too cliché, other candidates
for the role of “Sonic’s girlfriend” would quickly appear to try different
dynamics, directly or indirectly endorsed by SEGA. Sally Acorn For many years,
Princess Sally was for Western fans the first person who came to mind when they
thought of “Sonic’s girlfriend”. Since 1993, and for 2 more decades, her
relationship with Sonic has gone in many directions, but fundamentally the most
amazing thing about this whole situation was that she was Sonic’s official
girlfriend (at least in the Archie Comics canon). It was also one of the
many headaches for SEGA in the last decade. Originally a fellow
fighter against the macabre Robotnik from the 1993 animated series Sonic The
Hedgehog, Sonic and Sally’s relationship was always marked by their opposite personalities;
while Sally tends to plan ahead and is much more focused on the seriousness of
the task, Sonic was the type to destroy robots first and think later. “Opposites
attract,” they say, and by the (premature, I might add) end of that series both
were already more than friends. They had already kissed a couple of
times. At the most critical moment in their relationship, Sonic, after a year of being missing in space and presumed dead by
everyone, returns to Mobius only to end up back in potential danger, decides to
ignore the wishes and warnings of Sally, who’s clearly emotionally
traumatized and stressed by both the general situation and the responsibilities
she had to carry out for her kingdom in the absence of her parents. The result
of this explosive cocktail was one of the most infamous scenes in all of Archie
Sonic, “the Slap”, where Sally finally reacts violently to Sonic’s
selfish statements. The hedgehog’s response? Well, a long exposure to the
screams about her experience - also traumatic - up to that point. In the end,
both end up screaming and crying in front of virtually everyone. What followed in the next decades was an expansion of
that original SatAM canon in the Archie Comics, in which its various writers
introduced varying degrees of drama and increasing conflict to demonstrate the
strong bond between them, destabilizing or even stabilizing it again, multiple
times. They would be together for some time, then they would be apart,
eventually rekindling the flame of love passionately, until a final sacrifice
on their part and the eventual resetting of the entire Archie Sonic canon. In their last years, after the Super Genesis Wave,
Sonic and Sally’s relationship went back to being platonic. a good
friendship with the advantages and disadvantages of their personalities -
Sally’s leadership and Sonic’s extreme confidence - while the focus was put on
the flourishing relationship between Sally and her best friend (and old
computer!) Nicole. Regardless of the way
their relationship ended, it’s undeniable that Sally has left a huge mark.
Being a product of the West, her existence was never really accepted by the Sonic’s
Japanese creators, but because the bulk of the fandom is here in the West,
Sally’s presence has been strongly associated with Sonic, the Freedom Fighters,
the comics… and also the ship wars between her and the character we’re going to
talk about next. Her very existence was a living contradiction to the Japanese central
canon, an official girlfriend who broke all the ideas that
existed for Sonic in terms of his conception of relationships and lead him
through unique paths. Whether for better or worse, Sally broke the mold. Eimi. Rosy. Amy Rose. On the opposite side of
the spectrum there’s Amy, a character that was originally conceived as the
Minnie to Sonic’s Mickey, but with her own dynamic. Despite Amy’s
existence being strongly tied to Sonic’s, once again Sonic Team tried to avoid
the classic cliché (in this case to copy Mickey and Minnie), opting then to
establish Amy as the one interested in a relationship, while Sonic runs away
from this idea. For this dynamic to keep working, Sonic’s feelings have to be
kept hidden, with excuses like his “shyness”, which leads to ambiguity, or
because, as said before, of his “child’s heart”. The most interesting
thing is that Amy kept her canonical status of “self-proclaimed girlfriend”
since 1993, which makes her “official” and “not official” at the same time, but
there are some traces left from the Sonic manga of 1992 (which in turn
influenced Amy’s original design), where a prototype version of Amy (or, as it
was spelled there, Emi/Eimi) played the role of Sonic’s girlfriend (or Nicki’s,
to be more precise). With this detail in mind, Amy can be considered, at least
in the East, the very first “Sonic’s girlfriend”, even before Sally – but her
situation is much more complex. Sonic Mega Drive (top) and Sonic Boom (bottom),
representing some differences in different Sonic continuities. In any case, the manga
would be the first and only time Amy was officially considered “Sonic’s girlfriend”,
because in the following decades and in several continuities the core of their
dynamic shifted to Amy chasing Sonic. Both would get closer or further away
depending on each case (in Fleetway, for example, Amy ends up marrying another
character, while in Archie Sonic there would be only a few instances of
potential interest, quickly overshadowed by convenience or other things
directly or indirectly related to Sally), but generally no continuity would establish
an official relationship. In some cases, such as Japan, it wouldn’t even be
necessary to clarify the state of the relationship, since their cultures accept more easily the dynamic that Sonic Team proposed as an “official
relationship”. Just looking at the artwork highlighted on Sonic Channel (run by
SEGA of Japan) shows how much more accepted the relationship is, even though
Sonic Team’s official artwork still avoids any kind of public confirmation.
(Author’s note: I’ve written more about Amy according to the East and the West
in the first article of this trilogy) Unlike Sally, there is
no “opposites attract” situation between Amy and Sonic, and, at first, there is
no prior friendship from which a potential relationship could flourish. We
witnessed their dynamics from the first moment they met, and it would not be
until years later that there would be a minimal basis for interaction from
which various official continuities would bring both characters closer
together. Technically Amy
already knew that her destiny was tied to Sonic and the events of Sonic CD on
Little Planet, thanks to her tarot cards (an element that has disappeared since
then), but for Sonic it was just another day of adventure, and although we’ve
seen how Amy’s feelings have progressed, mostly in Adventure 1 and 2, Sonic
has never reflected on his personal feelings; it’s an aspect of the hedgehog
that to this day remains a mystery to the audiences. Also unlike Sally, Amy
has appeared in multiple continuities of all kinds and because of that her
relationship with Sonic has been affected in various ways. The main videogames canon
has remained ambiguous and unchanged for 25 years: Amy would stay close to
Sonic and offer some good moments to reflect on her feelings about him (some of
which I mentioned in my post about Sonic Unleashed and Amy’s emotional support), while Sonic would remain distant, uncomfortable,
shy, and, more recently, potentially affected by her apparent loss. Sonic X is the first official attempt (by Sonic Team no less)
to offer an expanded view of our characters. There’s a lot of discussion about
how Sonic is slowly opening up to Amy’s advances, and these developments follow
a line that we discussed in previous articles of this trilogy, and how, during
the 2000s, the Japanese writers of the series kept slowly deepening the
interactions between the two, reaching very important symbolic moments like
Sonic X Ep. 9, 52 and 76, among several others. I am purposely leaving out
specific details to direct your attention to this
fantastic thread by Yvanix Rose that highlights some key details about how this
continuity worked the Sonic-Amy dynamic. [Translator’s note: the thread is in
Spanish] Sonic X, episode 76. Another essential continuity
for the development of this dynamic was Sonic Boom, since, despite
having been a separate continuity with its own interpretation of the
characters, its existence managed to influence the main canon in some way in
the years that followed its original release in 2014. Sonic Boom made two important
changes in the dynamic: Amy did no longer externalize her feelings with the
same frequency or intensity (speeding up a process that already started in the
main canon in 2008), and Sonic was noticeably more nervous and insecure of his
feelings for her, even being jealous in several occasions. These changes got
the dynamic closer to the “friends who have secret feelings to each other
but they’re too shy to admit it” trope, and in the second season it could
even be said that there are signals of the “secretly dating” trope. Nothing
was officially confirmed yet, but the changes to the dynamic offered a fresh
perspective to work from: winks and inferences about a relationship that was
not talked about but seemed to happen behind the scenes. Sonic Boom S1E16. Sonic Boom’s approach also opened the door to working
a little more on the characters’ new personalities. Taking a little inspiration
from the original foundations of Sally and Sonic’s relationship, Boom now
presented situations where Sonic and Amy’s perspectives actively clashed with
each other, leading to discussions and moments that showed a little more of the
mundane details of the friendship they had, rather than appealing to more
classic behaviors of the main canon, like Sonic leaving the scene in a hurry.
Considering the way things turned out the last time we saw this kind of dynamic
on screen, it was pretty safe to assume that their new opposites were now
attracted; the implied secret dating and so on only helped to give it more
sustenance - which the fandom would eventually take to the extreme. And lastly there’s IDW Sonic, the comic series
that replaced Archie Sonic after its cancellation in 2017, and the most recent
arc that offers an interesting perspective. Starting its continuity from the end of the events of Sonic
Forces (which at the same time took on certain characteristics from the
post-Boom era, particularly as far as Amy is concerned), IDW Sonic didn’t waste
any time in presenting the way in which it would carry out its dynamic between
Sonic and Amy. Amy makes her feelings for Sonic very clear, and he is
surprised but unable to match them. However, Sonic doesn’t want to outright
reject her, and suggests that she come with him; she refuses, claiming that she
has duties to the Resistance, setting the tone for the rest of the series. (IDW Sonic #2) “Sonic’s girlfriend”
today As I mentioned
earlier, after the reboot Sally was no longer considered Sonic’s girlfriend,
and her disappearance after the cancellation of Archie Sonic
in general is a sign that we may not see
her ever again, even as a friend. As of today, in 2020, only Amy has been
left in her “unofficial, but…” state, with various minor events taking
place both in the main canon and in IDW Sonic: The current dynamic seems to be pointing towards “Sonic’s
hidden feelings”, and I think we are at a perfect point to change the approach.
SEGA in general seems more open to the idea of bringing these characters
closer, probably as a marketing strategy, but without yet separating themselves
from the central ideas that defined the dynamic for the last two and a half
decades. Conclusion The idea of “Sonic’s girlfriend”
has been one of the most experimental and controversial in the almost three
decades that this series has been around for. SEGA has opened the door to all
kinds of ambiguities, developments and interpretations, all with their pros and
cons, instead of settling on a definitive position. As iconic as these characters, conceived as Sonic’s “romantic
interests”, have become, they have also had their share of criticism and
controversy, especially in the fandom. The presence of Amy as
the only “official but self-proclaimed girlfriend” today says a lot about the
control SEGA (specifically SEGA of Japan) regained over the characters, after
decades of interpretations that offered different alternatives with various degrees
of success. At her best, Sally represented an ideal relationship with Sonic,
much more complete and profound than the back-and-forth game between Amy and
Sonic. But at her worst, this same relationship represented everything wrong
that could happen by associating Sonic with the emotional spiderweb of a romantic
relationship. SEGA
hardening its control over the characters seems to have put an end of this type
of situation where Sonic ends up being involved in a romantic telenovela, but
at the same time it has revitalized the flirting game and the implicit
associations that give fuel to the fandom fire. From my humble interpretation,
I think we’ve reached a point where Sonic and Amy have shared enough stories
and moments to solidify the core aspects of their personalities and their
friendship, allowing them to take the next step, which is to play around with
the idea of “something else”. 25 years ago it was hard to see how these two
characters could work together beyond “it’s SEGA’s word”; today there’s enough
of a story to find a rhythm and chemistry for them, and the series of
situations they’ve put themselves in (e.g. IDW Sonic’s plot arcs) are
increasingly helping this case. The topic of “Sonic’s girlfriend” may be a
controversial one for SEGA and the fandom in general, but the doors have slowly
been opened for this debate to develop and be investigated with interesting
results, and I think that, in this new decade of 2020, there’s a unique
potential to explore this kind of discussion, without sacrificing in any way
the central principles of Sonic as a character. Thank you for joining me in
these 200 entries, and hopefully we’ll see each other for many more.
See more posts like this on Tumblr
#sonic the hedgehog #amy rose #sonamy #translation #analysis #long post #happy birthday latin! #this one was so hard [Translator’s
note: this article was originally written
in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik] Hello again!
Today we’d like to discuss about something that’s been happening recently, and
probably taking Sonic fans by surprise: what is going on with SEGA and its
stance about Sonamy? At the
beginning of this year, to celebrate the 200 articles on Seaside Hill Paradise, I
finished what I call “the Sonamy trilogy” of articles that I started in 2018
and which cover different themes, such as: The idea was
to offer a more-or-less complete analysis about the many facets of their dynamic in the last 27 years; a dynamic that, you may have noticed,
is not that easy to pin down, and that we’ve been updating almost regularly
(although I also intended to investigate on other dynamics, like Knuckles and
Rouge’s for example, and write about them). Generally speaking, in these
articles I don’t draw objective conclusions about the status of the ship in
canon (despite the fact that the available information tends to confirm it in various
occasions). I also like to repeat myself and say that shipping is supposed to
be for fun, not for tearing each other’s hair in that black hole of misery that
is Twitter, but recent events left us slightly perplexed, and this is why we’re
here once again. We left the
status of the Sonamy canonicity with these two peculiar instances back in
August: Sonic
mentioning his “girlfriend” in the Japanese version of Sonic Battle, and the Twitter account
of SEGA of Europe saying Sonamy is their “favorite videogame romance”. Now,
let’s recap a bit… Keep reading
[translator’s
note: the original article was written
in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik] Today we’re
going to talk once again about the star of our show, this time to put in order
some recent writing pieces and concepts. In the last
5 years, the discussion around Sonamy made giant leaps. Old preconceptions
about Sonic’s creators, the relationship between East and West, and even the
importance of certain continuities over others have been made obsolete, even
abandoned by the fandom in favor of more updated news. In this
period of time, we saw the death of Archie Sonic and Sonic Boom; the birth of
IDW Sonic; the establishment of Sonic Studio, a studio in charge of
every aspect about Sonic (except videogame development); and the retirement
from the series of the writers Ken Pontac and Warren Graff (2010-2019), who
have been replaced by famous Archie and IDW writer Ian Flynn to write Sonic
Frontiers. Even in the
fandom itself, these five years have considerably affected the conversation.
Personally, I’ve been involved in Twitter and Tumblr, and the kind of debates,
investigations and conclusions drawn by all these interactions have completely
turned upside down my understanding of the Sonamy dynamic in more than one
occasion. This is why
today we’re going to make a compilation of the articles and information about
Sonamy that we hosted on Seaside Hill Paradise since 2017. Depending on the
case, we could add more recent and complete information that helps us
understand certain concepts tied to the dynamic. The format will be simple: we will put the articles in chronological
order, from the oldest to the most recent, followed by a short summary and some
notes that can include corrections or concepts to be aware of (because they
weren’t explained well at the time or because the fandom gained a better
perspective with time). Are you
ready? Let’s begin from the oldest article, the one who kickstarted this important
era of the blog. Keep reading
[Translator’s note: here is the original article by @latin-dr-robotnik, originally written on the 27th
of March 2019] Recently I’ve noticed
that many of my articles about Sonamy have received a major influx of
visitors compared to others; I’ve deduced that somewhere people are discussing
about it and those articles did a good job (hi, people from Facebook! Let me in
the discussion next time). With all of this in mind, I’ve decided to handle a
topic that I’ve discovered a short while ago and that sparked a very
interesting discussion: everything starts with an “I love you”. Well, actually, I have
to confess that this article is an adaptation of a post I made on Tumblr for the last St. Valentine’s day. I thought it might be interesting to expand a little
what I wanted to propose. And if you haven’t already guessed it, this article
will talk a lot about ships, Sonamy in particular. And remember, we’re having fun here. No need to start
wars or be too extreme. Keep reading
[note: the original
article was written in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik] Today we’re
going to discuss a recurring topic on my blog, with a more complete
perspective. Today’s
article was inspired by an
ask I got a few days ago about my possible perspective on the future of IDW
Sonamy. I thought it would be interesting to revisit and expand this topic,
because it’s still something of great interest for thousands of fans all around
the world, and because SEGA has recently adopted a very peculiar position on
the couple and their dynamic. As I detailed on my article SEGA and its most recent Sonamy side
– more canon than ever, the
dynamic has been going through a shift that can be distinguished into two main
parts: 1) the commercial potential of Sonamy as a merchandising and marketing
icon; 2) the stability of the interactions in the comics, in
the short monthly stories on
Sonic Channel, and so on. That being
said, there’s no need to mention that we’re going to focus entirely and nothing
more than on this ship. I usually suggest other articles for those who
prefer to read on other subjects, but today I will recommend our Discord server [translator’s note:
the server is mainly Spanish-speaking], where discussions about ships are limited
on their own canal that is separated from other themes: general discussions,
music, fangames and mods, fanfics, fanart and even gaming in general. As you
know, if you want to bring something else to our community, or just avoid
talking about Sonamy, you’re more than welcome to join. Now, back on track. Keep reading
[Translator’s note: here’s the original article written by @latin-dr-robotnik, originally written on the 26th of August 2018] While the Bowsette phenomenon shattered the internet into a thousand pieces, it
seems like the Sonic fandom is splitting itself over a completely different
matter: the eternal discussion over Sonic and Amy’s dynamic, and how much it
can be considered official from SEGA’s perspective. Note: this article ended up becoming the first part of a
trilogy. Stay tuned for the next two parts! Keep reading
[translator’s note: the original article was written by @latin-dr-robotnik in Spanish] Today, we’re going to start off the year with a very important analysis. Happy 2022! This new year looks promising, not only because we’re going to get two new Sonic games, a movie and a new series, but also because it’s the year of some important anniversaries, like Mania which is going to turn 5, Sonic 4 Episode 2 which is going to turn 10, and Sonic R which is going to turn 25. And one of the most popular and significant titles of the franchise is going to turn 30 in November: Sonic 2! This very peculiar Classic game has always been a fan and critic favorite, on top of being one of the best selling ones… but today, we’re going to sit down and analyze Sonic 2 like the product that we can play today, we’re going to see it from a level design standpoint, taking into consideration its complicated development and its placement in the history of Sega Technical Institute, as a first step towards the improvements introduced in its 1994 sequel. Today we’re going to answer this fundamental question: is Sonic 2 the best game in the series, or is perhaps a terrible sequel that fails to take full advantage of the Classic formula? Keep reading
Nothing major, just something random I’ve noticed in translation Sonic/Tails and Sonic/Knuckles were translated faitfully: S/T is called “Yuujou Pea”, literally “Friendship Pair” (aww) and S/K is called “Kenka Tomodachi Pea”, literally “Fighting Friends Pair”. So far so uninteresting. EDIT: “Unbreakable Bond” was translated faithfully in all other languages, roughly following the same pattern (in Italian it’s simply “Inseparabili”, which I find cute). Fighting Buddies, however, was translated as roughly “Battle buddies”, which makes it sound like Sonic and Knuckles team up to fight, not that they fight each other. Now that I think of it, Kenka Tomodachi is equally ambiguous… The real interesting teams are Cream/Amy and Sonic/Amy. In English, C/A is called “Team Jubilee”, a name that baffled some. Of the many meanings of “jubilee”, the one that makes more sense is “A time of celebration or rejoicing”, closely related to the word “jubiliation”. After all, Cream and Amy are best pals and Advance 3 marks the second time they’ve hanged out together, roughly six months after Heroes - I bet they were jubiliating! Well, turns out it is a much more interesting name for them, because in Japanese they are known as……! “Girls Pair”. Wow. The imagination is overflowing. For once I’m glad the English translators intervened. EDIT: just for curiosity I checked the name of this team in the other languages. Turns out, Spanish, French and Italian all decided to follow the Japanese name (they probably didn’t understand the meaning of Jubilee either lmao)… (the Italian version doesn’t even bother with putting the word “team”, no it’s just “Little Girls”) And the German version is particularly lazy, as they just slapped “Team Jubilee” again as if it was a name: I can’t prove to you that this is not the English version, trust me lol And now for the real reason I thought of writing this post! As we know, the English translation toned down most of the Sonamy hints throughout the years (more details here and here), and it’s only recently that Western media have started to hint at the ship more blatantly (Boom, IDW). We can chalk it up to cultural differences and different portrayals of Sonic, but it was what it was. The only instance I can think of where the opposite happened is in Advance 3: In Japanese, S/A is called “’Raburabu?’ Pea”, literally “‘Lovey-dovey?’ Pair”. Notice the question mark. It’s very tongue-in-cheek, clearly poking fun at Sonic not sharing Amy’s enthusiasm at all. The English version, for whatever reason, missed the sarcasm entirely: Sure, Sonic still has an expression that screams “Why are we still here? Just to suffer?”, but the name seems much more earnest, like it’s saying yeah, they are lovely! And of course all the other languages followed suit: “Adorable Couple” “Beautiful Couple” “Charming Couple” “Pretty Couple” The Japanese name seems very out of place now, doesn’t it? Somebody in the translation team clearly had an agenda. … maybe one day I’ll stop obsessing over small translation details, but that day is not today.
[Translator’s note: this article was originally written in Spanish by @latin-dr-robotnik. Every link with an asterisk leads to a Spanish page.] Today we’re going to delve once again in a topic that is well known but still discussed in our fandom. Sonamy. Yeah, I know, really original, right? Well, the audience of this blog is largely attracted to this side of the Sonic franchise, and I don’t see why I should stop analyzing it. Some months ago, we discussed about the progression of Sonamy in IDW Sonic, and before that we also talked about the current situation of the dynamic and its impact on the main canon. In both articles I said very interesting things that are worth bringing up again: The way SEGA has been recently trying to push Sonic and Amy in front view (and for the entirety of 2020, based on the articles I mentioned in the beginning) tells us the harsh truth we all have to accept sooner or later: Sonamy sells, and it sells a lot. From a strictly business point of view, the ship is so iconic and popular, with fans and detractors alike, that it would be absurd for SEGA to ignore the chance to print these two characters and get a load of money. […] Outside of the business perspective, I believe we’re facing the moment that we’ve been waiting for: it’s time they’ll establish once and for all the dynamic of these two characters, following more closely the original Japanese vision of Sonic. I said many times that, in trying to change canon, the West, especially SEGA of America, did nothing but confuse fans and generate more discussions than needed, by introducing different data and portrayals that contradict the canon established by Sonic Team. […] nowadays I think that SEGA has spoken loud and clear. I think canon is ready to negotiate the idea that Sonic and Amy, apart from being excellent friends who would risk their lives for each other in a heartbeat, have something else on their hands (probably the other’s hand). This won’t automatically translate into a kiss, or a complete love declaration (although Sonic X came close…), or a commitment to a formal relationship like we know them in real life. SEGA canon affirms that Amy is “Sonic’s girlfriend” and nothing more. Outside of that detail, they still pretty much function as friends interacting with a little flirting here, and a little Sonic running away there. It’s the basis of their dynamic, now enhanced by the fact that SEGA is giving us a clearer message. An interesting detail that wasn’t included in the ask and that makes me think is the possibility that all of this will feature in the games as well. This is a completely different matter for another day, but I like to think that there is the possibility that we’ll see SEGA being more interested in inserting more Sonamy in the games, even if in an indirect way like in Sonic Unleashed and its emotional support, especially if the rumors that we’re about to get a soft-reboot are true. Romance is not something Sonic games are famous for doing well… at all, but that doesn’t mean it would be a bad idea to add a little sprinkle of IDW Sonamy in the mix. Based on these quotes, that reference the more corporative side of SEGA and the actual Sonic canon, along with the huge wave of shipping material in the recent IDW Sonic #39, my plan for today is to compile some of the opinions that friends of mine have shared (thank you for your time!). The question was simple: Do you think this recent IDW push could be part of a bigger change in direction going forward, or just blatant amounts of fanservice for the sake of it? Keep readingSEGA and its most recent Sonamy side – more canon than ever
Opinion: How could Sonamy progress in IDW?
You know… I think I’m going to blame the Sonic the Hedgehog movie for why fans on tumblr suddenly started caring about everyone’s canon ages. The movie features the first version of Sonic that I’ve seen who actually acts like a kid, and it seems like a lot of people who saw the movie now can’t see Sonic as anything else. Before the movie came out, practically nobody actually gave a shit about how old Sonic was, especially considering that his age tends to vary depending on the continuity, and most incarnations don’t really look or act like a teenager anyway.
…this has been like this for a long time
People still brought up their Canon ages long before the movie, there was probably a large increase of these types of people because the movie but these type of people always existed in this fandom
That’s what I meant. It’s certainly become more common since the movie came out.
Like… who fucking cares? It’s a blue cartoon hedgehog that runs fast
Honestly, this happens anytime a media “reaches” Tumblr.
I’m going to say something that maybe will be taken in the wrong way, but age in the Sonic canon (and as usual when I think of Sonic I think of the games, I’m not familiar with the comics) has always been more of a suggestion.
Sonic is canonically 15, but without knowing it you could think he’s anything from 12 to 18, not helped by the inconsistent writing (the Sonic in ShTH and the Sonic in ‘06 are very much not the same person). Also, if age really mattered in the series, he should have turned 16 after Generations.
Tails has been 8 for a long time, although his characterization in the later games is more fitting for an 11 year old.
Espio is 16 but he sounds and behaves like a man in his late 20s.
This girl right here is a spy and a government agent, apparently trusted enough to handle delicate missions like the one on the ARK, and yet we’re supposed to believe she’s only 18?
Same age as this fella?
These four are supposedly the same age, 14 - would you have guessed?
Ages in Sonic are there mostly to indicate the age group they belong in. Cream and Charmy are young children, Tails is slightly older, Rouge, Big and Vector are young adults, Eggman is a middle-aged/old man, and everyone else is the age of the main target public. That’s all. You’re not really supposed to take them realistically.
I don’t think the reason fans now care more about Sonic’s age is because in the movie is blatantly a kid (although, well, if your very first impression of Sonic is that he’s babey you’re probably less willing to ship him and all). I think it’s mostly because the movie did what Sonic X did twenty years ago and caused a newbie boom, but the fandom twenty years ago had a completely different culture than now.
me writing a detailed analysis of characters nobody gives a shit about
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