Who's Amy Rose?

[Almar]

He only became commander from being one of the "core characters" (Sonic, Tails, himself, Eggman) who are demanded to always be around in some way. With the comic providing a rather forced excuse for such.

He's a loner who has no real experience making decisions for others. Vector or Rouge or Blaze or even G.U.N. Commander if Two-Worlds never happened would've fit better.  

[Kuzu]

I feel like there's a bit of a false dichotomy in that opening post and some of the reactions here; my attitude is more along the lines of...why can't Amy just be all of those things? Is there a rule that she can only have one these character traits at a time? That's not how characterization works. 

I notice this extreme dichotomy that fans try to enforce on the cast, "X needs to act like Y, otherwise it's OOC". There's no reason Amy can't be a mature leader, a bubbly genki girl, or have a bit of a temper at things that piss her off when the story calls for it. And accusing anything that falls out of those lines as "boring" or "wrong" just feels extremely close-minded.

What's actually the problem is that these traits basically are treated as mutually exclusive depending on the writer,rather than being organic parts of the character so that they feel more natural. There's no actual point of transition between "Mature Amy" "Genki Amy" or "Angry Amy" for it to be consistent characterization, so it just comes off as extremely weird. 

It's less "development" and more just changing her personality to suit whatever is happening in the plot. And that holds true for a lot of the cast. 

[DabigRG]

12 minutes ago, Almar said:

He only became commander from being one of the "core characters" (Sonic, Tails, himself, Eggman) who are demanded to always be around in some way. With the comic providing a rather forced excuse for such.

He's a loner who has no real experience making decisions for others. Vector or Rouge or Blaze or even G.U.N. Commander if Two-Worlds never happened would've fit better.  

(Since when did this get political?)

I said comparatively, what little was done with that odd choice was more interesting compared to what has been done with Amy, who's characterization is the topic of discussion.

3 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

I feel like there's a bit of a false dichotomy in that opening post and some of the reactions here; my attitude is more along the lines of...why can't Amy just be all of those things? Is there a rule that she can only have one these character traits at a time? That's not how characterization works. 

A fair, true point.

 

[Almar]

The problem with Amy becoming some "mature leader" is it's not really an appropriate direction for her character when look at both her overall history and foundation. It's again just overreacting to backlash.

It might've worked in Sonic Boom since the show's just an animated sitcom with Sonic characters based on a failed reboot but this is not Sonic Boom.

[DabigRG]

Just now, Almar said:

The problem with Amy becoming some "mature leader" is it's not really an appropriate direction for her character when look at both her overall history and foundation.

Pretty much.

Then again, IDW is drawing off of Forces, which wasn't an appropriate direction in general.

[StaticMania]

4 minutes ago, Almar said:

It's again just overreacting to backlash.

Backlash from when?

Before Lost World, but what was the game where she received the most backlash that would've been relevant?

[Almar]

No it wasn't. But I guess nothing is too appropriate for Sonic know (see the movie also).

Just now, StaticMania said:

Backlash from when?

Before Lost World, but what was the game where she received the most backlash that would've been relevant?

Where have you been? Amy was loudly hated on for her appearances in the Adventure era. She's a good example of someone trotted out as an example of the "Sonic's Shitty Friends Problem." I find it hard to believe the direction her character has taken from Lost World and Sonic Boom upward had nothing to do wtih the vocal words about it.

 

[StaticMania]

She was already toned back down by the time Lost World even happened though...

Though maybe the dislike was spread throughout.

[Kuzu]

19 minutes ago, Almar said:

No it wasn't. But I guess nothing is too appropriate for Sonic know (see the movie also).

Where have you been? Amy was loudly hated on for her appearances in the Adventure era. She's a good example of someone trotted out as an example of the "Sonic's Shitty Friends Problem." I find it hard to believe the direction her character has taken from Lost World and Sonic Boom upward had nothing to do wtih the vocal words about it.

 

 

Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 came out in the beginning/end of the millenium. Lost World came out in 2013. 

 

She was toned down by Unleashed my G

[Fire-N-Space]

I still see people over the internet talk about how good it is that Amy's personality has changed to a mature one.

13 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

She was already toned back down by the time Lost World even happened though...

But Amy wasn't toned down in Sonic Generations, Colors DS or Sonic Black Knights.

 

 

[Kuzu]

27 minutes ago, Almar said:

The problem with Amy becoming some "mature leader" is it's not really an appropriate direction for her character when look at both her overall history and foundation. It's again just overreacting to backlash.

It might've worked in Sonic Boom since the show's just an animated sitcom with Sonic characters based on a failed reboot but this is not Sonic Boom.

See, this is exactly what I mean. There's nothing "inappropriate" about it. Characters are allowed to change over time given the story. That is literally how characterization works.

 

If you wanna criticize HOW it happens sure, but this inherent idea that she "can't be mature because it goes against her character" is ludicrous. 

[Wraith]

Amy has had a tendency for emotional/childish reactions but she's also had consistently good people/leadership skills for a long time. You can be mature about some things and immature about others.

[StaticMania]

5 minutes ago, Fire-N-Space said:

But Amy wasn't toned down in Sonic Generations, Colors DS or Sonic Black Knights.

Yeah.

I agree that she was indeed toned down from Sonic X, Heroes, and Battle in terms of exaggeration to her most dominant trait or traits.

[Fire-N-Space]

1 minute ago, StaticMania said:

Yeah.

I agree that she was indeed toned down from Sonic X, Heroes, and Battle in terms of exaggeration to her most dominant trait or traits.

That's because Amy had more screen time in those games/TV not that she was toned down.  

[StaticMania]

Oh is that all?

[DabigRG]

17 minutes ago, Fire-N-Space said:

But Amy wasn't toned down in Sonic Generations, Colors DS or Sonic Black Knights.

 

 

To be fair on Generations, most of the cast got little to do or say beyond what their general bio says.

17 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

See, this is exactly what I mean. There's nothing "inappropriate" about it. Characters are allowed to change over time given the story. That is literally how characterization works.

 

If you wanna criticize HOW it happens sure, but this inherent idea that she "can't be mature because it goes against her character" is ludicrous. 

 

15 minutes ago, Wraith said:

Amy has had a tendency for emotional/childish reactions but she's also had consistently good people/leadership skills for a long time. You can be mature about some things and immature about others.

Wait, is that nuance?

10 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

Oh is that all?

More or less. Can't speak for Colors DS, though.

[Kuzu]

One thing I think IDW missed out on is having her transition into her leadership role; think the change would have been far less jarring if the reader was eased into it and show her having to adjust over time. 

[Wraith]

I'd be up for seeing Amy's quirks clash with the leadership role a bit more like it does for Knuckles but the job suits her fine when you think about it and the neither Sonic Forces or the comic are really about Amy anyway.

[DabigRG]

4 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

One thing I think IDW missed out on is having her transition into her leadership role; think the change would have been far less jarring if the reader was eased into it and show her having to adjust over time. 

I think IDW missed out on having a story actually center on her working with the Restoration.

[thumbs13]

Saying Amy was toned down because people didn't like her in 2019 is weird because, handheld games aside, she got progessively more tame as time went on. I'd argue that she wasn't even that bad in Heroes, aside from the Team Sonic fight. Also people really like to make the 06 quote as bad as possibly when it's supposed to be a cute moment.

[DabigRG]

1 minute ago, thumbs13 said:

 Also people really like to make the 06 quote as bad as possibly when it's supposed to be a cute moment.

Which one?

[thumbs13]

Just now, DabigRG said:

Which one?

The "if I had to choose the world or Sonic, I'd choose Sonic". People use it to call Amy insane when it really just means she'd stick with him no matter what. It's not too far removed from Shadow's quote, honestly.

[DabigRG]

Just now, thumbs13 said:

The "if I had to choose the world or Sonic, I'd choose Sonic". People use it to call Amy insane when it really just means she'd stick with him no matter what. It's not too far removed from Shadow's quote, honestly.

Wouldn't call it cute, but I thought so.

She and Elise aren't Shadow, though.

[StaticMania]

It's not far removed from Shadow's line, but Shadow's line is a lot more direct...and can't be taken the wrong way "in context".

 

[Sega DogTagz]

Shadow's line also isn't "blatant foreshadowing" to the "Sophie's Choice" Elise has to make at the end of the game.

Amy's line looks bad both in and out of context. I'm sure it was meant as a harmless, cute plug, but thematically it is a whale of an albatross that sticks out like a 400 lb gorrilla.