Sonic X Amy: A Rebuttal

I admit, there are pairings I support regarding the Sonic series, and pairings I simply cannot back. I'll be covering the latter for this journal. I won't touch upon them all, just the most prominent ones that I feel simply will not work and why. My opinions are based on how each person is and possible character development for them. Also, I'm sticking to the games, as talking about the comics in this case, is a whole 'nother headache.

Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose

These two met upon Little Planet. Amy was a big fan of Sonic's heroics and wanted to meet him. So, like any fangirl, she went out of her way to locate him...and promptly got herself snatched away. By the time the whole incident was over with, Amy's hero worship had turned into love, which, for her, means chasing her love around, hugging him and spouting random romantic delusions.

I'm sorry, but this simply will not do. Amy's hopeless crush on Sonic is holding her back severely. While it's good for laughs, their "romantic" encounters have gotten very stale very quickly. Personally, I wouldn't be "secretly in love" with a chick who whips out a weapon at the drop of a hat, either.

What Amy chooses to ignore is that Sonic is, especially at his age, a free spirit. And that usually means dating is the last thing on his mind. If he were to have a girlfriend of any sort, she'd have to be someone who can match his speed, so to speak. Someone who can understand his needs without shoving hers down his throat. If a girl is too threatening too often, that's his cue to run. Amy, however, has  convinced herself that, if she persists, he'll eventually notice her and settle down. Just like that. She doesn't realize that she's merely driving him farther away from her. And swinging the Piko Piko Hammer around is merely exacerbating the problem.

Sonic himself isn't helping matters, either. He's far too kind to just be honest and tell her that he's just not into her, for fear of hurting her feelings. Being the cause of a friend's sadness is the last thing he wants, if he can help it. Does taking off make her sad, too? Yes, but he usually isn't around to see that and is too busy being relieved to get away from her. He's an immature boy, mind you, and doesn't think before he acts.

This isn't love. Love is putting all of yourself out there for that person and offering yourself at a moment's notice, even when there's nothing in it for you (especially then). To her credit, Miss Rose has indeed had these moments, but they're few and far between. Amy usually acts purely to impress Sonic, often at the expense of others. Example: Sonic Free Riders. She had to hire Vector and drag Cream into the competition just to be around Sonic. Most of her lines in the game involve her bitching at her team (and everyone else) and flirting with Sonic, who responds with his usual passive exasperation.

It's clear, to me, that this pairing is played for laughs at Sonic Team and they aren't willing to let such comedic gold go to waste without good reason. It's funny to see such a cool guy like Sonic squirm from time to time and putting them together is easy fodder for promotion and marketing, but let's be real: it's gotten OLD.

This is a real shame, because Amy is capable of so much more. I believe she can be a strong, vibrant character in her own right. Heck, most of her best moments (converting Gamma, scrapping Zero, leading Team Rose, and, of course, her famous chat with the Ultimate Lifeform) were when she was separated from Sonic. And let's not forget her wonderful portrayal of Nimue, the Lady of the Lake. If she could simply let Sonic go and give herself a chance to grow into the woman we all know she can be, instead of the girl she think Sonic wants her to be, she would be much, much better off for it. And it would give Sonic a much needed break.