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ship_manifesto2004-11-18 09:23 pm
mellowcandle.livejournal.com) wrote in ship_manifesto2004-11-18 09:23 pm
Entry tags:
Touya/Tomoyo (Cardcaptor Sakura)
Title: Anything’s Possible
Author: L-chan
Fandom: CLAMP’s Cardcaptor Sakura
Pairing: Touya/Tomoyo
Spoilers: Complete Series
Disclaimer: Anything stated below that is not canon fact is my own interpretation and is not meant to imply the intentions of the creators nor the opinions of the fandom in general.
The creators of a series, in this case CLAMP, go to a lot of trouble to establish relationships between characters. Some get together and presumably stay together. Some break up for various reasons, and some have obstacles that prevent them from getting together. In any event, these relationships have already been created, and their stories have already been told. All that’s left are the relationships that never had a chance to exist. This is where the real fun is.
With that, I present the pairing of Cardcaptor Sakura’s Touya Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji.
Yes, I’ll admit that they almost never speak to each other. I’ll concede that they are only peripherally aware of each other. But by acknowledging who they are, the parts they play in the series, and where they are in their lives by the end of the series, it seems reasonable that this could change post-canon.
Touya and Tomoyo have similar roles in the series in terms of their relationships with the main character. Touya is the older brother of Sakura, our spunky heroine, and Tomoyo is her best friend (and second cousin). The two of them therefore provide important support for Sakura as she fulfills her destiny of collecting the Clow Cards and making them her own.
At first glance, Touya seems to be a typical older brother, constantly picking on his much younger sister, teasing her about her poor cooking skills or her inability to get ready for school on time. It could be a thankless, generic role, but there is a richness to Touya’s character. He doesn’t appear simply to make a snide comment and then return to the oblivion of one-note secondary characters. He’s given his own life, with interests in the sciences, talents in music and sports, and a series of perpetually changing part-time jobs in his quest to buy a motorcycle.
His variety of jobs is almost a running joke within the context of the series as we wonder where he’ll pop up next, but below the surface is the most important facet of his personality. Whether he’s serving sodas at the water park, helping out at the strawberry farm, or manning a station during the town quiz competition, it’s no coincidence that he’s almost always where Sakura is sure to be. Underneath the teasing is an adoration for his little sister that manifests as an overprotective bearing, which Yukito astutely calls a “sister complex”. This likely results from the loss of their mother at a young age, forcing Touya to grow up quickly and assume much of the responsibility for his sister while their father worked. Even as she grows older, Touya still does whatever he can to keep an eye on her, relying on his sixth sense to tell him if she’s in trouble.
Extending this, it can be said that Touya views himself as a protector and ties his need to be needed to his identity. As someone who lets his actions speak for him, it’s his way of showing his affection for his sister and the others he cares about. It’s also his way of maintaining control in difficult situations, and even in his relationships. It could be interpreted that his inability to tell Yukito that Yukito’s power is fading is not because of constant interruptions by Nakuru, but a subconscious attempt to remain the more powerful of the two. It may be why he never tried harder to explain the situation to Yukito until it was absolutely necessary. This allowed Touya be the strong one in their friendship and gave him a sense of purpose.
When it comes time for him to give up his own magic power to save Yue, the only thing Touya asks in exchange is that Yue protect Sakura, because Touya knows his ability to do so will now be handicapped. Giving his power to Yue keeps both Yukito and Sakura safe. It’s a selfless gesture on Touya’s part, demonstrating how much he cares about them, but it’s also his ultimate chance to do something for both of them, which can be seen as a selfish desire to be the hero one last time, to exercise that last bit of control over what happens.
Tomoyo, meanwhile, fills the “best friend” slot in the series, and, like Touya, has a depth of character beyond what could have been the predictable role of Sakura’s “sidekick”. She’s an excellent student, shows great talent for art and music, and has a genuinely optimistic outlook on life. An only child, she possesses a maturity and wisdom beyond that of most ten-year-olds, likely due to the fact that her company-executive mother, Sonomi, is often busy with work, and her father is presumably out of the picture (all we know of him is that he is still alive, but there is no other reference to who or where he is). But even so, she is still a child, and can be silly and excitable just as much as anyone else her age, especially when dressing Sakura in elaborate costumes and videotaping her adventures capturing the Clow Cards.
What makes Tomoyo the “best friend” in the series isn’t simply the fact that she spends time with Sakura. She is truly a good friend, one who cares about others and has a great deal of empathy for them. Rather than be the center of attention, she quietly takes in everything around her. This makes her perfect for her role as a listener and confidante, and she possesses a kindness and understanding that makes people trust her. And just like she puts her very best efforts into her scholastic or artistic pursuits, she does whatever she can for the people most important to her.
For example, when Tomoyo learns how Syaoran feels about Sakura, she gently encourages him to tell the other girl how he feels. When he can’t, she doesn’t push him, but quietly lets him talk about his feelings, knowing that simply being there and lending a sympathetic ear is the only way she can help him. She does the same for Syaoran’s cousin Meiling, who is crushed to discover Syaoran’s feelings for Sakura. There is nothing Tomoyo can do except give Meiling a safe place to let those feelings out and silently comfort her as she cries.
It may seem like Tomoyo has nowhere to go for such support, or maybe that she doesn’t even need it. Her philosophy on life is that happiness is found in the happiness of others, and if she can make other people happy, then that is enough for her. Even when Sakura expresses her appreciation for everything Tomoyo does for her and offers to do the same, Tomoyo says she doesn’t need anything other than Sakura’s smile. It is enough for Tomoyo that, even if her feelings are not returned, she can still have the people she loves in her life and appreciate them as they are, and not what she wants them to be. This pure selflessness is what drives all of her actions and inspires deep loyalty in her friends.
Throughout the series, we come to know two things about Touya and Tomoyo’s existing relationships. Because of his sacrifice, we know that Touya loves Yukito, even though he’s never said it in words, and we know that Yukito loves him. It is a relationship on the cusp of becoming more than a friendship. We also know that Tomoyo loves Sakura, both because of her words and her actions, but because she understands that Sakura and Syaoran love each other, she is content knowing that they are happy.
So how can these two get together if they love other people? How can a future relationship between these two be set up without completely disregarding the events and feelings established in canon?
First, Touya and Yukito. At the end of the series, they each experience a major change. Touya loses his magic, something that’s been an essential part of his identity his whole life, and Yukito learns that he is actually Yue, which means that his entire existence is completely different from what he thought it was. The series then ends before we see enough of how they are coping with these changes. It is not unreasonable to conclude that not only have their lives changed, but their very identities, their very sense of self. Can a relationship between them survive if neither of them is the same person they were when they first met? Cracks may start to form in the relationship as they each try to come to terms with such fundamental changes, as they try to find anything they still have in common, and Touya may begin to resent giving up his magic because it makes him feel inferior and powerless. Because it’s important for Touya to feel needed, he may not feel that Yukito needs him anymore, which was previously an important dynamic in their relationship.
Then there’s Tomoyo. Her situation is more easily explained. She loves Sakura just as any other young girl loves her dearest friend. It is an innocent, selfless love, and though she may love Sakura more than anyone else, this does not mean that it has romantic implications. Tomoyo is simply too young, despite her relatively mature outlook on the matter, to fully understand what adult feelings of love are all about. She is a child, prepubescent, and therefore simply unequipped to experience romantic and sexual love as adults do. As she grows older, as her mind and body mature, she will start to understand these things more. She will always love Sakura, but that does not preclude her from finding someone else to love, and who will love her the way she deserves. She does not need to remain alone because Sakura and Syaoran are together.
This is where the paths of Touya and Tomoyo will eventually meet.
Is there any canon evidence of existing feelings between them? In the anime version of the series, the two of them are not close, despite being second cousins, and despite the time they spend together in Sakura’s company. Their relationship is that of mere acquaintances, and they only speak directly to each other in one episode. The conversation is formal and superficial, revealing nothing about themselves to each other.
In the manga version of the series, there is a slight difference. There are a few scenes near the beginning of the series which depict Tomoyo’s small crush on Touya. She blushes profusely around him, stares at him as he helps clean up after the sports’ day events, and feels embarrassed when Sakura asks him to buy everyone snacks at the shrine festival. There is a narrative comment that Touya reminds Tomoyo of Sakura, and points out that Tomoyo thinks the siblings have the same cute ears. This crush is soon dropped and never brought up again, nor does it make it into the anime version of the series at all, but the fact that CLAMP added this detail in the first place could mean that they’d intended to hint at a future relationship between Touya and Tomoyo. It could be argued that CLAMP was simply using Touya to illustrate Tomoyo’s feelings for Sakura, but it doesn’t make sense, given that in the scene, Tomoyo has chosen to sigh and watch Touya when Sakura is right beside her.
On this small detail, in this seemingly insignificant subplot, an entire relationship rests. It is the only canon evidence of any feelings Tomoyo may have for Touya. Touya, on the other hand, while always polite, has very little interest in his younger sister’s best friend.
So, then, why would they be together?
At the end of the series, Touya and Tomoyo are in very similar situations. They are both surrounded by people stronger than they are, people with magic. Tomoyo has never had magic, but Touya’s loss of his power may affect him more greatly than we see in his all-too-brief appearances after the fact. Neither of them is needed as much anymore. Without his magic, Touya feels unable to protect anyone as he once did. Tomoyo, who has made herself useful to Sakura by designing costumes and videotaping her exploits, no longer needs to do these things. As well, Sakura has become close to Syaoran, which almost supersedes Tomoyo’s role as her confidante and Touya’s role as her protector. These are changes they may have difficulty accepting, but gives them something in common.
Of course, this alone is not enough to justify a relationship. And though they also share interests in music and art, though they are both extremely intelligent and could have scintillating conversations about history or literature, there needs to be more. There has to be something that each of them needs that the other can provide.
In flashback, we are given a brief glimpse of Touya’s former relationship with Kaho. She is similar to Tomoyo in that she has an almost motherly demeanor, that of a listener and empathizer, whom Touya could go to for an understanding ear. However, the balance of power in that relationship was in her favor, and though it was not the reason they parted, it is a reason why things likely would not have worked out between them. There seems to be a contradiction in Touya’s character showing that while he needs to be the one in control, the protector, he also needs a safe, comforting place where he can let that burden drop. It isn’t healthy to maintain such a burden all the time, and he needs someone he can trust in times when it is too much to handle alone.
Tomoyo could do this for him. Her ability to listen to people, to empathize with them, and to reach out even to those who don’t know they need it makes her someone people trust and confide in, someone people find calming and reassuring. Even when she can’t provide a solution to a problem, her willingness to help and her quiet understanding can make things seem a little less imposing.
Therefore, the opposite can also be true. If Tomoyo is the one everyone goes to for advice or simply a sympathetic shoulder, where can she go to find the same? Her mother is constantly working, her father probably isn’t around, and her closest friends don’t have the same level of maturity she does. She’s used to keeping things inside so as not to worry anyone, but she won’t always be able to hide her concerns behind a serene smile. Now that her best friend will begin growing away from her, the protective bubble she’s lived in may no longer be enough.
If Touya is still looking for someone he can protect, then Tomoyo may be the one most in need of his protection. Not because of any physical danger, because Sakura or the Daidouji family’s bodyguards will be there for that, but because as she gets older, no matter how mature she may seem, life is going to become more complicated, and she may find it overwhelming at times. She could depend on him, his strength and reliability, and find him a solid rock to lean on when things are beyond her control.
Neither does Tomoyo have a strong male influence in her life. It could be that as she grew older, she’d start looking for someone who could be that for her. She may look to Touya as the older brother she never had, and it’s the role he is most comfortable with. If he feels his sister does not need him anymore, he may gladly take such a position in Tomoyo’s life. In return, he’ll find in her a devoted selflessness that no one else has ever offered him before, something that would both humble and fulfill him. Just those small steps in becoming closer could eventually lead to a deeper relationship.
Would it happen? Maybe not. Maybe they’d go their separate ways, never getting to know each other more than they do, never realizing that the one person who could truly make them happy had been there all the time. But it’s much more fun to think of it my way.
And to be completely superficial for a moment, getting the two most beautiful characters in the series together could never be a bad thing.
Where does the Touya/Tomoyo fandom fit into the Cardcaptor Sakura fandom as a whole? Though it is not necessarily a new idea, the fandom for this pairing is still very small. There are very few fanfictions written about the two of them, and after taking away the one-shots that fail to delve below the surface of the relationship and any multichapter efforts that have been abandoned, it leaves very little to recommend. (At the risk of committing the sin of self-promotion, I’d say my still-in-progress story Shadows, while far from perfect, is the most well-known Touya/Tomoyo story.)
Links:
Rabi’s Cardcaptor Sakura Page contains some good general series information, including episode transcripts.
Kawaii Sakura Shrine is another good all-purpose site, featuring detailed episode summaries.
SLG CCSakura Network has some general information plus an extensive episode screen-shot gallery.
Sakura Wing contains manga scanlations for all twelve volumes.
Author: L-chan
Fandom: CLAMP’s Cardcaptor Sakura
Pairing: Touya/Tomoyo
Spoilers: Complete Series
Disclaimer: Anything stated below that is not canon fact is my own interpretation and is not meant to imply the intentions of the creators nor the opinions of the fandom in general.
The creators of a series, in this case CLAMP, go to a lot of trouble to establish relationships between characters. Some get together and presumably stay together. Some break up for various reasons, and some have obstacles that prevent them from getting together. In any event, these relationships have already been created, and their stories have already been told. All that’s left are the relationships that never had a chance to exist. This is where the real fun is.
With that, I present the pairing of Cardcaptor Sakura’s Touya Kinomoto and Tomoyo Daidouji.
Yes, I’ll admit that they almost never speak to each other. I’ll concede that they are only peripherally aware of each other. But by acknowledging who they are, the parts they play in the series, and where they are in their lives by the end of the series, it seems reasonable that this could change post-canon.
Touya and Tomoyo have similar roles in the series in terms of their relationships with the main character. Touya is the older brother of Sakura, our spunky heroine, and Tomoyo is her best friend (and second cousin). The two of them therefore provide important support for Sakura as she fulfills her destiny of collecting the Clow Cards and making them her own.
At first glance, Touya seems to be a typical older brother, constantly picking on his much younger sister, teasing her about her poor cooking skills or her inability to get ready for school on time. It could be a thankless, generic role, but there is a richness to Touya’s character. He doesn’t appear simply to make a snide comment and then return to the oblivion of one-note secondary characters. He’s given his own life, with interests in the sciences, talents in music and sports, and a series of perpetually changing part-time jobs in his quest to buy a motorcycle.
His variety of jobs is almost a running joke within the context of the series as we wonder where he’ll pop up next, but below the surface is the most important facet of his personality. Whether he’s serving sodas at the water park, helping out at the strawberry farm, or manning a station during the town quiz competition, it’s no coincidence that he’s almost always where Sakura is sure to be. Underneath the teasing is an adoration for his little sister that manifests as an overprotective bearing, which Yukito astutely calls a “sister complex”. This likely results from the loss of their mother at a young age, forcing Touya to grow up quickly and assume much of the responsibility for his sister while their father worked. Even as she grows older, Touya still does whatever he can to keep an eye on her, relying on his sixth sense to tell him if she’s in trouble.
Extending this, it can be said that Touya views himself as a protector and ties his need to be needed to his identity. As someone who lets his actions speak for him, it’s his way of showing his affection for his sister and the others he cares about. It’s also his way of maintaining control in difficult situations, and even in his relationships. It could be interpreted that his inability to tell Yukito that Yukito’s power is fading is not because of constant interruptions by Nakuru, but a subconscious attempt to remain the more powerful of the two. It may be why he never tried harder to explain the situation to Yukito until it was absolutely necessary. This allowed Touya be the strong one in their friendship and gave him a sense of purpose.
When it comes time for him to give up his own magic power to save Yue, the only thing Touya asks in exchange is that Yue protect Sakura, because Touya knows his ability to do so will now be handicapped. Giving his power to Yue keeps both Yukito and Sakura safe. It’s a selfless gesture on Touya’s part, demonstrating how much he cares about them, but it’s also his ultimate chance to do something for both of them, which can be seen as a selfish desire to be the hero one last time, to exercise that last bit of control over what happens.
Tomoyo, meanwhile, fills the “best friend” slot in the series, and, like Touya, has a depth of character beyond what could have been the predictable role of Sakura’s “sidekick”. She’s an excellent student, shows great talent for art and music, and has a genuinely optimistic outlook on life. An only child, she possesses a maturity and wisdom beyond that of most ten-year-olds, likely due to the fact that her company-executive mother, Sonomi, is often busy with work, and her father is presumably out of the picture (all we know of him is that he is still alive, but there is no other reference to who or where he is). But even so, she is still a child, and can be silly and excitable just as much as anyone else her age, especially when dressing Sakura in elaborate costumes and videotaping her adventures capturing the Clow Cards.
What makes Tomoyo the “best friend” in the series isn’t simply the fact that she spends time with Sakura. She is truly a good friend, one who cares about others and has a great deal of empathy for them. Rather than be the center of attention, she quietly takes in everything around her. This makes her perfect for her role as a listener and confidante, and she possesses a kindness and understanding that makes people trust her. And just like she puts her very best efforts into her scholastic or artistic pursuits, she does whatever she can for the people most important to her.
For example, when Tomoyo learns how Syaoran feels about Sakura, she gently encourages him to tell the other girl how he feels. When he can’t, she doesn’t push him, but quietly lets him talk about his feelings, knowing that simply being there and lending a sympathetic ear is the only way she can help him. She does the same for Syaoran’s cousin Meiling, who is crushed to discover Syaoran’s feelings for Sakura. There is nothing Tomoyo can do except give Meiling a safe place to let those feelings out and silently comfort her as she cries.
It may seem like Tomoyo has nowhere to go for such support, or maybe that she doesn’t even need it. Her philosophy on life is that happiness is found in the happiness of others, and if she can make other people happy, then that is enough for her. Even when Sakura expresses her appreciation for everything Tomoyo does for her and offers to do the same, Tomoyo says she doesn’t need anything other than Sakura’s smile. It is enough for Tomoyo that, even if her feelings are not returned, she can still have the people she loves in her life and appreciate them as they are, and not what she wants them to be. This pure selflessness is what drives all of her actions and inspires deep loyalty in her friends.
Throughout the series, we come to know two things about Touya and Tomoyo’s existing relationships. Because of his sacrifice, we know that Touya loves Yukito, even though he’s never said it in words, and we know that Yukito loves him. It is a relationship on the cusp of becoming more than a friendship. We also know that Tomoyo loves Sakura, both because of her words and her actions, but because she understands that Sakura and Syaoran love each other, she is content knowing that they are happy.
So how can these two get together if they love other people? How can a future relationship between these two be set up without completely disregarding the events and feelings established in canon?
First, Touya and Yukito. At the end of the series, they each experience a major change. Touya loses his magic, something that’s been an essential part of his identity his whole life, and Yukito learns that he is actually Yue, which means that his entire existence is completely different from what he thought it was. The series then ends before we see enough of how they are coping with these changes. It is not unreasonable to conclude that not only have their lives changed, but their very identities, their very sense of self. Can a relationship between them survive if neither of them is the same person they were when they first met? Cracks may start to form in the relationship as they each try to come to terms with such fundamental changes, as they try to find anything they still have in common, and Touya may begin to resent giving up his magic because it makes him feel inferior and powerless. Because it’s important for Touya to feel needed, he may not feel that Yukito needs him anymore, which was previously an important dynamic in their relationship.
Then there’s Tomoyo. Her situation is more easily explained. She loves Sakura just as any other young girl loves her dearest friend. It is an innocent, selfless love, and though she may love Sakura more than anyone else, this does not mean that it has romantic implications. Tomoyo is simply too young, despite her relatively mature outlook on the matter, to fully understand what adult feelings of love are all about. She is a child, prepubescent, and therefore simply unequipped to experience romantic and sexual love as adults do. As she grows older, as her mind and body mature, she will start to understand these things more. She will always love Sakura, but that does not preclude her from finding someone else to love, and who will love her the way she deserves. She does not need to remain alone because Sakura and Syaoran are together.
This is where the paths of Touya and Tomoyo will eventually meet.
Is there any canon evidence of existing feelings between them? In the anime version of the series, the two of them are not close, despite being second cousins, and despite the time they spend together in Sakura’s company. Their relationship is that of mere acquaintances, and they only speak directly to each other in one episode. The conversation is formal and superficial, revealing nothing about themselves to each other.
In the manga version of the series, there is a slight difference. There are a few scenes near the beginning of the series which depict Tomoyo’s small crush on Touya. She blushes profusely around him, stares at him as he helps clean up after the sports’ day events, and feels embarrassed when Sakura asks him to buy everyone snacks at the shrine festival. There is a narrative comment that Touya reminds Tomoyo of Sakura, and points out that Tomoyo thinks the siblings have the same cute ears. This crush is soon dropped and never brought up again, nor does it make it into the anime version of the series at all, but the fact that CLAMP added this detail in the first place could mean that they’d intended to hint at a future relationship between Touya and Tomoyo. It could be argued that CLAMP was simply using Touya to illustrate Tomoyo’s feelings for Sakura, but it doesn’t make sense, given that in the scene, Tomoyo has chosen to sigh and watch Touya when Sakura is right beside her.
On this small detail, in this seemingly insignificant subplot, an entire relationship rests. It is the only canon evidence of any feelings Tomoyo may have for Touya. Touya, on the other hand, while always polite, has very little interest in his younger sister’s best friend.
So, then, why would they be together?
At the end of the series, Touya and Tomoyo are in very similar situations. They are both surrounded by people stronger than they are, people with magic. Tomoyo has never had magic, but Touya’s loss of his power may affect him more greatly than we see in his all-too-brief appearances after the fact. Neither of them is needed as much anymore. Without his magic, Touya feels unable to protect anyone as he once did. Tomoyo, who has made herself useful to Sakura by designing costumes and videotaping her exploits, no longer needs to do these things. As well, Sakura has become close to Syaoran, which almost supersedes Tomoyo’s role as her confidante and Touya’s role as her protector. These are changes they may have difficulty accepting, but gives them something in common.
Of course, this alone is not enough to justify a relationship. And though they also share interests in music and art, though they are both extremely intelligent and could have scintillating conversations about history or literature, there needs to be more. There has to be something that each of them needs that the other can provide.
In flashback, we are given a brief glimpse of Touya’s former relationship with Kaho. She is similar to Tomoyo in that she has an almost motherly demeanor, that of a listener and empathizer, whom Touya could go to for an understanding ear. However, the balance of power in that relationship was in her favor, and though it was not the reason they parted, it is a reason why things likely would not have worked out between them. There seems to be a contradiction in Touya’s character showing that while he needs to be the one in control, the protector, he also needs a safe, comforting place where he can let that burden drop. It isn’t healthy to maintain such a burden all the time, and he needs someone he can trust in times when it is too much to handle alone.
Tomoyo could do this for him. Her ability to listen to people, to empathize with them, and to reach out even to those who don’t know they need it makes her someone people trust and confide in, someone people find calming and reassuring. Even when she can’t provide a solution to a problem, her willingness to help and her quiet understanding can make things seem a little less imposing.
Therefore, the opposite can also be true. If Tomoyo is the one everyone goes to for advice or simply a sympathetic shoulder, where can she go to find the same? Her mother is constantly working, her father probably isn’t around, and her closest friends don’t have the same level of maturity she does. She’s used to keeping things inside so as not to worry anyone, but she won’t always be able to hide her concerns behind a serene smile. Now that her best friend will begin growing away from her, the protective bubble she’s lived in may no longer be enough.
If Touya is still looking for someone he can protect, then Tomoyo may be the one most in need of his protection. Not because of any physical danger, because Sakura or the Daidouji family’s bodyguards will be there for that, but because as she gets older, no matter how mature she may seem, life is going to become more complicated, and she may find it overwhelming at times. She could depend on him, his strength and reliability, and find him a solid rock to lean on when things are beyond her control.
Neither does Tomoyo have a strong male influence in her life. It could be that as she grew older, she’d start looking for someone who could be that for her. She may look to Touya as the older brother she never had, and it’s the role he is most comfortable with. If he feels his sister does not need him anymore, he may gladly take such a position in Tomoyo’s life. In return, he’ll find in her a devoted selflessness that no one else has ever offered him before, something that would both humble and fulfill him. Just those small steps in becoming closer could eventually lead to a deeper relationship.
Would it happen? Maybe not. Maybe they’d go their separate ways, never getting to know each other more than they do, never realizing that the one person who could truly make them happy had been there all the time. But it’s much more fun to think of it my way.
And to be completely superficial for a moment, getting the two most beautiful characters in the series together could never be a bad thing.
Where does the Touya/Tomoyo fandom fit into the Cardcaptor Sakura fandom as a whole? Though it is not necessarily a new idea, the fandom for this pairing is still very small. There are very few fanfictions written about the two of them, and after taking away the one-shots that fail to delve below the surface of the relationship and any multichapter efforts that have been abandoned, it leaves very little to recommend. (At the risk of committing the sin of self-promotion, I’d say my still-in-progress story Shadows, while far from perfect, is the most well-known Touya/Tomoyo story.)
Links:
Rabi’s Cardcaptor Sakura Page contains some good general series information, including episode transcripts.
Kawaii Sakura Shrine is another good all-purpose site, featuring detailed episode summaries.
SLG CCSakura Network has some general information plus an extensive episode screen-shot gallery.
Sakura Wing contains manga scanlations for all twelve volumes.
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You did a really good job, despite the fact you got just a bit too academic about it :P
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Thanks for giving it a look.
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Touya and Yukito not being the people they were when they fell in love - This is CLAMP. CLAMP is the holy quartet of shoujo. They're firm believers of the fact that love is enternal, as long as the person you fell in love with has the same soul as before. (See the last volume of Wish.)
The balance of power. - This, I believe, is a parallel to Sakura and Syaoran's relationship. Syaoran can definately be considered traditional. He is the type to believe that the male in the relationship is to protect the female. And Sakura is the strongest sorceress in the world. Balance of power is definately not in his favor. Yet, Syaoran and Sakura continue to love and adore each other-in CCS, and in Tsubasa. The same applies for Touya and Yukito.
(Plus, it's pretty much stated in Tsubasa that Touya and Yukito are soulmates (their souls are bonded), no matter which universe they're in.)
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1) Of course, this is my interpretation and likely not what CLAMP intended. Whether or not love is eternal, I do think that people change due to their experiences and can grow apart, and even if the love is still there, the relationship may not last. You see it in the real world every day. It's not very romantic, but it's reality. (But what place does reality have in CLAMP, right? Heh.)
2) I'm not a fan of Tsubasa and don't consider it to be CCS canon. I consider it its own animal. It's true I haven't read enough of it to know how the Touya/Yukito dynamic plays out, but that's simply because I don't care.
(Unless Yukito dies slowly and painfully. Then I'll be all over it.)I appreciate you reading this, since it's definitely not a popular pairing, and giving me your feedback. Thanks.
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Oh, Yukito bashing.
So cute *sarcastic*.
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And it must be so nice that it comes in handy quite often ;).
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Thanks for pointing out Touya's need to be the protector, too. I haven't realized it's that strong. ^^
But you say that "It could be argued that CLAMP was simply using Touya to illustrate Tomoyo’s feelings for Sakura, but it doesn’t make sense, given that in the scene, Tomoyo has chosen to sigh and watch Touya when Sakura is right beside her." I think it does make sense - if that was the moment when Tomoyo first noticed the resemblance and had a moment of "Oh my, that's so cute!"
Um, one question: where is it stated that Tomoyo's father is alive? (Dang, I can't believe I missed that! ^^; )
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About Tomoyo's father.... In the second manga volume (I'm using TokyoPop's translation) during the sports festival, Sakura says "Come to think of it, Tomoyo-chan never mentions her dad. I don't think he's passed away... I guess it's just... complicated."
Given that CLAMP loves kids with dead parents, I'd think that if he were actually dead, they would have just said so. So, it's an assumption on my part, but it's probably a correct one.
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I'll read your fic and start something of my own. Your essay has already given me an idea.
Although Sakura/Tomoyo will always have a speical place in my heart.
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noso little good fic for this pairing.Thanks for reading this, and for your comments.
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I appreciate the encouragement you gave me on writing for these two, and I will think about it... but... to tell the truth, I like to address more mature content in my fics, something similar to the mood you created in "We interrupt your regularly schedule lives." And it's going to be tremendously difficult to write for these two in a serious way given how little there is to go on; I'm not interested in just fluff. Your series of stories on Touya-Kaho are closer to what I'm aiming for.
If you can come up with a unique scenario (not AU, OOC, please, can't stand that stuff) and recommendations, I'd be much obliged.
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I've also seen one or two where they come together because Sakura died, and I won't call that a cliche, because I haven't seen it done well (well, I haven't seen the wedding one done well, either), and because I haven't seen one get past the first couple of chapters (everyone seems to give up on writing T&T fics really quickly). So that might be a way to go, if you didn't mind killing off Sakura. But it's not the most original idea, so I'll think about it some more.
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I especially liked how you delved into the personalities of the characters, and added a new perspective to them. That alone makes this manifesto worth reading. You really did an amazing job.
cyra
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I love Touya Tomoyo, and hardly anyone else does (or maybe there are more than ten people, but whatever), so I'm commenting. Yeah.
This manifesto deserves a nice big lick. Yes, lick. So there.
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Thanks for reading this. I always appreciate hearing from other fans of T/T.
wowwww
(Anonymous) 2008-07-22 01:55 pm (UTC)(link)But now I'm so crazy about TxT, all because of shadows. So, you've done a really great job =D
Oh, I dont hate Yukito, but I dont like him either. I just think he's not a good partner for Touya.
Re: wowwww
Sometimes I say I "hate" Yukito, but I usually don't mean it that strongly. It's more like venting about the extreme worship I sometimes see him getting in fandom.
But I agree that he's not the best partner for Touya, and that is the main reason I don't like the pairing. It doesn't work for me as a relationship that has any chance of lasting.
Just found it ^^