THAT Digimon Site

The Sora Stereotype: 

Datamon was right! They're ALL clones! Okay, so maybe it just SEEMS that way.

Hiya, I'm Ucchan, here to talk about a certain problem my webmistress hasn't QUITE addressed completely yet. The Sora Stereotype. Sounds stupid, well, she is. Sora is just one of the many 'perfect girls' of anime that some people either adore, hate, or don't even realize they are part of the stereotype.

Item #1: The Stereotype. Perfection, or strive for it, is one common symptom of it. Take in point Sora, she is caring about everyone but herself. She has every quality that is considered correct for Japanese girls of her age. Not that these are bad qualities, its just that it's impossible for a person to have all of them: honestly, loyalty, strength, caring, intellect, , patience, introspect and several others. The thing is, that though these are good qualities, they are often the ONLY qualities that The Stereotype contains. No flaws, no lack of qualities, no real goals... you might as well be a trained seal, because the reactions the Stereotype has are the same. Basically, the Stereotype is perfection, but perfection is one-sided, and two-dimensional. Though cleverly masked, all characters encompassed in The Sora Stereotype, have no real personality.

Item #2: Examples. Sora from Digimon is the obvious example, she is the basis of the Stereotype. But other characters include Amy from Sailor Moon, Misty from Pokemon, Sara from Flint the Time detective, Holly from Monster Rancher, Catherine from Gundam Wing, and Videl from Dragonball. (That pretty much covers the American-TV ones) Others are also: Deedlit from Lodoss war, possibly Akane from Ranma1/2, Shinobu from Urusei Yatsura, Yui from Fushigi Yuugi, Sylphiel from Slayers, Fuu, Emeraude, and (possibly)Hikaru from Magic Knight Rayearth, Afura from El Hazard, Belldandy from Ah My Goddess, and a host of other anime girls from Shounen, Shoujo, and Seinen alike. It's hard to find an anime WITHOUT a Sora Stereotype, unless of course, there are no girls. Tenchi Muyo seems to be an exception, though Sasami may be bordering on one.

Item #3: Exceptions. YES! LET IT BE SAID! There's still hope for some of these girls. Though they are mostly 2-dimensional, SOMETIMES (but not most) the Stereotype can be bent and the girls can do things that ACTUALLY make them seem like they are original characters. Sora has most of these moments when she is around TK. Amy can occasionally break out and be funny. Akane exemplifies this exception because she routinely shows these slight glimmers of personality (Thanks Rumiko-sensei!). Unfortunately, these exceptions are few and far between. But just knowing that they exist is hope that The Stereotype will eventually fade away.

Item #4: Misty. She is the problem with the system. She has no redeeming exceptions, she represents The Sora Stereotype better than Sora. Which leads me to the conclusion: SHE IS SORA'S CLONE! YES! Who of you remember the episode in which Datamon clone Sora to be evil? Well, just think, what if... the clone WASN'T destroyed? I mean, the Dark network acting up and stuff, which knows what kind of effect could have happened. What if the clone was transported into a dimensional rift? It happened to Tai, why not the clone? What if the clone was slightly changed when she arrived in this new dimension, similar to Earth, but also similar to the DigiWorld? A world that looked like Earth but still contained monsters. What if the clone's clothing was ripped up a bit: Yellow top, Jean shorts, a lost helmet, a hairstyle change. What if this clone was taken in by three pretty sisters from Cerulean. What if the clone was renamed Misty? I find that the similarities between Misty and Sora are just TOO astounding to be coincidence... But at least Sora would have been the original (and she contained slight glimmers of a personality). Still, if Misty could be the clone, why not Sara from Flint the Time Detective? I mean she looks like Sora with no helmet and long hair, and hey, her brother could be adopted...

Item #5: What's left to do? Well, The Sora Stereotype will probably be around longer, but there IS hope for a change. Try not to think about it while watching an anime, you can still fool yourself into thinking that they have personality... Better yet, just ignore them and watch the ACTUAL characters, you'll be happier. Or maybe just accept them as a talking prop or background color. Who knows, maybe some of you enjoy two-dimensional characters?

Conclusion, they're here and we have to deal with 'em! The Sora Stereotype is annoying. 'Nuff said.

Ucchan.

"Parents? What exactly is a parents?" --Gomamon

*The Sora Stereotype is the official name this website has given to the "perfect girls" anime stereotype. It is not copyrighted, and therefore, you can use it on your webpage should you deem fit.