Tomoyo Daidouji
Tomoyo Daidouji (大道寺 知世, Daidōji Tomoyo) is a fictional, major supporting character in CLAMP's anime and manga series Cardcaptor Sakura and Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE. She is known as Madison Taylor in the English adaptation Cardcaptors. She is voiced by Iwao Junko in Cardcaptor Sakura and by Maaya Sakamoto in Tsubasa Chronicle.
Name
Tomoyo's name (知世) can be best interpreted as worldly wisdom. This is appropriate for her character, as Tomoyo is very intelligent as well as amazingly perceptive of others' feelings. Her surname, Daidouji (大道寺) could mean temple of great moral principles. Another possible reading is main street temple, where this could be a pun of Daigoji, a famous temple in Kyoto, Japan.
Character
Tomoyo is the best friend of the series heroine, Sakura Kinomoto (Sakura Avalon in Cardcaptors). When she discovers that Sakura has become the Cardcaptor, she becomes Sakura's primary assistant by designing "battle costumes" and filming all of her magical (and non-magical) endeavours. (The videotaping, however, seems to be more to Tomoyo's personal benefit and enjoyment than it is to Sakura's.) Tomoyo faithfully keeps Sakura's new identity secret and often covers for her in times of need.
Tomoyo is the daughter of the president of Daidouji Toy Company, Sonomi Daidouji (Samantha Taylor). Sonomi is the cousin of Sakura's mother Nadeshiko Kinomoto (Natasha Avalon), which makes Sakura and Tomoyo second cousins. Tomoyo's father is never shown in the series and is only alluded to once, but it is apparent that he does not live in the Daidouji household. Her western-style house in Tomoeda is quite grand, with several maids serving the household. She is sometimes attended by the Daidouji family's team of female bodyguards, and has access to prototype technology from her mother's company (including the cell phones she supplies to Sakura and her circle).
Tomoyo is very mature for her age. One of her major character traits is her selflessness towards Sakura. Tomoyo is kind, caring, highly intelligent, beautiful, meticulous, and very melodic (she has a superb singing voice and often has solos in choir recitals). She always speaks using formal verb conjugations and expressions, giving her a unique air of refinement amongst the cast. When needed, Tomoyo can exhibit considerable cunning and resourcefulness, which was most prominently displayed in the final movie (much of which revolved around a complicated scheme she had devised to give Sakura as many opportunities as possible to confess her feelings to Syaoran).
Tomoyo aids Sakura's efforts to be in the company of Yukito Tsukishiro (Julian Star) on many occasions, and, in the second half of the series, becomes the confidante of Syaoran Li (Li Showron) when he finds himself falling in love with Sakura.
Cardcaptors
In Cardcaptors, Tomoyo is renamed Madison Taylor and is voiced by Maggie Blue O'Hara. Anything that might have hinted at a romantic attachment to Sakura is removed from the story, which is one of the numerous reasons Cardcaptors is so thoroughly despised by Cardcaptor Sakura enthusiasts. However, had such romantic elements towards Sakura existed, an uproar over the portrayal of yuri being shown to Western children would most likely have occurred.
Relationship with Sakura
Tomoyo's relationship with Sakura is full of love and friendship. Tomoyo's actions make it clear that she is obsessed with Sakura--often to the point where some would say she is in love with her. These devotions and special feelings lead to the possibility that she is a lesbian; however, such a definitive label is left up to fan speculation, as in the series Tomoyo neither actively pursues Sakura nor has a history of relationships with other girls. Tomoyo and Sakura's hand-holding and hugging are always platonic and also reflect the fact that such actions are more culturally acceptable in Japan than in the Western world.
Tomoyo first meets Sakura in the third grade when she receives an eraser in class after forgetting her own. The eraser, likely used only that one time, has become Tomoyo's most precious possession. It was that one random act of kindness that sparked the development of their relationship, where Sakura's ongoing cheerfulness, kindness, and cuteness are matched by equal amounts of love and devotion from Tomoyo.
In the manga Tomoyo confesses her love to Sakura (albeit not in a very direct fashion) on multiple occasions, marked by the use of flowers in the background to indicate love (a common visual theme in manga and anime). However Sakura has romantic feelings for others throughout the series and never interprets Tomoyo's messages as anything other than expressions of close friendship, which are eagerly returned. CLAMP has never clearly described the true nature of Tomoyo's feelings in either the manga or anime storyline, though Tomoyo has a few conversations (not always with Sakura) in which she suggests, if not outright states, that she has feelings at least a level deeper than "close friendship" which she does not express.
Tomoyo herself does not express, or otherwise appear to possess, any feelings of jealousy or resentment toward those that Sakura has romantic feelings for. She instead is completely selfless and loves Sakura to the point where as long as Sakura is happy, Tomoyo is happy, regardless of whom Sakura ultimately loves. In one conversation, Tomoyo has stated to Sakura that she would of course be thrilled if the person whom she loves also loves her back, but what matters most to her is simply that person's happiness.
Sakura's response, unknowing that this "person" is herself, replies confidently, "The person you love must be really happy then."
Statistics
- Birthday: 3 September
- Blood Type: A
- Favorite Subjects: Music and Japanese
- Least Favorite Subject: None
- Extracurricular Activities: Choir
- Favorite Colors: Pink, beige, and white
- Favorite Flower: Lilies, magnolias, and cherry blossoms
- Favorite Food: Soba (buckwheat noodles) and sushi
- Least Favorite Food: Bell peppers
- Favorite Recipe: Italian food
- Wish List: New video-editing equipment
Tomoyo in Tsubasa
An alternate-universe version of Tomoyo is an important character in the CLAMP manga series Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE (whose corresponding anime is titled Tsubasa Chronicle). She has appeared as two separate incarnations.
Here, Tomoyo is the princess of a country called Japan/Nihon who sends the ninja Kurogane on the quest that causes him to join the dimension travelers. Tomoyo is a powerful miko sorceress responsible for maintaining the wards of Nihon that protect the country from demons. While Tomoyo is her given name, she also goes by the regnal name of Tsukuyomi, the Princess of Shirasagi Castle. She has an older sister, Amaterasu (Kendappa-ou of RG Veda), the Empress of Nihon. Tomoyo's powers are related to the moon, which grants her the ability to send people through time and space and also to communicate to others through dreams (or at least other incarnations of herself).
In another universe in the same series, Tomoyo is the President of Piffle Princess, a corporation that sponsors a race with one of Sakura's feathers as the prize. This version of Tomoyo is quite similar to Cardcaptor Sakura's version in personality and circumstances: She owns a video camera with which she plans to tape Sakura's performance in the race and she creates a costume for Sakura to wear.
In the Tsubasa Chronicle the Movie: The Princess of the Country of Birdcages, Tomoyo re-appears being as the princess of that country. Her uncle cast a spell upon her to make her lose her ability to speak, however she can still communicate by touching another person and speaking through their mind.
Trivia
- In the early releases of the manga, one artist was not aware that Tomoyo had feelings for Sakura. As a result, some scenes in the beginning chapters show Tomoyo with a slight crush on Sakura's brother Toya. CLAMP soon clarified the story with each other, however, and Tomoyo is subsequently seen showing more attention towards Sakura [1].
- Tomoyo frequently appears as a character in yuri fanfiction, coupled with Sakura, as many fans believe her to be a lesbian. Tomoyo is considered one of the most important lesbians in the shoujo-ai and yuri world by the fans, and there is an abundance of such Sakura and Tomoyo fanfiction in online archives such as fanfiction.net. Many other fanfiction writers pair her up with Eriol Hiiragizawa (Eli Moon), the "villain" of the Sakura Card arc, but this is more an exception than the standard. Since Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Tomoyo has also been paired with Kurogane.
- Tomoyo is part of Tomoeda's school choir. In the anime during the "Song" card episode she sang a solo during her class recitals.
- Puni Puni Poemy 's Futaba is often considered an over-the-top parody of her.
References
- ^ interview printed in Cardcaptor Sakura Memorial Book, published by Nakayoshi.
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