Whitespace variants share an identity only at the outer boundary
Whitespace immediately inside a pair of matching outer brackets is formatting. Interior whitespace is expressive content. Preserve the exact observed form for provenance, but calculate sightings and rarity from the canonical card identity.
| Observed form | Catalogue identity | Treatment |
|---|---|---|
| ( ･_･) | (･_･) | Same card; leading boundary space removed |
| ( ･_･ ) | (･_･) | Same card; both boundary spaces removed |
| (•́ ᴗ •̀) | (•́ ᴗ •̀) | Interior spaces retained |
| (•́ ᴗ •̀)ﾉ | (•́ ᴗ •̀)ﾉ | Unchanged today; the suffix leaves no closing outer boundary |
Why
Boundary padding commonly comes from formatting and should not create artificial legendary cards. Removing every space would collapse visibly distinct expressions.
Consequence
Global counts from boundary variants combine before rarity is assigned. A whitespace-insensitive resemblance may suggest a family relationship, but it does not automatically merge cards.
Unresolved edge
Bracketed faces with gestures or ornament after the closing bracket currently remain exact identities. Any broader normalization needs review against the catalogue before becoming automatic.
Source of truth
The collector owns canonical identity. Clients submit the exact observed Unicode and must not normalize it themselves.