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tobiasdrake · 4 months

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Digimon Adventure 01x05 - Lightning! Kabuterimon! / Kabuterimon's Electro Shocker

Previously on Digimon: We found drinking water, ate birdseed, and poured gasoline on a fire until it caused an integer overflow error and rolled over into zero. Also discovered that the true birdseed was the friends we made along the way. It was a good day.

But now it's time to leave the Pyocomon behind and get back on the road to... whatever might help us go home. File Island is no fun.

We join our cast at the end of a long hike. The younger kids are too exhausted to keep going, so we need to stop and take a break. We don't see Koushiro in this shot at all but he's resting with Mimi and Takeru in the next so we can probably assume which side he's on.

The dub adds context that we're going in circles, which is why everyone's so tired. In the original, they've just been walking for a long time.

Koushiro takes this as an opportunity to once again get his laptop up and running, but no dice. None of his electronics work on File Island. Taichi tries to help, but has a particular approach to IT... and about as much respect for other people's things as Haruhi Suzumiya.

Naturally, this gets him yelled at not only by Koushiro, but Sora also joins in to chew him out.

(Not okay, Taichi. What if you broke something? Where are we supposed to get replacement parts out here, the internet!?

...don't answer that.)

Suddenly, Taichi notices smoke on the horizon. Explaining nothing beyond the words "What's that?" Taichi suddenly runs off. The others shrug it off and decide he went to the bathroom or something.

Dub Tai is much more explicit in his communication. He explains that he sees smoke and is going to investigate. They still blow him off, with Joe claiming he has "the attention span of a gnat".

Unexpectedly, Koushiro's computer turns on. This is unexpected for two reasons; First, because there's no clear indication of why it suddenly works now. Second, as Koushiro quickly discovers, the battery is completely drained. There's no power to turn it on, and yet it runs.

The meaning of the blinking dead battery symbol is changed in the dub. The original plays this as eerie; The laptop has no battery so how is it running? The dub plays this as disappointing; The laptop has low battery so Izzy won't be able to use it. This sets Izzy on a quest to power on his laptop.

Before he has time to think about that, Taichi finds what he's looking for and calls them over.

Those smoke pillars meant exactly what he thought they did: A sprawling factory is laid out before them. Naturally, the kids descend into the factory to explore.

They find no people, but an assembly line of machines constructing... something. Jou, however, insists there must be people here somewhere; A factory like this can't be completely unmanned so we need to keep looking.

Like usual, Jou's determination to find other humans on File Island doesn't make it into the dub. Instead, Joe wants to find a cafeteria in the factory to get food from.

The kids split up; Taichi, Sora, and Jou head off one way while Yamato stays with Takeru, Koushiro, and Mimi and go another. As Taichi's group searches for human presence, they suddenly hear something.

They aren't sure where it's coming from but somebody's here. They can hear some kind of mechanical whirr and some sort of deep, echoing vocal noise. Taichi wonders aloud if that might be a person!

The dub flubs this just a bit; To fill dialogue space used for Jou insisting there must be people here, Biyomon instead calls out to the others, "Don't go any further in this direction!" That indicates that she knows the presence is over that way, making it odd when they all start looking around for it - and Biyomon specifically checks back the way they came.

We also don't hear the echoing voice in the dub; Instead, we hear metal clattering against metal. Tai announces with alarm, "Doesn't sound good!" Once again the dub team are quicker on the uptake and recognize the peril they're in, while the original kids are still holding out hope.

Meanwhile, Yamato's group finds the power supply room and discovers what's running this factory.

It's a super-sized battery plugged into the factory as if it were a TV remote or video game controller.

(It would be hell to change those out. Can you even imagine?)

While Koushiro's surprised to see that the factory runs on this weird system, Dub Izzy is more interested in using it for himself. He wonders aloud if there's a way he can hook it up to his laptop.

Still investigating, Tai's group comes upon this 'mon caught up in the gears of the factory. Gomamon ID's him as Andromon, and informs the others that he's highly evolved. Taichi asks if he's more evolved than Greymon, to which Gomamon answers yes, without a doubt.

(He's right, too. Andromon is a Perfect-stage Digimon, the stage beyond Adult. The kids aren't anywhere near that yet.)

Jou's disappointed that Andromon isn't human, but the kids still agree to help him anyway.

The dub cuts the discussion around Andromon being evolved beyond Adult-stage, though Agumon does say he's "very much advanced" which is open to interpretation. The rest of the conversation is spent agreeing that they should pull Andromon out of the gears.

They also, of course, cut Jou's disappointment about this being another Digimon; Joe complains, "My mom really doesn't want me moving any heavy objects; I've got bad knees," so Sora volunteers herself and Tai to do it without him.

Brief cut to Koushiro, who tells Yamato, Mimi, and Takeru to go on without him; He wants to stay here and investigate the battery further.

Meanwhile, Dub Izzy is still thinking about plugging his computer into the battery; He explains that if he can get it up and running, they can use his computer to call for help.

Meanwhile, Taichi's group begins pulling Andromon out.

(What happened to those bad knees, Dub Joe?)

Taichi loses his grip and falls back against that lever behind him, activating the machines he's stuck in. Unbeknownst to anyone, the machines insert one of those Black Gears from last episode into Andromon's fleshy cyborg leg, just before he comes loose.

Taichi attempts to apply some percussive maintenance, like he did for Koushiro's laptop, but Jou and Sora grab and restrain him. Taking cues from Taichi, Agumon smacks Andromon's head to bring him online.

It does not go well.

The narrator cuts in here to formally introduce Andromon. He's a Perfect-stage Data-type Cyborg Digimon, said to be the strongest among Digimon.

(I assume "on File Island" is a qualifier there because there are absolutely Digimon way more powerful than Andromon.)

Piyomon hits Andromon with Magical Fire to make him release Sora. He shrugs off her attack, then he lobs Sora into Taichi and Agumon, who catch her.

Taichi notices a bunch of metal beams being stored on the ceiling for some reason and has Agumon cut them down with a Baby Flame.

(I want to feel bad for him but he brought this OSHA violation on himself. If he stored his beams properly, this wouldn't have happened to him. Slacking off on safety protocols is how you end up caught in gears.)

Taichi's group takes this opportunity to run for it.

Back with Yamato's group, they've left Koushiro to investigate the power supply room and gone on without him, as requested. Mimi offers some wild speculation as to what the devices being assembled actually do.

Dub Mimi's similarly confused, but offers no speculation. Instead, she complains that there should be a tour guide to explain this stuff. "Ooh, maybe in a plaid outfit with a bullhorn!"

Meanwhile, Koushiro continues investigating the battery. He finds something most unexpected: A door? Why would a battery have a door? Dub Izzy is less confused by this, assertively calling it an "access panel to the interior operations!"

Opening it up, he enters and... it's wild.

Koushiro identifies the writing on these walls as computer code. He doesn't offer any particular programming language, just that it is one he recognizes. He runs his hand along one of the symbols, wiping away part of a letter as if it were fresh paint.

Instantly, the machines throughout the factory shut down in response to Koushiro disrupting their code.

Unfortunately, Taichi's group is still fleeing from Andromon when the lights suddenly go out. Taichi speculates that Andromon might not be able to find them in the dark if they creep away quietly. He's wrong; Andromon finds them immediately and we see from his perspective that he can see fine.

Andromon's signature move, Spiral Sword, spins his hand so fast it turns into a drill before slashing suddenly and creating a blade of pressured air. The dub calls this Lightning Blade.

While the kids narrowly avoid being cut apart by Andromon's Spiral Sword, we cut back to Koushiro and Tentomon. Koushiro laments that he broke the wrong part of the code. At Tentomon's suggestion, he takes out a sharpie and repairs the code, bringing the power back online.

As the machines come back online, Dub Mimi speculates that the factory didn't pay its power bill. XD Valid theory from her perspective.

Koushiro lays out for Tentomon why this is so bothersome. This is not how batteries work. The programming inside the battery is itself what's supplying power to the factory. Koushiro breaks out his laptop to further analyze the program.

(It's like a Sim City power plant. It looks like a power plant. It satisfies the electricity needs of the other programmed structures you lay down. But it's not a real power plant. It's just coded to look like one and to satisfy the coded electricity needs of the coded world. Koushiro and Tentomon are inside the code of this "battery" right now and seeing the true nature of its artifice.)

Meanwhile, dub Izzy is looking for a way out of the factory. "If I can decode this particular program, then I can trace its base functions and figure a way out of here!" This is peculiar because they aren't trapped here to begin with, but it's the beginning of what will be a plot point throughout this episode.

We cut briefly back to Taichi's group still dodging Spiral Swords from Andromon, and then return to Koushiro. Tentomon asks him about how happy he looks doing this; He's more motivated than he's been since Tentomon met him, in fact. Koushiro confirms that he's having a blast.

Tentomon doesn't get it. He asks what Koushiro gets out of this, and Koushiro explains that he gets knowledge. He wants to understand the secrets of this place and what the Digimon are. Tentomon isn't swayed by that; He doesn't really care about who or what he is, and he turns it around on Koushiro: Is he trying to solve the mystery of who he is?

Tentomon doesn't realize it, but that question triggers Koushiro. He flashes back on something he doesn't want to remember.

Though it's not explicitly stated, the subtext of this conversation he overhears from his parents is fairly obvious. Koushiro is adopted, and his parents haven't found the courage to break it to him yet. His parents agree to put it off a little longer; It'd be too much of a shock for him now. They don't know that they've already revealed it. And it is.

Dub Tentomon captures the spirit of the conversation, but with a lot more passive-aggression. He peppers Izzy in sassy backhanded remarks like "I admire the way you keep working while your friends are out having fun!" and "So you would rather spend your time with puzzles than with people?"

He also suggests that they're "trapped in a small room with no exit". I don't know where he got that idea from; There's a door. They came through the door. We occasionally see the door and it's still open like they left it. We're in here by choice 'cause Koushiro/Izzy wants to learn. But aside from that one line, this all works really well. Even the adoption conversation is adapted perfectly.

Back in the present, Tentomon snaps Koushiro out of his disassociation to let him know that some weird shit is happening to his computer screen.

The lines of code he'd been analyzed begin freely floating around the screen, and the light on his Digivice begins to blink.

Here, Dub Tentomon goes off-script to start ranting at Izzy that he's being irresponsible, playing around on his computer while his friends are in danger. This is not a thing they know, but Tentomon insists he can "feel it in [my] bones".

While Koushiro is learning, Mimi lets out an angry shriek from another part of the factory as she finally discovers what the place does with those machines it's assembling.

It sends them to conveyor belt which disassembles them for parts. Nobody offers any commentary beyond Mimi's angry shriek but honestly that's valid commentary in and of itself.

(The assembly and disassembly lines are my favorite part of this episode. It was not meant to be but it's such a scathing metaphor for the military-industrial complex when you think about it. We give hundreds of billions of dollars to defense contractors each year to do exactly this, and that makes me want to angry shriek when I think about it too.)

Back inside the battery's source code, the data moving around on Koushiro's screen begins to form into what appears to be a map of File Island. Dub Izzy's so excited, he officially abandons his alien theory.

However, before it can fully process, Tentomon begins overheating, crying out in pain. Koushiro checks his Digivice and sees that the little bar that rises and falls on it is filled to capacity and blinking.

He's forced to shut down the laptop for the sake of Tentomon's wellbeing. Once the laptop turns off, Tentomon stops glowing and burning, and his Digivice's meter returns to empty.

Meanwhile, Taichi's group escapes Andromon once again after Taichi makes an unbelievably brave leap from a scaffolding suspended dozens of feet in the air to a crane, and hooks Andromon with it.

Of note, Dub Andromon keeps demanding vengeance, presumably for Agumon banging on his head. This is not in the original, where he's a mostly-silent stalker except when he's firing his Spiral Sword or analyzing the kids. His Gear-corrupted systems label them intruders when we see things from his perspective, so he's trying to kill them based on that.

Dubs back in the day would often add dialogue just to fill space, on the assumption that kids would get bored if they go too long without hearing spoken words. So instead of a silent Terminator type marching through halls, we get cries of "ANDROMON WILL HAVE HIS VENGEANCE" whenever the camera's not on his face so you don't notice his lips aren't moving.

Up on the roof, Yamato, Mimi, and Takeru discuss what they've learned. Yamato lays it all out: The factory is a perpetual machine, disassembling the thing whatever it is for parts it can use to assemble the thing which it then disassembles for parts. Nothing is actually produced. This entire complex exists to make nothing.

The dub kids get the gist of this, though Matt's less confident than Yamato in his assessment. They also again suggest that they're trapped here which... is based on nothing? T.K. nervously says, "I hope there's a door," but Matt firmly states that there's no door because nothing ever leaves this place.

(Matt. My guy. There's a door. It's the one you came in through. We are not trapped in the factory; We're voluntarily poking around at stuff to learn what's what. Nobody is in any peril that they know of except Taichi's group.)

While Koushiro rejoins Yamato's group, we get a brief cut of Andromon cutting himself loose with a Spiral Sword air blade, curved around to hit the crane wire holding him.

Koushiro explains his findings: The factory is powered by a computer program; It's coded to have energy so it does. Extrapolating outwards, this means we presently exist in a world where data and programs become real, tangible things.

In the dub, we've already been calling this Digi-World since episode 1 so Izzy ratchets up the revelation: "In Digi-World, basic data and simple information are a living, viable substance; IT'S ALIVE!!!"

Before Koushiro can explain what he means, Taichi's group arrives and screams warnings to everyone. They're too late, though; Andromon erupts through the floor, turning on Yamato's group.

He wastes absolutely no time firing up his other signature attack to kill them with: Gatling Missiles. Yeah, Perfect-stage Digimon get two. That's not fair. This is Baby-stage Bubbles at Kuwagamon all over again.

As the group scatters, Yamato miserably fails his Big Brother check and leaves Takeru behind, frozen in terror. He realizes his mistake too late, but Gabumon evolves to Garurumon to shield Takeru from the blast. As he's evolving, the camera calls special attention to Koushiro noticing the data being output by Yamato's Digivice.

Garurumon swipes the Missiles away, destroying one of them. But the other recovers in the air and comes back for Taichi's group, revealing what exactly makes these Gatling Missiles.

With another shot of Koushiro noticing Taichi's Digivice glowing, Agumon evolves to Greymon to defend them from the gatling bullets. He smashes the missile with his tail. Their victory is short-lived, however, as Andromon proceeds to demonstrate the difference between Adult- and Perfect-stage Digimon.

This is not a winnable fight. They are all fucked beyond measure.

(Even if the whole team could evolve, this would still be a very hard fight. Remember that time the entire team of Child-stage Digimon tried to fight Kuwagamon and lost? Yeah. You really gotta party up if you want to take on a higher-stage Digimon.)

The kids watch in horror as Andromon easily takes Greymon and Garurumon apart. Yamato and Sora both chime in, acknowledging that they get what the whole "evolved at a stage beyond Greymon" thing from earlier means. He's so much stronger and faster than their guys; This fight is hopeless.

The dub didn't have that conversation earlier, so Sora has to offer this up as speculation. Dub Sora pegs his strength to being all-machine but adds, "It's almost like he's Digivolved far beyond the other Digimon!" Yeah. Almost like.

Out of desperation, Tentomon asks Koushiro to fire up that program he was looking at earlier. Koushiro acquiesces, firing it up and filling Tentomon with a surge of energy just like last time. But this time they let it go and don't resist it.

Tentomon SHINKAAAAAA!!!

Tentomon evolves into Kabuterimon, named for kabutomushi, the rhinoceros beetle. His arrival does little to change the tide of battle. Perfect-stage gonna Perfect, y'all.

Jou frantically wonders aloud if Andromon has any weaknesses, which gets Koushiro thinking. Scrutinizing Andromon carefully, he notices energy sparking out of his organic right leg and yells at Kabuterimon to focus fire on that.

The dub seems a little confused on this note; Izzy yells at Kabuterimon to "Cut his power! Demobilize his right leg and we'll interrupt his energy source!" which is making a lot of (wrong) assumptions about why we're shooting at his leg. Koushiro just says to shoot the leg and doesn't explain why.

Kabuterimon opens fire with his signature move, Mega Blaster. The dub calls this Electro Shocker.

Kabuterimon's shot hits home. It does jack shit to Andromon but it obliterates the Black Gear inside his leg, which forcibly emerges and flies into the air to explode like with Meramon. Instead of bursting into a cloud of smoke, however, we get to watch it disintegrate like a Final Fantasy monster.

With Andromon now liberated from the Black Gear, he unpacks what happened. He found the Gear stuck in the machinery of the factory and was trying to get it out when he got trapped like that. He doesn't actually know what it is or what happened any more than the kids do.

He's apologetic for what he did under its corruption and wishes he had more information for them, but he doesn't. He does, however, have a suggestion for how they should leave the factory, which may be where the dub got the idea that they're trapped here. He advises them to go through the sewers.

Dub Andromon skips the explanation and goes straight to apologizing. Though he still says he has little information for them and suggests using the "underground waterway" to "escape" from here. He also calls it a "labyrinth", which the original does not.

Andromon wishes them luck in returning to their world, which is now officially what we're calling it. Dub Tai promises to never forget Andromon. Then the kids make their way into the sewers.

As they're walking, Takeru strikes up conversation with Koushiro. He wants to know if the program Koushiro used to evolve Tentomon would work for Patamon as well. Dub T.K. has the same question but refers to evolving as "becoming a superhero".

Koushiro agrees to give it a try, but as he's typing, his laptop suddenly loses power. Taichi and Agumon both want to hit it, forcing Koushiro to comically protect his laptop from these two lunkheads.

As Taichi and Agumon comically hit each other, we close the episode on the group laughing at them. The narrator chimes in to foreshadow that Koushiro's laptop will be the key to solving the secrets of the world.

The dub's been having the characters narrate instead, but they don't even bother with this line. They just cut it outright. That's fair; It's kind of unnecessary.

Assessment: As a character-focus episode, this one works really well for Koushiro. The emphasis of the episode is on learning and information-gathering. We found something interesting so we start poking around to figure out what we can about File Island.

So far, each episode has focused on a particular trait of a character that's going to become important later down the road. For Koushiro, it's his intelligence and curiosity that not only drives his discoveries but fuels his Digimon's evolution.

This is a big episode for discovering the lore and understanding the mechanics of the Digital World, as befits a Koushiro episode. I particularly like the choice of a Perfect-stage Digimon for their adversary, forcing them into a situation where Koushiro has to solve the puzzle rather than defeat the bad guy.

The dub quality here is... serviceable. There's some lateral changes that just come across as different presentation choices, such as having Tai announce himself to the others more directly when he leaves the group. Also, some of the tension-relieving jokes they added got me, especially Mimi's "didn't pay the power bill" crack.

But there's definitely some changes I wouldn't have made. Cutting out the explanation that Andromon's evolved beyond the levels of Greymon and Garurumon confuses the matter of why they can't beat him. As a kid, I remember legitimately thinking that metal Digimon are just automatically the strongest because of this episode.

Also, they're still erasing Jou's character direction: To find humans so they can take us in and get us home. This leaves him with little to do but provide comic relief.

Nonetheless, the main character arc between Izzy and Tentomon mostly lands, even if they go a little too hard on Tentomon's disagreement with Izzy's way of life.

The dub version is a little lesser for the choices that they made, but not by too much, I think. It still hits most of the important beats and delivers the story it needed to tell, and that's what matters most.

#digimon adventure #digimon #revisiting digimon #revisiting digimon adventure

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digimonarchive · 11 months

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Hitchhiking is always a bad idea part 3

Sora Takenouchi and Mimi Tachikawa attempt at hitchhiking and they managed to pick up a minivan. However, this driver of the minivan is a real creep.

Sora and Mimi: Take us to Odaiba! Joe: It'll definitely work this time. Koushiro: Girls are better at this. Motimon: That's right! The men will be crawling all over them! Koromon: Is that how it works, Taichi? Taichi: Well, yeah. (On the road, the minivan stops near the girls.) Takeru: Someone stopped! (Sora and Mimi talk to the driver of the minivan and then, they give a signal to the boys in a happy gesture.) Joe: All right, it's okay! Taichi: Easy stuff! Koromon: So that's how it works... (The scene shifts to the minivan driving along the road and then, the scene shifts to the Chosen Children in the minivan. The boys look uncomfortable while the girls are smiling. Taichi, Joe and Koushiro along with their Digimon partners are sitting in the back seat. Sora, Takeru, Yamato and their Digimon partners are sitting in the middle seat. Mimi and Palmon are in the front seat beside the driver.) Driver: Hey, you boys sitting in the rear. Taichi, Joe, Koushiro, Takeru and Yamato: Yes? Driver: Let me just make it clear that you're the extra baggage that came with Sora and Mimi. Got it? (The boys are clearly uncomfortable with the driver and they reply in monotone voices.) Taichi, Joe, Koushiro, Takeru and Yamato: Yes. We're the extra baggage. Driver: Baggage had better keep quiet. If you don't, I'll dump you in the middle of the highway or something. Taichi, Joe, Koushiro, Takeru and Yamato: Okay, we'll be quiet.

In the American English dub, the creep is known as Duane and he's supposed to be Sora's cousin whereas in the original Japanese version, the driver is a stranger.

Digimon Adventure episode 30

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froggie-bolt · 11 months

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Day 4: Trauma and Healing

Tell me Taichi wasn’t having a difficult time after Kizuna. TRY.

I bet you can’t.

I was preparing a comic! But I couldn’t get it done soon enough and I’m already late. SO! Either tomorrow or at the end of the week, I’ll post the finished comic!! But please take this thing from my drafts!!

Taichi’s grip on his shoulders grew tighter as Koushiro felt his back press into the offices couch.

After the week they just had, Taichi’s weight was just so comforting. Grounding him.

But the conversation that was to come was far from such.

And the way Taichi was going about starting it…

Because when the brunette leaned in and pressed his lips to Koushiro’s, he knew what this was about.

It didn’t take a genius to figure it out. Well, maybe it did. Koushiro did fit that description.

But this?

This took someone who knew Taichi.

Luckily he knew him like the back of his hand.

“Taichi—“

Taichi kissed him again, Koushiro engaging this time.

His hands went to hold the others hips, pulling him closer, hoping to maybe bring Taichi the same comfort he was bringing him.

It seemed to work. Sort of.

His shoulders were released at least.

Honestly, they really shouldn’t be making out in his office after hours.

However, when Taichi insisted on grabbing them some food and hanging out, Koushiro couldn’t bring himself to say no.

But he couldn’t afford to become distracted. They needed to have this conversation. He needed Taichi to be direct about his feelings; to tell him what was on his mind.

“Taichi-san you need to…T-Taichi, hold on, we need to—“

He expected Taichi to interrupt him again.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he rested his head on the crook of Koushiro's neck, and fisted the boys shirt.

“Do you know” his voice shook “How fucking worried I was?”

“I..can only imagine..”

“What if we didn’t beat that thing, Kou.”

Koushiro bowed his head.

“That wouldn’t have happened—“

“It almost did!”

“But it didn’t.”

Taichi let out a sharp sob.

He wasn’t going to cry. Of course not. He wasn’t going to, he told himself.

But now here he was, sobbing into his boyfriends shoulder about something that didn’t even happen.

Koushiro rubbed his hand up and down his lovers back. He couldn’t know how Taichi was feeling.

He could only guess. His guesses are usually spot on though, and this time was no different.

“Koushiro, if things didn’t work out..! I-I would have lost my sister, everyone’s digimon... I would have lost you—! A-And Yamato, I would never be able to look him in the eye again I— it was too much. J-Just too much, Koushiro and now that it’s over I—! I don’t know if I’m supposed to be relieved, or angry, or sad! I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel and it’s fucking me up.”

It was fucking both of them up.

Koushiro knew how to hide his emotions well. Always had.

But when Menoah turned out to be the perpetrator, he felt so stupid. So betrayed.

So used.

He hated feeling used.

Not only that, but the knowledge that someday, he might have to say goodbye to Tentomon…

But because of Taichi, he knew how to deal with his feelings.

Taichi was good at giving advice on such things.

But sometimes, he couldn’t follow his own.

“Taichi, you know the answer to that.”

“No! I-I—!”

Koushiro cupped the others cheeks and pulled him up until they were eye to eye.

He kissed Taichi sweetly before wiping the others face.

“Taichi-san,” he spoke gently. “You, more than anyone knows.”

“What..what do I know, koushiro…” his voice trembled, another sob waiting at the back of his throat.

“You don't have to feel a certain way. You don’t have to know how you feel.”

The red head pulled the other into a gentle embrace.

“You just…feel.”

#taikouvember 2023 #taikouvember #digimon #digimon adventure #taishiro #taichi x koushiro #taichi yagami #koushiro izumi #taikou #koutai

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bagerfluff · 6 months

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Maybe Prom Isn't So Bad

Older Izumi Koushirou x Non-Binary Reader

Prompt - Prom

“No Taichi. I’m not going to prom”, Koushiro said.

This was the fifth time Koushiro’s said it and if he has to say it again Koushiro is going to hit Taichi over the head. As you may have guessed tonight was the most valued and anticipated night of a high schoolers life, prom.

Well, most valued and anticipated is you weren’t Koushiro. Koushiro had no plan to go to prom. Why would he? He had no date, not that it matters.

Koushiro would much rather spend time at home with his laptop. Just the thought of spending an entire night with people with bright lights and drunk kids made Koushiro shiver.

So no, Koushiro had no plan to go to prom.

But Taichi had other plans. He wanted Koushiro to go, why, because apparently Koushiro couldn’t ‘stay at home during this monumental moment’. Koushiro thought he could.

Nothing really important happened during prom. That’s what Koushiro’s data said. Nothing was going to happen and the things that happened weren’t going to be anything more than laughs in the future.

It’s not like you met a life partner during prom.

But no matter how many times Koushiro said no, Taichi kept trying to convince Koushiro to go. Taichi had a habit of putting his mind to something and never stopping till he dies trying or it works.

That was something Koushiro admired about Taichi, just not right now. ‘“Come one Kou, what's the worst that could happen?” Taichi asked from his position on Koushiro’s bed.

Taichi was laying on Koushiro’s bed with a fake sad smile that Koushiro couldn’t see because his gaze was on his laptop. Taichi got up from laying to sit crisscrossed in the middle of Koushiro’s bed.

“Come on Koushiro, everyone's going to be there” “Why does that mean I have to be there”, Koushiro countered. It wasn’t like the team didn’t meet every Friday to hang out.

“Because it will be fun to hang out”, Taichi was whining now. “But we did that yesterday. Yesterday was Friday. And since there was no school that means Koushiro could spend the entire day on his laptop.

A perfect day if you ask Koushiro.

“Maybe if you go you’ll see Y/n”, Taichi teased. Koushiro blushed but he refused to let Taichi see that. Who was Y/n? They were a student in Koushiro’s home room.

They talked everyday and Koushiro liked talking to them. They were one of the few people to listen when Koushiro started rambling. They were pretty too. That’s how Koushiro developed a crush on Y/n.

How Taichi found out was a mystery, but Koushiro didn’t like it. Just the thought of seeing Y/n made Koushiro’s heart thump in his chest. Y/n were kind, funny, pretty, and confident.

Also all of the things Koushiro wasn’t

Koushiro now wanted to say yes, but that was illogical. There was no way to find out if Y/n was going to the prom. “There is no way to know if Y/n is going”, Koushiro said as he got back to typing on his laptop.

He hadn’t even realized he had stopped when Taichi mentioned Y/n. “You could ask them”, Taichi asked in that stupid teasing voice. No. That was stupid. Koushiro couldn’t and wouldn’t ask Y/n.

That would look weird. Plus, why would it matter if Y/n was going to prom. It’s not like anything would happen. Plus if something did happen it would make things awkward when Koushiro saw Y/n on Monday.

So no, “I’m not going”, Koushiro thought and said.

Taichi sighed and got up off Koushiro’s bed. “Well I have to leave, but at least think about it. It starts at nine so if you are going make sure to get a suit or something”, Taichi said before leaving.

The last thing Koushiro heard was Taichi closing Koushiro’s door. Koushiro sighed, finally, Koushiro could work in peace. But when Koushiro looked at his screen he found he couldn’t focus.

He kept thinking about the prom and Y/n. Koushiro let out a groan and smacked his head on his desk.

Guess Koushiro was going to have to find a suit.

“Omg yes I’ll help you”, Mimi yelled and Koushiro wished she didn’t.

Koushiro didn’t need the world knowing he was going to prom. After Taichi left, Koushiro found that he couldn’t stop thinking about prom. So Koushiro decided that he was going to go, but he was going to leave if anything didn’t happen.

Which means Koushiro was going to leave within the first hour. But Koushiro didn’t have any suits or something, as Taichi said. So Koushiro thought about who could help him.

He didn’t want his mother or father knowing that would be a problem. Koushiro couldn’t do it, no way, talking to the store clerks got Koushiro nervous. So Koushiro went to his friends, and that led him to Mimi, and that led to Koushiro standing outside a suit store or something with Mimi.

“Just leave it to me”, Mimi said with a grin that scared Koushiro. Mimi then grabbed Koushiro’s hand and started dragging Koushiro though the store. Koushiro could only notice a few things as he was dragged at the speed of light.

There weren’t many people in the store. Most of them were around Koushiro’s age. Koushiro knew that they were also shopping for prom stuff.

This store sold just about anything a teenager needed for any formal gathering. Dresses, makeup, shoes, and suits. When Mimi finally stopped, she and Koushiro were standing in front of a bunch of suits.

Everywhere Koushiro looked there were suits.

They looked different from each other. Each suit had a different look, one or two things that made them different from the other. It all made Koushiro nervous. Koushiro felt his palms sweat and his face got a little red.

Mimi dropped Koushiro’s hand and started looking through suits. It was all still a little much from Koushiro. He was thinking about seeing Y/n in whatever they were wearing.

And Y/n seeing Koushiro in what he was wearing. Koushiro’s face got more red. This was all too much. Koushiro wanted to leave, this was a bad idea. Koushiro should just go home and go on his laptop.

And maybe make Mimi promise not to tell the others about this. Koushiro turned around and tried to walk out. Koushiro felt something touch his shoulder.

Koushiro didn’t have any time to do anything before he was turned around and a suit was pressed in front of him. Mimi was looking at Koushiro and the suit with a quizzical look on her face.

It made Koushiro more nervous.

Koushiro couldn’t see the suit that well, but from what he did see, he didn’t like it. It was too formal. Koushiro preferred more comfortable clothes, clothes that flow.

Koushiro knew that would be a problem. “Nope!” Mimi yelled again, catching the attention of more people. That just made Koushiro's hand sweat more.

Mimi put the suit back on the rack and went back to looking through them. Koushiro sighed and glanced to the left. That’s when something caught Koushiro’s attention.

It was a suit, obviously.

But what really caught Koushiro’s attached was the vest that was on the suit. It had a V cut that was showing off a tie. One side was folded over the other and the side that was folded over was cut to kinda look like a triangle.

There were four pockets. Two on one side, two on the other. One was placed near the top and the other was near the bottom. Each side looked the same as the other.

The vest was a dark red, a maroon red if Koushiro was remembering correctly. The dress shirt under it was white and the tie was black. Koushiro liked it. Koushiro liked this vest.

Koushiro walked over to it and stood in front of it. Koushiro heard Mimi make a sound of confusion when she realized Koushiro wasn’t there. But she found Koushiro and walked over to him.

Koushiro felt Mimi look over his shoulder at the vest. Mimi gasped and reached over to take the vest off the rack. Mimi pulled it to her and put a hand on Koushiro’s shoulder so she could turn Koushiro around.

Mimi pressed the suit to Koushiro’s chest and this time Koushiro was a little happy about it. After a few seconds of staring at Koushiro and the vest Mimi looked up at Koushiro and smiled. “It’s perfect”, she yelled. Koushiro didn’t mind that she yelled, he smiled.

Maybe prom was going to be fun.

This was a bad idea.

Koushiro was standing outside the school and nine ten. Koushiro was kinda looking forward to this after he got his suit. Koushiro was wearing it and Mimi was right, it did look good on him.

Koushiro knew why he was here, he really wanted to see Y/n. That made Koushiro’s face go red, he started fidgeting with his bowtie. But what was Koushiro going to do when he saw Y/n?

It’s not like Y/n or Koushiro would confess. Koushiro didn’t even know if Y/n liked him. Oh how did Taichi talk him into this? “Koushiro!” Speaking of Taichi.

Koushiro turned around and looked at Taichi. He was walking towards Koushiro with Yamato by his side. Taichi had a big smile on his face while Yamato had a small one.

Once Taichi reached Koushiro he wrapped his arm around Koushiro’s shoulder and continued walking into the school. Dragging Koushiro into it against his will.

Yamato said nothing and Taichi said everything. “So you did come, I knew you would after I mentioned Y/n”, Taichi whispered the last part and Koushiro was glad for it.

Koushiro blushed more but he was thankful for the fact that the school was dark. They were using the gym as the spot for the dance. Everything was dark, except for the lights on the walls and roof.

They were dim and colorful, but they gave Koushiro a little headache. Koushiro could barely see anything but he saw the crowd of teens. They were dancing to the music that played in the background.

Koushiro didn’t know the song but he didn’t really like it. Koushiro looked around. There were tables on the right and a table full of drinks and food on the left.

The long table with the food and drinks had some teachers standing there giving out food and drinks. There to hand out stuff and to make sure kids don’t spike the drinks.

Koushiro might not go out much but he has watched TV. That was really it for the prom. Koushiro still had no idea why people found this ‘cool’ or ‘amazing’.

Taichi patted Koushiro on the back, “Hope you find them”, Taichi said before leaving. Koushiro glared as Taichi left. Koushiro stood there for a good few seconds before deciding to sit at one of the tables.

The tables were small circles, only a few chairs. Koushiro didn’t mind, he sat and placed his head in his hands. Then Koushiro did what he always did, he watched people from the corner.

It was boring, Koushiro wanted to leave.

His friends found him a few times. They talked to him for a bit before leaving. Koushiro was mostly daydreaming, was it daydreaming if it was night, or was it still daydreaming since you weren’t asleep?

“Never thought I’d see you here Izumi”, Koushiro looked to his left to see Y/n standing. You had on a normal suit, but you looked perfect.

With a small smile on your face and confidence radiating off you as you walked to Koushiro. Koushiro had to look away so you didn’t see his blush.

“Well I am”, Koushiro said. You sat down in a chair, “Looks like you’d rather be anywhere else than here”, you said. Koushiro nodded. You were right, but Koushiro couldn’t leave. Koushiro had found you, or more like you found him.

But still, it wasn’t like Koushiro was going to do anything. “Come on”, you got up and stuck your hand out to Koushiro, “I know the perfect place”. Koushiro looked at your hand.

Were you asking him out? Did you like him? What was happening? Was Koushiro thinking too much about this? You let out a laugh. “You're thinking too much Koushiro. Just come on. I know you want to leave”, Koushiro grabbed your hand.

His palm immediately started sweating. You started walking out of the school and Koushiro followed you. The stars and moon were out and it looked beautiful.

It was more peaceful outside and Koushiro immediately kept better. His headache was going away and he relaxed, despite the fact that you were still holding your hand. You took him to the beach, or near the beach.

You took him to a walkway that stood near the beach. There was a railing that allowed you to look at the beach and the sea. You stood and leaned against the railing and let go of Koushiro's hand.

Koushiro felt sad that you let go, then he felt awkward that he felt sad. You looked out on the sea and Koushiro did the same. The sea moved with the moon and the wind moved with the sea.

It was much better than the prom.

“So why did you go?” You asked. Koushiro looked confused at you. You looked at Koushiro, “You didn’t like the prom, so why did you go?”

Koushiro looked away and blushed. It seemed like the blush never left Koushiro's face since he got here. “I wanted to see you”, Koushiro whispered the last part.

You smiled and moved closer to Koushiro, “What was that darling”, Koushiro looked at you with side eyes and an even deeper blush.

Koushiro was sure that he matched his vest by now. “I wanted to see you”, Koushiro whispered but you heard it this time. You smiled, “go thing I wanted to see you too, how about a date tomorrow”, Koushiro smiled.

“Yeah”, Koushiro stuttered. You laughed, “You're cute when you blush Kou”, Koushiro blushed again. Koushiro looked back at the sea. Koushiro felt your hand on top of his.

Maybe prom isn’t so bad.

#lgbtq #nonbinary #nonbinary reader #non binary imagines #male reader #male reader imagines #digimon adventure tri #digimon adventure #digimon #digimon x reader #digimon x male reader #koushiro izumi #izzy izumi

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dutchforstrangers · 10 months

Text

Suit and tieTai - Taiora one-shot

For @taioraweek 2023 Day 4

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

A/N: Another WIP that finally sees the light of day. Because I will never get tired of making these two oblivious dorks kiss for the first time in every universe possible.

Summary: It was one simple kiss that turned their ignorance into awareness of what had already been there the entire time...

Day 4: First kiss | Characters: Taichi Yagami (POV) x Sora Takenouchi | Genre: Subconscious blooming romance | Rating: K+ | Wordcount: 1.344

7:47am. When he woke up this morning, he had told himself he would start early, so he was sure to leave Hikari and Sora’s apartment on time for a change. But it had already been eight whole minutes since he had started fighting the tie around his neck in front of the mirror.

Frustrated with himself and that stupid string of fabric around his neck, Taichi growled. “I have this very important meeting at work I cannot mess up,” he said to no one in particular.

“You good?”

The female voice came from the kitchen and belonged to Sora, since Hikari had already left the house for her internship at the kindergarten. From the corner of his eyes, Taichi could see her peeking.

“Yes.” Taichi said, but didn’t sound to convincing. He decided to switch his answer. “No. This tie, I swear, these should be forbidden!”

Sora grinned, with her elbows she nonchalantly leant on the kitchen counter. “You’d think as someone working in suit and tie every day, you’re good at tying it by now.” She teased him.

“Except I’m not.” He was fully aware of his tone sounding annoyed. And he was, because somewhere deep down in him, he knew he would always struggle with it. “And never will be. Sor, can you help me one more time, please?”

He definitely needed her help. Like he had needed it all the other times he had stayed over these past couple of weeks.

Sora chuckled as she made her way over to him. “Come here.”

“Good thing I’m staying over.”

“You’re practically living here by now,” Sora joked while her hands prepared the two sides of the tie around his neck for the actual tying. Her eyes fixated on the accessory.

Sora’s joke was one with truth though. The girls’ apartment was closer to Taichi’s work than the loft where he lived with the three boys, plus, it had a more cozy atmosphere compared to the messy boys’ energy. He had lived with Yamato, Koushiro and Jyou during his entire time at university, but now that Taichi had started working, he was ready to go a different direction regarding his living space.

“I don’t want to be near Yamato and my cousin getting it on constantly.” Which was another big reason why he wasn’t at home right. He watched a blush forming on Sora’s cheeks, her hands still working on his tie, softly and with care.

“Too much information,” she said. “How about Koushiro-kun and Jyou-senpai?”

“Ugh, Jyou’s never at home, either in the hospital or with his girlfriend, and Koushiro is busy most of the time, hidden behind his desk and wall of computers. Different from me, the boy is resistant to Yamato and all of his bedroom shenanigans.”

Sora laughed. She spent a lot of time with Koushiro, her being one of those rare friends who could talk to him without any form of technology between them, and she was very much aware of Koushiro’s ability of radiating the ‘I’m not giving a shit’ energy.

“Jealous?”

“Please,” was Taichi’s answer.

He wasn’t jealous, it was just him being ready for a change of pace. And so he found himself crashing on the girls’ couch quite a few days per week. He had to admit though, it also came in very handy that Hikari or Sora –but mostly Sora—were always available to help him out with his daily outfit struggles.

Maybe he was in need of a life partner to settle down with, who could match his changed needs and wants, Taichi thought to himself, knowing he couldn’t keep crashing the girls’ couch forever.

“I much rather stay here with my lovely little sister and incredible friend who is—”

Sora patted his chest lightly and Taichi shifted his attention towards her hands after returning from his thoughts.

“… great at tying your ties.” Sora finished for him. Her feminine fingers worked their magic once more and a perfectly knotted tie hung loosely around his neck. She carefully adjusted his collar and the tie itself, making it look sharp. “There, you’re all set.”

The softness and collected happiness in her voice made Taichi smile. He showed her his signature grin before turning himself to the mirror to look at himself. Behind him he saw Sora look at him too and his own heart weirdly skipped a beat.

“Thanks,” he quickly said to cover himself, still genuinely happy with Sora’s fashion knowledge and friendly help. He walked past her to get to his jacket and coat.

“Oh! There’s this dinner thing at my place tonight, will you be there too?” Taichi remembered as he put the jacket and coat on.

“Sure will be,” Sora answered while on her way back to the kitchen. Again, he felt a bolt of luck going through his body and warming his chest.

“Great! Looking forward to it.” He hastily slid into his shoes, his eyes checking out the time on the watch around his wrist. “Shit! Okay, gotta rush, see you toni—”

“Wait! Not yet.” Sora shouted from the kitchen. Taichi already had the door opened, doorknob in his hand, as he turned his head around to see Sora crossing the small living room towards in a rushed pace. In her hand she held his lunchbox and he instantly remembered it was what he not only forgot to grab, but forgot to prep and pack as well…

“You left this,” she said it as if he hadn’t seen what she was bringing him. He took the box from her, immediately feeling it wasn’t empty, meaning she had not only noticed he forgot, but had actually prepped and packed it for him. The heat from his chest slowly rose to his cheeks. “Have a good day at work.”

She smiled at him with her kindest and most genuine smile. It made him smile in return and for just the briefest of moments, time stood still.

“Thank you, you too,” he said, suddenly realizing he was in a hurry. With the lack of air between the two of them, he swiftly close the gap and planted a quick kiss on her lip—

Wait.

He did what? When— how?

Time seemed to stand still once more.

“Erm… sorry,” Sora spoke first, face completely red, chest high from all the gathered air inside of it. “That wasn’t supposed to happen…”

Taichi shook his head, with that trying to get him out of his daze. “Right… So much for all the accusations of us looking like a married couple huh?” He joked, automatically resolving to comedy to cover up his own redness.

“Y-yeah, hehe…” Sora nodded as one hand moved itself nervously to her lips, her fingers touching the spot where he had pecked her like a husband kissing his spouse goodbye for the day.

Even though he had been unaware of his own feelings at first, apparently, his body had known what to do. The kiss blissfully happened by itself, showcasing both him and her what sparks had been exchanged. Not only during the time spent in this apartment together, but during their entire life by now.

It occurred to him that, rather than searching for someone to settle down with, perhaps he had already found that someone. Sleeping underneath the same roof, she tying his ties, bickering like only lovers could.

That it was just one simple kiss turning the ignorance into awareness.

The smile on his face grew bigger. As much as Taichi wanted to stay, especially now –to reflect a bit longer, to talk about his newfound excitement— he had to run.

“See you tonight, Sora.” Taichi said emphasizing her name as he took off.

He looked over his shoulder one more time, just to be met with the view of Sora waving him goodbye like they had indeed been married forever. To that, Taichi snickered to himself, in his securing Sora would be the one to untie his tie at the end of at least today.

Perhaps he could even steal another kiss from her…

#taioraweek2023 #taioraweek #taiora #taichi yagami #sora takenouchi #digimon fanfiction #taichi x sora #digimon #taichi #sora #tai x sora #tai kamiya #tai

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seventeenlovesthree · 7 months

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Time to do my go-to rare pair for the ship game: Koushiro/Iori post-Kizuna and Beginning

It really is a shame that, at some point in the middle of 02, they just stopped putting emphasis on the relationship between these two, despite the fact that they were STILL continuously mirroring them to some degree. While Koushirou is the brain everybody naturally turns to for help, Iori, despite being very analytical of situations and surroundings, tends to get himself overlooked more easily. And, even as they grow up, this may be something he would need some help and guidance for...

... Especially if you consider their set-ups as "work-a-holics in shirt and tie". The big difference here is: Koushirou is the CEO of his own company, he has LEARNED to stand up for and assert himself through the course of early Adventure already and it's no surprise that this is the reason why he is considered an "expert on all things Digimon" as a public speaker. Iori on the other hand... Is still the youngest Chosen Child in the group and is obviously being exploited as intern at the company he is working at during his law studies. He IS computer-savvy, maybe not to the same degree as his senpai, but definitely just as prone to stressing himself and taking on more work than he can chew. It almost seems like there'd be a lack in balance - and, as mentioned, maybe a lack in guidance too. And remembering their early set-ups, Koushirou may not always be the most tactful person in EVERY situation, but when it comes to very certain people, he IS observant - and very capable of calling them out for their issues especially those he usually also has himself.

Koushirou is among those who never treated Iori as a nuisance and Iori never felt belittled by him - so the confidence boost he'd get from getting praised by Koushirou is something he definitely needs. For his hard work, ambition, wit... He needs to know that he is being taken seriously and considered an intellectual and compassionate equal - which is something Koushirou would definitely provide, even unintentionally, simply by treating him like he always treated him: Respectfully and with kindness (and also in a somewhat protective manner). Iori on the other hand does look up to Koushirou whether he might surpass him in height is still up to debate though and, upon spending time with him, would get more and more comfortable being honest and calling HIM out as well. It's like an automatic mutual trauma response that goes like "I am tired as heck, but I need to finish this task at all costs, but HOLD THE PHONE, YOU WILL GET YOUR BREAK, MISTER". And it might actually work, because they care about each other a lot.

I could imagine them doing research together, with Koushirou teaching Iori how to use his gadgets and sources to his advantage for the sake of his future career - and with the help of the likes of Takeru, they might actually leave their office spaces and spend time outside, doing cultural activities and historical sightseeing. I really think that is something they'd both enjoy and that'd do them good while improving their relationships even further. Frowning over the others constantly jumping into danger and dragging them with them - but they're the voices of reason, so despite their grouchy faces, they'll happily oblige and share knowing, smiley glances about it.

... On a more romantic route, one might argue that everything I've just mentioned might cause Iori to eventually tell Koushirou that he doesn't "want to be seen/treated as you've always seen/treated me anymore", actively taking a step towards confessing. Because even if they're both rational thinkers, they can be very emotional around the right people - and Iori would be the one to initiate, maybe after harboring a crush for quite some time (which I know is a headcanon we can both imagine going down like that!). Koushirou might not be able to respond to something like that immediately, he would take his time for contemplation - and I wouldn't consider it impossible for them to act on it together.

#my two cents #ioshirou #kouiori #shipping game #meta #personal #shipping positivity

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avazans · 1 year

Text

-Don't you feel cold anymore? - a somewhat affectionate blonde asks his fiancée

-No, thanks for lending me your jacket, it fits me better than it does on you - Mimi responds, somewhat honeyed by Yamato's affection.

He heard the honeyed voices of his boss and her partner that he didn't know he had. He had started working at the Tachikawa company two months ago, especially for the granddaughter of said company. At that time he thought she was single and when she asked him to go out to the park he innocently believed that it was going to be some kind of date between the two. because he had fallen in love with her, she was very attentive and fun although she always played with him to make him nervous, he even thought she was flirting with him but the reality was different or he just had silly illusions because of the affection his boss showed him.

When they arrived at the park and the weather was all gray, it seemed like something romantic, like in the novels where they declare their love and kiss in the rain, but when she saw a blonde approaching, she thought it was someone who wanted to assault them because of the outfit they were wearing. He had, to the redhead's surprise, his boss ran after him to give him a kiss, which he reciprocated.

After their eternal kiss and witnessing the entire scene the couple decided to sit on a bench, they decided to first talk about how much they missed each other; and the? Well, listening to the conversation where he found out that they had met again a long time ago because he couldn't handle the astrophysics postgraduate degree that he was about to finish - appearances can be deceiving - the redhead thinks and that's where it starts to rain, instinctively he takes out the umbrella to protect his boss and the blonde took off his jacket to protect her from the cold that was beginning, the only thing Koushiro could do was wait for the rain to calm down or for the couple sitting there to decide to end their meeting.

#yamamimi #mimixyamato #mimato #digimon #yamato ishida #mimi tachikawa #digimon tri #digimon kizuna #digimon 02 #digital sketch

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digisurvive · 2 years

Text

Refreshing honesty

In which I contrast Saki and Mimi for fun lol

[Image id: Screenshot of Saki looking upset and leaning forward]

Saki getting compared to Mimi is inevitable given her character was crafted to be outwardly similar: they’re both in the lower age bracket without being the youngest, they have a cheerful, sensitive disposition, distaste for violence and a tendency to bluntness in a way that’s refreshing~. Therefore, certain expectations on Saki are placed: that she would be self-centered and learn how to get along with others and consider their needs, that she’d be outspoken and open and that she’d have to learn how to endure hard tasks and stand firm before adversity.

However, Saki’s very introduction scene subverts these expectations— after all, we first see her tagging along with Ryo, who has a combative and nasty disposition. Her patience in dealing with him makes Aoi and Minoru remark that Saki could get along with just about anyone, which already sets the first point of contrast with Mimi.

As we learn further down the line, Saki has a very keen eye for people: upon Ryo’s death, she reflects that he was lonely and had trouble expressing himself, which showcases she’s able to look past his unpleasant and selfish behavior and understand him to an extent. The degree to which she related to those traits, albeit in a different manner, is shown in her Wrathful flashback, where she talks about how lonely she is (If someone like me disappeared, I doubt anyone would miss me...!) and how she lost her friends to a fight, which seems like a recurrent event in her life given her strong fears of rejection underlined in her moral shadow event. This information recontextualizes some of her dialogue during Vegiemon’s evolution scene: “I did it because it was the ‘good’ thing to do, I didn’t want others to hate me…”. This shows that she chooses her words carefully using her keenness to navigate the world and fit in, even though she still gets it wrong at times.

This continues to hugely set her apart from Mimi, who could be a bit thoughtless in her honesty, either hurting Palmon’s feelings for not being ‘cute enough’ or making it hard for her to get along with people she deemed difficult (Koushiro). Mimi is naturally charismatic and doesn’t have trouble socializing and being accepted by others. Unlike some of the other adventure kids, she has her own friend circle before the summer camp started and her home life is very stable, so her outspokenness comes from a place of being a well-adjusted kid who isn’t afraid of expressing her needs and opinions, which is another point of contrast to Saki. As we learn over the course of the game, Saki is very ill and tires easily. However, she’s very discreet about her needs, only voicing them until she has no other recourse (until she literally couldn’t keep going during the trek to the amusement park in part 4). Saki is generally cagey and avoidant to talk about it at all, even as it permeates every aspect of her life (her wistfulness over her missed experiences when wandering around the amusement park, her comical vague excuses when explaining Takuma she won’t be able to meet with them after camp due reasons~ in part 7).

Despite her bluntness, Saki has trouble talking without reservations about her worries and problems, and it takes a lot of work showing her she’s accepted for her to open up— first to Aoi and then to Takuma, who are both people who are very attuned to others’ emotions and taking care of them. Thus, Saki’s own bluntness isn’t necessarily straightforward honesty, and it’s something that can either be born out of her social inexperience (her passive-aggressive remarks to Shuuji in part five only antagonize him further and form part of what makes him dig his heels, instead of helping her stand up for herself and the group) and her strong sense of justice: that she will speak up when things are unfair (she shows strong ethics when rejecting Minoru’s idea to make a tally about whether to look for Miu or not, arguing it’s immoral to take a vote on a human life). Where Mimi is accepted and has to grow to be committed to her community in order to stand for it (her crest activation literally hinges on this), Saki already has strong values and needs a supporting community to be able to act on them.

#Digimon Survive #digimon survive spoilers #Saki Kimishima #Digisafe #I only compared them bc it's fun how Mimi & Saki are near completely opposite to each other despite the surface level similarities lol #I also feel this mostly amounts to saying Mimi is well-adjusted but oh well #Have fun #I was gonna add screenshot to exemplify everything I'm talking about better on both sides but zzzz #I've had this post in mind since last year so it's only getting done like this #I only went to hunt the screenshots for Aoi 🤣#mine #Meta #Saki

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