#(TAICHI *NEVER WENT ON DIGITAL WORLD ADVENTURE* IN *THIS* UNIVERSE AND *NEVER WENT THROUGH ALL THOSE EXPERIENCES*)

[variouscolors-old]

.: Ryo’s Memories

[note: this is pulling an AU-canon divergent route since it's too hard for me to mix all Adv-02-and-Tamers material here as it was presented to the audience.]

Ryo was a special person. He used to be an ordinary student from Osamu’s class, and he definitely had made the oldest Ichijouji brother lose his patience with him. Being all friendly and sociable, Ryo was the opposite of Osamu. Until now, Ryo did not know what went over Osamu’s head back in time.

In August 2000, Ryo witnessed a digimon battle happening nearby when riding his bike back home. Said digimon battle was not related to Taichi and co. 's group, but to another child not known yet. The monsters felt too real for him to be some movie being recorded in Tamachi, so he followed the mysterious winged lion-like digimon (Firamon) and the giant blue bird with a helmet looking like a horn (Thunderbirmon). That battle was magnificent! And he didn’t expect other children to be watching it there – including the Ichijouji brothers. The said battle ended the moment the child and the monsters leaped through a strange gate on the spot.

Ryo wondered what this meant. Who were that child and monsters? Who knows…

A few days later, Ryo got a digivice. He accidentally got sucked by the computer when he was browsing the internet for school homework, and was sent to this unknown place called Digital World.

But… Ryo was different from the other Chosen Children – He had no digimon with him. On the other hand, he was able to turn enemies into allies and then evolve them with his digivice. He met V-mon and they were allies for a while, as Ryo led some kind of digi-army. Later, they found a boy named Ken… Who was Osamu’s little brother. Oh, what an odd coincidence. Ryo didn’t know Ken at first, and this was the first time he learned Osamu had a sibling. Nevertheless, Ken and Wormmon tagged along until the end of their first adventure.

Something made the curious Ken frown: Why does Ryo not have a digimon partner? Neither Ryo knew the answer, and this felt confusing to both, and to Wormmon and V-mon as well.

Ryo and Ken parted ways after that first trip to the Digital World, where then a week later Ryo was told that Osamu had died in an accident. Ryo was so petrified by that, but couldn’t turn his back on Ken right now. Then, a second digimon adventure between him and Ken happened.

Ryo decided the best way to support Ken was trying to be some kind of brother figure for him, so he taught the little 10-year-old boy to use a whip. To survive in the woods. To escape from enemies with success. All of those things he learned at the summer camp (which Ken wasn’t allowed to go for some reason once Osamu passed away. Perhaps the fear of him dying as well?) and aided him in these travels.

In the final battle, by using Ryo’s power to jogress the digimon in their party, Ryo almost got badly injured by Millenniummon. Ken saved him, but took the price for it. Ryo and the digimon rushed back to Gennai’s home and tried to help the boy, who opened his eyes and wondered what happened. Since nothing abnormal was noticed by them all, the boy returned to the human world… But Ryo’s role wasn’t done yet.

Early 2001, a strange tournament to train him was held. He was sure this was for him, and he accepted the challenge. He, again, has to meet some of his older digimon allies, and then fights some children he never had met before, except for one – the Chosen with the Firamon as partner. Once he finished the training, the elder Babamon said that Millenniummon was still alive. Since Ryo still had livid memories of what that digimon had done to Ken, he rushed to the battle with the strongest of his ally digimon out for revenge.

It didn’t end well. The strongest of his army, Monodramon, evolved to Cyberdramon and tried to beat Millenniummon for once and all. But the battle caused a huge explosion sending all of them out of the universe.

Ryo was floating through the barrier of countless worlds for a whole year and with amnesia. Monodramon had survived, but part of his data was now fused with Millenniummon, as some kind of “trump card” to not be totally eliminated (tbh, he couldn’t die until Ryo was still alive) It was when… some angel-shaped digimon sent him back to his world after gathering his memories back. He gained a new digivice, one able to work with special cards, and then Cyberdramon became his “main digimon” – Millenniummon had finally been beaten, or was that what he thought so…

A year after Daisuke and the new generation of the Chosen Children's final battle against Vamdemon... Ryo lands in the Digital World.

[sluggybasson107]

Digimon Adventure 02 Appreciation Challenge Day 9 - Which Family Dynamic In 02 Do You Find The Most Interesting?

I can’t choose! It’s the same as asking which Chosen Child is my favorite!

Apparently, my brain thought that Day 6 wasn’t torturous enough, so I decided to talk about every single family dynamic/relationship within the Digimon Adventure series! (No Kizuna-Related content is in this post)

Let’s go!

First is the Yagami’s (Or Kamiya’s)!

Out of the Digimon Adventure series, this has to be one of the families that the parents don’t have much conflict/drama

But the siblings do.

Hikari and Taichi always see their self-worth through each other. If Taichi wasn’t taking care of Hikari properly, he was doing wrong. If Hikari wasn't like Taichi, she wasn’t trying her best.

I’ve always thought that Taichi always tried to hide his worry for Hikari, kind of like the opposite of Yamato in a way.

“You’re soft. Or maybe I should say, you’ve gotten soft. In the past, you would have made snap decisions. But the reason you can’t…” Yamato looked at Hikari. “Has gotta be because your sister’s here.”

“Wh–What are you talking about…” Taichi was at a loss for words.

He hadn’t gotten timid because Hikari was with them. But it was true that he had gotten more careful so that no one got hurt or pushed themselves.

He couldn’t call that a con as a leader.

By thinking about how Hikari would feel about it, it led to him guessing how the others felt. It made him think about how to speak so that the others would feel motivated, and how to ask things that made them feel enthused about doing. Was sympathizing with how others felt affecting his position as leader?

That was a problem that Taichi needed to agonize over and conquer from here on. He just needed some more time on it.

Digimon Adventure Novel Chapter 8: The Dark Masters Part 3: A Falling Out Among Friends (Source)

I’ve always found this particular scene interesting. It shows a certain scenario that could have possibly happened within the anime universe. The book is basically saying that Hikari can change Taichi’s full persona just by being in his presence, which I do think is the case in the anime.

When Hikari came along during the Dark Masters Arc, Taichi’s main concern changed. It is Hikari instead of the group.

I’m even going as far as to say that, because of Hikari being in danger, Taichi verbally/physically abused Koshriou.

But that doesn’t mean he didn’t get the same treatment.

When Hikari was sick, Yuuko ended up slapping Taichi in the face for his failure of taking care of Hikari. And if you hurt a kid because of an action, they’re going to avoid that outcome, especially Taichi during this time because he’s super young (I guess around the age 7, but it could be different).

I think that after Yuuko slapped Taichi, he learned that if he isn’t doing the best he can for Hikari, then he’s failing.

Taichi’s values have always been the group before himself. He wanted to make everyone feel as if they were in a good position and move forward. I do feel that in the beginning, Taichi was only caring about moving forward. But it soon became clear later on that he wanted everyone to be happy where they were. He willingly let Yamato, Mimi, and Jyou temporarily leave the group for personal reasons, even though the fate of the world was in their hands.

But when Hikari is involved, it’s different for him. He can lose control of himself without realizing it, and doing dense decisions in the process.

But for Hikari, it’s different.

I think through Hikari’s family being proud of Taichi, and him leading the Chosen Children, that Hikari looks up to him so much as a role model. 

Hikari: I... was at the ocean...

Takeru: The ocean?

Hikari: I... might be going away... I felt... someone calling me...

Takeru: Someone...? Who?

Hikari: I don't know... But... the next time they call me... I may end up there...

Takeru: But that's... Who would do something like that?

Hikari: My brother... always protected me during times like these...

Takeru: Taichi-san... Always Taichi-san, Taichi-san... You're always depending on him! You can't do that!

(Digimon Adventure 02 Episode 13, The Call of Dagomon)

She thought that she was useless on her own. Without Taichi, she is unable to support people around her.

Hikari also learned to handle herself. She found someone that she can rely on and help, so the relationship isn’t only one way. (I expand more on this with Day 1, so you can check that out if you want)

But both of them get through their issues.

Taichi learned to let Hikari be. That he couldn’t always protect her. And by 02, he was willing to let her fight without his supervision. He even didn’t go with the 02 kids when they went to fight the Digimon Kaiser (Yes, I am fully aware that the older kid’s Digimon couldn’t fight and that they needed to give the younger chosen children an alibi. But I think old Taichi still would have gone with them. Please take this with a grain of salt).

I’m not sorry I had to

Hikari and Taichi love each other, but as the series went on, they learned how to live without needing each other constantly. Tri ruined part of this but lets ignore that.

Next is the Takaishi’s and Ishida’s

Personally, I think the tension between the two families is super realistic and done so well. With Takeru being optimistic (His crest is hope for a reason) and Yamato being pessimistic, both kids view the divorce in a different way.

That’s the look of an innocent kid that just wants his family to love each other again and be happy.

While it’s never said, I do think in Digimon Adventure, Takeru thinks that his parents might come back together. During this whole scene, he drags everyone towards each other, not letting the chance of them realizing how much they miss and love each other pass up that sneaky kid.

And Takeru has a record of hiding his true emotions and putting on a façade or not acting like his true self (When he ‘plays’ with Pinochimon and when Yamato comes over to his apartment in Digimon Adventure Tri: Confession). So I do think he doesn’t express to anyone that he believes his family to still get back together in Digimon Adventure 02.

In Episode 49, The Last Armor Evolution, BelialVamdemon’s Mind Illusion shows that Takeru isn’t satisfied with the way his family is, and that he thinks there is a chance they can get back together.

(Right before this scene happened, and I watched as Takeru was getting hit by the attack, I legit yelled at the screen, “Don’t do it! You better not do it!!” and when it showed his family together I screamed “NOOOOOOOOO!!! WHY DID ARE YOU DOING THIS TO HIM!!!!!” Then I saw his Natsuko and Hiroaki talking and Yamato smiling and then mentally cried.)

I do think by Digimon Adventure Tri, Takeru has accepted that his family won’t get back together, but still tries to help them get along.

I would like to point out that after every kid realized what they were seeing was a vision, they made a comment how they were fine with the way things were (Miyako saying that she wants her siblings, Iori saying how he wants to tell his mother about the Digital World instead of his father [knowing and accepting that he’s dead], Hikari saying how she and Tailmon have to fight to achieve her dream of Digimon and humans living in harmony, Ken accepting that he can’t change his past and that he has to move forward), Takeru didn’t. He didn’t mention that he was fine with how things were with his family.

The way the divorce affected Yamato is way different than the way it affected Takeru. It ended up changing his whole personality, because he wanted to seem reliable to his brother during these times.

“Yamato-san, you’re unfit for leadership because you’re too emotional. If the leader lets his emotions get the better of him, then he loses his followers.”

Yamato hated to admit it, but he was right.

The people around Yamato may have thought that he was a cold, aloof person, but that was only because he didn’t show what he thought to other people.

When had he become like that? He hadn’t been like that when he was younger. But after his parents decided to divorce and his mom took Takeru by the hand and left home…

Don’t go! Please don’t go! Don’t leave me!

The truth was, he had wanted to plead with her and cry — but he couldn’t.

Part of it had to do with his father standing by his side.

Maybe his mother had secretly wished for Yamato to say that to her.

But at that moment, Yamato had thought that he would never show weakness in front of his mom, even if he died from it. It was his own decision to follow his dad.

Ever since coming to the Digital World, even Yamato was surprised by how much emotion he expressed. All of the emotion that he’d held back while at home, at school, had come bursting out without pause.

And this Yamato was the only one that Koushiro knew. That was why Koushiro’s view of Yamato was “an emotionally unstable upperclassman.”

Yamato took on a nasty attitude to hide that Koushiro’s words had ruffled him.

“I’ve known this for a long time now, but it looks like I can’t work together with you guys after all. I’m leaving. Let’s go, Takeru.”

Digimon Adventure Novel Chapter 8: The Dark Masters Part 3: A Falling Out Among Friends (Source) 

(I know that the novels aren’t anime-cannon, but they show perspectives of the characters that aren’t in the show. Also it shows the way I interpreted some of the scenes/characters.)

With the anime, I think that Yamato did show a lot of emotion in the Digital World that he buried long ago. That’s why some fans call him an emotional mess (which is true), but don’t see why he’s like that. It’s because he was forced under pressure to change the way he lives because of his parents divorcing. If you look at this part in the book, it says that “Yamato took on a nasty attitude” to hide the fact that he was hurt, which isn’t the only time he does that. If you look at some scenes with Yamato, it shows him hiding his emotions with different attitudes. 

Natsuko: Yamato... You’ve grown taller again.

Yamato: Yeah, a little.

Natsuko: You look good. That’s great.

Hiroaki: Natsuko... It’s been awhile

Natsuko: Yes it has...

Takeru: It’s been a long time since the entire family got together, isn’t it, Onii-chan?

Yamato: Yeah, I guess so.

(Digimon Adventure Episode 39, Two Great Ultimate Evolutions! Beat Down The Darkness!!)

Within the divorce scene, Yamato treats Natsuko in more of a “cold” way, trying to avoid conversation and answering with short responses.

But later, we get an expression from Yamato that’s huge.

Did I just make a GIF for the first time???

You can interpret his expression however you want, but I always thought it showed that he was regretting the way his family is, and that he had to go through that. It also was that he regretted the way he handled that situation.

That was his true feelings. He did care about his mom, and how his family is. And he wanted to show that, but under the pressure of his father and his façade of ‘acting cool’, he didn’t do that.

The whole divorce in Digimon might seem minor at first, but the more you watch Takeru and Yamato’s behavior, the sadder the whole thing gets.

Now the Takenouchi’s!

Since Sora’s father, Haruhiko Takenouchi, doesn’t live with Sora and Toshiko, Sora is stuck with her mother for big part of her life.

Which is not a good thing for her around Adventure.

Sora’s mother is an ie-moto (A master at flower arrangement), and she wanted Sora to learn flower arrangement, and quit soccer in the process. Sora thought this showed that Toshiko did care about her and (quoted from Sora), “My mom doesn’t see me as anything beyond the daughter of a flower arrangement school!”

The book even implies that Sora usually insults her mother and her passion on a daily basis.

But her mother does care for her, and Sora realized that she and her mom have more in comment than she thought. Both of them care for their loved ones, but in different ways. (WATCH IT HERE)

And when Miyako mentions them to her Haruhiko, he responds with this:

Haruhiko: I do research like this, so I travel all over Japan. Sometimes I even go overseas, so I can't easily go home. For a while, it caused my daughter to rebel against her mother. But three years ago, my daughter suddenly changed. When we talked about it, she said it was thanks to something called Digimon.

Miyako: Thanks to the Digimon?

Haruhiko: How to put it... When she was with the Digimon, she experienced a lot and matured. She learned to view things with an open mind. I'm grateful to these Digimon.

Poromon: Ah, well...

Miyako: I don't understand all that much, but... I'm glad.

(Digimon Adventure 02 Episode 33, Miyako In Kyoto Today)

The English dub has Haruhiko say that he can’t let them go to the mall together, ‘cause they’ll spend all their money together (Something close to that).

I love this family so much, for no reason whatsoever. It might develop slowly, but it develops so much at the end, and it’s one of the scenarios that gets resolved, which Sora deserved.

The Izumi’s yay!!

I’m going to get this out of the way as soon as possible. I love with a fiery passion Kae Izumi.

The relationship between Koshirou and his parents is kind self explanatory. After he learned he was adopted at such a young age, he had to deal with the tough decision of what to do next. Does he still treat them the same? Confront them about it? In the end, he struggles trying to deal with this piece of information, and obsesses over his computer to take his mind off it.

To be completely honest (And this is my opinion) I wasn’t moved by the adoption-talk that much. I’m not saying it’s a bad scene, but between the Vamdemon fight, the other parents, Wizardmon’s sacrifice, it kinda got lost with everything going on. It is still a powerful scene, but I wished it was at a better time, and not in the middle of the chaos.

But even after they told him he was adopted, he still insists that they’re the ones that he loves the most.

Just look at the way Kae and Masami look at each other when he says that!

And Koshirou becomes very protective of them in Digimon Adventure 02.

When Kae comes to Koshirou, Jyou, Yamato, and the 02 kids while they’re watching the children with dark spores, she brings them Onigiri (Did I mention that Kae is the best???). Koshirou insists that she stays home because she could get hurt, but she decides to help them out by contacting their parents and Koshirou says that’s a great idea, though he seems as if he just wants her to leave so she will become safe. WATCH HERE

The way Koshirou forgives his parents and how he loves them more after their conflicts is so amazing, and I wish we saw more of it.

Make way for the Tachikawas!

Mimi’s family is so pure and amazing it’s just so beautiful.

I CAN WATCH THEM ALL DAY!

The fact that Keisuke will eat whatever Satoe makes is adorable, and the fact that Satoe and Mimi both have the same personalities is adorable, and the fact that Keisuke rammed himself into DarkTyrannomon with a golf cart to protect his wife and daughter is adorable.

They’re great! Is there really much else to say?

The Kido’s (kinda)!!!

Since the parents only show up in Digimon Adventure Tri and Digimon Armor Evolve into the Unknown, you would think that they had little effect within their sons, but they do.

I love the way they portray Jyou’s father as if he’s always there in the back of his son’s mind, watching over him. If he were to appear in Adventure/02, I think he would be a lot less intimidating.

Narrator: The Kido family, home to a line of prominent doctors hailing from the Edo period, is now having its midday meal with an extra-special sushi platter to congratulate their third child, Jou, for having finished his exams.

Jou’s mother: Here, Jou! Take anything you want! Even if it’s the tuna, or the sea urchin! Jou: Thanks, Mom. Shin: You worked hard, you know. Jou: Thanks, Shin-niisan. But the exams only just finished, so they haven’t announced the results yet… Shuu: Doesn’t matter, we’re still celebrating! If you don’t take it, we’re going to. Take it. Take it! Jou: O-Okay, okay, Shuu-niisan… Gomamon: I’m taking some, too!…So, Jou, what are you gonna do now? If you’re gonna be a doctor, are you planning on taking over your dad’s hospital?

(beat)

Jou: H-Hey, Gomamon! Why’d you have to say that? Gomamon: S-Sorry. Was I not supposed to? Ahaha… Jou’s father: Jou. Jou: Y-Yes, Dad? Jou’s father: You don’t have to push yourself so hard. I’m not going to force you. Jou: Ah, no, it’s more like, it just feels too early to talk about this… Jou’s father: Shin and Shuu have already decided to take their own paths, so you have the right to do the same. Don’t worry too much about it, and do what you want to do…hmph… Gomamon: (aside) …Ah, he really does want you to take it over, huh. Jou: (whispering) Well, yeah…

Digimon Adventure 02: Armor Evolution to the Unknown (Source)

This whole scene basically sums up how everyone feels about each other in the Kido’s family (Including Gomamon). 

Jyou doesn’t want to disappoint his father, but both of his brothers want him to do what he wants to do in life.

Shuu and Shin both support Jyou to do what he wants to do, encouraging him to make his own decisions with his life. While his father denies the fact that he’s pressuring Jyou to take over the hospital, he does want Jyou to become a doctor and take over the hospital. 

Shin trusts Jyou enough to tell him about his career path, which if it leaks to his father, it’ll probably make him very upset. And Jyou seems to know about Shuu’s career path, since Sora and Jyou both talk about it in Digimon Adventure: original story, 2-and-a-half year break. 

I do wish that we saw more of Jyou’s mom, Jyou’s father but once again, I think barely seeing Jyou’s parents gives a feeling of uncertainty to the audience, which is probably the same feeling that Jyou gets with his parents.

THE AMAZING MOTOMIYA’S!!!

I always thought that the relationship that Daisuke and Jun have is amazing. They always get into fights and tease each other, but you get the impression that if one of them were in danger, the other one would care a lot.

Takeru: Are you Daisuke-kun's sister, by any chance?

Jun: Yeah, but... who are you? 

Yamato: He's my younger brother, Takeru.

Takeru: Nice to meet you. Daisuke-kun is my classmate.

*Jun gives Takeru the pen*

Jun: Oh? Well, you're cute! Sign too! 

*Takeru signs the shirt*

Jun: Daisuke isn't cute at all...I wish I had a brother like you two...

Takeru: By the way, Daisuke-kun... I met your sister today.

Daisuke: Ah... so?

Takeru: So?

Daisuke: She bad-mouthed me, right?

Takeru: Not really.

Daisuke: Yeah, she did. She always has to talk bad about me to everyone. She doesn't like me... well, I don't like her either, so we're even.

*Yamato walks up to both of them*

Yamato: Hey! What are you talking about?

Daisuke: What?

Yamato: If you were my younger brother, I wouldn't forgive you for that. I'd beat you up.

Daisuke: Interesting. Bring it, then!

*Yamato starts heading over to Daisuke, Takeru holds him back*

Takeru: Stop! You won't hit him. You wouldn't do that, right?

Yamato: I wouldn't... but watch what you say.

*Takeru and Yamato walk away*

Daisuke: Why can't he just shut up? I can say whatever I want about that stupid girl.

(Digimon Adventure 02 Episode 4, Digimon Kaiser King Of The Darkness)

You could tell right off the bat that they did not have a good relationship.

The people behind the show started to make their relationship more comic relief (Really everything Jun-related is comic relief).

But they both have amazing interactions that many people could relate to.

In Episode 32, they both have a priceless interaction of them insulting one another. It’s great, and it’s better in English.

WATCH JAPANESE     WATCH ENGLISH

They’re both so precious.

Their family situation might not be as big as the Izumi’s, Takaishi/Ishida’s, or Kido’s but it’s something that I feel as if many can relate to. The feeling of not having a family (especially siblings) that doesn’t care for you is hard. I think this family dynamic doesn’t get as much attention as it should within the fandom, but that’s just my opinion.

The (many) Inoue’s!

The Inoue family is a great family for how it shows such a simple problem. 

Siblings not getting along/are annoyed with each other.

I’m sure many can relate to this (including me!). Some people with sisters/brothers say they always want to be the only child, but at the end of the say, many realize that they love their siblings and that they make a big impact on their lives (but not everybody).

In Sky Night, Aquilamon, Miyako has a conversation with her siblings after a conflict with Ken

Miyako: Anyway, I understand what Daisuke was trying to say.

Momeo: Miyako, what's wrong?

*Miyako explains to her siblings what happened*

Momeo: Well... I think he's serious.

Miyako: You think so?

Momeo: Yeah. But what really matters is what your feelings are.

Miyako: My feelings?

Momeo: Will you be able to forgive your boyfriend?

Chizuru: "This week, Geminis with AB blood will be lucky in love if you open up."

Miyako: Don't get any ideas! He's not my boyfriend!

Mantarou: Well, that doesn't matter. Just don't regret your decision.

Miyako: My feelings...

*Scene changes to Miyako lying on her bed with Poromon*

Miyako: My feelings, huh...?

Poromon: If it bothers you so much, why not ask Ichijouji Ken himself?

(Digimon Adventure 02 Episode 25, Sky Night, Aquilamon)

This scene shows that Miyako’s sisters love to pick on her, that her brother tries to keep them calm. Even though it seems as if Miyako’s sisters didn’t take that conversation seriously, they gave her really good advice and Miyako remembered what they said.

And also in Episode 49, The Last Armor Evolution, BelialVamdemon’s Mind Illusion shows that Miyako doesn’t want siblings, but she realizes that she does love her siblings, and that she wants them in her life.

The realization of Miyako missing her siblings is something that can be overlooked, but to me it’s a great message that many people can relate to.

It’s time for the Hida’s!

They lost an amazing father due to a shooting.

Shootings/assassinations are something very serious. Many people leave this world because of them. Iori’s father is no different. Everyone in the family is devastated because of the death of Hiroki Hida.

I think the death of Hiroki is what made Iori so mature at a young age. He had to deal with heavy topics while being so young, so he saw the world in a different way.

The way Iori treats Ken might have been affected by the death of his father. He learned very young what people could do, and saw what the consequences were to their actions. Iori growing up with this mindset made it difficult to become friends with Ken after what he has done.

Not only does the death of Hiroki affect his whole family on how they see what a good person is, it also makes them try to avoid doing any bad things.

Fumiko: Oh, Iori. You're home already? Good timing. I wanted you to go to Nobuzane-san's.

Iori: Ah, well, right now...

Fumiko: Do you have something to do?

Iori: Well...

Fumiko: What is it? Please tell me.

Iori: I'm sorry, I can't tell.

Fumiko: You can't...? What do you mean?

Chikara: Don't ask, Fumiko-san.

Fumiko: But...

Chikara: If you force him, Iori will have no choice but to lie. If you can't say, that's fine. Better than lying. Just don't lie, ever.

Iori: Thank you very much.

Takeru: Iori-kun!

Iori: What is it?

Daisuke: It's your Digimental!

Iori: My... Digimental?

Jyou: Ah! Isn't that the Crest of Faithfulness?

Tailmon: "Faithfulness" fits Iori well, doesn't it?

Iori: That's not true. 

Jyou: I think it fits you perfectly.

Daisuke: Come on, get down here!

Iori: N-no! All this was caused by that Digimental. That Digimental...

*Miyako starts coughing*

Iori: More importantly, we have to hurry and escape!

Daisuke: Yeah, we will! After you take the Digimental.

Iori: I said I don't want it!

Jyou: You have to be kidding... the Crest of Faithfulness will end up in the bottom of the ocean! Iori-kun... come on, let's go together!

*Scene changes to them standing around the Digimental*

Jyou: Come on, pick it up.

Daisuke: Pick it up already...

Iori: It's useless... I can't lift it.

Takeru: You won't know until you try, right?

Iori: But... but it's my fault that everyone was in trouble.

Daisuke: Eh? It is?

V-mon: If it's about that, we were the ones who closed the shutter...

Takeru: It's no one's fault.

Iori: And I... I lied. 

*Iori starts crying*

Iori: Grandfather said I should never lie... That's why... I don't deserve the Digimental of Faithfulness...

Jyou: Well, there are bad lies and good lies. Lies that hurt people and lies that save people.

Armadimon: Yup, yup, it was a justified lie, dagyaa!

Jyou: Exactly!

Iori: But...

Jyou: If anything, I'll talk to your grandfather when we get back. Your lie didn't hurt me at all, but if you hadn't lied, who knows what could have happened...

Iori: Jou-san...

Jyou: Do you understand now?

Iori: Yes. 

Armadimon: Okay, Iori, try to pick it up, dagyaa.

*Iori picks up the Digimental of Faithfulness*

Daisuke: See, I knew it was Iori's!

(Digimon Adventure Episode 16, Sabmarimon’s Escape from the Bottom of the Sea)

Sorry, that was a long quote.

Both scenes are amazing. It shows how high Iori’s standards are for a person whenever they’re “good” or not. He even is very critical of himself.

I was surprised as the series went on how big of a role Chikara was. Not only was his son one of the first people to know about Digimon, but he also befriended BlackWarGreymon and attempted to befriend Yukio Oikawa. He was always there for Iori and helped cover for him when he had to do anything related to Digimon and the Digital World. Not only is Chikara looking after Iori as a father helped Iori a lot with handling his father, but he’s looking after all the Chosen Children without realizing it.

Finally, the Ichijouji’s

Ken is a smart kid. And most parents are proud when their kids seem to have a talent that is better than other kids their age (“smarter”, “more athletic", “having better musical talents”, etc). Some tend to go beyond and have their pride in their children become a requirement for their kids.

The Ichijouji’s do have this problem.

First, it was Osamu.

Ken Narrating: The genius was big brother Osamu. He could do everything. Everything... I was so proud...

*Flashback to Ken and his mother*

Ken: It's our neighbour.

Neighbor 1: Osamu-chan is such a smart boy!

Neighbor 2: I'm so envious of you!

Neighbor 3: He's nothing like our son.

Neighbor 4: I wish my son became more like Osamu-chan!

Neighbor 5: What did you do to make him such a smart boy?

Neighbor 6: He's got so many good traits from both of you!

Neighbor 7: He's such a genius!

Ken Narrating: Mom loved hearing those words.

*Scene changes to Ken seeing his mother praising Osamu*

Ken: Mama?

Ken’s Mother: Osamu-chan, people praised me again saying you're such a good boy!

*She turns around*

Ken’s Mother: Ken-chan, you're a good boy, too!

Ken: I'm always just an addition...

Ken: Mama cares only about my brother because everyone praises him. It doesn't matter if I'm here or not. Would that be me if my brother wasn't around? If only he wasn't around... if only he... That's it... all he needs to do is disappear...

Ken [yelling]: Disappear, big brother!

*Ken has a flashback of Osamu hitting him and telling him he’s a bad person*

Ken: My brother hates me. Because I'm not a good boy. Because I'm the worst kind of people. But why? I'm sad...

*Ken sees his parents together with Osamu*

Ken: My brother has everything, and I have nothing. I wish my brother... 

Ken [yelling]: Just disappeared!

*Ken witnesses Osamu dying*

Ken: Big brother...? Is it because I wished you disappeared?

*Ken seeing his parents devastated*

Where do I go...? Where do I belong?

(Digimon Adventure 02, Episode 23 When the Digivice is Tainted by Darkness)

Ken’s parents took so much pride in their son, that they didn’t notice their other son. So after the death of Osamu, his parents were left with a child that doesn’t know who they are or what their purpose is. Since Ken had no passion, their parents raised him the same way they did with Osamu. That’s why Ken didn’t know who he was after he stopped being the Digimon Kaiser. He had nothing before he was the Digimon Kaiser. 

But during the time he was the Digimon Kaiser, he was famous for all of his skills in many different categories (like Osamu).

Even Iori and Takeru are very impressed.

I always tend to compare Ken and Koshirou together. They’re both very smart kids, but there’s one factor that sets them apart.

Koshirou isn’t open about his skills, not showing the public on TV or any other way. But he is working for people in Digimon Adventure Tri, which shows that he is utilizing his skills, but not in the way Ken is portrayed.

Ken is open about his talents. He does contests and shows off his skill to the public, which makes him have a huge following. Even though Ken was influenced by his dark spore, I do think his parents had a part of building up his confidence. They encouraged this behavior, trying to gain back their old son (Even though they might not have realized that).

After their parents realized what they had done, they began to treat him like Ken. A kid who is relatively smart who is kind and selfless at heart. And those are his best traits.

It’s really great to see this progression of Ken and his parents both realizing the mistakes they made, and starting over, being a family.

Thank you so much for reading! After 51k words and 500+ screenshots, I’m done! Even though it was time consuming, it was really fun and I hope you had fun reading it too

This took a long time, so now I’m really behind on the challenge. I’ll catch up the best I can!

[raging-violets]

Rhuben’s Thoughts on Digimon Adventure Reboot

I’m putting this under a read more just in case those who don’t particularly care can skip over it, and those who don’t want to be spoiled won’t see anything.

First off: THE NOSTALGIA!! The Tai spin into the Digital World! I mean, just seeing Tai and Augumon in the opening made me smile so wide. (It also makes me wonder why they didn’t work with this style/design for Tri, but that’s neither here nor there at this point)

Tai has always been my favorite character, and yes I may have gotten a tad bit tired of the series overall seeming to focus on him over the years (which is silly because i mean he IS the leader of the DigiDestined), this really just hit me in the feels. I just kept thinking “I can’t wait until this is dubbed in English” the whole time. And as a whole, I never get tired of Digimon content, but I think this was the best direction to go in after Digimon Adventure Tri (I still haven’t seen Last Kizuna, so I’m not really talking about it here) and how many more questions that seemed to bring up than answer - not to mention just how much it seemed to drag on.

Despite going into this already knowing what happens in Digimon Adventure, this whole first episode blew me away because it has so much of what we already know about the first season and it’s changed it up already. They’re not already at summer camp. The slow loading of Tai and Izzy’s crests as they prove their character traits that we already know and love. Just Tai and Izzy’s  budding friendship and how they relate to each other. Kari already seems so intuitive with everything that’s going on. SIde note: I know that it mentioned “lessons” for why Kari and Ms. Kamiya are in Shibuya, but I liked to think of it that while Kari may not be sick like she was in the original version, Tai’s “do your best” to her was well wishes for a check-up after an illness and it’s why she and her mom are out at the start of the show.

I really like the inclusion of the smart phones and social media in this being set in 2020. It adds so much more to this than I feel like they could have done if they didn’t include it this time around. I mean Izzy’s computer is a tablet that can flip around to a computer. And right smack dab in our faces was Tachikawa! AND it shows just how different the two are but still take cues from each other, knowing when to take the lead and when to back off (like Taichi admitting he’s bad with tech.)

The whole scene with the train and the “loading” crests as a way for Taichi and Izzy to show their character traits we all know and love as a means to kind of “prove” that they deserve their Digivices, and how Tai was already connected to Koromon was so cool to watch. It’s such a fresh take on what we already know done in a way that expands the Digimon universe we already have to come to learn about over the years. The music in that whole scene was great, too. It kind of reminded me of Super Smash Bros, but it really fit! I loved it!

The fact that they can talk through their digivices? That’s awesome!!

And the fact that  the Digital World Tai went into to fight the Digimon that was causing all of the issues with the trains was awesome. LIke, it really felt like he was battling a computer virus with the way it was projected on Izzy’s screen. I really liked that touch and how it fits in with the summary of them all going into the Digital World yet still trying to live their lives as normal kids. The opening shows that this won’t be the only version of the Digital World we see, but I was wondering if this was just the Digital World version of Tokyo and we’ll see other places like their camp, or File Island.

AND THAT DIGIVOLUTION! I was really hoping it wouldn’t just be the spin digivolving thing and I’m so glad it wasn’t. That animation from Augumon to Greymon was amazing. The animation and the colors for this whole thing is so eye catching.

This first episode was amazing. I felt like there were so many things they kept the same with Digimon Adventure, and there were things I could catch that made me feel like I was watching easter eggs from the series and the movies (like, come on, who didn’t liken this whole thing to the movie/our war game - and who else loves that episode two is called “War Game?”), and yet putting it in modern times made it feel different all at the same time. I can’t wait to see more of what they changed and what they kept the same, and how it’ll unfold week to week.

And, again, I can’t wait to have this dubbed in English!

I’m excited for more! I can’t wait. (This may also be the push I needed to get to work on my Digimon fanfic, too. haha).

[izzyizumi]

Taishirou Fic Notes: REPEAT?_

(For Chapters/Parts 1+2) Under the cut!... (... There’ll be spoilers for the entirety of the fic) (This is a preliminary draft/outline until I can make it neater ? looking yeah pfft) (Also see the original fic outline for more earlier elaboration)

-- Chapters 1+2 --

- These chapters are somewhat partly self explanatory; the ‘prologue’ of sorts that set everything up. I think they were the third/fourth or so pieces that I wrote / outlined for this thing? (After the couple of chapters towards the very end...) - This entire idea spawned when I was thinking of Taishiro AU ideas [including previous ones I’ve had] and basically going ‘what’s a Koushiro AU I hadn’t thought of yet??’ - Somehow my mind went ‘ARCHAEOLOGIST ..... KOUSHIRO’ ??? ‘PLUS TIMELOOPS / KAGEDAZE TAISHIRO AU’ ??? PLUS ‘COLLEGE AU’ ???? - Essentially I was thinking of careers Koushiro could have in the real world that would a) be suitable for him b) satisfy his thirst for Knowledge [while also relating to how Knowledge is used in the timeloops] c) would take him a while to complete, but be very worthwile to him in the end d) would have some mystery / intrigue involved, especially when connecting to the Digital World e) would keep him close to Taichi [because he relates tech with it, and is involved in higher education / etc., eventually it could lead to him still becoming a researcher like in the canon epilogue in the end, or in other spinoff AU thoughts... also Taichi having a law-related career that keeps him close to Koushiro] ... etc. etc. - then my mind went ‘OH THAT’S A GOOD IDEA I CAN ALSO RELATE IT TO ‘THAT THING’ YEAH’ (i.e. THE WELL the well where HE FINDS HIS CREST) - however in the back of my mind I was probably also thinking of a super-cute old Cardcaptor Sakura series 1 episode / moment in which then still mostly newly introduced “rival” to Sakura, Syaoran Li, watches Fujitaka Kinomoto’s archaeology presentation. Syaoran grows more and more interested the point he’s internally [and externally, but ‘hiding’ it (well ? from Fujitaka, badly otherwise)] cheering over it when Fujitaka offers to show him more archaeology related things in the future - only to immediately find out next Fujitaka is Sakura Kinomoto’s father [hahaaaa]. Of course Syaoran x Sakura becomes the canon couple in the end anyhow [hahaaaaa. sorry Syaoran ilu but you were pretty amusing back then and also v. tsun in that ‘fail’ kind of way] (some of his early tsun expressions kinda remind me of Adventure Taichi too??) (...Our War Game Taichi even kind of ??) - So my mind might have subconsciously been ‘combining’ all those things (along with an image in my head of photographer Koushiro from Tri studying things in the Digital World) and basically turning that implied Syaoran/Sakura + Archaeology things [if indirectly] into Taishiro + Archaeology AU yes - (also I was following CCS’s new Clear Card Arc at the time in both manga form first and then anime form, so ... yes it was at the back of my mind) - The first lines that basically spurred on this AU were the opening rambles / summary but more notably what immediately came to mind was Koushiro’s “Oh, I’M adopted.” - line, in response to Taichi’s dumb question literally HE WROTE HIMSELF (Koushiro - unfortunately - never has a scene in-show where he actually talks about it with the other Chosen, not even in an 02 era cd drama where he was literally visiting his biological parents’ graves and right after on the way home runs into the other Adventure Chosen sans Taichi and Yamato - and he STILL doesn’t even bring his biological parents up at all, not even that he was just visiting them like ‘oh, I was just on my way back from...’ - so essentially this is him saying it right off the bat and startling Taichi indirectly with it while he’s at it.) - It also prevents having to take forever to set that particular reveal up ... while at the same time taking forever to set that reveal up in Adventure universe and with more impact otherwise hahaaa. (CRY) - So, these two chapters are the setup. - You may notice there’s a feeling of ‘something’s definitely not quite right here’ or ‘something’s up’ all through these parts, the writing style (I basically kind of... mentally storyboard, then translate that into an outline, then storyboard again, then attempt to write anything etc. etc.), (but also the kind of ‘limited’ writing style, too) and basically the entire fic. That’s the timeloops effect lingering in the background, impacting events / feelings / actions, etc. Even the slightest things like Koushiro’s expressions as he regards Taichi, the tiniest movements he makes, or Taichi’s mind running a little (A LOT) more wildly than usual. - When Taichi first hears Koushiro’s ‘(smooth) voice drifting through the open door’, that’s basically the timeloops effect slamming into him right from the get-go. His mind is running wildly subconsciously too like ‘WHAT? WHAT?? WHAT???’ because he’s so confused / startled / scared / basically majorly freaked out to the point of a feeling of dread / horror etc. l-lolll poor Taichi I’M SORRY I love you really (this is also the KageDaze inspired effect because poor Hibiya there, too, [the boy] is basically this through most of the song) [specific dialogue notes] -  ‘ok, he's not really a "kid", he's a fellow adult, but Taichi's mind seems to insist on calling him that, for some reason....’ and all of the ‘his age’ bits etc. - Taichi’s mind is subconsciously relating Koushiro’s actual age to him (‘he’s younger than you think!!! you KNEW HIM IN SCHOOL!!! BEFORE!!!’) except he’s not fully realizing, of course. - short-cut spiky red hair and pure black eyes ('why are you staring so intently at his eyes, idiot!!') Again, timeloops effect slamming. Taichi’s recognizing Koushiro’s features right away and what stands out the most are his hair [dark red] and his eyes [somehow pure black (...lol fandom injoke?)]. This also relates in ch. 4, “Bridge” - when young Taichi notices Koushiro’s red hair ‘stands out the most’ in the light, and Koushiro’s (eyes are) staring right at him (because that young Koushiro’s becoming aware of the loops and freaked out / feeling dread crashing into him, himself). (also other similar parts of the fic) This also relates to novels Koushiro knowing he ‘stands out like a sore thumb’ in class (and how that line relates later with the Izumis / his adoption, as well.) - social sciences? Psychology? Health in general? Science itself? ARCHAEOLOGY??! Basically Koushiro is a freaking genuis [timeloops.... effect] [but also natural hhhh-ha] and subconsciously-or-not relating his career to as many ‘Knowledge’-gathering fields as possible, yeah. SLOW DOWN KOUSHIRO - and he's talking so animatedly and precisely and smartly because again, Child of Knowledge / timeloops. (He’d probably be an amazing professional teacher too negl) (and also how do both his seiyuu/voice actors sound so good HOW). Ok but for real, this is also simultaneously Koushiro’s ‘professional mode’ and / or his ‘mask’ so to speak. He’s enjoying it too, mostly, but... at the same time, it’s like going through the motions.... Koushiro ;A;/ - Taichi keeps staring at him, how is he so... pretty - ('wait what?!') ('but he kind of is, in that way where he has this glow about him-') Timeloops effect reminding him yes, Taichi, you are definitely attracted to Koushiro Izumi (maybe a bit too much) Koushiro’s ‘glow’ is basically him becoming animated / excited whenever he talks about Knowledge-related topics he’s particularly interested in! (But also kind of like... his inner... glow ehehhh....) - The presenter (Izumi?) turns around and stares at him directly, sharply, (kindly?) with those black eyes and says semi-brightly despite the situation he's in, in front of this room full of dumb college kids like Taichi himself - "Oh, I'M adopted." Dun dun dunnnn (hey, Taichi, did you REALLY get Koushiro’s last name/name or-) (...he didn’t) Now Koushiro’s directly focusing his attentions on Taichi, subconsciously recognizing him while he’s at it. He’s staring ‘kindly’ because of the warm feelings his subconscious / past self has towards Taichi; while also out of genuine kindness / intrigue from this universes’ Koushiro himself. Koushiro’s definitely feeling that ‘pull’ but at the same time warning bells are going off like crazy in his head too, and maybe subconsciously freaking him out too (although he’s a little more logical about it than Taichi, maybe... ...? or trying to not panic before he finishes this thing anyway) - After the presentation is over, the kid is gathering up his things outside the room, and fixing his slightly moved tie all neatly, and Taichi approaches him awkwardly from behind. THE TRUE MEETING and basically they’re both subconsciously knowing they were going to have to talk here but .... - "Izumi" turns to stare at him, more intently, now. "It's all right. ...?" (He was a little confused as to why this cool looking kid [??] bothered apologizing to him for that, but he accepts it...) Koushiro’s staring intently because he’s so hyper-focused subconsciously, but also because he likes giving his full attention where it matters in general, too. Also ‘cool looking kid’ is Taichi’s mind thinking maybe that’s how Koushiro might see him, basically. (TAICHI PLS....) (ok but he also added the ‘??’ because he realizes... yeah TAICHI PLS) (Koushiro was a bit surprised this boy actually did think to apologize, but....) - Koushiro smiles slightly. Actually smiles. KOUSHIRO’S SMILES ARE VERY IMPORTANT IN THIS FIC OK Koushiro smiles so impassioned-ly at the start of everything (especially in this verse, where he rarely gets the chance to smile AT ALL it doesn’t help that this Koushiro didn’t go to the Digital World, didn’t make any close friends, DIDN’T MEET TENTOMON OR TAICHI and etc....) - so that when this Koushiro smiles genuinely, it’s SUPER IMPORTANT, OK - "Are you interested? I'm afraid the next dig is already scheduled very soon, but..." "Wait, you're leaving, soon-?!" ('Shut up, you idiot!!') Koushiro is looking at him oddly now - Taichi’s mind is going even more wild with the warning bells and basically yelling ‘SOMETHING’S DEFINITELY WRONG HERE DON’T LET HIM GO IF YOU LET HIM GO HE’S GOING TO UP AND LEAVE AND YOU’LL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN !!!!!’ (Also his mind running wild kind of parallels Ep 21′s inspirations too??) (don’t forget Taichi hasn’t had a lot of his ‘character development’ here as well) Koushiro’s looking at him oddly because he’s having a similar feeling but trying to figure out what the heck is up with this and ... this boy... ? - Koushiro is about ready to have to leave again, and Taichi thinks as fast as he can. Taichi’s not ... as known for his thinking deeply in canon when he’s younger (lol) (well, um, pre...? SkullGreymon ? anyhow maybe w-wah) and considering WARNING BELLS he’s basically thinking of the ‘last resort’ type thing he can say / ask / (yell?) / etc. (or - BAM, TIMELINE OVER BAD END). - "W-Wait, which area are you in-?" Koushiro turns with a raised eyebrow and another slight smile. Koushiro’s raising his eyebrow / smiling because he’s basically internally thinking ‘...This one, hmm ..... ‘ - He lives in fucking Odaiba. Literally a block away from Taichi. ('SHIIIIIIIIIIT') ('TAICHI YOU ARE AN IDIOT') ... oh. (yeah) (TIMELOOOOOOPS EFFEEEEEECT) (TAICHI YOU ARE AN IDIOT) -- Chapter 2 -- (kind of) - He doesn't know how it happens, but in some other universe somewhere, he probably ends up not walking Koushiro home and regretting it for the rest of his life when Koushiro just ups and leaves on an archaeology dig somewhere and Taichi never sees him again - ('Seriously, stop thinking!!') So yeah, that part about ‘YOU’LL NEVER SEE HIM AGAIN’ ?? [Taichi(+Koushiro) avoided the BAD END ?? ?] [to be continued]

[witchelny]

Piecing Together Adventure tri.’s Plot, Pt. 1

So, the past few days I’ve been marinating on the release of Kyousei/Coexistence. A lot of very cool people with more coherent thoughts than myself have already posted their wonderful analyses of Coexistence by itself, so I decided not to go that route. Instead, I’m rewatching Digimon Adventure tri. from the beginning and analyzing the OVA episodes based on the context we’ve been given in the most recent OVA.

To do this, I’ve decided to analyze Adventure tri. from a very character-focused perspective, as I believe that is how the series was most likely developed. There are at least four different “sides” involved in the central conflict, as well as individual character motivations for everyone involved. This style of writing is likely what has caused Adventure tri.’s incredibly complicated (and, as some have criticized, overwrought) plotline.

Here’s an outline of the main four “sides” I’ll be focusing on:

The Chosen Children, including Meiko & their ally Daigo Homeostasis, with both Gennai & Huckmon serving its purpose Yggdrasil, represented by Alphamon Maki, who gets her own category because her sole motivation (so far) seems to be getting Tapirmon back & her actions have influenced much of the plot

I’m starting off with a rewatch of Part 1: Reunion.

Reunion starts off with the vague and conceptual introduction of Demiurge. Other people in the fandom have discussed the concept of Demiurge in more depth, because it’s a very complex idea with ties to Platonism, Neoplatonism, and Gnoticism, and is interpreted differently by various schools of thought. In short, however, the Demiurge is consistently thought of as a “second God” or the “mind of God,” a being that fashioned the universe out of chaos but is unaware of the higher being (”the One”) that created it. Adventure tri. also proposes that Demiurge is unaware of Idea, in which the capitalized term “Idea” refers to Plato’s Theory of Forms - the concept that non-physical forms, or the Idea of something, are the most accurate reality.

I’m still not entirely sure how to apply this theory to Adventure tri. A few thoughts: perhaps the “Idea, the true form of the world,” as mentioned by the narrator, refers to the fact that humanity’s dreams & wishes that created the Digital World, are the “true form” of the Digital World. Additionally, one could see either Homeostasis or Yggdrasil as the Demiurge or “second god” that fashioned the Digital World out of chaos. I don’t feel confident suggesting any of the above thoughts are supported by the narrative, but I am hoping we get some more insight in Our Future.

In Reunion, one of the first scenes with which we are presented is the scene in which Alphamon defeats the 02 kids. In the context of Coexistence, we now know that Alphamon is fighting for Yggdrasil and opposes Homeostasis, which - in my opinion - suggests to me that the 02 kids had already had some contact with Gennai or Homeostasis that skewed their mission in Homeostasis’ favor. After all, the Chosen had no reason to distrust Gennai up until that point; they perceived him as an ally. Consequently, I have reason to believe the 02 kids were being manipulated by Gennai and/or Homeostasis to fight on their side up until their defeat and possible capture at the hands of Alphamon.

Following this scene, the main plot continues in the background of seemingly mundane, slice-of-life antics. Reunion’s focus on Taichi & Yamato, however, serves as a sort of vehicle to present each Chosen child’s individual motivations and conflicts. Taichi & Yamato, as usual, are pitted against one another because their soccer game & band concert are scheduled on the same day around the same time, and it forces the other kids to show where their loyalties lie. Sora can’t choose between the two; Koushiro is busy with his fancy job at an American firm, even going so far as to lie to Sora on the phone about what he’s doing; Mimi is in America, but is willing to drop everything to go to Japan and see her friends; Jou is focusing on school and his girlfriend; Takeru acts loyal to Yamato but is using his brother’s concert for a date; and Hikari is the first and only person in the crew to notice Kuwagamon and the distortions, true to her typical sixth-sense perceptiveness.

As a result, I think the central conflict, and then the resolution of said conflict, between Taichi and Yamato in Reunion is absolutely necessary in order to establish the power dynamics among the Chosen Children and also to 1) showcase how each of them have changed individually and 2) depict what motivates them throughout the rest of the OVA.

Likewise, Taichi’s hesitance about reclaiming his leadership role is foreshadowed by his inability to hand in a career planning form at school. Daigo repeatedly chides Taichi on not having his form turned in, but Taichi has no idea what to do, or which path he even wants to take in the future. That indecisiveness follows him later in Reunion when he begins to have second thoughts about leading the Chosen Children and battling Alphamon.

Now, onto the main plot. There are a few things I noticed throughout Reunion, including:

Huckmon is watching as Kuwagamon emerges from the first distortion. I honestly can’t remember where the Virus originated or if it was explaining in canon because it’s been awhile since I watched Adventure tri., but for now I’m posing the theory that Homeostasis created the Virus in order to target Meicoomon. If that is true, then Huckmon is likely watching to ensure the plan is executed smoothly.

I have noticed this before and other people have pointed it out, but when Maki is sitting in her office, she has a program open on her computer that is tracking the locations of all 12 Chosen, including the 02 kids. The 02 kids, however, have “unknown” written next to their statuses and locations.

There seems to have been some kind of mass amnesia. A common complaint about the absence of the 02 kids is that the original 8 never even think to mention that they are missing, but I’m wondering if this was purposeful. Additionally, no one in the world seems to remember Digimon existing, with the news even referring to them as “unidentified creatures.”

All of the other Chosen children around the world still exist. At one point when Takeru is on the phone with Yamato, the camera shows his laptop screen, which shows him interacting with other global Chosen through some kind of custom social network.

A common behavior in Infected Digimon, a behavior that’s reflected by Meicoomon, is that they only directly engage in battle if threatened. The Kuwagamon, for example, does not directly attack Taichi; instead, it lays waste to Odaiba until it realizes that Taichi is following it and intends on stopping it, then turns to attack him. Similarly, Meicoomon has demonstrated multiple times that she won’t display aggressive behavior unless threatened; this actually happens later in Reunion when Alphamon appears, and Meicoomon glows for a second, having an impulsive reaction to the looming threat.

Before confronting Kuwagamon, Taichi calls Hikari and tells her nothing is wrong, making the executive decision to face Kuwagamon by himself. Taichi also seems to have accepted the fact that without Agumon present, he is powerless to stop Kuwagamon. Foreshadowing for his sacrificial behavior in Coexistence, perhaps?

Kuwagamon almost wins the fight against Garurumon at the Haneda Airport, but Alphamon’s hand reaches through a distortion and pulls him away. Could it be that Homeostasis sent the Virus, and Alphamon, on behalf of Yggdrasil, is doing everything he can to get in Homeostasis’ path? At this point, Alphamon seems to have no interest in fighting the Chosen, but it is also before the Chosen Children ally themselves with Meiko and Meicoomon.

One of the most interesting tidbits in Reunion, to me, is this:

Maki and Daigo have been getting their information from Gennai. This means that, unbeknownst to them, the National Data Processing Bureau and likely the Chosen Children have, up to this point, had the information given to them skewed in order to further Homeostasis’s agenda. This is all really interesting to me, because it suggests that something insidious has been going on from the very beginning. The Agents (with a capital “A,” referring to Gennai’s race of human-like beings living in the Digital World) created the Chosen Digimon partners in order to protect their world from the Dark Masters and Apocalymon; however, did they create the original five’s Digimon partners, too? Has every team of Chosen been manufactured by Homeostasis and the Agents in order to serve their purposes and keep the Digital World “balanced”? Gennai’s influence in the Bureau is definitely something I’m going to keep an eye on throughout this rewatch.

As a side note to this, I am reminded of Maki’s appearance at the end of Pt. 3, when she confronts Gennai on the cliffside. I think it is most likely that Gennai contacted Maki first and is manipulating her to do underhanded things under the guise of promising her that she’ll get Tapirmon back.

Besides that, Koushiro also gives us a pretty nifty outline of what has been going on in Odaiba for the past year during the team meeting under the bridge. He says,

About a year ago, normal portals to the Digital World closed

Their Digivices began malfunctioning

There has been significant radio disturbance in Odaiba, followed by mystery blackouts

Wireless networks went down, causing poor cell phone reception

New spatial distortions have been occurring, allowing Digimon to pass through the distortions in space to the human world

All Digimon emerging from the distortions up until this point have all had some kind of “new mutation,” the Virus

Koushiro concludes that everything he listed above has been the result of these spatial distortions, which are negatively impacting electronics and allowing random portals to and from the Digital World to appear. He also goes on the modify Taichi’s goggles, allowing him to detect distortions by observing data flow and spotting areas in which mass data has gathered densely together, causing a distortion.

Something else that is interesting to me is that everything is occurring in Odaiba, specifically. Did the distortions start happening in Odaiba first before Meiko & Meicoomon moved in, or did Meicoomon lure the distortions away from Tottori and to Odaiba? In any case, Meiko & Meicoomon seem aware of the fact they’re being followed, because Meicoomon doesn’t even flinch when Alphamon appears in front of her; in fact, she readies herself for a fight. Alphamon also does not seem to care that Meiko is in the line of fire as he is blasting at Meicoomon. This suggests to me that Yggdrasil does not care if the children get in the way. Yggdrasil & Alphamon had no hand in assembling the teams of Chosen, and they also have no qualms about eradicating the children as long as the end goal is achieved.

Huckmon is also at the scene, observing, when Alphamon appears. However, upon recognizing Alphamon, Huckmon’s eyes widen and he promptly teleports away. I find this interesting when looking back at it now that I have seen Coexistence; Huckmon clearly noticed Yggdrasil making a move and left to avoid getting involved in the battle.

The last thing I’m going to mention before not-so-gracefully concluding this first analysis is that Meiko’s Digivice changes throughout the series. I have noticed some people pointing out how Meiko’s Digivice is definitely black and sparking purple lightning in Coexistence. However, this was not the case right off the bat.

As you can see, Meiko started off with a perfectly normal Digivice. The transformation occurs later in the OVA. Could this be a result of the reboot? Or perhaps, Meicoomon slipping further into despair and terror?

I have to admit I’m not excited about rewatching Pt. 2 because it was probably my least favorite of Adventure tri. so far. But I’ll try to get that done + finish my analysis of it soon. Stay tuned!

[alisonmanic]

So I was at Kitacon this weekend 18th to 20th August. I was happy to find out that an article I’d written for the con book made it in! (as pictured above). Now that the con is over and I’m home. Here is exactly what I wrote: It feels like only yesterday I would sit and watch the first Digimon (Digimon Adventure (Season 1) on CITV.  But Digimon did not start with the Animation. It started on the 26th June 1997 with the release of the Digimon V-Pet in Japan. Yup that's right, Digimon is now officialy 20 years old. Feeling old yet? I am lol as I was 14 at the time! You could raise Digimon like Agumon or even Devimon in the very first V-Pet. Ah if only I had been able to keep my original V-Pets and Digivices. Still, I have been very fortunate to get some of my collection back over the years and have recently ordered the 20th Anniversary from Japan. Digimon Adventure first started in Japan on the 6th of March 1999 and ran for 54 episodes into March 2000. The English dub started to air in America in August 99 to June 2000. We were introduced to the 'original' Chosen Children (Digidestined dub). I have keen memories of writing down the evolution lines while I was watching the dub and this drove me to start my own Digimon website (Digital Starlight) in 2001. Although it is no longer updated, the site still lives. Most of my favourite Digimon and cosplay have come from Adventure. I have cosplayed Vamdemon/Myotismon, Tailmon/Gatomon and Hikari Yagami/Kari Kamiya. I would one day like to cosplay Wizarmon/Wizardmon and PicoDevimon/DemiDevimon. Digimon Adventure Zero Two (02) first started in Japan on the 2nd April 2000 and ran for 50 episodes into March 2001. The dub started in America in August 2000 and ran to May 2001. The Chosen Children expanded a lot, we got new types of evolution (Jogress/DNA and Armour). I would like to cosplay the Digimon Kaiser at some point and was rather disappointed when there were no United Kingdom Chosen in the Digimon World Tour. Also it marked the return of my favourite Digimon villan – Vamdemon/Myotismon. It was towards the end of Season 2 that I was introduced into Real Media clips from Japan that took ages to download on 56k dial up! Digimon Tamers first started in Japan on the 1st April 2001 and ran for 51 episodes into March 2002. The dub started in America in September 2001 and ran to June 2002. We met new Digimon Tamers and their partners and this series was darker than the previous two. Digimon died and were not reborn like previous seasons. This was not expected and depression was tackled in youngsters. Afterall Juri/Jeri's Digimon Leomon died and sent her spiralling. For some, Tamers wasn't popular and for some they loved it. I'm more in the middle ground. Digimon Frontier first started in Japan on the 7th April 2002 and ran for 50 episodes into March 2003. The dub started in America in September 2002 and ran to March 2003. Digimon Frontier never aired in the UK and a friend in Australia ended up taping me the episodes from TV and sending me the VHS'! Digimon Frontier was very different. There were no Digimon partners, the children Spirit Evolved into their Digimon forms. Frontier was considered as 'the end' at one point. People did not like it didn't have partners or the drawn out Royal Knights story line. By  the time Frontier ended in Japan. There was no new Digimon show ready to take it's place. There was a hiatus, only broken by a Japanese Movie Digital Monster X-Evolution in January 2005. No humans, just a pure story about Digimon that got rather confusing at times. Then it was back to waiting until... Digimon Savers/Digimon Data Squad. Diginon Savers first started in Japan on the 2nd April 2006 and ran for 48 Episodes until March 2007. The dub, Digimon Data Squad, started in October 2007 and ran to November 2008. Data Squad was aired on an obscure channel called Kix at the time. Digimon Savers followed another new route with 'DATS – Digital Accident Tactics Squad' and the Humans partnered with Digimon were for the most part teenagers (Minus Ikuto/Keenan who was younger). Once again, this season was a little darker as it was shown how Digimon can be 'corrupted' with huamn thoughts' and even went so far to have a Nazi-esq evil human called Kurata who wanted to destroy all Digimon! We were also introduced to Yggdrasil (King Drasil) the god of the Digital World...and once again at set of Royal Knights. Some good..some not so good. Once again, we had another hiatus and paved the way to... Digimon Xros Wars/Digimon Fusion. Digimon Xros ran for 79 episodes in total and was in three different parts. It ran in Japan from 6th July 2010 to March 2012. The dub has only covered the first 54 episodes, Part 3 having not been dubbed. The dub Digimon Fusion started in America in September 2013 and ran to August 2015. Part 1 is just known as  Digimon Xros Wars and was 30 Episodes long. Digimon did not evolve as normal at first as they had to Xros using multiple Digimon to create Xrossed up Digimon (I.e Shoutmon X2, X3 X4 etc). Digimon levels as we knew them were thrown out of the window and things were somewhat war like. Part 2 is known as  Digimon Xros Wars The Evil Death Generals and the Seven Kingdom and covered Episodes 31 to 54. Bagramon had won and turned the Digital World into his own image and placed several of his Death Generals into the seven single zones. The Chosen having to fight each to re-take back over the Digital World. Part 3 originally wasn't meant to happen and was more of an off shoot of Digimon Xros. It is known as The Boy Hunters Who Leapt Through Time. While it had Taiki/Mikey and Yuu from Parts 1 and 2 it also featured a new set of Characters. Episodes 55 to 79 were covered and are generally considered 'they don't exist' by some fans. Hunters went so far as crossing over with the other Digimon series and bringing in the 'Goggle boys and several other chosen/Tamers cast members' fan service like...which honestly...didn't do it for me. Once again, we had another hiatus and paved the way to something that many Digimon fans were very excited for... Digimon Adventure tri. This is currently still ongoing, with Part 5 Symbiosis of Part 6 airing on 30th September 2017! Tri Part 1: Reunion  was released on the 21st November 2015. Part 2: Determination on 12th March 2016, Part 3 Confession on 24th September 2016 and Part 4 Loss on 25th February 2017. Each Episode was released the same day, subbed, in America and other places (sadly not UK) on Crunchyroll. The original eight chosen are back...with a new addition of Meiko and her partner Meicoomon! The Zero Two children (Minus Hikari and Takeru) are 'currently unknown' status. Digimon are getting infected, the infection is making them very strong and attacking the human world. The Chosen, 3 years older after the events of Zero Two, start to take the burden and responsibility of still being Chosen with the attacks happening in the real world. Part 1: Reunion Dub (Japanese Audio and Subs available as well) was released in the UK on DVD and Blu-Ray on 22nd May 2017. Part 2 Determination dub is due out in America on 15th August 2017. At the same time, we currently have... Digimon Universe: Appli Monsters. It started to air in Japan on 1st October 2016 and is still airing. There is currently no dub. It introduces another new casting characters and Digimon are known as Appmon. So far as writing this, there are no 'old school' Digimon. A being known as Leviathan is wanting to turn all Appmon evil and our heroes must stop him! I actually need to catch up on Applimon! It does feel strange that Digimon has, pardon the expression, evolved so much over the years. Not only does it have animation, it has several manga. My favourte of these manga being Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01. A different Taichi Yagami and his partner Zeromaru the V-Dramon must save the Digital World from Demon and his 'child' Arkadimon. There were also English Adaptations of Season 1 to 3 of the anime with Tokyopop. Digimon is still going strong over 20 years. I hope you have enjoyed the little overview of Digimon and here is to another 20 years! Now the Adventure Evolves. ~Vande~