#Digimon Amplified

[reversemoon255]

Figure-Rise Amplified X 30MM MailBirdramon/MetalGreymon (2010 Anime Version) Custom

This was probably the most ambition custom project I've ever worked on. Not only was MailBirdramon enormous, but it was a mix of multiple kits and was a lot of fusing of parts through glue, not just natural connection points. It was a very long process to paint, too. But I'm glad I did it, and I'm happy it turned out so well.

The Details: So the composition of MailBirdramon is made primarily of three 30MM kits; the Provedel, the Cannon Bike, and the Tiltrotor, along with an assembly of other random pieces I had in my big basement bin. Also, just like I used the Lfrith's shoulders for Greymon's headphones, I used the Lfrith's hips as MailBirdramon's. The only other non-30MM piece I used was I cut up the claw arm from the MetalGreymon kit I made Greymon 2010 out of and used that for the front of the mask.

As for colors, I used the navy I had from color matching for Cyberdramon (who I have not reviewed yet), as well as black, red, and gunmetal. There was also some of Greymon's blue used on the large sub-arm that holds the claw for continuity. Specifically for MailBirdramon's face, since the Cannon Bike has a translucent windscreen, I painted the underside to keep the sheen, and then used the natural grooves to paint the eyes on top.

For the combination, the mask rests on the head, but there are some grooves the sit snugly inside Greymon's headphones. The neck plugs into the tail via a port I added to Greymon when I was building it. I added a small piece to Greymon's chest in between builds to accommodate the chest plate. As for the backpack and arm, I changed things up so the claw arm attaches to the backpack instead of covering the natural arm, and the backpack attaches to the back via two repurposed ball joints from MetalGreymon's wings.

Overall, again, very happy with how this turned out. Not sure if I'm going to do Deckerdramon or my own WaruMonzaemon in the future, but I don't have any plans to at the moment. I've also been so preoccupied with customs recently that my straight builds have been piling up, so I plan on getting through a bunch of those before I move onto my next one.

Of course I say that, but if an Avalanche Exia or a Beginning 30 shows up at my door, I might be tempted to work on some of my theoretical Build Divers Super stuff.

[neorukixart]

Commission for @emperornaka; featuring their OCs, Sigurd the ChaosDukemon (Core) and Rivan uwu

This ChaosDukemon was inspired by the figure of Dukemon Amplified.

[craniozito]

I tried to get some nice photos.

It's snowing very hard today.

[astroboy84]

The Lost World: Jurassic Park for the PlayStation is a very fun game. This was my 2nd game for my PlayStation back in early 1998. It’s not perfect but it does have some fun moments of just playing as a dinosaur eating random humans.

[cobalt-axolotl]

I think I missed a few steps

[devastation-builds-gunpla]

Assembling my Christmas present: the Omegamon X-antibody, from Figure-Rise Standard Amplified.

Kinda wanna leave the rest for tomorrow. Otherwise, it's finished too quickly, you get my feeling?

[adventurexheart]

The episode "A Very Digi Christmas" from Digimon Adventure 02 is a Taiora fan's worst nightmare. I remember watching it for the first time and genuinely being surprised that Sora wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with Yamato.

I watched the episode initially in the English dub (which I was aware the dub version amplified Taiora as a ship), but I went back. I watched it in the Japanese version, and it didn't help set up the supposed canon ships, either.

[tobiasdrake]

Digimon Adventure 01x11 - The Dancing Ghosts! Bakemon / The Dancing Digimon

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Mimi got harassed again and then thwarted Devimon's Black Gear by starving in its general direction. Meanwhile, Koushiro discovered the Dungeon Map. Since Mimi has the Compass, all they need now is the Boss Key.

Now two island shards and four kids are on their way back to the child murderer. That's not necessarily a good direction to be moving in but it is what we're doing.

(Warning: Very long. This one is intensively dialogue-heavy and the dub changes so much.)

We open on a long panning shot of Infinity Mountain, rising up to Devimon perched at the peak.

Devimon: Chosen Children... Curse the fates that have befallen you! Ahahahahaha!

My man, you do not have to worry about that. They curse the fate that's befallen them practically daily. Mimi just cursed her fate so hard, you have no idea.

That long sweeping shot means Dub Devimon has to vamp for a bit, so his dialogue is longer.

Devimon: I, Devimon, had completely separated those seven brats and their pesky Digimon! That is, until that Tai and Mimi caught up with Matt and Izzy! But I'll make sure they never find their other friends. Especially with the plans I have for Sora and Joe on that lovely day, the Bakemon Holiday! Ahahahahahaha HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Bakemon pronounced (Bah-keh-mon). Nobody tell Devimon that these island shard episodes are happening simultaneously to one another. Also, spoilers, geez. :P

(Can you imagine if they were happening sequentially? We start each one at night with the kids on their beds and then the sun comes up during their episode. That would mean Izzy and Mimi were on those beds for a full day, and Joe and Sora for two. ...poor T.K....)

Jou's bed did not have the luxury of landing on an island shard. Instead, he's been left adrift in the ocean. We find him cursing the fate that's befallen him.

Jou: This is why I didn't want to go to summer camp....

The dub changes out his despair for seasickness. That's not necessarily added; He does get seasick later in the scene. But it is a different source for his present turmoil.

Joe: There's one thing I've learned in Digi-World: Beds don't make good boats. Urghhhhh....

It's at that moment he realizes that while he's been in his fugue, Gomamon's finished off what's left of the emergency rations.

(I'm surprised there was anything left in that bag. The kids managed to stretch a three-day food supply for six children out to six days for fourteen. They've done an admirable job of only leaning on the emergency supply when absolutely necessary.)

Jou is absolutely livid.

Jou: THIS IS WHY I DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO SUMMER CAMP!!! I have to study for entrance exams next year to get into a prestigious middle school! Gomamon: No point in telling me that. There's nothing I can do about it. Jou: (picks up Gomamon and shakes him) THEN WHO DO I TELL!? THERE'S NO ONE HERE BUT ME AND YOU, GOMAMON!!! Gomamon: That's true, but we should try floating with a bit more hope in our hearts. That way, we won't end up getting seasick-- Jou: (shakes Gomamon some more) WHAT DO HOPE AND SEASICKNESS HAVE WITH EACH OTHER!? (Suddenly, Jou's forced to release Gomamon and vomit over the side.) Gomamon: Are you okay? Jou: No, I'm not. Gomamon: (rubs his back) That's why I said to have more hope.

Once again, we see Jou cracking under the intense pressure that's been placed on him. This time, not for his responsibilities to the younger kids surviving with him, but for his entire situation and the societial obligations of his age.

Jou was under a lot of pressure before he even came to File Island, and this whole intensely stressful situation has only made it worse. That he's one of the kids whose personality grates against his Partner's rather than meshing with it (Sora, Koushiro, Jou) only serves to amplify his stress.

Similar to his despair, the dub cuts this context surrounding Joe's emotional state. They keep the argument locked on Gomamon eating the food.

Joe: DIDN'T I TELL YOU NOT TO EAT ALL THE FOOD SINCE WE DON'T KNOW WHEN WE'LL FIND LAND!?!? I told you that we'd need to ration, which means to save food for later. As in much later! Gomamon: But it is later, Joe; You told me that twenty minutes ago. Joe: (picks up Gomamon and shakes him) TWENTY MINUTES IS NOT MUCH LATER!!! PLEASE TELL ME THAT THERE'S STILL SOME FOOD IN THE BAG!!! Gomamon: Well, no. Since you can't handle eating and floating on the ocean at the same time, I ate it all. Besides, I need food to Digivolve in case we run into bad Digimon. Joe: (shakes Gomamon some more) SO HAVE WE SEEN ANY BAD DIGIMON!?!? NO!!! IF I STARVE, WHO ARE YOU GOING TO PROTECT!?!? (Suddenly, Joe's forced to release Gomamon and vomit over the side.) Gomamon: That's enough about food. Joe: Urghhhhh.... Gomamon: (rubs his back) Things will get better soon. Hang in there, buddy!

Admittedly, it may have been difficult to localize the pressure of entrance exams to middle school. That's a facet of the Japanese education system that I'm not sure we have an equivalent to here in the U.S.

Nonetheless, the dub version of the scene is much weaker. The original is a characterization moment centered on the philosophical differences between Jou and Gomamon while fleshing out Jou's anxieties. We lose just about all of that in the dub, which replaces it with a comedic misunderstanding bit.

Suddenly, the boys see a massive crate floating their direction. This changes everything.

Gomamon: A box? Jou: Maybe it has food! Like bottles of fresh water and sterilized food packages! Gomamon: No way. Jou: (shakes Gomamon) YOU JUST TOLD ME TO HAVE MORE HOPE RIGHT NOW!!! Gomamon: Calm down.

Jou's expectations are fairly reasonable for what seems to be a drifting supply box floating in the ocean. Joe's imagination runs away with him.

Gomamon: That crate is gonna hit us! Joe: Maybe it's full of fruit, vegetables, bread, milk, cereal, hot dogs, cookies, candy, and soda! Gomamon: I wish. Joe: (shakes Gomamon) YOU WISH!? WE WOULDN'T NEED MORE FOOD IF YOU HADN'T EATEN OURS!!! Gomamon: You're strong when you're hungry. Joe: Starvation is a good motivator! Looks like we'll need a jackhammer to open this....

They don't use jackhammers to open crates, Joe. The word you're looking for is crowbar. "You're strong when you're hungry" as a response to Joe's third shaking got me, though. That was good. XD

Good news for Jou is that the box is self-opening!

And it has a toy surprise inside!

(I desperately want to be a fly on that wall when Ogremon was making this plan. I don't know what's more ridiculous: That he sealed himself in a box and trusted the currents to carry him to Jou, or that this worked.)

With Jou isolated and defenseless, Ogremon swings at him with his club, throwing a set of horizontal strikes. Jou and Gomamon jump, avoiding some swings of his club while bouncing the bed in the ocean and carrying them under others.

Frustrated, Ogremon opts for a vertical swing instead, cracking the bed in half.

Fortunately, the halves remain buoyant for Jou and Gomamon who are split between them.

Gomamon conjures up his Marching Fishes, erupting from the ocean and throwing themselves at Ogremon. As his colorful fishes harass Ogremon with their tiny tackles, he explains his plan to Jou.

Jou: The wicked Digimon Ogremon is being defeated by the likes of fish! Gomamon: Ogremon grew up in the Great Canyon mountains, so he should be weak against the smell of raw sea fish! Ogremon: HAOUKEN!!! (pulverizes the attacking fish with bursts of dark purple energy) Gomamon: ...or so I thought, but I guess not.

It was a good plan, Gomamon. I'm sorry you were defeated by Power Levels.

Dub Gomamon gets philosophical with this.

Joe: What powerful force could cause this evil Digimon to be driven back and outmuscled by a bunch of small fish!? Gomamon: When the small and meek join forces to fight for a good purpose, they can often bring about the downfall of the big and powerful. Ogremon: Rargh! Get off me! (pulverizes the attacking fish with bursts of dark purple energy) Gomamon: Then again, sometimes they haven't got a chance!

Sorry, Gomamon, but today is not the day for seizing the means of production. But some day! VIVE LA REVOLUCION!

Honestly, I like both of these versions. Both Tactical Gomamon and Philosophical Gomamon have their merits.

It's not enough, though. With his back against the wall, Gomamon vindicates the dub's earlier point about needing his strength to evolve, and turns into Ikkakumon. Pushing through Ogremon's rapid-fire Haoukens, Ikkakumon headbutts him backwards, then nails him with a point-blank Harpoon Vulcan, knocking him back into the box.

Then he takes his kid and swims away, leaving Ogremon adrift in the ocean.

Ogremon: Damn it! I can't follow because I can't swim!

Oh wow, this was a terrible plan. Have fun rowing back to shore, Ogremon. In the notoriously unpredictable waters of the goddamn ocean. Hope you know how to navigate by the stars.

Dub Ogremon also refuses to get out of the box, but doesn't state his reasoning.

Ogremon: COWARDS!!! Go ahead and run! See how far you'll get! 'Fraidy cats! Come back and fight! I dare ya! Come on!

But the implication is nonetheless there, as we still get to see his visceral panic reaction upon realizing he's about to step out into the waters.

As they swim away from Ogremon, Jou curses the fate that's befallen him one more time.

Jou: I knew it was a bad idea to come to camp....

While Joe curses his fate in a different way.

Joe: Oh man. I don't like adventure. I'm a 'stay at home and read' kind of guy.

Unfortunately, the fight with Ogremon took a lot out of Ikkakumon. Before long, he loses his evolution and turns back into Gomamon, helplessly plunging both him and Jou into the ocean.

(RIP Senpai. I can't say I'm surprised that you're the first to die but I can be sad for you all the same.)

Meanwhile, on a nearby island shard, Piyomon returns to Sora, hopping over to her. She finds Sora taking a much more proactive approach to the Starving Digimon problem than any of the kids have thus far.

(And yet Koushiro gets the reputation as the smart one.)

Unfortunately, she has to make do with what she has on-hand.

Piyomon: Fishing? Sora: I thought I should try to get some food. Piyomon: You're so smart! I'm starving.... Sora: The bait is just a twig, though. It'd be great if some fish out there thought it was a worm... (glancing back at the island) How'd things look in there? Piyomon: I can't see anything because of the fog. I think this might be an island.... (Suddenly, Sora's twig bobber goes underwater) Piyomon: AHH! You caught something! Sora: (struggling with the rod, excited) There is a big fish stupid enough to fall for the twig!

SUCCESS!!! Piyomon braces Sora and helps her pull, struggling to bring in their unbelievably heavy catch! But, to their surprise but not the audience's, their big stupid fish is Jou-senpai.

Meanwhile, in the dub, Biyomon already knew Sora was fishing.

Biyomon: Catch anything? Sora: Not yet. Give me time; I'm hoping to catch something big. Biyomon: I've even be happy if you caught me a little sardine. Sora: Please, I know how hungry you can get. If I caught a huge 'any kind of fish', you'd be right there eating it with me, right? Biyomon: Well, since you put it that way.... Do you really think you can make a big catch? (Suddenly, Sora's twig bobber goes underwater) Biyomon: Oh, look! Maybe there's one now! Sora: Oh boy, it feels like a whale! This is a whopper for sure!

Like Jou's argument with Gomamon, this is a worse scene all around. We lose the brief exposition that Piyomon's been off trying to scout the island, and they removed the funny joke about Jou being a stupid fish in a localization that's actively trying to make things more light-hearted and funny.

While Jou recovers by the fire, Gomamon explains what happened. He woke up underwater, spotted Jou, and tried to carry him to surface. Then he saw Sora's twig bait and hook nearby. He grabbed it, wrapped it around Jou, and let Sora pull them both to surface.

Jou survived his plunge in the murky waters, but Gomamon has other concerns now.

Gomamon: Can I ask for a favor? Piyomon: What is it? Gomamon: It's about Jou. Sora: Is there something wrong with him? Gomamon: He's becoming more timid by the moment. Sora: Well, he never had a strong heart to begin with. Gomamon: We don't know what's going to happen from here on. If he stays like this, we can't have a proper adventure! Piyomon: So what should we do? Gomamon: Let's make him our leader so he can gain confidence.

Gomamon's concerns for Jou are valid, but we also see a bit of Gomamon's flaws creep up when he talks about wanting to have a "proper adventure". This is one of the traits that causes his personality to grate against Jou's; Gomamon's an impulsive thrill-seeker.

Dub Gomamon broaches this subject differently.

Gomamon: I'm worried about Joe. Biyomon: You are? Sora: Joe's going to be just fine, Gomamon. Gomamon: Well, yes. Physically. But I'm worried about his confidence. Fighting Ogremon back there really knocked him out. He needs to rebuild his self-confidence. Biyomon: How can we help him? Gomamon: Very simple: We just make him our leader.

The dub cuts Sora's observation that Jou's always had a weak stomach. That's something we saw for ourselves back in the Unimon episode, when he had his first pressure-induced meltdown. (Over eggs!) Instead, Dub Gomamon blames Ogremon's ambush for Joe being like this.

Which. Uh. Is a choice, to be sure.

"Let's make him our leader" also kinda comes out of nowhere without the context that Jou is the oldest and meant to be responsible for us to begin with. Gomamon's asking Sora to step back and let Jou-senpai take charge like he's been trying to do since episode 1.

Once Jou wakes up, the others put the plan in motion. Jou is initially reluctant once the topic is broached with him.

Jou: Where's everyone else? Sora: We don't know. We just got here ourselves. That's why you should be our leader, Jou-senpai! Gomamon: Agreed! Piyomon: Agreed! Jou: W-W-Wait a minute! Sora: You're the only one who can do it! Gomamon & Piyomon: Right, right! (Jou considers their words. Slowly, the trepidation on his face transforms into determination, and he stands up.) Jou: Fine then! I'll be the leader! (In the distance, a bell rings suddenly) Jou: Huh? ...is that bell ringing to celebrate me being the leader? Sora: Seems unlikely. Piyomon: (gasp) The fog is lifting! (Everyone turns and watches the fog fade away, revealing a church at the top of a hill)

Over in the dub, Joe wakes up rambling about Ogremon, following through on Gomamon's statement that the ambush messed him up.

Joe: Where's Ogremon!? Biyomon: He's gone. Sora: But we've got a bigger problem. We can't find the others. What should we do? We're stuck on this deserted island with no leader so I guess you're going to have to lead us, Joe! Gomamon: I'm for him! Biyomon: And me! Joe: Not me! I am not a leader! Sora: You have to! You're the strongest one here! Biyomon: Not to mention the bravest! Gomamon: Come on, Joe! Remember how you fought the Unimon? (Joe considers their words. Slowly, the trepidation on his face transforms into determination, and he stands up.) Joe: I am brave! You're right! I am the bravest one here! Sora: Well, let's not get too carried away. Joe: Oh. But if I fail, who will save save you or me? Sora: My fish line? (In the distance, a bell rings suddenly. Everyone turns and watches the fog fade away, revealing a church at the top of a hill)

This exchange has some good bits in it. I like Sora playing up their crisis with "We're stranded on a deserted island, help us!" That bit would go great with original Jou's particular anxieties. I also like Gomamon bringing up Unimon, though in the dub he says "the Unimon" for some reason. Might be a line flub.

What i don't like is that, again, they cut out a funny joke in this lighter and goofier rendition. "Do you think the bell's ringing to celebrate me being the leader?" is a great bit. They actually moved the ringing of the bell to get it out of the way for Sora's less funny "My fish line will save us?" bit.

Localizers, why are you removing jokes? Someone didn't understand the assignment.

The ringing of the bell seems to becoming from that church. Where do we go from here, Jou-senpai? Of course, anyone who's been paying attention to Jou knows exactly where his mind's about to go.

Gomamon: It's a church! Jou: There might be humans there this time! Sora: (skeptically) ...you think so? Piyomon: LET'S FIND OUT!!! (starts to fly towards the church) Sora: Wait! Jou is our leader! (turns to Jou) Leader! What do we do? Jou: Huh!? Um uh you see.... (looking absolutely terrified) E-EVERYONE, LET'S GO!!!

For once, Jou's interest in finding humans makes its way into the dub, but only in passing.

Biyomon: What do you suppose it is? Sora: Looks kinda like a church. Joe: Wherever there's a church, there's usually people! Maybe even our friends! Sora: Someone should check it out. Biyomon: I'll go! (starts to fly towards the church) Sora: Wait, Biyomon! Joe's our leader now! (turns to Joe) Well? Lead us! Joe: W-What if we see a bad Digimon? I, uh.... (looking absolutely terrified) I need a moment! ...okay!

From there, they begin their march up the hill. Jou mercifully lets them climb in silence while Joe insists on chanting an army marching cadence. Poor Dub Sora.

At the top, they take in their surroundings and get an understanding of their shard.

Jou: Just like we thought, this place really was a part of File Island before it broke up.

A fairly simple assessment that the dub makes much more complicated, filling dialogue into the scenes of the kids looking around.

Joe: Notice anything? Sora: It all looks sorta familiar to me. As if this were a place I've dreamed about or deja vu. You know, like we've been here before. Joe: You're right. This definitely looks like the part of the island that broke away.

So, in the dub, Sora and Joe are pretty sure they've been to this part of File Island before, even though they have not. Further, I had to listen to this several times to make sure I was hearing it correctly: Joe says "the part of the island that broke away" as if there were only one. I'm hoping that's also a line flub.

Lot of inappropriate the's going around the dub today.

From there, Jou gets into it once more.

Jou: Okay! Now we can finally find humans besides us at that church! Sora: Do you still believe that? Jou: YES! They must be there this time! Sora: But you don't have any proof.... Jou: I AM THE LEADER!!! Sora: Yes, but-- Jou: LET'S GO!!! (races off)

Of note: Every time they say "leader", they're using the English word as a loanword. When Jou comically cuts off the argument with "LET'S GO!!!" and bolts, that's English too.

Again, Joe actually brings up Jou's hangup on finding other people, but in passing once again.

Joe: So, we should find everyone else or at least some other people taking shelter in that church! Sora: You're assuming quite a bit there. Joe: FINE! That's my opinion. Sora: I'm just giving you another view.... Joe: I'M THE LEADER HERE!!! Sora: Okay! Excuse me. Joe: LET'S MOVE OUT!!! (races off)

Without Jou's long history of "I bet there's humans!" followed swiftly by disappointment, it's trickier for the dub to make this brief squabble work. They made more work for themselves by carving out that part of Jou's character earlier.

This isn't a mistake or bad choice on the part of the dub but rather an unfortunate reality of the changing language: Sadly, "LET'S MOVE OUT!!!" doesn't hit as comically as Jou interrupting Sora by screaming "LET'S GO!!!" in English and running off.

As they watch Jou run towards the church, the others hang back to discuss his behavior.

Sora: Why is he getting so worked up? Gomamon: (proudly) He's turning into a leader! Sora: (laughs) Hahaha what.

Dub Gomamon's not so impressed with Joe.

Sora: We've created a monster. Gomamon: Hey, do you think a Black Gear got him? Sora: (laughs) Hahaha Gomamon!

There we go, lighter and goofier dub. That one got me. XD Though the original's good too. Sora refusing to even dignify Gomamon's remark with a response; Instead, she just barks out "Sou ka!" while laughing in his face.

As they approach the church, the team spurs Jou to action.

Piyomon: What's that? Sora: Go take a look, Leader! Jou: HUUUH!? Piyomon: Go look! Sora: LEADER!!! Jou: ... Gomamon: Want me to go? Jou: There's no need for you to do that! I'm the leader, so I'll go! (storms off)

As Jou marches off to investigate the church, the trio exchange self-pleased grins. Meanwhile, in the dub:

Biyomon: Who's going in? Sora: What are you waiting for!? Joe: Uhhh huhhhhhh... Biyomon: What's wrong? Sora: Well, boss? Joe: ... Gomamon: Joe, you're the leader! (annoyed) Do you want me to take a peek? Joe: No, I don't want you taking a peek! I can't wait to go in there! (storms off) Gomamon: I think it worked.

Lateral difference here; They're mostly the same, but I do like how the Japanese version manages to do more with fewer words. At one point, Sora's literally just chanting the English word "LEADER!!!" at Jou.

Making his way inside, Jou finds a most unexpected sight.

Man, I sure am glad nobody spoiled the intrigue and suspense of this moment by calling it the Bakemon Holiday right at the start of the episode! No, I kid; That was probably necessary in order to preserve the tension to come.

Creeping around the church, Jou discovers a group of humans in human-faced masks dancing together. He races frantically back to the others and delivers the news: There's people in the church.

Jou: There really are humans here! Lots of them!

Joe delivers the same news but he's judgmental about it.

Joe: There are people in the church! Dancing! Badly, I might add.

Rude. XD

Jou brings the others back to his peeping spot to see what he found.

As the group observes the dancing people, they don't notice a man in a mask coming up behind them.

Jou: Why are they dancing? Sora: Is it a festival? Masked Man: This is a carnival where we give offerings to Bakemon-sama.

Horror scare chords play as he speaks, and the kids scream in panic. To be expected; He said they give offerings to "Bakemon-sama", which is sure to set off alarm bells in any Japanese person's head.

Bakemon is named for the word "bakemono". It's an umbrella category of shapeshifting yokai known for taking on the form of a variety of things, including impersonating humans. To my understanding, it's also a general term for "spooker" in common parlance.

Either way, "Bakemon-sama" is a red flag to be sure. He might as well have said, "Here, we give offerings to Lord Slender Man." This is probably why the episode had to spoil the "Bakemon Festival" earlier, so American kids could have their skin crawl too.

In the dub, we get this exchange.

Sora: There are people. They're dancing and they're wearing masks like it's Halloween. Masked Man: Hallow-what?

Bit of a weak line, but it still works within the context of the scene. When the kids scream and panic, it's in reaction to the man's presence moreso than what he said.

The masked man brings the kids inside the church, where six other masked people are gathered around an altar. As they enter, Gomamon has something bothering him.

Gomamon: I'd like to ask something. Masked Man: ...go on. Gomamon: You mentioned a Bakemon-sama. Masked Man: Yes. Gomamon: The Bakemon I know is a ghost Digimon who lives in the Overdell Graveyard. I don't think he's worthy of being given offerings and having '-sama' added to his name. Piyomon: Me neither. Masked Man: (leans in close to the Digimon) God does not forgive those who speak rudely of Bakemon-sama! Gomamon: Sorry! Piyomon: Sorry! Sora: Where's your offering? I don't see it anywhere. Masked Man: It's here. Jou: Huh? Where? Masked Man: Our offering to Bakemon-sama is YOU!!!

Over in the dub, the Masked Man is much more verbose as he brings the kids into the church.

Masked Man: They're celebrating the Bakemon Holiday. Joe: It reminds me of Halloween! Masked Man: We'd love to have you join us. We don't have a lot of young people around, and no holiday is complete without them! You arrived just in time for some... fun.... Joe: Like trick-or-treat? You do that for Bakemon? Masked Man: Yes. Gomamon: Wait, Bakemon? As in Lord Bakemon? Masked Man: Yes? Gomamon: But the only Bakemon I know of is a horrible Digimon who lives among ghosts as their ruler. Why would you honor and celebrate someone like that? In the words of our friends, he's like a loser! Biyomon: You got that right! Masked Man: (leans in close to the Digimon) Don't you dare come in here telling us who to honor or not! Gomamon: Now, now! Biyomon: Back off! Sora: You're a little touchy. We just wanna know when the trick-or-treating starts. Masked Man: You're not afraid? Whole Kid Group: Nuh-uh! Masked Man: Well, you should be. Because it's a TRICK!!! AND YOU'RE THE TREAT!!!

They really play that Halloween thing for all its worth. That's fair; "It's a trick and you're the treat" is a payoff that goes hard. Credit where it's due, that is fantastic wordplay for a guy hearing about trick-or-treat for the first time in this conversation. Mad improv skills.

Though they're forced to stretch for the Bakemon-sama bit. Gomamon himself has to ID him as "Lord Bakemon" so he can then go off on how inappropriate the honorific is. Probably should have let the Masked Man refer to "Lord Bakemon" for that; It's awkward as is.

The man's mask cracks in front of the kids' eyes. Then it breaks and the bakemono reveals its true form.

Specifically, Bakemon himself, an Adult-stage Virus-type Ghost Digimon.

Narrator: Bakemon. A ghost Digimon that wears a white sheet. No one knows what its true form looks like underneath.

Gomamon handles the rundown for the dub.

Gomamon: The Masked Man was the evil Digimon Lord Bakemon in disguise! No one had ever seen him in his true form!

Once again, the original manages to be funnier than the dub. Bakemon is an actual ghost doing the "spooky white sheet to look like a ghost" bit. XD This is such a goofy episode.

The other worshippers turn towards the kids, shedding their human guises and revealing themselves to be Bakemon as well. In the dub, they shout "Trick!" "Or!" "Treat!" as they do, committing to the bit.

The kids panic and flee outside, only to find themselves in Overdell Graveyard. The dancing humans were also Bakemon this whole time.

Then, at last, the church itself changes, revealing it to be decayed and decrepit.

No option left but to fight. Piyomon lets off a Magical Fire to scatter the Bakemon while Gomamon tries to evolve; However, he used up what strength he had earlier, so no dice.

Gomamon: I can't evolve now because I used it up earlier!

The dub uses this to pay off the food argument from the start of the episode.

Gomamon: I need food! You were right, I should have saved some earlier.

If he'd saved it earlier, Ogremon probably would have killed them both. But they're trying to give this episode some semblance of a story arc after erasing the key points of it.

Piyomon tries to evolve as well, but she's too hungry. Defenseless and surrounded by Bakemon, the kids are completely outmatched. The Bakemon swarm and overwhelm them easily.

"Ow! No! I'm allergic! I'm allergic to pain!" ~Dub Joe, relieving the tension with a pretty good gag. XD

Gomamon and Piyomon are thrown in a dungeon cell. The Bakemon tie up Jou and Sora on their altar, gathering around it and beginning their ritual. They aren't saying anything in specific in the original, but in the dub they chant, "It's a trick! You're the treat!"

Jou: Are we going to be offered to Bakemon-sama? Sora: Looks like. Jou: (bawling) I knew I should have stayed at home studying instead of coming to camp! (A pair of Bakemon approach with salt and pepper shakers. They season the kids, causing Jou to sneeze.) Sora: I-I think you should go light on the salt, don't you? Bakemon: You're right. They say eating too many salty things is bad for your health. Jou: I knew it! Bakemon-sama is planning to eat us! Sora: Just who is this Bakemon-sama!?!?

Glad to see Sora looking out for Bakemon-sama's health. His worshippers were about to give him high blood pressure. XD

Over in the dub, Joe's still trying to take charge and be the leader.

Joe: Okay, don't panic. I'm still in control and feeling strong. Sora: Okay. Joe: (bawling) I don't wanna be somebody's appetizer! I'm supposed to go to Med School! (A pair of Bakemon approach with salt and pepper shakers. They season the kids, causing Joe to sneeze.) Sora: Salt and pepper? You're not really going to eat us, are you? Bakemon: You're a little on the scrawny side, but you'd be surprised what the right seasonings can do! Joe: You think we can finagle him into dining on someone a bit bigger? Sora: What kind of fiend is this guy!? We're just kids!

Here, the dub finally nails the "Why did I go to camp" bit with Joe's exclamation about Med School. Additionally, Joe trying to weasel out of this by convincing Bakemon to eat someone else is fun. Meanwhile, the original has the funny salt exchange. So both versions of this scene are pretty good.

Down in their cells, Gomamon and Piyomon plot what to do. They need to escape somehow but they're starving.

Gomamon: The walls are too thick to break down. Piyomon: We have to get out somehow. Bakemon: (snores) Gomamon: Let's trick that Bakemon into getting us out. He looks stupid enough. Piyomon: What makes you think he's gullible? Gomamon: Digimon who sleep with a mucus bubble coming out of their noses are easy to fool. Piyomon: Is it really a good idea to judge based on that? Gomamon: Yep! Piyomon: So how do we do it?

It's true. Sleeping with a snot bubble while on guard duty is a universal indicator of being a hapless rube.

Over in the dub, the roles are reversed.

Biyomon: There must be a way out of here. Gomamon: Maybe we've been looking in all the wrong places. Biyomon: There's not much room to look in this place. Bakemon: (snores) Biyomon: Hey! We may be able to trick the guard and escape? Gomamon: We may be able to trick him? I think that's a given; He doesn't look too smart. Biyomon: Right. So first we have to try and wake him up. Gomamon: And how are we gonna do that? Look at him. For a ghost, he sleeps like a log! Biyomon: We just have to get his attention or we'll never escape! But I'm all out of ideas! Gomamon: I think I have just the thing.

Again with carving the funny bits. Why did you remove the mucus bubble call-out?

To get Bakemon's attention, Gomamon picks up a rock and pops his mucus bubble with it, waking him up. Then we get the most amazing exchange in the entire episode.

Gomamon: Bakemon! Bakemon: Are you talking to me? Gomamon: I am. Bakemon: What do you want? Gomamon: Try to torture us. Bakemon: What. Piyomon: We want to be tortured! Bakemon: You two are weird Digimon. Gomamon: We're hungry. You should eat something in front of us to torture us. Bakemon: Huh!? Gomamon: Could it be that this graveyard is so poor, you don't even have any food? Bakemon: What!? No! We have tons of food! Piyomon: Then torture us with it! Bakemon: Okay....

This poor Virus is so baffled right now, it's amazing. XD

Obviously, the dub was never going to let these characters start shrieking, "Torture me, Virus-sama!" No way in hell that makes it to broadcast on FOX Kids. But they still try their best to make this scene their own.

Bakemon: Hey! What's the idea!? Gomamon: So, when do you start? Bakemon: Start what? Gomamon: Start taunting us, you floating bag of wind! Bakemon: Wha--? Biyomon: You give bad Digimon a bad name! Bakemon: But I haven't learned how to taunt anyone yet.... Biyomon: It's easy! You just find out what we want, then don't let us have it. Bakemon: Huh? Gomamon: Here's how you taunt. We're starving and want to eat. So you show us food but don't give it to us, got it? Bakemon: I think I gotcha! You know, I've got a bunch of bananas.... Biyomon: Then taunt us with them! Come on! Bakemon: Okay!

This is pretty clever. Playing off their Bakemon being dim-witted, Gomamon and Biyomon trick him into letting them teach him how to be cruel. It's not nearly as funny, but it captures the spirit of Torture Me, Senpai in a way that would be acceptable to American censors.

Bakemon goes and retrieves a bunch of purple bananas. Real bananas, not like those imposter bananas Mimi found. He tries simply peeling one and eating it, but they explain that they can't see. They're too hungry to see or smell the bananas; He needs to come closer.

Once he's close enough to the bars, Gomamon and Piyomon grab him, yanking him forward and knocking him out. With bananas in hand, Gomamon and Piyomon satiate their hunger.

Up in the church, the Bakemon prepare their ritual.

Jou: My soul tastes awful! Sora: What? Are you saying mine tastes better!? Jou: Yes! It probably tastes better than mine! Sora: JOU-SENPAI!!! And you call yourself a leader!?

Jou is now actively trying to throw Sora under the bus to save himself. That's not very senpai of you, Jou.

The dub edits this to remove Jou's supreme moment of cowardice.

Joe: You don't want to eat me; I'm mostly gristle anyway. Sora: What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying they should eat me first!? Joe: Oh, can't you see it's curtains for both of us!? Sora: Oh, go have your pity party somewhere else!

A much softer interpretation that cuts out Jou explicitly saying they should eat Sora instead of him.

The Bakemon perform the ritual, swirling together above the kids to merge together into a single huge Bakemon. With visible claws.

The process of merging into Bakemon-sama is silent in the original, but the dub has the lesser Bakemon perform a chant.

Bakemon: We're scary ghosts! / We like to boo! / Now it's time / to boo on you!

Once formed, Bakemon-sama descends upon the children, preparing to devour them. However, right at that moment, something bursts up through the floor behind the altar.

Don't know about you but I wouldn't want to be under that sheet right now.

Sora and Jou come untied... somehow, it's not super clear which titanic Digimon carefully snipped their ropes. They race out into the graveyard to take cover behind graves while the explosive battle takes place.

Bakemon uses his signature Hell's Hand to deflect Ikkakumon's Harpoon Vulcan and Birdramon's Meteor Wing. We're throwing everything we have at him, but he's taking it all.

Suddenly, Jou has a revelation.

Sora: Bakemon-sama is much stronger than I thought! Jou: Well, he's a ghost! (lightbulb) To fight against ghosts, you need to chant a sutra praying for God's good grace! Sora: Chant what!? Jou: By chanting the sutra, Bakemon-sama's power will weaken! Sora: Can you do that? Jou: Yes! Sora: Do you know any sutras? Jou: My rural grandmother taught me one so I could pray to do better on my exams. Sora: ...will that work against Bakemon-sama? Jou: It's a sutra. It has to work! Sora: What's with this sudden confidence? You're scaring me!

For fuck's sake. You can feel the localizers crying with every scene of this episode. Okay. Now we have to scrub the religious references from Jou praying to God for holy power to weaken Bakemon.

Hahaha. Ahahahaha. Ahahahahahaha. Okay, Joe. Let's see what you've got.

They start by chopping up the footage. The shot for Sora's first line is cut and Joe's first line is trimmed down. They reframe his lightbulb realization as him watching the fight and exclaiming, "WHOA!" and only use that shot for the duration of the reaction.

To fill back in the runtime for the shots they cut, they replay Bakemon parrying Harpoon Torpedo and Meteor Wing. But they put a commercial break between the original attacks and the replays so it's not as noticeable.

This way, Joe is confident and self-assured right from the get-go. We don't see his transformation from terrified to suddenly realizing he knows what to do. He's just got this on lock.

Sora: Lord Bakemon is tough! Joe: His power comes from evil. But I know that good can beat him in time. Sora: Ohh, what if it's too late!? Joe: It's never too late to fight evil! But we have to weaken Lord Bakemon to help our friends prevail! Sora: We!? You're the leader, not me! Joe: Don't be a quitter! Sora: So what makes you think that we can beat him? Joe: I once saw a show about this Roman physicist. He believed that repeating a phrase helped you focus mind over matter. Sora: Let's focus on running! Joe: No. We focus on making Bakemon lose his power! Sora: ...okay, you're in charge. Start focusing.

Wow, it's funny that the dub cut the line about eating Sora instead because they nonetheless threw her on the fire to make Joe look good here. She goes from being uncertain about Jou's plan and probing for details to full-on cowardly so that Joe can encourage her.

Using Sora's hat as a ritual drum, Jou performs his sutra to weaken Bakemon-sama. Meanwhile, Joe performs his definitely not a prayer mind-over-matter affirmation, intoning "Bakemon lose your power" again and again. They can't say he needs a ritual drum, so Sora instead simply suggests that we "use [her] lucky hat".

The sutra works, gradually diminishing Bakemon in size and power. Once he's weakend, Jou leaps up and gives the order to open fire on him.

Birdramon and Ikkakumon's shots hit home, causing Bakemon to explode in a shower of fabric confetti.

Sora: I have no idea what just happened but that was so cool!

I guess this makes up for trying to get Bakemon to eat Sora instead of him earlier.

Once again, the dub cuts out this great line and replaces it with something much more generic.

Sora: Way to go, guys! You got Bakemon!

Why. Why do you keep removing the funny.

Bakemon's... defeat? Death? Unclear. Whatever happened to Bakemon ruptures a seam in the ground, revealing the Black Gears.

We don't even need to touch them. They stop moving suddenly, then fall apart. Rather than going into reverse, they break entirely. So this shard's not going back to Infinity Mountain like the previous two are.

That's okay, though. We have transportation.

Reasoning that the rest of the group will be over there, Jou and Sora leave their shard behind and set sail for Infinity Mountain. We close on the pair riding off to an uncertain fate.

Assessment: In contrast to the previous two episodes, this one doesn't give Sora much of a character study. It's Jou's episode from start to finish. Sora agrees to Gomamon's plan, following Jou around to puff up his confidence. She questions and scrutinizes him repeatedly but remains firmly in that area.

They squabble repeatedly, but it never feels like it's pitting them against one another, the way the previous episodes did for Taichi & Yamato and for Mimi & Koushiro. Instead, the focus is on pushing Jou to his lowest, then raising him to his highest.

By the end of the episode, he feels like he's genuinely become the reliable upperclassmen that he's been trying to be. His plan against Bakemon relies on not just leadership, but drawing from knowledge that Sora hasn't yet had a chance to learn.

At the same time, this is the funniest episode the show's had thus far. Overflowing with absurdity.

On the other hand, the previous episode with Mimi and Koushiro was the best dubbed episode we've had yet. This one was the worst. They carved out so much and only sometimes had something as good to replace it with. A lot of it they had to carve out but there's also plenty that they didn't. Multiple places where they made a choice to be less funny or less interesting.

[smackins]

Not to be THAT guy, but I really need to bare my soul here.

I don't know if I want to do Artfight anymore.

While I'm extremely grateful for the attacks I did receive this year (I still owe 2 revenge pieces, don't worry, I'm working on them ❤️) it's become less fun and more of a reminder of how isolated I feel as an artist. I got a total of five attacks this year. I have friends who were attacked right out of the gate, on the very first day, by a barrage folks who were chomping at the bit to draw their ocs.

It's not Artfight's fault, and not really other people's fault, either. I'm not like, "How dare you not attack me!!111!!" It's just it amplifies so many insecurities I've had for years and makes it hard to ignore them.

I get an overwhelming feeling like there's something wrong with me as an artist, not even that I'm medicocre skill wise (though I feel that, too), but that I'm just fundamentally uninteresting and forgettable. My characters and my stories aren't worth asking about. They aren't worth anyone's enthusiasm or curiosity, they're not worth the encouragement. I can share a piece that I spent 6 hours on and just get "cute" as a response, while others could share a non-serious doodle of their ocs that took 5 minutes tops and get responses like "AHHH I LOVE THEM THEYRE SO AMAZING YOURE SO FUNNY."

And I know it's not good to compare yourself to others, but sometimes it's hard not to when everywhere I go, it feels so blatantly obvious how I'm barely worth anyone's time.

At first I thought it was the fact I draw non-human characters, because those are hard for people, so I made a little note on Artfight that I'll accept humanized versions. But plenty of people draw nonhuman characters, all the time, and recieve lots of encouragement and feedback from other people. Then I thought, "maybe it's my original comic characters that intimidate people" you know, my weird scorpion aliens. But that's not it either, because they're admittedly a lot less "alien" than they could be, and I know people with some absolutely WILD speculative-biology-type character designs who, again, get loads of enthusiasm and feedback. Plus, that doesn't explain why my fan ocs go ignored- plenty of people like Digimon, Mass Effect, and DBZ.

I feel like I'm just weird and tainted and cursed somehow, which I KNOW is absurd, but that's the best way I can describe this frustration. And yeah, I know if I posted more art and more about my characters, I MIGHT get a little more traction, but when I get so little encouragement from so few people, it's so hard to feel motivated to share. And it's not like I'm looking for huge, detailed responses or specifics about why people like my technique or whatever, because God knows I struggle to form specific words as to why EXACTLY I like something, but I just want to feel like people give a damn and ACTUALLY want to know more. Very few people ask questions or get curious. I have a lore blog for my original comic that has been up for 7 whole years, yet the only questions or comments I get are from the same 2 or 3 (very lovely and appreciated) people. Most of those posts have zero notes, a ton of them have been reblogged to my personal blog over, and over, and over again and still get ignored.

This isn't about popularity, or notes, or anything like that. I just want to feel like what I put into the world matters. Yes, I do get satisfaction from drawing for myself, but that can only go so far when I feel like I'm the little kid in the corner playing alone because the other kids don't notice me.

[rubykgrant]

Because I've been thinking about DigiMon lately; I kinda wish that during Frontier, ALL of the antagonist Legendary Warrior DigiMon had the same situation as the main kids. That is, they were ALSO children who were Digi-Destined, but when they arrived in the Digital World, they were contacted by CherubiMon, who manipulated them by either amplifying shame and guilt they had concerning their faults, or promising them a chance to feel special.

When the main kids meet the antagonist DigiMon, they don't realize these are other kids at first, because they only ever see them while fighting and transformed with their Spirit Evolution. Eventually, when one of them is finally defeated a tired-out, the main kids see them transform back! They finally realize these "evil DigiMon" are just like them! Except, y'know. Being jerks to the EXTREME.

The only one who they never see as a child is the DuskMon, who also has never encountered the Digi-Destined as children. Koichi still has the same problem, having gotten injured on his way to the train station, and so his body is still in the human world, while his spirit came to the Digital World. His memories are painful, and so he hides from them by always remaining transformed. When he finally has to confront Koji, it isn't just being reminded that he has a brother, he finally sees his own human face again, because they're twins.

Koichi is the first kid to officially switch sides, but soon after, the others all join the rest of the Digi-Destined as well, and their Spirit Forms gain new appearances now that they aren't being influenced by the evil side of CherubiMon. Now, there is a whole team of 10 children with the power to become the Legendary Warriors! I also just think it would be a cool angle to have "villain" Digi-Destined~

[dragon-snoots-a-boopin]

Bandai's Digimon Figure-Rise Amplified Paildramon model kit. This looks so cool! I love everything that I am seeing here and I honestly want to get one of these as it would look so cool. Only problem is that it's the Amplified line which typically comes with a higher cost. Maybe sometime later they'll add this one to the Figure-Rise standard line too and I can get one that's a little less expensive. Regardless, I think that this looks awesome!

[reversemoon255]

Figure-Rise Amplified MetalGreymon X-Antibody (Virus) Custom

Welcome to week two of MetalGreyMonth. The month where I talk about MetalGreymon for four weeks. Because the stockpile was the right size. Anyway-

When I went over my top 10 favorite Digimon, MetalGreymon X Virus was pretty high up the list, so when they revealed that the Amplified version was going to come with the parts to do X's Alteros with the rotating claw, I felt the urge to do it in the appropriate colors.

The Details: A lot of the changes here are pretty obvious, such as the blue skin and purple stripes, but there are a few more subtle details, all of which were done to emulate X Virus' colors. The gold horns, a lot of the added metallic blue, the red and blue piping, the silver teeth and nails.

Some things I should probably bring more attention to are the purple marks on the silver, which were put there to represent some of X Virus' purple metal parts. The purple and gold on the chest is also supposed to emulate the cannon that's usually there. The silver knees and feet are meant to copy its metal plating in those locations. And the wings are done in silver and pink to mimic the jets and flames usually there. I wanted to do something with the actual stickers there, but my tests didn't go that well, so I just went with them as is.

Overall, this was a really fun custom to work on. I haven't recolored a kit into an existing color scheme in quite a few years. This might also be the largest custom I've done to date. It's excellent practice for my next big custom project, but we'll hopefully get to that later in MetalGreyMonth...

(And now I've given myself a time limit. This won't end well.)

[pocket-of-summer]

Digimon Analyser - Zemimon

Zemimon (species info) Level: Child Attribute: Vaccine Type: Insect Debut Chapter: Chapter 4

A docile Insect Digimon with the tendency to mind its own business. Its wings are equipped with amplifiers that amplify the buzzing sound they create when flapped at high speed, and it is also capable of charging its wings with electricity.

Attacks: - Amp Sonic: Flaps its wings at high speed, creating a shrill cry that irritates the opponent. - Blister Flash: Charges its wings with electricity, producing an intense flash of light to blind the opponent. After that, small pockets of electrically charged air form in the surrounding area, which explode with a spark when touched.

[raging-violets]

For the fanfic q game!

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

48. do you reread your own stories?

55. do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

65. what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve written? 

88. if you could have another author write your wip for you (bc we all dream of this occasionally), who would it be?

Heeyyyyy, sorry it's been so long since you submitted this and I got around to answering.

-Rhuben

Ask Game for Fanfic Writers

- 4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? - That's a bit of a loaded question because I come up with plot bunnies a lot, haha. I'd say it's either my Digimon fic idea (still not fully fleshed out) that involves expanding the Daemon Corps arc from season 2, or my SSX 3 fanfic idea where a wakeboarder gets a wild card spot into the SSX circuit.

I don't really experience dread with this. I'm aware I really only work on this when I usually fall down a rabbit hole of Digimon conversations with Riley @ceruleanmusings and @angelstellaluna OR I just get the urge to play SSX 3 again and I get hooked on it! I wind up not working on them because I can just as quickly fall out of my interest in it.

48. do you reread your own stories? - Yes, I do re-read my own stories. A lot of the time it's because I've completely forgotten what my plan was for the next chapter and I need the reminder of what I had planned next. Sometimes, I just like what I have and want to re-read. Sometimes it's to find what a commenter has referenced and I wind up finding some foreshadowing and hints I didn't even realize I had in there, haha

55. do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them? - Yes. Both published on FFN and unpublished. Simply put, my intense focus on the fandom quickly wanes. Whether that's just because my excitement for it dropped due to real life stuff, or I didn't get the kind of feedback I thought I'd get (though I do write for myself), a shiny new fandom has pulled my focus (<- This happens the most)

65. what is your favourite title for a fic you’ve written? - Both for Big Time Rush fanfics: "Silent Pages, Loud Words" or a WIP title "Unplugged, Yet Amplified." They kind of go hand in hand though the plots have nothing to do with each other, but I just love the imagery with it.

88. if you could have another author write your wip for you (bc we all dream of this occasionally), who would it be? - I'd have a hard time letting anyone write my babies, but drama/angst wise, Christopher Pike by for any of my comic/action/adventure based stuff, then Kami Garcia (who wrote the "Beast Boy Loves Raven" YA graphic novel) or Paul Dini who wrote my favorite "Zatanna" comics.

[astroboy84]

My Machinedramons

Both of my Figure-rise Amplified models of Machinedramon. One with it’s normal colors and one I custom painted gold. I was inspired by the colors of Kamen Rider Grease from Kamen Rider Build.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Is anime based on Journey to the West? Like I find that a lot of animes reference JTTW or just straight up have the characters dress up as the pilgrims. Ex: Beastars, Yo-kai Watch and Digimon

If you are asking me if ALL anime ever is based on Xiyouji than I can confidently say no.

Anime is a medium and while there are certain art styles that are popular, they certainly wouldn't be dedicated by a novel.

But there are many anime references to Sun Wukong because he is such a staple figure. Journey to the West is one of the biggest, most well-known novels in history and has influenced movies, shows, games, and other novels as well, practically saturating modern culture with its existence.

The best way I can compare it to the west is how everyone knows Shakespeare, even if you have not read or seen his plays you know the man and what he has done and know the references. The same could be said with Xiyouji but to amplify that by four times.