#Digimon Liberator Side Story

[digi-lov]

Digimon Liberator Novel

[read on the official website] DEBUG.1-1 [Yuuki] - DEBUG.1-2 [HEAVY METAL PLAY] - DEBUG.2-1 [Winr] - DEBUG.2-2 [GOOD GAME]

First spoiler free, then more detailed including spoilers under cut

So the first 2 chapters of the Digimon liberator novel dropped last week! We don't exactly know how frequent it'll update, but most likely not as regular as the comic. First impressions on the main characters, I really like them. I think they are fun and interesting enough to drive the story. They don't feel like exact copies of previous characters, and make me exited for a fresh adventure!

As far as I could tell, the translation seems fairly good, but there was a mistranslation of a card effect. However the translation of TCG card effects can be a bit tricky, and the translators might not have known the official english wording. They also show the respective card right there, so it's easy to see what the effect should be, but it might be confusing to people who weren't already familiar with the cards.

Nevertheless I'm optimistic and looking forward to read more!

So now for a bit more detail

First off, I think they way they incorporate the player's tamer cards is really smart. A player get's their own blank tamer card, and can obtain various effects to add to it within the game, to customize their own tamer card to their play style. Nice! This way it doesn't feel like a weird 4th wall break for Yuuki to have a Yuuki Tamer card for example.

I really like Yuuki , immediately! She's fun, and she definitely has flaws and quirks to work on that'll make her interesting to watch grow. Her relationship with Impmon is nice too. Impmon is not exactly a serious character, but does want Yuuki to be a bit more serious, and recognize the weight of the situation. To an extend, Impmon wants Yuuki to take their partnership more serious in turn, I'd say. The way they talk to each other feels very familiar. You can tell they're close, not holding back complaining about the other. They bicker, but they also quickly drop the fight when needing to figure something out together.

Yuuki's Impmon, as most already know, get's a new evolution line: Punkmon, Loudmon, and HeavyMetaldramon. I love them! I like how it gives Yuuki and her Impmon more of an individual identity, than if they used a previously common Impmon line. The detail about Yuuki being a dancer, and vibing with the cool metal dragon is sweet too!

Also, I wonder if that Altea character is this girl from the poster? It's interesting that Impmon is not a fan of her...

Winr and FunBeemon's introduction was great too. Winr seems like a proud kid, without being feeling too stuck up. The story taking place after he's already known Yuuki for a year, really helps with his walls having started to come down already. I'm curious if his parents will be related to the in universe Digimon Franchise or Game Company in a way, or it they're just generic absent rich parents. Which, I don't think would take away from Winr's character if they are. I feel for him to want to escape from his home life into a virtual world. I love his relationship with FunBeemon. FunBeemon is very attentive to Winr's feelings, and cares a lot about him. And Winr doesn't get annoyed by it, but appreciates it, even though he doesn't quite know how to express it. The new evolutions for FunBeemon are also cool! I've like FunBeemon for a partner Digimon for a while, and I'm excited to see it finally happen!

I'm curious about Winr's real name too, assuming Winr is his username. Winr is a play on "winner", with his Japanese name サイキヨ Saikiyo being a play on 最強 (さいきょう) saikyou meaning "the best" or "the strongest". FunBeemon's nickname "Winnie" is キヨちゃん kiyo-chan in Japanese.

For anyone who's interested: Japanese first person pronouns

Yuuki uses the japanese first person pronoun あたし atashi, which is quite feminine, but as being too over the top girly is sometimes seen as disruptive, atashi also has a do-as-I-please kinda vibe sometimes. For example, it's used by Yuffie from FFVII. The even more cute-girly atai in turn is often used in media by very strong-willed, rough women, such as Plumeria fom Pokémon Sun&Moon, or the Gerudo women from the Legend of Zelda games. It can also be played straight as super cute too thoug, like with Vivian from Paper Mario TTYD.

Impmon uses オレ ore, which is a strong, proud, often masculine pronoun. In formal situations it would be considered rude, but it's normal for guys to use in a casual setting. Very rarely it is also used by super tough women in media, such as Kumatora from Mother 3, or Big Mom from One Piece. Eiichiro Oda mentioned himself knowing women who use ore, but this is quite uncommon and likely a modern developement. You go girls! Impmon also uses it in katakana, which gives it a bit more emphasis.

Winr uses 僕 boku, which is quite common for young boys, or more soft spoken men in casual settings. In media it is also occasionally used by girl characters that have a "tomboy" vibe, but also sometimes by female singers in their songs.

FunBeemon uses 私 watashi, which is technically a polite neutral pronoun, but using it in a casual setting has a feminine connotation.

PS: Sorry this took so long, I'm still very sick, and writing coherent sentences with okay spelling is diffcult.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Digimon 2024 tier list

Like last year, I'm doing a tier list of how much I like each new Digimon released this year. My tiers will be A for Digimon I really like, B for Digimon I like but not as much, and C for Digimon I'm not enthusiastic about. There will also be one S-tier for my favorite of the year and one D-tier for my least favorite of the year. Also I covered Tlalocmon last year, so see that post for my thoughts and I'm not covering the Monster Hunter tie-in mons since they're not in the reference book.

Digimon Liberator has given us a flood of new Digimon so let's start with the mascot's line. Yolkmon, Fluffymon, Pteromon, Galemon, GrandGalemon, and Zephagamon. Yolkmon is my new favorite baby Digimon. A living egg yolk with an eggshell hat is brilliant and adorable. Fluffymon is also a good design. I find it hard to get invested in a lot of the baby Digimon because they're usually just bouncing heads, so having these two stick out of the pack is great. I'll give Yolkmon an A and Fluffymon a B

Pteromon is a great mascot Digimon. It's got that classic mascot look while also looking distinct from all the Agumon expys we tend to get. Archaeopteryx is a great inspiration and we finally get a theropod dinosaur Digimon with feathers, like the real raptors had. A-tier. I'm not as fond of Galemon (B-tier), but GrandGalemon is great. It's a great fusion of the bird/raptor elements and humanoid warrior elements. The armor and weapon look cool and it being one of the vortex warriors (which, as far as I know, were previously only ever mentioned in MedievalGallantmon's reference book entry) is a cool call-back and it even has an indirect connection to Witchelny. An Excellent Digimon deserving an A. Sadly, I can't say the same for Zephagamon. I can't fully explain why I don't really like it. Maybe it's the skinnier design that drops a lot of the bird elements, or its weapons not being as cool as Zephagamon's mace (swords are overdone), or just being tired of Digimon becoming armored humanoid warriors in their final stages, but I can't help but be a bit dissappointed by Zephagamon. The name is also not my favorite. Maybe they went with that to avoid dub name confusion with Zephyrmon/Shutumon. It's gonna be a C-tier.

Debuting alongside Pteromon's line is Shoemon's line. Shoemon is an amazingly adorable Digimon. A patchwork mouse plushy living in a shoe is a cute and very Digimon concept. I love how it uses a sewing needle as a weapon, too. A-tier. Too bad Shoeshoemon isn't as good. A roller-skating plush squirrel should be a fantastic Digimon, but I just don't like the way it looks. It honestly give me Sonic the Hedgehog vibes and I don't care for StH. The name is also really clunky, especially when Skatemon was right there. That being said, it would have been hilarious if each of Shoemon's evolutions just added an extra shoe to the name until we ended up with Shoeshoeshoeshoemon. C-tier.

While I don't care for Shoeshoemon, Chaperomon is another story. A violent little red riding hood doll with a knife, molotov cocktail, and basket-mounted minigun that hunts big bad wolves and turns them into shoes is not only an amazing concept, it is peak Digimon. It may be early in the list, but Chaperomon is my S-tier. Not only is this my favorite Digimon of the year, it is one of my favorite Digimon of all time. Cendrillmon is ok. I do like the design in a vacuum, but I don't really like it as a final form for Shoemon. It loses the patchwork plushy and doll appearance that I like so much and it doesn't really have shoes anymore. I do like the simple yet elegant design and the army of doll familiars. I think if Cendrillmon was introduced as an evolution for a different Digimon, I would like it a lot better. B-tier.

From the web novel side of things comes the new Impmon evolutions: Punkmon, Loudmon, and HeavyMetaldramon. Punk rock variants of the Guilmon line were not something I knew I needed in my life all. They're also a callback to the early planning stage of Digimon Tamers, where Impmon was planned to be the main partner Digimon. I also appreciate the final form being based on Megidramon instead of Gallantmon. Too many Digimon lines end up humanoid at the end. And wings made of electric guitars? Chef's kiss. A for all of them.

Last year, the D-Brigade got an upgrade after years of just being one evolution line, and this year the Royal Base got the same treatment. It was a good choice, too, as cyborg bees is a fantastic concept. ForgeBeemon the construction worker is a great interpretation of worker bees and Vespamon is a much-needed pre-evo to TigerVespamon. It's weird how many times we've gotten an XYmon years before getting a Ymon. Those both get A. QueenBeemon I'm not as fond of. She loses the cyborg elements and just becomes a woman in a bee costume. It's also weird that like half of her reference book entry is dunking on her like she was one of the bad evolution Digimon. The weaponized throne is a cool idea, but I can't give QueenBeemon higher than a B, which I suppose is appropriate.

PolarBearmon and Skadimon are really fun. I like them as a reminder that not all high-level Digimon have to be ferocious monsters, armored warriors, or women in their underwear. Some of them can be cute and friendly. For Frontier fans, am I wrong in thinking that PolarBearmon with its snowball artillery and being a bear looks way more like a proper unified spirit of ice than Daipenmon? Skadimon actually being a mech suit piloted by what looks like a YukimiBotamon is a fantastic design concept. A for both.

Dinomon kicks absolute ass. Dinosaurs are cool, fire is cool, so a dinosaur on fire is extra cool. This thing is the closest we have to a Digimon Godzilla and I love Godzilla. Plus a new mega for Tyrannomon that isn't DinoRexmon or RustTyrannomon is much appreciated. RustTyrannomon leans a bit evil for a heroic Tyrannomon and DinoRexmon looks too silly for my tastes with that giant claw. A-tier.

Elizamon is too cute not to love. A hot pink frilled lizard in a bowtie is adorable, and its contrast with the edgelord Owen Dreadnought is fantastic. Dimetromon is also really cool, being based on one of my favorite Permian animals, but I feel like it loses some of the frilly feminine traits that Elizamon has and the evolutions will have according to the shadowed shots we've seen of them in Liberator. I give Elizamon an A and Dimetromon a B.

MarineBullmon and Ryugumonbeing nudibranchs makes the marine biologist in me happy. I love nudibranchs and more people being exposed to these spectacular sea slugs is a great thing. Of the two, I definitely prefer Ryugumon more. It's elegant design and referencing Japanese mythology is inspired. I'm going to give MarineBullmon a B and Ryugumon an A.

Espimon has needed a full evolution line for a while. It was always weird that it never got an evolution based level 4 given that it technically is a main protagonist partner in Ghost Game. Oblivimon is a fantastic evolution, doubling down on the spaceship design of HoverEspimon and working in UFO stories with how it abducts Digimon to examine them before releasing them with memories modified. The Kuramon drones are also adorable. A-tier. Sadly, after the highs of Oblivimon, it all comes crashing down with Invisimon. Why, why, why did this line of UFO-themed Digimon have to end with a superhero? I am so tired of Digimon lines ending up as humanoids when the rest of the line isn't, and it's especially bad here. Invisimon sticks out like a sore thumb against the amorphous, spaceship-based, stealth and non-combat elements of the rest of the line. The stealth plane thing is neat at least. I get that Invisimon works with the Liberator Espimon's partner being superhero coded, but it fails as an evolution in any other context. If Invisimon wasn't supposed to be the final form of Espimon, it might be a C or B, but as is, this thing is my D-tier.

As for the new Sunarizamon evolutions, I'll admit that I initially didn't like Landramon, but it's grown on me. I really wanted Landramon to be the land counterpart to Airdramon and Seadramon as a serpentine dragon instead of the silly pile of sand. Once I got over that, I came to enjoy the silliness of Landramon and it is a very fitting Sunarizamon evolution. I'll give it a B. Proganomon is not my favorite and it's another case like Invisimon where I'd probably like it more if it was part of a different evolution line. It's just so out of place in the Sunarizamon line having no sand elements and using technology. I think it would work much better as a Tortomon evolution and a pre-evo to ElDoradimon or even JumboGamemon. I think I'll give it a C. I don't hate it, but I'm not all that impressed either. Pyramidimon, on the other hand, is amazing. It looks like a badass Yu-Gi-Oh monster from when the franchise was still themed around ancient Egypt. I can see it being a great fit with other Egyptian Digimon like Pharaohmon and Anubimon. Pyramidimon almost dethroned Chaperomon's place as my S-tier, putting it as an easy A.

The other big source of new Digimon this year was New Century and it's a crime that game hasn't been released outside of China yet. I covered Takutomon last year and wasn't impressed. I found it visually uninteresting and the armored human is an overused design. Takutomon Wrath Mode has a more interesting design, but I'm still not that interested in it. I think that humanoid armored warrior Digimon have to do something really interesting to stand out from the her and this one just doesn't. He also loses his little Appmon pet. Maybe that's why he's so angry. I'm also surprised that the reference book art is somehow better than the New Century art, which is angled so that most of its body is covered by its leg. C.

If a humanoid armored warrior Digimon has to do something interesting to stand out, Erlangmon does that well. The idea of the warrior fighting alongside a flying wolf head is very unique and fun. Plus, spears are underused as weapons, so it's nice to see one here. Erlangmon is also a shapeshifter, which could be a lot of fun to work with in stories. I have a fanfic in mind that I might use Erlangmon in. I give it an A. Unfortunately, while Erlangmon soars, Erlangmon Blast Mode crashes and burns. Turning the wolf head into a part of the armor loses that cool factor and makes it look so much more generic. Down to C with you.

Nezhamon is also fun. There's a lot of references to the original myth, like turning the wind fire wheel into tires on the ankles and having Nezhamon look young. The merging of the mythology with modern machienery makes for a very Digimon design. Plus, he has a spear and I'm a sucker for weapons where one part floats instead of being attached. I'll go A.

The last New Century Digimon is Jougamon and I like how this one is based on the same moon rabbit origins of Dianamon while still having a totally unique look. The gold coloration looks nice and I love the giant crescent moon blade and dancing fighting style. I'll put it as a strong B.

Our last new entry for the year is Cernumon. Well technically Callismon was added to the reference book this year, but that's not a new Digimon, it's an escapee from V-Tamer jail. Cernumon is such a creative design. A musical instrument, foresty deer god is both very fun and very Digimon. Cernumon comes from the horned Celtic god Cernunnos. Digimon had the opportunity to just make Cernumon a deer man and I'm very grad they decided to get more creative. A-tier.

Here's the final tier list. It's heavily weighted toward the A-tier, which is a good thing. I'm glad that the majority of new Digimon are so cool and likable.

S: Chaperomon

A: Yolkmon, GrandGalemon, Shoemon, Punkmon, Loudmon, HeavyMetaldramon, ForgeBeemon, Vespamon, PolarBearmon, Skadimon, Dinomon, Elizamon, Ryugumon, Oblivimon, Pyramidimon, Erlangmon, Nezhamon, Cernumon

B: Fluffymon, Galemon, Cendrillmon, QueenBeemon, Dimetromon, MarineBullmon, Landramon, Jougamon.

C: Zephagamon, Shoeshoemon, Proganomon, Takutomon Wrath Mode, Erlangmon Blast Mode.

D: Invisimon

[firedragon1321]

I swear I thought Tumblemon could evolve to Gotsumon. But they can't for some reason. Gotsumon has like...no main forms. I define "main" as "anything bolded on Wikimon", with some exceptions (X-Antibody, warp, Shoutmon X7: Superior Mode which evolves from all the Digimon of the Digital World combined, requirement of another Digimon and inability to reach that form solo, etc.)

Tumblemon really exists for Sunarizamon. Admittedly, Sunarizamon is not a main form. But there's no other solid direction for Tumblemon to go in. Unless you count the Card Game Cheat (which I abuse to create fan evolution lines). Basically if a Digimon has a "Any x Digimon from the Digimon Card Game" evolution requirement on Wikimon, any Digimon in the link is legal. Incidentally, Gotsumon can evolve from any Black Lv. 2 Digimon from the Digimon Card Game, so he's free real estate! Just in Fantasyland and not in any official Digimon media...

Gotsumon has no main baby forms, and it gets worse going forward. Golemon and Minotaurmon are dead ends unless you get creative. Icemon is a clone (so is Meteormon, which is even called out in Data Squad, but he's a warp evolution). And Monochromon is better suited to a dinosaur line (but hey- he's at least not a dead end!).

...I feel bad for Gotsumon, okay? He's been around forever (read- 1998). Frigimon and Shellmon both got proper evolution lines through Liberators. When will Rock Boy have Justice?

(On the plus side- it is possible to use Golemon as a bridge to Pumpkinmon! But according to Digimon Adventure 20th Anniversary Memorial Story Project, these two become less charming as they faked their deaths and spent 11 years partying, thus traumatizing a child for no reason.)

[ilikedyourablogithere]

Wait Cool Boy is the "Propagator of Card Game"

...Wait!

Does this mean Cool Boy is going to be the Maximillion Pegasus of the story???

Like he founded Cool Boy Inc© or whatever and drew all the cards for the game?

And unless Cool Boy decided to hop dimension like Ryo and Rina I'm guessing that means the digital world of Digimon Liberation universe is the same one from the Digimon Chronicle storyline and Pendelum X toyline

...where he was Omegamon partner tamer and sided with Yggdrasill and The Royal Knights in the culling of the digital world of unwanted digimon

...huh...You know what? he might in fact actually be a villain

So maybe he really IS the Maximillon Pegasus of the story or something

Sidenote I really hope they don't actually tell us what his real name is

like he's now in his 30s or something and everyone still only know him as "Cool Boy" for whatever reason

like according to a tweet his name is maybe Shinji but I think it's funnier if no one ever says it though

ya he has a little brother who would obviously knows

but if you ask him he comically dodges the question or something

...

Or maybe the story will be normal about it and he's just called Mr.Musha

[thebladeblaster]

I’ve created some Vanguard Digivolution lines. After Tamer ZERO I plan to do a different take on the crossover with different partners that’s more of a complete au.

These ones just include their straightforward lines and possible dark evos. I don’t know when this story is happening because I’m determined to finish Tamer ZERO first so here’s the lines😅.

I was thinking that him having a different partner for season 2 would make sense considering this a complete au where everything is Digimon instead of Vanguard. So instead of his deck getting poofed away it’s his partner with the two coming together as a jogress representing the Liberators.

I also kinda want to use Erlangmon with him at some point 🤔. I’m still deciding how I would want to implement that. Maybe it could be a form that his partner takes on due to the Messiah equivalent’s influence. I do like the idea of his Digimon going from virus to vaccine.

This is a different take from his partner pick in Tamer ZERO focusing more on the narrative idea on the development from Agumon representing young Kai to the distorted original Metalgreymon. With this comes with a shift from vaccine to virus as he becomes obsessed with gaining power to save Ren. I think BlitzGreymon is very the End-like.

Kamui’s alternate partner choice was so hard because I decided that every member of Q4 has a partner that’s a different one of the main types so Kamui ended up with free which I think fits him well.

Dianamon was a really easy choice fr😅. I also like the idea of her having a jogress with Kourin.

This line is more in reference to her manga/reboot deck whereas the Tamer ZERO one is based on og. Overall, I think it fits rather well as an alternate pick.

Loogamon is unfortunately too new to have an edgy recolor so the best I could do is Gabumon Black. I have considered giving him Dracmon too because I think they’d vibe. The only reason there is no ultra is because I can’t think of a good candidate for it rn.

You may have noticed a pattern with all the Psyqualia users (minus Ibuki because the choice for him is perfect regardless of if it breaks the theme) that their partners are all virus type (at some point at least). I thought it would be an interesting reference to the darker side of Psyqualia. Doing Leon’s made me realize that we need more aquatic Digimon fr.

There’s no way I couldn’t give Deletor Ibuki Arcadiamon. It’s WAY too perfect. Its power level even fits well. After getting friendship speeched he has Hackmon for obvious reasons.

There’s no way I couldn’t give him Veemon. Using a jogress as a normal evolution is a bit weird but it’s been done before. Also because I was thinking that Paladin Mode reminds me a lot of Chronojet Dragon Z. It’s mode changes as Imperialdramon could be interpreted as it’s many strides. In the future I might include UlforceVeedramon or a different version of Magnamon here (to avoid too much overlap) as references to other strides. The black armored Magnamon is from ReArise. I was thinking it would be a good non-Stingmon included ultimate for Imperialdramon.

I have actually made one for Akina but I want to wait for DivineZ to progress more before finalizing it. I’m still playing around with various ideas on what to give Yu-yu. I’m thinking maybe Dorumon as a reference to Aichi having a beta Digimon considering the Dress seasons seem to remix ideas from the original.

[franeridan]

Fran, what are the animes you're into this season, like that one with the pretty girls with nice colors 👀👀👀 (I'm in desperate need of distractions, but if this is annoying please ignore it and also have a nice day!!!)

Definitely not annoying please do allow me to gush about all the anime I'm following this season is full of great stuff!!! I'll give a little summary of what the story seems to be about for each of them, don't read that if you don't want spoilers for the first episodes! * next to the ones I really think you should check out

ura sekai picnic - about two girls (uni students!) who make a habit of crossing into a parallel dimension where urban legends are real and fight with them. one of them is looking for her lost friend, the other is unable to say no to the first and goes with her despite reason telling her it's better to let it go. seems gay atm so bonus points for that! makes liberal use of unnecessary cgi so points detracted for that. The girls are extremely amusing for me though!

* wonder egg priority - the one with the pretty girls in pretty colors! Something just slightly off of being a majokko, in which girls who've lost someone important to them seem to have found a way to bring them back to life by constantly risking their lives to fight monsters. It's more complicated than that, but this one isn't easy to explain in two words - extremely pretty, golden animation, wonderful moods and camera work, all the girls introduced till now seem wonderful! the plot is very interesting too, just on the wrong side of hopeful to make you sure something will go wrong any moment, love that

2.43 - volleyball anime! there's nothing much to say about this one tbh, it's mostly your typical sports anime. If I had to tell you to watch one anime out of this list this one would Not be it, but if you're like me and you enjoy listening to japanese accents you don't hear often in anime this one is amusing in that sense 😂😂 sorry, that's probably not what you want to know about this, but it really is my favourite thing about watching this one haha

back arrow - this one is DUMB. mecha anime in a fantasy setting, about a world that ends with a wall and a boy insisting he came from the other side of said wall and wanting to go back. it feels so random to watch you kinda want to keep on following it just to figure out where it's trying to go?? the protagonist is delightfully empty headed and the supporting cast has interesting dynamics and fun designs - also there's one guy between the maybe-antagonists that's so extremely chaotic neutral I enjoy every second he's on screen ngl

kai byoui ramune - about a doctor who cures supernatural illnesses. I can't say it's an exceptional anime in any way for now, but the sheer chaos the protagonist brings wherever he goes has me hooked for sure. Is he a nice guy? is he a bastard? is he actually both at the same time somehow??? I dunno but what's for sure is that he's exactly my type of character, and the supporting cast isn't half bad either!

* sk8 the infinity - about weirdos skating!!! delightful, fantastic, incredible colors and animation and designs and characters and character interactions, really a bones studio anime, I love it a bit more each new episode out. And it's hilarious! I don't think I've spent more than a couple of minutes of it not laughing in the whole three episodes out atm, really really suggest this one! Biggest selling point is the relationship between the two protagonists for sure, love me two best friends who just love the shit out of each other without an ounce of shame

* horimiya - shoujo manga about two classmates who one day find out they're completely different people outside school and become best friends. Adorable!!! Lovely!!!! Soft AND hilarious, the main girl is a gem and the main boy is just ideal, plus all the supporting characters are extremely charming and fun - the relationships between everyone seem to sail smoothly too, which makes the whole of it really relaxing to watch! I just love it, so glad I'm following it

* kemono jihen - demon anime about a halfling kid who one day finds out he isn't completely human and decides to join an agency that takes care of monsters-related accidents to maybe figure out what happened to his parents. This one is GOOD. First of all, the main protagonist is extremely charming, he's weird in a way that's on the edge of just being sad and it makes you want to keep following him to find out how the new bonds he's forming will help him grow. It IS kind of disgusting at points, but as far as I'm concerned it just adds to the charm of the anime - the visuals are damn great and the cast seems a lot of fun, can't wait to see how it keeps going 👀 I already have it in the list of manga I'll catch up on after the anime's over

PLUS I'm still following jujutsu kaisen, hanyou no yashahime and the digimon remake, but the last two are really just nostalgia things and the first I assume you already know I love with my whole heart 😂😂 this a busy season!!

[o-w-quinlan]

Game Journal: Anode/Cathode Tamer - Entry #04

Yes, PicoDevimon, I’m back already. This time around, with the heroic tale of how I defeated the terrible Vamdemon, and liberated the captured Chosen. Also, I finally learned how to use my items during battle so basically everything is easier now. Turns out I only needed to select a square during the battle where none of my digimon were located.

Now that I gained a couple new allies, first thing I did was try them out in the side dungeons, to see what variable moves I could get. Piyomon enables me to learn “Birdramon” and “Garudamon”, moves that are super-effective against sky-based opponents, while Patamon enables “Angemon” and “HolyAngemon”, which are super-effective against the far more niche dark digimon. Still, since the main bosses of the game are almost all Dark, I kept him in my team.

I also cleared two dungeons using only baby levels, since I heard from the town gossip that the baby levels could learn healing-type moves, but I got none.

As can be seen here, Vamdemon is a bit more stylish than either Devimon (who’s basically hanging out in a tree stump) or Etemon (who has a solid rock fortress, far more utilitarian). Still a downgrade from his castle in the anime, but I guess he’s no longer top-dog. He’s not even second-best-dog.

My team this time around is two V-dramon and Takeru’s Patamon. While the V-dramon are powerful and have more life-points than any other digimon in my team, their reduced mobility and lack of options in Variable moves make me believe this’ll be the last time I’ll use them, and that I should change them for other, more versatile digimon. Still, they’ve been very useful while they lasted.

Vamdemon’s forces are mostly Nightmare Soldiers, Deep Savers and Metal Empire, including ToyAgumon, who has a hilarious defensive animation pictured above. Never let it be said that the developers of the Ryo games didn’t have a sense of humor.

It’s around 4 rounds now, which I would have lost were it not for finally figuring out how to use my healing items in battle.

Vamdemon’s appearence is a bit more dramatic than Devimon’s or Etemon’s, since he only appears after giving his welcoming speech. It’s interesting to see him so clearly subservient to another digimon, considering this is the same mon that stood up to a Great Demon Lord (well, an individual of the same species) in Adventure 02 without the slightest hint of fear.

And, showing once again their sense of humor, Vamdemon’s Variable Move is MarineAngemon, of all digimon. It��s a lethal joke because this guy stuns your digimon (one of the more useful moves in any game), but still.

I defeat Vamdemon and rescue the next batch of Chosen Children!... and for some reason Hikari is in her PJs. I guess bedtime is more strictly enforced in the Yagami household than in the Takaishi one, for a variety of possible reasons. Anyway, Yamato and Jou thank us (Jou in particular saying he thought they were done for), once again calling Ryo by his name. I’m assuming PicoDevimon has been babbling around, because otherwise I have no idea how this group or the previous one knew that.

Unlike every other Chosen Child up to now, Hikari is not smiling. Her cheeks are flushed, which along with her clothes seem to imply that the developers took her design from episode 21 for some reason. In-universe, though, it seems as if she’s sick once again. She begs us to save Taichi, after which Agumon reassures her that they’re sure to win. Agumon is also the one to ask the other digimon to join the party. Once again, I can’t help but feel that this is Agumon’s story more than Ryo’s, showing him as a leader to rely on when Taichi is gone. Perfectly in line with how he acted towards BlackWargreymon in 02.

Afterwards, a bridge appears to another location, and PicoDevimon panics and goes to report to Piedmon. I guess he’s moved up in the world of evil if he’s now reporting to an Ultimate-level rather than a Perfect-level.

In case you’re wondering, the digimon I got as rewards for clearing this dungeon were a Choromon and a ToyAgumon. Not the most powerful digimon around, but I love mechanical digimon so I’m fine with that.

Next time around, I’ll be facing Piedmon. See you soon!

[digi-lov]

Digimon Liberator Chapter 2-1 [Out of Control]

Official Website | GlobalComix | Webtoon

Again spoilers start under the cut!

Chapter 2 of Liberator is out! I had a lot of fun reading it, but it did feel shorter than the last Chapter. Would have loved to read more! Again, the artwork is amazing! There is not much to say without getting specific, as the story didn't move too much further. Its just fun to read. I love Digimon! The balance of the battle pacing, as in the parts they summarize and the ones we se play out in more detail, feels good to me and keeps it from feeling too dragged out!

Next week we get the first chapter of the Liberator Web Novel, and then the web Comic returns the following week!

Now more detail!

I really love Pteromon! Chapter one already alluded to it (first picture below), but the continuous focus on its gem really has me intrigued! It appears to be able to control the game to an extend?

Also thought Pteromon talking through the D-Storage was nice! This way it's still "present" as a character, separate from the Card Battle Digimon. I hope this is not unique to Pteromon, and Shoemon (and other partners) will also be able to communicate during battles like this.

The Digimon also just look great! I don't know what to say, Digimon are so cool! They look amazing!

Something I wanna point out though in terms of game rules, the comic takes some liberties (HAH) in this chapter and the first.

In the real game, a turn starts at 0 Memory, not 3. (A common first turn for example could go a free hatch in the breeding area, then hopefully a 0 memory evolution from the baby to a Lv3 Digimon, and then potentially evolving that to a Lv4, or playing a Lv3 in the Battle field, moving the memory counter to the oppontents side.) Shoto also attacks with his Muchomon the turn it was played in Chapter 1, despite the card in question usually not having the abilitx <Rush>.

This appears to be special rules for this "Situational Battle". Here is an excerpt from last weeks Column about NPCs, the section about special Battles:

- Starting Digimon This special rule involves having a Digimon already in the battle area at the start. In some of these battles the memory gauge will not start at 0 and may begin on either the player's side or the NPC's. Furthermore, the starting Digimon might have abilities not typically found on standard cards, such as <Rush> or <Jamming>. These are among the most challenging rules in Conditional Battles.

(Read the Columns here if you haven't already!)

These could explain the "rule breaking". Though some of those instances were in the battle between Arisa and Shoto, the "Friendly Battle Mode" of the game could possibly also have custom or customizable rules.

We also just got a new card reveal from the EX7 Liberator set, featuring the girl and Ghostmon with our heroes! This, and her prominent placement in the promotional artwork make me wonder if she'll join them as part of the main cast!

Vortex Resonance EX7-074 by Takase from EX-07 Theme Booster Digimon Liberator

I also thought the little cameo of Yuuki and Impmon was cute!

We already know the name of Saikiyo/Winr, the character with the FunBeemon, and the character with the Yukidarumon appears to be tha same as one featured on promotional artwork for the novel. I wonder if they'll be friends with Yuuki too, like Winr.