#EPILOGUE KOUSHIRO

[izzyizumi]

Someone @ Koushiro Izumi: How many kids do you have??? Koushiro: ""BIOLOGICALLY"", emotionally, or legally?

[taichi-x-koushiro]

D.I.G.I.M.O.N Adventure/02/tri. x "Lover I Don't Have To Love" ~ Koushiro{u} x Taichi {KouTai}

Ver. B.e.t.t.i.e S.e.r.v.e.e.r.t

Summary: "Do you LIKE to xxxx?

SO XXXX ME--"

Note: Contains discussion of R-18 Subject{s} in full version. (This version is 'safe' for now)

This particular A.M.V. preview is a preview, as it is mainly un-finished; However, it is planned to contain similar themes + discussion of implied orientations, namely Koushiro's. (Taichi's is Hinted, Meanwhile)

There is a tiny KouTai relevant moment, from mid-Kokuhaku {Tri} included near end. I've used it in many of my A.M.V.s by now.

A.M.V. By Me {Do Not Copy} {Do Not Re-post} {Do Not Re-produce Under Any Circumstances Whatsoever!!}

Notice: If the A.M.V. doesn't display properly in embed above, Please feel free to check out at the direct link here, and it should work! (If it doesn't, please feel free to ping me in tags or comment!)

[koushirouizumi]

Me, for like 8+ years straight on all my Digiblogs and all my fan works: Hey did you all know you DONT have to be blood related to a relative to consider each other family lmao??? Ppl in wider fan bases today, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, despite never {or extremely rarely} acknowledging this before EXCEPT when its about ship's they hate: dID YOU k N O W you DONT HAVE TO BE BLOOD RELATED to a rELATIVE to cONSIDER EACH OTHER FAMILY L M A OOOOO M E: . . .

[hikaritakaishi]

Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning [My Movie Review]

♡ ! SPOILER ALERT! ♡

This review will contain spoilers of the movie, continue reading if you already saw the movie, or just don’t mind the spoiler! Enjoy & comment something if you want to share an opinion! ♡

After what seemed ages of waiting, Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning finally aired in Portugal, on May 16, 2024, several months after it’s national premiere in Japan, on October 27, 2023. I was worried that it wouldn't come to my country, but perhaps due to the huge acceptance of Digimon Adventure: LAST EVOLUTION KIZUNA, the distributor made the hearts of the DigiDestined from the most hidden corner of Europe warm again and brought us the sequel. Thank you remembering us once again! ♡

I really tried to keep my expectations as neutral as possible until the day I went to see the movie, which was pretty difficult, due to the fact that I was constantly being bombarded with online information about it, whether on Tumblr or Twitter, or through video recommendations on Youtube. I was so excited for the movie, that I had to control myself immensely not to go see the spoilers.

Initial considerations? I like it. In general. But let's go in parts!

This will be an analysis of what I consider to be the most important points of the movie and what caught my attention the most. A personal analysis, so don't take it too seriously if I don't talk about a certain point or a certain specific topic, I probably just missed that.

Firstly, I would like to comment on the initial dynamics of the movie.

Everything seems to happen much faster here than it did in Kizuna. Despite being two movies with practically the same time span, this one seemed to go by much faster. But it might just be me. [LAST EVOLUTION KIZUNA have 94 minutes, and The Beginning have 87 minutes total].

 We're introduced to the key plot problem pretty quickly too.

People's digital devices are glitching, and the same message is repeating itself on all of them, not just on the phones and televisions, but on computers and large digital screens in cities all around the world. And this all around the world is very important, because it not only brings us closer to what will be the future of humanity and it’s increasing contact with the Digimon and the Digital World, but it opens the path we take since 2012 [time of the movie] until to the epilogue of 02 (which the production team and Toei animation seem to insist on wanting to keep canon, despite all the script inconsistencies it can cause, or how different from the initial profile of each character it may be).

“May everyone have friends, may everyone have a partner Digimon”

It's the message. Meanwhile, we are told that a suspicious and unknown Digitama appeared in the sky of Tokyo, right above the Tokyo Tower, and it’s been there for a while. Taichi and Koushiro are showned to be trying to help resolve this issue as professionals in the field of diplomacy and technology respectively, but without major progress.

I think it's important to highlight that they are the only two characters from the first season of Adventure who appear in this movie, and even so, without any direct speech or great relevance, beyond contextualization, and later Taichi as well again for the context of “space- time”, in that frame we see in the trailer of the movie with Hikari, which we later discover is located in Hikarigaoka, where Rui also lived when he had his first contact with Ukkomon.

The focus is on the characters from 02, or at least, it should have been. But as in Digimon Adventure Tri, this focus is overshadowed by the introduction of another new character in the story: Rui Owhada [or Lui, in Japanese pronunciation].

Rui [or Lui] is a much more charismatic character than Meiko was in Digimon Adventure Tri. There is no doubt about that.

Meiko was a somewhat empty character. A static character without great charisma. The only pleasant scenes she had were driven by the other characters around her (namely Mimi).

Rui doesn't. Rui is a character on his own. With a much more aggressive personality and a much more interesting past. The only issue here is the length of the movie: This movie is too short; too short for us to get attached to this character and actually be able feel empathy for everything we are shown about him. So short, that it's difficult to develop both this new character and the others around him, which, by the way, is a shame.

I mostly went to see the movie in hopes to see more from the 02 cast, and not because, again, of a random character they created for this new script. Just like what happened in Tri.

And this is important because notice that one of the most complex and best-built characters in the Adventure universe is literally the character with the most screen time: Takeru.

Analyzing Takeru's character as a whole is extremely time-consuming, because he was in every season, and practically involved in all the main events of the plot, either by himself or through the relationships he establishes throughout the plot, which feed the character's emotional charge. Which makes him a very complex character.

There's no time for that here. There is no time to establish a relationship between Rui and the other characters, nor to establish a relationship between Rui… and the audience.

Rui's childhood is very shocking and once again, Digimon brings a very strong narrative based on a complex and deep family plot.

We had already had examples in Adventure of family issues with Takeru and Yamato, Koushiro, and in 02 with Iori and also Ken. To a certain extent, even with Miyako. But here we reach a higher level of complexity... and violence (remember that the age to see the movie is over 12 years old. I can totally understand why).

Rui is physically abused and neglected by his mother, who leaves him out in the cold, starving when he makes a childish mistake or does something she doesn't like... when he is only four years old. His father has a very serious illness and depends on his wife to survive. Rui is then shown as a sorrowful child, lonely and without any support network. We've never had anything in the Digimon Adventure series so… raw. The aura of the movie is deeply heavy and dark.

The evolutions and battles in this movie are far from being the focus, which probably frustrated many people who went to see the movie for this more dynamic side of the anime.

It is a film with a moral content and even touches on the philosophical, about the bonds we create with others and their nature, about how we should relate to others and learn about them every day we have them in our lives.

It's about healthy communication, and how it's okay to correct the people around us, as long as it's made based with pure intentions. Because love is not omissive. Love corrects, love draws the other's attention for what really matters, in the form of love. In the form of companionship. Nothing physical or superficial is worth the price of a real bond.

The movie really grew with it’s audience. It is not, at all, a movie targeted for new fans of the franchise, or for those who know little about the Adventure series universe. It's for those who know the characters, for those who grew up with them. If you don't know the characters, you will miss details and conversations that are important to really understand the plot as a whole.

Daisuke and Ken look on Rui’s past with him. They see the arrival of Ukkomon in his life, who should’ve bring peace and comfort, but it is only the beginning of all his problems.

Let's take a break from the movie's plot to talk about the characters of 02.

I'm going to divide them into groups, because it seems like they individually… don't have much progress or very memorable scenes, honestly. It doesn't even make sense to separate them, in my opinion, and you'll understand why.

♡ Daisuke & Iori

There is not much to talk about them here. Daisuke and Iori are the flattest characters in the movie. Iori much more than Daisuke, let's be honest. Iori barely speaks, and has very few relevant scenes.

Daisuke works at a ramen restaurant, as he always wanted, where he gathers his friends to talk about the problems they are facing right at the beginning of the movie.

His personality is practically the same, Daisuke from 02 is the same Daisuke from The Beginning, and even the same character as in Kizuna, he is just taller here and wears different clothes. He still aspires to have his own ramen business and is extremely focused on his career goals. Which was predictable, given the way he talks about his dream in 02.

Daisuke's only two relevant scenes are seconds long: the first when he convinces Rui that the bond of friendship he and his Digimon partner share is much more than something superficial; it's something that comes from the heart, and that no object makes a difference between them, namely the Digivice, (something we also expected to hear from Daisuke in 02, which justifies my opinion that in the meantime... he remains the same).

The other is a scene that had enormous potential, but is cut short by a comical moment in which Miyako pops up.

Daisuke is talking to Ken seriously about Rui, and how he and his Digimon could understand each other better if they just communicate more effectively and directly, and Ken comments that Daisuke's more serious side is very pleasant and rarely appears. However, Miyako speaks up and dismisses the subject. Sadly.

We could have had a conversation here that could tell us more about Daisuke’s presente self and way he sees life now.

*sigh* Anyway.

Iori, again, doesn't speak much. Seems to only have intermediary interventions, and serves as a “pair” for Daisuke and Rui in the snowball fight that we see at the end of the movie. A very beautiful scene, don't get me wrong, but only if we see it from the perspective of Ken and Miyako, and Hikari and Takeru. I'll talk about that now.

♡ Ken & Miyako

Ken and Miyako are two characters who seem to grow more together than apart within the movie's plot. Which is natural, given that we know at the end of 02 that they become in fact a couple, and that they build a family together in the future. Here we see the first steps towards their future as a couple.

As expected, nothing explicit or direct is given to us about the nature of their relationship, but we can understand that there is progress, especially by the end of the movie, before the snowball fight, when Miyako tells Ken something that seems extremely vague, but actually means something.

 “Let's do it together! "  What? I don't think they are aware yet. Ken also seemed very confused about it.

“ Keep thinking Ken, we have to find another solution. “ We also see Miyako trying to support Ken at that moment when they have to make a decision about the future of Ukkomon and the world.

Here comes what I said above: Love cannot be omissive. We cannot expect the least from those we love. If we know the potential of the person we have by our side, we have to support them. If we see that they are trying to go further, we must support their journey and be a source of advice and rest. Alone we can go faster, but with the right company we can certainly go further.

And I think this is where the movie touches on something really important.

It is in these small moments that we see that they really want to tell the audience something beyond, but we need to have a fine power of perception.

No conversation or comment is random, everything contributes to the story. Digimon Adventure has always been made up of metaphors and subjectivities, it is necessary to know how to interpret and be attentive.

In the midst of that dilemma of whether or not to defeat Ukkomon that we talked about a moment ago in relation to Ken and Miyako, we have another moment that I consider important between Takeru and Hikari, which for those who don't know the characters, can take it as a normal conversation of two people who know each other well. Too well, even.

♡ Takeru & Hikari

Keeping in mind their journey, and everything they went through together, is the key to understand the nature of the relationship they share now. But before that:

Much like Ken and Miyako, Takeru and Hikari do not exist separately in the plot. It's ridiculously difficult to separate them. If you talk about one, you have to talk about the other.

At the beginning we see them together in the city when the electronic devices break down, and this dynamic continues throughout the entire movie.

They practically always walk side by side, Hikari takes the front seat in Takeru's car, and even when they are talking to Rui and trying to understand what happened to him in his past, they were a nucleus apart from the others. Nothing new, really. More of the same. But it's in that conversation I spoke about earlier that we understand something that is even part of the main moral of the movie: the way they now communicate with each other now, is different.

Anyone who has followed Takeru and Hikari throughout the series knows that the main “problem” in their relationship has always been direct communication.

Exposing things to others as they are is scary. And none of them were good at doing that.

Deliberating about feelings, exposing what disturbs us, what distresses us, what we think of a certain attitude of the other person. That was always Takeru and Hikari's problem and what hindered the possible evolution of their friendship, into a real love relationship.

In Tri we discover that Hikari starts to look at Takeru differently. And we know that Takeru has concrete feelings for Hikari (Said by the actor who plays Takeru's voice) And then? It's done? Things… are much more complicated than that.

They first need to accept the situation in question (And I tell you this as someone who also developed a romantic relationship with a childhood friend. It's not easy. Trust me. It's far from easy!)

And far from being quick.

It requires a lot of deliberation mostly. Just accepting the fact that we see that person we grew up with differently, someone who has always been part of our life, and we can lose them. Just because we developed feelings. Is scary. There's a lot to lose. It's all or nothing. Especially when one side has trauma associated with romantic relationships. (remembering that Takeru's parents are divorced) it's even worse.

What seems to exist between them in The Beginning was the result of a long process. But effective, it seems to me. Whatever decision they made, it went… pretty well.

Takeru is completely against defeating Ukkomon, from the moment he realizes that this could also imply the disappearance of his Digimon partner.

He probably saw the suffering Taichi and Yamato went through when Agumon and Gabumon disappeared and the suffering he would go through if he lose Patamon... again. And he is extremely vocal and firm in what he says and what he thinks about all of that. Impulsive really.

Until Hikari intervenes. Which cuts through his catastrophic reasoning. She asks him to think, opening up a new perspective on the situation.

Here we have a conversation between them that is quite lengthy (compared to the fast action standard of the rest of the movie) in which Hikari tries her best to make Takeru use reason and not emotion in his deliberation on the situation.

Takeru who, remember, whenever “darkness” or “sacrifice” is mentioned, leaves his rationality aside, becomes blind with pain because of his past traumas.

Hikari's role here is almost the same as Miyako’s in Ken's case: calling to earth and calming Takeru, always in an understanding way, because you can see that she knows where that feeling comes from and that position initially adopted by him (and it is something which she can almost predict would happen, by the speed with which she responds) but she knows that he is better than those triggers that make him impulsively speak based on emotion and neglect reason.

It's about getting to know each other. Knowing how to talk to our person about the most difficult topics. Because it is necessary to strengthen your union. Predict reactions, and be there to calm them down, because you may even know that the person is not to blame for the feelings and traumas they carry, but believe that they are bigger than them. And expect the same from the other side.

The way Miyako knew that Ken could find a solution, he just needed to think a little more. Hikari understood perfectly where Takeru's impulsive reaction came from, but she knew that if she appeal to his racional side he would be able to think of a better alternative to the problem, which he thought would be the end of the world.

That's why I separated this analysis into groups (although the first one isn't... substantial) and decided to analyze the characters together, because that's what this movie is about.

It's about who you are with your people, and the bond you share with them. In a world so individualized, so selfish and so distant (largely because of technology, which distances us from each other), I found it a very necessary message.

And the role of adults? With children and more painful lives?

It is to understand that children are also humans. Who also think, and feel, and understand things. Just like them. Adults tend to forget that they were once children themselves.

We already saw this topic being developed in Adventure 02, but seeing Rui as an adult, reaching to his mother in the past, and drawing her attention to the fact that she neglects her son, is something very touching. Sometimes, we just need a wake-up call, and we can change the future. Ours, and our future with others.

 The DigiDestined of 02 encouraged Rui not to give up on someone he loved, Ukkomon, because after all, he only acted the way he acted because he thought it would make Rui happier, even though he failed. Several times.

Ukkomon basically gave Rui everything he thought he needed, everything he wanted. But this is not always ideal.

He acted with his partner's happiness in mind, and this blinded him to the risks he was putting him into. He idealized their entire relationship, and everyone's relationship with him. Instead of being, real. And real things are never perfect.

Rui wanted friends? He gave him friends. He even reprogrammed his parents. They became manufactured humans. And the movie is about reality and accepting it as imperfect as it is.

Do you know what that reminded me of? That whole fantasy created by Ukkomon of “perfect world where Rui is never sad and everything is wonderful?” The fantasies in which the characters from 02 cast were trapped in at the end of the series. That world created with the characters’ deepest desires.

Takeru wanted his family united. Iori wanted his father back and to be able to show him the Digital Word. Miyako wanted attention. Ken… wanted to redeem himself. Hikari wanted peace. It's exactly the same thing.

Think about it with me: For example, Takeru's parents could’ve stay together, they could never have divorced, but they would still have problems. They would argue, and there would be conflicts. Which doesn't mean that this wouldn't traumatize their children even more. Maybe the divorce was in fact the best option for all four of them.

Ken felt he deserved the same suffering he inflicted on others. Would that really be the answer to appease his soul?

But none of it was real.

Not even Hikari's utopia of a world constantly at peace is real. Not even the absence of siblings in Miyako's life would solve anything. Things are not black and white and really, what we want is not always what we need.

Rui just needed to talk to Ukkomon and be sincere.

Where is Mimi tho?!

I will end with a few quick notes that I think are worth highlighting: First, the music and animation in general. As expected, they are excellent.

Very well done visually, appealing scenes, and the last snowball fight scene is so simple… but so delightful.

Life is made up of beautiful moments as well as tragic moments, light and darkness.

Did you notice that part of the movie takes place in a much dark environment, and when the main action is resolved, the movie gains light? I believe that is not just because!

Visually it can be very strong because there is blood, there is violence, there are physical wounds, it conveys the affliction in a very literal way.

Another thing that was expected to happen, but that probably wasn't even thought of properly when the Epilogue of 02 was made, was the problematic of whether or not everyone deserves, has enough morals and ethics, to have a Digimon partner.

How do you maintain peace between humans when you give them free access to machines of war and mass destruction? How do we build the world we see bz the end of 02 where everyone lives in peace even under these circumstances? Which is the the role of the government?

We'll probably need one more movie to find out.

Honestly, I hope you enjoyed this short (not... that short in fact) and sincere review. If I were to give stars, I would give the film 4/5 stars.

It could’ve been better, sure, if there was at least another half hour of animation.

But I don't complain. Despite that, I liked it. I cried, I laughed, just like I cried and laughed when I saw Digimon in my childhood, and that's everything for me. I was surprised by the message of the movie and the way they chose to visually convey it to us. Either way, I hope there's one more movie. To finally conclude the arc of all these characters, and finally, reach the epilogue of 02 (but in a dignified way please).

♡ Thank you once again Digimon ♡

[tobiasdrake]

I'd say that Tri, Last Kizuna and 02 The Beggining are a tad of a weird approach to try and bank into nostalgia, but not letting go the concept of "no you have to say goodbye to the 'mons"... which doesn't work after 02's epilogue. And then Adventure 2020 happened, and forgot that it was supposed to be an assemble show.

I don't have a problem with nostalgia banking, but Last Evolution Kizuna wanted really badly to be Toy Story 3 and failed. That, I take a lot of issue with.

There's a lot of heated debate surrounding LEK. The idea that the kids' partnerships with their Digimon break because it's time to put away childish things and grow up is extremely contentious within the fandom, but it's also not universally agreed that the film is even saying that thanks to translation issues with the subs and also some very ambiguous imagery with the ending.

There are basically two different interpretations of what happens in LEK.

1 - Sora, Taichi, Yamato, Jou, Mimi, and Koushiro all lose their Digimon Partners because they enter adulthood - but not Takeru and Hikari because they still have a few years to go.

This is a natural occurrence and the result of growing up. They have no choice and no agency in the matter; The Universe takes their Partners away because they're too old to be playing with toys anymore, and they just need to fucking suck it up and deal.

2 - Sora, Taichi, and Yamato lose their Digimon Partners because they're too irresponsible with their adulthood. Mimi, Jou, and Koushiro do not because they're responsible adults and are balancing their adult lives and their love for their Partners well.

What happens to Sora, Taichi, and Yamato is a rare and unusual occurrence, but there is hope that they will one day find their Partners again once they've gotten their heads on straight and made their way as adults.

For obvious reasons, the film is very unpopular with fans who take the first interpretation and pretty well-liked with fans who take the second. Which one is actually the valid and intended reading? Well. It's complicated. The movie went through a tumultuous creative process, to the point that Adventure series director Kakado Hiroyuki walked out on production midway through over disagreements and inconsistencies to the original series.

Which is, y'know, always a promising sign for a new entry in a series.

Watching the film, for me, it honestly feels like both readings are intended. Which is to say, you can find evidence to support either/or. I don't think that's deliberate, I just think the film was sloppily made and shows signs of conflicting creative visions.

Proponents of the Good Movie interpretation can point to the villain of the film, whose central motivation is literally that having your Partner taken away because you grew up is some fucking bullshit. In its final act, the film reveals that her Partner did come back - Just in an unrecognizably different form, not as the Partner she knew.

So the natural conclusion then is that Agumon and Gabumon will reincarnate and may find their way back to Taichi and Yamato; They just won't be Agumon and Gabumon. Which still contradicts the 02 epilogue despite proponents of the Good Movie interpretation insisting that 02's epilogue is still canon to LEK.

Which itself has evidence to support it (Taichi and Yamato are on their way to becoming the people they are in the epilogue) and evidence to refute it (Agumon and Gabumon fucking died).

As the translation breakdown in the above link shows, there's also some phrasing issues that created confusion. Gennai in the official English version describes losing your Partnership as a typical occurrence while, in the original Japanese, he seems to describe this more like a rare thing that he doesn't fully understand.

It's explained that what's happening is the narrowing of potential. Children have infinite potential, which something something Digimon Partnerships. As you make choices with your life, you narrow your potential, and eventually it can no longer sustain a partnership - Unless you're able to become an adult with limitless potential anyway!

That seems like it's setting Taichi and Yamato up to figure out their shit and save their Partnerships at the last second. But they figure out their shit and still lose their Partners, which gets described in the end as a rite of passage.

The blog with the big translation breakdown I linked above makes a note of the difference between the official translation, "This is how we finally grew up," and a more accurate translation, "This is how we arrived at the entrance to adulthood." As they say, it shouldn't be translated with finality.

But that's splitting hairs, because either version is still saying that losing Agumon and Gabumon was Taichi and Yamato's rite of passage from childhood into adulthood. Whether they've become adults or taken their first steps into adulthood doesn't actually matter; it's still describing this loss as the gateway that brought them there, which is the point of contention.

They did what they were supposed to do, they were still punished for it, and then they close by describing it as if it were an inevitable consequence of growing up despite what Gennai said. Which may or may not be corroborated by what happened to Jou, Mimi, and Koushiro.

Proponents of the Good Movie interpretation will point to Jou, Mimi, and Koushiro as proof that not everyone loses their Partners. Proponents of the Bad Movie interpretation will point to those same characters as proof that everyone does. This is due to a fundamental disagreement in how you interpret the final scenes.

At no point does the film ever say, with words, that Jou, Mimi, and Koushiro lose their Partners. But it does conclude with these images:

The final shots of Taichi, Yamato, and Sora show them to be moving forward with their adult lives, with no Digimon. The younger kids Takeru and Hikari's slides contain Patamon and Tailmon. There are also slides for the 02 characters, which show their Digimon Partners still taking an active role in their lives too.

But Jou, Koushiro, and Mimi? No Partners in their slides.

Good Movie fans will say that the film never says explicitly that they lost their Partners, so this means nothing. Their partners are probably just offscreen somewhere.

Bad Movie fans will say that these slides are meant to show the older kids moving on with their lives post-Digimon and the younger kids still having their Digimon Partnerships. There's a clear contrast between Hikari and Takeru's slides versus Taichi, Yamato, and Sora's - and Jou, Koushiro, and Mimi are presented like Taichi, Yamato, and Sora here, not like Hikari and Takeru.

Good Movie fans have the counterpoint to be made that their Partners still exist in 02's epilogue. So, y'know, canon faithfulness says that everyone's Digimon will come back or was never lost. Checkmate, naysayers.

But also Last Evolution Kizuna basically ignores Tri and makes no attempt to address the questions it left hanging, and also the Adventure story director walked out of production over inconsistencies to the original so I don't think you can really use canon faithfulness as a talking point here.

Taichi and Yamato are still on their way to becoming an ambassador and an astronaut respectively, so the epilogue hasn't been thrown out entirely. But it clearly has been thrown out. Jou was supposed to become a doctor in the Digital World, Sora was supposed to become a fashion designer instead of inheriting her mom's ikebana mastery, and Mimi was supposed to become a chef instead of selling cosmetics.

Yeah, Taichi and Yamato are still on-track to a similar life path than what the epilogue gave them, but nobody else is. So I don't think the movie is actually as faithful to 02 as the Good Movie side thinks it is. And apparently neither does Kakado Hiroyuki.

For me, I do think they were trying to say it's time for the kids to put away childish things and grow up. I don't think they meant that to be insulting. But I do think it's kind of insulting.

I think they were trying to do what Toy Story 3 did; To tell a story about the rite of passage from childhood to adulthood and what that means for the things we loved and enjoyed as kids. But I don't think that story works when the putting away of childish things is something cosmically forced on the children rather than a choice they make with their own agency.

Toy Story 3 wouldn't have landed the way it did if the movie was about Andy's mom pinning him down by the arms while garbagemen come in and throw Buzz and Woody into a woodchipper. But that's kind of what Last Evolution Kizuna does to the Adventure kids.

Taichi and Yamato get to give a powerful emotional farewell to Agumon and Gabumon. But they don't want to, they are not making this choice for themselves, and no reason is ever provided for why they should have to. And even the best defenses of the film just make it out to be a weird, random cosmic blip that maybe they'll fix some day, who knows.

Even in the best-case scenario, the universe just decided to grievously hurt Yamato and Taichi for no reason even though they were already making strides to undo the thing they were allegedly being punished for. It's still mean-spirited and cruel even in the best possible interpretation.

So. Yeah. All things considered, I find myself falling on the side of "It's a bad movie and I don't accept it as part of my personal Digimon canon." I don't accept that the children need to all have their Digimon deleted once they enter into adulthood, and I equally don't accept that they don't need to have that happen but that Taichi and Yamato deserved to have their Digimon ripped away from them at the end. There is no version of this movie that I actually like.

[digimonarchive]

Koushiro Izumi / Izzy and Tentomon - over the years picspam

1st pic = Koushiro Izumi/Izzy and Tentomon in Digimon Adventure

2nd pic = Koushiro Izumi/Izzy and Tentomon in Digimon Adventure 02

3rd pic = Koushiro Izumi/Izzy and Tentomon in Digimon Adventure Tri

4th = Koushiro Izumi/Izzy and Tentomon in Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna movie

5th pic = Koushiro Izumi/Izzy and Tentomon in Digimon Adventure Last Evolution Kizuna shikishi art

6th and 7th pics = adult Koushiro/Izzy in the epilogue of Digimon Adventure 02

[adventurexheart]

Issues I had with Meiko's writing (coming from a former fan of Meiko)

One of the things I disliked while watching the Digimon Adventure Tri movies is that Meiko (the new character for the films) took WAY more focus than the original 8 Digidestined/chosen children. Unfortunately, as well as the burning answer on what happened to the Zero 2 kids (Daisuke/Davis, Miyako/Yolei, Ken, and Iori/Cody) by having Tri’s entire plot ignore their existence until the end of the movie series.

This could be my issue, but I dislike it when a character archetype is known for ONLY being shy. I am shy myself, so my problems don't come from just having that mere personality trait, but having that as a character's ONLY defining trait makes the character dull to watch.

Also, while watching the movies, Meiko felt like someone's fanfic oc AT TIMES when all the characters they interact with adore and love her very much, and she and her Digimon partner are extraordinary throughout the plot's run. There’s nothing wrong with characters that are often well-liked. Still, when it gets to a point where any criticism thrown at Meiko or the situation involving her Digimon occurs, she isn’t given the grace to defend herself. Instead, we have other characters speak up for her (ex: being when Mimi confronted Koushiro, who, although on his part, came off as being too harsh when telling Meiko he needed her intel on looking for the source of the virus affecting her Digimon). In Digimon Movie 2, we saw Mimi learning a lot from her friendship with Meiko (which was excellent). But it's a missed opportunity for Toei not to have the reverse happen and see Mimi's influence impact Meiko.

However, at the same time, why can’t Meiko (as someone who represented a lot of shy people) not be allowed to step outside the character mold that Toei made for her?

Again, when I first watched the Tri movies, I would have gotten defensive at the hate Meiko received because I assumed people were just hating her for her personality. Now, looking back at the movies, I understand some of the alarming issues with her writing.

I feel like she was only made as a character just so the writers could give Taichi a love interest and further establish that the 02 epilogue is still, in fact, canon. Even then, the two of them lacked any chemistry.

I should probably clarify that I don’t hate Meiko as a character, but what has done for her character through Tri. These are just a few critical things that I had about how the writers tried to make her feel more like a self-inserted character (at times) by having all the characters around her adore her and try to make the character lack flaws. They also made it feel like she was only introduced for romance.

I'll have a much different angle of this discussion with more about the difference in writing for what Toei has done to her versus the perception of the 02 kids later

[atsoraasayoma]

I have been meaning to have a one sided conversation about this…

Take a look at these two images:

What is the difference between them? They don’t have Takeru or his son in the image. Or Daisuke and his son.

Why is this significant?

Takeru is telling the story of the epilogue. If he is standing with the others in the second pic next to them it makes things appear as if he is not center stage with the wrap up.

…

So what? What does that have to do with ANYTHING Atsora?

Let me ask you a question. If Takeru could decide in the first image where he would stand or where his place would be aren’t you curious?

As a Takari fan it is incredibly important. Before anyone lambasts me about the epilogue how they are not together or he never said they were

I would like to say two things about this.

1. Until we can see faces or learn names of the spouses of the other Digidestined hopefully with the zero two epilogue movie I WILL NEVER GIVE UP.

2. Now for the important part and some creative thinking. At first when I looked at the first image I had thought they were taking some kind of picture but it’s just a visual from Takeru’s viewpoint. It is the second image that is quite telling.

We see in the first image how Takeru views the Digidestined. But, in the second pic we see the same but in reverse. Though I did notice they shifted a bit.

Indeed, if we address the gaps between them in the first picture Daisuke would fill the gap between Sora and Yamato..

But what about the SECOND gap between Hikari and Koushiro that Tentomon is conspicuously blocking from view? That is quite a gap!

Well, in the second image Joe is seen with Mimi and Sora right next to him. Koushiro has shifted to look like he is standing right by Hikari but he is actually behind her.

With the separation Takeru appears to fit right between Mimi and Koushiro who is still standing behind Hikari. So then what does that mean?

It means based off of ALL of this Takeru would fit literally right beside Hikari with Koushiro behind her and Mimi a little bit ahead of them.

Literally it appears as if he would have stepped forward from standing beside her!

Does this mean anything?

Not really. Or should I say it shouldn’t. But from an overly teased Takari shipper it means just another bread crumb to follow.

I mean think about it. This is the very last scene of them all. And where does it look like Takeru placed himself? Where is the gap in the first picture where Takeru COULD place himself? The second picture tied in the answer!

So even if it’s not canon (still possible) the fact in the addressed gaps it appears Takeru comes forward in line to that spot-that gap even IF it’s not canon this is where Takeru and his son are placed.

Now do me a favor. Take his son. Take Takeru. Look at the second picture and look back to the first.

Where do YOU think he would be standing?

…

It kind of makes it look like they are a family doesn’t it?

(Someone photoshop it. It will help keep me sane.)

[heckcareoxytwit]

Koushiro Izumi / Izzy and his Digimon partner picspam

(Japanese and English dub names)

1st pic = 10 year old Koushiro Izumi in Digimon Adventure

2nd pic = 13 year old Koushiro in Digimon Adventure 02

3rd pic = 16 year old Koushiro from Digimon Adventure Tri

4th pic = 21 year old Koushiro from Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna movie

5th and 6th pics = adult Koushiro and Tentomon in the epilogue of Digimon Adventure 02 (the epilogue itself might be too controversial and debatable to many Digimon fans.)

7th pic = Mochimon/Motimon (Tentomon's pre-evolved baby form)

8th pic = Tentomon (default child/rookie form)

9th pic = Kabuterimon (Tentomon's evolved adult/champion form)

10th pic = Atlur Kabuterimon / MegaKabuterimon (evolved perfect/ultimate form)

11th pic = Herakle Kabuterimon / HerculesKabuterimon (evolved ultimate/mega form)

[taikouvember]

Taikouvember 2023 Prompt Walkthrough - Day 2, November 7th: Past & Future

When it comes to all the Digimon Adventure mediums mentioned, we can tell that Taichi and Koushiro already share quite a history with each other. So this prompt can be the perfect opportunity for you to share what your favourite moments between Taichi and Koushiro are, that may have influenced their relationship? Whether it’s by redrawing scenes, creating AMVs or picture and gifsets, writing fanfiction or interpreting their most vital moments... Again, that is completely up to you!

But if you don’t like to look back and would rather look forward instead - how do you imagine they will interact in the future, how will their bond develop? What happens between The Beginning and the Epilogue, what are the unknown puzzle pieces, milestones you would like to see? Career wise and in regards to the Digital World, domestically, romantically...

Want to participate in Taikouvember? Here are the Rules & FAQ

[izzyizumi]

No One: Me: "The average Digital World astronaut reaches space a total of one time in their entire lifetime, but more instances may be possible with advancements in Space science. Izumi Koushirou, meanwhile, who reached (Digital) ""space"" twice depending on the universe involved, (BOTH times while still as a child) is an Outlier who Should Not Be Counted"

[digitalgate02]

Okay I know this is hardly an AU because I see it happening in canon, and a friend is into Phantom Thieves and Detective series lately to the point I keep feeling this big urge to explore my favorite scenario-headcanon idea when I’m writing stuff.

What, you may ask?

Ichouji Ken and co. investigating digimon mysteries and cases in some vein for Cyber Sleuth, Hacker’s Memory and other stuff like Dekaranger :) 

But more like, a group of teens focused on solving misunderstandings and some supernatural phenomena which are actually Digimon-related cases.

“Wait Ni, this is just Ghost Game!!”

Well, I admit GG is also in my mind when it comes to that, but we had Ken as detective in the epilogue, and you must wonder if he never went sleuthing between 2002 and 2028 right? Something is making him… decide this was what he wanted to do for his life.

*Ahem* I bugged a friend to make those smol headcanons.

Ken and his friends have a website where they receive cases from people around Tokyo. Besides that, they gather cases from their own schools too.

Besides Ken looking smart, he’s a walking mess. When he’s not in a case, he’s just enjoying his obsessions and explaining everything about them to whoever asks him about them. Daisuke sometimes feels his technical knowledge of things is too much for his (Dai’s) brain so he completely starts feeling a little overwhelmed by the info.

Everyone has a favorite type of case, yeah. Daisuke likes simple and easy tasks. Takeru and Hikari like supernatural-like cases, Miyako likes most of the stuff she can be helpful in, Iori likes to observe and learn more about people/digi and their reasons for such actions, and Ken… He likes everything, and he cannot turn his back on anyone in trouble (he might have absorbed that behavior from Daisuke)

Daisuke is canonically afraid of ghosts. So he’s the kind to be nope-ing outta there whenever he learns the case involves ghosts or supernatural. Of course they manage to drag him over, especially using Hikari as an excuse (“Hikari is going too~”) or Hikari herself pushing his right buttons (“Oh I’d like someone strong and brave to protect me in case something terrible happens!”)

Besides that, Daisuke thinks his crush on Hikari is a secret to everyone else, except everyone – Hikari included – is aware of it.

Somewhere between 02 and Kizuna, Ken started to like Miyako a little more than a friend, but he does not let it be known. No one knows that. (yes, this is canon compliant here.)

Most of the cases they get are some misunderstanding between human and digimon, or digimon and digimon, quite like CS/HM’s cases. 

Since the digimon are known by the public and the number of digimon partnered to people are increasing quickly, this little group activities are important.

If they can’t solve something by themselves, they ask for Koushiro’s help, or the Chosen Children network on the web, or even Gennai (or a Gennai clone).

------------------------------------------------

[Edit June 20/2023]

Got some ideas on table with the friend into Phantom Thief genre again

Their nemesis is Arsenemon, a digimon who steals stuff stolen from the Digital World by the selfish humans/”renegade” Chosen Children. He’s classy and sassy, which makes Daisuke lose his patience with him all the time.  Ken is also determined to stop Arsenemon, but not on a deep level as Daisuke.

Arsenemon can disguise as anyone, and since they don’t know what he looks like, they are clueless. One day someone claimed to have seen Yamato leaving a museum at night and then the kids had to clean Yamato’s name. Turns out Arsenemon’s hair is sorta like Yamato’s…

That said, Yamato hates the idea of some digimon having his haircut or uh… having his face…

Hikari works for her (and Daisuke-Takeru’s) school journal, so this digimon intrigues her as her editor keeps asking about him. She takes photos for Ken-and-the-group’s website.

Miyako helped Ken to build the website and the chatroom to gather cases. The entire group was kinda into it at this point. Students and children from their schools could come ask them for favors and even give them rewards for their assistance and counselor, but they don’t accept doing it for money or gifts. They do it because they want to help humans and digimons to get along now!

Arsenemon does have a point and they accept it, once it is revealed to them his real motives to steal stuff. And yeah, they kinda… side with him later.

By the way, Arsenemon has a human form, but since he can transform into anyone… Well, I’d post his design later (might be a bit of a spoiler for another thing I’m working on but… whatever? ) 

[edit June 25/2023]

I’ve been thinking about it more and more… Sorry in advance.

The 02 group only started doing this because someone was having free time after school and decided to watch Dekaranger and fell in love with it, and since the series kinda felt very close to their reality… The idea was pitched to the rest of the group, which thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea. After all, they were already doing something like this for a while, right? 

When it comes to Arsenemon, the 02 group starts trying to guess who they are… By checking each person outside their circle of friends who’s close to them, especially because of the mysterious Calling Cards they receive. From the suspects they led to two Chosen Children in Daisuke-Hikari-Takeru’s school: Youta and Mizuki.

Youta is suspicious BECAUSE he tends to be all smug and a little aggressive on Daisuke, by making poor Daisuke have a new rival. Youta is also called “Soleil” around the school, and is smart. Partner digimon: Coronamon

Mizuki is suspicious because she’s strangely involved in some with one or two people related to the heists. She’s the pacifist and most calm person in the school – enough to be called “Lune” by the students. She’s also part of the school’s journal staff. Partner digimon: Lunamon.

Noel/Étoile is a kid involved with those two too, so he became another suspect. Besides that, he’s a shy boy who recently started attending the same school as Youta and Mizuki.

The digimon are permitted at the schools, but not at classes. The digimon spends most of the school hours outside the school, in the yard. Some school staff members make sure to feed them and keep watching their behavior, in order for none of them start picking fights against the others or damage the buildings.

Now about the digimon: Soleil’s Coronamon is a more noble and serious digimon with a better sense of justice than his partner, but he’s so loyal to Youta that he won’t argue with the boy. Meanwhile Lune’s Lunamon is a very sweet and gentle one, except she’s very very overprotective of Mizuki to the point this can become a nuisance. 

No one knows who Étoile’s partner digimon is, or if he has one. He tends to not talk about that at all. However he seems to get along with the digimon quite well?

Since Arsenemon can be anyone, and the 02 kids have no idea how to stop him, they lean into suspecting of everyone – except themselves Because… Well, you know, they know each other quite well to not be fooled that easily.

Soleil serves as Daisuke’s nemesis, Lune as Hikari’s rival, and no one has a beef with Étoile because he’s a good kid.

Étoile seems a little clueless about certain stuff, or being kinda weird when making food combos.

Arsenemon has many ways to send a calling card to the 02 group. Some are very creative and some are a little intrusive.

For the calling cards, Arsenemon likes to sometimes pick just one favorite victim because of their reactions. Yes, it is Daisuke. (Angry) Daisuke noises are his pleasure.

[taichi-x-koushiro]

Meanwhile with DigiAdvs' Koushiro Izumi

Koushiro, FIRMLY to Taichi's child {in a hypothetical slightly earlier Epilogue timeline}: No matter what anyone else in this world may believe, you and Taichi-san are important to me too. Taichi's child: Taichi's child: ...Can I spend the night??? Koushiro: Yes. Taichi's child: Can Dad come too??? Koushiro: Koushiro: (It's not like we haven't been seeing each other. But Taichi-san will have some more time soon) Koushiro: It's fine, of course. (Smile) Taichi's child, nodding firmly: Ok, then... before Dad and the rest gets here... Taichi's child, pleading look: (Can I play on the game system with you because I'm very emotional right now and *need* to unwind before I *burst into tears* and you're the *best*???) KoushirO, Immediately Picking Up On: Absolutely Koushiro: (I'll have to pretend to lose again this time, maybe...)

[koushirouizumi]

{from here!}

[ashxketchum]

Taiora - Hugging them from behind.

Is it ok to ask for Sora to be the one hugging Taichi?

+ smirking in a way that suggests more requested by @xnananko

Thank you for the request Anon, and for letting me know that you wanted Sora to be the one to initiate the hug. Though I'll be honest, when I first saw the notification of the ask, I could only read the first part and I'd already decided that Sora would be the one hugging so I'm glad our thoughts matched up 💖

This fic is set in a post adventure canon divergent au aka no 02/tri/kizuna/epilogue etc 😌

Hope you guys like reading it, posting something Taiora related after 7 months 😅

🧡~~❤️

Taichi would be lying to himself if he said that he had remembered Sora’s birthday correctly.

In fact, in the week leading up to it, he kept thinking he was forgetting something important but couldn’t put a finger on it. Until he arrived at school that morning and passed by Sora’s classroom, almost doing a double take noticing the crowd that had gathered inside. He’d always known that she was the kind of girl who made friends with people easily, but it was when he saw seniors and juniors alike handing her little packages and wishing her enthusiastically did Taichi realise, that maybe he didn’t know Sora all that well after all. He’d quickly made his way back to his own classroom, a little grateful that they weren’t in the same class this year and he could take this time to think about how he was going to make it up to her.

A distant memory of a failed gift from his childhood appeared in Taichi’s mind, how when he’d assumed what was better for Sora without asking her how she felt, it left her feeling upset with him during a crucial Digimon attack. He reminded himself to not make a mistake like that again, lest a wormhole opened up above their school and dropped more evil Digimon which Sora might refuse to fight against together with him.

All jokes aside, Taichi knew that he had to act and act fast. He texted Koushiro casually, asking him if he’d gotten anything for Sora at school, trying to make it seem like that he just wanted to check whether it was better to hand over the gift later, outside of school. His friend replied almost instantly, stating that he’d handed his gift to the birthday girl right at the school entrance this morning. Taichi tried his best not to curse under his breath, he’d seen a glimpse of Mimi’s pastel hair in Sora’s classroom, so he knew there was no point in asking the chirpy brunette. So as a last resort, he turned in his seat and came face to face with his best friend.

“You forgot Sora’s birthday,” Yamato muttered dryly, not looking up from the book he was reading, as if this conversation didn’t deserve that honour.

“Yeah.” Taichi accepted his fault, knowing that there was no point in trying to hide the truth from someone as observant as Yamato.

“And?” Yamato turned the page of the book he was reading and still did not seem as invested enough in this problem as Taichi would like him to be.

“Did you get her anything?”

“I’m dating her best friend, Taichi, so of course we got her a gift. As a matter of fact, we handed it over to her yesterday itself.” Yamato stated this as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and it was Taichi’s fault that he hadn’t figured it out yet.

“And you didn’t think of reminding me?” Taichi asked, exasperated by his best friend’s cold behaviour.

“What am I? Your assistant?”

“No, I’d like to think you’re my best friend, but apparently not.” Taichi gritted his teeth and turned away from Yamato, letting his head drop on his desk with a loud thud that scared some of his classmates seated around him.

“Just go to the convenience store during lunch and buy her some chocolates.” Yamato offered in a much softer tone than before, maybe the best friend comment seemed to get to him.

“It’s Sora! I can’t just buy her cheap chocolates for her birthday.”

As much as he wanted to hide his guilt and frustration with himself, it was hard to keep the emotions in when he felt so helpless. With his current track record of gifting stupid stuff to Sora, he wanted to make sure that this time around he’d get her something she would truly like. Of course, to do that he should’ve strived to remember her birthday correctly in the first place. However, Taichi still felt that if he had time on his side, he could make up for this blunder and walk up to Sora with the perfect gift in his hand. Maybe Yamato had figured his intentions out too, because he heard his friend sigh loudly behind him.

“I’ll help you in avoiding her today,” Yamato said.“Just make sure you go buy a gift after school and hand it over to her in the evening.”

“You’d do that for me?” Taichi raised his head and looked at Yamato with shining eyes.

“Yes. I am your best friend right?” Yamato smirked as he turned his attention back to his book.

It seemed that Yamato and Mimi were addicted to texting each other in between classes, which is how his best friend was able to figure out Sora’s schedule for the day, and that made hiding from her a very simple task for Taichi. He managed to keep his profile low the entire day, only stepping out from the comfort of his classroom when it was time for his afternoon soccer practice. But he wasn’t worried about getting caught then since most of the school would’ve emptied by the time his practice was over and Yamato had mentioned something about Sora making plans with Mimi for the evening.

And that’s why, as practice went on and Taichi completely immersed himself in the sport, he let his guard down, ruining all the effort he’d put into staying under the radar during school hours.

He stood gulping down water from his sipper at the edge of the soccer field. Their Coach had wrapped up practice with a few words of advice and while most of his teammates were heading back to the locker room, he considered if he should stay back for about thirty minutes to work on his weak points. He’d already figured out what he would buy for Sora, so he knew he wouldn’t take too much time in getting the gift to her, which should free up some extra time for soccer right now. The sun had only just begun to set and Taichi viewed the orange hue that had started to spread across the skyline with a hint of confusion.

Before he could reach a decision, however, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist.

Taichi felt his whole body tremble as a familiar and sweet, flowery scent reached him along with the warmth that spread across his back as someone pressed themselves against it. He was frozen to the spot and colour rushed into his cheeks when he looked down and noticed the slender arms that now rested comfortably around his waist. The dimmed rays of sunlight made the beige coloured skin shine like bronze, making his fingers twitch with an ache to trace his name slowly across her arm.

“Gotcha!” A soft giggle reached his ears as he felt a chin rest upon his shoulder.

Taichi tried his best to not jump as an electric sensation ran across his body through his ears, the part where Sora’s breath had tickled against his skin still buzzing. His heart began to beat fast when the fact that Sora’s chest was now touching his back registered in his panic stricken mind.

Deep down he didn’t mind the proximity, especially when Sora had been the one to initiate it.

He was used to letting his hand brush past hers or bumping his shoulder with hers when they walked side by side. He didn’t try to hold himself back when he sat next to her, letting his knee rest by hers, letting his head fall onto her shoulder for a quick nap. He never hesitated to take her hand into his own when they walked through crowded streets or ran to get to school on time. However, Sora had never done anything like this before, sure she played along with him when he tried it, but in those few moments when he expected this of her, she’d shy away by averting her gaze or moving further apart.

Something about today must really be different for Sora to suddenly hug him from behind like this.

With all the willpower he could muster, Taichi pried her hands away from his body carefully and took a few step forwards, so he could turn around and face her with a nervous smile.

“Happy Birthday.”

“Thank you.” She returned his smile in full, cherry eyes filled with excitement as she looked at him.

“You’re quite the popular girl today, huh?” Taichi joked, an attempt to hide the anxiousness of being caught before he had the time to get her a gift.

“Is that why you didn’t come to see me all day today?” Sora folded her arms across her chest, tilting her head as she passed him a confused look.

“Yeah.” He lied, swallowing the nervous gulp in his throat with great difficulty, “Almost couldn’t find you, what with your ladies in waiting forming a wall around you.”

Sora narrowed her eyes at him, he could see the gears in her mind turning as she dissected his words and behaviour. He squirmed under her gaze, finding it difficult to hold his ground, he looked up at the sky instead and started to whistle in a low tune. If Sora hadn’t figured out he was trying to hide something from her till now, he knew that this would’ve definitely given him away. As expected, in the next moment she shook her head and sighed tiredly.

“You forgot it was my birthday today, didn’t you?”

“No, I did not! I totally remembered, you just looked so busy-”

“Oh, Taichi please don’t lie to me today.” She interrupted him with a raised hand and he hated how disappointed she sounded. This was the exact opposite of how he’d expected their conversation to go once he finally decided to face her today.

“Just admit that you forgot, I won’t be mad at you,” Sora said, letting her hands drop to her side so she could fidget with the hem of her uniform skirt.

“I didn’t forget.” Taichi reasserted, though he had no idea from where he was getting the guts to lie so confidently. “I...I even- I even prepared an amazing gift for you.”

Since he’d already dug a hole for himself with the first lie, Taichi decided that he might as well dig a little deeper. Looking at the sudden spark of interest that spread across Sora’s face, he felt more motivated to keep going with the plan he’d just come up with a few seconds ago, despite how utterly crazy and reckless it was.

“Really?” She asked him, eyes wide with hope as she stared at him.

“Yeah. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I should get you this year.” Taichi cleared his throat and took a step forward, reducing the distance between them slightly, “But nothing I saw seemed like the perfect gift that I know you deserve, so I came up with something else. Something...something I couldn’t have given you in front of everyone else.”

The sun had pretty much disappeared against the tall skyscrapers of Tokyo, which left the sky drenched in deep shades of purples and oranges. The violet hues danced off of Sora’s auburn hair, surrounding her with a reddish glow that made it hard for Taichi to look away from. Her bright eyes were fixed on him, anticipation bubbling through them as a pink tint spread across her cheeks. What he was about to do next scared him slightly, but looking at her right now, when she was surrounded by a mesmerising radiance that beckoned Taichi to come closer, he knew that he was taking the right step.

This might not be the gift he’d originally thought of, but it was still a perfect gift nonetheless.

With that thought, Taichi took another step forward to close the distance between them.

He cupped Sora’s chin in his hand and tilted her face upwards, pressing his lips to hers gently. He smiled against her lips when he felt both her hands clutch onto his t-shirt as he leaned deeper into the kiss. A soft moan reached his ears when he used his tongue to caress her lips, tasting her orange-flavoured lip balm. He raised his other hand and traced his fingers across her cheek, feeling her soft skin at his fingertips just so he could remind himself that this wasn’t a dream, but he really was standing on the school soccer field and kissing Sora.

The thought jolted awake his rational side and Taichi pulled away from the kiss abruptly, darting his head around to check if they were being watched. He sighed with relief when he noticed that the lights were out in the school building and the field was completely deserted as well. When he turned his attention back to Sora, he saw that she was still clinging to his chest as pouted up at him.

“So..uh..yeah, happy birthday,” Taichi murmured as he avoided looking at her eyes, feeling the repercussion of his bold move flood to his cheeks in the form of a hot flush.

“Hm. I wouldn’t consider it a happy birthday yet,” Sora said as her lips curved upwards and she let her gaze drop to his lips.

“Uh, I don’t understand-”

“Come on, Taichi,” Sora smirked at him as she stood on her toes so she could lean closer towards him. A mischievous glint danced across her dark, rosy eyes as her smile and low tone suggested more than what her innocent words let on, “You can still give me a better gift than that, right?”

Taichi held his breath for a moment, waiting to see if Sora would laugh and push him away, claiming that she was just joking. But when her eyes stayed fixed on his face and her hands continued to hold onto his chest tightly, he allowed himself to grin as he snaked one arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

“The birthday girl’s wish is my command.”

🧡~~❤️