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aayakashii · 4 months ago

Text

Part three to the story! You can read part 1 here, and part 2 here.

Warnings: SFW, gender neutral reader, angst and depiction of a panic attack. If you feel triggered by that, please avoid it and take care of yourself first!!!

Author's note: this derailed into Alan going through it so I'm not sure how I feel about it,,,, I feel like the story took a sharp turn into another direction that is detached from chapter 1. anyway, I would really appreciate your comments if you liked it!

touch starved – ch. 3

Are you available to go through that mission right now?

Alan watched as a typing bubble suddenly appeared on his chat with them, mildly pleased at how fast they visualized his message.

It almost made him feel stupid after stalling to send them a message for so long. Although he would never admit it, because admitting it would be acknowledging his anxiety to talk to them.

Right now?

Hm...

Yes.

I had to go finish some errands for Jin...

He didn't have the right to feel jealous over them, much less over something innocuous like that. It was just their job. And even if it wasn't, he still has no right to feel anything for them at all.

Alan narrowed his eyes at the message, his fist clenching unconsciously around his phone. He stopped himself before could actually crush it into bits. It wouldn't be the first time, actually.

I believe missions are a priority.

Darkwick policy.

Jin has Tohma.

He'll live.

He pursed his lips, mouth forming a thin line as he tried to get rid of that green feeling forming inside his chest, while he thought about typing all the other reasons why they should ditch Jin.

He needed to get rid of it.

I know he will live, it's about MY survival though hahaha

Alan managed to suck in a deep breath. Okay. So they were hesitating just because it was their job, and not because they favored Jin.

Don't wanna lose my head, you know?

Good, good.

Don't worry

I'll keep you safe

Alan cringed at his own corny message, but it was too late. He had no clue on how to delete something after it was sent, so he sat with his embarrassment, nibbling on his own bottom lip as he looked at the "Seen" under his texts that appeared as soon as his messages were successfully sent. A typing bubble appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again.

...

10 seconds feel more like 10 hours.

You there?

He allowed a little bit of his anxiety flow through the message, his right leg bouncing up and down, restlessly, as the heel of his shoe made a loud tap tap tap sound in his room.

Soeey

Sorry*

I got a bit distracted

But okay

I'll see you in a few minutes

I'll let Tohma know I can't see Jin rn and go straight to Vagastrom

Okay.

Alan pursed his lips again, that time to suppress the smile that threatened to creep into his face.

His right leg rested, finally.

No big deal. He knew you were coming just because missions are, indeed, a priority. He knew that.

Deep inside his chest, however, he felt a bubbling pride come to the surface of his feelings.

You chose him over Jin.

He breathed in deeply and rubbed his face with his hands, trying to calm himself down befored you arrived. He had no right to act giddy like that, not him, not ever. He had to wipe that small smile from his face.

A soft knock sounded on his door as Alan finished organizing all the paperwork for the mission. Two cans of iced coffee and a few bags of chips also rested right beside the documents – it was the best he could get with the little time he had.

“Hey, I'm here” your head peeked inside his room, and Alan had to keep himself from flinching. It wasn't characteristic of him to feel jumpy since he was constantly aware of his surroundings, but he had found this new side of himself after the mission regarding Takeru's ghost.

Ever since he saw your body being dragged down by that anomaly, his nightmares seemed to be filled with images of you almost succumbing to that monster. Reminding himself that you were safe, at least for now, was a conscious effort he had to do most days.

He wondered if you had nightmares about him being bloodied from head to toe after he lost control.

“Thanks for coming after such a short notice. You can come in.” he opened the door, ushering you inside.

“It's no problem. Did you take a look at it already?” you walked towards his coffee table, where all papers seemed to be organized and sat on his floor, eyes scanning the pile of documents.

“Mhm, I did.” Alan joined you and slid one of the cans towards your direction “I'm pretty sure they only categorized this as a mission because of the amount of documents with omitted information. It's a lot of work.”

You took a sharp breath through your teeth.

“Yeah, I can see that…”

Alan stared at the troubled expression on your face and suddenly felt a wave of self-consciousness wash over his body.

Working with him must be a chore. Now that he was thinking things through, you didn't need to go through this after all. At least, not again, not when he could handle things on his own this time, even if it was a lot of work. He could just let you leave–

“Actually, you don't really need to worry about this. You are free to go if you have other businesses.” he blurted out, without much thought, his uncertainty getting the best of him.

Alan was everything except a man who was tuned into his emotions. And sometimes, they caught him by surprise when they took over his body and acted on their own.

It was the reason why he was so afraid of his own anger. He didn't know when or if it could take control over him.

You stared at Alan, who sat across from you on the table, and lifted an eyebrow.

“But you called me here.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking apologetic.

Truthfully, he felt conflicted.

A big, loud part of his mind wanted you there, with him. He wanted the comfort of your company, the normalcy and gentleness of being with you; someone so different from the Vagastrom House's students, and from the surroundings that were familiar to him – because he hadn’t known tranquility for most of his life.

Another part of him, however, wanted to push you away because he didn’t feel like he deserved said tranquility.

“Yeah, however–” he was interrupted by the loud sound of a can's lid being snapped open.

“Of course I'm not leaving, Alan. It's my job as an inspector and I want to help you.”

Alan's gaze towards you softened and he took a deep breath, nodding.

Of course you wouldn't up and leave, no matter how much he tried to push you away.

It was one of the things that shook him to his core while he was working with you – not once did you express feeling uncomfortable, but most importantly, you never seemed to be afraid of him, which was unprecedented for Alan.

He knew what the other students said about his past, and he was sure that you were aware of every rumor, of every story people passed on regarding his life. Yet, never once did their fear seem to rub off on you. Each time, you chose to stay beside him, trusting him instead.

He knew that pushing you away was never going to be that simple.

You worked diligently through the first few documents on your pile, laser focused on the task at hand. Your hands moved fast, peppering the paper in red ink as you circled the information that needed to change and the numbers that needed to be input.

Meanwhile, Alan was lost in his thoughts as he looked at you, his hand loosely holding a red pen against the paper, the pen's tip making a small stain on it.

His own lack of movement made you slowly lift your gaze towards him and he flinched again, putting his finger against the red puddle of ink to dry it out faster, and quickly moving the papers to pretend he was just as focused as you.

Your very presence, however, seemed to make it impossible for Alan to concentrate.

He frowned, trying to understand what was printed on that paper right in front of him, but his eyes wandered again from his papers to rest on you, so, so near him.

Looking at your hands, he still felt the faint ghost of your touch on his head. Despite digging his nails into his scalp that whole afternoon, he still couldn't remove the memory of your skin against his hair and it haunted him. He kept on banishing time and time again every greedy thought that merely implied he wanted more of that.

He scribbled random numbers down onto his paper, mind totally focused on the fact that you were right in front of him. He would definitely need to review each and every single document he pretended to correct, because, at that moment, the sound of his heartbeat thumping loud in his eardrums prevented him from concentrating.

He glanced sideways towards you as you moved to grab your coffee. Alan swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, as he observed the way your lips pressed against the can and one stray drop of coffee trailed down your chin, your neck and entered the confines of your uniform.

He licked his lips and gritted his teeth.

How he wished he could taste your skin – but no, no. He couldn't entertain thoughts like that, not when he felt so unworthy of your touch.

He shook his head, trying to chase his thoughts away.

His mind flashed to Dante and the purple and black bruises littering his body and a cloud of guilt immediately hid his desires under its gloomy shadow.

How could he ever think of touching you with the same hands that killed a man? The same hands that held weapons, the same hands that landed him in juvie.

Alan tried to hide all the blood under grease and car oil, but it was still there – and he would rather be damned than cause the same pain on you by cursing you with his attention.

He didn’t deserve you. Not your company, not your friendship, much less your affection.

His heartbeat kept on drumming loudly on his ears, every part of his body seemed to be pulsing in the same rhythm as his thoughts snowballed into a pit of self-hatred.

He felt heat emanate from his skin, even though his room’s air conditioner was blasting the same way it had always been. Alan tried swallowing through the sudden nausea, but his throat felt like it was closing up and his tongue felt heavy on his dry mouth.

He rested his head against his trembling hands, trying his best to breathe even though it felt like his lungs weren’t working. He felt like he was dying. Was he dying? But why? Did something curse him too? Or maybe he was just ill, he never really had any health checks done by Mortkranken anyway, maybe he had been sick already.

He felt like he was going to throw up, but he didn’t even remember where he was. Where was he? He couldn’t see. His vision seemed to have darkened and his chest hurt so, so much. He gasped, trying to force the air inside his lungs.

He wished he could have at least held your hand before he died. Oh, speaking of it, weren’t you working with him just a few moments ago?

“–lan. Alan. Can you hear me? Alan, focus on my voice if you can hear me, please.”

In between the clouds in his mind, he suddenly heard your voice, muffled and distant.

“I’m right here, Alan. Please focus on my voice, I’m right here.”

His head snapped towards you, breathing still erratic. His tunnel vision seemed to expand a little and he managed to make out your face. You were right beside him, an extremely worried expression on you.

Why did you look so worried? Oh, right, he was dying.

“I know it must be hard to focus right now, but I’m gonna keep talking so you can try to come back first.”

He managed to suck in a shaky breath through his nose, the feeling of salty water hitting the back of his throat. His trembling hands moved to touch his own face - it was wet with his own tears. When did he start crying?

This seemed to bring him back a bit more, so you kept on talking.

“Can you hear me better now? Let’s try breathing together?”

He looked at you, thoughts still hazy as his heartbeat kept on drumming loudly.

“Alan.” you called him and he tried to focus on your face.

“I’m going to touch your arm, is that okay?”

You seemed to have said something about touching him and he nodded, confused.

He suddenly felt your hands wrap around his wrists.

“Focus on my hands and on my voice. Okay?”

He nodded again, still unable to speak.

“Let’s try breathing together. I’m gonna count and you’re gonna follow me, okay?”

Your thumbs gently rubbed against his quickened pulse and he felt the fog dissipate a bit more.

“Breathe in deeply for 4 seconds. 1, 2, 3, 4.”

He followed your instructions, trying to open up his own airways.

“Hold for 7 seconds. Don’t exhale yet, okay? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.”

He moved his wrists, allowing you to hold his hands instead and you squeezed them, reassuringly.

“Now let go for 8 seconds. Exhale. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.”

He felt his chest hurt a little bit less and cringed at the damp feeling of his tears wetting his face.

You guided him through his breathing for a few more minutes, until Alan felt like he could speak again.

“I thought I was dying.” he confessed, voice raspy and low. You looked at him, sympathetically.

“You were going through a really bad panic attack.” you said, and he widened his eyes in surprise “You’ve never gone through one?”

He shook his head. So he wasn’t dying. Good. But also, he felt like running away from his mind even more after he that.

“It can happen to anyone. I’ve been through some as well, especially if I’m too trapped inside my own bad thoughts. That’s why I knew that breathing technique.” you grabbed a napkin on his table and kneeled closer to him, motioning with your hands towards his face. “Can I?”

"Okay" he managed to say and hesitantly closed his eyes as he felt you dry his tear-striken face with the napkin.

It was the closest you have ever been to him. He breathed deeply, basking on the scent of lavender fabric softener that came from your clothes, and leaned against your touch unconsciously.

Your eyes softened as you observed him in such a vulnerable state. You didn’t know what was it that plagued him so much that sent him spiraling so horribly, but nothing could beat the certainty that you wished you could protect him from those demons just as much as you wanted to keep touching him.

“Alan.” you murmured and he opened his eyes, suddenly embarrassed as he realized he was resting his cheek on your hand.

He quickly leaned away from you, gaze moving everywhere but your face.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice I wa-”

“Alan” you said, once again, louder. He looked at you, silencing himself.

“Would you let me hug you?”

Alan's eyes widened and, for a moment, his thoughts seemed to halt for the first time in that afternoon.

Your question echoed inside of his skull and all he managed to do in response was lean forward again, allowing you to wrap your arms around him.

You leaned your cheek against the back of his head and made sure to keep breathing deeply and evenly so he could follow your example. His arms were hesitant, and looped awkwardly around your waist, afraid of holding you too tight.

Your hands pulled his arms closer and he froze, his already tensed up muscles feeling even tighter. You moved your hands to his back again and began rubbing circles against the fabric of his vest.

Alan tried his best not to allow himself to melt against your touch, but after a while, he failed to keep himself from indulging in the feeling of peace that you gave him. It was something he only found in you and he felt like he could happily drown in it.

Your head moved, and you leaned back in order to be able to look at his tired eyes.

“I hope you know you can count on me if you ever need to talk about something. You don’t have to deal with your thoughts alone.” you murmured, arms still keeping his locked in your embrace.

Alan avoided your gaze, looking down at the documents you two still had to write, long forgotten.

The persistent voice in his head still tried to claim he wasn’t worthy of anything you were offering him, but in your arms, your voice was much louder than any insecurity he could have.

He chose to listen to you, even if just for that moment.

He nodded, arms steadying around your waist.

“Thank you.”

Masterlist link

#tokyo debunker #alan mido #tokyo debunker alan mido

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popawritter12 · 7 months ago

Note

Amo tus escritos! Estaba buscando algo así desde hace mucho.

Quería preguntarte- ¿A qué yanderes les importaría tu consentimiento y a quienes no?

Si te hace sentir incómodx escribir algo así, puedes ignorarme.

Author's note: Anon, ¿puedo decirte que te amo?

ADORO ESTA IDEA, Y SIEMPRE LA QUISE HACER PERO NO ENCONTRABA UN BUEN CONTEXTO, PERO ¿EL CONSENTIMIENTO? DIOS QUE BUENA IDEA.

/english: Anon, can I tell you that I love you?

I LOVE THIS IDEA, AND I ALWAYS WANTED TO DO IT BUT I DIDN'T FIND A GOOD CONTEXT, BUT CONSENT? GOD WHAT A GOOD IDEA.

Also, thank you so much for your very original request <3<3<3!!!

So, with your amazing idea, let me open a new series of posts that I have long needed to do.

It will be called

“In each situation, how would this Yandere react?”

In this case, let's start with 5 archetypes: -Is not interested in your consent. -It's important, but in an extreme case may not need it. -Thinks it is important only in sex. -Without your consent doesn't even touch you with a stick. -Does not understand what consent is

And, since you didn't specify which fandom, I'm going to list some of the ones I'm in! <3

Let's start with the soft.

Without your consent doesn't even touch you with a stick.

League of Legends

Alistar, Bardo, Blitzcrank, Braum, Ivern, Kalista, Kassadin, Maokai, Nautilus, Rakan, Shen, Soraka, Taric, Wukong, Yone, Karma.

Kengan Ashura

Yoshinari Karo, Haruo Kono, Jun Sekibayashi (<3<3), Mikazuchi Rei, Mokichi Robinson, Suekichi Kaneda, Agito Kanoh.

Stardew Valley

Krobus, Willy, Linus.

Team Fortress 2

Engineer.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Part 1: Erina, Jonathan Joestar, Speedwagon, William Zeppelin.

Part 2: Smokey, Wamu.

Part 3: Joseph Joestar

Part 4: Tonio, Reimi Sugimoto, Koichi,

Part 5: Doppio.

Part 6: Foo Fighters

Part 7:Lucy Steel.

Demon Slayer

Ozaki, Genya, Nezuko, Mitsuri, Tanjiro, Gyutaro, Gyomei, Tamayo and Yushiro

TMNT: MM

Mikey (<3) April.

Mortal Kombat 1

Liu Kang, Geras, Smoke, Baraka, Asharh,

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance

BladeWolf.

Thinks it is important only in sex

League of Legends

Akshan, Aphelios, Camille, Ekko, Ezreal, Darius, Hwei, Illaoi, K'sante, Leona, Nilah, Pantheon, Pyke, Riven, Ryze, Yoeick, Yasuo, Xhin Zhao, Sarah Fortune, Taliyah, Ornn, Tryndamere, Nami, Janna, Kai'sa, Kindred (sheep), Senna, Udyr, Varus, Garen, Lee Sin, Master Yi.

Kengan Ashura

Kaolan Wongsawat, Saw Paing Yoroizuka, Gensai Kuroki, Ryo Inaba, Seishu Akoya, Takeru Kiohzan, Jerry Tyson, Niko Tokita, Adam Dudley, Ren Nikaido, Takeshi Wakatsuki, Ryo Himuro, Marvelous Seki, and Ichiro Nakata.

Stardew Valley

Maru, Emily, Marnie, Sandy, Caroline, Harvey, Robin, Marlon, Rasmodius, Clint.

Team Fortress 2

Heavy, Scout, Soldier and Spy.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Part 2: Lisa Lisa, Joseph Joestar,

Part 3: Kakyoin, Avdol, N'doul, Mariah, Hol Horse.

Part 4: Shigechi, Jotaro, Okuyasu.

Part 5: Bucciarati, Giorno, Fugo, Risotto Nero, Pesci, Trish Una, Squalo, Tiziano

Part 6: Hermes, Weather Report.

Part 7. Gyro, Hot Pants, Funny Valentine, Pocoloco.

Demon Slayer

Giyu, Yorichi, Kyojuro, Urokodaki, Kanae, Kagaya Ubayashiki, Kanao, Muichiro, Obanai, Akaza, Sabito, Murata.

TMNT MM

Leonardo and Donatello.

Mortal Kombat 1

Kung Lao, Raiden, Syzoth, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Sindel, Li Mei,

Metal Gear Rising

Armstrong, Boris, Sam, Raiden, Courtney, Kevin.

It is important, but in an extreme case could “forget” about it

League of Legends

Ahri, Akali, Azir, Caitlyn, Fiora, Irelia, Jarvan IV, Jayce, Kayle, Kayn, Morgana, Quinn, Rell, Sett, Shyvana, Sona, Swain, Sylas, Twisted Fate, Luxana, Vayne, Victor, Xayah, Zeri, Alune, Olaf, Seraphine, Ashe, Diana, Lucian, Nasus, Sivir, Talon.

Kengan Ashura

Cosmo Imai, Tokita Ohma, Muteba Gizenga, Sen Hatsumi, Naoya Ohkubo, Keizaro Sawada, Julius Reinhold, Sen Hatsumi,

Stardew Valley

Abigail, Alex, Elliot, Gunther, Haley, Leah, Kent, Jody, Penny, Sebastian, Sam and Shane.

Team Fortress 2

Demoman and Sniper.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Part 1: Straizo.

Part 2: Stroheim, Esidisi. Caesar Zeppelin

Part 3: Polnareff, Jotaro, Vanilla Ice.

Part 4: Josuke, Yuya Fungami, Rohan,

Part 5: Mista, Ghiaccio, Narancia, Abaccio, Prosciutto.

Part 6: Anasui, Jolyne, Pucci.

Part 7: Dio, Jhonny Joestar.

Demon Slayer

Zenitsu, Kokushibo, Sanemi, Uzui, Daki, Shinjuro.

TMNTMM

Raphael.

Mortal Kombat 1

Kitana, Mileena, Kuai Liang and Rain.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance

Sundower, Moonson.

Is not interested in your consent

League of Legends

Aatrox, Bel'veth, Brand, Cassiopeia, Draven, Elise, Evelynn, Gangplank, Graves, Jhin, Katarina, KKhartus, Le Blanc, Lissandra, Mordekaiser, Nidalee, Quiyana, Renata Glasc, Renekton, Sejuani, Singed, Syndra, Thresh, Urgot, Vi, Virgo, Vladimir, Xerath, Zyra, Tham Kench, Malzahar.

Kengan Ashura

Karla Kure, Raian Kure, Setsuna Kiryu, Hajime Hanafusa and Yohei Bando.

Stardew Valley

Mr. Qi and Morris.

Team Fortress 2

Medic.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Part 1: Dio .

Part 2: Kars.

Part 3: Dio, Mariah, D'Arby,

Part 4: Yoshikage Kira, Yukako, Akira Otoishi,

Part 5: Cioccolata, Melone, Formaggio, Illuso.

Demon Slayer

Douma, Enmu, Muzan, Shinobu, Gyokko, Hantengu, Sekido, Karaku, Urogi, Zobakuten, Uzami, Nakime and Kaigaku,

TMNTMM

(none)

Mortal Kombat 1

Bi Han, Shao Kang, Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Nitara, Reiko and Havik.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance

Mistral

Don't know the concept of consent

League of Legends

Briar, Dr.Mundo, Galio, Gwen, Hecarim, Jinx, Lillia, Neeko, Orianna, Rek'sai, Rengar, Shaco, Sion, Skarner, Trundle, Vel'koz, Volibear, Warwick, Zac, Aurelion Sol.

Kengan Ashura

(none)

Stardew Valley

(none)

Team Fortress 2

(none)

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

Part 2: Santana.

Part 4: Mikitaka.

Part 5:Secco.

Demon Slayer

Inosuke,

TMNTMM

(none)

Mortal Kombat 1

(none)

CON ESTO TERMINAMOS

Fue hermoso, espero que les haya gustado leer esta pequeña lista salida d mi creatividad y del pedido de este anon ;)

/ english

WITH THIS WE END

It was beautiful, I hope you liked reading this little list from my creativity and this anon's request ;)

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tobiasdrake · 3 months ago

Text

Digimon Adventure 01x39 - Two Great Ultimate Evolutions! Push Back the Darkness / The Battle for Earth

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Vamdemon came back in a Biblical way and began destroying Odaiba via rainbow hip thrusts. To stop him from eating everybody, Takeru and Hikari shot their brothers full of arrows. More importantly, PicoDevimon fucking died.

The first full minute of this episode is just replaying the cool CGI Warp-Evolution sequences from the end of the previous. Both because they're fucking cool and to set the stage for the fight to come, with Show Me Your Brave Heart already blaring.

This is immediately followed by their rundowns, before we've even seen any of the kids. WarGreymon is an Ultimate-stage Vaccine-type Dragon Person Digimon. MetalGarurumon is an Ultimate-stage Data-type Cyborg Digimon.

Kinda weird that MetalGarurumon was a Vaccine for his whole evolution chain until now and suddenly becomes Data. That's because these two come from the same evolution tree in the V-Pet, which has one Ultimate for each of the three types.

WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon are from the Metal Empire line - along with the Virus Ultimate Mugendramon, who we'll get to meet shortly. Though the 0.5 rerelease several months after this episode would replace Mugendramon with VenomVamdemon; An obvious bit of tie-in synergy that doesn't really fit the theme of Metal Empire.

Narrator: WarGreymon. An Ultimate-stage Digimon Warp-Evolved from Agumon. His special attack Gaia Force gathers ki from his surrounding area and unleashes it all at once.

I think we all understand the concept of chi or ki but just in case, it's the natural energy that exists in all things but especially living things, which can be harnessed, regulated, and controlled according to certain belief systems. Basically what George Lucas ripped off when he invented the Force.

Gaia Force is basically the Genki-dama/Spirit Bomb from Dragon Ball. Pretty unapologetically, in fact; Wait 'til you see it in action.

Narrator: MetalGarurumon. An Ultimate-stage Digimon Warp-Evolved from Gabumon. His special attack, Cocytus Breath, freezes his enemies solid before he smashes them to pieces!

Oh look, there's another ancient mythology reference from the nerds over at Digimon Adventure. :P Cocytus is a lesser-known one of the five rivers that encircles the Greek underworld, literally named "Lamentation". But it's more likely that this is a reference to Dante's Inferno, whose author borrowed many things from the Greek underworld.

In the Inferno, Cocytus is the ninth and final circle of Hell; A frozen wasteland where betrayers are confined. This is where Satan is found, held captive in the ice at the center. You can see the connection between that and the frosty power MetalGarurumon intends to bring to bear against the (Wiki Article who can Punch You version of the) Beast of Revelations today.

Izzy: (rundown) It's WarGreymon! It says here his attack is Terra Force. Gathering the energy around him and focusing it in the palm of his hand! Izzy: (rundown) MetalGarurumon has his Metal Wolf Claw attack! He shoots a powerful cold blast at his enemies, then blows them to pieces!

Unsurprisingly, Izzy does not have the nerve to reference Dante's Inferno right now.

Koushiro: Ultimate-stage... They've evolved into Ultimate-stage Digimon! Tentomon: Well, I feel less useful now. Yamato: Yeah, you're right. Tentomon: What.

In the wake of the two Ultimate evolutions, Tentomon self-deprecates. To which Yamato hilariously agrees, prompting a short but clearly agitated response. XD Fucking rude, Yamato. Holding Taichi's hand is making his bad habits rub off on you.

In the dub:

Izzy: Mega Digimon! They Digivolved into their Mega Digimon forms! Tentomon: That's great, 'cause we'll need them to beat VenomMyotismon! Matt: Yeah! That's for sure! Tentomon: Good luck! I'll wait here....

Really? Come on, dub team. That joke was right up your alley. You love it when the kids are mean to each other for no good reason.

WarGreymon kicks us off, wreathing himself in energy and launching himself into VenomVamdemon like a bullet.

The attack hits so hard it knocks VenomVamdemon off his feet and sends him crashing down into the rubble. The observation deck from the Fuji broadcasting center rolls by. Remember when we blew up Fuji TV? Remember how cool that was!?

I jest, but there's a narrative purpose to showing us the observation deck again. WarGreymon didn't just hit VenomVamdemon, he shoved him all the way back to the FCG Building. Remember, he's trying to close the distance to Big Sight, and we want him to not do that. There's about a mile of space where, if he finishes crossing it, thousands of people will die.

This big energy tackle of WarGreymon's pushed VenomVamdemon all the way back to his starting point. Which is way more of a hit than anyone's been able to do to him thus far.

The humans hops back in the van because now they have to drive half a mile to get back to the fight.

Taichi: GO, WARGREYMON!!! Hikari: SO POWERFUL!!!

VenomVamdemon climbs back to his feet. MetalGarurumon follows up on the attack, opening up countless panels on his body and firing off missiles in every direction.

(Uh. Hopefully the ones that didn't go in VenomVamdemon's direction are homing missiles or something. Please do not randomly destroy parts of Odaiba, MetalGarurumon. The devastation is bad enough as it is.)

MetalGarurumon's ice missiles slam into VenomVamdemon, exploding and freezing every part of him that they hit. Encasing his whole body in an icy prison.

(Kind of like Satan in Cocytus, yes, I got your reference.)

Takeru: Ah! Yamato: Amazing!

The Yagamis are much more enthusiastic with their cheering than Yamato and Takeru. XD Taichi is hollering his lungs off, while Yamato's in the back seat like, "Pretty cool, yeah."

...wait, why is Yamato in the back seat? His dad is driving; How the hell did Taichi pull shotgun?

In the dub, Izzy joins in the cheering for the sake of silence-breaking.

Izzy: WAY TO GO, WARGREYMON!!! YOU CREAMED HIM!!! ...I think.... Tai: Look! There they go! Get after him, WarGreymon! Kari: Put his lights out! MetalGarurumon: ICE WOLF CLAW!!! (MetalGarurumon follows up with ice missiles) T.K.: Frozen! Matt: Solid!

The missiles aren't called as an attack in the original, but the dub identifies them as MetalGarurumon's signature move. Kind of odd because there's no clawing involved, but Cocytus Breath doesn't sound like it has clawing involved either so I'm not sure what's up with that attack name to begin with.

Unfortunately, VenomVamdemon won't go down that easily. Drawing up his power, he breaks free from the ice holding him.

VenomVamdemon: RAAAAAAAARGH!!! MetalGarurumon: He can't...! WarGreymon: How can he do that!? VenomVamdemon: Now I'm mad... NOW I'M MAD!!! VENOM INFUSE!!!

NO MY CONFIGURATION DATA

Finally unveiling his signature move, VenomVamdemon shoots out his Venom Infuse as rainbow streaks from his eyes. Notably different from the disintegration rainbow streaks from his crotch.

Unfortunately, these attacks do not disintegrate their targets. A stray blast knocks half of a building loose, sending it down almost on top of Hiroaki's van. He swerves to avoid being crushed, but the impact sends him into a rollover. R.I.P. to the party bus; It's been a valuable member of this team.

In the dub, VenomMyotismon continues to be more verbose than his counterpart.

VenomMyotismon: GYAAAAGH!!! MetalGarurumon: It didn't work! VenomMyotismon: Your miserable attempts to destroy me have failed! Now you will pay! Hehe... Hehehehehe... AHAHAHAHA!!! (VenomMyotismon shoots unnamed rainbow beams from his eyes)

The dub does not name Venom Infuse. Instead, VenomMyotismon just... laughs... for five straight seconds. Must have been thinking of something really funny. Consequently, it's not really clear that this is supposed to be the big attack, so it just looks like he's shooting more ambiguous projectiles at them.

The dub also gives Hiroaki a silence-breaker when the car flips over.

Hiroaki: Everybody out! Get clear of the van!

If it seems weird that he's making it sound like the van's a threat, remember those American cultural sensibilities at play. Americans are confident that cars will explode into a fireball at the slightest provocation. It's a miracle they're all not burning to death already.

The humans climb out of the car and run for cover to avoid being hit by the next stray shot. Though Masami, it seems, was injured in the crash; Hiroaki supports him and helps him limp to safety.

Meanwhile, at Big Sight, the others watch the fighting from a distance.

Shin emerges from the convention center to join the three Chosen Children.

Jou: Ah! Shin-niisan! How's Dad doing? Shin: No change. (Jou and the girls all slump in disappointment) Gomamon: We'll have to defeat Vamdemon if we want them to wake up. Mimi: My Papa and Mama.... (face hardens) I want to defeat Vamdemon! Palmon: Mimi! I can still fight! Mimi: (smiling) Palmon....

As seen when Lilimon first evolved, this is what gets Mimi riled up. Mimi fights to end the fighting, so that she won't have to fight again. She does not want to be here, and her power comes from her straightforward and honest desire to reach a conclusion.

Piyomon: Sora? (Sora kneels down to get on Piyomon's level; Piyomon simply nods to her) Sora: Okay! Jou: (affectionately) You guys....

Sora and Piyomon are on the same wavelength, to the point that they don't even need to exchange words. They feel what the other is feeling and agree.

Suddenly, Gomamon jumps onto Jou and then clambers up his body until he reaches Jou's shoulders, draping himself over Jou's head like a hood.

Gomamon: "Let's go, Gomamon!" How come I'm not hearing those words? Jou: Heh... Alright! LET'S GO, GOMAMON!!! Gomamon: YOU GOT IT!!!

And Jou's better learned how to take charge and be bold as a leader from Gomamon. He sprints towards VenomVamdemon without another word, ready to join the fighting.

Sora: (bows to Shin) Please take care of my mother! (Sora runs off after Jou) Mimi: (to Shin, does not bow) My Papa and Mama too! (Mimi runs off after Sora and Jou) Shin: Don't do anything reckless....

In the dub:

Joe: Jim, how's Dad? Is there any improvement yet? Jim: No, still exactly the same. Gomamon: Alright, I'm tired of fooling around! We have to defeat Myotismon once and for all! Mimi: Our parents always protected us. Now it's time we came through for them! Palmon: Mimi! If we do it together, we can beat him! Mimi: Think so? Palmon: Mhm! Biyomon: I'll try! Sora: You will!? Biyomon: Yeah! Mhm! Sora: Okay! Joe: We already tried! Gomamon: So we'll keep on trying, Joe! Because Digimon never give up! (Gomamon climbs up Joe) Gomamon: Like they always say: All for 'mon and 'mon for all! Joe: Hahahaha.... YOU'RE RIGHT!!! WE CAN DO IT!!! LET'S GET 'EM GUYS!!! (Joe runs off into battle) Sora: (bows to Jim) You'll have to excuse Joe; He's a little hyperactive. (Sora runs off after Joe) Mimi: (to Jim, does not bow) Please take care of our parents, Jim! (Mimi runs off after Sora and Joe) Jim: Good luck, you guys.

Doesn't really capture the moment of strength and determination that this is supposed to be for each of these three characters.

Also, why is Sora apologizing to Joe's older brother for the way he behaves? Jim should already know what Joe's like.

At the FCG Building, the humans have somehow managed to separate from one another despite all being together when they exited the van.

While the Digimon fight, the humans run around calling for one another.

Taichi: HIKARI!!! Hikari: ONII-CHAN!!!

Hikari's voice momentarily distracts Angewomon. She looks down at her human on the ground and misses when a large piece of rubble comes flying her way. By the time she notices it, it's too late to avoid.

Yamato: TAKERU!!! Takeru: ONII-CHAN!!!

VenomVamdemon backhands Angemon into a nearby building's wall. He crashes near the three adults, who've somehow managed to stay together while losing track of all five children. Great adulting, guys. A+ job.

Izzy: DAD!!! MOM!!! Tentomon: Ah! The others are here!

Birdramon, Ikkakumon, and Togemon all charge aggressively at VenomVamdemon's heel.

Togemon: VAMDEMON!!! WE'RE HERE TO FIGHT TOO!!! Tentomon: I'm going to join in!

Man, that shot really puts into perspective how gigantic he really is.

The dub edits the shot of Angewomon getting struck by the rubble. We see the rock carrying her to the ground, but not her momentary distraction or the moment of impact.

They don't edit Angemon getting backhanded into a wall, though. Only Angewomon getting smashed by a rock is edited to obscure which angel got hit. She doesn't even get to make a pain yelp like in the original; We just hear Vamdemon roaring while a rock smashes a vaguely angelic character.

Weird.

I suspect it's about her visible gender. Creatives, especially back in the day, sometimes get hand-wringy about letting violence happen to female characters. Boys are taught that you shouldn't hit a girl and they grow up thinking that's, like, a universal moral constant that women must never be harmed in any situation ever.

I mean, you shouldn't hit a girl. You also shouldn't hit a boy. You shouldn't hit anyone, except in circumstances that are already violent. But the problem is that boys internalize this not as "Don't do unwarranted violence to people" but as "Women are too weak and fragile for manly roughhousing."

Then they become writers and extend it to mean women can't be recipients of slapstick jokes, male heroes must never strike female villains even if they're actively fighting each other, or even that female heroes can never be shown being struck in combat. Or even go so far as to not let women be heroes because that would involve putting them in combat situations where they might get hit.

We've made a lot of strides since I was a kid in allowing female characters to get hit in both slapstick bits and action scenes. But for this turn-of-the-millennium show, that's the only reason I can think of for censoring Angewomon's rock but not Angemon's backhand. Someone in the office probably got nervous when a visibly humanoid woman was struck with a giant rock onscreen.

As for the kids yelling for one another, uh....

Tai: KARI!!! Kari: WHERE ARE YA, TAI!?!? Matt: TAI!!! T.K.: GET 'EM, ANGEMON!!! Izzy: MOM, DAD, I'M COMING!!! Tentomon: Look, Izzy! All the others have Digivolved too! There's Ikkakumon and Togemon and Birdramon! I'm going in!

Tai and Kari stay on point, but Matt's more interested in hooking back up with Tai than in T.K.'s wellbeing and T.K.'s too focused on the fight to even care that he's lost.

Tentomon offers no surprise whatsoever to see the backup Digimon suddenly enter the battle and instead has evolution envy.

Tentomon evolves into Kabuterimon to join the fighting. With the whole team assembled, the only thing left to do is dogpile on VenomVamdemon's stupid crotch-face.

WarGreymon: Yes! Everyone, attack him together!

The entire team combines their attacks, firing into VenomVamdemon's crotch-face. Once their attacks have all struck, WarGreymon follows up by spinning super-fast and wreathing himself in energy. He launches an attack he calls Brave Tornado straight into the vulnerable spot in VenomVamdemon's crotch that they've opened up.

Ultimately, the attack plan works, penetrating through VenomVamdemon and bringing him to his knees.

Hiroaki: They got him.

The dub calls WarGreymon's attack "Mega Claw", reusing the name they gave to MetalGreymon's extendo-arm.

Too bad it's still not enough.

Out of the hole WarGreymon put in VenomVamdemon comes some sort of dark shadowy gremlin thing. To protect its secret identity, VenomVamdemon's crotch-goblin also wears a mask.

Mimi: KYAAAAHH!!! Taichi: WH-WHAT THE HELL!?!?

In the dub, VenomMyotismon's given dialogue here. In the original, he's just roaring in a bestial rage.

VenomMyotismon: YAAARGH!!! YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME!?!? HA!!! YOU'VE ONLY AWAKENED THE BEAST WITHIN!!! (Crotch goblin emerges) Mimi: AHHHHHH!!! Tai: WHAT IS THAT THING!?

Before anyone can get their heads in the game, the crotch goblin attacks.

(Y'all, I am so glad I have screenshots because I don't know how I would even begin describing what is happening right now without illustrations.)

The crotch goblin sprays a burst of dark energy into the ground that explodes out radially, washing over every Digimon. It's a heavy blow to the whole team, knocking them all out of the action and leaving the children defenseless.

VenomVamdemon: I WILL DEVOUR ALL OF YOU!!!

The next half-minute or so is spent cycling through silent reaction shots of each Chosen Child individually. I've selected Hikari's because she hasn't gotten much snapshot screentime yet.

Y'all are lucky Mimi just got a big shared reaction shot with Taichi or this would've been her. YES I AM BIASED AND MY KID DESERVES RESP--

As usual, VenomMyotismon is more verbose than his counterpart. The silent reaction shots are also filled in with silence-breakers.

VenomMyotismon: NOW I'LL DEVOUR ALL OF YOU SO-CALLED DIGIDESTINED!!! YOU'VE STOOD IN MY WAY FOR THE LAST TIME!!! Mimi: (thinking) It can't end like this! Matt: (thinking) I let everyone down again! Sora: (thinking) I wish I could have done more.... Izzy: (thinking) It's impossible he survived that! Joe: (thinking) Maybe we should surrender.... T.K.: (thinking) This is scarier than the movies! Kari: (gasp) Tai: (thinking) I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!!!

Mimi, Matt, Sora, Izzy, and Tai are all pretty much perfect in terms of hopeless situation characterization. Joe's being characterized as a coward again. T.K. is... okay, I guess? They literally didn't even try with Kari.

Just when all seems lost, the Chosen Children's Crests begin to shine brightly.

Beams of holy energy emerge from the Crests, ensnaring VenomVamdemon's limbs and neck. Crotch goblin starts yelling at the kids.

VenomVamdemon (Crotch): RELEASE ME, YOU FILTHY CHOSEN CHILDREN!!! Taichi: It talked? That's it! The disgusting bakemono must be Vamdemon's true form!

That's a leap in....

Oh, hey, no, he's right. That is the weird shadow ghoul thing possessing Vamdemon's mask last episode. I always thought it was weird that VenomVamdemon is supposed to be Vamdemon's "true form" 'cause, like, that implies he could transform like this at any time but allowed himself to be slain earlier for funsies.

But it's the crotch goblin. Vamdemon's true form is a formless undead spirit inhabiting a mask. Both the Dracula man and the Wiki Article Beast of Revelations are just outer shells he forms around him when he's consumed enough energy.

(I kind of love that a bakemono inside the Dracula is the true Vamdemon too because Vamdemon is the evolved form of Devimon and Bakemon, so that makes sense.)

This actually makes sense to me now.

The dub has Tai talk over the Crests glowing.

Tai: Huh!? My Crest! Everybody, look at your Crests! They're all starting to glow!

But once they start grabbing VenomMyotismon, he stays quiet and lets the scene play out until the crotch goblin starts talking.

VenomMyotismon (True Crotch): Curse you, DigiDestined! Curse you and your lousy Crests! Let go! Waugh! Let go! Tai: Look at that! Mega freaky! I wonder if that monster represents Myotismon's actual form?

Tai reaches the same conclusion as Taichi but I guess it just didn't make sense to me as a kid because the only explanation he offers is that it's "mega freaky". To be fair, Taichi's not acting on that much more information.

Crotch goblin sounds way more pathetic in the dub. XD

Taichi has an idea now for how to win this

Taichi: WARGREYMON!!! WarGreymon: Got it! MetalGarurumon: WarGreymon!

MetalGarurumon bops the poor Fuji TV observation deck into the air, passing it to WarGreymon.

Sora: NICE PASS!!! Children: SHOOT!!!

WarGreymon receives the observation deck like a soccer ball, shooting it straight into crotch goblin's dumb face. It lets out a shrill scream like a baby cry, forcing me to take back what I said about VenomMyotismon's crotch goblin being the more pathetic of the two.

The dub leans in on this.

Tai: WARGREYMON!!! WarGreymon: Pass me the ball! (MetalGarurumon silently passes it) Sora: Nice pass. Children: SHOOT!!!

Dub Sora sounds way less invested in the impromptu soccer game.

With VenomVamdemon momentarily stunned by the soccer shot, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon fire up their strongest attacks. Sending Gaia Force and Cocytus Breath straight into VenomVamdemon's vulnerable crotch, they annihilate the little shadow wraith and finally, finally strike the kill-shot.

His true form destroyed by the overwhelming power of soccer hooliganism, VenomVamdemon breaks down, disintegrating into pixels chunk by chunk until nothing is left. The battle for Odaiba is finally, truly over.

With Vamdemon's true death, his spells break. The mesmerized adults at Big Sight wake up, with Tachikawa Keisuke being the first to speak up.

Keisuke: Huh? What happened? Shin: Great job, Jou!

Glad to see Shin knows who the real hero here is. This was a triumph for Jou-senpai. And, to a lesser extent, his crew.

Their energy drained, Koromon and Tsunomon return to Taichi and Yamato. Yamato pets Tsunomon affectionately while Taichi hoists Kunomon aloft and dances.

Koromon: TAICHI!!! Taichi: Great job, Koromon! Yamato: You did well, Tsunomon.

Speaking of drained energy, Mimi notices an unidentified Digimon now among their group.

Mimi: Huh? Who are you? Plotmon: I'm Plotmon. It's nice to meet you.

Plotmon is a Child-stage Data-type Mammal Digimon. I believe we already went over her V-Pet status back in her backstory episode, but she gets her formal rundown here.

Narrator: Plotmon. A Child Digimon with long, floppy ears. She is the degenerated form of Tailmon. Her special attack is Puppy Howling. Hikari: Tailmon must be in her Child form now because she used up all her energy helping Agumon and Gabumon evolve to their Ultimate levels. Jou: Kehhhhh...?

Jou doesn't get it but I do.

In the dub, apparently Mimi's parents know Joe's brother. Don't ask me how.

Keisuke: Hey, what happened, Jim? Jim: IT MUST BE JOE AND THE OTHERS!!! THEY DID IT!!! THEY WON!!! (Cut back to the FCG ruins) Koromon: We did it, Tai! We did it! Tai: Ahahahaha! Tsunomon: Wasn't that cool, Matt? Matt: Great job, Tsunomon! Mimi: Look, a stray Digimon! Salamon: Don't you recognize me? I was Gatomon. Salamon: (rundown) What do I have to do, cough up a furball? Kari: (rundown) That's Salamon, the Rookie form of Gatomon. Isn't she cute? Much more cuddly than her Ultimate form of Angewomon. Kari: But I guess she's back to being a Rookie because she used up all of her energy during the fight. What are we going to do? They don't allow pets at our apartment! Joe: Drag!

Uh. Nobody tell Kari but I'm pretty sure her apartment is a parking lot right now. She's going to be living in a refugee shelter for a few months. They'll probably put people up at Big Sight, now that I think about it. The damage Vamdemon did to Odaiba is catastrophic.

(Also, she has a cat. This bit doesn't work. They clearly do allow pets at her apartment.)

With Vamdemon's spells broken the fog barrier breaks down. At last, we can see the sky again.

Sora: Hey, look! The sky is clearing up!

The final sign of our true victo--what the FUCK is that!?

Sora: (gasp) Mimi: DYAAAAAAH!?!? Takeru: It's not true! Jou: I-It can't be....

At some point during all that nonsense within the fog barrier, the merging of worlds has begun. Strips of reality hang in the sky, on the other side of which lies the Digital World.

Hikari: Onii-chan, I'm scared! Taichi: What is this...?

This is easier to grasp, right off the bat, what's happening in the original. The dub cut the one line where Myotismon mentions that he's "destined" to merge the two worlds and reign over the conjoined reality as its king. He's dead now, but he apparently made some headway into fulfilling his task while we were all trapped in the fog.

But since the dub didn't mention that, this comes more out of left field there.

Sora: Hey, look! The sky's clearing up! (Jubilation slowly turns to horror) Sora: ...what...? Mimi: AAAAAUGH!!! T.K.: HEY!!! NO WAY!!! Joe: That's... not possible.... Matt: Huh!? Joe: There's a... giant island... floating in the sky! Upside-down! Kari: (gasps) Tai: Things... Just keep getting weirder!

Their dialogue isn't really any different than in the original; We just don't have the previous context to make sense of what they're seeing.

Commercial break, then we return to the strange new phenomenon taking place all across the world.

Narrator: The upside-down continent appearing in the sky could be seen all across the world.

We cut to various places across the planet including New York and Antarctica before returning to Big Sight. Yagami Yuuko and Susumu exit the convention center, laying eyes on the strange phenomenon.

Susumu: Is this... a mirage? Shin: (on his moped) No, I think that's real. Yuuko: Um, do you know where our children are? Where are Taichi and Hikari? Shin: They're at Fuji TV station. I'm on my way to check out the situation. I'll meet back up with you afterward!

Shin takes off on his moped before they can ask any further questions.

We then briefly see a ferry finally able to cross the bay into Odaiba. Takaishi Natsuko, Takeru's mom, is on her way. Everybody there is staring up in shock at the ribbons streaked across reality in the sky as well.

Narrator: The mysterious continents floated eerily in the night sky. Strangely enough, none of the radars, satellites, or other electronic equipment on Earth recognized their existence.

Ironically, if you were to ask Google AI, it'd probably have a better grasp of what's hanging in the sky up there than real-world tracking equipment would. There's no way the Digital World hasn't snuck into its training data.

The dub replaces the cold narration with Tai whining.

Tai: Man, why does this have to happen now when we were just feeling good about beating Myotismon!? It's like the world is turning upside-down or something!

This line plays out over the shots of various geographic locations with the reality ribbons above them, which doesn't really connect to Tai's line but isn't entirely unrelated to it either.

Susumu: Hey, what's going on!? Jim: (on his moped) Whatever it is, it doesn't look too good for our side. Yuuko: Oh, Jim! Have you seen my children? Do you know where Tai and Kari are? Jim: No, but I have an educated guess. I'm gonna search where the monsters were fighting. I'll come back when I find them, okay?

Fucking everybody knows Joe's older brother. He's the most popular guy in town, I guess. XD

An interesting change here is that Jim doesn't say they're at the TV station. Which is a good change, I think, 'cause he shouldn't know that. They weren't going to Fuji; They were going to fight VenomVamdemon, who was so big he could be seen from Big Sight. They'll be wherever VenomVamdemon died, which could be anywhere in Odaiba.

That spot is the Fuji broadcasting center, but that's a mile away and all the landmarks have been destroyed. So it's a bit of a leap for Shin to assume that they ended up at Fuji specifically. Jim here is planning to drive in the direction of where the giant monster was and just keep his eyes peeled for children.

The narrator is done away with for the ferry shot as well, with a voice-over from Izzy replacing him.

Izzy (V.O.): This isn't making any sense! It looks like an entire upside-down continent in the sky, but it doesn't show up on radar or on any satellite pictures! In fact, no instruments of any kind can confirm that... Whatever it is, is really even there!

I could be snippy about Izzy somehow possessing all this information but actually the dub did assert in an early episode that he likes to hack into government systems for shits and giggles. So we can assume he's just breaking all kinds of laws right now to bring us this revelation.

As the ferry pulls into Odaiba, it discharges a truly terrified mother. Courtesy of the Fuji building being right on the coast, she's able to quickly reunite with her son.

Both of them.

Natsuko: TAKERU!!! TAKERU!!! Takeru: (turns around, surprised) IT'S MAMA!!! Natsuko: TAKERU!!!

Natsuko sprints out into the ruins to hug her son. She hasn't noticed them yet, but Yamato and Hiroaki watch her arrive. Yamato stares in silence at his mother, while Hiroaki lights up a cigarette.

Natsuko: Thank goodness you're safe! I was so worried about you! Were you scared, Takeru? Takeru: No, Onii-chan was with me!

It's at that moment that Natsuko looks up and sees Yamato. She stands.

Natsuko: (surprised) Yamato.... Yamato: (vulnerable) ...Mom....

This is incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. It's pretty clear at this point that HIroaki and Natsuko don't see very much of the sons the other took. They've basically made a clean break in their divorce, with the brothers sneaking around in secret to remain in contact with each other. This is where a lot of their trauma and separation anxiety throughout the series has come from.

But Takeru's having none of this tense, uncomfortable moment. He grabs Natsuko by the wrist and drags her over to face Yamato.

Natsuko: (smiling warmly) Yamato... You've grown taller again. Yamato: Yeah, a little. Natsuko: You look good. I'm glad. Hiroaki: Natsuko.... (Natsuko looks up from Yamato, finally noticing Hiroaki) Hiroaki: It's been a while. Natsuko: (awkward) ...yeah.... Takeru: (cheerful) Ahaha! It's been a long time since the whole family got together, hasn't it, Onii-chan? Yamato: Yeah, I guess it has....

@_@ All of the family drama in this arc is hitting me way harder than the scary Dracula monster. It's amazing how age changes context.

In the dub:

Nancy: T.K.!!! T.K.!!! WHERE ARE YOU!?!? T.K.: (turns around, surprised) MAMA!!! Nancy: Oh! Ohhh, T.K.! I was so afraid I'd never see you again! (Nancy runs over and hugs T.K.) Nancy: You must have been terrified, T.K. T.K.: Nuh-uh! Matt was with me the whole time! (Nancy stands up) Nancy: (surprised) Matt.... Matt: (vulnerable) ...Hey, Mom.... T.K.: C'mon! (T.K. grabs Nancy by the wrist and drags her over to Matt) T.K.: Come see Matt! And Daddy too! Nancy: Oh, Matt. I'm so proud of you! Thank you, son! Matt: (surly) Yeah, whatever. Nancy: Don't be like that. Please, Matt. Hiroaki: Nancy. (Nancy looks up from Matt, finally noticing Hiroaki) Hiroaki: It's... been a long time, hasn't it? Nancy: (awkward) Yes, it has. T.K.: (cheerful) Ahaha! It's been a really long time since all of us were together, huh, Matt? Matt: (surly) Yeah, I guess so.

I don't think the dub liked the implication that Natsuko hasn't seen Yamato in months or even years. Enough for him to physically change to a noteworthy degree.

In their version, Nancy tries to congratulate him for... I guess, for taking good care of T.K.? It's not like she knows anything else that happened after T.K. disappeared on a giant wooly monster. There's a lot of accolades he deserves but that's the only one I think she'd be able to deliver.

In any case, she gives him a thumbs up and he decides to be surly about it. The awkward discomfort of this whole situation is replaced by Matt emotionally stonewalling his mom. Which is still awkward and uncomfortable, just differently so.

While Yamato and Takeru's family are having this moment, the Americans make bad choices.

Narrator: Could the strange continents be an optical illusion? An American reconnaissance plane headed off at once to find out.

The plane crosses through the boundary between worlds, then freezes up as it crosses over and falls out of the sky.

Pilot: NOOOOOOO!!!

I'm sorry but the pilot's over-the-top scream of "No" killed me. XD About as hard as this tailspin is about to kill him!

We should probably do something about this before the Americans' next plan is to shoot missiles at it. We're about thirty minutes away from fearfully carpet-bombing the Digital World. Bombs that will probably come right back to us if what happened to that plane is anything to go by.

In the dub, Izzy pitches in for the narrator again.

Izzy: Check this out, guys. I've been monitoring the news reports. The Air Force is sending in everything they've got to figure out what this continent in the sky really is. They don't know anything so far! But they're assuming it's dangerous. (Plane crosses the boundary and freezes) Pilot: This is Hawkeye One MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY!!!

Americans have a better grasp on American military lingo. Can't imagine why. Though I admit, I'm sad to see the hilarious "NOOOOOO" go.

No mention of the plane being American. Also, apparently this one plane was everything the Air Force has. Yeah, they haven't been getting the funding they need since the election of Japanese Bill Clinton. Some costs needed to get cut.

R.I.P. to the one remaining aircraft we had left.

Mimi: I hope my Mama and Papa are okay.... Sora: I'm sure they are.

Suddenly, the kids hear the sound of a honking horn. It's Shin's moped closing in on them.

Palmon: Someone's coming! Jou: Ah! That's...! (Shin pulls up) Jou: SHIN-NIISAN!!! Mimi: ONII-SAN!!! Shin: All of your families back at Big Sight are safe! Everyone's recovered! Hikari: YAY!!! Mimi: (grabs Sora's hands) Isn't that great, Sora-san? (Sora withdraws one of her hands to wipe a tear from her eye) Sora: Yeah!

Mimi calls Shin "Onii-san" because it's fairly common in Japan to use familial terms as a polite way for young people to address older people. You might call an older man "father" or "grandfather", for example, even if he's not related to you. Addressing people in Japanese is very complicated.

The dub lets Mimi start talking sooner so she can have a longer line.

Mimi: I have to admit that I'm a little jealous that Matt and T.K. found their parents, and Izzy too! I just hope my Mom and Dad are alright! Sora: I know how you feel. Me too. ...huh? (headlights approach) Sora: Someone's coming! Joe: Alright! My brother! ...hey, I didn't tell him he could ride my scooter! (Jim pulls up) Mimi: JIM!!! Joe: JIM!!! Mimi: Have you seen my Mom and Dad!? Jim: All the other families that were at the convention center are fine! They're all back to normal! Kari: AWESOME!!! Koromon: YAY!!! Mimi: (grabs Sora's hands) Sora, they're safe! (Sora withdraws one of her hands to wipe a tear from her eye) Sora: Great!

I love the way this scene plays Mimi. The longer line stays on-point and works super well, and I also like her frantic interrogation of Jim when he pulls up. This was a good one.

For a quick gag, the dub also claims that the moped belongs to Joe, actually. Which. Raises. A tremendous amount of questions given that he's fucking 12.

Shin takes out a small pocket TV, turning on the news.

Reporter: Those continents in the sky are not an illusion! They really exist! No one knows what the cause of this might be, but many are fearful that these strange continents will forever replace the blue sky of our world! Jou: W-What is happening!? Yamato: Is this part of Vamdemon's plan too!? Tsunomon: That's impossible! We killed Vamdemon for good this time! Koromon: Yeah, no doubt about that!

Koushiro disassociates from the conversation, his attention locked on something in the sky. The others talk around him while the camera fixes on his curious expression.

Taichi: Then what are they? Takeru: What's going to happen to us? Jou: Whatever the case, we need to figure out what's causing it first.

Brief cut to the target of Koushiro's attention. One particular mountain sticks out among all the others in the sky landmass. There's something about that mountain. Something he recognizes.

Koushiro: (thinking) That mountain... It looks exactly like Infinity Mountain! But that's impossible....

It does seem pretty impossible on account of that mountain being part of a continuous landmass. There's no ocean in sight. And yet.

In the dub:

Jim: Let's check the news. (Jim opens his pocket TV) Reporter: The latest report we have from the Air Force Chief of Staff confirms that the mysterious landmass in the sky is not an illusion of any kind. It is very real and, after several confrontations, apparently very dangerous. Joe: It's covering the whole sky! Matt: It has to be Myotismon's work again. Tsunomon: But that's impossible, isn't it? We defeated Myotismon for good this time! Koromon: Yeah, we kicked booty! (Closeup on Izzy disassociating) Joe: Well, you heard the news report. It's definitely dangerous. Who else could be doing it? Tai: What does it matter who's doing it!? We just have to stop it! Izzy: (thinking) There's something familiar about that mountain... It looks like Infinity Mountain!

"After several confrontations" WTF? XD We sent more planes. We just. We kept feeding planes into it one after another. Hahaha.

"It's apparently very dangerous" WELL MAYBE IT WOULDN'T BE IF WE DIDN'T KEEP CRASHING PLANES INTO IT. XD Japanamericans!

Jou and Taichi have their lines rearranged so that Tai can be the one trying to take charge instead of Joe. Their leadership styles are wildly different.

Having found a point of interest, Koushiro decides to confirm his suspicions.

Koushiro: Taichi-san! (points) Can you use your mini telescope to take a closer look at that? Taichi: (takes out his telescope) Where? Koushiro: Look, that mountain over there. Taichi: Which one? There are too many mountains. I can't tell which one you're pointing at. Koushiro: That one! Look! Taichi: Saying 'that one' isn't much help. Where is it--AH!!! Koushiro: What is it? Taichi: A plane. There's an airplane up there!

Koushiro looks up and can just barely make out the blinking of three lights, signifying a plane passing overhead.

In the dub:

Izzy: Hey, Tai! (points) Grab your telescope and get us a closer look at that peak right there! Tai: Huh? (takes out his telescope) Which one? Izzy: There! The big one I'm pointing to. Tai: Oh, like that helps me. Alright, I'm looking. Man, there are dozens of mountains up there! Which one? Izzy: The big one! Tai: The big o--WHAAA!!! Izzy: Did you find it? Tai: What I found is a jetliner! Izzy: Wha!?

Pretty faithful, little difference of note.

Up in the air, the pilot tries desperately to reach someone over the radio, but there's no response.

Pilot: Control Tower, please respond, over. Control Tower! Shit, what's going on.... Copilot: Sir, we're going to have to make an emergency landing. There's no fuel left in the tank. Pilot: I know that! If we only had someone to guide us down the runway.... Copilot: Our prospects aren't looking good! An American military base could--AHHHH!!!

Instruments on the plane begin to flash.

Pilot: What's happening!? Copilot: The fuel gauge is at empty! We can't control the plane anymore! We're going to crash! Pilot: That's impossible!

The plane tilts out of the sky, beginning its long descent.

Taichi: Ah! The plane's falling! It's going to crash! Sora: Piyomon! (Cut back to the cockpit) Pilot: We have to... make it somewhere.... Copilot: AHHHHHHH!!!

In the dub:

Pilot: Ground Control, this is Flight 224. We have lost our vector. Over. ...Strange. Why don't they answer? (tries again) This is 224 to Ground Control. Control, do you copy? Repeat, we have lost our landing vector. Come in, Ground control. Copilot: We can't land here now and we can't turn back with the fuel we have left onboard. (Lights start flashing suddenly) Copilot: What!? Pilot: The alarm! All systems failure! We've got about two seconds to figure out what's wrong here! Copilot: No use! Nothing's responding! We're going down! (Cut to the kids below) Tai: Oh no! The airplane reached the edge of that thing in the sky and just headed straight down! Sora: Biyomon! (Back to the cockpit) Pilot: Got to... pull out... We'll break up at this speed! Copilot: AHHHHHHH!!!

In the original, the plane ran out of fuel. They've been flying well below the reality ribbons so they didn't run afoul of what happened to the recon plane. But they haven't been able to land because telecommunications down in Tokyo have been going haywire since this all began, something we've been shown repeatedly.

The dub makes this about the reality ribbons. They briefly mention that they're low on fuel, but what kills the plane is that they accidentally flew into the boundary between worlds despite it being shown to be well above them, and despite the plane not freezing up like the recon plane did.

Birdramon rises into the air to try and catch the plane, but she spots something. A stray Kuwagamon is in their airspace. It buzzes past the plane, freezing one of the plane's wings as it passes, just like what passing through the boundary does. The plain goes into a spin.

Birdramon flies up underneath the plain to stabilize it, but can't deal with its weight. They're still going down.

Jou: BIRDRAMON!!! Birdramon: Hrrrrrrrgh! Sora: GANBATTE, BIRDRAMON!!!

Ahhh, ganbaru. Overcoming tremendous hardship through hard work and perseverance.

Sora's Crest shines, Super-Evolving Birdramon into Garudamon to give her the strength she needs.

The dub gives Birdramon some silence-breakers here, since this scene doesn't have a lot of dialogue but Birdramon doesn't need lip flaps either.

Birdramon: If I can just get there in time! (Kuwagamon flies in) Birdramon: It's Kuwagamon! Where did he come from!? (Kuwagamon buzzes the plane, freezing the wing. Birdramon moves in to catch the plane) Birdramon: (screeching) Joe: DO IT, BIRDRAMON!!! Birdramon: (more screeching) Sora: BIRDRAMON, DIGIVOLVE!!!

The original treats the mystery of Kuwagamon's appearance as self-evidently mysterious while Dub Birdramon calls it out and demands to know WTF. Nothing wrong with either approach in my opinion.

Seeing Garudamon struggling, Kabuterimon flies up to lend a hand.

Kabuterimon: I'll help y--WAUGH!!!

Kabuterimon has to swerve, narrowly missing the Kuwagamon he didn't realize was up here too. Without missing a beat, he fires up his Mega Blaster.

Kabuterimon: TAKE THIS!!!

His shot passes straight through Kuwagamon as if it wasn't there.

Kabuterimon: What the hell!? Garudamon: Pull back, Kabuterimon! DON'T TOUCH IT!!!

Kabuterimon jerks aside as Kuwagamon comes back around for another pass. Heeding Garudamon's warning, he lets this strange phantom Kuwagamon fly off. The creature heads across the bay into Tokyo proper. I'm sure that's fine.

From there, they guide the plane down into the bay, setting it down in the water so the people inside can escape in life rafts. I think they set the plane down just outside Shibaura, across what used to be the Rainbow Bridge from Odaiba. It looks like the Shibaura harbor to me.

This act of heroism leaves them so exhausted that they stop being animated, and the people below watch them levitate off into the distance as still frames.

Though AtlurKabuterimon's still-frame reveals he had to Super-Evolve for this too between scenes.

In the dub:

Kabuterimon: I'll help too! (Kuwagamon flies by) Kabuterimon: Huh!? Kuwagamon!? ELECTRO SHOCKER!!! (The shot passes through Kuwagamon) Kabuterimon: HUH!?!? IT WENT RIGHT THROUGH!!! Garudamon: Kabuterimon, get away! Don't touch him! (They let Kuwagamon go and set the plane down.) Tai: Nice going, Birdramon. You brought the plane down safely.

Tai's silence-breaker at the end there doesn't seem to make much sense at all. Somehow he's talking to Garudamon from Odaiba while addressing the wrong evolutionary form and completely snubbing AtlurKabuterimon's contribution. Why do you have to use your psychic powers for evil, Tai?

Once Garudamon and AtlurKabuterimon degenerate into Pyokomon and Mochimon respectively, the kids debrief them on what happened.

Taichi: Hey, was that Kuwagamon? Pyokomon: He flew here from those continents! Koushiro: I knew it. Group: Huh/Eh!? Taichi: What do you mean? Koushiro: That place up there is the Digimon World. Jou: EHHH!?!? Taichi: What did you say!? Yamato: That's the Digimon World!? Mimi: Now that you mention it, it does look kind of familiar.... Shin: Hey! Take a look at this!

In today's linguistic adventure, the other world is "Digimon World" in English.

The kids don't get a chance to process what Koushiro said, because Shin pulls their attention to his little TV.

Reporter: Please watch this. These images are not special effects!

The report shows various places around the globe under attack by Digimon. Gorillamon, Airdramon, Tyranomon, and Kuwagamon are all seen attacking various cities and places around the globe. Everywhere they go, things around them freeze over like the planes.

Pyokomon: We can't touch those Digimon! If we do, we'll freeze up like that plane wing! Mochimon: My Mega Blaster went right through them, too. Taichi: Damn it, what the hell is going on!? Hikari: Is that where you live, Plotmon? Plotmon: No. That is no longer the Digimon World that I knew. Koushiro: Oh, that's right. It's been several days since we came here, which means several years would have passed in the Digimon World. Koromon: We came here without fixing the distortions in the Digimon World, so it must be in pretty bad shape now. Sora: Which would then started to affect our world too.

Realizing the grim truth of what they're seeing now, the kids stare up in horror at these reality strips crossing the sky.

In the dub:

Tai: You guys, how'd Kuwagamon get here? Yokomon: He came out of that land in the sky! Izzy: I was right all along! Group: Huh!? Izzy: That giant continent... is actually the Digital World! Joe: WHAAAAT!?!? Matt: That's why you recognized that mountain! Mimi: Yeah! You know, it does look sort of familiar. Sora: What's it doing here? Jim: Guys, you'd better have a look at this! Reporter: We bring you now new footage of some truly bizarre scenes. (Digimon attacks around the world) Reporter: No official explanation has yet been given for what you are seeing here. Yokomon: Kuwagamon again! And if we touch these Digimon, we'll freeze, just like the airplane's wing! Motimon: And when I fired my Electro Shocker, it passed right through. Tai: Man! What's going on here! Kari: Salamon, is that your world up there? Salamon: I think so, but the last time I was there, it was definitely right-side up. Izzy: Just a minute. We've been back in the real world for only a few days, but up there, time is much faster. Years and years have passed by. Koromon: And since we left the Digi-World when it was such a mess, it had years and years to just get worse! I can only imagine what the place looks like now! Sora: And all the problems in the Digital World have become our problem here in the real world!

The dub usually struggles with expository scenes but here, they actually do a pretty good job of it. They're held back by the fact that they've always talked around the kids needing to "correct distortions", so they have to compensate by saying they "left the Digi-World when it was such a mess".

It's a little awkward but it still gets the point across: The Chosen Children were called to fix the Digital World before the growing instability became apocalyptic for both worlds. But because Vamdemon's side-quest back to the human world made them fuck off for years, time has run out and the worst-case scenario has begun.

Taichi: Let's go! Back to the Digimon World. Mimi: But how? Jou: When we first went to the Digimon World, our Digivices led us there. That should work again! Koushiro: It's worth a try. Taichi: Yes! Gather your Digivices, everyone.

The team puts their Digivices together in a ring.

Taichi: Please! Take us back to the Digimon World!

Hardened and made ready by their experiences, this time the eight Chosen Children make the choice for themselves to re-enter the Digital World. They're ready to complete the work they were once drafted against their will to do.

In the dub:

Tai: That's that! We've all got to go back! Mimi: But how? How are we supposed to get there? Joe: The first time we went to the Digital World, our Digivices led us. You guys try it again. Izzy: You're coming too, Joe. We're all in this together. Tai: Alright, everybody! Hold out your Digivices! We're going back! (The team puts their Digivices together) Tai: Next stop: The Digital World! Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times!

In a break from tradition, Tai calls it the Digital World in the dub, rather than the usual phrasing of Digi-World.

Joe's dub-induced cowardice makes me want to throw things. Trying to chicken out and let the others go without him is one of those gags that isn't just annoying but goes all the way to the "He would not fucking say that" extreme.

Kido Jou-senpai would not fucking say that.

The eight Digivices glow brightly, sending a rainbow of light up into the sky and creating the way forward.

Jou: This path of light will transport us to the Digimon World! Taichi: Yeah. I'm sure we'll make it safely. Sora: Our Digivices will guide us.

The dub picks the moment before the Digivices start to glow as a good time for a commercial break. That's fair. Upon return, Tai brings us back up to speed with a quick line.

Tai: Here we go, everybody! (The Digivices create a different kind of Rainbow Bridge) Izzy: i think it's working, Tai. This light must be here to guide us. Joe: Now all we have to do is follow it. T.K.: Back to the Digital World! Hahaha!

They change who's talking and it's a lot drier but nothing objectionable.

Unfortunately, before they can go, some people have concerns with what the kids are doing right now.

Natsuko: TAKERU!!! Takeru: I'm sorry we have to leave just when all of us were together again, Mama. But we'll be back soo-- Natsuko: You can't! Hiroaki: Let him go. We made a few selfish decisions of our own too, remember?

Flashback to the separation of the boys in the divorce. Natsuko's eyes fill with tears.

Yamato: If we don't do something, the Earth will be doomed. That's Why I... We're going to protect you and everyone else, Mom! Natsuko: (quietly, crying) ...Yamato....

Hiroaki's logic here doesn't really track. We selfishly broke the kids up therefore we should let them go to an alien world and fight monsters. I don't think fairness is really the concern here. But to be fair to Hiroaki, he's spent more time with the Chosen Children than anyone and knows firsthand how fucky all this shit is and how unique they are.

He isn't happy about sending the children into danger but he kinda gets it. Natsuko, meanwhile, was trapped outside the fog barrier this whole time and has seen none of it. So her Reasonable Parent Opinions are very Reasonable Parent Opinions, and it's heartbreaking that she has to let this happen to her babies anyway.

In the dub:

Nancy: T.K. T.K.: Huh? Mom! Oh, I'm sorry we have to leave now that we're finally back together again. Nancy: You can't! Hiroaki: Let him go. We've made some selfish decisions of our own, remember? (Flashback) Hiroaki: We have to let them do this. This could be more important than we realize. Matt: The whole world is doomed if we don't do something, Mom! You know we have to go back! We're doing this to protect you! Nancy: (quietly, crying) ...Matt....

Mostly the same, but Hiroaki's given a silence-breaker to let him make a more salient argument than "We have to let the boys be child soldiers because we divorced."

Though Nancy's first line is pretty funny. Natsuko calls out to Takeru in a panic. Nancy just... sternly says his voice, like she caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. Not exactly the right tone here, but not necessarily wrong either. XD

But moooooom, you don't understaaaaaand!

Shin chimes in to support the children's decision.

Shin: We're counting on you. We've always taken for granted that morning comes after nightfall, but now we can't be sure we'll ever see the sun again.

Poetic, but Koushiro's mom takes issue with that, looking affronted about halfway through when she realizes where he's going with that.

Kae: DON'T BE SO MORBID!!! I believe in these children. Shin: No no, I do too! Jou: It will be fine, Nii-san. (sudden burst of confidence) We'll make certain that the sun does come up again!

A powerful moment for Jou! That the girls promptly bully him for.

Sora: Ooooh, Jou-senpai is so cool! Mimi: It's so unlike you!

The kids all laugh at Jou's expense while he hangs his head in defeat - Accidentally backing into the portal in the process and getting picked up by the ass.

Mimi: Wha--!? Sora: Jou-senpai! Jou: AAAAAUGH!!!

Well, the nakama must be back together because we're back to tormenting our poor, put-upon senpai. XD

The kids quickly join Jou in the rainbow portal, rising towards the Digimon World together.

Taichi: Ittekimasu! Natsuko: Takeru! Yamato!

Right now's a good time to talk about that word Taichi just said. Ittekimasu is a customary Japanese phrase for when you are leaving a place with intent to return. It's a kind of ritualistic phrase, said almost automatically when leaving the home, for example. Like saying Itadakimasu before eating. I am stepping out for a bit but I will be back later and will see you then.

There's a lot of ways it can be translated. I'm heading out! See you later. Back in a bit! Etc. etc. But I've opted to leave it untranslated here and instead explain the intent because this is a highly emotional moment, and the mundane yet heartwarming domesticity of the phrase's usage in this scene doesn't really come through with its more cavalier-sounding translations.

Takeru and Yamato wave farewell to their mother, but Yamato feels self-conscious after a moment and stops waving.

In the dub:

Jim: You guys better get crankin'! Although it's hard to believe the fate of the world's in the hands of a bunch of kids like you. I guess if the sun doesn't come up tomorrow, we'll know you messed up! Kae: Stop it! You've got to have faith in your brother and his friends! What they're doing is incredibly brave! Jim: Whoa! Sorry, Lady. I didn't mean anything. Joe: It's okay. He was only kidding. And besides... (sudden burst of confidence) I'm gonna make darn sure the sun does come up! Sora: Joe! I didn't know you had it in you! Mimi: Ahahaha, what a man! (All the kids laugh at Joe; he hangs his head and backs into the portal) Sora & Mimi: What's happening? Joe: AAAAUGH!!! (Everyone jumps in the portal) Tai: Alright, here we go! Nancy: Matt! T.K.! Take care of each other!

Sora and Mimi are still making fun of Joe in this version, they're just subtler about it.

Finally met someone in this city that Jim doesn't know.

While Yamato and Takeru get to say goodbye to their loved ones, we pan over to Sora who looks disappointed that they have to leave so quickly. Suddenly:

Toshiko: SORA!!!

The adults from Big Sight have all arrived, at the last possible second, to the sight of their children rising into the sky in a column of rainbow light.

Sora: Mom... MOM!!! Mimi: PAPA!!! MAMA!!! Taichi: DAD!!! Hikari: MOM!!! Yuuko: TAICHI!!! HIKARI!!!

The column rises, taking the children further from their parents.

Hikari: DON'T WORRY ABOUT US!!! WE'LL COME BACK SOON!!!

Cutting silently to their frightened parents, watching the children go. First Yagami Yuuko and Susumu. Then Tachikawa Satoe and Keisuke. And then finally Takenouchi Toshiko.

Children: (all together) ITTEKIMASU!!!

Vanishing into the other world, the Chosen Children leave behind only that one familiar word. I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back soon. I'll see you when I come home.

The dub uses all the silent panning shots of this scene to fill in dialogue.

Toshiko: SORA!!! I love you, Sora! Please come home soon! I'll be waiting here for you! Sora: Bye, Mama.... BYE, MAMA!!! Mimi: MAMA!!! PAPA!!! Tai: BYE, DAD!!! Kari: BYE, MAMA!!! Yuuko: OH, TAI!!! BE CAREFUL!!! Susumu: AND TAKE CARE OF YOUR SISTER, SON!!! Kari: I'LL BE ALRIGHT!!! DON'T WORRY, WE'LL ALL BE BACK!!! Tai (V.O.): I never thought we'd volunteer to leave our families behind. It's weird. I'm not sure if we'll ever see them again. But I'm not afraid! It's like, just knowing that they love us gives us the power that we need. Kids: (Miscellaneous farewells, such as "Bye Bye" and "We'll be alright") Narrator: What powerful new enemy waits for the DigiDestined in the Digital World? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.

Neither of the Kamiya parents says goodbye to Kari and I'm kinda mad about it.

Tai's voiceover there is to try and hit the same emotional chords that the team's collective Ittekimasu hit for the original. The word doesn't translate well in this particular context so they had to come up with their own emotional heartstring-tug.

The sudden ominous narrator, however, is a total mood-killer. Jerk.

Assessment: On the one hand, how quickly we go from defeating VenomVamdemon to returning to the Digital World feels a little rushed. But on the other hand, it's supposed to feel rushed. Because we're in a rush.

It sucks that we couldn't see the kids properly meet back up with their families and say real farewells to them. But it's supposed to suck. It sucks for them too. Every minute we spend out here is another, like, week where the situation in the Digital World is further destabilizing. There's no time for drawn-out goodbyes.

So we move into the final arc of Adventure 01. Shit's about to get real from here. @.@ I am not ready.

I think the dub on this one was hit-or-miss. It had some genuinely great moments, even parts where it added onto the original in good and interesting ways, and some other clunky bits. To their credit, they nailed the big Plot Exposition scene which is where they often struggle.

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

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theaddictedwatcher · 4 months ago

Text

Hello everyone!

The series I will introduce to you today is an American science fiction series categorized as cyberpunk. Created by Laeta Kalogridis (Avatar, Shutter Island, Alita: Battle Angel) and based on the novel of the same name written by Richard K. Morgan which was written in 2002, the first season of the series was commissioned by Netflix in 2016 and was released on the streaming platform in 2018. I'm going to tell you about the Altered Carbon series.

As always, let's start with a short synopsis: In a future where humans can transfer their minds from one body to another, Takeshi Kovacs -a rebel- is brought back to life 250 years after his death to solve the vicious murder of the richest man in the world -Laurens Bancroft- in exchange for his freedom. He must find allies, pay attention to every detail, and remember what he was taught as a diplomatic corps to succeed. And a short technical presentation : - Created by Laeta Kalogridis. Based upon Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon trilogy. - Music by Jeff Russo. - Main cast: Joel Kinnaman, Renée Elise Goldsberry, James Purefoy, Kristin Lehman, Martha Higareda, Dichen Lachman, Chris Conner, Ato Essandoh, Trieu Tran, Anthony Mackie, Lela Loren, Simone Missick, Dina Shihabi, Torben Liebrecht.

THE PRODUCTION

As I said in the introduction, Netflix ordered the series in January 2016, fifteen years after Laeta Kalogridis - the series's creator- optioned the rights for a film adaptation of Richard K. Morgan's 2002 novel Altered Carbon. According to her, the complex nature of the novel and the fact that the subject matter is rated R made it difficult to sell the project to a production company. But that was before Netflix launched the project as a series! In fact, the series was one of the many dramas commissioned in a short space of time by the streaming platform, which had committed to spending $5 billion on original content and agreed to make it a project for a mature audience over the age of 16.

Laeta Kalogridis co-wrote the script and was executive producer in addition to her role as creator of the project. Richard K. Morgan, the author of the novel, acted as a consultant during the production of the series. The first season - consisting of 10 episodes - was released in 2018 and the second season - consisting of 8 episodes - will be released in 2020.

In 2018, Netflix also announced an animated film derived from the series to ‘expand the universe’ by adding new elements to the story's mythology.

Titled Altered Carbon: Resleeved and released in March 2020, a month after the release of season 2, the feature film uses character designs by manga artist Yasuo Ōtagaki (Moonlight Mile). It is written by Dai Satō (Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy Bebop) and Tsukasa Kondo, directed by Takeru Nakajima (Sword Art Online) and Yoshiyuki Okada, and produced by Anima Studio. It also features an original soundtrack by Keigo Hoashi (Square Enix's Nier franchise) and Kinuyiki Takahashi.

Following the release of the second season and the animated film, Netflix decided in April 2020 not to renew the series. Unlike the cancellation of other series, the decision to cancel Altered Carbon was not linked to the COVID pandemic but stemmed from the lack of return on viewings to the production costs. In fact, the series is the most expensive Netflix production to date and, although production costs have not been disclosed, Joel Kinnaman - who plays Takeshi Kovacs, the series' lead character - said they had “a bigger budget than the first three seasons of Game of Thrones”.

Enough introductions, it's time to get to the heart of the matter! To be perfectly honest, I didn't enjoy watching this series, but I'll come back to that later. I didn't manage to watch it in full and haven't seen the film, although I'll give it a chance one day. In my observations and remarks, there could be questions that remain with me and which may have been answered in the episodes I couldn't bring myself to watch.

THE UNIVERSE

But let's start by giving you more information about the universe into which the series plunges us. The first season takes place in 2384, in a futuristic city called Bay City. In this future, a person's memory and consciousness can be stored on a disc - called a stack - implanted in the back of their neck. The shell can be human or synthetic. In the event of physical death, these storage discs can be transferred to a new envelope. However, if a person's disk is destroyed, then their death is final. While theoretically, this means that anyone can claim immortality, in practice only the richest people - the Meths - have the means to do so through the use of clones and remote back-ups of their consciousness. But these are very expensive and so reserved for a certain financially comfortable elite.

In this reality, Takeshi Kovacs - played by Byron Mann (Skyscraper, The Big Short) in flashbacks - is a political agent with mercenary skills. He is the only surviving soldier of the Envoys, a rebel group defeated during an uprising against the New World Order.

In the first season, which takes place 250 years after the destruction of the Envoys, Kovacs' stack is pulled from the prison where Kovacs was sentenced by Meth Laurens Bancroft. Played by James Purefoy (Solomon Kane, Churchill, Rome), the 300-year-old Bancroft is one of the richest men in the established worlds. Bancroft offers Kovacs a new shell - played by Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop, Suicide Squad) - and the chance to solve a murder and get a new lease on life.

The second season of Altered Carbon begins 30 years after the conclusion of season 1 and finds Takeshi Kovacs - played by Anthony Mackie (Captain America: Civil War, Black Mirror, Notorious) - the sole surviving soldier of an elite group of interstellar warriors, continuing his age-old quest to find his lost love, Quellcrist Falconer - played by Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton, The Good Wife, Masters of Sex). The season picks up some of the characters from Broken Angels - the second book in the series - but has a plot closer to that of the third book in the series, Woken Furies.

THE POST-CYBERPUNK GENRE

The term post-cyberpunk was first used around 1991 to describe Neal Stephenson's science fiction novel Snow Crash.

In 1998, in an article entitled Notes for a post-cyberpunk manifesto, the writer and critic Lawrence Person identified the emergence of a post-cyberpunk current. Cyberpunk was popular in the late 1970s and 1980s (Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, William Gibson's Neuromancer). Lawrence Person defines post-cyberpunk as ‘bringing in characters and settings different from cyberpunk, and, above all, making fundamentally different assumptions about the future. Far from being lonely outsiders, post-cyberpunk characters are often an integral part of society. They evolve in a future that is not necessarily anti-utopian (in fact, they are often bathed in an optimism that ranges from caution to exuberance), but their daily lives remain marked by rapid technological renewal and ubiquitous computerized infrastructure.’ (Notes for a post-cyberpunk manifesto, 1998).

The following are the main differences between post-cyberpunk and cyberpunk:

Like its predecessor, post-cyberpunk describes a realistic near-future rather than distant futures set in space. The focus is on the social effects of technology deployed on Earth rather than on space travel.

Cyberpunk typically deals with addicted loners in a dystopia, whereas post-cyberpunk tends to deal with people who are more involved in society, from the middle classes of the population, and there are very detailed descriptions of the characters' environment.

The post-cyberpunk individual tends to be warm and funny, attempting seduction through optimism after years of seduction through dread with the cyberpunk individual, who is colder and more sinister.

In cyberpunk, the alienating effects of new technology are highlighted, whereas in post-cyberpunk, technology is society. Post-cyberpunk therefore allows more technocratic themes and themes relating to the downside of technology to be included than cyberpunk.

Post-cyberpunk also offers a more realistic description of computers, consisting, for example, of the replacement of traditional virtual reality by a network of voice, image, sound or holography based on the Internet, or the abandonment of metallic implants in favor of body modifications using biotechnologies (particularly nanotechnologies).

Post-cyberpunk undoubtedly emerged in part because science fiction writers and the general population were beginning to use computers, the Internet, and PDAs without suffering the massive digital divide predicted in the 1970s and 1980s. The underlying idea was therefore to humanize the construction of cyberpunk universes and bring them closer to the life that the world's population could envisage in the future with the new technologies that were flourishing. The nightmarish visions engendered by the genre, including and especially in the popular imagination, covered what such a future could contain that was desirable. This is not to say that technological paradise is just around the corner, but that it is possible to be healthy and sane in a hyper-technological universe.

Emblematic works of the genre such as Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell, and the video games Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Invisible War by Ion Storm, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided by Eidos Montreal have all played a large part in democratizing the genre among a wider audience.

DIFFERENCES FROM THE NOVEL

As I haven't read the books, I'm giving you the information as I found it during my research into the series. I think I'll try to read the novels one day because, like the animated film, I'm very interested in the theme. As someone afraid of the direction our society is taking, of its relationship with technology, and in particular of its untimely and irrational use of artificial intelligence, I'm always interested in the warnings that artists try to convey through their work, whatever the medium. And I like to think that just because I didn't like an adaptation - it can happen - doesn't mean that the original material isn't worth discovering.

The first season is based on the novel Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan, published in 2002. This is the first volume of a trilogy recounting the adventures of Takeshi Kovacs, a post-cyberpunk techno-thriller series set on the West Coast of the United States at the end of the twenty-fifth century. Although the adaptation retains most of the main plot points of the first volume, the series introduces several major changes to its characters and organizations:

In the novel, the Envoys are elite soldiers of the Earth-based United Nations Protectorate, the complete opposite of the rebel freedom fighters portrayed in the series, who hail from Harlan's World where Takeshi Kovacs was born.

In the book, Takeshi Kovacs was imprisoned for his independent work after leaving the Envoys, whereas in the series, Kovacs is a captured rebel.

Reileen Kawahara's character in the novel was merely Kovacs' ruthless underworld boss and had no blood relationship with him, unlike their brother/sister relationship in the series where she is played by Dichen Lachman.

The Envoy who trained Kovacs in the book was Virginia Vidaura, whereas in the series she is only a minor character. The role of her trainer and her story are carried over to the character of Quellcrist Falconer, who in the third book is the messiah-like historical figure.

Falconer's rebellion did not take place during Kovacs' training, as in the series, but long before Kovacs was born in the books.

In Richard K. Morgan's novel, the Hendrix Hotel is a crucial character. It's not just a Jimi Hendrix-themed building, but also an artificial intelligence in the guise of Jimi Hendrix that has a strange bond with its only guest, Takeshi Kovacs. With Hendrix's estate refusing to license his image for the TV series due to its violence, series's creator Laeta Kalogridis chose the likeness of Edgar Allan Poe - played by Chris Conner - and a Victorian hotel for the replacement AI in Poe's image and said it would juxtapose well with the futuristic look of Bay City.

In the books, Kristin Ortega - played by Martha Higareda- is a much less important character. The main female character in the series, the dedicated detective doesn't have a devastating fight with the Ghostwalker, nor does she get a new super-powered arm. Her subplot with her family and religion isn't explored in the book and she isn't captured and tortured by Rei - although she is tortured all the same. Also, in the book her partner is called Rodrigo, not Aboud, and he doesn't date her mother.

And these are just some of the changes that were made when the novels were adapted for Netflix.

THEMES

Let's move on to the themes addressed in this dystopian work. Many of the themes addressed by the series - such as the human-machine interface, the alliance between technology and our society, cyberspace and objective reality, hyper-urbanisation and artificial intelligence - are recurring themes in cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk works.

Because of the technological implications, the subject also raises moral questions. Is murder always immoral if it is consensual and the victim can be reimplanted in a new body in the space of a few minutes? The police themselves issue permits for spectacular fights to the death, organized in the homes of the rich, with husbands and wives teaming up to fight to the death for entertainment (the winner receiving a new, improved body).

However, another major implication was raised during the first season of Altered Carbon, which Laeta Kalogridis herself underlines: the separation of soul and body and the question of gender identity. If you could choose your own body, would you choose the one you were born with? This is a critical question for transgender people or those whose gender is fluid, and, for the show's creator, the subject was only touched on in this first season. However, she told TheWrap in 2019 that she would like to explore this dimension in more detail :

“The idea that this kind of technology creates interesting intersections between your idea of your physical self and your idea of your inner or spiritual self, or your idea of being fluid in some way, certainly the idea of reassigning your gender, becomes a whole lot easier if you don’t actually have to do it surgically. At the very least it becomes different. You are still in a body you weren’t born in. And I think exploring the idea of being able to recreate the physical self in another different way, I mean we’ve barely scratched the surface of that. And LGBTQ, and so many issues, and the ways in which we feel comfortable or uncomfortable in our physical bodies, are things that I think the show is very right to explore but has not yet been able to do. Certainly first season. We touched on it a little bit — but not much. I mean if we did get a second season — which we don’t know yet — but if we were to get a second season, I would definitely say that was one thing we frankly didn’t have time to touch on and wasn’t dealt with in the book at all. We went a little further than the book did, but honestly, it was just about time.”

What's interesting to me about these themes is that the creators - Richard K. Morgan and Laeta Kalogridis - are both aware that technological developments of all kinds are changing the structure of the world, just as cars, air travel, the Internet, and cell phones have done, and that they're not trying to wrap a soft pink cloud around the dangers that could await us in a few decades.

COSTUMES

There's one aspect that surprised me, it's the costume work in the series. Having read that the production had created approximately 2,000 costumes for the series, including 500 unique, made-to-measure pieces, I was expecting to get a real kick out of this. And although the work of Ann Foley (Marvel's Agents of SHIELD) for season 1, Cynthia Ann Summers (The Last of Us) for season 2 and their teams is visible, I was expecting more grandiose costumes, especially for the Bancrofts who are one of the wealthiest families on Earth at the time of the story. The artistic direction chosen was to make simple, realistic costumes to illustrate the fashion of the future, while adding a color palette and specific details, notably for the Meths.

However, I really like the idea of subtle costume changes for characters who use the same body envelope to differentiate them, as with Miriam Bancroft and her daughter Naomi - both played by Kristin Lehman. Upon this subject, the actress declared that she was very interested in the challenge this ambivalence would require and that it was quite different from her usual roles.

SHOOTING LOCATIONS

The series was mainly filmed at Skydance Studios in Vancouver, Canada, where they stayed for eight months to shoot the first season. Most of Altered Carbon's scenes were created on green screen and in CGI to accentuate the futuristic effect of the universe.

Lead actor Joel Kinnaman told Canadian publication K5 News about the shoot:

"We had a set three soccer pitches deep. Around 400 or 500 extras were bustling around us, it was a real living city, with noodle stores, construction workers and police officers… You could just breathe in the universe without having to imagine anything."

Some of the sets were filmed in real locations, such as Laurens Bancroft's gardens pictured above which were filmed in the Rose Garden at the University of British Columbia, or the hall of the Marine Building, which served as the Bancroft family home.

The former Canada Post building was used as the setting for the Wei Clinic, where Kovacs was tortured. The scenes with the Envoys were filmed on the Sea to Sky Gondola suspension bridge in Squamish.

Other filming locations in Vancouver included the Convention Centre West Building, the VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre, the UBC Museum of Anthropology and the Qube.

MUSIC

Finally, I'd like to mention the work done by Jeff Russo (Umbrella Academy) and his team on the series' soundtrack, which is, to me, the only real positive point of this adaptation. What I particularly liked about their proposal is that they managed to combine very modern tracks like techno or hard rock (e.g. Karate by BABYMETAL) with much older pieces like jazz masterpieces by Django Reinhardt or even classical music (Anton Dvorak or Mozart). Mingling this alliance with the original creations composed by Jeff Russo for the series allows this soundtrack to create the unique atmosphere of each scene, making it easier for viewers to identify the characters and the stakes involved.

To be perfectly honest, when I was writing this article, I was listening to the series' soundtrack which, even outside the series, is very catchy and captivating. Even though I wasn't really hooked on the series, it allowed me to immerse myself in this universe and draw some personal reflections from it. For me, it's one of the greatest proofs of a successful composer's work: managing to draw someone into a specific universe using a few pieces of music alone.

CONCLUSION

And we are done with the Altered Carbon series. If you've made it this far, thank you for reading and staying!

I'm a pretty tenacious person and don't like to give up on series along the way - even when I don't like them - so I have to admit I'm disappointed to have to add this series to the short list of abandoned series where it joins The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad (amongst others). Someday I hope that the animated film Altered Carbon: Resleeved will find favor in my eyes and redeem the adaptation of this universe, which at the moment still looks fun and interesting to explore.

Until that day comes, I'll leave you to it. Despite this setback for me, I can only advise you to follow Laeta Kalogridis' work and read this fine interview with her on the Refinery29 website, in which she talks, among other things, about her approach to nudity as a feminist weapon.

For those of you who have seen the series or read the novels, I'm curious to know your opinion, especially if it differs from mine. So feel free to leave a little comment below the article or send me a message, on the blog or on Instagram at @theaddictedwatcherreviews.

Have a great week, happy viewings, and I'll see you next time!

Eli.

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