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tobiasdrake · 4 months ago

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Digimon Adventure 01x30 - The Digimon's Great Traversal of Tokyo / Almost Home Free

Previously on Digimon Adventure: The Chosen Children searched for the Eighth Child in Hikarigaoka's local library, where they were able to look up a copy of the OVA and remember the plot. Mammon tried to cause a ruckus when they got to the Parrotmon part but it's okay 'cause Garudamon stepped out and took care of it.

The Chosen Children and Tailmon's mercenaries have all failed to find the Eighth Child in Hikarigaoka. But the Children have learned much about how they were Chosen.

This episode comes with a trigger warning: Human adults being child predators.

We open on PicoDevimon reporting back to Vamdemon about what happened.

Vamdemon: What? Garudamon has been sighted? PicoDevimon: Yes, sir. It's been reported that the Chosen Children have arrived in this world. Vamdemon: Have you located the Eighth Child yet? PicoDevimon: We're currently raising our efforts and expanding our search perimeter.

As he speaks, we see glimpses of Tailmon and a few mercs no longer in silhouette.

Tailmon is roaming around the city, continuing her manual search from last episode.

Wizarmon is street performing at the amusement park to lure in children so he check the counterfeit Crest against a crowd.

SkullMeramon is skulking about in a trenchcoat watching children like a creep.

Gesomon is patrolling the waterways. I... guess he's looking for water children?

(Wizarmon is the stand-out smart guy of the bunch. He's letting the children come to him in an innocuous fashion. SkullMeramon, meanwhile, is likely to be reported to police by concerned onlookers. As he should; He has hostile intentions towards children.)

Vamdemon: The children must also be looking for the Eighth Child. Hurry! We cannot let the children gain the upper hand! PicoDevimon: Yes, sir!

Almost no change in the dub, with the exception of silence-breaking dialogue added to the shots of the searching Digimon.

DemiDevimon: We're looking everywhere! Air, land, and sea! We've got it covered, no problem!

I'm as confused by why the Eighth Child would be in the air as I am by why she'd be in the sea.

Then again... frame of reference. Aerial children and aquatic children are completely normal where Tailmon and PicoDevimon come from.

Meanwhile, the children make plans to leave Hikarigaoka.

Taichi: If the Eighth Child's not here in Hikarigaoka, we should hurry up and look in other places. We can't waste time here or Vamdemon will get ahead of us. Mimi: But couldn't they just be goofing off somewhere? Koushiro: No, I don't think so. The other connection between all of us is.... Sora: We all moved away from Hikarigaoka? Koushiro: Yes. Unless that is a coincidence, we should assume that the Eighth Child also moved. Taichi: So they could be in Odaiba like us? Koushiro: That is our most likely possibility. Mimi: (excited) I want to go home! Taichi: Yeah... Alright, let's head for Odaiba first!

Irony: We didn't actually need to come to Hikarigaoka and spent all that time manipulating Fujiyama for nothing. And now we have to find a way to reach Odaiba 27 miles away, because we got off our transport to Odaiba so we could come to Hikarigaoka.

The dub skips the discussion of why we're going to Odaiba. Tai is convinced right from the get-go that the Eighth Child is in Odaiba, for reasons unexplained.

Mimi: Can we get a snack before we go looking? Tai: There's no time. We've got to get to Odaiba and find that Eighth Kid before somebody else does! Mimi: How will we get there? Do you think there's any fast food places along the way? Tai: Would you knock it off about the food? Anyway, we've only got enough money for our subway tickets. Joe: Subway? Oh, wow. My parents won't let me ride the subway by myself. Tai: You're not by yourself. Now come on! Mimi: Are subways like regular trains? I mean, do they have snack cars? Tai: JUST DROP IT!!! And stick together, everybody. It can get kind of confusing down here.

They also tweak Mimi's dialogue so that Tai can yell at her. This one's a bit odd, in that it actually fits Mimi's established characterization from the original pretty well. As we know from the Kentarumon episode, Mimi's stubborn when she's hangry. So, unlike the Valley Girl bits, this bit is rooted in her original persona pretty well.

But I'm still miffed that Mimi gets three lines in this scene and they're all prompts for Tai to tell her to shut the fuck up.

Also, Joe gets one too. Pretty much the entire scene has been replaced with Tai dunking on Joe and Mimi to show how much of a boss he is. Izzy, the actual main character of this scene, doesn't even get a word in.

The Chosen Children descend into the incredibly complex Tokyo rail network.

Jou: Let's see... The fastest way to reach Odaiba is.... Mimi: (shrug) I can't tell because there's so many routes available. Koushiro: (laptop) Please wait just a minute. The fastest way to get there is... If we take the Toei #12 Line from here to Nakano-sakaue, transfer to the Marunouchi and Ginza Lines and leave from Shimbashi, the Yurikamome route will take us to Odaiba. Taichi: Okay then! (approaching ticket machine) Let's head to Nakano-sakaue first.

Glad we have Koushiro here to Computers our way through the incredibly intimidating Tokyo rail network because Jou probably would have been here all day and Mimi, I'm sorry but you are no help here.

In the dub, Joe starts us off with a quip and Mimi's still on about the food.

Joe: I just hope Myotismon has as much trouble reading this map as I do. Mimi: Okay, what do we do now!? Besides starve to death! Izzy: I'm just figuring it out. ...okay, that'll work. Now, the fastest route to Odaiba is to take the #12 train to Nagano and transfer to the Marunouchi Line. Then transfer to the Ginza and get off at Shimbashi. Mimi: ...huh? Tai: Sounds simple enough. (approaching ticket machine) Now we just have to figure out the right fare.

Surprisingly, Izzy relays Koushiro's directions for navigating the Tokyo subway system almost word for word.

He cuts Nakano-sakaue down to "Nagano". Point off for mispronouncing it, but dropping the "-sakaue" isn't necessarily wrong. Nakano-sakaue is the name of the subway station for Nakano Ward, so both ways of saying it work.

In a refreshing change of pace, this scene is completely unafraid to be in Japan. They even show us the subway map unedited, with all of its Japanese text marking the different stations intact.

While Taichi's buying tickets, the Digimon chime in.

Koromon: (hops up on the counter) Hey Taichi, what's that? Taichi: A ticket. This is what we use to ride the subway. Palmon: Subway? Patamon: What's that? Jou: Shhh! Don't talk so much in front of other people. This place isn't like your world. If anyone sees you talking, they'll cause a fuss. Sora: Listen, while you're here, you need to pretend to be stuffed animals. You can't move around, okay? I know it's going to be tough, but please bear with it. Pyokomon: Okay, I understand! I won't talk or move. It's much easier to be carried around by Sora anyway. (wiggles and sings) Hehe ~Sora~-- Sora: I just said not to move!

It's not easy being Digimon in the human world. I feel for them. I'd hate to have to pretend to be a plushie all day too.

(Oh, so that's why Mimi's so hungry. Off-model Chonky Patamon ate all the food. Now he can see through time.)

The dub follows the script until it gets to Sora and Yokomon. Pyokomon's bit is a callback to her and Sora's first episode on File Island, but the dub cut the clingy ~Sora ~Sora ~Sora conflict from the episode so the callback doesn't work here. Instead, Yokomon has an idea.

Sora: Yeah, while we're here, you've got to pretend to be toys or stuffed animals. But remember to keep still and no fidgeting. Yokomon: Here's an idea! I'll be one of those dolls you told me about. The kind where you squeeze them and they go... (wiggles and sings) ...WAHH! WAHH! WAHH! Sora: Be a doll that doesn't talk!

Once the tickets are purchased, IT'S FIGHTING TIME!!!

...wait, what?

While the Chosen Children wait for the train, Tsunomon and Koromon start chatting despite what Jou said a moment ago.

Koromon: Is this a cave? Tsunomon: It's a weird cave. Yamato: (hisses) Hey! Be quiet. Announcer: The train is arriving on time. Please remain behind the white line.

Hearing the rumbling of the approaching train, the two Baby Digimon grow concerned.

Koromon: W-What's that sound? Tsunomon: Is that a Digimon's voice!? Koromon: LOOK!!! THERE'S SOMETHING GLOWING IN THE CAVE!!! Tsunomon: That's it! It must be one of Vamdemon's minions!

Before Taichi and Yamato realize what's happening, Koromon and Tsunomon leap onto the goddamn train tracks to fight the oncoming train.

Taichi: HUH!?!? Yamato: TSUNOMON!!!

They realize their mistake once they see the train approach. It's not super clear how Koromon and Tsunomon survive this, but they're intact after it passes and seem to have pressed themselves against the back wall to avoid being hit.

Fortunately, this train is apparently not stopping here and speeds right on past. I guess that one isn't not ours.

In the dub:

Koromon: It's some kind of cave. Tsunomon: I don't like being underground. Yamato: Hey! Put a lid on it. Announcer: Attention, attention. #12 train now arriving at platform 7. Koromon: What? Where'd that voice come from. Tsunomon: You heard it!? Then it's not just inside my head! Koromon: SOMETHING'S COMING!!! Tsunomon: LOOK AT THOSE GLOWING EYES!!! IT'S ONE OF MYOTISMON'S GOONS!!! (Koromon and Tsunomon leap onto the tracks) Tai: HEY!!! Matt: Watch out!

The dub puts a commercial break right here, moments before the train threatens to splatter Koromon and Tsunomon. Which is honestly a great place for it. A+ commercial placement. Solid cliffhanger to keep the kids from changing the channel.

It also claims that this is the train we're waiting for. Which makes it odd that the train doesn't stop at our platform. Excuse you, we would like to get on, please.

The kids board the subway with their "stuffed animals".

It does not go well.

The seven Chosen Children have a row of seats to themselves on the crowded train, with their Digimon in their laps.

Taichi: (angrily) Making me worry....

Taichi punches Koromon in the head for that stunt.

In the dub, it's:

Tai: We can't take you guys anywhere!

Suddenly, they overhear a baby crying. A woman, forced to stand for lack of available seating, is trying to soothe her crying baby. Sora stands up, offering her seat to the woman.

Mother: There, there. Stop crying and be a good boy. Sora: (stands) Um, here you go. Mother: Oh! Thank you so much. (sits, patting her baby) Good boy... Good boy... Don't cry.

Suddenly, the baby stops crying. He sees Pyokomon in Sora's arms. Without warning, he reaches out and grabs her pistil.

(RUDE. In case you are not familiar with the anatomy of a flower, that orange stem sticking up from Pyokomon is her pistil. It's the female sex organ, containing her seed pod. The yellow ones are her stamens, which are male sex organs that produce pollen for germinating the pistil. Flowers have both.

This child is basically yanking Pyokomon's ovaries. Her pistil and stamen may be strictly aesthetic but it's still rude!)

The child's mother is oblivious to the yanking, having shut her eyes to enjoy a blissful moment of rest once her child stopped crying.

Sora: E-Excuse me. Mother: Huh? ...oh, I'm so sorry. Come on....

She tries to pull her child's hand off of Pyokomon's pistil, but that infuriates the boy. He starts yelling and tugging harder, as if trying to rip the pistil out.

Mochimon: ...that has to hurt....

Finally, Pyokomon reaches her breaking point and screams.

Pyokomon: THAT HURTS!!! STOP PULLING ON ME!!!

The entire train goes deathly quiet.

In the dub:

Mother: Aww, there now. Hush. Come on. Sora: (stands) Here, take my seat. Mother: Huh? Oh! Thank you! (sits) Wasn't that nice of that girl? We've been on our feet all day, haven't we? (The mom shuts her eyes and the baby starts yanking on Yokomon) Sora: Uhh! Excuse me! Mother: Huh? Oh! What are you doing now!? No... (The mother tires to pull the baby's hand away; The baby yanks harder) Mother: No no, honey! Let go now! That's the girl's toy. Come on! Honey! Motimon: Ouch, that's gotta hurt. Mother: Oh come on, honey. Let go of the girl's toy before you break it! HONEY.... Yokomon: HEY!!! WILL YOU LET GO OF ME!?!?

The mother gets some silence-breaking dialogue during the hard yanking, which comes through pretty well here. We don't really see much of the mom after that initial attempt, so the implied continued effort to control her child is good for the scene, I think.

Also, "We've been on our feet all day, haven't we?" is a lovely addition to the scene. I really like the dub's take on the mom here.

I do think the original version of Pyokomon's outburst hits harder than Yokomon's. Pyokomon breaks protocol because her pain tolerance has hit its limit and she can't take any more of this torture. Motimon tries to sell it and we do see Yokomon grimacing in pain, but Yokomon's line just sounds like she's mad that her personal space is being violated.

For a good ten seconds after Pyokomon's outburst, you can hear a pin drop. Then a kid points and shouts.

Kid: IT TALKED!!! THE DOLL TALKED!!! Sora: (lightbulb) That must have hurt! You poor thing! There, there....

Sora gently pets Pyokomon and whispers the plan to her. From here, when Pyokomon speaks, Sora covers Pyokomon's mouth with her hand and subtly moves her own lips to make it look like she's throwing her voice.

Sora: (whisper) Play along with whatever I say. Pyokomon: U-Uh-huh. Sora: (loudly) But you know, the baby only did that because he really likes you, Pyokomon! Pyokomon: Really? Sora: It's true! So forgive him for what he did, okay? Pyokomon: I'm sorry for yelling at you.

The plan works. The baby starts laughing and having a good time.

The dub starts this scene with another Good Actually silence-destroying line, with a bewildered Sora attempting to explain. Meanwhile, the pointing kid is noticeably played by Izzy's actor trying and failing to differentiate his voice by putting on a Rough Kid tone.

Sora: ...I guess my toy didn't like when you pulled on it.... Kid: Did you hear that!? That stuffed animal talked! Sora: ...AH! It worked! All that practice is paying off! Fooled 'em, didn't we? (pets Yokomon and whispers) Hush, just keep quiet and play along.

In the original, Pyokomon speaks while Sora subtly but visibly moves her lips to disguise the source of her voice. Sora holds her hand over Pyokomon's mouth to disguise the movement of Pyokomon's own mouth, so it looks like the one speaking is really Sora.

In the dub, Sora tells Yokomon to keep quiet, then she badly attempts to imitate Yokomon's voice with her subtle lip flaps.

Sora: Come on! The baby pulled your hair because he likes you, that's all! Sora-Yokomon: Oh, really? Sora: There's no reason to bite the poor thing's head off! Sora-Yokomon: Oh! I'm very sorry I shouted!

Since Sora has no experience with ventriloquism and obviously can't be throwing her voice correctly, I'm not sure why the dub ploy works. There's also no reason for her to be covering Yokomon's mouth, since Yokomon isn't saying anything.

The plan works well and the crowd buys it. In fact, the plan works too well.

Kid's Father: Oh, she's doing ventriloquism. It's really the young lady who's speaking for the doll. Isn't that amazing? Bystander 1: It's just ventriloquism. Bystander 2: I really thought it talked! Bystander 3: Obviously, it couldn't have!

The other Chosen Children, watching Sora's near-disaster with bated breath, finally exhale. Everything looks to be ov--

Kid: I want one! Dad, I want that doll! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it, Dad! Come on, buy it! Father: (gets up and approaches Sora) Excuse me, miss. Sorry to bother you, but where did you get that? Sora: W-Where...?

The other kids watch Sora with fear and horror on their faces once more. How the hell is she supposed to answer this question? Ten seconds of silence pass as Sora struggles to think of something to say.

Announcement: (bing bong) Nerima. This is Nerima. Please exit to your right. Sora: ...the... NERIMA DAIKON DEPARTMENT STORE!!! Father: Aha! Thank you!

Father, son, and every other passenger all rush out the door at once, leaving the Chosen Children alone on the train. Except the mother and baby, who wait for the rush before departing much more calmly.

Mother: (to Sora) Thank you very much. (disembarks) Pyokomon: Farewell!

At long last, we are out of the danger zone.

Over in the dub, the pointing kid manages to be even more obnoxious, and the father fills those ten seconds of silence with dialogue.

Kid: I want one! Daddy, give me that toy! I want that doll! If I don't get one RIGHT NOW I'LL START SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!!! Father: Shhh. (gets up and approaches Sora) Excuse me, young lady. Can I ask where you bought that doll? I need one right away. Sora: Uh... Where I bought it? Father: It's not that hard a question, is it? Come on. You'll be doing me a big favor. Where did you find it? Announcement: This stop is Nerima. Please watch your step. Again, this stop is Nerima. Sora: Ohh... THE NERIMA DEPARTMENT STORE!!! Father: What? Nerima! Thanks a lot! Come on, son! (Crowd races out; Mother stands up to leave last) Mother: (to Sora) Thanks again. (disembarks) Pyokomon: Goodbye!

Nobody does pushy, entitled brats like Americans. We are the MVP of spoiled rotten children. And spoiled rotten adults, too. That the Japanese father patiently waits for Sora to come up with her answer while the American father jumps down her throat and won't let her think seems very fitting of both cultures.

Though he's actually supposed to be Japanese in both versions so... IDK.

Now that we're finally alone in the car and we've managed that crisis, the kids start to relax. Sora returns to her seat and everyone breathes a collective sigh of relief.

Sora: That was a close one. Taichi: I thought we were goners for a second there. Jou: What is the Nerima Daikon Department Store? Sora: No idea. Takeru: I'm tired.... Mimi: Now that my tension's drained, I'm starting to feel sleepy.... Yamato: Yeah, me too.... Takeru: Hey, where are we supposed to get off again? Koushiro: At Nakano-sakaue.... Takeru: Nakano... sakaue....

Coming down off the adrenaline surge and already tired from a long day, the children drift off to sleep.

In the dub:

Sora: Wow, that was a close one. Tai: Pretty weird how nuts that kid went over Yokomon. Joe: If we don't find the Eighth Child, we could go into the-- Sora: --toy business? T.K.: How much longer? Mimi: Who knows? Someone wake me when we get there. Matt: Yeah, me too. T.K.: What's the name of the stop where we're getting off again? Izzy: We get off in Nagano. T.K.: Okay... Nagano....

We lose Sora's admission that she made up the department store she just sent those people to, which is a funny punchline replaced by an awkward quip about selling toys if Myotismon kills Kari.

We also lose Mimi's exposition that coming down off the adrenaline high is why the kids are suddenly taking inappropriate naptime.

By the time the train pulls into Nakano-sakaue, the children are fast asleep.

Patamon wakes up to the announcement they've arrived.

Announcer: Nakano-sakaue. Nakano-sakaue. Please exit to your right. Patamon: Nakano...saka... Huh? Why aren't we getting off here? Palmon: Shh. Don't talk.

Patamon claps his front paws over his mouth and hushes up. The train doors close and the train continues on its way.

In the dub, an interesting thing occurs with the announcement. The sign over the door in the original has the kanji for "Nakano-sakaue" in orange lettering, with red English lettering under it that says the same.

Despite all the uncensored Japanese lettering we've seen up to this point, apparently that sign is a bridge too far. Odd place to draw the line in the sand, given that this one comes with built-in English next to it, but okay.

The dub edits it for the "Nagano" station, so that it just has large, orange English lettering. The new orange lettering spells out "Nakano-sakaue".

Announcer: This stop is Nagano. Please watch your step. Again, this stop is Nagano. Patamon: Ohh! Huh? Hey! Here's our stop! Loo-- Palmon: We're supposed to be quiet.

So chalk this up to yet another example of the people editing the animation not communicating with the scripting team, I guess. The voice saying "This stop is Nagano" plays while the Nakano-sakaue sign is front and center onscreen.

At least it's not as bad as Shogunmon.

Eventually, the children wake up to find themselves at the wrong stop.

Sora: Huh? Jou: This is... (Cut to the sign) Jou: SHINJUKU!?!? GACKKKKK!!! Taichi: WE SLEPT THROUGH OUR STOP!!! Takeru: Patamon, you were awake!? Patamon: Yes. Takeru: Why didn't you wake us up!? Patamon: Because you told us not to talk. Children: (collective heavy sigh) Jou: Should we go back to Nakano-sakaue? Koushiro: No. I think we can still transfer to the Marunouchi Line from here.

In the dub, it's Mimi that notices where they are. Tragically, she does not make angry throat noises.

Sora: Ugh... huh? Tai: Huh? Joe: Whuh? (Cut to the sign) Mimi: HOW'D WE MISS OUR STOP!?!? Patamon: All of you slept right through it. T.K.: Patamon, you were awake!? Patamon: Sure! T.K.: What's wrong with you!? Why didn't you wake us up!? Patamon: How could I? You told us not to make a sound! Children: (collective groan) Joe: What now? Go back to our stop? Izzy: No. It's out of our way, but I think we can change trains here and be okay.

With the exception of Jou's angry throat noises, this is otherwise mostly the same. The other main difference is that they give Patamon a line for T.K. to react to. In the original, Takeru just sort of... somehow knows Patamon was awake, without explanation.

So this one goes down as a rare improvement over the original.

As the kids make their way through the station, appetites begin to flare up.

Koromon: Hey, Taichi, I'm hungry.... Tsunomon: Me too.... Palmon: So am I. Taichi: Deal with it. I'm hungry too, y'know. Mimi: I want to eat a hamburger.

Yes, Mimi is actually craving a hamburger in the original. "Watashi hamburger tabetai." That is not a dub line change. The thought of a hamburger, in fact, brings the group to a halt.

Sora: A hamburger? Yamato: I haven't had that in a long time.

Then they just stop. Looking to one another with glum expressions; The weight of this simple pleasure they've been deprived for so long hanging over everybody's heads. Seven seconds of silence pass as everyone processes what they've been missing. Finally broken when Mimi offers everyone a pleasant smile to try and raise the mood.

The dub plays this straight from the start, but then breaks script at Mimi's line and extends conversation to break the silence that follows.

Koromon: How much longer? I'm getting awful hungry, Tai! Tsunomon: Yeah, I'm starving! Palmon: Famished! Tai: It can wait. Hey, I'm hungry too, y'know! Mimi: I keep visualizing cheeseburgers. And I don't even eat cheeseburgers! (Group stops, beat) Matt: It has been a long time since any of us have eaten. And our Digimon get weak when they're hungry. (beat) Tai: ...okay.... Mimi: (pleasant smile)

Tonal shift. The English scene uses the burgers to point out that the kids haven't eaten since arriving in the human world, rather than that they've been away at war for several months. This is a tactical conversation, rather than a lingering realization of mutual hardship.

Additionally, it's Tai that cheers Mimi up by agreeing to get food rather than Mimi attempting to cheer everyone else up by putting on a brave face.

Two members of our nakama, however, are suspiciously absent from this conversation.

Jou and Koushiro navigate a crowd of people, trying to find their way.

Koushiro: The Marunouchi Line.... There are a lot of stations here. Jou: (calling over the noise) LISTEN UP, EVERYONE!!! BE SURE TO STAY CLOSE BEHIND US AND.... Uh.... (beat) Jou: (meekly) Hey, Koushiro? Koushiro: What is it, Jou-san? Jou: (meekly) Everybody's gone. Koushiro: Eh!? Jou: Honestly, where did they all go!? Koushiro: Oh, right. (pulls out Digivice) If we use this, we can find where everyone is right away! (looks at it) Wait. Why isn't it reacting? It worked fine when we were in the Digimon's world. Jou: Maybe it broke when we got here. Koushiro: (shakes the Digivice) That can't be right.

Koushiro tries shaking his Digivice to rattle it into working. I see he's finally beginning to side with Taichi on the topic of percussive maintenance.

As they walk, a woman in cosplay offers Jou a free sample of something.

Woman: Here you go.

Gomamon opens his mouth and happily bites it out of her hand.

Woman: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! (beat) Jou: AHHHHHHHHHH!!! THIS IS A TOY!!! A TOY!!!

Jou very unsuspiciously runs like hell while screaming "It's a toy" over and over at the top of his lungs. We are doing such a good job of keeping a low profile. :D

In the dub, Izzy and Joe seem to have psychically predicted that we'd be going for food because they are not looking for the Marunouchi line.

Joe: This place is a zoo! And not a restaurant in sight. The first one to see someplace to eat, give a shout, okay? ...huh? (beat) Joe: Oh, uh, hey, Izzy? Izzy: What is it? You see something? Joe: The other guys. They're gone. Izzy: WHAT!?!? Joe: I can't believe this! They ditched us! (groan) Izzy: Okay, okay. Don't panic. (pulls out Digivice) As long as we have this, we can always find them. (looks at it) Huh? That's funny. Why isn't it working? You think something might have happened to it when we came back to the real world? Joe: All I know is that this is one of those days where everything goes wrong. Izzy: (shakes the Digivice) Come on!

He also has a different terrible excuse for the sample incident.

Woman: Free samples! Gomamon: (chomp) Woman: AHHHHHHHHH!!! (beat) Joe: Uh... BAD DOG BAD DOG!!! (runs like hell)

So it seems like, in the dub version, Koushiro and Jou were just offscreen during the last scene and then this one takes place chronologically after. Tai and the others ditched them once they'd all decided to go look for food.

This is particularly weird, given how Jou will react to them finding food later in the episode.

In the original, they weren't in the scene because they'd already gotten separated. Koushiro and Jou were not privy to the hamburger depression spiral.

Jou and Koushiro leave the subway to look for the rest of the group. We're treated to an ominous and tense sequence of Jou and Koushiro hurrying down the sidewalk one way while SkullMeramon in his trenchcoat comes around the other side of the building.

As they approach collision, suddenly Jou spots the other kids. Taichi and the others are eating hamburgers in an upper floor of a building across the street, visible through a window.

Jou: AAAAAAAUGH!!! There they are! Koushiro: EHHHHHH!?!?

Against all odds and reason, despite the Digivice trackers not functioning, Jou manages to find the other kids with nothing but the notion that they're probably somewhere in Shinjuku to go off of.

(This would make way more sense if the trackers still worked. Why turn them off, show? Is it because you left a Digivice at Hikari's house during Taichi's visit and then realized that her having that would completely destroy this entire Search for the Eighth Child plotline?)

I guess his Senpai Sense told him where to go. His wards are kinda misbehaving....

In the dub, Joe and Izzy's exclusion continues to be extremely rude for reasons unknown.

Joe: Huh!? LOOK!!! THEY'RE EATING WITHOUT US!!!

Fucking jerks. They'd better have a good explanation for this.

Suddenly, Jou and Koushiro get the green light to go. Miraculously, a pair of workers carrying a large painting walk by, with the painting obscuring them from SkullMeramon as they pass in front of him. Jou and Koushiro continue on their way and SkullMeramon on his, neither aware of the other's presence.

Inside the restaurant, five of seven Chosen Children enjoy the first taste of greasy Western fast food they've had in years.

Taichi: Ahhh! Delicious! Mimi: So good! Sora: I almost forgot what this tasted like! Tsunomon: This isn't fair, Yamato! You get to eat tasty stuff like this every day! Yamato: Be a little quieter while you're eating. What if the other customers see you? Mimi: No one is paying attention to us, though.

Jou and Koushiro enter and approach their table.

Mimi: Huh? Takeru: It's Jou-san and Koushiro-san! Taichi: Hey! You guys should get something to eat too! The food's amazing! Jou: (quietly fuming) You... You guys didn't use your fare money for this, did you? Mimi: (cheerful) Yeah! We used all of it!

Jou fucking drops Gomamon on the floor and hangs his head, despondently groaning and shaking.

Sora: Sorry. We just couldn't resist the temptation of hamburgers. Jou: A-All of you... (eruption) WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU ALL THINKING!?!?

Suddenly, Jou's stomach rumbles, undermining his outburst. He slowly turns beet red, then storms off to go order food.

Jou: (furiously) I'll eat. I'll eat using ALL OF THE MONEY THAT I HAVE!!!

Guys, I think we broke Senpai.

Fujiyama was right when he tried not to let us go to Hikarigaoka. Now we're stranded in Shinjuku burning our fare money on McDonalds.

In the dub:

Mimi: I feel like a new woman! Tai: Man! Tastes great! Mimi: Yum-ilicious! Sora: Boy, I sure needed this! Tsunomon: You people are lucky! Yum yum! You get to eat this stuff every day! Matt: A little louder, why don't you? There's a couple of people that aren't staring yet. Mimi: Actually, nobody noticed yet but Matt's right, you should-- (gasps, seeing Joe and Izzy enter) Ohhh! Patamon: Uh-oh. T.K.: Joe! Izzy! Well, it's about time. Tai: Hey, what are you guys waiting for? Order something! Joe: How? When you guys have got all the money? Huh? Mimi: Whoops! We went and spent it all! Joe: (drops Gomamon, hangs head, and starts shaking) Sora: See, we were all so hungry, we ordered the super duper combos. Joe: Great. You spent it all? (eruption) THAT WAS ALL THE MONEY WE HAD IN THE WORLD!!! (Joe suddenly stops for no clear reason. He slowly turns beet red, then storms off) Joe: (muttering) Of all the dumb, greedy, selfish little things. It's unbelievable. These guys are supposed to be my friends! My friends! My friends!

Completing the dub-exclusive saga of Joe and Izzy being on Team Restaurant, it turns out he's upset in this version because they spent all the money on food for themselves and didn't get him anything. After ditching him and Izzy in the subway.

This scene is super ambiguous with regard to how malicious the other kids are being. On the "This is unapologetic bullying", we have the fact that they ditched Joe and Izzy in the subway to begin with. Why did they ditch them?

Patamon even gives out a little "Uh-oh" when Joe enters, like he's realizing they're about to be caught red-handed betraying Joe and Izzy. That "Uh-oh" is peculiar if they aren't doing anything wrong.

They just. Stole away with all the money, then burned it all on themselves and let Joe and Izzy starve. Fucking assholes. Joe's usually a target for the American group's bullying but what did Izzy do to deserve this? He's been trying to help them navigate the subway! Pricks! All of them pricks!

...part of me appreciates that Mimi gets to be on this side of the bullying for once.

But on the other hand, Tai's just like, "Hey, order food!" when he sees Joe. So. Like. It's possible they just got separated, like in the original. And also Tai somehow doesn't know they inexplicably pooled their money in this version, even though one of them has the entire money pool? I guess?

Who did we trust to carry the money pool? Because that person is still a complete fucking asshole. That kid knew they were screwing Joe and Izzy, even if the others forgot somehow. That kid should have said something when they were all ordering "super duper combos".

Probably goes without saying that I like the Senpai Meltdown version better, right? Because if they really did maliciously ditch Joe and Izzy, steal all the money, and go splurge on themselves, that is unacceptable character assassination of every single kid at this table. They would not fucking do that.

They made questionable choices in the original too, but they aren't actively hurting other members of their nakama in the process. Jou and Koushiro can still eat. This slap in the face to Joe actually made me angry.

Anyways. Moving along.

While Jou is furiously ordering his own food, Koushiro checks his Digivice to find that it's showing radar blips for everyone now.

Koushiro: The Digivice is reacting. Sora: It's because everyone's here, right? Koushiro: No. I mean, when I looked at it earlier, it wasn't reacting at all. Sora: That's strange. Koushiro: Maybe it only works at short distances in this world.

You were also in the subway when you checked it, Koushiro. We should consider the possibility that you had bad phone reception.

This is the human world. We have signal limitations. You can't coast on the fabric of reality itself being made of wifi anymore.

(This makes it even weirder that the writers turned off Digivice Tracking for the Shinjuku search then turned it back on right after they miraculously found everyone.)

Mimi: Hey, more importantly, where do we go from here? Takeru: Yeah, we don't have any money so we can't ride the trains anymore. Yamato: How do we get to Odaiba for free? Taichi: Hehehehe... Leave that to me! I have a fool-proof plan. Yamato: (curiously) Do you, now?

In the dub, Izzy's chat with Sora has no changes. T.K. brings up an idea for how to get home.

Mimi: That's great but, meanwhile, what are we going to do now? T.K.: We start walking. They won't let us back on the train without any money. Matt: I'm sure not looking forward to walking all that way. Tai: Ha! I know a way that won't cost us a penny! Just leave everything to me! Matt: (sarcastic) Oh, great. You're a genius.

I like that they discuss walking in the dub, because it is a viable option. It would suck but Shinjuku is close enough to Odaiba that we can walk if we must.

The kids are about 9 miles from home right now. It would take them probably 3-4 hours to get there, but they're now well-fed and they're all at least somewhat athletic after several months of exploring the Digimon World on foot. It would be nice if an alternative means of transit could be employed, but we should at least consider walking.

It can't be worse than Etemon's desert.

The kids head outside to put Taichi's master plan into action.

Taichi holds out his thumb to hitchhike, but the cars speed right on by.

Taichi: HEY!!! SOMEONE GIVE ME A RIDE!!!

Then he tries jumping, screaming at the top of his lungs, and flailing his limbs like a wildman for attention.

Taichi: HEY HEY HEY HEY!!! COME ON!!! LET ME IN!!! Yamato: Oh, come on. Hitchhiking in this modern day and age? Koushiro: It's not as easy as it looks on TV.

A car almost hits Taichi because he's out too far in the road. They honk angrily at him while he screams back at them.

Car: HONK HONK!!! Taichi: THAT'S DANGEROUS, YOU MORON!!! Yamato: Speak for yourself. Jou: It will take three days for Taichi to get us a ride. Koushiro: Agreed. Taichi: I'd like to see you try it, then! Jou: YEEP!!! U-Us!?

The dub cuts the shots of Taichi holding out his thumb to hitchhike. We go straight to Tai jumping and flailing his limbs.

Tai: HELP!!! POLICE!!! MY CAT IS STUCK IN A TREE IN ODAIBA AND I'VE GOT TO GET THERE RIGHT AWAY SO I CAN GET HER DOWN!!! HEY!!! Matt: The police!? That's his brilliant idea!? Izzy: If the police do stop, they'll lock him up for disturbing the peace. Car: (nearly hits Tai) HONK HONK Tai: HEY!!! I've got the right of way! Matt: (sarcastic) Looking good, Tai. Joe: Good grief. At this rate, we could be sitting here all day. Izzy: And night. Tai: THEN YOU TRY AND GET US A RIDE!!! Joe: Me!? No way! Tai: How about you, Matt!? You think you're so smart!

I'm going to guess this was edited because they didn't want children to see their heroes hitchhiking and try to copy it, or something like that. The 90's were really nervous about imitable acts on children's television.

It's the reason Spider-Man could grab a crate with his webs and smash it on a bad guy's head but was forbidden from throwing a punch. Children can't grab crates with webbing but they can throw punches, and parents thought if they saw Spider-Man punch someone, they might start punching people.

So now Tai's plan to get to Odaiba is to scream at random passing cars that he wants the police. You know, they probably had a phone back in the diner. You could call the police. On the phone.

Taichi makes Jou and Koushiro try next, in retaliation for their mockery. They both awkwardly stick out their thumbs.

Jou & Koushiro: ...y...yay?

Multiple cars speed by and honk at them. Realizing this isn't working, they both exchange uncomfortable glances, then take a deep breath.

Jou & Koushiro: Ready. Set.

And then they begin screaming at the top of their lungs and flailing their limbs like wildmen.

Jou & Koushiro: YAY-AY-AY-AY-AY-AY-AY-YIIIIII!!!

And it fucking works. A car pulls up to the restaurant to let them in.

It's. Uh. It's a taxi. The taxi closes its doors a moment after, presumably after being informed they do not have money, and drives away. Jou and Koushiro hang their heads in failure while the other kids laugh.

(Still better than Taichi managed.)

Yamato takes the third attempt.

It does not go well.

Yamato takes a deep breath and slowly, reluctantly, puts out his thumb. The instant his thumb is raised, a pedophile pulls up to the curb.

Yamato: (blush) Woman: (sultry) Hi~! Come in, little boy. Yamato: (blush intensifies)

Yes, she is doing graspy fingers with that hand up there. It's incredibly uncomfortable. Cut immediately to Yamato reporting to the others, still blushing and bowing his head in embarrassment.

Taichi: WHY DID YOU SAY NO!?!? Yamato: WE COULDN'T ALL FIT IN THAT CAR!!!

Taichi and Mimi both grin and giggle at Yamato, implicitly teasing him for what they all know just happened.

Asshole behavior from the both of them but in their defense, children don't know better. They don't have the perspective to understand how fucked up that was. That's why it's the responsibility of adults to protect them from shit like this. Yamato was just accosted by a legitimate Stranger Danger.

No surprise: The dub heavily edits this scene to remove the pedophile. Matt stands there for a moment, but can't even bring himself to... do whatever he would do since we aren't hitchhiking. He just turns right around to the others in failure, with a blush of embarrassment.

Tai: I'm waiting! Matt: (turns around in surrender) Tai: NOT SO EASY, IS IT, MATT!?!? Matt: WELL, AT LEAST MY CAT'S NOT STUCK IN A TREE!!

Then Tai and Mimi grin and giggle at him, presumably entertained by his snappy comeback.

The dub then puts Izzy and Joe's attempt here, moving it to third place after Matt's. Like Tai, their initial thumb-out try is cut so their attempt at hitchhiking can be disguised as something else: They're intentionally trying to hail a taxi despite being broke.

Joe & Izzy: (deep breaths, then flailing) HEY HEY TAXI TAXI OVER HERE TAXI HEY TAXI TAXI Taxi: (pulls up) You kids want a cab? Joe & Izzy: YEAH!!! Taxi: You got any money? Joe & Izzy: ...no.

This was almost as bad an idea as hailing the police. I don't know why they thought they could take a taxi for free.

Finally, Sora and Mimi take their turn.

Sora & Mimi: Take us to Odaiba! Jou: It will definitely work this time. Koushiro: Girls are better at this. Mochimon: That's right. The men will be all over them! Koromon: Is that how it works, Taichi? Taichi: Yep!

Sure enough, a blue minivan pulls over pretty quickly. We don't hear the conversation between Sora and Mimi and the occupant of the car.

Takeru: Someone stopped! (Sora and Mimi turn towards the others and give them okay signs) Jou: Yes! It's okay! Taichi: Hehe! Piece of cake! Koromon: (awestruck) So that's how it works....

Teaching Koromon very dangerous behaviors here. We have learned nothing from Yamato's attempt.

Dub Sora and Mimi don't even get to make an attempt. The driver of the minivan is reimagined completely. The car just pulls up all of a sudden, unprompted by anything. They even edited the footage to erase Sora and Mimi with their signs from the scene of him pulling up.

Driver: Sora!? Sora: It's my cousin! Hi, Duane! Duane: Need a lift? (Sora and Mimi turn towards the others and give them okay signs) Mimi: YAAAAAY!!! Sora: Alright! Mimi: GIRL POWER!!!

Mimi, how is Sora having a cousin a triumphant moment of girl power? Why are you even over at the car?

The dub then moves the scene of the boys grossly commenting on the girls' ability to lure in vehicles to after "Duane" shows up.

T.K.: Her cousin!? Joe: What are the odds of that happening? Izzy: One in 4.2 million. Motimon: Whatever! I'm just glad we have a ride! Koromon: Excuse me, but what's a cousin? Tai: Skip it.

Just like that, the hitchhiking sequence is complete and the censors can go cry themselves to sleep in a closet somewhere for how much work that was. (Wait 'til we get to Pinocchimon.)

As the minivan makes its way, the visibly unhappy driver calls out:

Driver: Those of you in the back! Everyone in the back: Yes?

Small note: He's trying to address the boys, but Japan's frequently gender-neutral language causes a small miscommunication and Sora answers with them.

Driver: You're extras that Sora-chan and Mimi-chan brought with them. Understood? Boys: (resigned) Yes, sir. We're extras. Driver: Extras better keep quiet. Otherwise, I'll dump you on the side of the highway or something. Boys: (resigned) Yes, sir. We'll be quiet.

The car pulls up to a red light.

Driver: Would you like some candy, Mimi-chan? Mimi: Yes! Driver: (gives a candy to Mimi) You too, Sora-chan. Sora: Thank you.

As the driver passes the candy back, Pyokomon's eyes follow it. She opens her mouth, wanting, but behaves herself and doesn't say anything. Sora, seeing what Pyokomon wants, quickly feeds the candy to Pyokomon rather than eating it herself.

Taichi whispers to Sora from the back.

Taichi: (whispers) What's the deal with this guy? He pisses me off. Sora: (whispers) It can't be helped. After all, he is taking us to Odaiba. Jou: (whispers) Actually, are we sure that he's taking us to Odaiba?

Senpai coming in with the real questions now that it's too late to back out. He really shouldn't have let us do this to begin with. What would Fujiyama say, Jou? He trusted you.

In another brief near-encounter with one of Tailmon's mercenaries, Wizarmon, carrying balloons, leads a group of children over the crosswalk in front of this creep's car.

Mimi, too, feeds her candy to Palmon rather than eating it herself.

In the dub, Duane lays down the same obnoxious rules. Kinda weird that Mimi's riding shotgun in Sora's cousin's vehicle, gotta say.

Duane: Okay, here's the rules. I'm gonna say this once, so listen! Everyone in the back: Yeah? Duane: You're only here 'cause Sora's my cousin. You're like her luggage. Boys: (resigned) Yeah. We're like her luggage. Duane: And luggage doesn't make a sound. You got me? Or else it's liable to get itself thrown out of the car, right? Boys: (resigned) Right. Luggage doesn't make a sound. Duane: (to Mimi) You want some gum? Sugarless. Mimi: Sure. Duane: (gives one to Mimi) How about you, Sora? Sora: Thanks, Duane. (takes the gum and feeds it to Yokomon) Tai: (whispers) Hey, Sora, I think your cousin's a major lame-o. Sora: (whispers) He's sorta the black sheep of the family. But he's giving us a lift, so be nice. Tai: (whispers) I will! But just make sure he takes us to Odaiba.

Jou's concern about Stranger Danger running off with us is a valid thing to worry about. Not sure where Tai thinks Duane is going to take us, though.

Also, the weirdness of Mimi being up front continues. Why isn't she luggage? Is it for creepy reasons? I bet it's for creepy reasons.

While Tailmon's mercenaries continue expanding their search of Tokyo, PicoDevimon rides the ferry and complains.

PicoDevimon: Vamdemon-sama's always beating and shouting at me. It won't get better unless I can achieve something soon. Where could that kid be?

Over in the dub, he's having a crisis.

DemiDevimon: How did I ever get into this!? Knocking myself out searching for some pipsqueak kid! I've got half a mind to chuck this whole lousy job! But... The master might not like that....

I feel DemiDevimon. This job sucks. Aimlessly wandering around the city hoping to stumble onto a person is the worst way to find someone. The Eighth Child is a needle in a haystack. A haystack that is hostile to discovery of your true identity.

So. Like. A haystack full of bees. And fourteen wasps.

In the car, the nameless driver blasts deafening music. Mimi tries to get his attention.

Mimi: E-Excuse me, Onii-san! Driver: (head banging to the music) Mimi: ONII-SAN!!! Driver: Eh? Did you say something? Mimi: COULD YOU PLEASE TURN DOWN THE VOLUME!!! Driver: Eh? What did you say? Mimi: VOLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUME!!! Driver: Bathroom? You need to go? Mimi: THAT IS NOT WHAT I SAAAAAAAAAAAID!!!

In Japan, it's common to use respectful familial terms like onii-san to address older people. By addressing the driver as Onii-san, Mimi is respectfully addressing him as an older man, but not so much older that otosan (father) or ojisan (grandfather) would be more appropriate.

Before this argument can continue, the driver's music is interrupted by a news broadcast.

Reporter: We interrupt this broadcast for important news. A few hours ago in the Nerima district, a bombing occurred near the housing complexes of Hikarigaoka. This may have been responsible for putting telephones, wires, and optical cables in Hikarigaoka into temporary disservice. Investigations are underway in the local area. We will bring you a news update if anything is uncovered. In other news, unconfirmed sources have insisted that an elephant and a huge bird were witnessed at the scene of the crime. Investigation into these claims is also currently underway. Driver: Whoa! An elephant! Freaky. It must have escaped the zoo! Hehe! Reporter: There is some speculation that this incident may be related to the terrorist bombing that occurred four years ago in Hikarigaoka. To those just tuning in, a few hours ago in the Nerima district, a bombing occurred near the housing complexes of Hikarigaoka....

Haha. Hahaha. Hahahahaha we are wanted fugitives that's great.

In the dub, Duane calls Mimi "babe", confirming that she's up front for creepy reasons.

Mimi: Excuse me! Do you mind? Duane: (head banging to the music) Mimi: EXCUSE ME!!! Duane: Oh, what's up, babe? Mimi: THE RADIO'S KIND OF LOUD!!! Duane: The tunes are kinda what!? Mimi: LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUD!!! Duane: The radio? It's too loud? Mimi: MAYBE JUST A LITTLE!!! (news report interrupts) Reporter: And now for a news update. Officials have yet to find a clear explanation for the devastating explosion that rocked the Highton View Terrace apartments in the Nerima district earlier today. Power in the area is still out and the injured are still being counted after the bizarre incident. While official sources have offered no further information, there are reports of several eyewitness accounts. However, these accounts have only served to further mystify investigators. The details of their accounts differ but several of these eyewitnesses agree that an elephant and something described as a giant firebird were seen in the vicinity. Duane: (laughing) A giant WHAT!?!? Firebird!? Hehe, you gotta love the crazies in this town, HAHAHA!!! Reporter: When asked about the accounts, officials would give no comment. A similar incident took place at the Highton View Terrace Apartments four years ago. It's unknown if there is any connection between the two.

Mostly the same, but of note: This is actually darker in the dub. The dub blames the electrical chaos in Hikarigaoka on Mammon which isn't entirely wrong. The original instead talks about a power outage and "still counting the injured", meaning there were a lot of human casualties from the fighting between Mammon and Birdramon/Garudamon.

According to the dub, while we were drifting in and out of OVA flashbacks, people were exploding and being crushed by debris offscreen.

You know, it's funny the driver mentions going to the bathroom because Koromon suddenly has an emergency right there in the car. Taichi manages to dodge aside just before Koromon would have shit on his lap, causing it to hit the seats instead.

Driver pulls over and everyone evacuates immediately to escape the smell.

Jou: GAAAH IT STINKS!!! Driver: (furious) ...you bastards... WHO THE HELL JUST TOOK A DUMP INSIDE MY BELOVED CAR!?!? Taichi: ...sorry, I-- Sora: ME!!! IT WAS ME!!!

Sora takes the fall for Koromon, likely realizing that the guy isn't going to treat her the way he would one of the "extras".

Her lie is terrible, of course. She was in the passenger side of the second row, while Koromon pooped in the center seat of the back row. It's actually quite impressive, given that Taichi was in the back row passenger side and jerked away towards the center, which would push Koromon towards the door. But Jou was sitting in the center seat there.

In order to make this happen, Koromon would have had to leap for it, hurdling Taichi to dive-bomb projectile-shit at Jou, who clearly scrambled out of the way as Koromon deposited right between his legs. I take it back, this is way worse than ditching Joe at lunch.

I guess he panicked and was hoping Senpai would take care of it.

In any case, Driver takes a moment to process the claim that a girl like Sora would do something so vulgar.

Sora: I'm so sorry. I'll be sure to clean up all of it! Driver: ...LIAR!!! I know you'd never do something like that, Sora-chan! The one sitting in the back was... you, right!?

The driver correctly identifies Jou as the occupant of that seat.

Jou: Eep!? Driver: Don't try and fool me with that nice guy face of yours!

The driver grabs Jou angrily by the his collar. Koushiro tries to pull him off.

Koushiro: Please stop! Driver: SHUT UP!!!

The driver backhands Koushiro away, sending him stumbling back into the barricade. Both barricade and Koushiro go over the edge, plunging off the bridge.

In a subtle moment of characterization, despite being in the clutches of this (rightfully angry but still) asshole, Jou-senpai is more concerned with Koushiro's wellbeing than his own. His eyes are on Koushiro after the backhand, and he screams when Koushiro goes over the edge.

The dub, for once, lets a poop be a poop. They don't even edit out the onscreen shot of it. I guess there was no way they were going to be able to claim it was hair gel or whatever.

Duane: WHOA!!! WHAT IS THAT!?!? Tai: Koromon, you couldn't wait!? Duane: Okay, who did it!? HUH!?!? WHICH ONE OF YOU MADE A MESS ON MY NEW SEAT COVERS!?!? Tai: ...I'm sorry, I-- Sora: RIGHT HERE!!! I'm the one! Duane: Huh? Sora: I'll clean it up. I'll even detail it for ya! Duane: ...RARGH!!! Don't try covering up for these losers! Which one of 'em was it!? (Driver looks around, then spots Joe) Duane: YOU!!! Mr. Peepers! IT WAS YOU, WASN'T IT!?!? Izzy: Hey, let him go! He didn't d-- Duane: Back off! (backhand)

Sora trying to take the fall works just as well for Cousin Duane as it does with the creep who wanted to be alone with minor girls. The sentiment is pretty similar: She knows he won't lash out at her the way he would the others, so she steps up to try and de-escalate.

They did cut out the driver's reasoning for blaming Jou, though. Duane just seems to select him arbitrarily.

They also put another well-timed commercial break in right as Izzy goes over. Once again, good spot for a cliffhanger..

As Koushiro goes over the edge, Motimon suddenly evolves into Tentomon to catch him by the ankle. Trying with all his might to lift Koushiro. Unfortunately, something else is lurking in the river, which notices the Chosen Child suspended in the air.

Tentomon: (catch) Koushiro: Tentomon! (They drop a foot sharply) Tentomon: Ack! Heavy.... (Gesomon explodes from the water) Tentomon: IT'S GESOMON!!! Koushiro: Gesomon!?

Gesomon is an Adult-stage Virus-type Mollusk Digimon. Their name comes from the Japanese word gesou, which are the tentacles of a squid.

Gesomon is not a Nightmare Soldier. They're from the Deep Savers line; One of the few non-Nightmare Soldier's we'll be facing in the Tokyo sub-arc.

Narrator: Gesomon. A Mollusk-type Virus Digimon. Their special attack, Deadly Shade, paralyzes their enemies! Driver: AHHHH!!! A SQUID BAKEMONO!!! (runs away) Gomamon: I can handle ocean Digimon!

Remember bakemono, shapeshifting yokai who impersonate people, animals, and objects? The driver accuses Gesomon of being a bakemono in the guise of a squid. Which. Isn't that far off, really.

In the dub, Tentomon quips about Izzy's weight.

Tentomon: I've got you, Izzy! (catch) Izzy: WAAAAAUGH!!! Thanks, Tento! (They drop a foot sharply) Tentomon: Eugh, you had to have that extra side of chili fries, didn't you? Izzy: Hey, what's that!? (Gesomon explodes from the water) Tentomon: Yow, it's Gesomon! Izzy: It's what!? Tentomon: (rundown) Gesomon. Take a bit of everything nasty that lives underwater, stick them together, and that's him. Duane: YOU KIDS ARE ON YOUR OWN!!! (runs away) Gomamon: Good riddance! You were a lousy driver anyway!

Izzy didn't get to eat chili fries. He and Joe went hungry. I have no idea what Tentomon is talking about. Unless they were lying to Joe about spending all the money and then bought Izzy a meal after Joe left? I guess that's what happened.

Man, this dub plot point just gets worse and worse.

Gomamon hits the water and evolves into Ikkakumon.

Driver: AHHHHHHHHHH THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!!!

While creepy driver offscreen becomes the next person to shit himself, Ikkakumon attacks, bashing Gesomon back with a headbutt. Gesomon tries to slap one of their tentacles down from above. Ikkakumon sidesteps, then fires a Harpoon Vulcan point-blank through another of Gesomon's tentacles. The missile penetrates Gesomon's claw and detonates, blowing the limb to shreds.

In the dub, Duane bailed much more concretely than Driver so he doesn't get to scream and cry about Ikkakumon's arrival. What we get is a line from Tentomon while he and Izzy flutter offscreen.

Tentomon: I think we'll just get out of the way!

Like Mammon, Gesomon is one of those bestial Digimon that doesn't speak, but the dub lets him nonetheless call attacks in English. When he tries to slam his tentacle down on Ikkakumon, he calls it "Coral Crusher".

This extremely public kaiju brawl draws spectators.

A crowd gathers around the Chosen Children on the bridge.

Bystander 1: Senpai, look at that! Bystander 2: Are those kaiju!? No way! Bystander 3: Dad, get the camcorder! HURRY!!! Bystander 4: They're pretty well made. Bystander 5: Do you think they're real? Bystander 4: That's impossible. This must be some kind of event.

Meanwhile, in a nearby cafe on an upper floor of a building, three girls have a bird's-eye vantage of the kaiju brawling in the river.

Girl 1: It's so annoyi-- Girl 2: EH!?!? WHAT IS THAT!?!? Girl 3: Awww, they're so cute!

At a rest stop, one salaryman gets a drink from a vending machine while another reclines on a bench; The fight raging behind him. The first salaryman suddenly sees the fighting and stops in his tracks.

Salaryman 2: What's wrong? Salaryman 1: (sigh) I can't even. (drink)

I guess this is happening now.

XD That salaryman is the entire vibe of my generation.

In the dub, it's ads.

Bystander 1: HOLY COW!!! WHAT'S GOING ON!?!? Bystander 2: They must be advertising something! Bystander 3: Advertising something!? Get out of here! Bystander 4: Maybe they're shooting a movie! Bystander 3: I don't see any cameras! Bystander 4: Oh well. Maybe they're just rehearsing.

Bystander 3, get out of here with your naysaying. Also, Bystander 2 was ahead of his time. Modern-day Digimon would stop what they're doing every five minutes to tell you about Surfshark.

Girl 1: And so then do you know what he said? Girl 2: OH! WHAT'S THAT!?!? Girl 3: What's going on over there!?

And Zero Fucks Salaryman remains a legend.

Salaryman 1: Rough day at work, huh? Salaryman 2: Eh, you know. Same old, same old. (drink)

Finally, Ikkakumon strikes the killing blow: Stabbing Gesomon straight through the head with his horn and driving him down into the water. We're spared any shots of impalement, as Gesomon implicitly dissolves into pixel dust offscreen after being submerged.

Since Gesomon dies underwater, the bystanders are also spared from having to see that. The only confirmation of Gesomon's death is that the fight music dies down and Gesomon's counterfeit Crest is seen floating down the river.

(Another Digimerc isn't going home.)

Bystander: (disappointed) What the hell? It's already over!? Driver: ...oh, right! The kids!

Too late for him, the kids are already gone. I guess he'll have to clean Koromon's poop out of his car by himself.

(Honestly, probably for the best. I'm not saying it's good that we pooped in his car, but Mr. "You're all just Sora-chan and Mimi-chan's luggage!" did not have good intentions and was probably going to pull some dudebro shit when we got to Odaiba. So bailing on him in the chaos is a good idea.)

The dub adds a silence-breaker when Ikkakumon stabs Gesomon.

Bystander 1: My money's on the big hairy one!

Then, after Gesomon's implied disintegration:

Bystander 1: (same as the previous comment) Aww, they're gone. Too bad! Bystander 2: Man, did you guys see that? Duane: Sora? HEY, SORA!!! Where'd all those kids go!?

Dub Sora is not so lucky as original Sora, as she will most certainly get an earful from furious relatives over the poop we left in Duane's car.

With new transportation options opened up, the children tie logs to Ikkakumon and swim to Odaiba. It's Jou's Digimon so he gets the seat of honor. Sora and Mimi get to ride on Ikkakumon's back while the boys take the logs.

Sexist, but they were the ones who got us this far by putting up with being leered at by a pervert. If we'd gone with the convertible lady then maybe Yamato could be on Ikkakumon's back.

Yamato: We drew a big crowd back there.... Taichi: Couldn't be helped. Oh, well! It'll all work out. Jou: Set course to Odaiba. LAUNCH!!! Narrator: And so the Children made their way safely to Odaiba. However....

PicoDevimon: I've found you. I must inform Vamdemon-sama right away! (flies off) Narrator: Where could the Eighth Chosen Child be? Vamdemon's night draws closer.

Yeah, those skies are looking pretty sunset-y. We close on the ominous reminder that Vamdemon will be loosed upon Tokyo soon.

In the dub:

Matt: Well, so much for keeping a low profile. Tai: At least we got away from Lame Duane and we're all in one piece! Joe: Nice work, Ikkakumon. You NAAAAAAILED him! Ikkakumon: RAAARHAHAAAA!!! Tai: Anyway, wouldn't you rather travel in the fresh air than under the ground in that subway? Sora: Oh, yeah! This is great! Tai: And best of all, it's free!

Since Tai and Sora are filling space where the Narrator should be talking, they have to play a really noticeable game of "Only speak when the camera isn't on you". The camera is on Sora and Mimi for Tai's subway line. Then Sora speaks when it shifts to Tai, Matt, and T.K. And then Tai starts talking again as soon as it moves to Izzy.

DemiDevimon: Here's good news! Now that they've shown themselves, we can finally take care of them! (flies off) Tai: Next stop: HOME!!! Kids: YEAH!! WOOHOO!! WE'RE GOING HOME!!! Mimi: Does anybody have something to eat? Tai: Ugh, Mimi, not that again! Mimi: I was just asking!

The episode closes on one last Mimi gag for good measure.

Assessment: The hitchhiking portion of this episode made me feel my age. Watching these children get sexually harassed by people old enough to drive is deeply uncomfortable. But creeps like the ones these kids ran into are a genuine peril of attempting this.

The dub censored that sequence heavily because, I guess, they don't want kids to try doing what the Chosen Children were doing. But the original sequence goes to great lengths to examine the perils of what the Chosen Children were doing. Yeah, we don't want children hitchhiking, here's why.

In fact, points from me for pointing out that boys can be victimized by predatory adults too. It's not just something that happens to girls. Both Yamato and Sora/Mimi get preyed on by exactly the kind of people who would eagerly pick up isolated 11/10-year-olds off the side of the road, though Yamato gets it much more directly.

This was a terrible idea that Taichi had.

The dub, meanwhile, was very polarized. This episode's dub has high highs and low lows. Some fantastic dubbing and even a scene that's improved on the original one minute, and then total dipshittery the next.

This is the meanest episode to Joe and Mimi that the show's been yet. Mimi got it in quantity but Joe got the fucking "Ditch Joe and go eat" bit. A bit which wound up becoming a plot hole later on when Tentomon clearly mentions Izzy eating.

...wait a second, why can Dub Gomamon evolve? Shouldn't he also be starv-- Holy shit, did they feed Gomamon too? Joe did drop him in the diner before storming out. It really was just Joe that they screwed?

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

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tobiasdrake · 4 months ago

Text

Digimon Adventure 01x31 - Raremon! Assault on Tokyo Bay / The Eight(sic) Digivice

Previously on Digimon Adventure: The Chosen Children set course for Odaiba! After much consideration, they promptly went the wrong way and got lost in Shinjuku. There, they made multiple public spectacles, threw all their money at McDonalds, pooped in a child predator's car, and then jumped off a bridge. Thus proving once and for all that children are feral and Jou cannot be trusted to rein them in.

Now, at long last, we're home. Welcome to Odaiba.

We open basically where we left off. After spotting the Chosen Children on Ikkakumon, PicoDevimon reports his finding to Vamdemon using these cellphone gadgets they stole from the Batcave.

Vamdemon: What did you say? Mammon and Gesomon have been killed? PicoDevimon: Yes, sir! The troops that Tailmon brought with her are practically useless! Hehehe-- Vamdemon: WHAT'S SO FUNNY!?!? PicoDevimon: N-Nothing, sir! Vamdemon: In any case, keep searching. Find the Eighth Child! PicoDevimon: Y-Yes, sir! Understood!

The dub is the same, but spicy.

Myotismon: Defeated!? You say those little punks beat Mammothmon and Gesomon!? DemiDevimon: Right! Gatomon really bungled it when she hooked up with those nincompoops. I guess she's no better than the rest of us! Hehehe-- Myotismon: THINK THAT'S FUNNY!?!? DemiDevimon: Of course not, boss! Myotismon: Then knock off the chatter and find the Eighth Child before i lose my patience! DemiDevimon: Aye-aye! Myotismon rules! You'll see!

Most of this works but "Myotismon rules! You'll see!" is a weird thing to say to Myotismon. Don't know what was going on with that line.

I guess the kids split up and headed home after arriving in Odaiba, because we join Taichi and Koromon headed home alone.

Koromon: I wonder if Hikari-chan's over her cold yet? Taichi: When we came back earlier, Hikari remembered what happened four years ago. You don't think she's the Eighth Child, do you?

A valid concern. Showing that this has crossed Taichi's mind; He just didn't want to bring it up in front of the others. You can see the nervousness on his face as he speaks; He doesn't want his sister wrapped up in all this.

In the dub:

Koromon: Gee, Tai. I sure hope that your sister Kari's over her nasty cold! Tai: Me too! You know, it's really weird. The last time we were here, she remembered what happened four years ago. Oh, wow! Do you think it's possible that Kari's the Eighth Child!?

Well, she should be over that cold given that the dub cut that plot point. Kari very specifically did not have a cold when Tai was here last.

In contrast to his Japanese counterpart, Tai sounds excited at the prospect that Kari will be joining us.

Back home, we find Hikari in her bedroom putting out a saucer of milk for the family's pet cat.

Hikari: Here you go, Meeko!

Suddenly, the door opens out in the living room. Her mother Yuuko and father Susumu have returned.

Yuuko: We're home! Susumu: We're back! Hikari: Welcome back, Mom and Dad!

Hikari goes out to greet her parents, leaving Meeko alone in the bedroom. From her low vantage, Meeko is able to spot Hikari's Digivice lying under the bed.

(Did Hikari move it? It was on the living room table last we saw it.)

An interesting note: This is the first time we ever see Yuuko and Susumu's heads. The OVA is shot from a child's perspective, and used the classic perspective trick of only showing the lower bodies of adults.

Hikari: How was Grandma? Susumu: It was nothing serious. She said she fell while walking down a slope and sprained her ankle. She went to the hospital to have it checked out. She'll be out in two or three days.

We know from the OVA that Susumu's an alcoholic. We see him come home late at night, drunk as shit and loudly screaming for his children - Not in a mean or abusive way, he's a jolly drunk, but it's still not good behavior when the kids should be asleep so it turns into a tiff with Yuuko.

True to character, he goes straight to the fridge and pops open a beer first thing when he gets in. While he's talking, Hikari gets him out a glass, which she hands off to him. Meanwhile, Meeko takes Hikari's Digivice and slips outside onto the balcony.

Hikari: That's great! (hands Susumu a glass) Here you go! Susumu: Thank you! (takes a drink and vibrates gleefully as the burning hits his chest) Yuuko: Your grandmother was more worried about your cold, Hikari. Hikari: I think my cold is gone now. Susumu: Oh? Let's see!

Susumu feels Hikari's forehead to test her temperature.

Susumu: Your fever's gone down!

Great news for the Yagami family! And also Meeko is outside making bad choices.

Farewell, Hikari's Digivice. We are at least five stories up. Why are cats like this? Sincerely, affectionate cat owner.

Fun fact about Meeko. So, as Hikari starts to be part of this story, we're going to see more and more about how she's... Hikari has a touch of destiny and holiness about her, even moreso than the other Chosen Children.

We've already seen a bit of it. Hikari, whose name literally means 'light', was the first to receive a Digimon. That Digimon was involved in the event that connects all eight Chosen Children. Hikari's Digimon participated in the event that called them all at... Hikarigaoka, or "The Light on the Hill".

Hikari is a very special child.

Meeko's name is spelled out as ミーコ. It's "Miko" but with a vowel extender in the middle. That's what that horizontal bar is; It's the letter "Vowel of the last letter but longer". ミコ is the katakana spelling for "miko", a shrine maiden who tends to Shinto shrines.

It should probably be translated Miiko for literalness, but that looks super weird. Maybe it's just me.

Also, because Japanese is so gender-neutral with its language, she's never explicitly identified by a gender. However, she has a pink collar, is named after shrine maidens, and has a -ko on the end of her name which is a common naming convention for girls. So there's a lot of signifiers that she's a female kitty-cat.

In any case, Hikari is the light, born to a special destiny, and that cat is her miko. It's a cute little name pun.

Alright, enough about nominal priestesses. The dub continues committing to the retcon that Kari was sick.

Kari: Here, Meeko! (milk bowl) Yuuko: (coming in) Hello, Kari! We're back! Susumu: Is everything alright, sweetie? Kari: Hi! Everything's just fine! (Kari goes out to the living room) Kari: What was wrong with Grandma? Susumu: She took a bit of a fall, that's all. She sprained her ankle when she was out for a walk, but it's not serious. She has to stay in the hospital for a day and she's HOPPING mad 'cause it cuts into her dancing lesson! Kari: That's Grandma! (hands Susumu a glass) Here! Susumu: Thanks, Sweet Pea! (takes a drink and vibrates gleefully as the burning hits his chest) Yuuko: Grandma was worried about your cold and said Daddy should remember your sweater next time. Kari: I feel back to normal now! Susumu: Oh? You look much better, but let's just check to make sure. (puts his hand on Kari's forehead) You feel about as cool as a cucumber!

Again, this is really good. They hit all the important points and also add a bit of spice. Grandma passive-aggressively blaming Susumu for Kari's cold got me. XD

I was totally expecting Susumu to pull out that beer and be like, "Ahh, nothing like a tasty Coca-Cola!" but nope, he gets to drink a beer. I guess alcohol is fine for adults, just not for Adult-stage Digimon.

They also choose Meeko watching helplessly as the Digivice plunges to the earth as the spot for their commercial break cliffhanger, which is hilarious and I approve.

Taichi returns home.

Nobody pays any attention to Meeko sprinting out the front door in a panic.

Taichi: I'm home! Yuuko: Taichi!? Shouldn't you be at camp? Taichi: O-Oh, it got cancelled because of the snow. Yuuko: Snow? Huh, I wonder what's been going on with the weather lately? (notices Koromon) What's that? Taichi: I-It's a souvenir for Hikari! Yuuko: That's very thoughtful of yo--

Suddenly and without warning, Taichi throws himself into his mother's arms and cries. She doesn't understand. She doesn't know what he's been through "at camp today". But we do.

And he got to go home for an afternoon/several months of it, so Taichi got off light. Imagine how the other kids are feeling.

Koromon is seen sitting on the ground while Taichi's hugging his mom, so I think he fucking dropped him.

In the dub, Meeko's dialogue is different. In that she has dialogue. When Meeko races out the door in the original, we hear the bell on her collar ringing frantically. There is no bell in the dub, but she lets out a frantic "MROWR!!!"

Dub Yuuko is much less interested in Koromon.

Tai: I'M BAAAACK! Hi! Yuuko: Tai? Why are you here? Meeko: (whips past) MROWR!!! Tai: Camp was cancelled because it snowed. Yuuko: Snow? Who would have thought at this time of year? The weather's getting so unpredictable these days. (notices Koromon) EUGH, what's that!? Tai: I brought Kari home a present! Yuuko: ...great. Give me your dirty clothes so I can wash them-- (Lost Child Hug Attack)

Poor Koromon. Nobody likes Tai's bunny cabbage.

Taichi throws himself into his mom's arms and cries.

Taichi: Mom.... Yuuko: Huh? What's this all of a sudden? Susumu: What's wrong? Taichi: Dad!

Susumu and Hikari approach. Taichi, seeing his father, lets go of Yuuko and hugs Susumu next. His voice breaking as he says their names.

Susumu looks to Yuuko for explanation but she has no idea.

Yuuko's a little more inquisitive in the dub.

Tai: Mom! Yuuko: Tai!? Did something happen!? Tai: I'm glad you're here. Yuuko: Of course I am. What's this all about, son? Susumu: Oh, is something wrong? Tai: Dad! (switches hugs)

Not a substantial change but still enough to be worth noting. As usual, the dub is more verbose in the quiet emotional moments. It doesn't detract from the scene, however.

Outside, the misadventures of Meeko continue. Another cat makes off with the Digivice, forcing Meeko to give chase.

At the Izumi household, Koushiro's mom is on the phone with a friend or neighbor.

Kae: Yes, that's true. Neighbor: In any case, your Koushiro is such a smart and polite kid. I'm so jealous of you. Kae: Aww! Neighbor: Next to him, my little brats just look picky and selfish! Child: THAT'S MINE!!! (hard smack, followed by another kid screaming and crying) Neighbor: HEY!!! Mizuki, do not hit your little brother! (another hard smack and now Mizuki starts screaming and crying too)

Gee, I wonder where Mizuki learned to be violent. Truly, it is a mystery. This woman has three lines of dialogue over a phone and I already hate her.

Koushiro enters through the front door, announcing himself.

Koushiro: I'm home! Kae: Oh! Koushiro: Camp was cancelled. Kae: Oh, was it?

Koushiro suddenly realizes something and wipes his gloves on his shorts. Or frantically checks his pockets? I'm not entirely sure what he's doing here, to be honest. But he concludes the action by bowing respectfully to Kae.

Kae: What is it? Koushiro: (bows; politely) I'm sorry for worrying you. Kae: (struck speechless)

Then he turns around and goes into his room. As he leaves, we can hear the woman on the other end again, as well as the sounds of even more smacking and more screaming and crying from the two children.

Neighbor: BE QUIET!!! Ahem. (into phone) I'm sorry, hello? Izumi-san? Hello? Kae: Ah, I'm here!

Truly, Kae's son is a model child compared to those two. I can't possibly imagine why.

So, obviously, the dub wasn't going to let the implied child abuse fly, right?

Kae: Really? I'm sure your kids aren't that bad. Neighbor: I'm telling you, you're so lucky to have a boy like Izzy! He's a perfect example of a gentleman, and so smart! Kae: (embarrassed) Ahahaha.... Neighbor: You know, my little rascals are always fighting all the time and never listen to a word I say! Male Child: Mom, tell Billy to give me back my truck! NYEEEEEEEH!!! Neighbor: Franky, don't stick your tongue out at your brother!

Mizuki got gender-flipped in this version. One of the two kids starts crying after their mom yells here but it's not clear which. It's possible she smacked one of them, but there's no hitting sound so probably not.

Then, as Izzy enters, we hear screaming sounds of exertion, like the boys are tug-of-warring over the truck.

Izzy: I'm home! Kae: Izzy? Izzy: Hi, Mom! I came home ahead of schedule. Kae: Didn't you like camp? Izzy: Huh? (ambiguous glove motion) The food was inferior. Kae: That's all? Izzy: (bows) And then it snowed so they cancelled everything. Kae: (struck speechless, shocked Pikachu face; Izzy leaves)

Over the phone, we can clearly hear both boys crying now. Their mom is just... ignoring them now, I guess?

Neighbor: (into phone) They never think about how I feel! I just wish they were as considerate as your Izzy! Kae: Sometimes he's too considerate.

Without the explicit sounds of child abuse happening, it's super ambiguous as to what exactly the boys are now screaming and crying about.

Meanwhile, Izzy and Kae's parts suffer from that thing that happens sometimes in dubs, where the blocking of a scene doesn't fit with the new dialogue. Izzy bows to Kae for seemingly no reason at all, and then she does her stunned face over... the fact that it snowed, I guess?

I have no idea what part of this exchange was "too considerate". This scene is a mess in the dub.

Once he's in his room, Koushiro opens the window to let Tentomon fly in.

Kae: (from outside the door) Koushiro! Koushiro: (panics and ushers Tentomon into the closet) Y-Yes!? Kae: Is anything wrong? Koushiro: Nothing at all! Kae: ...okay....

Kae doesn't enter, but instead uncertainly takes Koushiro's answer. She leaves, going to the kitchen and beginning to boil a pot of water for cooking. Koushiro rifles through his desk for coins then tries to head out the front door, leaving Tentomon in the room.

Koushiro: I'm going to Taichi-san's place for a bit! Kae: !!! (goes back to the hall) Now? Koushiro: I need one of his reference books. I'll be right back!

Koushiro leaves without another word. Kae returns to the kitchen to resume cooking while Koushiro goes to the KaKuetsu Supermart. Not quite what he told his mom he'd be doing.

Kae continues cooking dinner while a TV news report talks about the mysterious events happening around Tokyo, showing footage of Ikkakumon's fight with Gesomon.

Anchor: It certainly does appear to show two kaiju, but are these creatures really kaiju? We're very interested to learn whether they're related to the giant elephant and firebird that rampaged in Hikarigaoka. And now sports! Koushiro: (from the hall, opening and closing front door) I'm home! Kae: Welcome back!

XD TV news is like that though.

In the dub, the convenient fact that Tentomon doesn't have lip flaps when he speaks allows for some extra dialogue from him.

Tentomon: So why can't I use the door? Kae: (from outside the door) Izzy? Is something wrong? Izzy: (panics and ushers Tentomon into the closet) Hide! Tentomon: What am I, a Molemon!? Kae: Izzy, are you alright? Izzy: I'M FINE, MOM!!! Kae: Huh? (walks away uncertainly) Huh.... (Izzy grabs coins and heads to the door) Izzy: Seeya, Mom! I'm going to Tai's house for a while! Kae: Huh!? (goes back to the hall) Right now!? Izzy: Yeah, I'm borrowing one of his reference books. I'll be back in a nanosecond! (Izzy goes to the supermarket while Kae cooks) Anchor: A suspicious lifeform has been spotted in the bay. There's speculation that it is some kind of monster. It's possible that it could be a whale, but it seems very unlikely. There may be some connection between this monster and the giant elephant and bird that attacked a nearby town. Time for sports, starting with baseball! Izzy: I'M BAAAAACK!!! Kae: Dinner's almost ready!

The anchor begins with baseball because, in the footage, a baseball player appears over the word "SPORTS" on the news screen. The dub plays the Major League Baseball theme over it, which on the one hand is a perfect reference but on the other hand we're in Japan. So that's another point of Washingtokyo.

The weird part is that the Anchor describes Ikkakumon and Gesomon as a suspicious lifeform, singular. Given previous extremely visible errors caused by the animation and script teams seeming to do their own thing, I actually wonder if the dub writer was trying to foreshadow Raremon, rather than talking about Ikkakumon and Gesomon.

I mean. It's weird to describe either of those two (and especially those two together) as a whale. But it kinda makes sense to say "A strange whale-like creature has been spotted in the bay" if you're talking about Raremon.

Cut to Koushiro's room, where we see just what he got from the Supermart.

Koushiro installs a deadbolt lock on his door, then sighs.

Koushiro: I really didn't want to do this. Tentomon: Then why did you? Koushiro: We'll have trouble if my parents come in and find you while I'm gone. Tentomon: (resigned) That's true. Oh! By the way! Koushiro: What? Tentomon: Some amazing smells have been coming in since we got here. Your mother must be cooking something delicious! She must a very nice mother! Koushiro: :) Mhm! She's a really good mom, but....

Koushiro flashes back on that conversation he overheard, when he learned he was adopted.

Kae: Dear, when are we going to tell him the truth? Masami: Let's wait a little longer. Just a little longer. It would be too much of a shock to Koushiro right now. Kae: But what if he already knows that he's not our real son. That he's adopted.... Masami: Did something happen? Kae: Nothing specific. It's just my intuition....

Kae's intuition is a self-fulfilling prophecy. She should return it and get a refund.

Cut back to the present, where Koushiro just sort of zoned out mid-sentence.

Tentomon: But what? Koushiro: ...no, it's nothing. (Knock at the door) Kae: Koushiro? Koushiro: Eep! Y-Yes!? Kae: Dinner time! Koushiro: I'll be right there! Kae: By the way, do you have a friend over?

Koushiro and Tentomon both freeze up, their eyes bugging out in panic.

Kae: Maybe I'm hearing things, but I thought I heard someone else's voice in your room. Koushiro: I-I WAS PRACTICING MANZAI!!! THERE'S A TALENT SHOW COMING UP AT SCHOOL!!! Kae: ...Manzai?

Manzai is basically the Japanese equivalent of your classic theatrical comedy duo, with a straight man befuddled by a wacky loon, spitting out puns and misunderstandings and lots of fun wordplay. Basically, he's saying that Kae heard two voices because he's in there reciting Who's On First by himself.

In the dub:

Izzy: My parents won't appreciate this but I think it's imperative. Tentomon: Why? What's the big deal, Izzy? Izzy: We'd be in big trouble if my Mom and Dad came in here and discovered you. I'm positive that they'd never comprehend our situation. Tentomon: I guess you have a point there. Oh, by the way! Izzy: What? Tentomon: I don't know too much about humans, me being a Digimon and all, but I can tell you one thing for sure: Your mom is a really kind lady and, if you don't mind me saying so, she's not bad looking for a human! Izzy: Mhm! I have to say, I completely agree. She's cool!

Tentomon's last line up there is written so badly that Izzy ends up agreeing that his mom is hot. Thanks, dub team! We started with a beetle boy hitting on Izzy's mom and then it got worse!

Tentomon hasn't even seen Izzy's mom. The original line is about the great smell wafting through the door crack! Why the fuck is he talking about her rockin' bod?

Additionally, Izzy's final line fails to present a transition into the flashback. He suddenly starts thinking about his adoption unprompted.

Izzy's flashback has no changes in the dub. Then he returns to the present.

Tentomon: Yoohoo, Digimon to Izzy! Izzy: Huh? I'm sorry, pal, I guess I kinda zoned out. Kae: Izzy? Are you in there? Izzy: GUH!!! What is it!? Kae: Dinner's ready! Izzy: JUST A MINUTE!!! Kae: If you have a friend over, he can join us too! (Izzy and Tentomon freeze up and bug out) Kae: I thought I heard someone speaking to you in a funny-sounding voice. Is that what I heard? Izzy? Izzy: OH NO NO NO, MOM!!! That was me! I'm practicing my new comedy act! Uh-huh! They're having a talent show at the children's center and the winner could win a new computer! Kae: YOU TELL JOKES!?!?

The punchline to this version is amazing. XD Izzy's mom fucking roasted him in three words.

Outside, Meeko continues her pursuit of the cat who snatched away Hikari's Digivice. Back in the Izumi apartment, Koushiro now has to put his comedy where his mouth is over dinner.

Koushiro (Goofball): When I scared the old man at the fish store, guess what he shouted? Koushiro (Straight Man): Oh, what did he say? Koushiro (Goofball): GYO!!! Koushiro (Straight Man): Cut that out!

Koushiro's joke here is a bit of basic wordplay. "Gyotsu!" is a Japanese exclamation of shock or startlement. However, gyo by itself means "fish". Thus, the man at the fish market shouted "GYO!!!"

Koushiro's joke gets no laughs from his mom and dad, the latter of whom has arrived home.

Koushiro: I'm sorry it wasn't funny. Masami: Th-That's not true at all! Kae: It was very funny! Masami: (claps) The best ever! The best! Kae: It's true! Hahaha! Masami: Hahaha the best! I never would have thought you'd take up manzai! Kae: You sure surprised me. Koushiro: Sorry about that. Masami: No no, there's no need to apologize. Kae: Yeah, it's a happy surprise! Koushiro: O-Okay!

They are absolutely humoring him. But offering encouragement to your kid even when they're just starting out at something and are kinda shit at it is a parent's job.

Suddenly, Koushiro remembers that poor Tentomon is starving in the closet.

Koushiro: Um, could I eat the rest of my dinner in my room? Kae: I won't mind if you leave whatever you don't like on your plate. Koushiro: N-No, I don't dislike any of it! I love everything you make, Mom! Kae: Oh....

Kae falls silent, unsure how to Koushiro's sentiment. Then Koushiro continues.

Koushiro: Thank you, Mom! I'm really grateful for everything you do!

At first, Kae seems touched by Koushiro's words. But then, as he says that final sentence, her expression breaks. She looks wounded and confused.

In the dub, that pun isn't going to work, so they rewrite the joke.

Izzy (Einstein): Why was Newton surprised when he was hit on the head by an apple? (sudden straight man voice without moving positions) Gee, I dunno. Why? Izzy (Einstein): (over on the other side now) He was sitting under a pear tree! Izzy (Straight Man): DOHHHHHH!!! Izzy (Einstein): What's black and white and green? Two skunks fighting over a pickle!

This is a bit janky in terms of blocking. They want to use the "GYO!!!" with shocked face exclamation for the straight man's reaction to the bad joke, but that means he has to start the joke in his inexplicable Einstein impression for the gooofball then change characters without moving spots, then continue the joke as Einstein in the position that the Straight Man was in from the original.

Then he still has one more line to go, so they turn that into a new joke, extending his line into what was supposed to be his parents' stunned silence.

Fortunately, his parents remain as encouraging in the dub.

Izzy: I'm sorry. I guess I'm not very funny. Masami: What do you mean? You were hysterical! Kae: I can't believe it's my son! Masami: My boy, the comedian! Who would have known? You're a chip off the ol' block. Kae: You were wonderful, dear! Masami: And all this time, I never knew you had a sense of humor! Bravo, Izzy! Kae: That was a great performance for your first time. Izzy: You really think so? Masami: Sure thing! Don't quit your day job, but you were really very good! Kae: That's right! We're absolutely thrilled for you, darling. Izzy: Well, thanks! ...oh! (Izzy remembers Tentomon in the closet) Izzy: Eugh... Uhh, mom, would you mind if I ate the rest of my dinner in my room? Kae: Don't worry, I won't make you eat anything that you don't want to. Izzy: No, Mom, it's nothing like that! Really! The way you cook is gastronomically outstanding! Kae: Thanks! Izzy: I appreciate everything you do. In fact, I believe you're the most extraordinary mom there is!

Masami's a little backhanded with some of his encouragement, but they still shower Izzy in support.

Meanwhile, at the Yagami home.

The whole family's having a good time. Taichi ravenously devours a bowl of rice and some tempura while his mother Yuuko watches her son carefully, scrutinizing the pace at which he's eating. Hikari's watching TV with their father Susumu.

Yuuko: Oh! I left the bathwater running!

Yuuko gets up to go shut that off. The second she leaves, Taichi empties his entire bowl of rice and one tempura directly into the mouth of Koromon, sitting on a chair next to him. Upon Yuuko's return, Taichi hands her his bowl.

Taichi: More, please! Yuuko: What's going on here? This is three times as much as you usually eat. Taichi: I haven't eaten anything this good in so long! Yuuko: Enough with the flattery! Don't think I'll raise your allowance just because of a few compliments.

The Chosen Children's homecoming continues to be heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. Taichi hasn't had anything this good in forever, but Yuuko doesn't have the knowledge to understand what he means.

No change in the dub.

Back at the Izumi home, the aftermath of Koushiro's speech is having very different effects in very different rooms.

Koushiro is smiling from ear to ear while he watches Tentomon eat the rest of his dinner. Tentomon stops suddenly, noticing that weird look on Koushiro's face.

Tentomon: Koushiro-han, you look really happy about something. Koushiro: Do I?

While, out in the dining room, Kae is breaking down over what happened at dinner.

Kae: Koushiro thanked me... (covers her eyes and cries, voice breaking) He said, "Thank you, Mom." Masami: Isn't that a good thing?

Kae doesn't answer that. Her heart is breaking in half and she's having trouble articulating why.

In the dub, Tentomon continues hitting on Kae for some fucking reason.

Tentomon: Not only is your mom nice AND pretty, but she's an awesome cook! Izzy: Sure is! (Out in the dining room) Kae: Did you hear him? He said that he appreciated us. (covers her eyes but continues speaking in the same voice) I never thought we'd be so lucky as to have a son like him. Masami: You're right about that, honey.

No adoption drama over here! Kae's just very affected by how good a boy Izzy is.

As night falls, Meeko is still chasing the cat with the Digivice. She chases them into the back of a shipping truck, ultimately reclaiming the Digivice in a brief cat scuffle. The other cat flees the truck, but Meeko doesn't get out in time before a man closes it up and drives off.

Cut back to the Yagami apartment once more. Taichi and Koromon have retired to the children's bedroom.

Koromon: Why were you crying back there? Taichi: I'm not telling!

Hikari enters the room. Now, away from the ears of their parents, they can talk about what's really going on.

Hikari: Onii-chan, did you get everything taken care of? Taichi: No, not yet. Say, Hikari, do you remember what happened at Hikarigaoka four years ago? Hikari: Koromon got bigger and fought with a huge bird, right? Taichi: Right, that's it! Hikari: Did you forget? Taichi: Ah! Uhhh.... Koromon: Hey, Hikari-chan! You don't happen to have a Digivice, do you? Hikari: Digivice?

Taichi takes out his Digivice and shows it to Hikari.

Taichi: This. Hikari: Oh? (studies it for a second) No, I don't. Taichi: (relieved) I see. Haha, of course not! Koromon: (yawn) Taichi, I'm sleepy. Taichi: (big ol' smile) Me too! Let's get some sleep! Seeya, Hikari! Good night! Koromon: Good night.... (asleep) Hikari: Good night!

The boys fall fast asleep. Then, a couple seconds later, Hikari suddenly realizes that she's missing someone.

Hikari: Huh? Meeko? Meeko!

In the dub, they don't talk about Taichi crying. He's just down for some reason.

Koromon: What is it, Tai? You seem bummed. Tai: Oh, I don't know. Kari: (enters) I'm glad you're back. I missed you when you were gone. Tai: I missed you too!

Kari, you last saw him this afternoon. Chill.

Tai: By the way, Kari, do you remember something that happened about four years ago in Highton View Terrace? Tell me everything you know. Kari: I remember that Koromon got really huge and fought with a big bird monster! Tai: And he beat him! Kari: That's something I'll never forget! Koromon: This may sound strange but do you have something called a Digivice, Kari? Kari: No, what's that? Tai: (pulls out Digivice) Like this. Kari: (inspects it for a second) Don't think so. Tai: Ah. Well, forget about it. Koromon: (yawn) Well, I'm so sleepy! Tai: (big ol' smile) Yeah, I am too! Good night! Sleep tight, sleepyhead. Koromon: Sweet dreams. Kari: You're party poopers! (They go to sleep) Aww. Meeko, where are you?

Again, there's a tonal shift in Tai's approach to Kari being the Eighth Child. Where Taichi was visibly and audibly relieved when Hikari said she didn't have a Digivice, Tai sounds disappointed.

Meanwhile, in the shipping truck, Hikari's Digivice starts reacting to something. That's probably a good thing, right? I mean, what could it be reacting to other than something good?

Oh yeah. That's happening.

Drawn by the shimmering of Vamdemon's Cosplay Crest, this massive aquatic Digimon comes to the bridge that the shipping truck is currently passing over. The creature surfaces in front of a Coast Guard ship, just under the same bridge; The woman driving it has just enough time to scream before the Digimon slams into her boat and capsizes it.

Wrong target but their heart is in the right place.

Fun fact: The dub edited out the Japanese writing on the side of the truck, which gave the name of the shipping company: Mach bin! It's spelled out as マッハ便. The first part, マッハ, is "Mach" spelled out phonetically in Katakana. The last part, 便, is bin, which means postal service.

The reason I bring it up is because the dub edits out the lettering, but they did a sloppy fucking job of it. In this scene on the bridge, the lettering is visible for just a frame or two before suddenly vanishing.

After the Digimon capsizes the Coast Guard boat, both versions take a commercial break here. Then someone else takes notice of the moving Digivice.

The shipping truck passes by a nightclub called Club Poseidon. Hanging out outside of it, PicoDevimon bemoans this shitty job they're on.

PicoDevimon: How can I find the Eighth Child when I don't even know where--

Before he can finish, the Cosplay Crest under his wing begins to glow.

PicoDevimon: Huh? (takes it out) They're nearby! Here's my chance to prove myself!

In the dub:

DemiDevimon: Talk about finding a needle in a haystack! Sheesh! (The fake Crest begins to glow) DemiDevimon: What's that? (takes it out) He's nearby! The Eighth Child had better watch out! 'Cause he's a sitting duck!

Finally, the shipping truck pulls into the loading dock of its destination. But, y'know, it's late. The driver gets out and leaves. They can unload the truck in the morning.

Back in Koushiro's room, we find Tentomon curled up and snoozing beside Koushiro's desk. Koushiro is taking this opportunity to check out all those new programs Gennai loaded on his computer.

The questionable new programs.

Tentomon: (snoozing) I'm stuffed.... Koushiro: Gennai-san added a lot of new programs to this.

The new programs are all named in English.

Kankan

Balloon

Radar

Pafu Pafu

Syogi

Koji

Love

Analyzer

Good

Attention

Some of those might need some explaining. Kankan is the one you see in the screenshot up there. It's can-can dancing, a type of old cabaret performance where women would perform a dance in these huge frilled skirts on stage, often utilizing high kicks, cartwheels, and other movements to show off their frills.

Syogi is shogi. a Japanese board game often equated to chess.

Koji has the icon of a calligraphy brush writing on a piece of paper, so I assume it's some kind of calligraphy program. But I admit, that one's new to me.

And then there's... ugh... pafu pafu. Pafu Pafu or "Puff Puff" is the act of placing your face between a woman's breasts and motorboating them, which is an incredibly inappropriate thing to load onto a ten-year-old's computer.

I am so sorry to have to tell you that the icon is probably not a pair of eyes. That is, however, so subtle that it made it unedited into the dub.

The lazy old man who drafted a bunch of child soldiers continues to be the worst mentor in history.

Koushiro: Let's see. I wonder what this one does?

Koushiro tries out Kankan first, getting an animation of Monzaemon, Yukidarumon, and Numemon can-can dancing. The purpose of this is unclear.

Koushiro: Th-That's it? Okay, how about this?

Going in sequence, he clicks the next icon: Balloon. It's another silly animation, this time of Chuumon blowing up a balloon until it bursts.

Koushiro: (groan) I don't need this! What else?

Next is Radar, which I want us all to be very happy comes before Pafu Pafu because it's the plot relevant one and we can stop clicking icons now.

Radar shows a map of the surrounding Tokyo, along with a blinking red light. A little Gennai figure shows up to explain.

Chibi Gennai: Trouble! An unidentified Digimon has arrived at Shibaura! Koushiro: WHAT DID YOU SAY!?!?

In the dub, Izzy puts the cart before the horse and compliments Gennai before trying out the shit he installed.

Izzy: Gennai made some modifications to my computer that are truly awesome! Ooh, now this looks intriguing. I wonder what it does? (Kankan) Izzy: Eugh. Too bizarre. How about another? (Balloon) Izzy: That's very demented! Here's something! (Radar) Izzy: It's a map of Tokyo! What's that indicator? Chibi Gennai: There's an unidentified Digimon lurking in the bay! You're the only one that's still awake! Izzy: AGH! TENTOMON!!!

Chibi Gennai in the original sounds like a pre-recorded alert message associated with the blinking indicator, though it could also be Gennai communicating directly. In the dub, it's clearly Gennai talking to Koushiro through the computer. The message is being sent in real-time as evidenced by the "you're the only one still awake" bit.

"Demented" is a bit harsh for the balloon animation. It's a weird thing to install, I have no idea what Gennai thought the point of it would be, but I wouldn't go that far. ...well, not for Balloon specifically.

Because of the phrasing, I'm not sure if it was intentional, but I do like Izzy's pre-emptive compliment because it creates a hilarious comedy back-and-forth.

Izzy: Oh boy I can't wait to see all the awesome stuff Gennai gave me! (seconds later) What the fuck is this shit.

I think the part of the internet Gennai was formed from is Newgrounds.

While the attacking Digimon emerges from the bay onto the harbor, Koushiro frantically tries to call around.

Koushiro: Is this the Yagami residence? This is Izumi. Is Taichi-san home? Yuuko: He is, but... (shot of Taichi and Koromon fast asleep) Would you like me to wake him up? Koushiro: No, that's okay. I'm sorry for bothering you. (Koushiro hangs up and dials another number) Koushiro: I'm sorry for calling so late. Is Sora-san there? (shot of Sora and Pyokomon asleep) Koushiro: Is Yamato-san home? (shot of Yamato and Tsunomon asleep) Koushiro: Thank you. (hangs up) Tentomon: Is something wrong? Koushiro: An unknown Digimon has surfaced in Shibaura. I tried calling Taichi-san and the others, but everyone is asleep. Tentomon: They're all tired from what happened earlier.

Every single person he called is still on Baby Cooldown. Really don't know how much help he thought Koromon, Tsunomon, and Pyokomon were going to be. But he's not thinking straight; He's freaking out and trying to lean on the older kids for support.

He noticeably does not try to call Mimi or Takeru. He's looking for guidance, moreso than reinforcement. Though he also doesn't try calling Jou-senpai. Koushiro and Jou have never been particularly close, but Taichi and Sora are his soccer club senpais and Yamato looked out for him in the Digimon World. He looks up to them.

But he's also too fucking polite to wake them the hell up. So now he's going to go try and solo one of Tailmon's mercenaries instead. He would rather be mauled to death than disturb someone who's sleeping. We gave the Radar to the wrong kid; Mimi would be sounding an All Hands On Deck emergency by now.

We get a glimpse of the attacking Digimon now emerging from the bay, approaching Club Poseidon. Their claw smashes through the building, interrupting the rave inside, and the kaiju attack begins.

Koushiro: We'll just have to go ourselves! Tentomon: Right! No matter who we're fighting, I'm sure we can handle them alone!

This is a bad plan. They are going to die.

(Honestly, they're probably fine. It's a bad plan because they don't know what they're walking into, but what they're walking into is an Adult-stage junk evolution and Tentomon can go Perfect if he must. This is basically a fistfight with Scumon. They can probably handle this by themselves, barring any complications.)

In the dub, Izzy's calls get off to a bad start when he mispronounces Tai's family name.

Izzy: Hello Mrs. Kamaya (like papaya), this is Izzy? I was wondering if Tai might be available to come to the phone. Yuuko: He's sleeping. (shot of Taichi and Koromon fast asleep) So, would you like me to wake him up? Izzy: No, I'm sorry to bother you. (Izzy hangs up and dials another number) Izzy: I know it's late, but is Sora awake? (shot of Sora and Yokomon asleep) Izzy: Is Matt home? ...I'll call back tomorrow. (shot of Matt and Tsunomon asleep) Izzy: Gee, I guess everyone's asleep. Tentomon: You should go to bed too, Izzy. Izzy: No way! Gennai just told me that there's an unidentified Digimon in the bay! With everyone sound asleep, we may have to tackle this Digimon by ourselves! Tentomon: And I was having such a nice dream! (Sludge Digimon attacks Club Poseidon) Izzy: So, are you up for a challenge? Tentomon: I'm with you, Izzy! But may I suggest I wear a disguise so I don't attract any unwanted attention? Izzy: Mhm!

This segues poorly out of the previous scene. Chibi Gennai told Izzy that everyone's asleep, but I guess he had to check for himself anyway. Still, he shouldn't sound so surprised and/or disappointed when it turns out Chibi Gennai wasn't bullshitting him.

Tentomon's final line there in the dub is meant to set up the next shot. He and Koushiro jump in a taxi, with Tentomon concealed under a green cloak to disguise the fact that he's obviously a ladybug monster.

Izzy's also quicker than Koushiro to jump to "We'll just have to handle this ourselves." Koushiro has a noticeable reluctance, which is enhanced by his soft and sensitive voice. Izzy's on-mission and ready to go.

It doesn't take the attacking Digimon long to find their target. They smash open the delivery truck. Meeko spills out, Digivice clutched in her mouth. Then she sees what's after her and runs like hell.

(Go, little kitty-cat! The fate of two worlds rests in your jaw!)

Koushiro and Tentomon catch up, and Koushiro's able to ID this creature on his Digimon Analyzer.

Tentomon: W-Who is that!? Koushiro: They're called Raremon.

Raremon is an Adult-stage Virus-type Undead Digimon. They're the final junk evolution for the original V-Pet line to appear, joining the likes of Numemon, Scumon, Gekomon, Nanimon, and Vegiemon. A melting down glop of flesh, bone, and failed attempts at mechanization. A Gazimon who dreamt of being MetalGreymon and instead turned themselves into the thing from the end of Akira.

Even their name, "Raremon" is a reference to barely cooked meat.

Narrator: Raremon. An Undead Digimon who failed trying to reinforce its decaying body with metal. Its special attack is Hedoro.

Raremon is one of the few Digimon whose attack name isn't given in English for exotic coolness points. Hedoro means sludge. They probably left it in Japanese because Raremon's visual design is based on the kaiju Hedorah, and they wanted that reference in there.

In the dub, Tentomon handles the rundown, oddly.

Tentomon: Whoa! He's about as repulsive as they come! Izzy: That Digimon is Raremon. Tentomon: (rundown) Raremon smells like rotting fish, looks like the inside of a trash can, and is someone you never want to meet in a very dark alley.

Weird choice. Izzy's reading off the Digimon Analyzer, so why doesn't he explain Raremon?

Meeko suddenly sprints past Koushiro and Tentomon. Her proximity to Koushiro sets off the Digivice tracker on Koushiro's Digivice.

Koushiro: Ah!? Tentomon: What's wrong? Koushiro: The Eighth Child is around here! Tentomon: THAT'S HUGE!!! If we lose them now, there's no way to tell where they'll turn up next! (Tentomon dramatically sheds his cloak) Tentomon: I'll handle Raremon. Go find the Eighth Child, Koushiro-han! Koushiro: Are you sure? Tentomon: We have no other choice! Koushiro: Okay. I'm counting on you! Tentomon: Understood!

The boys agree to split up, tragically unaware that they, like Raremon, are chasing a housecat. Dramatic irony is when--

In the dub:

Izzy: Huh!? Tentomon: What's wrong? Izzy: It's the Eighth Child! He's very close! Tentomon: WHOA, talk about bad timing! If we lose that signal, we'll be DOOMED!!! (Tentomon dramatically sheds his cloak) Tentomon: You search for the missing child while I take care of old Sewer Breath. I just hope his stink isn't contagious! Izzy: You can do it! Tentomon: Do I have any other choice? Izzy: Are you ready to Digivolve? Tentomon: Yep.

Again, we see Koushiro's hesitancy replaced by Izzy's mission-focused resolve. Tentomon has to convince Koushiro to split up, while Izzy's gung-ho about it the moment the idea comes up.

Tentomon evolves into Kabuterimon, and everybody launches inexorably towards confrontation.

Koushiro: (watching Kabuterimon fly) Right! (turns to chase the signal) Me too!

A funny note: What Koushiro says when he chases the signal is "Boku mo!" Boku is one of the Japanese first-person pronouns and mo is a particle that signifies mutual activity or involvement with the rest of the sentence. The implied statement being "I will also go do my part."

But because of the way the words sound and how fast he says it, to a native English-speaker, it sounds like "Yes! Fuck him up!"

Boku mo, Kabuterimon. Boku mo.

Meanwhile, Yuuko wakes Taichi from his sleep, despite what Koushiro said. She doesn't know what's going on but still knows better.

Yuuko: (shaking Taichi's shoulder) Taichi. Taichi. Taichi: Nnn... what? (wakes up) Yuuko: I just took a call from Koushiro-kun. He sounded strange. Taichi: (gasp, suddenly alert) What did he say!?

In the dub:

Izzy: Good luck! It's my turn now!

You can kinda hear "Fuck him up" in Izzy's "Good luck" if you're specifically listening for it but it's not the same. :P

Yuuko: (shaking Tai's shoulder) Tai? Sweetheart, wake up. Tai: Nnn... huh? (wakes up) What is it, Mom? Yuuko: I didn't want to wake you but Izzy called on the phone and he seemed to be nervous about something. Tai: (gasp, suddenly alert) Huh? I wonder what's up?

Tai doesn't snap into Oh Shit mode the way Taichi does, which is unfortunate.

While Kabuterimon dukes it out with Raremon, Koushiro and PicoDevimon separately chase the signal from Hikari's Digivice. Meanwhile, Taichi does the only reasonable thing to do in this situation.

Kae: (answering phone) Hello, Izumi residence. ... Oh, Taichi-kun! Thank you for looking out for Koushiro at camp. Also, thank you for lending him your reference book. ...eh!? (shocked face)

We don't get to hear the other side of this conversation. But we can probably guess what he said, and why Kae's freaked out by it.

Very minor change in the dub.

Kae: Hello, can I help you? ... Oh, hello, Tai! I hope you had fun at camp; It's a shame it was cut short. And thank you for loaning Izzy that reference book. ... (sharp gasp)

Keeping with the anime's general downplaying of the age differences between the cast, Kae doesn't mention Tai looking after Izzy, as an older kid does for a younger one. Instead, she uses that time to lament the closure.

The fight's not going so well for Raremon. They return to the bay to evade Kabuterimon's Mega Blaster.

Back at home, Kae's got some concerns now. She knocks on Koushiro's door.

Kae: Koushiro? Are you asleep, Koushiro? Masami: He must be tired from camp. We should let him sleep. Kae: You're right. I'll just grab his dishes so I can wash them.

Then she turns the handle. Her calm concern shoots up to alarm when the deadbolt stops her from opening the door.

Kae: (turning to her husband) Honey!

Again, minor change in the dub.

Kae: Izzy? We'd like to talk to you. Are you asleep? Masami: I'm sure he's very tired out from camp. We should let him get a couple of z's. Kae: You're right. I'll just tiptoe in and check up on him. (Kae tries to turn the handle but the deadbolt stops her) Kae: (turning to her husband) The door's locked!

Original Kae was going in to retrieve the dishes he took to his room, when he secretly split his dinner with Tentomon. Dub Kae wants to just peek in and see that he's alright, I guess.

Kabuterimon pursues Raremon out over the bay. This proves to be a terrible mistake. Raremon uses the water to conceal themselves, popping out only to sucker-punch Kabuterimon with their Hedoro. The sludge its its mark, knocking Kabuterimon out of the air and into the waves below.

Meeko is finally forced to abandon the Digivice when a growling dog scares her away. The dog briefly sniffs the Digivice, but doesn't want it. The dog runs off, leaving the Digivice sitting there on the ground.

Raremon pulls Kabuterimon deeper into the bay, seemingly set on drowning him.

Kae and Masami go out to the living room to talk about their son's eerie behavior.

Masami: It's probably nothing. Koushiro's entering puberty. Kae: But he said he was grateful. Is that the kind of thing a child his age would normally say to his parents? Masami: You're overthinking this. Kae: Maybe... But isn't it strange that spending half a day at camp would have such a drastic effect on his personality?

She knows something is wrong. She can't put her finger on it but she can feel how different Koushiro is now. He didn't used to be this little ball of grace and decorum, but now he's changed for no adequately explained reason.

She brings up camp as the only explanation, but she's also still obsessing over that "I'm grateful" bit earlier. She's more upset by that than the deadbolt, which plays into the real conflict between Koushiro and his parents. The problem isn't that he locked the door. The problem is that he's shutting them out.

Dub Kae is more upset by the deadbolt.

Masami: Oh, don't worry. I'm sure there's nothing to be concerned about. Kae: I know you're right, but he's acting peculiar! Izzy's never locked the door before. Masami: He is getting older now. Kae: I guess so. But he was only at camp for half a day; I wonder what happened to make him change so much.

She is also incorrectly upset about the deadbolt. Izzy could not lock the door before. He had to go to Japanese Home Depot and buy shit to install that lock. Since she's focusing on the lock, you'd think she'd bring up the fact that his door doesn't have one.

Down at the harbor, a crow picks up the abandoned Digivice and flies away with it moments before Koushiro and PicoDevimon both converge on the spot where it was lying.

Koushiro: The Child should be around here.... PicoDevimon: Huh!? YOU!!! Koushiro: Ah!

Kabuterimon turns this shit right around, attacking Raremon in their vulnerable bulging eyeballs. The attack forces Raremon to lose their grip, freeing Kabuterimon to escape the bay.

Raremon chases Kabuterimon back up, breaching the water's surface. But Kabuterimon's ready for them this time and lets off another Mega Blaster. This shot hits home, striking Raremon directly in their goddamn face and blowing them to hell.

PicoDevimon may have lost out in the Eighth Child but he'll settle for one of the seven. He lets loose a volley of Pico Darts, which Koushiro narrowly dodges.

Kabuterimon: Koushiro-han! PicoDevimon: WHAT!? (Kabuterimon flies in) PicoDevimon: WAUGH!!! Shit! You lucky bastard! (flies off) Koushiro: Thank you, Kabuterimon!

Of course, PicoDevimon would rather flee for his life than fistfight Kabuterimon, so he does just that.

This scene is heavily cut down in the dub. They censor out the Pico Darts as usual. Since the Darts are sticking out of the warehouse door in the foreground of his shots, they also have to cut shots of Koushiro with the Darts in them.

DemiDevimon leans back and prepares to throw his attack but then Kabuterimon shows up.

DemiDevimon: Oh no, it's Bug Face! I'm gonna get you next time! (flies away)

To dance around the Pico Darts, that is the only line anyone gets to deliver.

Koushiro and Kabuterimon depart the harbor, but they don't get away clean.

Live on the air, a reporter is on the scene as emergency responders cart away human casualties from tonight's violence. At the very least, Raremon's uninterrupted attack on Club Poseidon probably left some folk badly injured.

Reporter: Reporting live from Shibaura. We have yet to confirm the existence of a kaiju. Does it truly exist? ...huh? WAIT!!! (points to the sky) LOOK UP THERE!!!

The cameraman follows where he's pointing and sure enough, they catch Kabuterimon flying away into the distance. Live on the air.

Up in the sky, oblivious to the fact that they're giving Japan its first unmistakable glimpse of monsters among us, Koushiro and Kabuterimon unpack.

Kabuterimon: It's a shame we couldn't find the Eighth Child. Koushiro: But at least we know that the Eighth Child is around here, not in Hikarigaoka. This is a great find. Taichi-san was right. We should tell Taichi-san and the rest about it first thing tomorrow!

Unfortunately, he's not the only one reporting in.

Vamdemon: (into the Batphone) I see. So that's where the Eighth Child is located. We have no further business here!

Vamdemon's haunted carriage rolls out, leaving Hikarigaoka behind.

In the dub, the reporter has a bit more to say.

Reporter: I'm here at the scene of the monster sighting but the predator in question seems to have disappeared. One wonders if there really was a monster at all. ...hmm? WAIT A MINUTE, FOLKS!!! LOOK UP THERE!!! It looks like a giant flying cockroach and I don't think it's friendly.

You'd lose that bet.

The dub chooses here of all places to start playing its battle theme Hey Digimon. Uh, okay, you do you.

Kabuterimon: Sorry you weren't able to find the Eighth Child but at least we got rid of that stinking mass of blubber. Izzy: Right! I've been doing some extensive calculations! My theory is that the Eighth Child is located here in this city! It seems Tai had the right idea in the first place! We have to get back to his house right now and give him an update! Kabuterimon: Okay!

They. Go. Straight home after this. I don't know why the dub has him say they're going to Tai's place right now.

Also, uh, Izzy considers noticing the Digivice in this area and concluding that it must be here to be an "extensive calculation". Hell, if we want to be mean about it, he says "this city" which means he's assessed that the Eighth Child is somewhere in Tokyo. But I won't be that pedantic. I just think it's funny that he's trying so hard to sound smart about a discovery he tripped over.

Myotismon's scene is completely changed.

Myotismon: UNTHINKABLE!!! Is there no Digimon strong enough to defeat these children!? I will have to deal with them myself!

My dude, Raremon is the weakest of the three they've fought thus far. I don't know why you're so startled about this.

You're not even. Fighting the seven Chosen Children is not what we're doing here. You're trying to kill the Eighth Child. That's the goal here. Myotismon has completely lost the plot.

Koushiro and Tentomon creep back into his room through the window.

Koushiro: It's late, so let's get some sleep. Tentomon: Uhh... Koushiro-han? I'm sorry. I used up all my energy in that fight. Could I have something to eat? Koushiro: Of course. I'll go find something. Tentomon: Thank you.

Koushiro goes to the kitchen and fills up a plate with fruit. However, on his way back to his room, he overhears his parents talking in the living room. Once again he stops to listen in while they're talking about him.

Kae: Ever since he came back, it's like he's hiding something from us. Maybe he's doing something in secret. Masami: Even if he is, we can't blame him. We're keeping something from him too. Koushiro: (thinking) Dad, Mom... I'm sorry for worrying you. Masami: I'll try and get Koushiro to tell me what he's up to. Kae: I'm sorry. Masami: What's wrong? Kae: To be honest, I wish Koushiro would act out more often, instead of being so well behaved. I want him to tell me what he likes and what he hates! That's how children should act! Am I wrong?

It's a little complicated, but what Kae's upset about, what this has all been about, is that there's a disquieting distance between Koushiro and his parents that suddenly developed. He's behaving as if he's a guest in their home, not their child.

And, y'know, also keeping secrets and shutting them out of his room.

Something happened to Koushiro and Kae doesn't understand. She earlier tried to pin it on what happened at camp. But it's not that. Well, it's kinda that; The secret-keeping and all is that.

But the distance between them is because of the adoption. He's behaving like a guest in their home because that's how he feels. He feels like a lost child they took in out of the kindness of their hearts, and he's trying to express his gratitude for that.

She doesn't know he knows, and he doesn't know what to do with the knowledge he's cursed with. So there's a distance between them that's now growing.

In the dub, Izzy waits until they get all the way home to change plans from that bad dubbing choice earlier.

Izzy: It's very late. Maybe we should wait until morning, Tentomon! Tentomon: All that exercise made me ultra-hungry. I hate to be a pig but you wouldn't happen to have anything to munch on, would you, Izzy? Izzy: I guess you do deserve a nutrition break. I'll go look in the fridge. Tentomon: Gee, thanks! (Izzy goes and prepares a plate of fruit, but then overhears his parents talking) Kae: Ever since he got back, he seems like he's been hiding something. I just can't put my finger on it. He's keeping something inside and he doesn't want to tell us what's wrong. Masami: Even if he is, you can't blame him. After all, we're hiding something from him. It's probably just a phase he's going through. Izzy: (thinking) Oh, I didn't mean to make them so worried. I hope they'll forgive me. Masami: I'm sure he'll be absolutely fine, but I'll try to talk some sense into him. Kae: No, don't. (sigh) Masami: What do you mean, hon? Kae: Everybody thinks that he's always perfect! But that's too much to expect of him. We've got to give him some freedom to become his own man, you know? He's got to make mistakes! That's part of what it is to be a kid, don't you think so?

Dub Kae's conclusion is very different from the original's. She's glad he's keeping secrets from her because that means he's experiencing childhood correctly. I guess the problem's solved.

Over at the Yagami household, Taichi and Hikari take a moment out on the balcony.

Taichi: I wonder why Koushiro called? Hikari: I wonder where Meeko went? Taichi: She'll be back by morning. Hikari: Okay....

Suddenly, Taichi's Digivice alerts him. A second radar blip is on it and moving towards him; It's going to pass by!

Taichi: Is the Eighth Child passing by here!? (Taichi bolts inside) Hikari: Onii-chan?

Suddenly, Hikari catches a glimpse of a pink light glistening in the sky, moving by overhead.

Hikari: A shooting star?

We close out the episode on a closeup of the crow above, still carrying her Digivice in their talons.

In the dub:

Tai: I wonder what Izzy was all hyped up about when he called tonight? Kari: What happened to Meeko? He disappeared. Tai: Oh, he'll be back. (Radar blips) Tai: IT'S THE EIGHTH CHILD!!! GOTTA GO!!! (Tai bolts inside) Kari: The Eighth WHAT!? (Kari notices the pink light) Kari: Ohhh... What a pretty star!

Kari's confused "Eighth WHAT?" exclamation got me. XD Yeah, Taichi really did just say shit without explaining, huh?

Assessment: Gonna be honest, I had a bit of trouble following what Kae was so upset about in this episode up until the very end when she spelled it out. At first, I thought she felt guilty about the secret they were keeping from Koushiro. But no, she's weirded out by his ultra-polite behavior and unwillingness to childishly misbehave, which she implies is a recent development.

This is probably intentional, as I think they were playing Kae's scenes for intrigue. They wanted the audience guessing what she's on about until the end.

The dub tries to wrap it up with a happy conclusion but this isn't meant to have one. It's setup for Koushiro's arc to come. There's a wedge now between him and his family, which will be further explored in later episodes.

Nonetheless, the dub is pretty good for this one. They missed some of the nuances of Kae's scenes but they do hit most of the important stuff, and they have a couple of really good laugh lines to boot.

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

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