#epilogue takeru

[koushirouizumi]

M E: If "CANON"!Takeru was ever {+trying to publish} inter-nationally (since y'know "the book" is canonically known "AROUND the world") + in the U.S. during the year 2k23 (or for however long this continues) Takeru would also be supporting such W.G.A Strike{s}. Just Saying

[neerons]

Aaaaaah Momose…. You’re just making me love you even more 😩

And then…

I’m sure these words resonate with a lot of us

Tsugaru | Main Story 5 Epilogue

[polite-pandemonium]

Me to me: don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes you toei has burned you so many times before you know better than this don't get your hopes up don't get your hopes DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP

Also me: Hopes? High. Delusions? Strong. Theories? Brewing.

[atsoraasayoma]

I know I’ve been on and on about the Takari ship but when I see them like this acting even closer than the canon couples in this movie promo poster I want to go 10 times harder.

It’s the kind of thing that starts to warp your perceptions. I am literally Daisuke in this image but instead of jealousy at the closeness I am yelling at the screen:

“You see! Look! Again you have them closer than ever! And you have Ken and Miyako as canon but not these two?! Have you seen just how much respect I have for this ship and how layered and wonderful it is and I have to be constantly reminded by the epilogue every day it’s all for nothing?!

Why did you have them growing closer season by season and movie by movie just to deny them at the end! If you can retcon one thing about the epilogue let it be this one thing! And if all this is just a tease to milk the Digimon Adventure franchise I curse you for putting me through this hell all these years!

I mean, yeah, even in his anger they can’t help but be in their own space together as if it is sacrosanct to disturb it.

This has been your friendly spontaneous Takari rant. It is nearly 1 in the morning.

[digimoninteractions]

[taichi-x-koushiro]

Meanwhile with DigiAdvs' Koushiro Izumi

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

[koushirouizumi]

{Also, Takeru AT SOME POINT eventually gets sent This}

M E: (*TAKES DEEP BREATH*) Someone: Hey, why do you ship something so unusual, you know it'll never be canon righ--- m E: YES, I love TAKEMIYA aka MIYAKERU, I GET IT OK, I love TAKEMIYA, TAKEMIYA is a Brightest F*cking Starshine CRACK-SHIP aka RARE PAIR in My Life since my childhood days in this fan base, I f*cking ADORE THEM (+UNTIL THE END OF TIME AND WHEN THIS SERIES IS TRULY 'OVER'), YES okay y E S, I love TAKEMIYA, I DO also love Takeru and Miyako SEPARATELY, but I also love them TOGETHER, HOW many times are We Gonna Go Through This, I F*CKING LOVE TAKEMIYA BECAUSE WHEN I WAS YOUNG ME I WROTE THEM INTO AN 02 O.C.s based fic once AND I NEVER GOT OVER THEM AND THIS WAS BEFORE I EVEN GOT TO SEE THE 02 FINALE, yes I KNOW what happens in it, I do NOT dismiss that ship, in fact, if anything, I think it makes Take+Miya even more hilarious when you involve poly-ship dynamics and Shenanigans involving that character AND others, anyway all you need to know about the Take+Miya I once wrote is they initially act like the "Love-Love {Rabu-Rabu} couple" trainer class in that other Monster battling franchise after temporarily getting together during in-between years or just like any of the generally mushy battle duos and it confuses the f*ck out of EVERYONE else how they even came to form that dynamic and its HILARIOUS, meanwhile once amicably broken up with Takeru on good terms Miyako is making eyes at a certain Someone Else from afar in between and that person is just like only partly Oblivious all the way up until "The Beginning" era and possibly a little beyond, meanwhile Takeru is realizing Takeru's Very Not Over Miyako but then Takeru's also having OTHER Realizations about Self-

[seventeenlovesthree]

@izumikoushiroweek 2024: "Dressing Koushirou (Again)"

... And that's how the epilogue haircut was born. XD Okay, this comic shouldn't be taken too seriously, and I know I've already covered the subject of Koushirou's fashion this week, but... I've grown way too fond of the idea that Mimi, Takeru and Taichi basically stepped up as Koushirou's main inspiration/fashion advisors. While I'm still a strong defender of the headcanon that he personally bonds with Sora over fashion (consciously) the most, these three either subconsciously influence him (just like Taichi, he always wore layers in his casual wardrobe) or actively try to influence him; Takeru was the first who made him question the need of his fashion app and both he and Mimi are VERY keen to make sure that he takes care of himself. All three know his tendencies to bury himself in work and responsibilities; under normal circumstances, he would still make sure to look presentable to the outside world (and Taichi is absolutely exaggerating here, but ya know how he meant it).

Long story short: These three have various degrees of patience and arguments on their side, so... While they would never force Koushirou to wear anything - clothes and haircuts alike - he isn't comfy with, they know they have to take drastic measures sometimes.

[tobiasdrake]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[digimonarchive]

Takeru 'TK' Takaishi and Patamon - over the years picspam

1st pic = Takeru Takaishi/TK and Patamon in Digimon Adventure

2nd pic = Takeru Takaishi/TK and Patamon in Digimon Adventure 02

3rd pic = Takeru Takaishi/TK and Patamon in Digimon Adventure Tri

4th pic = Takeru Takaishi/TK and Patamon in Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna

5th pic = Takeru Takaishi/TK and Patamon in the upcoming Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning

6th and 7th pics = adult Takeru Takaishi/TK in the epilogue of Digimon Adventure 02

[digitalgate02]

I know Ken is nice but he's not that soft. I know (most of) everyone tends to think he's the kind of "looks like is going to kill you, but is a cinnamon roll"

But... Nope.

He's not. Really.

Yup, he offered himself to kill Arukenimon in ep 29.

I don't think he was trying to act cool (sorry Takeru), but more likely he can and will murder someone or something if they're messing up with his friends and family, or the digimon.

And he had a beef with Arukenimon before, she made him a fool and tried to kill everyone in ep 26. He had more reasons to go and want to end her before she could keep messing with him and the others.

In other words, Ken is still petty (but using such pettiness for good now?)

Following the fact he ends up being a detective (working under the police department) in the epilogue... Yup, it sounds accurate that he would still be a little... cold sometimes lol

[takerutakaishiweek]

Takeru Weekend 2024

We are very excited to announce the 3rd Takeru celebration event! It's gonna be a 4-day event, from December 6 to December 9. The prompts are in the banner, but under the cut there wil be a few ideas to help you with each day. We decided to reuse the same prompts as last year's. Any questions you have, feel free to send us an ask or a DM!

Day 1 (December 6th, 2024): Childhood

The day to explore Takeru's life as a child, taking place before, during or after the Adventure and 02 series.

Suggested topics:

Childhood & Growth

Crest of hope

Patamon (and his evolution)

Basketball

Hobbies and interests

Day 2 (December 7th, 2024): Teenage Years

This day will focus Takeru's adolescence and teenage years, centering around the tri series.

Suggested topics:

Adolescence and Coming-of-age stories

Fashion

Slice of life moments

School festivals

Relationships (platonic and romantic)

Day 3 (December 8th, 2024): College Years

The 3rd day of the event will be about Takeru's adult years....and beyond. We'll dive into Takeru's experiences within Kizuna and/or The Beginning, and even a few years after college.

Suggested topics:

Adulting

Independence

Career

Driving (we know he does drive in The Beginning)

Writing and storytelling

Day 4 (December 9th, 2024): Adulthood

The final day will explore Takeru's life as an adult, including the 02 epilogue.

Suggested topics:

Fatherhood

Job

Dating/Marriage

Book of memories

His role as a Chosen Child

[hikari-m]

Notes: -This video's embed may randomly not display at times, Showing like it's "down", but it's not at this time! {It usually happens late at night[s] or seemingly when Tumblr and/or Vimeo is experiencing very high traffic} If that happens, please consider watching at the direct link on Vimeo here!

-The 1080p option's audio seems glitched up; (At least, on my end) I will see if I can Fix that on my 'finished version' in the future. (For now, please watch in 720p!) {It's possible any option may work for you regardless}

And Remember: Digimon {+FANDOM} is FOREVER

Digimon Adventure+02/tri./Kizuna/(+Adventure:) {2020 Reboot} + Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning (+minimal Kizuna) A.M.V x “Apologize” {David Archuleta} Live Concert Version Featuring Characters/Duos/Ships: + {+2020!}/{Kizuna!}KOUTAI, {02!}KENSUKE, (Implied/Former?/Un-requited??) YamaSoraTai/Yamachi, {briefly/+also from Yamato's end); Adventures Chosen; (Overall 02 Chosen-Leaning +Side KouxTai)

“I’m hearing 'what' you say…”

“Take a Fall {?}”–

“I Need you like a heart 'needs' a BEAT– … BUT that’s Nothing {N E W…}”

“{’XXXXX’} like the A N G E L…"

“IT’S TOO– (???)”

"...Ten feet..."

Comment: If you think I'M not in this CROWD somewhere, {despite the fact my voice is really soft 'irl'} you might just be Mistaken,,,,, (Also - This is my overall personal 'final thesis' on The Beginning.) {If you watch, please genuinely try to FOLLOW the themes presented.}

{Note: Tri Pt. #6 Bokura no Mirai/"Our Future" Spoilers, Major The Beginning Spoilers, (select scenes from opening, final battle, FINAL Post-credits scene at very end clip) + middle part Big spoiler (Rui’s eye & Ukkomon) {Notes: Eye Trauma/Injury; Blood}

Original Song © O.n.e.R.e.p.u.b.l.i.c Archuleta cover from AUGUST 1st 2009’s Sunrise, Florida Concert {“Hey O.P., can you explain that GAP in your blogs' hISTORY of this fANDOM—???”} [Do you hear 'THEM' here???]

*Edited in about 5 hrs 10~ min overall (Preparing for this however took at least four days of off-and-on out-lining) {Any final fix's will come in the future...!!}

{*Slightly LOUD/Low quality audio at points!!} (*Contains cheering, as its LIVE Ver.)

by Me/Hikari M. Productions @hikari-m/@koushirouizumi/@izzyizumi {DO NOT Repost} {DO NOT Copy} {DO NOT Reproduce my Work/Video Edits Without my Permission Under any Circumstances}

[hikaritakaishi]

Takari Week 2024 - Day 1: First Summer

Dias: [ 1 ] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Title: Mnemosyne [Prologue I] (First Summer)

Characters: Takeru Takaishi

Summary: The world performs in mysterious and strange ways. He didn't even understand the meaning of destiny at that time, but in the subsequent years he was grateful for every force in the universe that had made them reach that place together. Right when they needed each other the most.

Note: A collection of stories that gives us an insight into Takeru and Hikari's relationship over the years. It was really hard to put all the prompts explicitly in the story, so I tried to metaphorize some of them, in order for them to make sense at the end.

It is composed of two prologues, one for Takeru and one for Hikari, exposing events before 1999. And a final epilogue, summarizing all the feelings exposed in the previous chapters. In the intermediate chapters, we follow all the challenges that a long-term friendship has to face when it becomes a romantic relationship, and how we form solid and permanent bonds with the ones we love the most.

・。。・゜゜・。。・

His little hand gripped the pencil tightly. He didn't know what to write. In front of him, a piece of paper with the word family written in computer letter on top. And nothing more.

He couldn't think of anything good enough to write. His restless legs gently tapped the floor, again and again, impatiently.

In his poor understanding of his own emotions, he felt frustrated. Confused to say the least. Maybe a little scared even.

He just wanted to get away from there.

Not exactly going home, because home felt a little bit empty now. He didn't want to be alone, either. He felt alone most of the time lately. Even though he had friends at school, he knew they didn't understand what he was going through. And didn't want to talk about it. Despite all his mother's efforts to play it normally, he knew that even for her, it was a complicated situation to live with and to adapt. Everything was different, and there were no expectations of change.

"Why don't you write something about your mom or dad? "

Said the boy seated next to him, noticing the blank page in front of Takeru. "They are your family, aren't they?"

"I never saw your father, Takeru, is he alive?" 

Asked the girl who was sitting in the desk right behind him, trying to have a glimpse of his schoolwork. That statement was something that came naturally, unconsciously, that little girl did not think about what she said.

"Ah..."

His voice sounded insecure and lower than usual. He tightened his grip on the pencil even more. His little feet began to circle under the table.

"He just... doesn't live in the same... house, as me and my mom..."

"Is it just you and your mom?" Continued the girl. "That must be fell... lonely."

"Sometimes...But I know my mom loves me."

"Write that then!"

He couldn't.

He couldn't write that he felt alone in a text about his family that his mother could eventually read. The teacher would be uneased. And she would question him about that. And he didn't want to talk about it.

"I am writing about my brother and my sister!" The boy broke the brief silence that came upon them. "They are my heroes!"

The boy's tone of voice created a certain envy within Takeru's heart.

Yamato.

He missed his brother. They hadn't spoken in a few days, and he was afraid to ask to call again. He didn't want to be annoying or bother anyone. But what if Yamato forgets about him?

"It must be horrible to be an only child, right?"

He didn't know. Because he was not, an only child. But somehow, it felt horrible that it seemed like it for other people. Almost embarrassing.

What kind of siblings live apart?

And why couldn't he have a normal family?

Why did his parents have to hate each other?

He felt his head start spinning.

Slowly, placed the pencil on the table and raised his hand. His heart was beating hard, he felt like it would burst at any moment. He held back his tears until the teacher finally noticed his presence.

"Is everything ok, Takeru?"

"I just... need to go to the bathroom!"

"Oh... ok. "The teacher seemed surprised at first but then smiled. "You can go, but don't take too long!"

"Thank you..."

He left the classroom in complete silence, while he heard his classmates' pencils tapping on the table, and small, almost inaudible conversations going on in the back of the class. Were they talking about him? It didn't matter, he just wanted to get out of there for a few moments.

He walked to the end of the hallway and went down the stairs. The bathrooms were on the first floor, and he had classes on the second.

He started running when he reached the first floor straight to the bathrooms, noticing that no one was aroud.

Entering, Takeru closed the door softly so no one could hear him. He then sat in one humid and cold corner and hugged his legs. Lowered his head and rested it on his knees. Sighed. He could cry without anyone seeing him.

・。。・゜゜・。。・

You can also find it in: Fanfiction.net & Wattpad

[atsoraasayoma]

I often wonder sometimes about the zero two ending. I get hung up by the Takari ship that does not sail yet still I see more and more evidence of a relationship just falling short of getting to a romantic stage.

I follow the anime, the audio shorts, the movies, and I piece it together and still to this day I am baffled.

I don’t think I have seen Takeru go all out for anyone else except Patamon.

I have never seen him so comfortable with anyone but Hikari. They can be agents of chaos, tell wild stories, or just have this air about them that makes you think they are up to something but they really aren’t and just want you to believe that.

The way he acts around her is noticeably different than anyone else.

That being said, despite my refusal to do so I have to ask myself an all important question:

What other girl could he possibly vibe with even more than Hikari moreover fall in love with?

We’ve seen his interactions. He can smooth talk all he wants but only she can see through him and play his game. She can weather his emotions, keep him focused like how we saw in the zero two movie, and even laugh with him and making everything so much more brighter.

Now,let me ask the reverse.

What other guy could Hikari possibly vibe with even more than Takeru moreover fall in love with?

We’ve seen her voice blossom over the years. She slowly grows more assertive but still keeps her feelings locked tight. But even though she can’t say them for whatever reason, her actions show a deep bond of caring. I will say that, when it comes to her, Takeru in a way was a mentor.

He was always a bit of a jokester, and this trait of his passed on to her the more she was around him. She somehow could get on the same wavelength as him and go along while suppressing her emotions. But, she did grow more comfortable over time with that. She grew friendships with the zero two crew, but instead of Takeru being given the same treatment, that is, the same space of friendship-he is still closer to her than all the others. Heck, even her DNA digivolving partner Miyako!

So, for her to find someone more than him, I don’t think I can see it. Maybe it’s because we have not seen the spouses of the non Digidestined, but in my mind I am still not convinced they were not together in the epilogue.

But then you wonder, why would Takeru leave out that detail at the end of his nonfictionnovel-the last few minutes of the zero two epilogue?

Just why? I still can’t think of any reason aside from respecting her privacy/life since she is a teacher. But if their was something it would have to be a dam good reason.

Anyways I can hear the strong rebuttal of ‘they were never together in the epilogue. get over it. That’s why.’

And to that I say IF that’s the case, why do they always frame it otherwise? I mean, at this point, you would think they would have grown at least a little distant, but they still seem close, if not closer than ever!

So I ask you, really, what does this really say about them?

[otakween]

Digimon Girls Festival (Image Songs)

It's been awhile since I've done a post about "audio-only" Digimon media. Digimon has so many of these!! If you're curious this site seems like a good place to see all the info about the albums out there. Digimon-Basic is where you're going to want to go if you want to download the albums, but most of them are on YouTube too. I gotta say, this fandom is nothing if not super well documented! I'm impressed.

Loving the cover art for this (why do they all look like they're going to different parties though?) As you can see, this is a collection of image songs for all of the girls from Adventure, 02, and Tamers. No Frontier, unfortunately :'( With most anime, characters get 1-2 image songs, with Digimon they get like 5 for some reason (spread across different albums).

Image Songs

Ruki Makino - My Style (Listen here subbed)

A very fitting song for Ruki in terms of the edgy rock n roll style and her singing about wanting to stay true to herself. I found her singing about wanting wings to be pretty random though. I feel like they just stick that in anime songs cuz it sounds cool lol (I think one or two of the other image songs talked about wanting wings).

Favorite line was "I don't want to imitate anyone, I want to be me." I feel like what Ruki is struggling with is that she does care what people think of her a lot (hence her angsty facade) but really wants to break free of that and be her true self.

The lyrics were kinda poorly translated grammatically, but I've tried to translate Japanese song lyrics before...it's super hard. I feel like some things just end up sounding dumb in English and it might be better to go the localization route instead of direct translation (if this were an official thing).

Miyako Inoue - Yamato Nadeshiko Panic (Listen here subbed)

Damn, it's a good thing I know what a yamato nadeshiko is or else this song would seem pretty weird. The subber decided to translate yamato nadeshiko as "japanese woman" which...sort of makes sense but it leaves out so much context. To be fair...it's a tricky one (as I said in the previous bullet, translaton is hard!)

Anyways, this song wasn't super interesting. It was basically Miyako singing about how she wants to be an elegant, "ideal" woman. Low key trad wife vibes lol Nothing wrong with wanting to be a good wife/partner, it's just not something I relate to 😅

I feel like I never fully got a grasp on Miyako's character. The only thing I remember is that she was a fangirl and kinda boy crazy. There was an episode about how she's really outspoken I think?

Sora Takenouchi - Sky-Blue Wind (Listen here subbed)

It seems like a lot of these songs are about not being honest with yourself. It's all very Japanese lol. Sora is singing about putting on a brave face for the sake of her friends. I guess that's fitting since we did see her run away when she was upset in the anime.

She sings that she "likes her role" as the optimistic one...reminds me of Ted Lasso and Waymond from Everything Everywhere All At Once. I can't tell if this kind of outlook is admirable or deeply unhealthy.

Shaochung Lee - My Future (Listen here subbed)

This one was disappointing because I liked Shaochung. It was a super unimaginative song about Shaochung wanting to grow up. Like...I guess that makes sense, but it's a very obvious and lazy choice (with her being the youngest). Maybe she could have sung about her relationship with her brother or Lopmon/Terriermon?

I did think the "I can't see the after-10pm world" line was pretty cute/clever

Hikari Yagami - Reflection (Listen here subbed)

According to fandom wikis, this is a response to the Takeru song Focus which I wrote about here. I still feel weird about these two songs. Why would they depict Takeru and Hikari as a couple when that wasn't in the source material (imo)? I don't remember the 02 epilogue saying anything about them being together! Maybe the image songs aren't canon lol

There's something funny about Hikari calling Takeru's eyes beautiful when I just picture them as generic anime eyes. I guess blue eyes would be something to sing about in Japan. (I actually think Hikari's light brown eyes are prettier).

Juri Katou - The Color of Someday (Listen here subbed)

Sheeesh this one was dark (I mean...to be expected). It sounded to me like Juri was singing about being depressed and anxious, unsure how to live a "normal" life. The color in the title refers to that "normal" future that she wants to achieve.

A lot of the song seemed to be about masking and being afraid to show any vulnerabilities to the world. She also says she doesn't understand what love is or how to love (probably cuz of her crappy parents).

Looking back on it, I kinda wish they had foreshadowed Juri's darker side better in Tamers. She started out as such a goofy, comic relief character that her breakdown felt less real to me (also, I cared less because my brain had already categorized her as "generic background comic relief girl."). If they had shown a tiny hint of a crack in her facade sooner, it probably would have made her more interesting.

Good morning/Goodnight Calls

(These should be easy to find, they're in the same playlist as the videos above)

I don't really know what the point of these are, going to be honest. The album contains random voice lines (around 20 seconds each) of the girls saying good morning and goodnight. It reminds me of those Vtuber voice packs. Personally, I'm a big fan of Japanese oddities like this, but they seem very niche.

I thought the appeal would be to pretend that the characters are talking to me, but in the first voice clip Ruki is addressing her grandma...guess I could pretend to be her grandma lmao

Okay, Sora's wake up/goodnight call literally sounds like waifu bait (very breathy)...which is strange considering she's an elementary schooler. Who was this made for?

Some of these would make decent alarm sounds, if you're into that sorta thing. I think it would get very annoying very fast to have an anime girl yelling at me first thing haha

Sora and Miyako's were so vague and general that they could have been from any series. No mention of digimon or anything like that.

Why is Mimi showing up now but didn't get an image song? Wasn't she the singer of the group!? (Her voice lines were very shrill, my ears are bleeding lol)

Hearing cheerful!Juri after listening to her song feels...uncomfortable

I wonder if these were just improv'd on the spot. I want more backstory.