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tobiasdrake · 13 days ago

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Digimon Adventure 02x19 - The Composite Beast, Chimeramon / An Old Enemy Returns

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Koushiro and Iori found the Digimon Kaiser's base, but it got up and ran away when they weren't looking. Miyako shouted "AHA" and ran facefirst into the brick wall of her own enthusiasm. However, on the other side of that brick wall was the base so it was a net victory all the same.

What sort of unimaginable horror has the Digimon Kaiser been working on all this time? Find out... right now if you read the title card. Though he did basically spell it out last episode.

The Narrator opens this episode by assuring us that the boys did make it back last night. Which is good 'cause it was kinda late when Miyako and Hikari spotted the base and there was no sign of them.

Narrator: After the Kaiser's fortress left, Daisuke's group linked back up with Hikari's group. Then, the following morning....

Miyako, Hikari, and Daisuke sleep in, with an implied division between the boys' and girls' sleeping bags; Miyako and Hikari's bags are put together while Daisuke's is separated from Hikari's by a few feet.

Hawkmon, Tailmon, and V-mon are all wide awake. They watch as Takeru and Pegasmon disappear into the sky, accompanied by Tentomon. The boys fly out along a river, joined by Iori and Submarimon down below.

Submarimon: Daisuke won't be happy about this-dagyaa. Iori: Probably not. Tentomon: Why didn't we ask Daisuke-han to come with us? Takeru: We couldn't just leave Hikari and the others by themselves, could we?

I mean. You didn't have a problem with it last episode. Weird thing to suddenly get sexist about. What happened last night? Did you have too much Daisuke exposure for one trip? Didn't realize what you were signing up for with this mission?

There is actually a valid reason for leaving Daisuke behind and it's that he'd be dead weight. Raidramon can't actually fly; Only run fast and leap far. It hasn't been an issue before, but Daisuke does not have an effective mode of transportation for combing the ocean.

But Takeru doesn't say that, so I don't know what's up here. They also don't discuss why Hikari and Miyako are being left behind again at all. Those two stayed behind for a reason earlier and they already took care of that.

Whatever the case, Takeru and Iori keep going, following a straight line of Dark Towers leading out into the ocean.

For the dub, the role of the narrator today is filled by the sound of Davis snoring.

Gatomon: Does Davis always snore like that? Veemon: Every night. Gatomon: How do you sleep!? Veemon: I don't.... (T.K. flies away on Pegasusmon) Veemon: Where are those guys going? (Down below, Submarimon and Cody joins them) Submarimon: I still think we should have told the others before we left. Tentomon: It may be none of my beeswax but why didn't you ask Davis to come with us? T.K.: I didn't want to leave Kari and Yolei alone anymore. Don't worry, he'll understand. Tentomon: I'm just glad I'm not going to be the one to tell him.

Dry as the narrator's exposition usually is, it bridges the gap between the end of the last scene and the beginning of this one and sets the stage for where we are now. As with some of the changes last episode, losing it makes this one feel more isolated.

But it's not much of a loss; The boys already made plans to come back after sunset if they didn't find the base. So if you're paying that much attention to the continuity between episodes, you can easily assume they did just that.

The only thing they have to replace it with, however, is yet more dunking on Davis. This opening is going to dunk on Daisuke though so unlike last episode, it's well-timed.

Meanwhile, they also tweak T.K.'s line to add the word "anymore". That way, he at least acknowledges that this decision contradicts him making that very choice and being fine with it yesterday.

Back at camp, the girls wake up. While Hawkmon munches on a rice ball, Hikari reads off an email Iori left them on her D-Terminal.

Hikari: They know where the Kaiser's fortress is headed. Miyako: (intrigued) Ooh, where!?

You might notice a terminology shift here. Last episode, we were calling it the Kaiser's 基地 kichi, which means a base. It can be a military base or an expedition base or what have you; All we know about it is that it is the base of operations for the Digimon Kaiser.

Now the girls have spotted the full base and not just what was sticking out of the ground earlier. Thus, the terminology has been updated to the Kaiser's 要塞 yosai, which means his stronghold or fortress.

We cut to the row of Dark Towers leading out to sea as if to answer Miyako's question, and then back to Daisuke whining to himself. Next to him, V-mon munches on a chicken drumstick.

Daisuke: (dismal) They really left me behind.... V-mon: (concerned) Don't let it get to you, Daisuke.

Meanwhile, inside his command center, the Kaiser inspects his new creation - though we can't see the screen very well so it's not easy to make out.

Wormmon: What about the final piece? Kaiser: Huhuhuhu... Relax. We'll have it soon enough.

With a smug grin, he takes a drink from a steaming cup of tea. We can't see if he's holding a saucer but I imagine he is for the added pretentiousness.

In the dub:

Kari: The email says they've figured out which way the Digimon Emperor is heading. Yolei: Let's see. (Shot of Control Spires going into ocean) Davis: WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY LEFT WITHOUT ME!?!? (Cut to Davis pouting) Davis: How come nobody wants to go anywhere with me? Veemon: Well, Davis, it could be your snoring. (Cut to Wormmon and Emperor) Wormmon: Is it finished yet, Master? Emperor: Not quite. I still have a few minor details. Should he have four arms or six? Decisions, decisions....

He then loudly slurps his tea like an absolute monster.

The Kaiser has a clear plan in place for his creation. We don't know all the details, but he said last episode that he's found the Dark Whirlpool and this episode Wormmon asks about the final piece. It has been conveyed that there is one last piece remaining and the Kaiser intends to retrieve it from this Dark Whirlpool place.

As with Kabuterimon last episode, the Kaiser needs to directly encounter a particular kind of Digimon so that his Digivice can record its data and he can use it for his creation. That's why the fortress is taking him out to sea.

The dub cut the mention of the Dark Whirlpool and now depicts the Emperor still making basic outline choices. No idea why we're going to the ocean, then.

Camping with Hiroaki, Taichi and Yamato gather around Koushiro's laptop to read Iori's email too. It's addressed to "Everyone" and reads simply, "We're pursuing the Kaiser's fortress."

"Everyone" is not a valid email address so that's probably an email group. Which probably means that Sora, Jou, and Mimi just got this email with zero context. Popping open their D-Terminals like, "Oh. Huh. Okay, good for them."

But while the boys are playing on the laptop, Hiroaki cleans the cookpot by himself.

Hiroaki: Oh, why me...?

He is not having a good time on this trip. Brought these boys all the way out here to play on the computer. There were computers back home! He knows! They just made him buy one!

Speaking of people who aren't having a good time, Jun's back in the city and has continued with her stalking mission.

Jun: If I knew yesterday they were going to Yamanakako, I could have followed them right then and there!

山中湖 Yamanakako is one of the Five Fuji Lakes. As the name implies, they're a set of lakes around the base of Mt. Fuji. They're popular outdoor destinations for hiking, camping, fishing, etc. due to the gorgeous view of the mountain they provide.

Yamanakako or, literally, "The Mountain Lake" has the distinction being both the largest of the five lakes and the highest in elevation. It's about 1-2 hours drive west-southwest of Tokyo.

Unfortunately for Jun, she cannot drive nor does she have a convenient adult in her life to whom she can explain her Very Good Reasons for going to Yamanakako. And the bus just left the station. Jun breaks into a sprint after it, shouting:

Jun: HEY, DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT ME!!!

That's okay, Jun. Your brother isn't any better off. Back in the Digital World, Hikari and Miyako follow the trail of Dark Towers out to sea on the backs of Nefertimon and Horusmon.

Daisuke, left behind for a second time, comes running to the water's edge on Raidramon's back much too late.

Daisuke: No way! Hikari-chan and the others too!?

Raidramon can't fly, so Daisuke's screwed. This is a bad time to be a Motomiya. Daisuke and Jun are both 2 for 2 on being left behind now.

As usual, the dub rewrites the email to be in English. In the process deleting the To: and From: and Subject: lines and then not bothering to replace them.

They also changed the sender. The message reads, "We know where the Digimon Emperor is headed. -Kari." So apparently the first email only went to the girls, and then Kari took a moment to pass it on to Tai and the others before leaving. This is equally plausible.

Izzy: I'm getting an update from Kari. Hiroaki: Do any of you know how to catch a fish? ...I wish I had a TV dinner. (Cut to Jun in Tokyo) Jun: Alright, all I have to do is take the bus to the campsite and Matt-- (Bus loudly honks and takes off) Jun: WAIT, DON'T GO, I WANT TO GET ON!!! (Cut to Hikari and Yolei following the Control Spire trail) Yolei: Should we tell Davis we're leaving? Kari: (apathetic) Nah. He'll understand. (Davis trails behind) Davis: Why's everyone leaving!? Is it my snoring!?

XD Okay the repeat of "Davis will understand" in a flat and uncaring monotone got me.

The dub continues the trend from the first anime of removing references to specific Japanese locations. Yamanakako is now simply "the campsite".

As an aside, if you're wondering why there's a trail of Dark Towers/Control Spires leading to the Kaiser/Emperor's base, remember that those things are just conduits for the Dark Digivice's power. The Dark Digivice is a single point of failure for his entire network.

Those Towers/Spires are probably functioning as power lines to keep his entire empire supplied with dark energy while he goes out on this jaunt. If he broke contact, he'd lose his whole empire in an afternoon. You'd be able to hear Evil Rings snapping off 'round the globe.

...you know, we should probably knock some down while we're here.

Up ahead, Takeru and Pegasmon fly with Tentomon over the ocean, but all they see is open water and some of those classic "Single Palm Tree" deserted islands.

Pegasmon: I can't see shadow nor shape of it. Takeru: Do you think Iori-kun found anything?

影も形も Kage mo katachi mo, literally "shadow or shape", is a Japanese idiom that means the same as our English "hide nor hair".

Down in the ocean, Iori and Submarimon search. Iori has his D-Terminal popped upon and resting against a raised bit of Submarimon's dashboard.

Submarimon: What is it-dagyaa? Iori: They say they can't see anything from up there.

No more luck down here; All that's in front of them is a huge stone wall.

Submarimon: Same here-dagyaa. Iori: Yeah, I'll let them know.

As they're talking, they notice a huge metal dome jutting out of the stone wall up ahead.

Iori: (gasp)

Submarimon does a quick 180 and backs off to get a better look at the structure. Sure enough, that "stone wall" actually was a massive structure all along. And one they've seen before.

Submarimon: It's the Kaiser's base-dagyaa! Iori: I must inform Takeru-san-- Huh?

At that moment, Iori spots a passageway leading into the structure near the bottom that doesn't have a big metal dome over it.

In the dub:

Pegasusmon: We've been flying for hours and haven't seen a thing. T.K.: I'll check with Cody and see if he's seen anything. (Down below) Submarimon: What did T.K. say? Cody: They haven't spotted anything from up above. Submarimon: Well, we haven't seen much of anything either except seaweed. Maybe we should turn back. (Dome comes into view) Cody: Huh? What... is that thing!? Submarimon: Let's dig a little further. (They back off to get a better look) Submarimon: This thing is enormous! It makes Texas look like Rhode Island! It has to be the Digimon Emperor's base! Cody: I'll let T.K. know that we found it--Huh?

Cody's "What... is that thing!?" bugs me a little bit because they specifically came down here to find a that-thing-shaped object. Iori and Submarimon were momentarily caught off-guard because they were too close and underestimated its size. They also expected it'd be moving in the distance, and instead it's just sitting here. Waiting for something.

Cody and Submarimon are reacting like they've never seen the base before at all.

Up above, Takeru receives Iori's message on his D-Terminal. We get to see that message too, but also he reads it word for word.

Takeru: It says "We found the base! We're going to sneak in through a cave." Tentomon: Are they going to be okay? Takeru: I'll tell them not to push themselves too hard.

While Takeru's typing, the water below begins to swirl.

Pegasmon: Takeru, look! Takeru: Huh?

Watching from their vantage above, the boys see a huge chunk of the ocean fall away into a massive whirlpool.

Takeru: A whirlpool?

Down in the Kaiser's control room, a swirl icon appears on a white grid on his screen.

Kaiser: Hmph. Seems like it's finally shown itself. Wormmon: (frightened) What is that, Ken-chan? Kaiser: You could call this the entrance to a source for the power of Darkness. There should be data on Darkness-type Digimon in there. Once I have that, my Original Digimon will be complete. Wormmon: ...

Wormmon, for the moment, is silent while the words of the Kaiser sink in.

We haven't really seen much in the way of Dark Digimon thus far. We've seen plenty of Viruses under the Kaiser's control, to be sure. We also have seen a Devidramon and we've seen some Bakemon, so they haven't been completely unrepresented.

But truly malevolent creatures like Devimon or Vamdemon have been absent from the Kaiser's collection of controlled Digimon. Darkness, the kind of Darkness that once sought to control the Digital World through Apocalymon's reality distortions, hasn't really collided with the Kaiser yet.

Note that when the Kaiser calls this place the 原 minamoto, the source... that's an ambiguous statement. He could mean it in the sense that this is the source, the origin point for all Dark Power, or that it's simply a source, a resource he can harvest for Dark Power.

A lot about the Dark Whirlpool is open to interpretation.

In the dub, Cody's email is rewritten to read, "Found base. Will sneak in through underwater cave. ~Cody." Basically the same but with shittier grammar, which mildly bugs me because I feel like Cody would type full sentences.

T.K.: It's from Cody. They found the base and are going to try and sneak in through an underwater cave. Tentomon: That sounds kind of dangerous! Maybe they should wait! (Whirlpool begins to swirl) Pegasusmon: T.K., look! T.K.: Huh? (Whirlpool appears) T.K.: A whirlpool...? Tentomon: Oh no! They'll get sucked right into it!

To give Tentomon space to deliver that line and make a cliffhanger out of this, the dub splices in a clearer shot of Takeru and Tentomon flying over the fully developed Dark Whirlpool from later in the episode. Then they take their first commercial break.

On return, we join the Emperor in his control room.

Emperor: Hmm, looks like it's finally here. Wormmon: What is that, Master? A new way to hypnotize your slaves? Emperor: No, you fool. You might call it a gateway to the source of the powers of Darkness. But for simplicity's sake, let's just call it the Dark Pool. I think it's caused by an evil Digimon, and if I can tap into its power then I'll have everything I need to complete my very own Digimon!

Ahh, the evil counterpart of Deadpool. I gotcha.

I don't know why they cut the "Whirl" out of it.

The Kaiser also adds the detail that an evil Digimon is creating "the source of the powers of Darkness". Which... may or may not be true. Again, heavily open to interpretation.

After hearing the Kaiser's plans, Wormmon hesitates for about three seconds. But then he can't bring himself to be silent anymore.

Wormmon: You have to stop, Ken-chan! Kaiser: What did you just say to me? Wormmon: I can feel it... I can't really put words to it very well. There's something terrifying inside that whirlpool. I'm scared!

As usual, the Kaiser doesn't give a shit about what Wormmon thinks. He gets up and walks away, dismissively uttering:

Kaiser: What a coward....

Wormmon desperately scurries after the Kaiser, screeching:

Wormmon: NO!!! YOU CAN'T GO, KEN-CHAN-- Kaiser: I DON'T TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU!!!

Ken turns and aggressively kicks Wormmon across the room. Wormmon bounces once on his head, then hits the ground on his belly and slides to a stop.

In the dub, the Emperor's dialogue is longer so Wormmon doesn't have any time to hesitate before responding.

Wormmon: Please, Master, don't do it. Emperor: What are you talking about? Of course I'll do it. Wormmon: But it feels like evil itself is coming from that Dark Pool. You can't feel it because you're not a Digimon. Emperor: Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to stop my master plan because of a silly feeling of yours! Wormmon: But on an evil scale of 1 to 10, that Dark Pool is really evil. Emperor: Ehe! Fine. Then you stay away from it. In the meantime, I've got things to do. (Emperor gets up and walks away) Wormmon: Please don't ignore me. Emperor: Oh, I'm sorry. HOW'S THIS!?!?

We don't see the Kaiser's foot make contact; We just see him twist his body, hear the impact, and see Wormmon sent flying. So the dub doesn't have to censor it for the Emperor, though they do use a comical bonk sound to try and lighten it.

The Kaiser is, as usual, above the opinions of his Partner while the Emperor actually bothers to stop and argue.

The original does not specify that only Digimon can feel what's in there, and both versions will in fact contradict that later. Though it does strongly suggest that Digimon are more sensitive to it, so they're half-right here.

The dub is, again, really hyping up what's down there. "Evil itself" is waiting for us. An evil Digimon creating the source of all Dark Power, who is "really evil on a scale of 1 to 10". Again, in the original, all that's been said is that it's the source of Dark Power, it is fucking scary, and the Kaiser hopes to harvest some Dark Digimon data from it.

Up topside, we catch up with Hikari and Miyako.

Nefertimon: A giant whirlpool!? If that's the case, we need to tell Armadimon and Iori since they're infiltrating the base! Hikari: That's right!

I agree too. I also think it's weird that Takeru thought the girls needed to know and not Iori. We don't see the message Hikari sends back, but it was clearly "WTF Takeru".

Takeru: I know that, but I lost contact with them a while ago. Tentomon: In any case, we need to do something fast! Pegasmon: Yeah. This is going to get ugly. Takeru: Yeah... On that note, what has you guys spooked all of a sudden? Tentomon: Of course we're freaking out! Just look at that whirlpool.... Pegasmon: Takeru, can you not feel that?

Takeru stares down into the whirlpool for a moment. Deep down in its depths, he can sense a dark, unearthly high-pitched wailing as the water melds into a grotesque, eldritch gray backdrop.

Takeru: I-I feel it! What is that!?

Darkness, Takeru. That's Darkness, is what that is.

In the dub:

Nefertimon: A huge whirlpool? And Cody and Submarimon are inside the base? We've got to warn them. Kari: Try to contact them with the D-3. (Cut to T.K.) T.K.: Don't you think I've tried that already!? Something seems to be blocking the transmission.... Tentomon: We can't just hover here! We've got to do something! Pegasusmon: Tentomon's right! We're running out of time! T.K.: Yeah... Are you guys feeling okay? Tentomon: Well, I think I might be getting a bug but other than that, I'm fine! Pegasusmon: I am feeling a little strange. How about you, T.K.? T.K.: I'm not really sure.... (T.K. senses something deep below) T.K.: I... I feel... kinda weird....

The D-3 cannot be used to contact people. Only to track the signal from their own D-3 or Digivice. The D-Terminal is what is used to contact people.

A moment ago, the dub established independent of the original script that only Digimon can sense what's in the Whirlpool. Now, one scene later, T.K. is the one who senses it while Tentomon has no idea what he's talking about.

Down in the base, Iori and Armadimon climb a very long flight of metal stairs. They come to a window looking into a pinkish reddish chamber.

Inside the chamber is a massive reactor looking like something out of Star Wars with four walkways leading to it from each direction.

Iori: This might be the power room. Armadimon: Let's smash it-dagyaa! Iori: Hang on, we should look around more first. Armadimon: Understood-dagyaa. By the way, Iori, aren't you cold-dagyaa? Iori: No? Armadimon: That's weird. I've been getting chills for a while now....

Putting Wormmon, Tentomon, Pegasmon, and Armadimon's reactions together, we can see that the Digimon are all very sensitive to the power in the Dark Whirlpool. The humans aren't, but they can feel it if they make the effort like Takeru did.

Cut to the front of the fortress. A panel lowers, revealing an observation deck embedded in the stone exterior. Inside, Wormmon is still pleading with the Kaiser to turn back.

Wormmon: I'm begging you to stop! Just this once! Or else we won't be able to turn back! KEN-CHAN!!! Kaiser: ... Wormmon: ... Kaiser: Take us in.

At the Kaiser's command, the fortress begins moving once more. It forges ahead through the water towards the Dark Whirlpool.

Watching from above, Takeru's group can see the massive structure beneath the waves.

Tentomon: Ack! It's started moving! Pegasmon: And it's heading for the whirlpool! Takeru: ...Iori....

The Kaiser is marching straight into harm's way and unknowingly taking Iori with him.

In the dub, Armadillomon gets an extra line to complain while they're climbing the stairs.

Armadillomon: I'm tired. Don't they have an escalator in this place?

Valid complaint. This staircase was clearly built for an athlete.

(Cody finds the power room) Cody: Whoa! Armadillomon: My thoughts exactly. Cody: This has to be the engine room. Armadillomon: I say we destroy this place once and for all. Cody: We will, but let's take a look around first. Armadillomon: Alright, if you say so. Hey, you think it's kinda cold in here? Cody: Not especially. Armadillomon: That's weird. 'Cause I just can't seem to warm myself up. The chill of evil's in the air.... Cody: Don't be so dramatic.

I love that "chill of evil" line. 10/10, understood the assignment.

They also give the Emperor an early quip just before the panel opens.

Emperor: You know what this place needs? More window space. (Panel opens) Emperor: There! Wormmon: Master, I know you hardly ever listen to me. Okay, you never listen to me. But please, just this once, do what I ask. Don't do it. Emperor: Hmm... I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. Did you say something? (Fortress begins moving forward) Tentomon: Look! It's on the move! Pegasusmon: And heading for the whirlpool! T.K.: Cody!

Wormmon's last desperate plea for reason falling on deaf ears is played as a laugh line.

Back inside the base, Iori and Armadimon have found their way into a dungeon lined with barred cells.

Armadimon: We've started moving! Iori: This place....

Iori's more interested in the cells than the motion. Lot of familiar faces behind those bars. One cell has an Elecmon and a Delumon in it. The next contains a Floramon and a Mushmon. All Child Digimon except for the Perfect Delumon.

Iori: These are all Digimon that the Kaiser's captured. Armadimon: What should we do-dagyaa? Iori: This has to come before the power room. Armor Evolve and break them out of these cells. Armadimon: Makes sense to me-dagyaa. Iori: Alright. DIGIMENTAL--huh?

Suddenly, Iori notices a... screen in the ceiling of a cell showing an aerial view of the Dark Whirlpool. I have no idea what that is or why it would be there.

Iori: What... is that...?

Armadimon doesn't have an answer, but he continues rubbing his arms from the eerie chills he's getting.

Back on the observation deck, the Kaiser watches as the Dark Whirlpool draws nearer.

Kaiser: Now... Enter the Whirlpool.

The base keeps on going, getting closer and closer to the worst mistake of the Kaiser's life.

In the dub:

Armadillomon: Hey, we're moving.... Cody: Armadillomon, look! This place is like a prison. It must be where the Digimon Emperor keeps all of his captured slaves. I guess you guys didn't have a very good lawyer! Armadillomon: So what are we gonna do about it? Cody: This is more important than the engine room. You'd better Armor Digivolve and break the bars open. Armadillomon: Now that's a good idea. Cody: DIGI-ARMOR--Huh? (Dark Whirlpool screen on the ceiling for some reason) Cody: What is that thing!? Armadillomon: ... (silently rubs arms from chills) Cody: My thoughts precisely. (Cut to observation deck) Emperor: Huhuhuhu... Now, enter the Dark Whirlpool! Huhuhuhu AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh, it's not that funny.

Cody fucking makes a flippant joke to the faces of imprisoned slaves. Thanks, I hate it.

What I do like is the way Armadillomon getting chills serves, in and of itself, as the answer to Cody's question. Harkening back to that "chill of evil in the air" moment.

The dub suddenly starts referring to it as Dark Whirlpool here despite renaming it Dark Pool previously.

Cut to Jun standing in the middle of a busy street. She demonstrates her own particular hitchhiking style by being a public menace recklessly endangering herself.

Jun: WHY WON'T YOU STOP!?!?

I need to gush about what a beautiful segue this is. The Kaiser gives the command to enter the Whirlpool, then a shot of Wormmon's silent but concerned face, and then the fortress moves forward while Jun screams "WHY WON'T YOU STOP!?!?" as if speaking directly from Wormmon's anguished heart.

While, in her context, a blue car whips past uncaring of her hitchhiking only to get stopped by traffic a short ways ahead. An ugly metaphor for what's about to come for the Kaiser? Perhaps.

A red sports car pulls up shortly after, honking for Jun to get in.

Jun: Hooray!

Jun hops in the backseat and lets an elderly couple, Mary and Kenny, take her away. Yes, those are their names in the Japanese version.

Mary: She's going camping, Kenny! Oh, it must be nice to be young. Kenny: Mary, you and I were young too once.

They are not, however, young anymore. They're passed on the highway by several cars whipping by much faster than them and one moped. Jun lets out a sigh, resting her head on her hand and settling in for a long drive.

The dub ruins the meaningful juxtaposition of "WHY WON'T YOU STOP". In addition to tying the preceding bit up with the Emperor being goofy instead of silent drama, they cut the opening to this scene to avoid showing Jun hitchhiking. We go straight to her in the back of Mary and Kenny's car.

They also rearrange the shots to have the cars and moped passing the sports car first, then the interior shot of the vehicle.

Jun: Thanks for the lift, Grandpa. I can't believe they left without taking me. Grandma: So, you're going camping? That's nice. We used to do lots of camping, didn't we, dear? Grandpa: Yeah. Until that time I used poison ivy instead of toilet paper! Jun: Huh? (sigh)

Also to avoid letting the characters hitchhike, Mary and Kenny have been rewritten to be Jun's grandparents who she called for a ride.

As Jun settles in for a long car ride, we transition over to Daisuke centered in the same spot and pose as her. This episode's really playing up the parallel between the Motomiya siblings.

Daisuke's at the edge of the landmass, contemplating a palm tree.

V-mon: What are you thinking, Daisuke? Daisuke: What if we knock down this tree and carve it into a dugout? V-mon: Aha! That's a great idea! Daisuke: As long as we're on the same page!

A dugout is a type of canoe made from hollowing out the trunk of a single tree.

Since V-mon agrees, Daisuke moves forward with his plan. He steps forward and presses on the tree trunk, trying to shove it over by brute strength alone. Shockingly, it works. The trunk shifts forward with no effort at all, like a lever being thrown. Daisuke stumbles back in shock.

Daisuke: DAH!!!

Steered by the palm tree, the patch of land they're standing on drives forth out onto the water, departing from the greater continent.

V-mon: What's going on here? Daisuke: What the heck...?

The boys take a moment to adjust to the realization that all these single-palm-tree deserted islands are, in fact, boats. But they are. So that means....

Daisuke: Oh well! We can catch up to the others now. V-mon: YAHOO!!!

A startling discovery but not an unwelcome one. Sometimes, in a dire situation, the fucking weirdness of the Digital World delivers!

The dub maintains the mirror shots of Jun and Davis through the transition.

Davis: Hmm.... Veemon: Davis, what are you doing? Davis: I'm thinking about how we can make a canoe out of this tree. Veemon: Great! How are we gonna do it? Davis: First, we push this tree down! (Davis pushes the tree and it moves like a lever) Davis: AGH!!! (Island starts moving) Veemon: A little too hard. Davis: Beats a canoe! Ahh... Smell that salt air! Veemon: Hey, Davis? How come we're on land and I'm getting seasick?

Valid question and an actually good place for a laugh line.

Back at the Dark Whirlpool, the Kaiser's fortress breaches through the side of the whirlpool and enters its eye. From above, Takeru's team lays eyes on it for the first time.

Tentomon: WHOA, THAT THING'S HUGE!!! Takeru: There should be a cave somewhere on it that Iori-kun went in through. We'll infiltrate from there as well. Pegasmon: Understood.

Together, the three of them descend towards the structure. As they enter the whirlpool, ghastly spirits swirl in the waters behind them.

Takeru: What are these? Ghosts? They're giving me chills.... Pegasmon: What's giving me chills is that pitch-black space in the open maw down below.

Takeru turns his attention to the darkness at the bottom of the whirlpool. His eyes are drawn down the darkening waters to the place unseeable at the very--

Pegasmon: Don't look at it! Takeru: Ah!

Takeru suddenly blinks, like he's snapping out of a daze.

Tentomon: You have to be careful or it will devour you.

Finding the cave, the boys head inside the Kaiser's fortress and away from... whatever that is down below.

In the dub:

Tentomon: That's the biggest mobile home I've ever seen! It must be impossible to find parking. T.K.: Come on, guys! We gotta find the cave that Cody and Armadillomon used to get inside! Hurry up, they might be in trouble! (The boys descend into the whirlpool and pass the ghosts) T.K.: This place feels... evil. What are those things!? Pegasusmon: Don't pay any attention to them. They're just trying to scare you. They live in the Dark Whirlpool and feed off fear. (T.K. looks down at the bottom) Pegasusmon: Don't look at it! T.K.: Ah! Tentomon: (freaked out) Ooogh, can I sit up here with you guys? Pegasusmon: Look! T.K.: This has to be the cave!

The dub explains the ghosts as lifeforms that dwell inside the Dark Whirlpool and feed on fear. Harmless Monsters Inc. critters trying to give T.K. a good spook. It does not address the bottom of the whirlpool except to say "Don't look at it".

This sudden context jump makes it a bit confusing as to what T.K. isn't supposed to look at. Is it the spookers? Was he looking at the spookers?

Inside the observation deck, guess which dipshit is staring straight down into the black maw.

Kaiser: ... Wormmon: Ken-chan? Kaiser: Ah!

Like Takeru, the Kaiser seems to suddenly snap out of some sort of daze.

Wormmon: Are you okay? Kaiser: (rattled) It's nothing. (commanding) COMMENCE THE COLLECTION!!!

Beneath the observation deck, a hangar opens. Three Mekanorimon descend into the whirlpool. As they descend, the ghastly spirits leave the waters, drifting through the air now around them.

Suddenly, something seizes the lowest Mekanorimon. The Digimon lets out a scream as it's suddenly wrenched around in the air, and then pulled down below.

Kaiser: What happened!?

He doesn't get an answer, as the other two Mekanorimon follow soon after. They plunge screaming into the swirling abyss, dragged down by an unseen force.

Kaiser: ANSWER ME!!! WHAT IS GOING ON!?!?

Still no answer. They're gone.

Kaiser: (disturbed) What the hell is happening...? Wormmon: I knew this wouldn't be possible to collect. Let's stop here, Ken-chan.

Brushing Wormmon off, the Kaiser turns and walks away from the glass.

Wormmon: Where are you going? Kaiser: If that's how it's going to be, then I'll go collect it myself.

On that ominous very good idea note, the original takes its commercial break here.

In the dub:

Emperor: Hmm.... Wormmon: Master? Emperor: Hm? Wormmon: Are you alright? Emperor: Never been better! INITIATE THE ATTACK!!! (Mekanorimon descend; First Mekanorimon plunges screaming into abyss) Emperor: What's going on!? (Second and third follow) Emperor: (furious) They're gone! HOW'D THAT HAPPEN!?!? (No answer) Emperor: Sector A, report! Sector B, come in! Sector C! Where is everybody!? Wormmon: They were never very good at spelling. Emperor: RRGH!!! (Emperor storms off) Wormmon: Where are you going? Emperor: If you want something done right, do it yourself!

The dub foregoes commercial here. The original's about a minute and a half early on their commercial, so kicking it out a ways makes sense.

The Kaiser shows a couple chinks in his armor here. Like Takeru, he briefly gets mesmerized by the thing at the bottom. And a couple times in this scene, he honestly seems scared. Brief moments where his arrogance cracks and, just for a second, a voice of reason in the back of his head starts asking if this is really a good idea.

In addition to Wormmon who has bluntly been asking that question since they got here.

The Emperor just loses his temper. No inkling of caution or reason from him.

Also, I don't know why the Mekanorimon are named Sector A, B, and C. That's a weird terminology choice. Those are names for areas, not units.

Returning from commercial, we find Digmon hard at work meticulously drilling off the bars from each cell.

As the latest set of bars falls, the Floramon and Mushmon inside the cell happily emerge into freedom.

Takeru, Patamon, and Tentomon approach from behind.

Takeru: Iori-kun! Iori: Ah, Takeru-san! We're releasing all the captured Digimon. Tentomon: Gotcha! I'll lend a hand. PETIT THUNDER!!!

While Digmon drills, Tentomon zaps the spot he's drilling with electricity. How exactly this helps is unclear. Iori supervises them, but Takeru notices the inexplicable screen in the ceiling of a cell showing an exterior shot of the Dark Whirlpool.

Takeru: (contemplative) That Kaiser... What is he up to?

I don't know what information he thinks he's going to glean from this feed.

A note about the animation: When Digmon drills the bars, there's a delay between when Digmon stops drilling and when they actually fall off. The dub riffs on that.

Digmon: This one's stuck! (Bars fall off) Digmon: Whoops. T.K.: Cody! Cody: Hi, guys! I'm glad you're here. We were just setting these captive Digimon free. Tentomon: Oh, why didn't you say so? That's my specialty! SUPER SHOCKER!!! (Everyone works on the bars while T.K. notices the screen) T.K.: I can just tell... There's something out there....

At this point, everyone knows there's something out there, T.K. Except Cody. We still have not informed Cody.

Takeru ponders what the Kaiser is planning and as he does, we cut to the Kaiser to see his bad idea to fruition.

Piloting a Mekanorimon himself, the Kaiser descends into the whirlpool's depths.

Wormmon: (radio) Ken-chan, you don't have to do this. Kaiser: Quiet!

Suddenly, he spots something! The upper body of a half-finished Devimon. This is what he was looking for.

The inexplicable jail cell screen now displays the feed from the Kaiser's descent as well.

Takeru: Devimon!?

The Kaiser extends some kind of suction device which begins siphoning away Devimon's data. The half-finished Dark Digimon begins to disintegrate into pixels, sucked into the device.

Kaiser: With this, my Original Digimon will be complete! Voice: (skeptical) Are you truly so capable of mastering the power of Darkness? Kaiser: (startled) W-Who's there!? Voice: (amused) You underestimate the power of Darkness. Huhuhuhu.... Kaiser: ...am I just hearing things?

The Kaiser tries to reassert his confidence. But it's clear that he's scared. He's sweating pretty hard for someone who's allegedly in control of the situation.

Kaiser: Hmph! Either way, it's speaking nonsense. As the king of the Digital World, is there anything I can't do? Huhuhu... HAHAHAHA!!!

This is where the whirlpool being open to interpretation really comes into focus. What is this? What is happening here? Is that the Devimon? The one from File Island? Is Devimon the thing at the bottom of the Whirlpool, or is this half-complete Digimon just a manifestation of the Darkness's power?

In the dub:

Wormmon: (radio) Master, please come back. You don't know what's out there. Emperor: Quiet! (Emperor finds Devimon) T.K.: Devimon!? Devimon: Huhuhuhuhu....

Here, the dub takes its second commercial break. Upon return, they replay T.K. watching Devimon be discovered but this time Devimon doesn't laugh.

T.K.: Impossible.... (Emperor extracts Devimon data) Emperor: I'll take what I need from this Digimon, then my Digimon will be completed! Voice: Are you sure? Emperor: Huh? Voice: Do you really believe you can control the powers of Darkness? Emperor: Alright, who are you!? Voice: I am here to warn you. Beware the Darkness! Huhuhuhu.... Emperor: Beware the Darkness? ...ha! I'm the Digimon Emperor. I rule this world and some voice comes out of nowhere and tells me to beware the Darkness!? Who does he think he's kidding!? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

The dub stakes its position pretty unambiguously. This is the Devimon from File Island, and the Dark Whirlpool is the manifestation of his power.

Episode title "An Old Enemy Returns"

"An evil Digimon at the bottom of the whirlpool is responsible for creating the Source of Dark Power."

Devimon laughs going into the commercial break, indicating that this is a conscious and living Digimon and not just an assembly of data.

The source of the Dark Whirlpool is our old nemesis Devimon, and he's the one directly talking to and mocking the Emperor. Which... may or may not also be what's happening in the original.

...it's super odd that the voice says "I'm here to warn you to beware the Darkness". No, it's not. It's here to ridicule him. Why would Devimon himself be warning him away from Devimon?

In any case, Ken included, the new generation haven't had to deal with the kind of traumatic shit that the veterans went through. They get to experience a Digital World created by the veterans' triumph over things like Devimon. Ken's been playing on Easy Mode, doesn't realize it, and is about to unleash a true nightmare.

However, there is one person who does recognize the mistake that the Kaiser is mistaking. In the dungeon, Takeru watches the Kaiser collect Devimon's data through the screen.

Narrator: Takeru still remembered that moment. Three years ago, Angemon gave his own life to seal away Devimon's dark power.

Flashback to Angemon's sacrifice on that day. A young Takeru watches helplessly while his Partner pulls the Holy Light of all seven Digivices into himself, overloading himself to channel the power he needs to strike Devimon down.

Takeru (V.O.): Back then, I desperately wished that I could turn back time. But time only flows one way. Even when we don't want to, we have to face our reality. Drowning in endless despair, I cursed my fate.

The truth of the Dark Whirlpool's power has triggered something in Takeru.

An interesting translation note here is that the Narrator describes Devimon's dark power as 封じた fuujita, which means "sealed away" or "blocked off". This is news to me; I was of the understanding that Angemon had just killed him.

Like I said, this is all wildly subject to interpretation. But my best understanding is that the Devimon inside the Dark Whirlpool is the sealed away power that Angemon carved away from Devimon. He killed Devimon but all that Darkness had to go somewhere and so it was sank into the bottom of the ocean.

All those Black Gears that Devimon took inside himself to become insanely super ultra powerful, all that Dark Power he absorbed to ascend to his kaiju form, is the roiling mass of Darkness now at the bottom of the Dark Whirlpool.

That's the source that the Kaiser is harvesting now, imprinted with Devimon's image and persona which is what was then taunting the Kaiser. Ken is ignorantly taking all that Darkness for himself, assured that he can control it, it's fine.

That is what I think is happening here. But it's equally plausible that the half-finished Devimon is merely a small sample of the greater Dark power at the bottom of the Whirlpool, and something else is speaking to him.

In any case, we return from Takeru's PTSD flashback on a hardened pair of eyes quivering with moisture. He pulls the hat from the top of his head.

Takeru: He doesn't know anything. He doesn't understand anything. He's OUT OF HIS GODDAMN MIND!!!

Takeru crushes his hat and furiously throws it to the ground.

Iori: Ah? Takeru-san?

Takeru drops his backpack too.

Takeru: No more. I'm not doing this with him anymore. I'M SETTLING THIS!!!

Takeru storms away to go kick the shit out of the Digimon Kaiser.

Iori: Ah! Where are you going!? Patamon: Takeru, wait!

Patamon flies after Takeru, but doesn't stop him. Iori remains with Digmon and Tentomon.

Digmon: What was that about-dagyaa?

Iori takes a step to follow after Takeru, but stops when he hears Tentomon calling after him.

Tentomon: Let Patamon look after Takeru while we work on freeing the prisoners. Iori: Oh... Yeah.

Honestly, Iori can probably go after Takeru. It's fine. He's not really contributing anything to the bar-cutting.

In the dub:

T.K.: Of all the Digimon that are out there, why did it have to be Devimon!? (Flashback) T.K. (V.O.): I'll never forget our battle four years ago. Angemon faced Devimon one-on-one! It was our last chance to defeat Devimon once and for all! T.K.: Angemon! Angemon: I'll get him. T.K. (V.O.): Angemon knew what he had to do. T.K.: Be careful! Devimon: COME HERE, PRETTY BOY!!! T.K. (V.O.) The only way to completely destroy Devimon's evil powers was for Angemon to sacrifice himself. I begged him not to do it but we both knew there was no choice. I always felt that it was my fault. That maybe I could have done something! But it was too late.

The dub describes Angemon's sacrifice as "completely destroying" Devimon's powers, which was what seemed to have happened before. But. Uh. If that's the case then what the hell is happening here?

Is this just an unrelated half-Devimon in a non-specific pit of evil? That is also possible.

T.K.: I was too young back then to know how to handle it. Too young to understand. Well, that was then. (T.K. throws hat) T.K.: AND THIS IS NOW!!! Cody: Huh? You okay, T.K.? T.K.: Cody, I've got some unfinished business to take care of. Time to get to work. (T.K. storms off) Cody: T.K., wait a minute! Patamon: T.K.!!! (Patamon flies after him) Digmon: Where's he off to? Maybe we should follow him. (Cody goes to follow) Cody: Mmm.... Tentomon: Don't worry! Patamon will take care of T.K. We need to keep working to free these Digimon. Cody: You're right.

Takeru is completely and utterly melting down. He's erupting with rage and it's all gunning straight for the Kaiser. This is personal now. The Kaiser (probably) just reawakened the thing that traumatized him so badly before.

Now Takeru, demonstrating what he learned from Taichi, wants to punch his trauma away. He wants to hit the Kaiser until it doesn't hurt anymore.

The Kaiser has no idea what he's awakened in Devimon. But he also has no idea what he's awakened in Takeru.

T.K. also gets mad and storms off, but he's more focused and heroic about it. He wants to prove to himself that he's become strong enough to prevent another tragedy like what befell Angemon from ever occurring again.

The Kaiser returns triumphant to his fortress. Entering his control room, he notices an alarm going off and a red dot blinking on a map of the base.

Kaiser: They're invading the base? Right under my nose? ...whatever, I don't have time for that right now.

Sitting down at the controls, the Kaiser raises his fortress from the Dark Whirlpool and departs. Then he turns his attention to his design. A pair of Devimon arms appear on the creature's shoulders.

Kaiser: A perfect fit! My Original Digimon is finally complete!

But while the Kaiser's celebrating, we cut briefly to Wormmon with trembling, frightened eyes. This is going to get bad.

In the dub, the Emperor's still fuming over that encounter.

Emperor: How could he not know who I am? I've told everybody.

In the original, we don't hear the alarm beeping until the Kaiser approaches his console but it's just beeping in sequence. The implication is that it's been beeping for a while now, but he hasn't been up here to notice. The dub has the effect of a screen suddenly turning on, indicating that the alarm is only now starting to go off.

Emperor: Huh? Well, what do you know. I have visitors and it's those kids. I don't have time to deal with those annoying brats right now! Wormmon: You sure have changed, Master. You used to love trying to destroy the DigiDestined. It was your favorite thing to do, next to putting coal in children's Christmas stockings. Emperor: Bah! Humbug! (Emperor adds the Devimon arms to his creation) Emperor: Now for the final touch. There! My masterpiece is finally completed! Nothing can stop me now!

Weird Christmas aside there. The dub came out in mid-November so it was sort of "Christmas lasts for fucking ever" Christmassy but wasn't really "Now is the time for airing Christmas specials" Christmassy.

A brief cut to Jun shows her asleep in the car, slowly making its way along the highway. A wider shot of the car on the highway shows Mt. Fuji in the background, so they're getting there.

Daisuke and V-mon are still making their way out to sea by palm tree island boat.

V-mon: Looks like they went really far. Daisuke: Yeah, and we need to hurry up and get there too. But we're... GODDAMMIT!!!

They are at the mercy of a vehicle with only one speed.

And so, a world apart, the Motomiyas ever so slowly trudge onward to rejoin parties that left them behind.

The dub adds Jun loudly snoring and her grandparents commenting on it, similar to Davis's snoring from the start of the episode.

Grandma: She sure can snore! Grandpa: No louder than you.... (Meanwhile in the Digital World) Veemon: Gee, Davis, the rest of the guys must be way ahead of us. Davis: Yeah! We're just gonna have to go faster! Agh, I still can't believe Kari did this to me!

Loud snoring is apparently a Motomiya family trait.

Hikari and Miyako are still in flight to the Dark Whirlpool.

Hikari: Hey, do you think Daisuke-kun is mad at us? Miyako: There was nothing we could do. Huh!? Look!

Miyako turns to answer Hikari's question, but when she looks ahead again, she spots the Kaiser's fortress coming the opposite direction.

Horusmon: It's coming right for us! Nefertimon: Careful, everyone!

Too late for caution. In his control room, the Kaiser's already spotted the girls and has them up on his screen.

Kaiser: What a perfect opportunity to test out my Original Digimon. GO... Chimeramon!

A hatch opens in the roof of the base. A lift raises Chimeramon up into the fresh air. Silently, they take flight and set out on their mission.

Somehow, the Kaiser has completely forgotten about the fact that there is an active insurgency taking place inside his lair.

In the dub:

Kari: Yolei, do you think Davis is really mad at us? Yolei: Nah, he's a pretty good sport. HEY!!! LOOK AT THAT!!! (Emperor's base coming back their way) Halsemon: It's headed right for us! Nefertimon: Alright, everyone, get ready. (Control room) Emperor: If I had known I was having visiting guests, I would have catered. Ooh! I can still give them a party favor. Go get 'em. (Fortress releases Chimeramon)

The Emperor has completely forgotten too but also he isn't salivating over the chance to use the Digimon he put all this work into the way the Kaiser is. He talks like this is any old deployment of an enslaved Digimon to fight.

Miyako: Something's coming this way.

Miyako adjusts her glasses to see better. We finally get a good look at the Kaiser's creation. And so does she.

Miyako: WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?!?

Chimeramon is a Perfect-stage Data-attribute Composite Digimon. They originally debuted in the Wonderswan V-Pet before going on to feature kind of prominently in the Tamers video games released during the airing of the Adventure shows.

These games followed protagonist Ryo Akiyama as he's thrust again and against into conflict with Millenniummon which, to my understanding, is a Jogress between a Chimeramon and a Mugendramon. He also runs into the Chosen Children of the anime sometimes? IDK.

The games are considered canon, with Ryo even making a cameo appearance in Our War Game. The second game, Tag Tamers, was released at around the same time as this Kaiser arc finale was airing and serves as a prequel. Ken and Ryo team up to take down Millenniummon with their respective Partners Wormmon and V-mon. It explores who Ichijouji Ken was before he was the Kaiser and how he came to be like that. Which the anime will also talk about in time.

But exactly what connection, if any, Ken's Chimeramon has with Millenniummon is a question for people who've actually played the games. The show is pretty explicit that Chimeramon is Ken's Original Creation Do Not Steal and has never, ever existed before now. So it's kind of hard for there to also be another Chimeramon that became Millenniummon before 02 ever began? It's weird.

Narrator: Chimeramon! A Composite Digimon created by the Digimon Kaiser by combining parts from various Digimon. They have a ferocious fighting instinct and immense destructive power. Their special attack is a deadly heat ray called Heat Viper.

They should be able to use special attacks from all of their component parts, but that's just me.

Through the inexplicable ceiling screen, Iori's group watches Chimeramon's deployment too.

Digmon: I've never seen nor heard of a Digimon like that before-dagyaa! Tentomon: We need to go fast! While Nefertimon and Horusmon are keeping that thing busy, we can free the rest of the prisoners! Iori: Got it!

Iori's team double-times it to finish up.

In the dub:

Yolei: Do you see what I see? (It's Kimeramon!) Yolei: What is that thing!? Emperor: (rundown) Hahaha! Kimeramon is my ultimate creation! I combined the most powerful parts of other Digimon to form this unstoppable fighting creature! His Heat Viper attack will melt my enemies into oblivion! (Cody and the others watch from the dungeon) Digmon: I've never heard of a Digimon like that before, and I get all the news from the underground! Tentomon: Listen, Cody. While those guys do battle with him, we can free the prisoners! Cody: Let's go!

Yeah, the official English spelling is "Kimeramon". I suspect this is another Horusmon/Halsemon case where they didn't know what that word meant. The Japanese spelling of chimera is キメラ kimera, because you can't use チ chi to make that hard 'k' sound, and the dub translated that straight across.

The girls fly into battle with Chimeramon.

Horusmon: RED SUN!!!

Horusmon takes the first shot, but his eye beams glance harmlessly off of Chimeramon's horn.

Kaiser: That won't work against Kabuterimon's metallic head. Nefertimon: CURSE OF QUEEN!!!

Chimeramon backs off, dodging Nefertimon's shots. Chimeramon then swoops around behind the girls, catching them off-guard with superior aerial maneuverability.

Kaiser: With Angemon's and Airdramon's wings, they're swift in the air.

Kaiser: Now it's my turn.

As Chimeramon descends from behind, Horusmon and Nefertimon split up. Chimeramon turns to follow Nefertimon, but smacks Horusmon out of the air with their tail.

Kaiser: Garurumon's legs and Monochromon's tail!

Chimeramon swipes at Hikari. Nefertimon dodges the Kuwagamon arm and then the SkullGreymon arm, but one of the two Devimon arms catches her from behind and smacks her down.

Kaiser: Arms from Kuwagamon, SkullGreymon, and Devimon! The body of Greymon and the hair of MetalGreymon! Well? Isn't the Digimon I created amazing?

Before he and Miyako can hit the water, Horusmon recovers. He rights himself and soars above the water's surface.

Miyako: What the hell is that thing!?

The hair.

The hair of MetalGreymon.

...okay but why though? Kaiser really had to stretch to try and fit a third Agumon form into his Fanfic Digimon. Notice me, Taichi-senpai.

In the dub:

Halsemon: TEMPEST WING!!! (No effect) Emperor: That's why I picked Kabuterimon's head. They don't come any more hard-headed. Nefertimon: CAT'S EYE BEAM!!! (Kimeramon dodges, then swoops around) Emperor: And he's fast with Airdramon and Angemon's wings! Playtime's over. Now it's my turn!

A white flash censors the point of impact when Kimeramon tail smacks Halsemon.

Emperor: Throw in Garurumon's legs as well as Monochromon's tail.

Another white flash censors the point of impact when Kimeramon swats Nefertimon.

Emperor: I added Kuwagamon's, SkullGreymon's, and Devimon's arms. His body is Greymon's and I topped him off with MetalGreymon's hair. He's perfect! Hahahahaha!

The dub takes its third commercial break here, which is surprisingly early for it. But also it makes sense because there is some shit about to come.

However, we come back right into the next scene, so Horusmon recovering from his fall and Miyako's final line end up cut. I guess they hit the water in this version.

Back in his control room, the Kaiser gloats about his creation.

Kaiser: Huhuhuhu...HAHAHAHAHA!!! This is exactly what I was expecting! Perfectly suited in every way to be my Partner Digimon.

Suddenly he turns and glares at poor little Wormmon. The Kaiser's eyes burn with contempt.

Kaiser: Unlike you.

There was an implication in the Agumon arc that the Kaiser was trying to replace Wormmon entirely and take Taichi's Agumon for his Partner Digimon. Now that he's made a new Agumon with extra bells and whistles, the Kaiser says the quiet part out loud. Chimeramon is to be his Partner going forward, not Wormmon.

While he's hyperfocused on that, the insurgency he ignored has reached its completion. The jailbroken Digimon descend a rope from the hidden cave onto one of those mobile islands while Iori, Digmon, and Tentomon supervise from the tunnel.

Nine Elecmon, four Mushmon, four Floramon, and four Delumon in total. Four very slappable Delumon because these birds are Perfect level and allowed themselves to be caged anyway.

Tentomon: That's the last one. Now it's our turn to get out of here. Iori: But what about Takeru-san? Tentomon: He can take care of himself. Come on, let's go!

Digmon picks up Iori with his scoopy hands and bounds down to the island. Only Takeru and Patamon remain within the fortress.

In the dub:

Emperor: Hahahahahaha! Where's my VCR? Ooh, I wish I was taping this! Take a good look at him, Wormmon. Now that's what a Partner should look like! (Emperor turns and scowls at Wormmon) Wormmon: Hmph! Not a scrawny runt like you. (Meanwhile, Cody frees the remaining prisoners) Tentomon: Okay, that's the last one! Come on! It's time we got out of here too! Cody: We can't leave without T.K. Tentomon: He'll be fine. We've got to get these Digimon to safety! Let's go!

The Emperor horribly dates this episode by knowing what a VCR is. XD If this were today, "Digimon Emperor DESTROYS Fake Nerd Girls" would already be up on YouTube and Tiktok.

In any case, this bit is pretty much perfect. No notes.

Still inside the Kaiser's base, Takeru storms down the hall while Patamon pleads with him to withdraw.

Patamon: Takeru! Can't we settle this later? We have bigger priorities right now.

Takeru doesn't even answer him. He keeps right on marching until a shadow emerges from a doorway up ahead, followed by the Digimon Kaiser. Who I guess has finally remembered about the intruders.

Kaiser: (playful) You have some nerve.... Sneaking inside the fortress of the Digimon Kaiser, who commands the power of Darkness! Huhuhu....

Takeru tries to keep a straight face. But after stifling his laughter for a moment, he loses the struggle and lets it out. That reaction catches the Kaiser offguard.

Takeru: Tehe! Kaiser: W-What!?

Takeru recovers and, with a confident smirk on his face, fixes a cold, hard gaze on the Kaiser.

Takeru: Ichijouji-san. How long have you been pretending to conquer the world? Are you having fun? Ken: ... Takeru: And now you're talking about the power of Darkness. But do you even know what that means? Ken: ... Takeru: You have no idea, do you? You won't get away with a simple injury. Isn't it time for you to grow up?

Takeru's words cut Ken down to his bone. This is not Daisuke. Takeru is not his bitter archnemesis, here to face the Kaiser in another exciting round of Heroes and Villains. He isn't speaking to the Digimon Kaiser at all. He's speaking to Ken-chan.

Ken is a petulant child playing with forces he cannot comprehend, and Takeru has no intention of giving him any more dignity than that.

In the dub:

Patamon: T.K., can't you do this later? We gotta get out of here while we can. Don't be so stubborn! T.K.: ...hm? (Emperor emerges) Emperor: I don't remember sending you an invitation. I must admit, you have a lot of nerve... Sneaking into the base of the most powerful being in the Digital World! Huhuhuhuhu.... (T.K. tries to keep a straight face and fails) T.K.: Ahahaha! Emperor: What's so funny!? T.K.: Let me ask you something, Ichijouji. Don't you think it's time that you gave up on this little charade? It's getting old. Ken: ... T.K.: You say you're the most powerful being in the Digital World and yet you have no idea about the powers that are here! Ken: ... T.K.: You're a pretender. You're like that story, "The Emperor's New Clothes".

This is pretty close. The original hits harder, though. It's the attitude. T.K. is angry and accusatory in his delivery, while Takeru is aloof and condescending. "It's getting old!" vs. "Are you having fun?"

This is what cuts Ken so deeply in the original. He doesn't just tell Ken to eat shit. He talks as if all of this Digimon Kaiser nonsense is beneath him.

Because compared to what he and his team went through three years ago? It is.

Ken takes a moment, struggling to even come up with a retort. But in the end, the only thing he can spew from his mouth is frothing anger.

Ken: You worm! YOU WORM!!! WORM, WORM, WORM!!! Takeru: Is that all you have to say? Ken: SH-SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!

Before he knows what he's doing, Ken lashes Takeru with his whip. He lands a direct hit to the left side of Takeru's face. Takeru doesn't even flinch as the whip strikes him, then falls ineffectually to the ground. Even Ken seems surprised by what he just did.

Ken: ...oogh.... Patamon: (gasp)

Takeru calmly reaches up, feeling the bloody wound on the side of his face. Then he pulls his hand away and inspects it for blood.

Takeru: You can't get your way with words, so you resort to violence, huh? Ken: (stunned) N-No.... Takeru: Hm? Am I wrong? Well, I guess it doesn't matter. Are you finished? Ken: ... Takeru: Guess so. Now it's my turn.

Ken has just enough time to let out a gasp before Takeru crosses the hall and decks him. A right haymaker takes Ken off his feet, laying him out on the hallway floor. He drops his whip as he goes down; It falls to the floor where he'd been standing.

In the dub:

Ken: YOU'RE NOBODY!!! NOT LIKE ME!!! You will bow down before me! T.K.: Sorry, the floor's kind of dirty. Ken: YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!!!

They censor the moment of impact for the whiplash with a white flash but, to my surprise, they do leave it in there.

Ken: Agh! Patamon: (gasp)

They also leave in the bloody wound T.K. gets from it.

T.K.: Hm... When you can't think of anything to say, do you always resort to fighting? Ken: ...I guess? T.K.: That's your problem. You don't know when to talk and when to fight. Now's a good time to talk. Ken: ... T.K.: On the other hand, IT'S ALSO A GOOD TIME TO FIGHT!!!

T.K. punching Ken in the face is also retained, with a white flash obscuring the moment of impact. They seem to have judged this fistfight too important to mess with, and they are correct.

Again, the dub covers the material pretty well but you can feel the tonal difference. Takeru's condescending behavior has Ken completely on the backfoot. Even Ken's shocked when he cracks the whip; It just kind of happens out of pure desperation to make Takeru stop talking down to him.

(Takeruing down to him?)

By contrast, T.K. and Ken seem like they're on the same level. Dub Ken hasn't utterly lost control of this conversation the way his original counterpart has, and T.K.'s dialogue comes off as more reasonable pre-fight banter.

Outside, the battle with Chimeramon remains ongoing.

Tentomon dodges and swerves to avoid rays of what I assume are Heat Viper. One shot kicks up a massive explosion of water.

Nefertimon and Horusmon drop off Hikari and Miyako on Iori's island, then return to the fray. The girls call after them.

Hikari: Be careful out there, Nefertimon! Horusmon!

Chimeramon emerges from the water spray and charges up another shot in their mouth. They fire on Tentomon once again. Tentomon nimbly flips upwards in the air to avoid the shot, which continues on and strikes the Kaiser's fortress.

In the dub:

Kari: Nefertimon! Halsemon! You guys be careful, okay? Kimeramon: HEAT VIPER!!!

The only difference is that Kimeramon calls their attack.

Inside the base, Takeru is on top of Ken and pummeling him in the face.

The sudden impact jostles Takeru just enough that Ken's able to push him off. Ken scrambles for his whip, snatching it from the floor and lashing it at Takeru.

Takeru catches the goddamn whip out of the air.

Ken: WHAT!?!?

Takeru throws it to the floor and lunges, tackling the Kaiser and taking him back off his feet.

Outside, Horusmon spins up his tornado attack.

Horusmon: TEMPEST WING!!! Nefertimon: ROSETTA STONE!!!

Both attacks slam uselessly into Chimeramon, who doesn't even seem to notice. Worse, Tempest Wing brings Horusmon straight into melee distance.

Horusmon: What can we do!?

Horusmon tries to back off, but one of the Devimon hands smacks him out of the air. He lands hard on his shoulder, skidding across the fortress's roof. Chimeramon closes in to capitalize on his momentary vulnerability.

In the dub:

(T.K. catches the whip) Ken: HEY!!! (T.K. tackles him; Meanwhile, outside) Halsemon: TEMPEST WING!!! Nefertimon: ROSETTA STONE!!! (No effect) Halsemon: They had no effect! (Chimeramon smacks him down)

Solid.

Seeing how badly Ken's being beaten, Wormmon tries to intervene.

Wormmon: NEBANEBA NET!!!

ネバネバ Nebaneba means sticky or gooey. This is another rare attack to be named at least partly in Japanese, rather than using English.

The attack is a conical web that Wormmon sprays from his mouth. Patamon's quick to counter it.

Patamon: AIR SHOT!!!

Patamon's Air Shot goes straight down the cone and beans Wormmon in the face, knocking him across the floor. Patamon flies in close to challenge him.

Patamon: You wanna fight? Wormmon: You're hurting Ken-chan!

Wormmon's spirit is willing, but Patamon's going to dribble him like a basketball. Just like PicoDevimon.

In the dub:

Wormmon: Oh no. STICKY NET!!! Patamon: BOOM BUBBLE!!! (Patamon knocks Wormmon around) Patamon: Wanna fight!? Wormmon: Actually, I'd prefer a staring contest.

The scene ends with closeups of Patamon and Wormmon staring each other down, building anticipation for their battle. Which the dub riffs on with that last line from Wormmon.

Topside, Nefertimon flies in at the last second to save Horusmon.

Nefertimon: HORUSMON!!!

She pushes him off the roof just before Chimeramon fires off another shot of Heat Viper. The beam blows straight through the base, ripping through the walls above where Takeru is....

At this point, it's not even a fight anymore. Ken's on his back and not even trying to defend himself anymore. He is thoroughly and utterly whipped.

But when that shot blows through, Takeru stops and looks up.

Takeru: Ah! What the--!?

Through the gaping hole in the wall, he finally lays eyes on Chimeramon outside.

Ken: That's Chimeramon, the Digimon I created. Isn't it incredible? Even if you all fight together, you still won't be a match for them.

Takeru has Ken in the palm of his hands. But now he has a decision to make.

In the dub:

Nefertimon: HALSEMON, LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!!! (Nefertimon saves Halsemon; Kimeramon silently fires) T.K.: What's that thing!? (T.K. sees Kimeramon through the hole in the wall) Ken: Didn't I tell you? I have a new pet. Kimeramon! My secret weapon that's not a secret anymore. Don't worry if you didn't get a good look; You'll see him up close and personal real soon!

Takeru reacts to the sudden energy beam exploding through the wall, while T.K. reacts to Kimeramon himself before laying eyes on him.

Dub Ken rambles a bit. "My secret weapon that's not a secret anymore" is a Mojo Jojo-ass line. He also refers to Kimeramon as "my new pet" which again understates the relationship Ken thinks he has with this particular Digimon.

Chimeramon isn't just some mind-controlled minion; They're Ken's new Partner Digimon, the replacement for Wormmon. Dub Ken doesn't seem to have any particular reverence for Kimeramon whatsoever; Just another Digimon to add to the collection. Nothing special or meaningful in any way.

Outside, the fight is over. Chimeramon's got Nefertimon in their SkullGreymon hand and Horusmon in their Kuwagamon hand, and is crushing the life from both of them.

Patamon: Takeru! Takeru: Yeah. DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

Priorities. Without hesitation, Takeru gets up off of Ken and Armor Evolves Patamon to go join the fight.

Takeru: Ichijouji! Next time, we finish this!

With Takeru gone, Wormmon approaches Ken.

Wormmon: Ken-chan?

Battered and wincing in pain, Ken slowly sits up.

Ken: (weakly) Don't look at me.... Wormmon: Ken-chan....

Ken stands up and slowly withdraws into the depths of his base.

Outside, Pegasmon joins the fight. Between now and the last time we saw them, Horusmon and Nefertimon have been moved to Chimeramon's Devimon hands. Unclear if this is a consistency error or intentional decision on Chimeramon's part.

Pegasmon: SILVER BLAZE!!!

Pegasmon fires off two shots, hitting each of Chimeramon's wrists and forcing them to release Nefertimon and Horusmon. The pair join him in the air.

Nefertimon: Thank you, Takeru! Pegasmon! Takeru: Chimeramon isn't moving! Now's our chance to retreat!

At that, the team withdraws from the Kaiser's fortress.

In the dub:

Patamon: T.K.? T.K.: Mhm. DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!! (Pegasusmon evolves) T.K.: Hey, Ken! Remind me where we left off the next time I'm pummeling you into oblivion! Wormmon: Master? (Ken weakly sits up) Ken: ...I guess I'm not as cool as I think I am. Wormmon: Off day. Ken: Time for me to regroup and come back stronger than ever. (Up top, Pegasusmon frees Nefertimon and Halsemon) Pegasusmon: EQUUS BEAM!!! (The two join Pegasusmon in the air) Halsemon: Thanks, Pegasusmon. Pegasusmon: It was just a little... horseplay. T.K.: Kimeramon stopped moving! Let's take this opportunity to get out of here!

As usual, Dub Ken's a lot more willing to open up and engage with Wormmon. He even admits weakness to Wormmon. Original Ken basically tells Wormmon to fuck off and withdraws both physically and emotionally into the depths of his lair. He doesn't want to be seen in this state, battered and bruised after horribly losing a fight.

The team withdraws to the mobile island with the rescued prisoners. Which has, at some point, been joined by Daisuke's mobile island. Driving the islands back to land, they regroup.

Iori hands Takeru back his hat, which Iori apparently picked up off the ground after Takeru stormed off.

Iori: Here you go, Takeru-san. Takeru: Oh! Thank you. Daisuke: After all that... Dammit! V-mon: If only I could fly.... Daisuke: Don't say that! You and I have our own way to fight. V-mon: Yeah!

Took Yamato a whole character arc to come around to "Maybe you have your own unique strengths and don't have to be good at what someone else does" but Daisuke effortlessly cuts right through to it.

Daisuke: In any case, we'll rest for now and then we go after the Kaiser! Group: YEAH!!!

This isn't over yet.

And speaking of things that aren't over, Jun finally makes it to the lake! So... why does she seem so unhappy about it?

Jun: Uh... This place.... Mary: It's Hamanako! Jun: But I said Yamanakako! YAMATO-KUUUUUUN!!!

Hamanako is a lagoon about 3-4 hours' drive southwest of Odaiba. It didn't just take all day because of how slow Kenny drives, but also because they left her intended destination behind halfway down the highway.

In the dub:

Cody: Here's your hat back, T.K. I didn't want anyone to step on it. T.K.: That's okay, Cody. I have six others just like it. One for each day of the week! Davis: I'm ready to fight and all the action's over with! I wish we'd gotten here sooner! Veemon: The other Digimon can fly. Why can't I? Davis: Come on... You've got your own fighting skills. Like, that head of yours is as hard as mine! Veemon: Right! Davis: Anyway, let's hear it for T.S.! He really let Ken have it! Group: YEAH!!! T.K.: Uh, that's T.K.....

Lot of gags to lighten the mood after that brawl just now. Daisuke's promise that we aren't done here and are going to hit the Kaiser again tomorrow doesn't make it in. I feel like these episodes are trying really hard to make each piece seem like an isolated adventure rather than a multi-parter. This episode and the previous one cut a lot of cross-episode continuity.

Jun: Are we at the right campsite? Grandma: Guess they told you the wrong place. Jun: Why wouldn't Matt give me the right information? Could it be that he doesn't want me around? Grandpa: Ah, she's just as sharp as Davis. Narrator: What is the next step in the battle for control over the Digi-World? Tune in to the next Digimon: Digital Monsters!

Matt didn't give her any information. We saw their conversation and at no point, in either version, did he provide her with details of his destination. Jun had to find out either by forcing it out of Daisuke/Davis offscreen or exercising stalker fu.

Probably stalker fu.

In any case, they can't make the Hamanako/Yamanakako bit work here so someone lying to Jun and providing her incorrect details makes sense as a replacement gag. It just can't really be Matt directly.

Assessment: Takeru beating the shit out of Ken is one of the moments I've been eagerly anticipating, and it did not disappoint. Ken activated Takeru's Child Soldier mode and had regrets. He pushed the trauma button and then paid for it in teeth.

It's not just the physical beating, but the devastating verbal evisceration of the "Digimon Kaiser" as a concept. Ken's been thwarted and defeated and vanquished in battles before. But here, he was just beaten in a way he's never been beaten before.

A fitting way to herald the beginning of the end for the Digimon Kaiser.

And Wormmon. God, Wormmon. Ken-chan told him to his face that he's obsolete and he still tries with what meager strength he has to protect Ken from Takeru. Wormmon's loyalty and devotion even in the face of so much physical and emotional abuse is downright tragic.

Also, gotta give a shout out to Iori. Not just for prioritizing saving Digimon over blowing up the base, but also the hat. Despite the dub's flippancy about it, Iori picking up Takeru's hat and holding onto it for him is a small gesture that speaks to how considerate and thoughtful he is. Takeru throws his hat down in a fit of rage and Iori's reaction is, "He doesn't mean it. He's gonna want this back."

#digimon #digimon adventure 02 #revisiting digimon #revisiting digimon adventure 02

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hikaritakaishi · 1 year ago

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Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning [My Movie Review]

♡ ! SPOILER ALERT! ♡

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

♡ Daisuke & Iori

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*sigh* Anyway.

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

♡ Ken & Miyako

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

♡ Takeru & Hikari

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And far from being quick.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But none of it was real.

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

Rui just needed to talk to Ukkomon and be sincere.

Where is Mimi tho?!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

♡ Thank you once again Digimon ♡

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tutituticafe · 11 months ago

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Rewatching again Tri make me realize something ......

I watched Tri first time when I'm in university degree, 20th years old back then. And know, I rewatched again after 9 years of that show. It's make me realize that they are not a gang buddy! In 01 shows they are just a bunch of children sheltered in snow and endep up together in Digital World.

The childhood friends that are shown here only between Sora, Taichi and Koushiro, of course Hikari because they are seem neighborhood. Meanwhile Yamato is only classmate between Taichi and Sora, they looked akward and they don't hang up often.

Koushiro is only know Mimi as classmate who same year as him. I think Mimi and Joe have more relationship, maybe their parents works together? who knows? But for sure Joe known Mimi rather than others.

Takeru of course only outside kid, he also not live in Odaiba and just tag along with his brother. Knowing this situasion, they just work together because of that anccident. Of course if they are no harm on digital world they are just life with their lives with their schedule and only talk online.

That time I'm wondered why they are excluded the 02 children? It's because they can only focus with 01? I know the reason now, the more we grower the less friends we can hangout. I think the 01 is not thinking of Digital World because we see in the 02, they give responbility to the children of 02.

That way it seem akward of 01 to fight again. In this series, we see Takeru is mad at Daisuke because he is nowhere to be found. He trying to contact him but nowhere is found.

The missing of Tri is lack on explain why the group of 01 and 02 don't hang up together and the reason why Daisuke only call the 4 new choosen children to fight (Yeah I know in latest part this is being explained by Daigo but why they can't foreshadowing from begining?)

They choose focus on new character rather than making the 01 and 02 teen problem is making the Digital World unstable. I love the idea if the problem is their crest opposite, not someone who wants to see their digimon back.

Why not making the themself villains? they can be heroes when children, but when they grown up they can be villains. So that we can see dark evolution of all digi destined. And how they overcome with it? If they are grown up will they want to become hero? (That's why I really loved Joe part here! He is really REALISTIC! yes why brother him? because they are choosen children? they are many choosen children why them though?)

Anyway the more I grow I good different prespective watching Digimon Adventure Tri.

The Show Rate 7/10

I love the 02 and 03 part specially on Joe Arc and Koushiro Arc. Rather than that seem usual to me.

#digimonadventure #digimonadventuretri #joekido #ilovejoekidoarc #ilovekhousiroarcintri #digimon #unpopular opinion #digimonshow #izumi koushiro

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ahiddenpath · 2 years ago

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Digimon Fanfic Update: Puits d'Amour!

Read it on AO3 or FFN!

The gorgeous art above was created and gifted to me by the lovely @piedrpiper! I am crying over how gorgeous it is! I have been waiting for the perfect chapter to share it with all of you!

In this chapter, Toshiko gives Sora a lesson about balance. I love Sora and Toshiko in Puits d'Amour. It's such a delicate mixture of strain and care. They love one another, but they often don't understand each other... But the desire to do so is there, and that is what saves them, I think.

Afterward, Jyou talks to Yamato about problems with the medical system in Nagano. It's a tough conversation- some uncomfortable truths about the Kido hospital are coming to light. Meanwhile, Yamato mentions that Mimi wants to go on a date with Jyou... And Jyou's past love life is mentioned, much to his dismay.

It's a great chapter, and I'm so excited to share it with you on this Odaiba Day! Thank you all so much for enjoying my stories. For any new readers, the summary and couples are beneath the cut!

Yamato and his brother, Takeru, were born to royal parents from different countries, who wed to seal the peace between their warring nations. The brothers were sent to live in Autun, their mother's country, until coming of age- and now, Yamato is old enough to return to Hakone, his father's country, where he will one day rule. Displaced and missing his home and his brother, Yamato wanders into a café selling pastries he often ate in Autun... And meets Sora, a woman who exudes welcome and comfort. A bakery/royalty AU about finding your home and your path.

Main characters: Yamato, Sora, Jyou, Takeru, Mimi, but the entire Adventure/02 cast is included

The main couple is Yamato x Sora, but there are additional minor couples (Jyou x Mimi, Koushiro x OC, Daisuke x Ken).

#sora takenouchi #digimon #odaiba day #digimon adventure #puits d'amour #sorato #digimon fanfiction #digific #digimon fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic #fic

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avazans · 2 years ago

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Mimatoweek Day 8 (1/2): Sexy

After the events of Eosmon and the summer was making itself feel stronger and stronger, all the digichosen had gone camping at the hot springs lake as a reunion.

After dinner and a bonfire outside, they decided to go to sleep, leaving only the dark-haired man by the fire, he hadn't realized how long he was there until a hand touched his shoulder.

"I know you miss him, just like I do, but I assure you that I'll find a way to get back together with our digimon friends" the redhead tells him.

Taichi smiles at her before saying - I wasn't thinking about that, well in part...- he stops talking before speaking the rest.

-Oh, things of love, isn't it?- Koushiro asks to which the dark-haired nods - I understand you- the redhead says something blushing and something sad.

Taichi only limited himself to looking at him and not saying anything because he knew that his red-haired friend still hasn't gotten used to the idea that Mimi and Yamato are together and at this moment they are still in the river that from the time that has elapsed he knows that they are not only They went to take a bath, it hurt so much that the person next to him suffered, because without realizing it he had developed feelings for him.

Meanwhile, Yamato and Mimi were in a passionate moment, leaving marks everywhere to show that they both belong to each other.

The week has already passed but the contributions continue and obviously I was not going to leave this succulent topic aside.

Sketch: @murasaki_chibi

Lineart and final painting: @avazans

PS: obviously it's censored because the tumblr religion doesn't allow us 🙄 (you'll see it uncensored on my Twitter and pixiv)

#mimatoweek #mimatoweek2023 #mimato #yamamimi #mimixyamato #digital sketch #yamato ishida #mimi tachikawa #digimon tri #digimon kizuna #digimon #digimon 02

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koushirouizumi · 2 years ago

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Meanwhile with DigiAdvs 02 [...and some O.C.s] (And...??)

KEN: How'd you get out in time?! (From "The {Digital} Void"'s EXPLOSION?!!) Inter-national O.C. Chosen Shane: Well, I ran, but. ... I, "got pulled" back into the "stream" just in time. So I watched from above, and - it basically imploded on itself, and dispersed into Digital data. SHANE: ... Whoever made those "capsules"... didn't want them to be found without a struggle. They were likely meant to be "kept" there indefinitely. And whoever "accessed" those capsules KNOWING the tech involved... KEN: ... They were fighting for release. Shane: Because they ruined the glass from the inside, THEN disrupted this... "plan". Ken: You believe it was a "plan"? Shane: Yeah. And whoever it "was" that made the "plan" could still be active. KEN: Currently, we had been fighting the "Dark" "Digital monsters". But they had all had their corrupted data "healed" as of over 10 years ago. They're ALL on our side now... SHANE: ... And they didn't know if they had a true "leader"? KEN: ... They're innocent. (Firmly!) I genuinely believe them to be. (The majority of them...) KEN: ("Angel" and "Akuma" may know something ELSE but... we'd have to ask them...) Shane: Because. Whoever originally "set up" that place... they definitely had "malicious intent". And... SHANE: I think they meant to do "something" with "the eight" beings "trapped" in there. Eventually... KEN: ... KEN: This is just a hypothetical question, but, that place you "visited"... does the name "Dark Area" mean anything to you? SHANE, HEARD IT FROM 'MON AT TIME: ... (How Do They KNOW--) SHANE: If I said it did? But I didn't find out until much later after the fact. (Half-lying) KEN: If those "eight" were being held in the "Dark Area"... and it was by our current possible "enemy", whom we know very little about... Shane: You all don't know much, huh?... KEN, CONTINUING: And the "intention" of that "enemy" being... for those "eight" to, perhaps, either, "fall under enemy control" or even "PERISH"... Shane: Depending on whatever was the "outcome" of "holding" them prisoner... KEN: Either way, those "eight" were likely being led straight to their eventual "DEATH"s... SHANE: (Flashbacking to the panels accessed) SHANE: ... The password to access the panels was "DEATH". (It Wasn't Very Creative.) And the code... (Was set to let the capsules run indefinitely.) KEN: I'd have to ask Koushiro-san again, but... KEN: I'm pretty sure... these signs are the "CLUE"... that the enemy involved could be CALLED... SHANE: SHANE & KEN, TOGETHER: "DEATHMON". KEN: "DEATHMON" was trying to "KILL" the "EIGHT" "CHOSEN" 'Children'. Shane: So the one who "broke out" from the INSIDE... SHANE & KEN: ... "Koushiro"

#repeatverse #og repeatverse #repeat koushiro #digiadvs royalty au #shane and ken #the past world #past world koushiro #past world koushirou #prince koushirou #repeatverse digital world #the knowledge kingdom #prince koushirou of the knowledge kingdom #the digital kingdom #the digital void #repeat deathmon #meanwhile with shane #meanwhile with koushiro #meanwhile with digiadvs 02 #coftff #coftff dark chosen #dark chosen au #shane and koushiro #coftff angel #coftff akuma #blacktailmon ocs #the prince without royal blood #oc: shane #(Dun Dun Dunnn & this is basically part of backdrop for Past World & COFTFF & Shane's Storyline & {Later!!} Repeatverse & A.M.V.s)#(YOUNG ME 'I DID IT FIRST!!! I HAD THEM IMPLIED FACING DEATHMON FIRST!!! & I DONT CARE IF TOEI USED IDEA SINCE IM LOVING IT')#(i.e. I had NO IDEA that Deathmon would eventually be used as a main antagonist of *2020 reboot* where they ACTUALLY FACED IT)

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taichi-x-koushiro · 1 year ago

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Meanwhile with Digimon Adventures' Taishiro {Koushiro x Taichi}, just pre 02

Yamato: Seriously... learn how to tie a tie, you football obsessed person!! TAICHI: its Not MY Fault. I Never wear suits with ties. {LAUGH} YAMATO: ITS KNOWLEDGE EVERY MAN SHOULD HAVE-!! Koushiro, attempting {+Failing} to tie new uniform tie, Off to side: ('I couldn't do it either...') Taichi: {is Oblivious (to Yamatos plight)} YAMATO, Oblivious to Koushiros plight: {SIGHING}

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ayukaze · 1 year ago

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Now it feels like we’re celebrating the 25th Anniversary 😍

This new art for an upcoming collaboration with Karatez is just simply stunning. The theme is (very obviously) “idol” and I personally love the futuristic pop concept they’ve added to the outfits. Although exact date and merch details haven’t been shared yet, they shared a few layouts of the key art.

The outfits are also great this time around because of their little references to the partner Digimon’s Perfect evolutions. Listing them down one by one as always.

Taichi: The blue markings on his jacket plus robotic arm markings on his right sleeve are a nice shoutout to MetalGreymon.

Yamato: We see WereGarurumon’s pattern on his jacket and a few belts wrapped around his hands that captures the punk-grunge vibe of WereGarurumon well. It may be Yamato’s affinity to music, but he looks extremely in his element in this art, it’s not often we see him so raring to go in official merch art (he’s more of a soft smiles guy usually).

Sora: Her gloves and the red bandana on her arm coupled with the feather in her hair are clear shoutouts to Garudamon. It’s kinda funny to me that being the girl who’s crest is a heart symbol, she’s making a victory sign while Mimi and Hikari are both making different types of finger hearts 😆

Koushiro: Honestly they were really subtle with the reference for him and even twitter couldn’t exactly answer my doubts so I’m gonna have to see Koushiro stans step up and answer whether the reference in his outfit limited to the markings on his jacket resembling AtlurKabuterimon’s chest?

Mimi: I think she’s the one with the most easy to catch references, her skirt resembles Lilymon’s and her hair tie looks like Lilymon’s flower canon. I love that she’s making the big finger heart because it’s just so very Mimi. If Yamato suits the passionate side of being an idol, Mimi is definitely meant for the cutesy visual vibe that can make fans go crazy over just a wink and a smile.

Jou: He’s wearing three belt like bracelets around one wrist like Zudomon which makes his a minimal reference though not as subtle as Koushiro’s. I do feel that they could’ve done a bit more with his look, maybe add a horn to the side of his headset? I also can’t wait to see the full art for each kid individually cuz I do think him and Yamato are wearing similar bellbottom pants!

Takeru: The feather on his headset and the yellow suspended straps are a decent reference to HolyAngemon. Considering that they wanted to keep the outfits limited to one colour per kid, I think this is the best way they could slip in the reference, though I wouldn’t have minded a few rings.

Hikari: The feather on the headset, the corset-ish belt around her waist and her gloves are very nice references to Angewomon. Keeping Hikari’s innocence as a kid intact while referencing a Digimon that is undoubtedly considered one of the most sexiest mons in the franchise would have been really tough and I salute the illustrators for coming up with this design! I also like the OG Korean finger heart she’s making, such a cute look on her.

The cherry on top are each of the Digimon partners holding supportive cheering goods for their kids. Piyomon’s love for Sora goes hard with her big name banner. Meanwhile, Agumon and Palmon kept it simple with haoris, Tailmon and Patamon too decided to go the simple route with light sticks. Gabumon, Gomamon and Tentomon seem normal from afar with their hand fans but when you get a closer look on all the hearts around Koushiro’s name on Tentomon’s fan, you know the three spent time making those themselves.

All in all, a pretty amazing illustration to be able to get merch of!

But wait that’s not all, andGallery has also teased a future cafe collaboration with Digimon Adventure on their twitter, more info will be announced on 19th Feb but they did share a preview of what to expect.

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ladyofthecastleproject · 2 years ago

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The Awakening Of The Hurricane Sincerity

[AO3 version]

Summary:

The 02 group start searching for Daisuke and V-mon, who had disappeared suddenly from the last battle against Ranamon and Frostmon. Palmon mentions seeing Fladramon and a mysterious human-sized hooded creature in a village and led them and Mimi there. But... The place had been taken by the vile DarkSuperstarmon and his troops. In the heat of the battle, Miyako's pure desire to help those digimon and her friends grants her a wish.

[Note: this takes place in 2008]

It had been a while since the group went to the Digital World to help Mimi and Palmon. Koushiro and the 02 group had planned carefully all the details of such an adventure beforehand: Him, Taichi and Yamato had used the ol’ excuse of camping with the group to justify why a bunch of teenagers would pass a few weeks in the Digital World. But now, the golden trio being young adults could take responsibility for them. Well, the only non-adult in the meanwhile was Koushiro, but next year he will hit his 20s.

Anyway… Mimi had met the kids quickly and explained to them what had happened before. Ken Hadn’t been familiar with Gummymon and vice-versa, but that hadn’t been a problem at all.

Though, there had been a question in Ken’s head:

“When we tried to open the gate after Daisuke disappeared… It was locked. But we were able to come here in the end.”

“Uh… Maybe it was a malfunction?” Palmon replied.

“Or someone had unblocked it,” Iori mused, stroking his chin, “Maybe… Daisuke-san?”

“Hmm… Before the D-3 being created, the gate only opened at random occasions” Tailmon mused, “Maybe something blocked the D-3’s signal...”

“You think that could be the reason...?” Patamon asked.

“Whatever is the reason…” Miyako whispered, but due to the silence they all heard if “It’s my fault Daisuke disappeared” and she avoided looking at the rest of the group, she kept sitting with them, inside Palmon’s house, looking at the teacup. Hawkmon frowned, and then said:

“It’s not your or Hikari-san’s fault. We got caught off guard… Sorry.”

“I’m sure he’s fine” Mimi tried to cheer Miyako and Hikari up, those two were completely engulfed in regrets at the moment “We just need to find him.”

“I have sent him a message since we came here,” Hikari said with an annoyed tone, “But he didn’t respond to it.”

They all frowned. If it weren’t for Mimi there, they could start feeling the weight of not having a leader. Not that Daisuke is a lead by nature, he just managed to keep them all together and… Sane? Determined? Ken seemed cool, but deep down he was… Worried? Scared? Not even himself knew.

“What should we do now?” Iori had a deadpan face.

“We get out and look for Daisuke-kun?” Takeru replied, “Or we should check if there’s some enemy around?”

“No, let’s focus on searching for Daisuke-kun” Hikari’s voice was serious, she finally set her foot on this, she wanted so badly to find him first “He was a target, remember? If he’s alone… He will need our help.”

“Then it’s settled. Let’s find Daisuke first, dagya.”

After leaving Palmon’s house, the group started planning a route to take and start their search. During their walk to the closest village, Mimi heard someone’s voice and waited for the best moment to leave the group and meet…

“Ah you’re around…!”

… A mysterious figure with a Lighdramon-esque armor. Except said armor details were cold colors instead of the yellow and red tones.

“Have you discovered something?” Mimi chatted with the stranger, while Palmon watched around to make sure no one would find them “Ah I see… No idea where Wallace is…”

“Mimi-san?” Miyako’s voice was heard.

“O-oh, I need to go…!! Please be careful!!” and she walked back to where the 02 group were, “I’m fine don’t worry Palmon thought she had heard something but it was just a fruit falling on the ground.”

“It’s not good to separate from the group” Miyako commented, “If you disappear too we’ll feel worried and panicked.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay” she giggled, “Ah, there’s a town in this direction. We can ask the digimon if they saw Daisuke-kun or Wallace.”

“Yes, I noticed it by the D-terminal map Koushiro-san sent to us,” Ken pointed at the device on his other hand, “I didn’t get any message from Daisuke though.”

“The digivice has no reaction either” Iori added, “He’s not in this area… Or left it already.”

“Huh strange… I was sure I saw something moving around” Hikari raised an eyebrow, “Could it be Daisuke-kun but…”

“Maybe he’s in the village?” Wormmon wondered.

“Let’s go then” Palmon replied with a nod, “I will take you there, follow me!”

“Good, they’re moving” the masked shadow said, then looked back as if he was looking at someone “We need to move now.”

“Hurry up!!” he heard from a distance “The next village must be conquered at all costs!!”

“... We got one more thing to do here, I guess” and he and his ally left in the direction of the mysterious voice.

They followed in the opposite direction of the kids, going farther from there reaching a new area and town, which was under the eyes of this digimon army’s general, Frostmon.

“Ugh… stupid lizards” she wasn’t having a great time, seeing the Tyrannomon troops moving slowly “Can’t you walk more fast!?”

“You know, Tyrannomon species are not fast runners” she heard a voice.

“W-who’s there!?” and Frostmon looked around “Show yourself!!”

He jumped from the tree branches and landed in front of her. He was smaller than Frostmon and the Tyrannomon army, quite the size of a human teenager. But None of those digimon had much contact with humans so… They couldn’t tell the difference.

“Who are you!?” Frostmon interrogated him, “Why are you spying on us!?”

“I’m just a digimon passing by, relax” he chuckled, “besides… The town you’re trying to take control of has a guardian and a curse.”

“A… A curse?” The army looked at each other, and you could hear them rambling something.

“What kind of curse?” Frostmon squinted her eyes, “I never heard of it before.”

“You know, anyone who tries to take the town’s control is smashed by the town’s guardian” he shrugged, “I’d rather not risk facing said guardian. But you do you.”

More noise was heard by the troops, and he could see Frostmon’s face grimacing at that information. While none of them could see his face, he was smirking.

“That’s nonsense, soldiers! Let’s move on, don’t listen to a pipsqueak digimon and those fairy tales!”

“Who are you calling pipsqu-- *AHEM* sure let’s go with that”

“Hmph, stupid child level” and the army proceeded their march.

“It didn’t work…” he muttered, annoyed.

A small shadow was visible in the branches, but not a face except for two big red eyes.

“I know you’re going to say” the armored digimon sighed, “I should be more careful…” and then he looked at the town’s direction “Can you be a convincing god-like guardian, buddy? We will need that right now.”

But… This wasn’t only the mysterious masked digimon’s problem. In the meantime…

Mimi’s group had arrived in a destroyed village. None of them expected it to happen and Palmon even remembered that two strangers had helped them to save villagers and beat Cyberdramon.

“But now it seems… No one’s here, dagya” Armadimon frowned, and the group started examining the area.

“Strange…” Palmon frowned, “It was saved from the invaders…”

“Huh, someone was here?” Hikari blinked.

“Yes, and I saw Fladramon and a hooded human-size creature.”

The group’s eyes widened, “Fladramon and a hooded creature!?”

“Then… this means Daisuke was here before” Miyako said, “If he and V-mon were here, they’re alive and fine…? Or in danger, if Daisuke was wearing a hood…”

“Don’t be afraid, Miyako-san, everyone” Hawkmon called their attention “He’s with V-mon at least. It’s only a matter of time until we find them.”

“Hawkmon is right,” Ken said, but his eyes were focused on something he just found on the ground, “Daisuke is with V-mon and we know that idiot can survive alone.”

“What’s this Ken-chan?” Wormmon pointed at Ken’s hand, which had something looking like…

“Seems like a Starmon was here. This is a fragment from the Meteor Squall’s meteorites.”

“Wow! Sharp eyes, Ichijouji-kun” Mimi exclaimed, impressed.

“So whoever attacked this village might not be that far from here” Tailmon mused.

“Let’s be cautious,” Takeru added with a serious tone, “the residents of this village might be captured and hidden somewhere in this area.”

“In this case, what if we slip up?” Miyako suggested, “We keep contact via phones and D-terminals. Once we find either of them, we gather everyone again.”

“It’s a good idea,” Iori nodded, then picked Armadimon from the floor, “Armadimon and I will check this direction. If we don’t find anything, let’s meet here again and come with a backup plan.”

They went to different directions, to find the prisoners and the bad guys quickly. But… One by one, the group were captured, somehow. All they remembered was about a black hole popping out from somewhere and sending them to… Somewhere.

“Miyako-san” Hawkmon called her, and then looked behind him but saw nothing. So he looked back at her “Are you feeling okay?”

“Huh, why do you ask?” she babbled “Ken-kun’s right Daisuke can--”

“You seem nervous, is it because of Ranamon? It wasn’t your fault, Tailmon and I didn’t expect her to appear from nowhere and capture you two.”

“Argh, okay I’m worried!” she threw her hands up in the air. She could not think straight right now and Hawkmon was pretty aware of it, “We know Daisuke had been chased by Ranamon and that blue bird-like digimon! We let our guards down and it happened! Now… Now he’s missing and while you say it’s not my fault, not even Daisuke appears in front of me and says that will make me feel less guilty!”

Hawkmon frowned, he approached her quietly. He was about to say something but it got lost because he saw a black hole appearing in mid air. Then, he jumped on Miyako and both ducked on the floor, having the black hole pass through their heads.

“W-what’s that!?” she babbled.

“Hoho, you’re tough human girl” a digimon that looked like a Starmon, but with a darker color and wearing sunglasses appeared in front of them, “Can’t say much about your friends.” He showed the digivices of the group to her and Hawkmon, to make sure they couldn’t call for help.

“M-My friends!? T-those are...!!” Miyako gulped. Was her idea and now…

“I won’t let you guilt-trip her!” Hawkmon got up from the floor and threw his Feather against DarkSuperstarmon. But it didn’t work, and the villain hit him with a punch “GUH!” which followed by Hawkmon falling on the floor.

“H-Hawkmon!!” Miyako screamed, “I… I won’t let you hurt anyone anymore!”

“Miyako-san…” he got up from the floor, “Please, lend me your strength.”

“OK!” she grabbed her digivice, “Love Digimental Up!!”

Hawkmon armor-evolved to Horusmon and stood in front of DarkSuperstarmon with an intimidating glare at him. The enemy didn’t feel much intimidated though, but acknowledged the girl and digimon were tough opponents.

“Very well, then let’s get this party started” And the black star digimon attacked Horusmon, but now the hawk-like digimon had gotten more speed and dodged. Then, Horusmon spinned his body to generate a tornado, forcing DarkSuperstarmon to step back.

“This digimon seems stronger than a regular Starmon… ” Miyako mused, “Uh… don’t underestimate him, Horusmon!”

That battle was still on a draw, with just dodging from both ends. The enemy was tough, but willing to play dirty. DarkSuperstarmon opened a black hole right behind Miyako and she was swallowed by it. Luckily, he couldn’t steal her digivice due to Horusmon blocking his way.

“M-Miyako-san!!” Horusmon stared at him “What did you do to her!?”

“She’s with her friends now, and you… You will be dead soon.”

“OOF!" She fell on the floor and the digivice slipped from her hands, hitting someone “A-ah, I’m sorry!!” She got up and went to retrieve the slippery D-3.

“That’s okay” it was Ken!? “I guess we’re unable to leave this place now…” he laughed nervously, but stopped and handed her the red D-3 back.

“Horusmon is fighting! I need to help him but… how!?”

“He got our digivices...” and she heard Hikari’s voice; Iori, Takeru and Mimi were also there alongside their digimon and more residents from the town, “We can’t escape.”

“W-where are we?” Miyako asked.

“This is still inside the town” and now a digimon appeared, it was a Muchomon “One of the abandoned buildings. I was hoping for someone to save us again but… Our hopes are gone now…”

“Don’t lose your hope!” Mimi looked at the digimon and clenched her fists, “We still have a chance!”

“... If… If I could do something else but I’m useless!” Miyako shouted, “I only commit mistakes! I want to help fix them! I want to help Horusmon and this entire town!!”

The digivice in her hands beeped and turned on the screen, which sent a light from it. The Digimental of Sincerity appeared in front of her and its form mutated to a big Shuriken like the one on Shurimon’s back. The only difference from Shurimon’s was the Crest of Sincerity being engraved on its surface.

“What is this??” other villagers, and the group exclaimed, watching Miyako hold it with her other hand.

“I… I don’t know!?” she babbled, “But… maybe this is the answer to my dilemma.”

“Uh, isn’t it very dangerous using that here” Patamon asked.

“Miyako-san please… Don’t do something dan--” But Takeru was interrupted by Miyako throwing the shuriken at the bars blocking their way.

… It definitely cut the jail bars. It surprised everyone, since they didn’t know if it wouldn’t reflect the shuriken against them.

“Whoohoo, I knew it would work!” she chirped and looked back “So, everyone go out and let’s take down those bullies.”

“Miyako-chan is scary sometimes…” Mimi whispered to the others, who nodded sagely.

The troops hadn’t yet arrived, so the mysterious Lighdramon-esque armored digimon managed to reach the town quickly and talk with the digimon living there. Despite doubting him at first, one of the residents of the town confirmed the masked-mon’s information.

And then… They gladly accepted his plan. The hooded digimon with him shrugged in disapproval, but couldn’t do much. Also, this cape made a ton of villagers curious about the digimon’s appearance.

“You can’t talk, just do some screams” the armored digimon said to the small one, “Like, unleash your inner beast!”

They were in the front of a temple, the perfect spot to bring this story into reality. The villagers were hiding in a safe part of the town. He was so sure this would work with no actual bloodbath that it felt like a harmless kid’s prank. The partner-in-crime wasn’t too confident about this though… But if no one might see the prank but the soldiers and Frostmon…

“Shush, get ready. Show your best AncientGreymon’s impersonation.”

The other sighed, and tried to roar but it didn’t feel intimidating…

“No, no you need to scare them! Focus on being like a terrifying Qinglongmon who hates everyone stepping on their yard!”

“The troops are coming,” the smaller digimon said, “I can sense them. Do you think this will work?”

“Don’t worry, bud. It will work.”

Horusmon was on the ground being stepped on by DarkSuperstarmon, who was laughing and toss juggling the digivices. While distracted, he didn’t see the Chosen Children approaching, or Tailmon jumping behind him and grabbing all digivices in midair.

“HEY, YOU STUPID POINTY HEAD!”

“Huh!? Who’s calling my pointy hea--”

Miyako threw the giant shuriken against DarkSuperstarmon, hitting him and making him fall on the floor.

“GAH!”

Horusmon escaped from the enemy and met them. Miyako hugged him tightly and whispered “I’m sorry Horusmon… I won’t let them catch me again!”

“Ugh, you agai-- Wait how did you escape-- It doesn’t matter, without these you can’t--”

The group showed their digivices and angry faces. They were ready to fight. DarkSuperstar screeched and then snapped fingers summoning a group of DarkTyrannomon, “TROOPS, GET THEM!!” and flew away.

“Miyako-san” Iori said, “Go after him. We will take care of his lackeys.”

“Ok! Let’s go Horusmon!” and she looked at him “Are you okay though?”

“I’m fine, get on Miyako-san.”

She got on his back and they flew after the troop’s leader. The enemy wasn’t that fast as they thought and it was easier to watch it after all. Horusmon shot laser beams from his eyes (Red Sun) and hit the running star. But it didn’t work because the enemy's body was indeed resistant.

They stopped on a dead end and faced each other.

“Look, we can negotiate--”

“No, we can’t!” Miyako snapped, pointed at him and continued “You took control of this town, captured its people and later captured my friends! I have no time to make a deal with you!”

“Very well, then--”

“Horusmon, let’s go!” She pointed the digivice at her partner and its form changed to a bipedal hawk, with wings sprouting from his back and Egyptian God motifs -- Fauermon.

“W-wait, have mercy I will leave!!”

“... Will you really leave?” she asked.

“I will don’t worry!” he nodded, “But can we shake hands to make it a deal?”

“Fine, I guess.” she was still mad though, and approached calmly, until that shuriken appeared in her hands and she used it as a blade to slash DarkSuperstarmon in the face. Fauermon was holding her to not fall on the black hole that vile digimon had done.

“W-what!? How did you!?”

“I noticed you set a trap right when we cornered you!” she said angrily “You’re a vile monster!”

Horusmon then put Miyako away and summoned his rod, “Red Sunburst!”

DarkSuperstarmon screamed and then got destroyed by the laser beam coming from the sphere at the top of the rod.

“Miyako-san” Fauermon glanced at her, “I’m sorry I had to--”

“It’s okay. He wouldn’t stop anyway… And he can be reborn I hope so” then she looked at the shuriken in her hand “But… Where did this come from? And why did the Digimental of Sincerity turn into a weapon…?”

“Beats me…” he devolved to Hawkmon form, then looked at the others coming in “Everyone, are you okay?”

“Yeah, we managed to beat all the troops in town,” Tailmon said, “Now we can leave.”

“But where should we go now?” Miyako asked.

Meanwhile, Frostmon’s troops invaded a deserted town with the exception of a hooded digimon. Said digimon made sure to be seen by the enemies and ran away. The soldiers and Frostmon chased them and when the invaders found them in front of the temple…

… A wild wall of fire ignited from the floor, preventing them from reaching the creature, and a bigger one appeared through the flames roaring loudly and throwing fire against the Tyrannomon army.

An eerie voice came from the wall of flames, “I’m the great Ancient Digimon who protects this town. LEAVE OR PERISH”

The enemies panicked and ran away, including Frostmon. So the strange child level digimon she had met previously was right!? Better not mess with that town then. Their screams were heard until they faded in the distance.

The fire stopped and then the digimon from the flames turned small and covered himself with a cape thrown by the mysterious masked one.

“Did you see their faces!!?” and this armored digimon was delighted by the prank, “They were so scared that I guess they might not return here that early hehe~”

“Sigh, get the villagers back and let’s get out of here.”

“Fine fine~ At least laugh a bit… You used to find funny those pranks…”

“I’m busy now!” the hooded one growled, “no time for pranks!!”

“... Oh. You’re right.” he blinked. Behind the helmet he had a deadpan face “Let’s do it…”

Once they got the entire villagers out, the mayor of the town shook hands with the masked one.

“My young’mon,” Sorcerimon the mayor said, “We will be eternally grateful for your help. I have absolutely no idea what you and your friend did, but we’re thankful that it worked.”

“H-Haha, it was… a dumb thing I learned from human’s videos” he chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his helmet.

“What does that deity digimon look like?” a young Blucomon asked, “We will draw it and spread through the town, and write stories about it to keep mean spirited digimon from invading us.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea!” he said, “Let’s see… It's a flame element digimon, looks like Fladramon but with wings, and got hair, big terrifying claws and wonderful fangs! Maybe… AncientFladramon feels like a good name? What do you think, bud?” and he looked at the hooded digimon.

“Yeah, let’s go with that” and the small one shrugged.

“Cool!” Blucomon and more child level digimon around exclaimed, “Thank you mr. uh…”

The masked digimon then posed like a tokusatsu hero and said:

“I’m the warrior of the night, the silent knight… Lightnimon!”

The villagers' reactions were full of “ooooh!!” and some applause and cheers.

The hooded digimon shook his head.

“But I need to go now, more of those bad guys are coming and more towns, cities and villagers need me and… uh… Buddymon.”

“Alright, thank you Lightnimon and Buddymon” Socerimon and the villagers thanked them once again.

“Heheh~” Lightnimon grabbed Buddymon and ran away, leaving the town quickly.

Who’re that mysterious digimon duo and would they be a menace to the Chosen Children?

#arc 5: hinode [concept]#digimon adventure 02 #inoue miyako #hawkmon

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