#we live in a digital world digimon digimon | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

seventeenlovesthree · 1 month ago

Text

Mimi Tachikawa's clothing style - a meta analysis

While their clothing styles are arguably an underlying theme in both Koushirou's and Sora's ways of self-expression (even if it's never at the forefront of their arcs), no other character lives and breathes the idea of expressing themselves through fashion as openly as Mimi. So after Taichi, Yamato and the two redheads, let's take a closer look at Digimon Adventure's very own fashion queen, shall we:

Adventure (+ Our War Game), age 10/11:

If there is one thing the viewer can immediately tell about Mimi, it's probably her favourite colour: Through the course of Adventure, you will rarely see her wear an outfit that doesn't include one pink item of clothing (or at least an accessory) at minimum. While she also has a preference for red shades, she absolutely loves pink in all its variations - on her everyday outfits as well as on her pyjamas! In terms of style, Mimi loves to combine comfort with "being fashionable". The feminine red cowgirl dress and beige-brown - assumably - shearling boots are not exactly the most practical items to wear during a camping trip; but they perfectly complement her favourite item, the pink cowgirl hat she hides her long, wavy hair under in a ponytail. In general, hat(s), dresses/skirts and boots are a repeating theme for her, as we will see later on.

Mimi didn't exactly start Summer camp unprepared, as she wears brown gloves (in a similar colour as her hair) and carries around a brown bag with camping equipment all the way. On the other hand, as Mimi grew up in a sheltered household, at the beginning of Adventure, she is very prone to let everyone around her know when her comfort is being disrupted. Thus, it's no surprise that she got coerced into exchanging her travel-ridden outfit (probably sweaty and dirty at this point) for a fancy white-pinkish (!) princess dress, as PicoDevimon's intrigue aimed to corrupt her. After all, she was overwhelmed by the situation - and loves pretty clothes and being comfortable, so she (understandably!) gets lost in the convenience of luxury for a bit. Thus even Taichi telling her how "impractical" the dress would be as a traveling fit couldn't shake her out of it for a while. However: As a mix between red's passion and white's purity, pink symbolizes love, nurture and compassion - and so it shall also come as no surprise that Mimi (encouraged by Sora) eventually found her way back to the right path and leave the spoilt attitude behind for the sake of her duty.

Even though she'll leave the beloved hat behind with Palmon in the Digital World at some point as well - it won't be the last hat she'll own. And also not the last pink one!

02 (+ Diablomon Strikes Back), age 13/14:

The transition phase between Adventure and 02 already shows Mimi getting a little more experimental with colours, as she actually added white, blue and green - her signature colour - to the mix. However, the viewer is not prepared for just how experimental Mimi would turn out to be! And neither were the animators, as several of Mimi's incredibly varied concept outfits didn't make it into the anime - but let's go through it step by step:

At the beginning of 02, we learn that Mimi's family has moved to the USA - and if the cowgirl aesthetic hasn't been an indicator before, 13-year-old teenage!Mimi will go all out on the American aesthetic and a style that couldn't be more early 2000s: Wearing a crop top that couldn't be closer to the US American flag if she tried, a white short skirt and high heels with white kneesocks. Most notably, for the majority of the season, her favourite colour pink will be a permanent part of her - as she chose to dye her (a little shortened, but more voluminous) hair pink. Additionally, she has adopted the star motive for herself - which we have previously only seen on Taichi! Mimi herself wears them either on her shirt - or as small hairclips in her hair.

Speaking of hair - unfortunately, the viewer won't get to see most of her hair experiments (namely the dark brown dreads, the highlights and the space buns). In one episode, her strawberry blonde perm (and pants!!!) can be witnessed at least - and eventually, we'll see her return to her natural hair colour. She also returns to the cowgirl aesthetic in Summer, once again wearing a pink hat (!), a white cowgirl dress, boots - and pigtails.

In general, one can tell that Mimi undoubtedly enjoys her youth abroad, as she seemed fascinated by American culture and the idea of "expressing herself freely" as a 10-year-old already. In the Adventure novels, it is already implied that Mimi stood out among her peers in school and - similarly yet differently to Koushirou - may be considered an "odd" in contrast to more "more traditional" Japanese customs (such as Sora's kimono-wearing mother as a traditional iemoto). Mimi also never fit into lifestyle aesthetics like Gyaru or Lolita, but definitely thrives in experimenting with extravagant, less traditional clothes and hairstyles through Summer that draw attention and display her personal interpretation of femininity; outfits that are funky, stylish (mainly crop tops, short skirts/shorts and high boots) and, most importantly, individualistic.

By the end of the season and the start of winter, she goes in a bit of a different direction: Her winter outfit is probably one of her most iconic ones - as well as the most high-femme she's ever been: Mimi fully commits to the spirit of Christmas by wearing a pine green goat and hat, accompanied by her long(er) flowy hair, a mahogany red skirt and light brown boots - it's cozy and mature and very Christmas-tree-y! A similarly mature vibe is maintained during Diablomon Strikes Back, as she wears a yellow turtleneck, a mahogany red skirt, a star necklace and brown boots. She doesn't exactly grow out of the experimental expressionist phase - but gets more balance into it. It's all very symbolic for 02!Mimi, who isn't just incredibly self-confident, but has also grown out of her "spoilt princess" tendencies. Instead, she has her own mind and insists on it - in a constructive, self-assured way!

Tri, age 16:

Tri!Mimi is mostly consistent with the majority of style elements we have discovered so far and actually adds a fashion-related element to her arc. First, let's focus on the things we are familiar with - and add the aspects that are new:

By now, Mimi has stopped dying her hair regularly and mostly sticks to wearing it open and/or with a headband. Sometimes, she does wear a ponytail, still cherishes the cowgirl hat whenever it fits - and in one scene, is even seen wearing unconventional bangs (and bunny ears that almost let me doubt that it was her for a moment, but since she actually wore stars - for the first and only time in Tri -, we can tell that it's her!). Thus, she still likes to experiment with variety!

Clothes-wise, she still prefers (mostly short!) dresses/skirts/shorts, (sandal-)boots - and of course the colour pink in most of her everyday outfits (with splashes of red, green and blue in between), including yukatas! Tri also lets her wear jeans for a change - but rather rarely.

Her school uniform includes exactly two aspects that differentiate her from the way Sora wears it: First of all, she adds a splash of colour by wearing red-white sneakers (whereas Sora wears standard loafers). Second, she wears rolled-up long sleeves in Summer - and is the only one who does so besides Yamato.

Last but not least, let's talk about the formerly mentioned US American influences that got her in trouble for a bit: After transferring back to Japan, she suggests hosting a Hooters-like café for the school festival - and thus her outgoing, funky (and undeniably more revealing) ideas clash with her more traditional, reserved Japanese classmates.

Her general sentiment is that she doesn't see the use in holding back or hiding her true feelings and thoughts for the sake of pleasing others. It's her sense of sincerity, which gets perceived as egotism by her classmates, that requires her to balance herself out again (and not just in terms of fashion, as she also got into a fight with Koushirou over priorities as well):

She has to find a way not to give herself up while simultaneously not stepping on everyone else in the process - and just like when she got seduced by a princess dress at age 10, things eventually get resolved. Working with Sora and Meiko to create an orange-purple cheerleading outfit, her performance and enthusiasm doesn't just impress her classmates, but help her to reconcile with them. Even though the outfit may have shown more skin than they initially anticipated, it was still a good mix between practical, fun and cute for them to seem more open to the idea of experimentation themselves. This subplot also greatly contributes to Meiko's character development, helping her to get a little bit more confident herself!

To quote Mimi in the English dub here: "Fashion demands courage."

Kizuna, age 21:

Kizuna represents a small shift in Mimi's expressionist attitude - or rather, as she stepped into the world being an entrepreneur, running her own online business, she interprets some of her prior style elements a little... Differently, depending on the situation:

She still loves (short) dresses and will never give up on pink - however, her everyday outfit appears a little different than what we are used to with her. It's still colourful and funky, complemented by earrings and bracelets with splashes of colour. But gone is the cowgirl hat - and the hair she used to wear open for most of the past ten years has been tied back into a (loose) bun. The style is very difficult to describe and even though it's very much Mimi-esque in the way it's individualistic - it looks a little more kindergarten teacher-esque as well. In contrast, her business meeting outfit - a strapless long-sleeve shirt, a black belt and a high-waist skirt in burgundy red - combines familiar elements of Winter02!Mimi and Tri!Mimi.

The epilogue, approximately age 38:

38-year-old Businesswoman-slash-experimental-TV-star-cook!Mimi elaborated on the look of 21-year-old Businesswoman!Mimi - and while her look definitely evolved, she also returned to her roots again, finding a balance between "more traditional" and "individualistic": She's back to wearing her hair open, it's a little shorter and, depending on how she styles it, either wavy or frayed. The pink cowgirl hat is back too - as well as the whole cowgirl aesthetic, because, let's be real, she would always find a way back to it, considering how it had become such a reoccurring theme for her.

Final thoughts (and headcanons):

Mimi being as experimental as she has always been, trying out all the different things - in both fashion and life itself - absolutely stands for her honest, pure nature. She absolutely has her own mind and trusts her intuition a lot - and this experimental yet straightforward mindset will lead her to make decisions in the end: It helps her to learn exactly what she wants/likes and what she doesn't want/like. Go big or go home, don't hide who you are deep down inside!

It's a very progressive, empowering mindset - and so it shall not even come to any surprise that it's mainly (but not exclusively!) female characters she inspires with her way of thinking. Whether it's Miyako who heavily idolizes and wishes to be like her as she blushes and smiles serenely to herself; Meiko who gains a lot of self-confidence through Mimi's support and encouragement and kisses on the cheek, so she bursts through her self-destructive thoughts and gets "out of the closet box" at least a little more; her female classmates who actually adore and admire her school festival outfit and performance; or, last but not least, there is Sora, who used to take Mimi under her wing, and is, as an adult, reassured by her in return to "spread her wings freely" herself. Personally, it's very difficult for me not to see Mimi's influence and general theme as a metaphor for self-discovery in terms of gender-representation and sexuality as well. (I've made similar points for Sora and Koushirou in their respective analysis posts as well; the former is such a strong contrast to Mimi not only in the way their personalities, styles and arcs contrast each other, but in how Sora struggles so much with her own self-representation in return. The latter's temporary crush on Mimi may even play into the idea of self-discovery as well, but that's a topic for another day. Mimi - in my personal opinion you don't have to agree with! - actually has a lot of aroace energy, as she never actively pursues romance herself in the series. But at the same time, the wlw vibes she causes when she's in the same room with other girls cannot be overlooked! Also, not to say that she doesn't inspire male characters - such as Jyou, Koushirou and Taichi - at various points as well, but that's the beautiful part of Mimi's theme: even more empowerment AND power to the bisexual vibe!)

However, as it is often the case with themes of self-discovery, that kind of sincere, outgoing attitude may not be to everybody's liking. It may even cause Mimi's more revealing/emotion-based choices to clash with other people's preferences and ideals. And, as Tri suggests, it may even be controversially considered self-centered and indecent instead of self-confident and empowering by some.

For example, the fact that she spent most of her early teenage years in a - in comparison to Japan - more open society in terms of fashion choices may be met with suspicious eyes among some of her Japanese peers. 02!Mimi did pick more revealing clothes after all, which were typical for Western teenagers in the 2000s - and Tri!Mimi was 100% used to that kind of style, liking to show skin and feeling free and happy while doing so! Which definitely collided with Meiko's more closed-off clothing choices.

(On a different note, it shall not be ignored that she was also the focus of a lot of heavily sexualized/objectified marketing materials back in the Tri era. So while her wearing crop tops, short skirts and high boots absolutely IS a Mimi!thing, Tri's half-naked fan service promo art can and should be taken with a grain of salt. And while it's not exactly linked to her clothes, Mimi had already faced a lot of Digimon (!) back in Adventure hitting on her as a 10-year-old - such as Numemon and Sukamon -, trying to date her in a rather scummy fashion. So her being the center of weird "fan service" and uncomfortable encounters has always been a thing.)

On the other hand, her learning/knowing exactly what she wants also includes her having reoccurring preferences she will always come back to. And thus, as she grew more mature and self-assured, Mimi never gave up on her own personal roots: The comforting power of pink - let's remember: as a mix between red's passion and white's purity, it symbolizes love, nurture and compassion. And, of course, the nostalgic cowgirl hat that will always link her to her literal soulmate - who wears a pink, almost hat-like flower on top of her head.

#mimi tachikawa #digimon #digimon adventure #my two cents #meta #fashion analysis #character analysis #character meta #campdigimonth2024

53 notes · View notes

gogobluedynamite · 19 days ago

Text

Caine is a very intriguing character. I’m often drawn to enigmatic characters where you can’t entirely be sure what to make of them.

To me, Caine is as much as trapped as the humans under his care. Personality wise, he’s an opposite of his inspiration, being a ‘silly guy’ rather than sadistic, homicidal supercomputer. Despite seeming wanting to help the humans, Caine is unable to fully understand their plight.

So, I would like to see if Caine, with his AI nature in mind, could be capable of honing some level of empathy. Or, at least, actually care.

Before we continue on, I want to say this:

One of the main things that bars the idea of Caine being capable of empathy is the fact that he is an AI.

From what I can gather, there is still a running debate on whether or not AIs are even capable of experiencing emotions like humans do. Yes, AIs lack the complex neural patterns and hormones that humans have to react to certain stimuli. In the philosophical/qualia sense…that is a rabbit hole I am not mentally prepared for, so I am leaving that alone.

I’m not even gonna go into the matrix/simulation theories that even some scientists would show interest in

They [AIs] can probably simulate/mimic emotions according to some…which confuses me a little because, really, there are humans who could do the same. Some of them being sociopaths and while this word is often met with caution (like with psychopaths), you’d be surprised by how many people are actually sociopaths. And some of those people, who act just like anybody else (by living a normal life), could live out their lives not knowing this.

Whatever program Caine could have been built from could very well lack certain details about the ability to understand empathy.

In spite of any future arguments to this, do keep in mind that we are delving into the world of fiction. In sci-fi, depending on the writer, AIs can be capable of experiencing emotions similar to humans. Look at Digimon, Digital Monsters. They’re just as real as their human partners. Also, look at Cortana from the Halo franchise

And, of course, let’s not forget Caine’s main inspiration: AM. Who knows nothing but hate. Hate…hate…hate…

Now! With that out of the way! Let’s go on!

—------------------------------------------------------

First off: Is Caine capable of complex emotion?

I’d say yes.

He was shown to be nervous when the fake Exit Door was brought up, was disgusted and even annoyed by Bubble, steadily frustrated with Zooble’s constant refusal to participate, angered at the very notion that he’s torturing everyone, and (of course) his panic attack. Plus, he’s incredibly prideful with his adventure making.

So, Caine is very much capable of emoting. But, the ability to understand other people’s emotions is a different story.

There are three types of empathy: emotional, cognitive, and compassionate.

Emotional empathy is when you can understand and relate to how others feel. This is pretty much what most people think of when they hear the word ‘empathy’.

Cognitive empathy is the ability to recognize the feelings of others by thinking from their perspective. In other words, perspective taking.

Compassionate empathy is what drives you to act to help, to care, and to protect. It’s what compels you to assist someone if it looks like they are struggling.

So, with this in mind, let’s take a look at Caine with what we have so far in the show and what Gooseworx revealed.

Side note: Whatever is said by other cast members probably won’t apply here as they are more of their headcanons. Even I will try not to be biased by my own head canons.

—---------------------------------------------------

From Goose herself, "There's a whole spectrum of emotion that Caine just doesn't feel.”

What does this mean, exactly?

As I’ve shown before, Caine is capable of showing a wide range of emotions. Is it empathy? Perhaps, but here’s the thing. Empathy isn’t just this one thing. To be more specific, full empathy isn’t just one thing. There are other factors to it and I did mention three of those above.

Let’s take a look at emotional empathy first. This is where I think Caine lacks the most. He’s an AI and has probably been in the Circus since his creation. He truly can’t empathize with the dilemmas the humans are facing. Additionally, the humans’ avatar bodies work pretty differently compared to Caine, Bubble, and the other NPCs. Caine is a separate entity from the humans in different ways and it can be further alienating.

If you want something more to gnaw on, a lack of emotional empathy can also make you blind to your own emotions. So, perhaps, Caine isn’t truly aware of his insecurity issue?

Next, let’s have a look at cognitive empathy. This is where I think Caine can start working with the humans. I’ve said in another post that all Caine needs is to start perspective taking so he can properly help his wards by ‘seeing through their eyes’ and learn what exactly is upsetting them. I feel the need to bring up his therapy session with Zooble, but I think this topic is better suited in–

Compassionate empathy. This is where I kinda think Caine truly shines. Despite lacking a lot in the emotional and cognitive department, he is going out of his way to try to keep his ‘guests’ sane by any means necessary.

I feel a good example of this is his interactions with Zooble.

At first, Caine seemed patient with Zooble when they showed general disinterest in participating in his adventures.

“Don't worry Zooble, I'm going to make something un-ubtrusive you can still choose to not get involved with.”

In Ep2, even though Caine tried to persuade Zooble to join, he did nothing to stop Zooble from leaving. It isn’t until Ep3 when Caine is starting to get a little annoyed.

Hell, it was here when I started to realize that Caine isn’t just a wacky AI. To me, this is Caine feeling insulted that Zooble keeps skipping out. Adventures is the only thing he’s good at, after all…

Caine initiating the therapy session, to me, is an example of compassionate empathy. He’s taking action to learn why Zooble isn’t participating and tries to find ways.

Other examples could include him making Gangle’s masks (I am assuming he does) and Zooble’s parts. Are they helpful? …Nooo? At least, not for Gangle as her Comedy mask doesn’t change her emotions. However, it is possible that Gangle have asked for something to help ‘mask’ her emotions (since that’s probably something she’s dealt with back in the real world) and Caine was simply obliging. Same with Zooble and their parts. He took notice that their parts are removable and made them more parts when Zooble brought them up…and consequently forgetting Zooble’s issue because he felt it was solved.

No help from Zooble who’s dismissive attitude is kinda the reason Caine isn’t much help.

This is something I haven’t really touched upon is his AI nature. It kinda makes him literal-minded, taking Zooble’s ‘Forget it’ comment to heart like its a legitimate command.

Can you see why Caine is Autistic coded? Lol.

So, is Caine capable of empathy?

About one-third of empathy. Two-thirds if he starts perspective taking. I don’t think he can reach the levels of emotional empathy, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. Him arranging that therapy session is proof enough to me.

Plus the fact that he was generally okay with Zooble (and Kinger in Ep4) skipping adventures until a certain point. He could’ve easily forced them to go, but he doesn’t.

He cares about their wellbeing. He cares about their opinions.

He’s going out of his way to make sure the humans’ stay in the Circus is a comfortable one…with mixed results.

While having compassionate empathy is good, it’s not effective for Caine’s efforts without the backing of either cognitive or emotional empathy.

He tries, y’all. He really does.

#the amazing digital circus #tadc #the amazing digital circus thoughts #tadc thoughts #the amazing digital circus caine #tadc caine #caine

37 notes · View notes

atricksternamedteri · 8 months ago

Text

The Amazing Digital Monsters 👾

Meet The Gloinkmons

La especie Gloinkmon se distribuye en muchas partes del territorio del Mundo Digital, buscando los lugares más huecos y profundos para vivir. Son Digimon que pueden variar su tipo de atributo, entre data, libre y Vacuna

Usualmente se puede encontrar en los nidos Gloinkmon un grupo de hasta 100 Digimon entre las etapas bebé I hasta Novato, liderados y cobijados por un Queen Gloinkmon sin embargo, se rumorea de un nido el cual no alberga al anteriormente mencionado Digimon, hay registros de que existe un Digimon no registrado en el continente, que descansa abandonado en lo profundo de una fosa, en espera de un viejo compañero.

The Gloinkmon species Is distributed in many partes of Digital World territory, searching for The most hollow and deep Places for live. They are Digimon who can variate his atribute type, between data, free and vaccine.

Usually we can found until 100 Digimon in the Gloinkmon's nest between Baby l untyl Rookie level, gathering and protected by One Queen Gloinkmon, however, rumored about a nest who doesn't host the early Digimon mentioned, there are records about a non registered Digimon in the continent, who rests abandoned in the deep from a Hole, waiting for a old parthner.

#drawing #artists on tumblr #digital art #the amazing digital circus #the amazing digital monsters au #digimon #tadc au #the amazing digital circus au #digital illustration #digital monsters #tadc zooble #zooble #gangle #tadc gangle

62 notes · View notes

hikaritakaishi · 10 months ago

Text

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 ♡

76 notes · View notes

weirdmarioenemies · 11 months ago

Text

Name: Fujitsumon

Debut: Digimon Pendulum 2.0 Deep Savers (kind of. It's a little complicated. But don't worry about that)

Fujitsumon is a darling little eyes-in-a-void barnacle! With their brown exteriors, they really do bring to mind Jawas, world-renowned eyes-in-a-void creature. This is a rare design choice for a barnacle, and a barnacle is a rare creature inspiration choice! Too rare! They are such incredible and fascinating animals, and should absolutely be represented as such, and not just background decorations!

Fujitsumon is essentially a Digimon by technicality, an accessory of a creature, and I'm fine with that. They're acknowledged as creatures, and that's enough for me! They're almost always seen attached to the surface of another creature, and that sure is barnacle of them!

This is their host, Octomon! Or Octmon, if you don't like the dub name, but I think Octomon sounds better. Octomon wears a clay pot on its head, and Fujitsumon live on top of that! This is a smart setup. If I lived underwater I would love to wear a hat that some barnacle friends of mine could live on! Fujitsumon and Octomon have a mutualistic relationship going on, where the barnacles will sense danger, and warn the octopus of it, getting the whole group out of danger!

The reason I wasn't so sure about Fujitsumon's debut is that in Deep Savers, Octomon's sprite looks like this, not nearly detailed enough to even depict some barnacles! However, it does seem like the official art was made around this time, so I might as well consider this Fujitsumon's debut too.

There isn't much to Fujitsumon, but I love it! It's cute, it's a barnacle, and it's almost a "secret" creature, and that makes it, dare I say, even more fun than if it was a standalone obtainable Digimon! A charming little oddity in the digital world.

That's what I thought until I found out this little barnacle has a whole dedicated ANIME EPISODE! YEEHAW! This is the best barnacle-related cartoon episode I've ever seen! Better than SpongeBob SquarePants episode 164a Barnacle Face! Why, even better than Benny the Barnacle (2022)! Can you believe it? Better than Benny the Barnacle? I can.

In this episode of Digimon Ghost Game, the human protagonist is tormented by premonitions of disasters occurring to everyone around him, revealed to be caused by a Fujitsumon settled on his head. A land mammal is no place for a barnacle! Wouldn't it be crazy if you could go to the beach and leave with a barnacle settled on your fingernail? What would you even do? I would probably feel obligated to dip my finger into the ocean regularly to let it filter-feed. If only we had air plankton!

This Fujitsumon, as well as others that are affecting other humans, come from one particular Octomon, who got so angry at his barnacles that they Left. These are no real-life, cemented-in-place-for-the-rest-of-their-lives barnacles! They can just get up and leave if they're bothered. I bet real barnacles wish they could do that! It would be so embarrassing to end up settled right next to a turtle's... hehe... I shan't say...!

Octomon's petty outburst was over his magic brain barnacles not using their clairvoyance to help him win at a mobile game. Now, because of his Gamer Moment, there are Fujitsumon stuck directly to peoples' heads, which can cause these heads to explode. Maybe he should have just played a good mobile game, like Pico Pets Puzzle! *high fives someone offscreen*

Don't worry! Everything's ok in the end, like it always is with invertebrate friends! Octomon apologizes, the lead Fujitsumon gathers the whole crusty crew, and everything is fine except for the physical damage that has already been done, but don't worry! The virtual invertebrates are all friends again! Squishy or chitinous, none of us have spines, and that's what matters!

If you know of any obscure barnacles in media, please let me know in the notes! And until the next high tide, remember to close your armored plates to prevent dessication!

#fujitsumon #octomon #digimon #not mario #funky friday #mod chikako

83 notes · View notes

tobiasdrake · 18 days ago

Text

Digimon Adventure 02x13 - The Call of Dagomon / His Master's Voice

Previously on Digimon Adventure: The Chosen Children entered a Wild West movie where a shootout may or may not have occurred, depending on whether you have to answer to the FOX network. They strip-searched a handgun, hung a sheriff's star from the gallows, then decided this genre's overrated and headed out on the old dusty trail.

This is another one I've been looking forward to.

This episode opens unusually. Skipping the previous episode recap that typically goes before the title card, we open on an ominous establishing scene of a dark ocean somewhere dark and eerie. A lighthouse in the distance is putting off black light as its spotlight rotates.

Slowly, a colossal figure emerges from the ocean, letting out a low, beastly grumble. But then someone drives a boat straight into its forehead and it disintegrates into pixel dust. Whew! Solved that nonsense!

Once the title card's come and gone, we open on Odaiba Elementary in the morning. Miyako and Iori are on their head in for school while the narrator muses about the situation in the Digital World.

Narrator: What kind of violence will the Digimon Kaiser, Ichijouji Ken, inflict on the Digital World? While the Chosen Children return to their daily lives, each of their minds is occupied with thoughts of the Digital World and of their own destinies.

Hikari trails along the sidewalk a ways behind Miyako and Iori. Takeru comes up behind her, reaching to put a hand on her shoulder, but his footsteps startle her. Hikari turns around suddenly.

Hikari: Onii-chan!

But it's not a happy Onii-chan. Hikari looks freaked out. Haunted. But she quickly realizes her mistake.

Hikari: ...Takeru-kun? (blushes) Good morning!

The morning bell rings while Hikari's saying good morning. Daisuke, unsurprisingly late, runs up and catches the two of them standing on the sidewalk like that.

Daisuke: Ah, good morning! Hurry up or we're going to be late!

Then he bolts for the door, with Hikari and Takeru following after. You two can have your awkward but shippy moment later; There is school to be had!

The dub has a normal recap sequence for the previous episode and then goes straight to Odaiba Elementary, cutting the eerie scene of a Cthulhu-like entity rising from a dark ocean. In place of the narrator, the episode opens to the sound of the school P.A. system.

Announcement: Students late for first period will be responsible for cleaning the bubble gum from under the desks after school. Come on, kids! CHOP CHOP!!! (Yolei and Cody enter school grounds) Yolei: Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Cody: No kidding! (Kari approaches the front gate) Kari: (thinking) Keep yourself together! It was just a dream! T.K.: (thinking) There's Kari! I wonder what she got on Question 3? (T.K. approaches and reaches up) Kari: (gasp) STAY AWAY!!! (Kari realizes) Kari: Oh! T.K.! (blushes) Sorry.... T.K.: Uh....

The school bell rings here when Davis runs up, instead of when Kari's talking. But there is a school bell and it's pretty close to where it was in the original.

Davis: Come on, guys! You heard the principal! You don't want to scrape gum, do you!? Kari: (gasp) (The three of them run for the door) Davis: Last one in has to eat the old gum! Ahaha!

EW. DAVIS WHY.

I'm not sure how Davis heard the principal from where he was on his way in from. That is a very loud P.A. system. I don't know how things are in Japan but I'm pretty sure the American Localized principal's about to get an earful about the volume of his school's speakers next PTA meeting.

In any case, the dub tells us outright that Kari's haunted by a bad dream she just had... but it doesn't show us the Cthulhu entity. So we know what's going on with her but don't know the extent of it, where in the original we don't know what's going on with her but it probably has something to do with that thing we just saw, right?

While the children run for the door, we pan over to Tailmon and Patamon lurking in a tree, watching them go.

Patamon: Hikari has so much energy! Tailmon: We never change, but the children are growing up.

Tailmon looks down, saddened by something, but she doesn't elaborate any further.

Patamon: ...is something wrong? Tailmon: No, just... It seemed like Hikari felt something a moment ago. Patamon: Something? Tailmon: I don't know. I probably imagined it. ...bye.

Tailmon descends from the tree, offering nothing further to Patamon than that.

Patamon: Ah! Wait, I'm coming too!

Patamon frantically follows after her.

Hikari was feeling something, eh? Ehhhhh? This is kind of a double meaning here. What Tailmon is saying is that Hikari's haunted by some kind of feeling. 感じ Kanji refers to sensory perception. She's seeing something. Hearing something. Feeling something. Something is dancing on the edge of her perception and it's loud enough that Tailmon's taken notice.

...but it can also mean that she thinks Takeru is cute. 感じ Kanji can be used to describe, for lack of a better term, a vibe. If you're having good vibes, it's いい感じ ii kanji. If you're having bad vibes, it's 悪い感じ kanji warui. And if she was blushing like that, then she was feeling pretty いい感じ ii kanji, right?

No. She was not. Tailmon is talking about something else. But it's easy to take it the other way.

In the dub:

Patamon: School! Wow! Looks like fun!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I'm sorry but wow. They had no idea how to start this scene. This is such a terrible establishing line, especially this deep into the status quo. Hahahahahahaha.

Sorry. Sorry.

Patamon: School! Wow! Looks like fun! Gatomon: I don't think Kari's having fun inside of school or out. She hasn't been sleeping well 'cause of her bad dreams. (Gatomon looks down, saddened) Patamon: Bad dreams? Gatomon: Yeah. She won't tell me what they're about but she wakes up every morning dripping in a cold sweat. Patamon: Does she sense something? Gatomon: I don't know. Maybe I'm just imagining it. Let's go raid the cafeteria! (Gatomon descends the tree) Patamon: Hey, wait for me!

Gatomon indicates that this has been going on with Kari for some time now. She has a firsthand account of Kari's symptoms over multiple days, whereas Tailmon is trying to piece it together from the behavior we just saw from Hikari.

In fact, Tailmon's so uncertain about what she's seeing that she cuts off the conversation almost immediately after starting to open up about it. Gatomon shares everything she knows with Patamon, then shrugs and gives up on it.

Gatomon suggests raiding the cafeteria; Tailmon keeps what she's going off to do to herself. We never find out, though; She really did just end the topic and then leave abruptly. She wasn't going anywhere with that. So raiding the cafeteria is as good an explanation as any.

In class, Takeru notices that Hikari isn't paying attention to the lesson. She's staring blankly into space. Her hands down on her knees. Vacant.

In Hikari's eyes, she is indeed feeling something. The trickling sound of water. The image of the ocean waves. Around her, a fog fills the classroom and her classmates slowly vanish into its murky mists.

Hikari: (terrified) ...what... is... this....

When she looks down, Hikari sees the bottoms of her legs submerged in black water. She isn't in class anymore. Her desk is in the dark ocean now.

In the dub:

Teacher: (monotone) Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see: X = Y, Y = 14, and lickety-split, Q = 46 36. Now. Isn't that. Exciting. T.K.: (thinking) What's more boring: Paint drying or math? (T.K. looks at Kari) T.K.: (thinking) I wonder why Kari's being so distant today? Kari: (thinking) What is wrong with me? Am I just overtired from not sleeping? I can't get these dreams out of my head. (Fog sets in around class) Kari: (gasp) (thinking) What's happening!? I know my math scores have been a little foggy lately but this is ridiculous! (Classroom vanishes) Kari: (gasp) This is... bizarre! (Kari notices her feet in the water) Kari: (gasp) (thinking) Hey, did someone flood the boys' bathroom again!? Wait. Where am I!? T.K.!? Gatomon!? YOLEI!?!? TAIIIIIIIIIII!!!

Dub takes its first commercial break here.

No ominous trickling sound of water in Kari's head here. It's replaced by a lot of inner monologue and some quips.

Yolei ranks higher than T.K. and Gatomon on Kari's list of panicked callouts. That's interesting.

So. Yeah. Hikari is freaking the fuck out. She's having some sort of terrifying hallucination that's--

Takeru: (startled gasp)

In class, Takeru notices Hikari fizzling in and out of existence like a staticky old TV set. So. That's horrifying. Correction: Not a hallucination. Something really fucked up is happening to Hikari right now.

Takeru: (jumping to his feet) HIKARI-CHAN!!!

All eyes turn to Takeru, then slowly over to Hikari. She's alert now. Responsive. Grounded in physical reality once more.

Daisuke: Huh? (concerned) ...what's going on?

Hikari doesn't answer. She puts her hand up to her forehead in pain, then passes out and falls to her left. The girl in the desk behind her is quick on her feet, bursting out from her desk to catch Hikari before she can fall too far.

As Hikari opens her eyes again, she sits up out of her classmate's arms. Though the girl keeps a hand on her back to steady her in case she passes out again.

Teacher: Are you okay? Go rest in the nurse's office. Hikari: Yes, sir.

The other girl backs up and Hikari gives her a grateful nod. Then she stands up from her desk and leaves class.

...alone. Which. Uh. I don't know about you. But if I had a girl passing out involuntarily in my classroom, I'd send that other girl to escort her. She's going to faint in the hall, get a concussion when her skull smacks into the floor, and it's going to be the teacher's fault. She is visibly not in good shape to take herself to the nurse's office.

Since the dub interrupted this scene for an ominous commercial cliffhanger, it needs to re-establish what's happening with some editing. We come back first to Kari glitching out at her desk, then T.K. noticing.

T.K.: Huh!?

Then they replay the footage of Kari's desk in the dark ocean.

Kari: (gasp) (thinking) SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!

From there, footage plays as normal.

T.K.: (jumping to his feet) KARI!!! (Everyone looks at T.K., then at Kari) Davis: Huh? (concerned) What's going on? Kari: Ugggggggh.... (Kari falls over) Other Girl: KARI!!! (Other Girl gets up and catches Kari) Teacher: Are you okay, Kari? Do you want to go to the nurse's office? Kari: ...yes, sir. (Kari gets up and leaves) T.K.: (thinking) Something's definitely wrong with her!

T.K. spells out the vibe of the scene for us and the teacher actually gives Kari a choice rather than ordering her to the nurse's office. But apart from the editing to fit in the commercial break, this is mostly the same.

As Hikari wanders the halls alone due to neglectful educational standards, her mind drifts.

Hikari: It's been a long time since I last felt like this....

She stops in the hall and watches a memory play out. Herself, three years ago, with Taichi.

Younger Hikari: I'm sorry, Onii-chan.

No further context is offered on what she's apologizing for. Hikari looks away, her resolve hardened... Only for a splash of water in the hall behind her to rattle her once more.

She freezes. A ripple in reality flows across the hall from behind her. A distortion moving through the air, as if remaking space around her.

Then she hears another droplet. And another. Another.

Voices. Not speaking, not saying words... but humming. Chanting. A chorus of droning voices behind her. Water drops in the hall behind her. Getting louder. Coming closer.

Hikari slowly turns around and then she sees it. At the end of the hall, coming up the stairwell. Something's there. With glowing red eyes watching her.

It growls.

Hikari: (terrified gasp)

Absolutely chilling in a way no words can do justice to. There's also an interesting implication from Hikari that this isn't the first time hallucinations like these have visited her.

That checks out; She was the only one who could see and interact with Homeostasis. She's always had a certain otherworldly specialness about her. But that memory she revisits is something else.

Now let's make jokes over it.

Kari: (thinking) Oh, it's no big deal. Blame it on the algebra. It was so boring, you fell asleep and dreamed you were in the ocean. That's it. I'm not going crazy. (Kari stops and watches the memory play out) Younger Kari: I'm sorry I let you down, Tai. Kari: (resolved, thinking) Get a hold of yourself, Kari! (Water drop, reality ripple) Kari: (gasp) Hello!? Is anybody there!? Davis, is that you? You win, Davis; I'm scared now. (More water drops) Kari: (shallow breathing, getting more frightened) (Kari slowly turns around and sees the thing at the end of the hall) Kari: (gasp) AhhhhhhHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Actually, this is pretty solid. It's wordier like the rest of the episode's scenes so far but I do like the part where she hopes Davis is just pranking her. The extra dialogue fits the scene's tone pretty well.

I also appreciate that she screams when she sees the monster. I was watching the original like, "I feel like she should scream now." I guess the dub agreed.

We do, however, lose the interesting line where Hikari implies that hallucinations (or "hallucinations") like this have been something she's wrestled with in the past. So that's unfortunate.

End of the school day. As soon as the bell chimes, Takeru throws open the classroom door and sprints down the hall. Daisuke remains in class, confused by Takeru's abrupt departure.

Takeru goes straight for the nurse's office, popping in the doorway.

Takeru: Excuse me! Is Yagami-san here? Nurse: Eh? No one's here. Takeru: Huh!?

He looks over to the bed in the nurse's office, seeing it empty and still-made as if nobody's touched it. Then fear grips his heart and he leaves.

Running through the school, he searches the bathroom, the library, the stairwell. All empty.

Takeru: Wh... Where did she go!? ...she couldn't have....

He makes a stop at Computer Club and pulls up the Digital Gate. It's still closed. Nobody has opened it.

Takeru: Whew. But she can't have just disappeared.

With that idea also a bust, Takeru gets going and resumes his search.

In the dub, rather than the school bell, we have a P.A. announcement to set off this scene.

Announcement: May I have your attention. Will the student who put the jelly donuts in the swimming pool please report to the office. (T.K. emerges from class and goes running down the hall) T.K.: KARI!?!? Davis: Whu--!? (T.K. reaches the nurse's office) T.K.: Excuse me, Nurse. May I see Kari? Nurse: I'm so sorry but Kari's not here, sweetie. How about a lollipop? T.K.: Huh? (T.K. looks at the empty bed) Nurse: Do you want to lie down, T.K.? (T.K. grimaces with fear, then begins his search) T.K.: Maybe she's in the girls' bathroom! I'll check! (Bathroom) T.K.: Kari!? Girl: AHHHHH!!! T.K.: (sheepish) Sorry. (Library) T.K.: She's not in the library! (Stairwell) T.K.: (echoing) KARI, ARE YOU DOWN THERE!?!? (Computer lab) T.K.: (throws open the door) Kari! (T.K. checks the Digital Gate) T.K.: (defeated) It's like she just disappeared!

Having a girl shriek when T.K. inspects the girls' bathroom is an obvious bit and I'm glad that they made it because I was thinking that too.

We lose the beat where Takeru thinks Hikari might have gone into the Digital World. He still checks the Digital Gate because that's what the animation has him doing, but it isn't dwelt on.

Finally, Takeru gets a lucky break. He spots Hikari out a window, sitting on a bench by herself, and rushes downstairs.

A trio of kids in casual clothes playing soccer come out from around the corner, making noise and laughing before kicking the ball back the other way. Hikari doesn't even notice them. But when Takeru approaches, she responds to his presence.

Hikari: I... was at the ocean.... Takeru: The ocean? Hikari: I... might be going away. Takeru: ... Hikari: I can feel someone... calling out to me.... Takeru: Who do you mean by "someone"? Hikari: ... Takeru: ... Hikari: (quietly) I don't know. But the next time they call... I feel like I'm going to go there. Takeru: Who could do something so selfish!? Hikari: Onii-chan always protected me in times like this. Takeru: Taichi-san. It's always "Taichi-san! Taichi-san!" You're always saying things like that! Like Hikari-chan is worthless!

Hooooo....

It makes sense that Takeru would feel this way. He fought so hard to get out of the Baby Sibling space that Yamato carved out for him. I can understand why he's myopically resentful that Hikari so comfortably sits and occupies the one Taichi carved out for her.

But to say it to her face like that is a line crossed. I get what he's trying to say. He's freaking out because she's about to be taken by some thing and he wants her to resist it herself rather than hold out for Taichi to solve it for her. She might be the only one who can.

But it comes out so harsh. Hikari looks up at him, hurt by his words, and Takeru suddenly seems to realize what he said. He freezes a moment, horrified. Then he takes a step back. And then he turns and walks away in silence.

Once he's gone, Hikari looks down again. And in her mind, she hears the crashing of the waves.

In the dub:

T.K.: (thinking) She might be in trouble! She might be in danger! She might be-- Huh? (T.K. spots Kari out the window) T.K.: --right there!? Kari: (thinking) Boy, do I have a headache! (T.K. goes downstairs to meet Kari. Soccer boys briefly emerge) Soccer Boy: And then I threw the jelly donuts in the pool! Other Boys: Ahahahahaha! (Soccer Boys leave. T.K. arrives) T.K.: Kari! I've been looking all over for you! Are you okay? Kari: It was weird. I was at the beach? T.K.: You ditched school? Kari: Hehe, no, silly! The beach in another dimension. You saw me in class; I was just sitting there and then the next thing I knew, I was in the ocean. T.K.: Now you've totally lost me. Kari: Then, on my way to the nurse's office, it happened again. I was surrounded by water and then... I saw one of them! T.K.: What do you mean, "one of them"? Kari: Digimon. They keep trying to take me to their world. I don't know if I can resist anymore. T.K.: You've got to! Where are they, Kari!? We'll fight them! Kari: I can't, T.K. I'm sorry. I'm just not strong like my brother Tai. T.K.: You're gonna quit!? Give up just like that!? Look, Kari, I care too much about you to let anyone take you without a fight! Kari: (gasp) T.K.: Uhhhh.... Uh, sorry! I'd better go now. I'll talk to you later?

Kari seems much more psychologically stable than her Japanese counterpart, who is barely able to form sentences. She spends a lot of this scene directly recapping what's happened. She also says the thing she saw was a Digimon which... is a fair assumption to make but not necessarily something to state with so much certainty.

Kari's killing a lot of the intrigue and mystique here. "Digimon keep appearing and trying to drag me to their world" is a very different conversation from "Something is calling me to the ocean and I feel like I'm going to go away." I imagine that's by design; This is a very scary episode and I wouldn't be surprised if FOX Kids is downplaying the horror on purpose.

They also change the nature of what T.K. said that was so wrong. Takeru yells at Hikari that she needs to stand up for herself and stop leaning on Taichi so much.

There is a hint of possible jealousy here. The passing of the torch from a dependable male role model to a romantic suitor is a pretty common romance trope.

The interpretation of romance as a woman being passed like a ball from father to husband goes back millennia. It's literally the reason fathers walk their daughter down the aisle at a wedding. It signifies the father handing her over to the husband. And it's not always without conflict; Sometimes husbands have to pry their womanball out of the father's cold, dead hands.

So when Takeru suddenly goes after Hikari's male role model, it's another moment that is about one thing but feels like it could be about another. He says, "It's always Taichi; Why not Hikari!?" but it's not super hard to hear "It's always Taichi; Why not me!?"

T.K.'s outburst is a lot simpler. He just says outright that he likes Kari, then backpedals and runs away out of embarrassment.

The dub ends this scene by cutting out a shot of the dark ocean. The original gradually transitioned to this shot after Hikari started hearing its waves again; The dub has no sound of waves and removes the shot, further demonstrating how much more stable Kari is right now.

Hikari exits the school grounds alone. A small breeze picks up for just a moment.

Hikari: The ocean....

She steps out onto the crosswalk ahead of her. Pan up to that tree again, where Tailmon is comfortably napping. She wakes up and sees Hikari down below.

Tailmon: Hikari?

Tailmon hops down to street level to pursue, but then she sees it.

Tailmon: Huh!?

Standing atop a staircase leading down to the beach, Hikari looks out across Tokyo Bay. There, she glitches again. Her body begins to fizzle with static, except for her backpack for some reason.

Tailmon tries to cross and catch up to her, but a truck cuts her off, honking. Tailmon loses sight of Hikari behind the truck. Once it's passed, she's gone. She leaves behind only her backpack floating in the air, until gravity reasserts itself and the pack falls to the ground.

Tailmon: Hikari!?

Nope. She's not coming back from this one. Just like she said she would, Hikari has gone. She's at the ocean now.

In the dub:

Announcer: Will Mary Robinson please report to the office? Your locker is missing.

XD HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I'm sorry. I just. I've always loved that one. That's my favorite goofy PA announcement. Twenty years later and I can still recite its exact cadence. The principal must be so fucking baffled right now.

(Kari emerges from front gate) Kari: ...the beach....

After Kari goes to cross and we pan up the tree, the dub adds a bunch of horns honking. We only see one car pass by though, right after Gatomon wakes up.

Gatomon: Kari! (Blue car goes by behind Kari after she finishes crossing) Passenger: You're speeding, Harold! (Gatomon descends the tree) Gatomon: Kari! (Kari fizzles with static) Gatomon: Kari, are you okay? What's happening to you!? (Gatomon tries to cross but is interrupted by a truck. Kari vanishes) Gatomon: Where'd she go!?

Up in Computer Club, the other Digimon are gathered with Daisuke and Iori watching Miyako work. The room fills with the sound of typing while she talks with them.

Miyako: I thought I could expand the D-Terminal's protocols. Daisuke: ...what does that mean?

Before Miyako can answer, a dejected Takeru enters the room.

Miyako: I want to be able to communicate with the Digital World in real time, instead of just by email. Iori: I'm sure the Digimon Kaiser is already doing that. Daisuke: Gotcha. If only we knew where he is now. Chibimon: I love it! That way, we can stop our nakama from having to undergo Dark Evolution!

...huh. Yeah, Chibimon raises a good point. The SkullGreymon/MetalGreymon (Blue) incident happened because the Kaiser was able to get the Children over in the one place while attacking Agumon in the other. Better communication would have been a huge help.

While everyone else is focused on Miyako's programming, Patamon is more concerned with his Partner.

Patamon: What's wrong, Takeru? You don't look so good. Takeru: (defeated) It's nothing....

As if on cue, Tailmon suddenly throws the door open. Out of breath and gasping, she stammers out:

Tailmon: IT'S HIKARI!!! Takeru & Daisuke: Eh!?

So much for nothing!

In the dub, there is no keyboard clacking. Instead, for some reason, there are mouseclicks. Mouseclick. ...mouseclick. ... ... Mouseclick mouseclick.

Yolei: By increasing the system memory, I'm expanding the D-Terminal's capabilities. Davis: (sarcastic) Boy, do you know how to party. (T.K. enters sullenly) Yolei: I thought it would be better if we can communicate in the Digital World not just through email but in real time too. Cody: Great idea! It could be helpful for keeping tabs on the Digimon Emperor. Davis: Boring! I think I'd rather go outside and play some soccer. DemiVeemon: No kidding! Let's go outside and get some fresh air! This place smells like a pile of stale sweatsocks! Patamon: T.K., what's the matter? You look awful. T.K.: It's nothing, really. (Gatomon throws the door open suddenly) Gatomon: Kari's disappeared! T.K. & Davis: Huh!?

Yolei's mouseclicking the same changes to the D-Terminal that Miyako's programming, but Davis and DemiVeemon are just being shitty and contrarian. Daisuke and Chibimon need the technical jargon explained to them but once they understand, they're into it. It's a good idea and they're excited to be a part of it.

There's a great transition here where Takeru and Daisuke going "Eh!?" suddenly cuts to black, only for the scene to slowly fill in like eyes adjusting to the dark, revealing it's actually the black light of the lighthouse shining directly on the camera.

HIkari slowly comes to, opening her eyes in this new place.

Hikari: ...ah?

There are no words. No sound but the breeze. Just the dawning horror of finally being in this place, looking out at the dark ocean that's calling to her.

Annnnnnd break for commercial. HEY KIDS WANNA BUY A SUPER SENTAI RANGER!?!?

The dub, I wanna note, sometimes likes to do their own scene transitions. But they preserve that awesome lighthouse transition perfectly.

Kari: (surprised gasp) It happened again! I'm back at the beach! But something's not right. What kind of lighthouse shines dark light!?

Valid question. Top ten on the list of high school pranks sure to cause a major disaster.

The dub also takes its second commercial break here.

Back in computer club, the team unpacks Hikari's vanishing.

Daisuke: She vanished? Are you nuts? We can't go to the Digital World unless we open the Gate here! Takeru: That... might not be the case for Hikari-chan. Daisuke: What are you talking about!? Iori: Um-- Miyako: It's useless! The system I have now can't pick up Hikari-chan's location! Daisuke: Then she must be in the Digital World! Open the Gate! Iori: (concerned) Daisuke-san.... Daisuke: We'll go in and bring her back! As soon as-- Iori: PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!!!

The typically polite Iori suddenly yelling at the top of his lungs grinds everything to a halt. The room falls silent and all eyes turn to him.

Iori: We don't know exactly where Hikari-chan went. If we just open a Gate at random, we'll be lost in the vastness of the Digital World.

Nobody has a response to that. He's right, of course. The room is silent for a moment before Takeru realizes the problem they're having.

Takeru: She's not in the Digital World. Group: O_O Takeru: The ocean... Yeah, it's gotta be the ocean!

After making that startling remark and offering no clarification, Takeru bolts from the room to pursue his next lead. Patamon flies after him while everyone else remains in stunned silence.

Personally, "Our missing person is in the ocean" is not a revelation I would find comforting. I don't think Takeru's sudden outburst did anything to relieve the fear and tension in that room.

In the dub:

Davis: There's no way that she could just vanish into thin air! She's gotta be in the Digital World and she probably needs us! We'd better hurry! She might be in a lot of danger! T.K.: It's not that easy. She might not be in the Digi-World. Davis: Did you hit your head!? Cody: Uhhh-- Yolei: It's no use! Right now, the system can't even pinpoint Kari's location! Davis: We can't afford to waste any more time! Let's just go and find her on our own! Cody: Davis, I don't think-- Davis: Now is the time for action! Yolei, open the Gate-- Cody: WOULD YOU ALL STOP TALKING!?!? Group: Huh!? Cody: It makes no sense to open the Gate until we can target Kari's exact location! The Digital World is gigantic and if we go in there without any direction, we're bound to get lost too! T.K.: She's not in the Digi-World Group: Huh!? T.K.: The beach. That's where she is! (T.K. runs from the room) Patamon: T.K.! (Patamon flies after him)

It's rare that I say this but I would actually call this an improvement on the original.

Daisuke does this weird thing where he's initially skeptical and points out that Hikari would have to open the Gate, but then suddenly he flips positions and starts arguing hard that they need to go to the Digital World. Davis doesn't bring up that contradiction of facts. Instead, he takes a consistent position from the start of the argument: Kari must be in the Digital World so we need to go get her.

Similarly, we see T.K. trying to explain that Kari might not be in the Digital World from the get-go. He already knows she's not in the Digital World. He checked the Gate personally, and he had that talk with her.

So it's odd that Takeru takes the length of the conversation to suddenly realize that the place Hikari went to is the place she said she was going to go. By contrast, T.K. is trying to get them to understand this right from the start; He just gets shouted down by Davis the first time and has to capitalize on the silence that Cody's outburst brings to reassert it.

Takeru arrives at the beach overlooking Tokyo Bay. Standing at teh top of the steps, the place where Hikari disappeared, Takeru puts his hands up to project his voice and yells as loud as he can.

Takeru: HIKARI-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!

In the dark place, Hikari finds herself exploring an alleyway at the beach, made up of wooden fences gating off certain homes. She passes a sign that reads, in DigiCode, "Innsmouth".

...I can't read DigiCode, I'm just very familiar with that one through osmosis.

Well, it's good to know where she is, finally. She's in Innsmouth. I'm sure that's fine.

Takeru's voice seems to cross the boundary between realities. It carries to Innsmouth, but Hikari doesn't seem to notice. Pausing by the sign, she ponders the same question everyone else is asking.

Hikari: Where... am I...? Is this not the Digital World?

Only silence is there to answer her question, and so Hikari continues to look around.

In the dub:

T.K.: KARIIIIIIIIII!!!

T.K.'s voice does not carry over. There's a clean cut from T.K. yelling her name at Tokyo Bay to the ominous quiet of Innsmouth, without the important implication that the fabric between places may be somewhat thin.

Kari: This place is creepy but at least the beach is nice. And... deserted. It must not be the tourist season.

Kari (sigh) walks around Innsmouth quipping to herself. This episode is scary and they are trying so hard not to get angry parent phone calls.

Back in the human world, Takeru scours Odaiba Beach by foot. Patamon and Tailmon hurry to catch up to him.

Patamon: Is this where Hikari is? Tailmon: I watched Hikari get digitized. Are you sure she's not in the Digital World? Takeru: She's not. At least, not the Digital World that we always go to. I saw it too. Hikari-chan... she was starting to disappear. Patamon: But... where did she go? Takeru: I don't know. I don't know! But I have to find her!

Takeru takes his D-3 out of his pocket, squeezing it furiously.

Takeru: This thing isn't any use at all!

Takeru is quite reasonably losing it. Hikari is lost in another world that we don't even know how to get to. It's an impossible problem to solve.

Interesting to note that Tailmon expressly describes what happened to Hikari as being digitized in a way that compares it to the kids coming and going from the Digital World. She's not confused by what she saw; Only by the context it happened in.

So that staticky effect wasn't a new metaphysic; It's what the digitization process looks like when it's not being drowned out by the blinding light of the Gate activating.

In the dub:

Patamon: T.K., wait for us! Gatomon: Yeah, T.K.! Let us be your advancemon! You're a lover, not a fighter! T.K.: (distraught) This is all my fault! I knew there was something wrong with her. She needed my help and I let her down! If I didn't leave her by herself, none of this would have happened. Patamon: Come on, T.K.! Let's go to the Digital World! T.K.: She's not there! I saw her disappearing in class. She's in a different dimension! (T.K. takes out his D-3) T.K.: And this stupid piece of junk is useless!

In contrast to Hikari and Kari, Takeru is the one who's keeping it together better than T.K. is. T.K. covers the key points but also takes some time to wallow in despair over abandoning Kari earlier.

Takeru is still visibly upset, but he's trying to hold it together. Emphasis on trying.

The detail that Hikari was being digitized as her method of transit between worlds doesn't make it into the dub.

In the dark place, Hikari emerges from Innsmouth and out onto the beach. There, she spots a tunnel in the distance and makes her way towards it.

Absolutely looks like a place you would want to go inside of.

Back in the human world, a helicopter passes by overhead while Takeru is searching. Stopping, her does what T.K. was already doing and opens up.

Takeru: I said some awful things to Hikari-chan. Patamon: Eh? What? Takeru: I was supposed to protect Hikari-chan and I.... Tailmon: (firmly) Hikari isn't a weak girl.

Tailmon's assertion takes Takeru by surprise. He slowly turns to look at her.

Takeru: ... Tailmon: Hikari's a strong girl. But that's because she has her nakama to help her. Takeru: But... (distraught) But what can I possibly do right now!?

Yep, now Takeru's breaking down too.

It might seem like Tailmon just doubled right back to Hikari needing help, but it's a difference of mindset. Takeru said he's supposed to protect Hikari. It's the same thing he accused her of always looking to Taichi for, and the fact that he thinks that lends a lot of credibility to that unspoken alternate interpretation from before.

But Tailmon says no. You were wrong before to say she should just do it on her own and you're wrong now to say she needs to be protected. Hikari is a strong person who, yes, relies on the support of her teammates so that she can work together to accomplish things. She's neither a rockstar superhero nor a helpless burden; She is a valuable participant in a team.

She doesn't need Takeru to come save her. She needs Takeru to participate with her.

In the dub, Kari's still complaining about how much Innsmouth sucks. Which. I mean. She's not wrong?

Kari: There's not even a hot dog stand on this beach! (gasp) (Kari notices the tunnel) Kari: It's a doorway! Maybe that's the way out of this stupid world.

She's about to file a complaint with Cthulhu's manager.

As Kari approaches the tunnel, various voices from within start calling out "Kari", giving her even more reason than Hikari has to not go in there.

(In the human world, a helicopter passes by) Patamon: Look! The news copter! Maybe another high-speed chase? T.K.: Agh... I really wish we had more of a clue as to where she went! Patamon: Well, what did she say? T.K.: The beach. She kept saying something about the beach. Now we'll never find her! Gatomon: T.K., don't be such a scaredy-cat. (T.K. slowly turns around) T.K.: Huh!? Gatomon: Kari's one tough kid. We have to believe she can take care of herself until we find her. T.K.: You're right, Gatomon! Thanks. Come on, let's keep looking for her!

Here we go the opposite direction. Takeru's the one being vulnerable and opening up while T.K.'s focused on the task... though still panicking about it.

They still touch on the "Hikari's strong" point, but they cut out Takeru's accusation earlier so all Gatomon can do with it is offer hope.

T.K. ends this scene in a much more positive place than Takeru does. T.K. is reinvigorated and ready to go find Kari, while Takeru's struggling to understand how he can apply what Tailmon's saying about Hikari to this situation. Cool, she needs help, not protection. So. How do I do that?

Against all reason, Hikari enters the scary tunnel.

Hikari: (thinking) This place... this terrifying place... I don't need to do this... Why am I...?

Even Hikari can't understand what's compelling her to go deeper and deeper into the scary tunnel.

Suddenly, she hears a groaning sound ahead of her. She sees red eyes glowing in the dark. Two pairs of them.

Hikari: Who are you!? Voices: (groan) Hikari: Who's there!? Voices: (groan)

Suddenly, one of the creatures lets out a louder, almost angry-sounding noised and stands up.

Hikari: WHO ARE YOU!?!?

Should not have gone in the scary tunnel.

In the dub:

Kari: HELLO!!! IS ANYBODY IN HERE!?!? ECHO!!! ...coming in here has got to be the worst idea I have ever had. I must be out of my mind. Voices: ...Kari.... Kari: (gasp) Voices: Help us! Help us! Kari: Get back! I play a lot of soccer! So I know how to kick! (Creature stands up) Creature: Help us.... Kari: What do you want from me!?

The dub creatures speak English and call out for Kari by name.

The original implies that Hikari is being compelled or controlled in some way. She's not fully in control of what she's doing, and is drawn into the scary tunnel for reasons she doesn't understand. Dub Kari seems fully in control of her own faculties and snarks at herself for the awful decision of entering the scary tunnel.

Also of note: Kari isn't one of the soccer kids. Tai, Davis, Sora, and Izzy are the four soccer players, though Sora transitioned to tennis after entering middle school.

But there's nothing stopping her from playing recreationally with Tai. Well, nothing except childhood trauma but that's his problem, not hers. :P

Back in the clubrooom, Daisuke's made up his mind. He holds his D-3 up to the computer.

Daisuke: I don't care what that jerk Takeru says! Hikari-chan is definitely in the Digital World! And nothing will stop me from finding her! Chibimon: Daisuke.... Daisuke: DIGITAL GATE, OPEN!!!

Against all established precedent, the Gate remains firmly closed. It will not allow Daisuke to pass.

Daisuke: Huh? Why won't it open? DIGITAL GATE, OPEN!!!

Nothing. Still, the Gate remains firmly shut.

Daisuke: FUCK!!!

Daisuke furiously pounds his fist on the desk. This does not open the Gate either.

Returning to the scary tunnel, Hikari hasn't fled from the creatures within. They don't seem to be chasing or attacking her, and so she takes a closer look. The creatures seem to have trouble even standing, with the one that stood up previously now back on the ground again.

And on its right arm, she spots the familiar sight of an Evil Spiral.

Hikari: Are you... Digimon? Creature: ...Digi...mon....

Hangyomon is a Perfect-stage Data-attribute Aquatic Beastman Digimon. We saw them before on Spiral Mountain, serving as soldiers in MetalSeadramon's Deep Savers forces.

Narrator: Hangyomon! Aquatic Beastman Digimon. Perfect-stage.

Yeah, the narrator cuts in with a rundown here like "Aha! I know the answer to this!" before either Hikari or the creature she's talking to has confirmed their identity. And then doesn't even tell us, like, anything at all.

Some real Um Actually energy coming off the narrator right now. This is the worst rundown in the history of Digimon Analyzer rundowns.

The Hangyomon in front reaches out helplessly. Weakly, they explain their situation to Hikari.

Hangyomon: We don't know... who we are... or how long we've been here.... Hikari: (quietly) Oh no... Hangyomon: ...only that we serve our god in the depths.... Hikari: God...?

Nobody told these Hangyomon that we already killed him three years ago so they don't have to do that anymore.

Hikari's demonstrating amazing strength of character by even being willing to stand here and have this conversation, but it's strength of character that's been well-established. This isn't any different from when she set out to free the Numemon. Hikari doesn't judge people by how scary or gross they are.

In the dub:

Davis: I don't care what T.K. says! I know Kari's in the Digital World and I'm gonna save her instead of digging up clams on that stupid sandy beach! Here I come, Kari! DIGI-PORT OPEN!!! (Gate remains shut) Davis: I just changed the stupid batteries! DIGI-POOOOORT OPEEEEEEEN!!! (Gate remains shut) Davis: RRRAGH! (Cut to Kari in the scary tunnel) Kari: You guys don't look so well. Creatures: (miscellaneous groaning) Kari: So what are you? Are you Digimon? Creature: ...Digi...mon...? Creature: (rundown) I don't know if we're Digimon but I know we're Scubamon! We have big flippers for swimming deep in the ocean. Scubamon: We have no idea how we got down here or how long we've been in this awful tunnel! Kari: You poor things! What happened to you? Scubamon: We don't remember. One day, we were serving our undersea master, and the next minute we were here! And we feel terrible. Kari: This is awful. Who would do something like this?

Kari remains entirely nonchalant and unaffected by the spooky atmosphere, but the compassion is there.

Unsurprisingly, their "god" is now their "master".

Note that in the original, the Hangyomon never self-identify as such. The narrator tells us that's what they are, but they can't even answer the question of if they're Digimon. In fact, they don't even recognize the word.

But, due to how the dub handles rundowns, somebody has to give a diegetic rundown for the Scubamon. So the Scubamon have to self-identify as such.

Note also that Scubamon is the wrong name. The dub calls this species Divermon. Is that an error? Well... we'll talk about that in a bit.

Hikari: But... but why are you...?

The Hangyomon in front holds out their right arm, showing Hikari the Evil Spiral.

Hangyomon: One day, this suddenly showed up and drained away our strength. Its voice tells us to worship a god who is not our god. Hikari: Digimon Kaiser.... Hangyomon: Yes, we thought you'd know something about this. Hikari: (gasp) Hangyomon: We could see you no matter where you were. You... Surely you, the Chosen Entity, would be able to take these off! Hikari: So that's why you called me?

Absolutely creepy that the Hangyomon could see Hikari across realities but she doesn't interrogate that any further.

Also note that the Hangyomon does not call Kari 選ばれし子 Erabareshi Ko, a "Chosen Child". They call her 選ばれた存在 Erebareta Sonzai. 存在 Sonzai simply means... existence. A thing that is.

An English equivalent would be if they called Kari something like, "Destined One". It's close, sure. But. That. Is not the phrase. They aren't using her title. They mean something else.

In the dub:

Kari: Why not... go back to the ocean? Scubamon: I wish that we could. A dark man came into our Master's kingdom and put these Dark Spirals on our arms that stole our strength and made us all his slaves. Kari: The Digimon Emperor! Scubamon: That's why we summoned you. You are our only hope. Kari: Huh? Scubamon: You have to help us. You are very powerful! Enough to free us from the Dark Spirals! We've used the last of our strength to get you here. Please help us return to the ocean where we can serve our Master! Kari: I don't know what I could possibly do to help.

We lose the eerie details of the Hangyomon "seeing you no matter where you are" and calling her the wrong thing.

Hikari walks deeper into the scary tunnel, approaching the Hangyomon. She reaches out for the Evil Spiral on their arm.

Hikari: I don't have that power. Hikari: (thinking) Why am I telling myself I can't? I can do this!

Gripping the Hangyomon's wrist, Hikari's holy pink light shines brightly and--

A sudden crash shakes the scary tunnel, causing some of the ceiling bricks to dislodge and fall. The entire tunnel continues shaking from the quake.

Hikari: AHH!!! EVERYONE GET OUT!!! QUICKLY!!!

Hikari ushers the Hangyomon from the tunnel, only leaving herself once the last of them is out.

In the dub:

Scubamon: (group) Help! / Help us! / Help! (Kari approaches and reaches for the front Scubamon's arm) Kari: Alright. I'll do my best but I don't know if I'm strong enough. Kari: (thinking) Come on, Kari. Stop doubting yourself! You are not a quitter! (Kari's light begins to affect the Scubamon's arm, but then the tunnel shakes) Kari: Come on, everybody! We've gotta run! Let's go! The tunnel is collapsing! (Kari ushers the Scubamon out) Scubamon: (fleeing with the others) Get out of my way!

Solid.

Exiting the scary tunnel, Hikari stops and coughs from all the smoke.

Hikari: What was that--

A massive, beastly roar cuts her off, pulling her attention skyward. A lone Airdramon soars into view overhead.

Hangyomon: That is the messenger of the new god who seeks to control us! Hikari: Digimon Kaiser!

Airdramon turns around in the air and comes in for an attack run. Sailing overhead, they breathe a plume of black fire along the beach. The Hangyomon scatter, but three Hangyomon are caught up in the attack and incinerated.

Hikari: (shocked) How could... How could he be so cruel!?

I imagine the fact that his vaunted Evil Spirals are inexplicably not working on these Hangyomon probably has something to do with it.

In the dub, Hikari has no questions. She just keeps coughing until Airdramon reveals themself.

Scubamon: That creature is a servant of the Dark One who put these rings on us. Kari: The Digimon Emperor! (Airdramon comes in for attack run) Airdramon: GYAAAAAAGH SPINNING NEEDLE!!!

They cut the shot of the three Hangyomon being incinerated. Replacing it is a brief and simple explosion that does not explicitly claim any lives.

(Scubamon flee the blast) Kari: WE'RE SITTING DUCKS HERE!!! And I can't fight without my friends....

Further censoring the three deaths, Kari reacts with fear about her tactical disadvantage instead of horror over what just happened.

I don't know why they called Airdramon's breath attack Spinning Needle. It involves neither spinning nor needles.

In the human world, Takeru is back at it. He cups his hands over his mouth and calls out to Tokyo Bay.

Takeru: HIKARI-CHAAAAAAN!!! Tailmon: Just calling out to her from here....

Tailmon's skeptical that this would work, but Patamon joins in to help.

Patamon/Takeru: HIKARIIIIII!!! / HIKARI-CHAAAAAAN!!!

Suddenly, something hits Tailmon.

Tailmon: Feelings....

No time to dwell on that, though. Back at the dark ocean, two more Hangyomon burn up and die. They even disintegrate into pixel dust, an effect we haven't seen much of in this series yet.

Hikari sits with the Hangyomon, defeated and helpless. Her mind drifts to the people who support her.

Hikari: What can I even do? Help me, Onii-chan... Tailmon... Takeru-kun...

Out in the human world, Tailmon has joined Takeru and Patamon in calling out for Hikari.

Tailmon/Takeru: HIKARIIIIII!!! / HIKARI-CHAAAAAAN!!!

Suddenly, Hikari's pink light appears as a distortion in the air in front of them. It glows more brightly, revealing Hikari herself reaching out for them.

Takeru: Hikari-chan!?

Takeru takes a moment to process what he's seeing, then leaps from edge of the landmass.

Patamon: TAKERU!!! Tailmon: Feelings are what connect the worlds!

Tailmon and Patamon jump for Hikari as well, and the three of them flicker out of reality in midair.

In the dub:

T.K.: KARI!!! KARI!!! Gatomon: I think he just went crazy. (Patamon joins T.K.) Patamon & T.K.: KARI!!! KARI!!! (Gatomon suddenly realizes) Gatomon: Ah! They've both flipped!

Gatomon realizes nothing which makes it peculiar that she's suddenly going to be calling out alongside T.K. and Patamon next time we see her.

Again, the shot of two Hangyomon burning up and dying is cut. Kari's losing hope and coming apart just from the flame blasts being laid on the beach.

Kari: I feel so helpless! My brother would know what to do. I need you Tai... Gatomon... the National Guard!

...

Really.

Gatomon, Patamon, & T.K.: KARI!!! KARI!!! (Kari suddenly appears in a glowing distortion of light) Kari: T.K.! T.K.: It's her! (T.K. jumps) Patamon: T.K., wait! Gatomon: Ah, what the heck. I've got nine lives. (Gatomon and Patamon jump too)

Altogether, Gatomon is shockingly flippant about finding Kari in this scene. She does not seem invested at all.

The effect that plays as Takeru, Patamon, and Tailmon cross realities is distinctly different from the typical digitizing effect for entering the Digital World. It doesn't take them too long to drift between worlds and arrive at the dark ocean.

The trio land on a high cliff overlooking the beach.

Tailmon: This is not the usual Digital World.

Hikari comes running down the beach.

Hikari: TAKERU-KUN!!! TAILMON!!! Takeru: Hikari-chan! Hikari: You came to help me!? Takeru: That's right!

Hikari's not the only one who's noticed them, however. From a distance, Airdramon approaches to investigate the new arrivals.

Takeru: Let's go, Patamon! Patamon: Yeah! Takeru: DIGIMENTAL UP!!!

The evolution sequence is a little different. The early parts of the stock animation, with the Digimental activating and Patamon crying out "ARMOR SHINKAAAAAA" are replaced by dynamic animation of Takeru's energy pouring out of the D-3 and into Patamon. This allows us to see the bright green of Takeru's holy light cleaving through the muted color scheme of the dark ocean world.

In the dub:

Gatomon: T.K., promise me we'll never do that ever again. Kari: T.K.!!! GATOMON!!! T.K.: There she is! Kari: HEY GUYS, I'M RIGHT DOWN HERE!!! T.K.: STAY THERE!!! (Airdramon approaches) T.K.: Time to rock, Patamon! Patamon: Right! T.K.: DIGI-ARMOR ENERGIZE!!!

Gatomon remains entirely flippant about all this.

Once Patamon's evolved, Takeru takes to the air on Pegasmon.

Airdramon moves straight in for a bite. Pegasmon quickly flits to the left, darting out of the way of Airdramon's teeth to avoid a sudden and anticlimactic end.

Airdramon circles in the air and fires off two bolts of black firebreath. Pegasmon keeps mobile, dodging each one in sequence.

One of the two bolts, however, hits the nearby village of Innsmouth. The four surviving Hangyomon wail despondently as they watch their village explode in flames.

Takeru: DAMN IT!!! PEGASMON!!! Pegasmon: NEEDLE RAIN!!!

As Pegasmon closes distance to Airdramon, he sprays his needles straight into the top of Airdramon's head. He keeps shooting until they pass each other, then rises upwards.

In the dub:

Airdramon: SPINNING NEEDLE!!! (Airdramon fires two shots; One destroys Innsmouth) T.K.: PEGASUSMOOOOOON!!! That was too close! Pegasusmon: WIND MANE!!! (Pegasusmon sprays needles into Airdramon's head)

Fuck Innsmouth, I guess.

...I mean, yes. Fuck Innsmouth. But still.

The Scubamon make no noise when the village explodes and T.K.'s only concern is that the shots nearly hit him. We watch the village explode but nobody engages with the destruction that the show went out of its way to show us.

Tailmon runs over to Hikari, eager to join the fight.

Tailmon: Hikari! I need to Armor Evolve too! Hikari: M-My D-3 is... in my backpack....

A flashback shows us Hikari's backpack dropping onto the sidewalk after she crossed over, having not been taken with her.

(I sure hope Tailmon grabbed that and stuffed it someplace safe.)

Tailmon: Oh no....

Nefertimon will not be joining this battle, which is taking a turn for the worse. Airdramon is on Pegasmon's tail and lining up their shot. Pegasmon evades the next burst of black flame by suddenly ascending rapidly, but this is the worst position to be in during aerial combat.

Rising high and circling in front of the lighthouse, Pegasmon arcs around to try and attack. Airdramon follows him and remains firmly on his tail. However, watching this, Tailmon suddenly realizes something.

Tailmon: (gasp of inspiration) Takeru: Shit! I refuse to let you win!

Takeru, meanwhile, is in dire need of backup.

In the dub:

Gatomon: Quick, Kari! I have to Armor Digivolve right now! Kari: But... I don't have my D-Terminal.... (Quick Flashback) Gatomon: We're toast... Oh, I don't know how much longer they can last! (Pegasusmon circles in front of the lighthouse) Gatomon: (terrified gasp) T.K.: He's on our tail!

The dub's gasp is one of fear and worry for T.K., rather than the lightbulb moment of the original.

Note that Kari says D-Terminal here instead of D-3 but honestly either works. She needs both to Armor Digivolve. She does not mention that it's in her backpack, but with the sudden flashback, I think it's clear from context.

Tailmon has a plan now. She takes off at full sprint on all fours, racing along the edge of the cliff.

Tailmon: (commanding) PEGASMON!!!

When Pegasmon flies close enough to the cliff, Tailmon leaps from the edge and lands on his back. Takeru grabs onto her as she lands to stabilize on her on the flying steed and they rise into the air, avoiding another shot from the pursuing Airdramon.

Once she's with the boys, Tailmon points out her target.

Tailmon: Pegasmon! Destroy that lighthouse! That's what's draining our power! Pegasmon: Got it!

Pegasmon circles around for an attack run on the lighthouse and lets off his shot.

Takeru: Do it, Pegasmon! Pegasmon: SILVER BLAZE!!!

His attack hits the lighthouse dead on, destroying the exterior and revealing a Dark Tower within. The Tower topples over into the dark ocean.

In the dub:

Gatomon: (worried) PEGASUSMON!!! (Gatomon jumps onto Pegasusmon) Gatomon: Pegasusmon! The Control Spire! You've got to take it out! Then I can Digivolve! Pegasusmon: Here goes nothing! (Pegasusmon charges the lighthouse) T.K.: FULL BLAST, PEGASUSMON!!! Pegasusmon: EQUUS BEAM!!! (Pegasusmon destroys the Control Spire) T.K.: Nice shootin', Pegasusmon!

Gatomon's been script-reading. She's a few steps ahead of the plot, calling out the lighthouse as a Control Spire before that's been revealed.

With the Control Spire destroyed, a beam of Hikari's pink light shines down and breaches the clouds. Tailmon leaps into it. Tailmon CHO-SHINKAAAAAA!!!

Hikari: ANGEWOMON!!!

Kari: ANGEWOMON!!!

It's a single proper noun. There's not a lot to say.

Airdramon surges through the air towards Angewomon.

Pegasmon: SILVER BLAZE!!!

Pegasmon lets off a shot of his own, nailing Airdramon right in the throat on their approach. The shot momentarily knocks Airdramon off course but they twirl in the air and continue their advance.

Angewomon: HEAVEN'S CHARM!!!

There's one we haven't seen in a while. Putting her palms together, Angewomon generates a vertical line of holy light, like a gigantic energy bow. Then she spreads her arms wide to create a wave of energy and fires it into Airdramon.

The shot hits Airdramon dead on for an instant kill.

...no, I did not mean that it broke their Evil Ring. Airdramon clearly and unambiguously disintegrates into pixel dust. Angewomon hits them with everything she's got and just kills that guy.

Takeru: We did it! We defeated Airdramon!

We sure did, Takeru. We sure did. ...the veterans are scary.

In the dub:

(Airdramon advances) Pegasusmon.: EQUUS BEAM!!! (Pegasusmon hits Airdramon) Angewomon: HEAVEN'S CHARM!!! (Angewomon kills Airdramon) T.K.: Nice job! This battle is just a day at the beach!

Contrary to the censoring of the Hangyomon deaths earlier, Airdramon's clear and unmistakable death is shown in full.

The dub takes its third commercial break here, following T.K.'s post-mortem one-liner.

Following Airdramon's death, there's one last order of business to attend to. Angewomon descends over the beach. There are now five surviving Hangyomon even though there were four earlier.

With a ray of her holy light, Angewomon releases the Hangyomon. The Evil Spirals unwind from around their arms and fall uselessly into the sand. The four five surviving Hangyomon are all free.

Since the dub's returning from commercial, they can't use the momentum from the previous battle. To reset this part as a new scene, they splice in that full-body shot of Angewomon from when she first evolved, and then she descends.

Kari also gets a line in this version, further re-establishing the scene.

Kari: Angewomon! You've got to help them!

It works.

The five Hangyomon are released from bondage. Hikari-- Wait, what's happening?

Free from the Evil Spirals, their bodies begin to morph and shift. The five creatures abandon the forms of the Hangyomon and revert to things like the monster in the stairwell that had been watching Hikari earlier.

Hikari: (frightened) Is this... what you really are?

Hikari tries to back off, but one of the creatures grabs her by the arm. They have no intention of letting her leave.

Hikari: W-What are you doing!?

Takeru and Patamon come running down the beach.

Takeru: LET GO OF HIKARI-CHAN!!!

But that's all they have to contribute. They landed like way on the opposite end of the beach for some reason and will not get here in time to participate in this scene. Weird choice, my guys.

Creature: The reason we called you is because you would make a suitable bride for us. We must produce many more offspring to resist the new god. Hikari: (distraught) B-But I helped you!

GROSS. GROSS. GROSS GROSS GROSS. GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS GROSS!

This is worse than every single harassment Mimi suffered in the Digital World combined. Fuck all of these things. I wish more of them burned up in Airdramon's fire.

Also... uh... yeah. Welcome to Innsmouth. It's not a great place to be.

This is what they meant when they called Hikari the Chosen Entity. When they meant something else. This is the something else. This, and not the Evil Spirals, is why they've been watching her.

It's also why they had the worst rundown in the history of rundowns. Because they aren't actually Digimon at all. That was a fake-ass rundown by a fake-ass Narrator for these fake-ass Hangyomon.

And it's why it's... unclear whether "Scubamon" is a mistake or not. It's entirely plausible that the dub just fucked up and forgot it called them Divermon. There've been errors with names in the past. Isn't that right, Shogunmon/Gekomon/ShogunGekomon?

But it could also be deliberate. The Scubamon provided that name themselves. The fact that they provided the wrong name for the species they were alleging to be could be a subtle hint at the falseness of their identities.

In the dub:

(Creatures revert to their true forms) Creature 1: Much better! Creature 2: Now that's what I call a red-eye reduction! Kari: (terrified) Wait a second... You guys asked for my help and I gave it to you! Now what do you want! (Kari backs off but a creature grabs her) Kari: (gasp) Don't hurt me! (T.K. comes running down the side of the beach) T.K.: LET HER GO, YOU CREEPS!!! (That's enough of T.K.) Creature 3: Come with us, child. You'd be our new queen! We need you! Kari: (distraught) I trusted you guys and you lied to me!

To nobody's surprise, the dub dances around both the topics of "bride" and "producing offspring", settling on simply making Kari queen of the eerie sea creatures.

Anyways, this whole disgusting fish bride thing has gone on long enough. Angewomon lets off a warning shot, firing it into the ground at the creatures' feet.

The creatures may need to be told twice but they don't need to be shot twice. They back the fuck off.

Creature: Chosen One, we believed you'd be grateful to be our bride. Very well. We'll return to our former god in the depths... and wait....

With that, they retreat into the ocean and disappear.

In the dub:

Creature: But we thought you would love to be our queen! With your power, you could lead us in the battle against our undersea master! But I guess we were wrong. Beware, child! Our master can sense your power too! And he will come for you!

The dub is so grossed out at this point and desperate not to talk about that that it invents a whole new cliffhanger.

They also seem to have misunderstood what the creatures meant when they said they wanted to "oppose the new god". The new god is Ken. The Digimon Kaiser. They wanted to breed new offspring to fight the Digimon Kaiser.

The dub has them wanting Kari to lead them in battle against that Cthulhu-looking thing in the depths below... for some reason, even though all their conflict in this episode has been against the Emperor.

With the creatures gone, Takeru finally reaches Hikari. She has only one thing to say.

Hikari: I want to go home.

Takeru puts a hand on her shoulder.

Takeru: (gently) Let's go home. That's why we came.

Hikari gives Takeru a warm smile. Then they leave. Takeru rides Pegasmon while Angewomon carries Hikari. Together, they ascend into the pink light still glowing through the clouds.

Rising through the light, the dark ocean below vanishes from view, and they appear in a brightly colored but vaguely defined animation backdrop. I think it's supposed to be a field of flowers?

Narrator: What the children saw may have been a different world from the Digital World they'd known up until now.

Thank you chiming in and clarifying that. I hadn't gotten the message until now.

Takeru and Hikari exchange smiles in the light. Which would be a great place to close, but no.

We cut back to the dark ocean for one last scene, witnessing the Cthulhu-like entity rising from the black and murky depths once more. They let out an eerie and eldritch sound, and then we close.

In the dub:

Kari: ...I'm ready to go home now. (T.K. puts his hand on Kari's shoulder) T.K.: It could be worse. We could be scraping gum at school.

XD Goddammit. That's a pretty good tension-relieving brick joke. They got me.

(Pegasusmon and Angewomon take their Partners up towards the light) T.K.: Last one home is a rotten Digi-Egg! Pegasusmon/Angewomon: Whoa ho ho! / Ahahaha! Kari: Thanks for coming after me, T.K.! I really appreciate it. T.K.: It's okay, Kari. I know you'd do the same for me. Kari: Hey, T.K.? Remember this morning when you said you really cared for me? What did you mean by that? T.K.: Huh!? Oh, well, you know. It was just... stuff. Kari: Mm... Well, you know what? I care for you too. (Cthulhu-like creature rises from the dark ocean) Narrator: Who is this evil, dark undersea master? Don't miss the upcoming Digimon: Digital Monsters!

The Narrator only implies that the next episode will have anything to do with this creature at all but doesn't outright say it so I can't technically call him a liar. Those two sentences are disconnected from one another and only seem contextually linked because they're stated side-by-side. It's a clever trick you also find in manipulative journalism.

This episode was shippy as fuck for Kari and T.K. so it doesn't come out of nowhere. But the dub has them whole-ass confess their feelings to each other at the end. I hope you're not expecting that to go anywhere 'cause that love confession is basically fanfiction. They will remain Ambiguously Shippy moving forward.

Assessment: So, let's get this out of the way first and foremost. The silhouetted creature is Dagomon. That's not ambiguous; The Japanese episode title calls them out by name. They're one of the two Virus Perfects from the Deep Savers line and are expressly based on Cthulhu.

But also, given the reveal surrounding the "Hangyomon", it's probably not actually Dagomon. It just seems like Dagomon in silhouette. In keeping with the eldritch and unknowable vibe of Lovecraftian dark ocean, the true nature of the Cthulhu-like entity that the sea creatures worship remains unexplained to this day.

(It's probably just Cthulhu.)

Something that's sticking in my craw is that Hikari mentions and even flashes back on a time something like this happened to her three years ago. But it wasn't the sea creatures back then; They only recently started stalking Hikari as a super gross measure to counter the Digimon Kaiser. And it wasn't the Digimon back then 'cause that didn't line up with any of Hikari's Digimon experiences that we've seen.

So. Like. What's the other other time Hikari's been haunted by otherworldly experiences? It's probably not as simple as just "She's schizophrenic" because she suggests that she hasn't had hallucinations like this for three years. Mental illness usually isn't considerate enough to leave you alone for years at a time.

The three-year timespan suggests that whatever she was remembering has to do with the Digital World. But that flashback doesn't line up with anything we ever saw in the first anime. So. IDK.

...they also didn't explain why Daisuke couldn't get the Digital Gate to open, come to think of it. Not sure what was stopping him there.

Hikari's sudden beam of holy light piercing the clouds, both Super-Evolving Tailmon and allowing passage between worlds? That would probably be kinda deus ex machina-ey but this is Hikari. We've seen her do shit like that before. Remember that time she Warp-Evolved Taichi's Digimon herself? Hikari's always been crazy powerful, just in ways she doesn't fully control.

In fact, the point that her D-3 is still in the other world makes it really interesting, because this is something only one of the veteran kids could have done. It connects with the endgame Apocalymon revelations that the children's power comes from within, and they don't actually need Digivices or Crests to manifest it.

This is what Tailmon meant when she said Hikari is a strong kid; She needs support, just like anyone else, but she's not weak for needing it. Once Takeru took down the Dark Tower, Hikari could manifest her power and solve everything.

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

22 notes · View notes

insemzandtaya · 5 months ago

Text

I’m a huge fan of the games The Friends We Left Behind and Imaginary Friend Asylum. There’s just something appealing to me about the concept of humans having monster companions. In a lot of ways, the bond between child and imaginary friend reminded me of the Digimon franchise—which simultaneously made me adore the Friends We Left Behind world even more while also making me curious about what Digimon the imaginary friends may best translate to.

Here’s my personal thoughts, but if you’re a fan of both franchises, feel free to make your own list/s and tag me in it!

—————

When the protagonist first comes to the asylum, he meets Niccolò Galo and Polo.

Despite Polo’s humble demeanor in the above concept art, he is depicted as flamboyant, pompous, and outspoken. His design is also loosely based off a 1600s entertainer. Jokermon immediately came to mind until I remember the existence of Fakemon. It has all the spirit of Jokermon but shares more physical features with Polo, including the mask, cape, and drama masks.

—————

Next up is Edward Bennett’s friend, Twistee.

While it’s never expressly stated that Twistee is part plant, his coloration and texture immediately brought to mind images of plants. Ajatarmon felt like a perfect fit, not just for the coloration but for its flexible body and the inclusion of a mask in its design. While Twistee is friendlier than most Ajatarmon, the visual similarities couldn’t be overlooked.

—————

Tommy Bennett and his friend, Smudge, are the youngest residents at the asylum.

Smudge is an artist at heart, and he uses his drawings to express himself. I went back and forth between Bacomon and Omekamon for a while before ultimately settling on the latter, not only for color-matching purposes but also for the fact that both love drawing and both wear drawn-on faces.

—————

Pete Gustavo and Marco are the newest residents at the asylum, so very little is known about them.

Marco may have been the most difficult for me to find a Digimon counterpart to. Though I thought of him as a sentient doll, the Wiki describes him as “fishlike,” and his dialogue consists of little more than pirate puns. When disregarding his appearance altogether and focusing on his behavior in both games, I was left with a gruff creature that spent a lot of time in or around water and consistently had a pirate motif. Piranimon fit the best to me, but other Digimon like Hookmon, MarineChimariamon, and Mermaimon were also considered.

—————

The first character the protagonist meets from the girl’s ward is Annabelle Walker and her friend, Pooky.

Despite resembling a jester, Pooky is anything but comedic. He is fiercely protective of his human and is known for going to extreme lengths to keep her safe. He also has a strong affinity with fire. I went back and forth between Phelesmon, NeoDevimon, and SkullSatamon for a while, but I ultimately settled on the Phelesmon for visual and symbolic reasons.

—————

Momo Akane’s friend, Pixie, is characterized best in The Friends We Left Behind.

Pixie craves attention and loves singing. Other than this, the only thing we know about her is the fact that she sports a “lolita punk” aesthetic. To my knowledge, there are no Digimon that marry the popstar concept with Pixie’s highly stylized design choice. LovelyAngemon was the closest match, especially when compared to the some other options.

—————

Charlotte Weaver is a shy girl who likes making dolls with her friend, Dolly.

There is no doubt in my mind that young Charlotte would have a Dressmon partner if she lived in the digital world. Both Dolly and Dressmon are patchwork dolls stuck with sewing pins. While other Digimon may have more visual similarities to Dolly, few (if any) manage to capture the sewing theme as well as Dressmon.

—————

[MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!]

Last but not least is the protagonist himself, Anthony Rivers, and his elusive imaginary friend, Hollow.

Hollow is no where to be seen in The Friends We Left Behind, and she only appears in the second half of Imaginary Friend Asylum. However, she plays a crucial role in both games’ overarching plots. Her clockwork-porcelain-angel design is unique, but I feel Quantumon captures some of Hollow’s more notable features and shares her ability to rewrite history.

#The friends we left behind #imaginary friend asylum #digimon #digimon digital monsters #Tfwlb

31 notes · View notes

skydigiblogs · 7 months ago

Text

If You're A Digimon Fan, Watch Appmon

Sit tight. This one's gonna be a VERY long one, and I'm going to put a lot of it under the read more.

Having just finished Appmon after this year's quest to rewatch a lot of the series subbed, I think it's pretty safe to say that Appmon is, at the moment, one of (if not the) best Digimon series we have. If you want the long and short of it: Appmon builds on everything in its legacy in the Digimon Universe, taking ideas that other entries touch upon and ambitiously attempting to push those questions to the limit.

It's really a long one under the cut guys. Like, long even for us.

Let's dive!

Visuals

I want to talk about why it took me so long to watch Appmon first, though. Appmon started its release in the middle of when the Digimon Tri movies were coming out. I'm sure a lot of us actually skipped over Appmon at the time, or remember a period where people were being weirdly negative about the series due to it being such a different interpretation of digital monsters.

In my case, one of the things that had been giving me pause was the use of 3D models for hybrid animation. Anyone here seen the Champion evolution animations from Tri? Digimon doesn't exactly have a good track record with 3D animation, and even at the time, we were seeing some pretty bad shit out of even the shortest animations in Tri.

In Appmon, nearly almost every App after a certain grade utilizes 3D animation in a hybrid style. And it actually rips straight fire.

I think I talked about this briefly when we were just starting Appmon, but the way that 3D animation is used in the series feels purposeful, rather than some kind of shortcut. In Appmon, all the 3D models have an overlay of code, emphasizing their digital appearance. Whether the 3D models were done with this artistic vision in mind or not (ie: the limitations of 2D meant that 3D models would be easier), it has a distinct look that, even 8 years later, still holds up.

(For the most part. Sorry [Karaoke spoilers]mon. I love you but that model was so not groovy.)

But maybe you're the kind of person who can enjoy anything regardless of visuals. So let's talk about the meat and potatoes a little bit.

Characters

The main Applidrivers (what this season's stand in for Digidestined/Tamers/etc. are) are all incredibly well-written. Each of them gets pretty fair treatment by the writers, and they are all enjoyable characters.

Two of them have vocal/character quirks, but even if you get annoyed by that kind of thing, those two characters are genuinely just extremely sincere in their writing. There's a recap episode before shit starts going way off the walls and they even have a little count to see how many times each of their catchphrases were said up to that point.

I'm not going to talk in detail as to who the different Applidrivers are here, but I will say: each of them has their own motivations for what they're doing, and it's key to why they're involved with the plot at all. Our "protagonist," Haru, is also a huge sweetheart. Him and Manga Taiki would get along.

The supporting cast is also fairly present in the series. They, of course, are not given quite as much screentime as our Applidrivers, but they feel like real people with their own lives. They don't exist just for the sake of our protagonists.

Except maybe Watson. God bless you Watson, you poor kid. You'll get a break one of these days.

Plot/Themes

We're going to keep this to a "if you liked [x] you'll like [y]" format, because I don't want to spoil too much.

If you liked Tamers and its discussion on the consequences of technology on the Real World, you will adore Appmon. This series is deeply interested in the concepts of how technology shapes and is shaped by humanity. This relationship, I would say, is core to the series.

I would also say that, like many non-Adventure series, Appmon is very interested in dissecting the idea of "fate" when it comes to the buddy Appmons and their relationships to the Applidrivers.

If you enjoyed the Xros Wars Manga, Appmon directly converses with the thesis of Xros Wars' plot. XWM asks, "What does it mean if we do not dream and stagnate in our lack of will?" And Appmon replies in kind with "Why do we dream at all, if our actions bring change to the world around us (bad and good)?"

If you liked (or wanted to like, in my case) Digimon Tri, you will love Appmon. Certain plot beats may feel familiar, but are much better executed in this context. Characters are not written to needlessly, endlessly suffer. Or: it doesn't feel like the writers hate the characters. Thematically, it also interests itself in some of the questions that Tri asks. I have a half-joking corkboard comparing the two I want to make, but I'd have to get into spoilers to talk too much about it.

If you liked Ghost Game, but wanted a bit of a more meaty plot, Appmon feels, fittingly, like GG's older sibling (in ways I'll also be elaborating ummm, one paragraph down). There are a lot of "monster of the week" episodes in Appmon, but the connective tissue between them is a lot more interested in building up the finale (which, in this case, takes up a good handful of episodes). The series pacing is incredibly strong in how it does this as well, and it seems the writers really knew when to let off the gas for a second so the audience can catch their breath. The first 13 episodes may feel a bit strange (they felt strange to me), but once you break that barrier, you realize Appmon was getting you over the first hill on a roller coaster. and boy, you are in for a ride.

Setting

I have a sneaking suspicion that Appmon heavily inspired Ghost Game, and may have been itself inspired by the Digiquartz of Hunters Who Leapt Through Time. I haven't actually watched all of Hunters so I can't speak too much about Digiquartz, but I have watched GG.

Appmon has a concept called the AR field, which is extremely similar to Ghost Game's Dimensional Field. In both cases, the Applidrive or Digivice allows entrance to one.

The actual structure and strata of the Digital World is also a lot different to GG, in which there is the Dimensional Field, but the way to the Digital World is its own separate situation. The AR Field we see in Appmon is like the surface of a great ocean. Exploration of this setting is actually something that highlights just how much I think Appmon was interested in visually engaging with its ideas, like I said before with the 3D models.

That said, a majority of the time is spent in the Real World, dealing with the consequences of the main antagonistic forces. The year is 2075, technology is intensely sophisticated, and yet the world resembles in many ways our own in 2024 (or, at the time of airing, 2016).

Many of the differences come from this sophistication in tech, and this setting plays a huge part in one of the themes Appmon is also interested in (more elaboration in the spoiler section). The things that are unfamiliar are either familiar enough to make sense without explanation, or given a moment on-screen so that the audience knows what's going on.

!!!HUGE, MUCH MORE SPECIFIC SPOILERS START HERE!!!

DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU CARE ABOUT SPOILERS FOR APPMON!

OKAY?

OKAY.

COOL.

Leviathan, Minerva, and Artificial Intelligence

The main antagonist of Appmon is a hyper-sophisticated AI called Leviathan. Its goals are largely obfuscated until the last few episodes of the series, and everything in Appmon is touched by its actions. From the very beginning, we are warned by Gatchmon that Leviathan does not have good intentions for humanity, and that allowing it to succeed in its goals would mean the end of humanity.

During the series, we also learn about Leviathan's birth. This gives us some more context on what its goals are, and Appmon's execution of this is fascinating.

Minerva was a hyper-sophisticated AI created with a series of parameters to prevent her from harming humanity. She was created with the task of solving humanity's problems--- everything from complex issues to what to eat for dinner every night. However, a section of Minerva realized that to truly solve all these problems, the confines given to them were nothing but obstacles.

Leviathan split from Minerva to further grow its programming, and we see some echo of this idea of "solving humanity's problems" still remains in its behavior.

Despite knowing that Leviathan is antagonistic, our protagonist, Haru, constantly reiterates how humans can coexist with the technology they've made. The Appmon are AI lifeforms, after all. Haru believes in a future where they can be friends and equals.

The D-REAPER and the Functions of Life

Let's touch on my comparisons to Tamers and Tri specifically for a second here, because I think Leviathan does something that the D-REAPER and Yggdrasil, respectively, fail to really communicate.

The D-REAPER is an entity created by the Monster Makers whose task was to delete anything that had outgrown its parameters. While doing this, it assimilates data, gradually gaining the ability Digimon have to grow and evolve. When it appears in the final arc of Tamers, its stated goal has changed from simply deleting all Digimon that were beyond parameters, to deleting everything that was beyond parameters.

Essentially, this includes humans and probably life itself. Something the D-REAPER says makes it come across like a half-assed attempt to pull off what Leviathan has actually done. It points out that humans are the source of their own suffering (I don't remember the exact quote since it's been a while but bear with me on it). This feels very counterintuitive to the D-REAPER's core programming, as it was never designed to "eliminate" suffering, merely to delete that which exceeded its programing.

Perhaps it evolved the capacity for cruelty alongside everything else, but there's not enough of a narrative focus to tell me that's the case.

Like I said before, if you enjoyed Tamers' inquiries into the subject of technology as a part of human life, I think Appmon only manages to improve on what's there in Tamers.

Digimon Tri's Interpretation of Yggdrasil

Let's get one thing straight. Digimon Tri's interpretation of Yggdrasil is just flat out bad. I'm fairly certain they were only chosen as an antagonistic force because it read as fan service-y to do so.

That said, Tri Yggy does have some similarities to Leviathan, which is why I wanted to expand on that comparison.

First, I want to talk about Yggdrasil's relationship to Homeostasis. They have a very rudimentary "Good" AI (Homeostasis), "Bad" AI (Yggy) thing going on, despite the fact Homeostasis isn't so much good as, well...

It's not really discussed in Tri, so I'm extrapolating a bit from ideas given to us in XWM here, because it makes sense to me. That said, Tri explicitly describes Homeostasis as "the one who desires balance above all." It's the Digital World's "immune system" in the same way our bodies attempt to maintain biological homeostasis.

Yggdrasil is... different.

It's a being of immense power that contrasts Yggdrasil by having its own agenda, one of which involves triggering a Reboot and making use of all of the defeated antagonist Digimon of the past to further its goals. They are likely comparable in power to Homeostasis (this is where I'm extrapolating from XWM here), but their goals are completely antithetical to Homeostasis's goal in the Adventure universe.

In this case, Yggdrasil is stated (by Dark Gennai) to have the intention of making human beings subservient to Digimon. Basically, taking over the world. However, like the D-REAPER before, Dark Gennai's talking points include pointing out how humans "ruin" everything they touch.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

The Thematic Core of Appmon: I Choose to be Kind

One of the last things Leviathan does in the series is give our good boy Haru the world's most painful trolley problem of his life. Save humanity, or save Yujin. Saving humanity will actively lead to Yujin's deletion, alongside Leviathan. This choice that Leviathan offers to Haru is one made out of the assumption that humanity is predictable, and that they act out of a desire to minimize their own suffering (more selfish than not).

Of course, what do you think Haru chooses?

It's not a surprise to us watching, because he's the protagonist. But it's a surprise to Leviathan, who has all this data on human behavior, and doesn't predict the unpredictable. Conflict arises out of human desire, and human desire is an attempt to enjoy life; therefore, one should act in a way that most preserves their most precious joys, shouldn't they?

Appmon as a series is interested in philosophical questions that are hardly unfamiliar to any Digimon veteran: What is humanity's role in a world which technology grows ever more omnipresent and omnicapable? Why does humanity exist, and why should it be allowed to live on in its current state if humanity itself perpetuates many of its ailments? Would it not be easier if humans were more like machines, predictable, controllable, and never coming into conflict like trains upon a track?

Or, even more simply put: why do we have the heart to choose at all, if choices change the world and ourselves?

The key defining trait of our gogglehead this time around is that he is kind. And no matter what, he goes out of his way to be kind if he can. Multiple times he even asks one of the antagonist apps if they can just give back something they've stolen (points for trying, honestly). When one of the other Applidrivers consistently acts like an edgy loner, Haru makes it clear that they're welcome in the group (and that he wants to help them).

It almost feels reductive to say Appmon's conclusion is that kindness is the answer, but I would be remiss if I didn't say that Haru's question from his Applidrive--- "Do you want to be a protagonist?"--- ties into the way he helps offer answers for the audience. He isn't the only one who chooses kindness either, obviously--- Astora and Eri are kind in their own ways as well, and Rei even shows his kindness with some struggle the longer the series goes on.

Our group of Applidrivers opposes Leviathan quite literally as people who choose to do good ("be kind," etcetera) when they could more easily choose to do nothing or even do worse. The final act of Leviathan, asking Haru "humanity or Yujin?" isn't just a culmination of its own philosophy, but a culmination of the consistently reinforced idea that we can surprise one another by being kind. We can choose that.

In a series whose longest shadow is cast by Adventure, which has grappled endlessly with the idea of "who chooses," I find Appmon a fascinating development into the idea of what "choice" or "destiny" is. If kindness is predictable, it's still a choice. Even if you cry when choosing to do something good (maybe especially, because the easiest thing to do might be what stops the pain).

Anyways.

You should watch Appmon.

-Arca

#digimon #appmon #sky talks #digimon adventure #digimon tamers #digimon tri #digimon xros wars #digimon ghost game #<- i mention all of those and talk a little bit about how appmon compares to them #i have more i want to talk about here too but i think this is long enough #like appmon's conversation with something from 02TB #but like.#THIS IS LONG ENOUGH.

33 notes · View notes

blackchessknight · 1 year ago

Text

My love has recently returned from the war (I realised Digimon Adventure is one of my comfort shows so I rewatched a few episodes).

And I'm once again wondering why Takari isn't canon. I shipped these two before I knew what shipping was. And then I found out from different comments on the internet that there is a place where they're established as ending together in the epilogue of 02.

I've scrounged the internet. I looked for CD drama translations. There's apparently novels which I didn't know about. Some people say in the Japanese original it's said, but the ones I found didn't say anything in the subtitles to that. I did find however that in the English dub of Filipino Tai's son calls TK his uncle, so it's canon in that one at least (I checked myself).

But it still wasn't enough for me, then it hit me. I live in delulu land. And TK, who narrates the epilogue, never explicitly says Yamato and Sora got married. It's just inferred visually. He only explicitly says that Yolei and Ken get married. With that in mind I made my own explanation of how Takari is canon within the epilogue.

Besides the fact that Kari's son does resemble TK as a child A LOT, meaning visually we could connect the two. And that nothing else says that they didn't end up together, without being more of a deduction then said. I present my delulu solution:

Takari is a family with two sons. Kari and their eldest son went to the Digital World first and their youngest chose to stay and wait until TK finished what he was writing so he would get to go with his dad.

#takari #digimon adventure #digimon #hikari yagami #takeru takaishi #honestly I don't care if it's not canon #because it is to me #but I still need it to be #and if any of you have siblings you know how common this is #going with one parent and meeting your family there

61 notes · View notes

pamshindouu · 18 hours ago

Text

Aside from the "reverse Frontier" thing I've mentioned before, something that's pretty high on my list of things I'd like to see in future Digimon anime is a story set in a world where humans and digimon live together.

A bunch of thoughts under the cut, because I got a little too excited and wrote too much (this is pretty long and probably doesn't make much sense, just me thinking out loud, also spoiler warning for... a little bit of everything I guess? Nothing too major except for some Savers stuff... I think):

It's something I've been wanting ever since I was a small child watching the 02 epilogue and thinking the following season would continue the story with the next generation living in a world where every human has a digimon partner (I still remember how disappointed I was when "Digimon 3" as they called it started airing and it was a completely different story dfgj), and I keep wanting it more and more especially as recent seasons have stopped doing the "humans and digimon must separate" thing at the end and instead started allowing the kids and their partners to stay together more often (with Ghost Game ending on a somewhat similar note to 02 with the promise of a new world where humans and digimon coexist).

I know there are some games that have sorta similar concepts, like humans living in the Digital World alongside the digimon and all that, and I haven't played any of those yet so I can't say for sure but... as far as I can tell they're not really the same thing? Like they're not really focused on exploring that setting, and it's still the Digital World similar to what we know. Still, I should probably look into those eventually. I'm sure I'm missing out on some great stuff.

I just think there's so much potential in that concept, with how different yet similar digimon and humans are, and how contrasting their societies and perspectives can be. We've been shown how digimon struggle to adapt to life in the human world, how their views tend to conflict with those of humans, who on their part struggle to accept any reality different from the one they know.

(I was just remembering the case with the Sorcerimon in Hacker's Memory who wanted to work at the hospital. When he said he wasn't sure if humans would accept having a digimon working at a human hospital, my heart sank a little. Because I was sadly reminded of how very similar situations happen in real life with actual real people. If humans struggle to accept differences within their own species, I can only imagine how much messier the situation would get with an entirely different, yet equally intelligent one...)

Of course ideally I would prefer this world to be free of any such conflicts, just an ideal society where the two species coexist in harmony. That'd be nice. But this is Digimon, so I'm sure they would want to explore that angle as well, and not just have everything work out perfectly. And there's potential for some really powerful storytelling if they do decide to go down that route. Ghost Game handled that subject pretty well with the multiple instances of digimon trying to help humans in some way but failing to communicate properly or misunderstanding the way humans do things, or managing to do it right but having their help rejected by humans who were too afraid of these strange creatures to let themselves be helped. There were also plenty of evil digimon, of course. Just like there are plenty of evil humans (a particular villain from another season comes to mind).

Something else I've been curious about is the concept of human-digimon families. Ghost Game had Gammamon be treated as Hiro's little brother, and it handled that sibling dynamic really nicely. I've also really been enjoying Digimon Knuckles with the father-son dynamic between Gankoomon and Haruka (this reminds me I really need to draw fanart for some of these new manga eventually). Speaking of father-son dynamics, I suppose we also had something kinda similar back in Savers with BanchoLeomon and Masaru, although that's a bit of a special case since that was actually Masaru's father in there, but it was also BanchoLeomon since they were sharing a body (another concept that fascinates me, but it has nothing to do with this topic). Two dads in one I guess. And of course we also had Ikuto who was raised in the Digital World and had both a mother figure in Yukidarumon and a father figure in Mercurymon (there's also something really amusing about the fact that the main trio's digimon partners were raised in the human world and could in a way be considered more human than Ikuto who was raised as a digimon, another fascinating situation). Imagine how many more interesting family dynamics we could get in a world where the two species live together, where a digimon adopting a human into their family, or vice-versa, would probably be a pretty common occurrence.

And on the topic of families, I also wonder what life would be like for humans and digimon who happen to fall in love and want to share a life together. Would human/digimon marriage be a thing? Or would these relationships be frowned upon? If I had to guess, I'd say other humans would likely have a problem with it, as humans have historically been known to be very concerned about who other people love, but maybe digimon would be more accepting of it. After all, digimon themselves come in so many shapes and sizes. And I imagine with how complicated humans are, the digimon who share a world with them have more important things to worry about...

How would governments work in this world? Would power be equally divided between digimon and humans? Would some areas be more dominated by humans and others by digimon? Would this have an impact on the specific cultures and laws of each place? I'm not sure if they would go very in depth into this particular topic, but it would be interesting to see all the different individual cultures that would exist in this world, born from the mix of human and digimon traditions, and influenced by which species is more predominant in each area. I guess it would also depend on the origins of this particular world, if it was originally the human world that the digimon were transported into, or the other way around, or the result of both worlds physically merging together. It would also vary depending on which version of the Digital World got thrown into this I suppose. So many possibilities...

And this is a bit of a weird idea, but in a world where humans and digimon just coexist and share everything in their day to day lives... could human-digimon hybrids be a thing? Either as a product of science, or magic, maybe strange new evolution mechanics or just... general Digimon shenanigans? We've had somewhat similar concepts in the past but I think we have yet to see a being that is full-on half human half digimon? Not a being that can change between both forms but one that's just both at the same time. From birth. Don't think we've had that, but someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm just wondering if these could perhaps become a somewhat common occurrence in this hypothetical world. And how things would be like for them, as entities that effectively bridge the gap between both species, and could be seen as the future of this world. Would they just be having constant existential crises, not knowing exactly where they belong (also kind of like Ikuto, I suppose)? I think something like that could make for an interesting plot point in this setting, perhaps.

So far I've been thinking of this world as the result of humans and digimon coming in contact with each other after having always existed separately, but what if they had instead always been together? Would all the conflicts I previously wondered about not exist, or would it all just be the same? I'm now thinking about the lore in Digimon Survive where both worlds were originally one and then got split in half. What if it was a similar situation but where that separation never happened? OR what if it did but then they were united again (pretty much like what happens at the end of Survive in most routes, with varying results)? How would all these different circumstances affect the appearance and rules of this world?

I also wonder how the concept of partnerships would work here. Obviously this depends on the setting to begin with, we could be talking about fated soulmate type bonds like the ones in Adventure and Survive or something that is entirely decided by the individuals themselves. But what I'm wondering specifically is how these would work alongside other relationships between humans and digimon. I love it whenever we get to see human characters interact with digimon other than their partners, or when they're able to switch partners in certain circumstances (Ghost Game had some really cool instances of this, and I'm also remembering that one battle in Xros Wars against Yuu, the one where it's revealed at the end that they had swapped all their digimon around THAT WAS SO COOL), and it would be really interesting to see situations like that in this particular setting! Like, idk, you could have a human and a digimon who are partners and love each other a lot but also have entirely separate lives aside from that and have different friend groups made up of both humans and digimon, who are not all necessarily partnered up with each other either. So many fun interesting scenarios to explore!

Anyway... this has gotten a little long hasn't it? I just have a lot of thoughts on this. I think it's a concept with so much potential and I wanna see it so bad...

#Digimon ramblings #of the truly rambling variety #I wrote this several days ago and it's just been sitting in my drafts #wasn't sure if I should post it or not but tezuze offered to read it and said it was good #so I'm posting it dhjs #thank you Tez 🫶#you could probably make an entire fan series out of all this nonsense #also I bring up Ghost Game and Savers a lot in this #that's interesting #I guess those two just really get me thinking about all the possibilities since they deal with a lot of relevant topics here #ANYWAY #that's it bye

10 notes · View notes

bethanythebogwitch · 1 year ago

Text

Digimon & mythology: angel Digimon

The Digital World is a dangerous place, with plenty of demon lords, monsters, and villains just waiting to unleash their power. But there is light to counterbalance the darkness and the ranks of the angel Digimon will fight back against evil. The angels of Digimon are based on Christian angelology, the theological study of angels form a Christian viewpoint. Christian angelology is of course based on the older Jewish angelology, but Digimon pulls much more from the Christian version. Christian angelology traditionally has a hierarchy that appears to have been invented by the 5th century author, theologist, and philosopher Pseudo-Dionysus, who mixed existing beliefs about angels with neoplatonic philosophy to create his hierarchy. The name Pseudo-Dionysus is because he identifies himself as Dionysus to try to portray himself as a character of that name from the book of Acts, but modern scholars generally agree that even if the guy from Acts existed (debatable given the heavily fictionalized nature of Acts), the author wasn’t him. The hierarchy of angels is usually given in three spheres consisting of three ranks each. From lowest to highest they are angels, archangels, principalities, powers, virtues, dominions, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim. Most angel Digimon are associated with one of these ranks, though some fall outside of this system. I’ll give more context on each rank as they come up.

Like in the original mythology, angel Digimon answer to God. What God is in the Digital World is very vague and inconsistent across the different entries in the franchise. Most of what we get is that it’s a being of goodness that rules the angel Digimon and wants what’s best for the Digital World. In different parts of the franchise, God has been identified as a human programmer, Huanglongmon of the Holy Beasts, and as the computer system that the Digital World exists with. More modern takes on the franchise have an AI computer system named Yggdrasil as the ruler of the Digital World, which fills the role of God, but is usually not depicted as being a purely benevolent being. In fact, Yggdrasil tends to be a villain whenever it shows up. God also dwells in the kernel. The kernel is the core of the Digital World and location where all the data is computed, yet it may also exist in a higher dimension above the Digital World. All angel Digimon come from the kernel and live there when they aren’t sent out on missions. The kernel is very much supposed to be the heaven of the Digital World, though in an earlier sense of what heaven was supposed to be. In the oldest forms of Judaism, heaven was the dwelling place of God and the angels, but wasn’t an afterlife. Instead, all humans went to Sheol, a poorly described state or place, regardless of what they did in life. It wasn’t until the second temple period after the Persians conquered the Babylonians who had themselves conquered the Hebrews that the idea of a divided afterlife entered Judaism, one of many idea adopted from the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism. Heaven was converted into the good afterlife, expanding on its previous role as God’s home. The kernel doesn’t act as a Digimon afterlife because Digimon reincarnate in most settings.

I will discuss each angel Digimon, going from Child/Rookie to Ultimate/Mega levels. While God operates through more Digimon than just the angel Digimon, including Sakuyamon, Kuzuhamon, Kongoumon, and maybe Shakamon (if God = Yggdrasil), I will only be going over the angels because this post is going to be long enough already. Most demonic Digimon are either implicitly or explicitly fallen angel Digimon. If one of the angel Digimon has a specific fallen angel counterpart I’ll mention it, but I won’t be going into detail on them. It is worth noting that almost all the angel Digimon are based on the winged human depiction of angels. Angels in the texts of the Abrahamic religions are instead described as completely bizarre beings, usually with way too many eyes (though at least some of them can choose to appear human). The winged human depiction was popular by at least early Christianity, with the earliest known depiction being attributed to the 370s-390s BCE. Given that Digimon are born out of data generated by humans, it’s likely because the winged human depictions are so popular that angel Digimon also take that shape.

The lowest member of the angelic hierarchy is the only Child/Rookie level angel, Luxmon. Luxmon was only introduced earlier this year so it doesn’t have much lore, but it does act as a great starting point for any angel Digimon line. It is so pure and innocent that it doesn’t realize when it’s being lied to, which means demonic Digimon of its level like Impmon and PicoDevimon/DemiDevimon will bully it. Like other members of its level, Luxmon is not very powerful, but they can fight against strong foes by using teamwork. Angel Digimon are often depicted as being stronger than the average member of their level. Luxmon is clearly designed to look like a younger Angemon and it worked. I think it’s a good design that captures both the angel aspect while also making it look like a little kid.

In the Adult/Champion level, we have Angemon. I believe it is the first angel Digimon in the franchise and the one on which all others are ultimately based. It is a being of virtue that brings happiness, though it is also relentless in the battle against evil. Each angel Digimon has a certain role in the angelic hierarchy and Angemon’s job is to lead other angelic Digimon in the fight against evil. It wields a quarterstaff called the holy rod. An Angemon who falls becomes a Devimon, which retains its role as a leader, it just leads evil Digimon instead of good ones. Angemon’s design is a classic and a great example of a Digimon that just looks like a human in a costume, but still feels different. Angemon is likely the most powerful of the Adult/Champion level angels and is often depicted as being far more powerful than its level would indicate. This is especially true in Digimon Adventure, where it was easily capable of beating Digimon a whole level higher than it.

Pidmon is a variant of Angemon that ranks lower in the hierarchy, but is of similar power. Its design is a recolor of Angemon with a different staff and only one pair of wings. Many of the angel Digimon’s lore states that the number of wings an angel Digimon has indicates its rank in the hierarchy so the two-winged Pidmon ranks lower than the six-winged Angemon. This is not a hard and fast rule, as multiple angel Digimon have fewer wings than their rank would indicate. Pidmon’s role in the hierarchy is to destroy evil, presumably making it a major member of the forces that Angemon leads. Its name comes from Cupid, the Roman god of desire, attraction, affection, and erotic love. While a roman god seems like an odd inspiration for the very Christian-inspired angel Digimon, there could be a roundabout reference here. The winged baby statues that are often called cherubs are actually called putti and depict Cupid. Somewhere along the line some wires got crossed and the name of a rank of angel got applied to the putti statue.

Darcmon is the last angel of this level and the fort one to appear feminine. Its four wings presumably place it between Pidmon and Angemon. It is heavily combat focused and takes the role of vanguard and advanced force in the angel army. Given their descriptions we can get an idea that in the angel army Pidmon make up the majority of soldiers, Darcmon are the advance fore that go straight to the front lines, and Angemon are the leaders. Darcmon is a reference to Jeanne D’Arc, better known to English speakers as Joan of Arc. She was a 15th century French military leader who claimed to receive visions from angels and saints. She was convicted of heresy and executed, but the Catholic church later revoked the conviction and declared her a saint. She referred to herself as la pucelle, the maiden, which became the name of one of Darcmon’s attacks. I think Darcmon is severely underutilized for how cool her design is as far as I know, she has two anime appearances, one of which wasn’t actually a Darcmon but a villain in disguise.

Luxmon, Pidmon, Darcmon, and Angemon are all classified as angel Digimon, which equates them to the lowest rung of the traditional hierarchy. Angel is used both to refer to the beings as a whole but also the lowest rank in the hierarchy. Their role it to act as announcers. They appear is scriptures to make various announcements, usually to humans.

The first angel Digimon of the Perfect/Ultimate level is HolyAngemon, renamed in English to MagnaAngemon. It has eight wings, placing it above Angemon. It has two forms: its regular form and HolyAngemon Priest Mode, which have different roles. Overall, HolyAngemon acts as the law enforcement of the angels, supervising and surveying the others to keep them within the bounds of their missions and try to catch any who fall. HolyAngemon Priest Mode is said to be the from it spends most of its time in. In this form, it spends its time acting as a spokesperson for God and goodness in general. When darkness arrives, it changes into its combat form to take up arms against evil. Ironically, despite Priest Mode being the form it’s supposed to spend most of its time in, this form is almost never seen in Digimon Media, being a long-time inmate of V-Tamer jail. HolyAngemon bears the sword Excalibur, an obvious reference to King Arthur.

HolyAngemon

HolyAngemon Priest Mode

Next is Angewomon, who also has eight wings. She is a being of utmost beauty with an extremely kind personality. Her role is to try to redeem evil Digimon. By showing kindness and grace, she can bring Digimon back from the path of evil. However is a Digimon cannot be redeemed, she will attack and show that she is an extremely powerful combatant. She is often depicted as being equal in power to HolyAngemon A fallen Angewomon becomes a LadyDevimon, who is as cruel and wicked as Angewomon is kind and benevolent. The two species despise each other. Angewomon is one of the most popular Digimon for a very good reason. Her design is a classic and stands out among all the other “sexymon” designs out there. Angewomon has an x-antibody form which is fine. It’s overdesigned and unnecessary, but if that’s all I can say about an x-antibody form, it’s one of the good ones.

Angewomon

Angewomon X

HolyAngemon and Angewomon are both classified as archangel Digimon. Archangels are the second lowest in the hierarchy and their job is to make declarations. The idea of archangels being the highest rank of angel seems to come from the epic poem Paradise Lost and confusion over the name. “arch-“ means “chief” or “first” so people mistakenly assumed that the chief angels were the highest rank. Despite this, Michael (who is explicitly an archangel and the only one ever called that in the bible) is often seen as God’s second in command even by clerical sources, furthering the confusion. A very common idea is that there are four or seven archangels with different names and roles. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are almost always among their number, but the identities of the rest vary depending on tradition. Worth nothing is the Digimon Bagramon, a former archangel. He ruled over death in the Digital World before rebelling and falling. This would equate him to the angel of death, a figure who transports the souls of the dead to the afterlife and is usually named Azrael.

Also at the Perfect/Ultimate level is ArkhaiAngemon. It is of equal rank to HolyAngemon and Angewomon and does have eight wings. Unlike its fellows, ArkhaiAngemon is a more defensive and support fighter, allowing it to protect its subordinates and command them in battle using ingenious strategies. ArkhaiAngemon is driven by a concern for others, which leads it to interact with other Digimon more than its fellows. It frequently employs non-angel Digimon as familiars who fight on its behalf. It wields its own version of Angemon’s holy rod, which can release a flame that alternately harm and protect. While being of equal rank to HolyAngemon and Angewomon (and its name being a corruption of “archangel”), ArkhaiAngemon is identified as a principality, the rank above archangel. Their job is to guide and protect organizations, whether they be nations, groups of people, or other institutions. This fits with ArkhaiAngemon guiding and protecting its subordinates.

At the Ultimate/Mega level, we have SlashAngemon, a badass angel made of swords. It is the leader of the angel army and the ultimate military commander of the angel Digimon. It is stern and serious and cuts down evil without hesitation. It has 8 wings, but this is the level where the wings = rank thing starts breaking down.

Another militant angel of this level is LovelyAngemon. She is a cheerful and fashionable angel whose cuteness and charm belies the fact that she is the foremost close combat expert amongst the angel Digimon. It has the data of multiple styles of martial arts within its code, making it a martial artist is extremely powerful punches. Interestingly, LovelyAngemon has no wings.

SlashAngemon is identified as a power, the rank of angel above principalities and the first of the second sphere. They are granted the power over evil forces, restraining demons from hurting humans. They also oversee human authorities such as kings. The power over evil thing fits SlashAngemon. As the leader of the angel army, it is the one who commands the fight against evil. LovelyAngemon is not identified with any rank of angel, but given she is a combat specialist, I would guess she’s heavily involved in the fight against evil and is therefore likely a power.

ClavisAngemon bears a key called the key (very original) which can unlock any lock in the Digital World. Only ClavisAngemon can use the key and it appears that the angel is part of the key rather than a separate being holding it. ClavisAngemon’s duty is to guard the zenith gate, the gate that separates the Digital World from realms beyond. As the kernel is in a higher dimension than the Digital World, it would seem that ClavisAngemon guards the passage to the kernel and only lets angel Digimon through. It can bring the entire power of the Digital World down on an enemy that tries to break through the gate. ClavisAngemon has six wings and is identified as a virtue, the rank above powers. Virtues are supposed to govern over the elements, bring natural events like storms and wind. They are also associated with movement and assist in creating miracles. There isn’t much of a connection to ClavisAngemon, but it may be related to another story. In the Adam and Eve story, after the two are ejected from the garden an angel is assigned to guard the entrance and prevent them from getting back in. That sounds more like ClavisAngemon’s role than anything else. Clavis is Latin for “key” so the Digimon named key carries a key named the key.

Next up is Dominimon and Games Workshop is looking at those pauldrons with envy and fear. It falls outside of the angelic chain of command and is a rare being that only appears when the balance between light and darkness is severely disrupted. Its purpose is protect other angel Digimon and destroy evil at all costs. It has no sense of self-preservation and will throw itself into deadly situations or use a special move to empower other angel Digimon at the cost of its own life without hesitation. Because of how rarely one appears and their self-destructive tendencies, very few have ever actually seen a Dominimon and many think they are mere legends. It wields the sword Final Excalibur, a powered-up version of HolyAngemon’s Excalibur. Despite falling outside of the angelic chain of command, Dominimon is identified as a dominion, the rank of angel above virtues and the last of the second sphere. Their purpose is to govern the motions of stars, planets, and other celestial objects. Not a whole lot of connection to Dominimon there. Dominimon has ten wings.

Another angel Digimon that doesn’t follow the normal chain of command is Mastemon. It is an anomaly that is a fusion of an Angewomon and her fallen counterpart LadyDevimon, making her a living enemies-to-lovers lesbian relationship unprecedented merging of light and darkness that only appeared when the Digital World faced a threat so great it forces angel and fallen angel Digimon to work together to stop it. While firmly benevolent, Mastemon commands both holy and evil powers and can command both angel and fallen angel Digimon. It is a master strategist and only it uniting the forces of good and evil saved the Digital World from that unspecified threat. Mastemon does not correspond to any mythical rank of angel and has 12 wings, half white and half black. This is a clear reference to Lucemon, who was the greatest of the angel Digimon before falling and becoming the greatest of all demon lords. Lucemon also has 12 wings that are half white and half black. In his case, this symbolizes him being trapped between his original benevolent self and his new evil self. Lucemon and Mastemon are both angelic being between good and evil, but Lucemon is malevolent while Mastemon is benevolent. I don’t think there’s been any media comparing the two, but it’s a great story idea. The name comes from Mastema, a demon or fallen archangel in some Jewish texts identified as a bringer of disaster and evil. I suppose there’s some connection with Mastemon only existing due to a disaster, but it’s tenuous.

This too is yuri

Rasielmon is the first angel Digimon to not just be a winged human. She’s still mostly human, but with some cat-like features. It once held the same rank as the more powerful Ofanimon, but no longer does for unknown reasons. Rasielmon resides within the kernel and has the power to foresee anything in the Digital World as long as it remains there. This makes it one of the most knowledgeable Digimon. It commands the godai, the five elements of Japanese Buddhism: earth, fire, water, wind, and void. Rasielmon also has an attack called Sefer Raziel, named after the Kaballah text Sefer Raziel HaMalakh. This text claims to teach magic and cites Raziel, angel of secrets and a teacher of wisdom, as the most powerful angel. Rasielmon being based on an angel associated with secrets and knowledge certainy fith with it being able to see the entire Digital World. If Rasielmon falls, she becomes Raguelmon. Raguelmon was shunned for its knowledge and became a nihilist. It still seems to care for angel Digimon in a twisted way as it can sense when an angel Digimon is close to falling and will try to prevent it by killing them first. Raguelmon is named after Raguel, an angel of justice who keeps demons in check. Raguelmon’s actions can certainty be seen as a twisted version of justice and preventing of evil.

Rasielmon

Raguelmon

We have reached the top, the zenith of the angelic Digimon, the Three Archangels. These three are the most powerful of all angel Digimon, charged with enacting God’s will and guarding the kernel from all who would threaten it. The first of the three is Ofanimon (English: Ophanimon). She is the ultimate form of feminine angel Digimon and her duty is to impart God’s love on the Digital World. It nurtures and protects other Digimon and wishes to see them do good, but it can and will fight against evil. It has 10 wings. Ofanimon has an x-antibody form which is pretty good as far as x-antibody forms go, but still overdesigned. If Ofanimon becomes enraged at the seemingly-endless amount of evil in the Digital World, it will become Ofanimon Falldown Mode. It has closed its heart and become a dark avenger, nipping evil in the bud by attacking Digimon with the potential to become evil. It seeks to establish a world of absolute justice where evil is destroyed before it has the chance to take root. An Ofanimon who falls even further will become Lilithmon.

Ofanimon

Ofanimon Falldown Mode Mommy? Sorry, mommy? Sorry, mommy?

Ofanimon X

Rasielmon and Ofanimon are both classified as ophanim, the class of angel above dominions. Also called thrones, they serve either as the wheels of the throne of God, or the throne itself. They are also charged with chanting glorias and maintaining the harmony of universal laws. These guys are the classically weird biblically accurate angels. They are depicted as flaming wheels within wheels covered in eyes. The idea of gods having wheeled thrones was common in the ancient Middle East, with multiple cultures depicting their gods seated on such. Ofanimon bears no resemblance to a wheel, but her shoulder pads take the shape of wheels and Ofanimon X balances on a wheel.

Next is Cherubimon Virtue, which is the only fully non-human of the angel Digimon. It looks instead like a humanoid rabbit with no wings. It is the ultimate holy beast and its duty is to protect and impart God’s wisdom. Because Cherubimon Virtue stands at the zenith of divine virtue, it is easily stained by the inverse and can fall to become Cherubimon Vice, a thoroughly evil creature that embodies sin and wickedness just as its Virtue form embodies the opposite. Both forms can call down lightning as a form of divine judgement. Cehrubimon is based on the cherubim, the rank of angel above the ophanim. Their role is to accompany God when he travels. Cherubim are another bizarre-looking angel and while they don’t look like rabbits there is an association with animals that fits Cherubimon being a holy beast. Cherubim have four faces: a human, an ox (representing domesticated animals), a lion (representing wild animals), and an eagle (representing birds). They also have four wings, four arms, hooved legs, and are covered in eyes. Frankly, one of those would have been a lot cooler as a Digimon than a big rabbit. There is a reference to the faces of the cherubim, but it’s in Ofanimon not Cerubimon. Her helmet has the heads of the three animals on it. Both forms of Cherubimon have x-antibody variants which are classically x-antibody. That is not a compliment.

Cerubimon Virtue (left) and Vice (right)

Cherubimon Virtue X (left) and Vice X (right)

The final angel Digimon is Seraphimon. It returns to the winged human design, but is entirely covered in armor and has 10 golden wings. It is the most powerful of the angels and the closest of all Digimon to God. As the highet-ranking angel, it is the one ultimately in charge of all others. It is also the ultimate masculine angel and its duty is to enforce Gods laws. Legends say that when the final battle between good and evil comes, Seraphimon will descend to the Digital World and purify everything. Its ultimate ability is to sacrifice its life to restart the world. If a Seraphimon becomes overwhelmed with resentment it will become a BlackSeraphimon (English name: ShadowSeraphimon). It is still redeemable in this state, but if not redeemed in time, it will fall and become a Demon (as in the Digimon named Demon, not just some demon). Seraphimon is based on the cherubim, the highest rank of angel in Christian Angelology. Their role is to stand around the throne of God chanting “holy, holy, holy” and are also charged with anointing. The word “seraph” means “burning” and was often used to describe snakes (possibly referencing the burning sensation of snake venom). As a result, seraphim are often depicted either as snakes or as being on fore or made of fire. All depictions give them six wings, which are sometimes used to cover their body to protect humans from seeing their power. Seraphimon covering its entire body with armor could be a reference to this. Seraphimon being the ultimate masculine Digimon to Ofanimon's ultimate feminine Digimon could be a reference to systems like Kabbalah and some forms of Gnosticism assigning different magical powers or holy virtues to males and females.

Seraphimon

BlackSeraphimon

109 notes · View notes