Digimon Adventure 01x45 - Clash of the Ultimate Levels! WarGreymon vs. MetalGarurumon / The Ultimate Clash
Previously on Digimon Adventure: In a fit of insecurity, Yamato stormed off to go talk to manosphere bros who filled his brain with the most toxic rhetoric you could imagine. Meanwhile, Pinocchimon stamped his foot and started a shit-slinging contest because Takeru wouldn't play with him and ended up getting shit on his face.
Now, the Ultimate Clash of Ultimate Levels begins... Ultimately!
Hoping the kids at home forgot where we left off, we open in a very different position for MetalGarurumon. When last we saw them, Yamato was with the kids while MetalGarurumon was quite a ways away, challenging Agumon to fight.
Apparently what he meant by "I won't miss the next shot" was that there wasn't gonna be a next shot, 'cause he was gonna turn and walk over to Yamato's side as soon as the camera was off him.
Takeru: Onii-chan....
Jou: Q-Quit joking around, Yamato! We're nakama, aren't we!?
Yamato: Nakama?
Jou: That's right, nakama! The nakama of Chosen Children!
Yamato: Hmph. Then here's a question. Who was it that chose us?
Jou: It was....
Yamato: If you can't answer that, then how can you call us nakama?
Jou: (sheepish) Okay, sure, but....
Jou tries so hard to Senpai this away but Yamato, armed with new Debate Bro artillery, DESTROYS SENPAI in the arena of logic.
In seriousness, Yamato does raise a good point here. The nakama in question are a bunch of children forced together, drafted to fight a war by a mysterious someone that to date has not revealed themselves.
Nakama, the tight-knit bond of a group of people pursuing a mutual activity or goal, is their principle bond with one another. They weren't friends before this. Some individual relationships existed between them; mainly the two sets of siblings and the soccer club kids. But their principle relationship is that of being survivors and siblings-in-arms in this conflict that none of them volunteered for.
You can see the subtitles struggling with the hard-to-translate nature of nakama here. "We're Chosen Children so that makes us friends" doesn't really compute as a line of logic; What he's saying is that being Chosen Children is the mutual activity that our nakama is formed around.
Probably should have gone with "team" for nakama's translation here rather than "friends". This dialogue would have been way easier to translate that way. "Team" doesn't apply to all forms of nakama; The martial arts nakama of Dragon Ball are only occasionally a team. But for shonen protag crews, it's often a good choice.
So Yamato here makes a painfully solid argument: If the foundation of their nakama is shaky than what really are they to one another? "We have to get along because we're Chosen Children" explain to me what that means. Jou can't, because their superiors have been withholding information every step along the way. They've been handled like grunts, given intel purely on a need-to-know basis.
The dub can't resist giving Tai the first word in this conversation he's not yet a part of.
Tai: Calm down, Matt! Don't get so bent out of shape! The last thing we need right now is a hothead with attitude! You've got more important things to think about!
T.K.: Everyone's upset.
Joe: Look, all I know is that this stupid bickering is giving me a gigantic headache!
Matt: Chill out.
Joe: Matt, have you forgotten that we have been chosen to be the DigiDestined?
Matt: Hmph! And would you mind telling me who exactly chose us for this dumb job anyway!?
Joe: I... Uh....
Matt: Come on! I want some answers and you can't seem to give 'em to me!
Joe: You have a point there....
As with the end of the previous episode, the vibe is totally changed. In the original, the other kids are shocked and stunned that Yamato is turning on them, and were struggling to even form sentences, but in the dub they fully comprehended what was happening and were outraged by it.
We see that here too. Tai's extra line to kick us off is a full-scale browbeating of Matt for his audacity, with Takeru's stunned "Onii-chan...." changed to back up Tai.
The problem of nakama rears its head here too; They don't even try to make "We're the nakama of Chosen Children" work. They leave any possible interpretation of nakama out completely.
But the dub's version also struggles with the original decision to change Chosen Children to DigiDestined. Destiny doesn't necessarily imply an active individual making choices on their behalf; It can, but it can just as easily be something mystical and unknowable.
Matt would sound goofy trying to say "Yeah, and WHO DESTINED US HUH!?!?"
So Joe's forced to say "We were chosen to be DigiDestined" to allow Matt to pivot to Yamato's armor-piercing "Who chose us?" question. But with the change in vibe, he just sounds whiny. It lacks the power of the original, especially when he follows up and yells at Joe about wanting answers to something that... Like. Didn't have anything to do with his beef until this exact moment.
With Jou soundly defeated, it's Taichi's turn to step in.
Taichi: Jou. There's no point trying to resolve this. Yamato is this kind of guy.
Yamato: "This kind of guy"...? You don't know anything about me!
Taichi: I do know you! You're just throwing a tantrum because things aren't going the way you want them to.
Yamato: (sarcastic) Well, aren't you incredible? Even I don't really understand the kind of person I am, but you know me perfectly!
Of course, Taichi's involvement only serves to escalate matters because Taichi isn't really the "talking things down" kind of guy. His brand of bold recklessness isn't well-suited to de-escalating a tense situation.
Sora steps in to try and be the peacemaker as usual.
Sora: That's enough of that, you two.
Taichi: You don't have to tell me that! Yamato's the one picking a fight with me!
Taichi reacts defensively to Sora's scolding, childishly throwing down the "He started it!" line. (In his defense, he is a child. They all are.) He's not wrong but he was escalating it, which is why Sora angled that remark at the both of them.
In the dub:
Tai: Don't waste your time, Joe. Matt's just being a big, spoiled brat!
Matt: You're the brat! Why don't you go mind your own business!?
Tai: The problem with you is pretty easy to figure out! You're upset because you want to be the boss!
Matt: Yeah, like I want to be the boss of THIS sorry group. If any of you brainiacs want to take charge, be my guest. I say we should just take care of ourselves!
Sora: Stop fighting, you two! We've got to stick together!
Tai: Don't look at me! Matt's the one who started it! He's got a bug up his nose!
The bug goes up his butt but I guess they couldn't get that past the censors.
Matt's still off-script, now advocating directly for dissolving the team entirely and having everyone go their separate ways. This is rooted in the individualist rhetoric that Jureimon fed Yamato; It's what the "Okay but are we even really a nakama?" bit was about.
It's not so far off from the opinions he claimed to have when he was talking to Takeru back at the breaking of the fellowship in the PicoDevimon arc, though his actions towards Jou betrayed his professed opinions then. As Yamato said, he doesn't even understand himself.
"Why don't you go mind your own business?" Matt. My dude. I know new episode who dis but this argument is about you wanting to fight Tai. This is, without question, Tai's business. What is this line?
The argument also (sigh) makes this about who gets to be Team Leader again. A topic that has nothing to do with anything Taichi and Yamato have ever locked horns about.
In any case, something about Yamato attacking him is making Taichi feel attacked so he tries to storm off.
Taichi: I don't have to listen to this! (storms off)
Agumon: You've grown up, Taichi!
I'm not 100% sure what Agumon means by that but I think he's complimenting Taichi for "being the bigger person" so to speak and walking away from this. Unfortunately, MetalGarurumon isn't going to let Taichi opt out.
MetalGarurumon: That's not happening!
MetalGarurumon leaps over Taichi and Agumon's heads, landing on the opposite side to block their exit.
Taichi: This is going too far, Yamato!
Yamato: Fight me!
Taichi: I told you no! Don't you understand that!?
MetalGarurumon: (angry) YOU'RE THE ONES WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND!!!
Taichi: (startled) A-Are you serious!?
Agumon: (steps in front of Taichi) Taichi, stay back!
When MetalGarurumon snaps, he doesn't just yell at Taichi; He directs that at omae-tachi, using the plural suffix -tachi to direct that statement at everyone.
In the dub, Agumon doesn't give Tai credit for his maturity because he's stuck on Tai's misused phrase.
Tai: Hmph! I don't have to listen to this!
Agumon: Bug up the nose? That's a bad thing?
(Tai and Agumon exit)
MetalGarurumon: One moment!
(MetalGarurumon jumps in front of them)
Tai: WAUGH!!! Don't push me too far!
Matt: Oh, I'm scaaaaaared.
Tai: You had better be scared! I'm getting really mad!
MetalGarurumon: Excuuuuuse me, but what are you gonna do about it?
Taichi here reiterates his refusal to fight Yamato, while Tai starts pushing back and threatening to throw down as an intimidation tactic. But you can't intimidate someone who's already made up his mind to fight you. Tai's threatening Matt with a good time.
The dub here inserts the cut shot of Pinocchimon back up on his tree perch that they carved out of the ending of last episode.
Puppetmon: So! Those little twerps are about to self-destruct! I'll just sit back and enjoy the show!
This is their segue for breaking up the conversation and cutting to commercial. When we come back to commercial, we rejoin MetalGarurumon in the shot from the last line he delivered.
MetalGarurumon: STAY RIGHT THERE!!!
Tai: Get real, dude!
Agumon: (steps in front of Tai) Watch it! Stand back!
From here, MetalGarurumon lunges at Taichi and Agumon. This is enough to finally push Agumon into Warp-Evolving to WarGreymon. Show Me Your Brave Heart does not play over this evolution sequence; There is nothing to get amped up about in this.
WarGreymon deflects MetalGarurumon's pounce.
WarGreymon: Stop it! There's no reason to fight!
MetalGarurumon: You may not have one, but I do!
MetalGarurumon tackles WarGreymon, shoving him back. WarGreymon takes to the sky above, with MetalGarurumon following him up. There, in the sky, the fight begins.
WarGreymon opens with a sweeping kick, though the metallic sound his attack makes on impact leaves it ambiguous as to whether he did any damage. MetalGarurumon retaliates by biting him in the elbow, sinking his fangs into WarGreymon's exposed flesh and prompting him to roar in pain.
In the dub:
WarGreymon: There is no need for us to fight.
MetalGarurumon: I must.
This time it's the dub's turn to have MetalGarurumon resigned and matter-of-fact while the original is aggressive and pushy. A funny reversal from the start of their conflict last episode.
Yamato watches the fighting above them. Suddenly, Taichi marches up to him.
Yamato: Finally ready to fight me?
Taichi answers Yamato's question with a punch to the face.
Taichi: Do you understand why I hit you?
Yamato: Yeah! It's because you want to fight me too.
Taichi: YOU STUPID BASTARD!!!
Today in Japanese vulgarities: bakayarou. As I've mentioned before, Japanese language tends to attack people's actions or words rather than the person themselves. Even using a second-person pronoun can be considered rude in a variety of contexts.
Which brings us to bakayarou. Baka, of course, is the classic "stupid" insult seen all over anime. Adding the yarou modifier to a word is a vulgar way of saying, in a language that looks down on directly targeting words at individuals, "YOU are the thing I am describing." Often times, it gets translated as "bastard".
Like all language, there's a lot of flexibility in how it's used. But there is little ambiguity in screaming bakayarou at someone in the middle of a fistfight.
Taichi punctuates his outburst with a right hook. Yamato recoils from the hit.
Yamato: Sorry for being such an idiot, then!
Yamato punches Taichi, sending him stumbling back towards a tree. He follows up with a left punch, hitting Taichi dead in the face. Taichi recovers quickly, darting to the side to avoid Yamato's third punch and then nailing Yamato with one of his own.
(I'm sorry, Yamato, but I don't actually think you're going to outfight Reckless Bold Action Guy.)
Up in the air, MetalGarurumon swoops around WarGreymon, tackling him from the back and pushing him back down towards the forest.
In the dub:
Matt: What's the matter, you chicken!?
In a hilarious fit of censorship, they cut the impact from Tai's punch and the entire "Do you know why I hit you" to "BAKAYAROU!!!" exchange. They replace it with a shot from later in the episode of Takeru calling out to them.
T.K.: MAAAAAAATT!!! I'm gonna tell Mom that you were fighting!
Matt: Sorry, T.K., but I have to do this!
Matt uses his lip flaps from "Sorry for being such an idiot!", then comes back in and swings at Tai for what is, in this version, the second punch. And the last for this part of the scene; We see Tai stumbling back from it, and then Yamato's follow-up swings are also cut. We go straight from there to MetalGarurumon bringing down WarGreymon.
Taichi and Yamato fight offscreen, with the sounds of punching in the background as the others yell at them.
Jou: Both of you, stop it now!
Koushiro: Please stop this!
Sora: Taichi! Calm down!
Taichi: You don't understand what this is about! This punch isn't coming from me. This is FROM PICCOLOMON!!!
(Taichi punches Yamato)
Taichi: THIS ONE IS CHUUMON'S!!!
(Taichi scores a second punch)
Taichi: AND THIS IS WHAMON'S!!!
With a third and final punch (Wizarmon doesn't get one, I guess) Taichi knocks Yamato flat on his back. While Yamato tries to get b ack to his feet, Taichi kneels down and grabs him by his shirt.
Taichi: Yamato! Do you really think the Digimon who died for us... (voice breaks) ...would want us having this pointless fight!?
This is a strong moment for Taichi because it connects back to what he was trying (and failing) to say to Mimi and the others back at the graves. Taichi's words were thoughtless, he's bad at empathizing with other people's feelings, but they weren't malicious.
Taichi is grieving. He is as traumatized by all this as the others. But his trauma response is different. Grief has made him vengeful. All that stuff about "We need to take the fight to them and avenge our fallen!" is his way of processing the pain in his heart.
Taichi doesn't want to mourn; He wants violent, decisive closure.
Closeups on Taichi and Yamato's faces show that they're both crying. Taichi's eyes are misting, preparing to water, while Yamato has tears fully streaming down his face. Like Mimi, they're trying to process their own uncertainty, trauma, and grief, in their own ways.
Taichi: Do you understand now?
Yamato: NO, I DON'T!!!
Yamato sucker punches Taichi suddenly, forcing him off.
Yamato: I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT AT ALL!!!
Losing himself to his feelings, Yamato starts pummeling Taichi, screaming "Kuso!", the Japanese curse word for "Shit!", over and over with each hit.
In the dub:
Joe: Both of you stop it right now!
Izzy: It's ridiculous!
Sora: You two are just making things worse!
Tai: He's gotta be taught a lesson, and fast! Here, take this!
They pick Chuumon's punch to be the one and only punch he throws, then cut to the shot of Yamato falling on the grass; Skipping over the entire emotional breakdown of their dead friends - Though Tai still brings them up.
Tai: (grabbing Matt's shirt) I'm only doing this to honor the memory of all the great Digimon that have helped us. T_T They trusted us and believed in our commitment!
Matt: T_T
Tai: We can't let them down!
Matt punching himself free of Tai is then cut, and Matt simply stands up without much fuss.
Matt: (voice breaking) What if we made a mistake!? Ragh!
Too full of emotion to put much force behind that grunt, Matt swings his next punch and we skip the part where he punches his feelings out against Tai's flesh.
While Yamato is indulging in unhealthy coping mechanisms, the Digimon continue fighting above.
Palmon: What do we do?
Piyomon: We have to stop them....
MetalGarurumon fires a volley of missiles from both shoulder launchers. WarGreymon is able to dodge one set, but his evasion path takes him directly into the others. MetalGarurumon scores a direct hit on his armored chest.
Tentomon: We aren't strong enough to do anything against their Ultimate forms.
Tailmon: Let them tire themselves out.
Gomamon: HEY!!! Don't you care about what happens to our nakama?
Tailmon: Would we be able to stop them if I did?
Gomamon: Well....
Tailmon: Then we have no choice but to sit back and watch.
Gomamon: Damn it! You're just a newcomer so--
Tentomon: Stop that! We don't need you to start fighting too!
Hit her with your Marching Fishes, Gomamon. She's probably hungry.
In the dub:
Palmon: This is awful!
Biyomon: We have to stop them!
(WarGreymon hit by missiles)
Tentomon: Unfortunately, they're Mega Digimon and there's nothing any of us can do about it!
Gatomon: Best thing is for them to duke it out.
Gomamon: I just hate fighting, and we can't let our friends destroy themselves.
Gatomon: It's a dog eat dog world, isn't it?
Gomamon: (confused) They're not dogs....
Gatomon: The deal is this. You just sit and watch them take care of business.
Gomamon: Oh, yeah!? I don't have to like it!
Tentomon: Gomamon, get a grip! The last thing we need is any more fighting around here!
Tailmon accepts the futility of intervention because they're too powerful; There's nothing the rest of us can do to stop this. Gatomon cynically tries to normalize their behavior, waxing poetic about life being cruel. That's the kind of sentiment I'd expect from her before meeting Kari.
No longer on the tree top we saw him at last episode, Pinocchimon watches the action from a lower branch.
Pinocchimon: Ehehehehe! Hahahahaha! What children, fighting over nothing!
WarGreymon lands a Brave Tornado into MetalGarurumon's face. Pinocchimon hops up and down on the branch with excitement.
Pinocchimon: Again! Again! Do it again! Keep it up until you both die!
Yamato tackles Taichi to the ground. Taichi's able to roll Yamato over, seizing control of the fight and scoring two solid face punches. Yamato grabs Taichi by his shirt suddenly and rolls backwards, flipping and throwing Taichi to escape the pin.
Takeru: STOP IT, ONII-CHAN!!! Fighting like this is bad!
Yamato answers Takeru by replaying footage of his tree punch from earlier. Finally, Mimi breaks.
Takeru: Onii-chan....
Mimi: (crying) NO MORE!!!
Sora: Mimi-chan....
Mimi turns and runs away from Taichi and Yamato, making it a short distance before she crouches down beside a tree.
Mimi: (crying) Fighting and fighting... What do we get out of it!? I can't take it anymore!
Sora: (approaching slowly) Mimi-chan...
This time it's Yamato's turn to be thrown off a cliff for making my kid cry.
Technically, it's Yamato and Taichi fighting that's doing this, but let's be real; Yamato is unambiguously the aggressor here, and Taichi tried repeatedly to refuse this fight. Taichi could have stood to be more tactful, but there was no talking Yamato down from this.
In the dub, Puppetmon takes credit for Cherrymon's work. What a dick!
Puppetmon: Hahahahahaha! Hehehe... Aww, I'm a genius! They're all gonna hate each other! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
WarGreymon calls Brave Tornado as Terra Force again despite that being a different attack.
Puppetmon: EEEEE!!! Go get him! Oh boy, I love a good fight!
They keep Yamato tackling Taichi to the ground and Taichi reversing the pin on him, then cut away to Mimi's departure. Even T.K.'s line gets cut; I guess because they already moved to to earlier in the episode?
But they cut it sloppily so you can catch T.K.'s mouth closing from delivering the line he no longer has before Mimi turns and runs away. Mimi, meanwhile, starts talking before turning despite not having lip flaps, so the result makes it look briefly like her voice is coming out of T.K.'s mouth.
Mimi: Ugh! I've had it!
Sora: Mimi!
(Mimi runs and crouches by the tree)
Mimi: (crying) I'm gonna sit here and stare at the flowers until everybody starts getting along!
Sora: (approaching slowly, sarcastic) Oh, like that's going to help.
They (heavy sigh) make this moment into a laugh line about how ridiculous and overdramatic Mimi is, then have Sora go ridicule her for it. Thanks, I hate it.
While Pinocchimon watches the spectacle up in the sky, Hikari sneaks off to go talk to strangers.
Hikari: Are you guys our enemies? Or allies?
Koushiro - who, I guess, is just bored with the two separate horrible fights taking place - walks over to see what's up with Hikari. He chats with Tailmon.
Koushiro: Who is Hikari-san talking to?
Tailmon: I don't know.
Hikari: Okay, so you're not an enemy.
Suddenly, a bright rainbow light shines down - The light is faint, filtering through the trees, but it's not unlike the aurora that delivered the children's Digivices on that fateful day in camp. Hikari's body glows brightly, and she momentarily curls into herself as if in pain.
Tailmon: HIKARI!!!
Tailmon and Koushiro hurry to her side, but Hikari continues. She takes off her Crest of Light and holds it up to the rainbow glow.
In the dub, Kari confronts the light a little more aggressively.
Kari: I'm not afraid! Well, maybe a little. (gazes at it in awe) Ahhh... My name's Kari! Please tell me who you are. Do you want to be friends with us?
Gatomon: What in the Digi-World is she doing?
Izzy: She appears to be conversing with herself.
Gatomon: (dismissive singsong) She's losing it~!
Kari: You seem to be nice enough!
(Kari begins glowing and curls into herself)
Gatomon: KARI!!!
Izzy and Gatomon trade roles here, and Gatomon dismissively badmouths Kari which is certainly a choice. >.> Whoever wrote the dub script for this episode decided to make Gatomon surprisingly catty. Uh. You know, in the bad way.
Once Hikari presents her Crest, the glowing gets brighter. It expands, consuming Koushiro and Tailmon before continuing outward.
Tentomon: KOUSHIRO-HAN!!!
Taichi: W-What the--
The light takes Tentomon. It takes Taichi and Yamato. It takes Sora, Mimi, Jou, and Takeru. It gives Pinocchimon a tumble because he is not invited. It revokes WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon's evolutions, reverting them to Koromon and Tsunomon before taking them too.
Everyone finds themselves in a great white void, while something begins to speak through Hikari's mouth. It uses Hikari's voice and if you're paying attention to the group shot you can see her lips move but it's super subtle.
Taichi: This is...?
Yamato: What sort of place even is this?
Not Hikari: Wherever there is light, there will also be darkness. Darkness and light are like the two sides of the same coin. However, if the power of darkness grows larger....
A great blackness suddenly grows and takes over their void. Not Hikari is, of course, talking about your typical "balance of yin and yang" sort of deal. The problem is not that darkness exists but that it has grown to overshadow the light.
In the dub:
Tentomon: IZZY!!!
Tai: What's happening!?
(Everyone gets taken by the light into the void except Puppetmon)
Tai: Where are we!?
Matt: No idea....
Not Hikari: In this world, there is a balance of darkness and light. The light represents all that's good in the world and the darkness is the evil. When the darkness becomes larger than the light, it upsets the balance.
Not Hikari here specifies that light means good and dark means evil. A specification that wasn't stated outright in the original... but looking at the behaviors of most Vaccine and Virus type Digimon we've met, it's pretty implied. The powers of darkness have been unambiguously super-evil child-murderers, and not in the morally complex Undertale way.
There is certainly a space for NOT ALL DEVIMONS as a narrative point, but that is not an argument that this show has presented.
The black void overtakes the white, and the kids are left in darkness.
Mimi: It's turned to night!
Jou: What is this place!? Did we get pulled into another dimension!?
Valid concern. That has happened to them before.
Sora: Wait! I see something!
Taichi: This is... Hikarigaoka!
Floating in the sky above the city, they see Greymon and Parrotmon drifting up into a portal back to the Digital World and making me eat crow from when I said Hikari's Greymon died. I have been remembering this wrong.
You win this round, dub team who hadn't even seen the OVA when they had to adapt the episodes describing it.
Koushiro: That's the bird from four years ago!
He types away at his laptop, pulling up the Digimon Analyzer to finally get a read on that creature that started this all.
Parrotmon is a Perfect-stage Vaccine-type Giant Bird Digimon. Part of the reason that their identity was such a mystery is because they were created for the OVA; Not appearing in the V-Pet, video games, or even TCG until 2000.
At the time of this episode's airing, Parrotmon had never been seen again in any other Digimon media, and wouldn't be until the release of the D-Terminal to tie in with Adventure 02.
Narrator: Parrotmon. A mysterious Digimon who appeared in front of Taichi's group long ago in Hikarigaoka. Their special attack is Sonic Destroyer.
Koushiro: They were Perfect-stage....
In the dub, Tai swipes Mimi's line and he and Joe quip about the darkness overtaking the light.
Tai: Whoa! The balance seems to be really out of whack!
Joe: So? Somebody find a switch and put the lights back on.
Sora: There's something over there!
(Hikarigaoka comes into view)
Tai: I know this sounds incredible, but could we be home again?
(Closeup on Greymon and Parrotmon disappearing into the sky portal)
Izzy: I've seen that Digimon before! (type)
Izzy: (rundown) Why, of course. That's Parrotmon. He was the mysterious Digimon that appeared in Highton View Terrace approximately four years ago. Now he's completely Digivolved.
Izzy remains terrible at exposition. "Now he's completely Digivolved," he says, as if the Parrotmon up there has achieved a higher form than when they fought Greymon.
Also, "completely Digivolved" raises an eyebrow. Uh. What? Either Izzy is using "completely Digivolved" to refer to Ultimate level even though he knows better now, or he's saying that Parrotmon has become a Mega Digimon.
There are two ways to take this line and they're both wrong, on top of Izzy being wrong for asserting that Parrotmon "being fully Digivolved" is a recent occurrence.
Not Hikari steps forward to offer further explanation.
Not Hikari: Four years ago in your world, a Digitama passed through a tear in reality by mistake.
Taichi: What are you talking about, Hikari?
Tailmon: That's not Hikari talking to us.
Koushiro: Someone is using Hikari's body to speak to us.
Not Hikari: My wish is to restore balance to the Digimon World.
Sora: Are you the God of the Digimon World?
Not Hikari: No, I am not. Just like the Digimon, I am made up of internet data. Unlike the Digimon, we are unable to take a physical form. In other words, I don't have a physical body. That is why I'm borrowing this person's body to speak with you.
Taichi: Why Hikari?
Not Hikari: She was the only one who could hear me.
There's an interesting switch that happens in Not Hikari's language here. Well, for one, it's interesting that Not Hikari uses the standard gender-neutral first-person pronoun watashi instead of the more girly atashi that Hikari uses.
But, more interesting than that, is the way Not Hikari switches between the singular watashi and the plural watashi-tachi. For most of this explanation, they use watashi. However, when they say "We are unable to take physical form", that's a watashi-tachi.
Implying that whatever the sparkle sparkle entity possessing Hikari is, they are of a kind; There are others like them.
In the dub:
Not Kari: He passed through the dimensional divide. Some time ago, a Digiegg fell through a hole from our world to yours.
Tai: Kari, what are you talking about?
Gatomon: I think Kari's had too much catnip!
Izzy: My theory is that someone else is using Kari's body to speak for them.
Not Kari: My wish is that there be peace and happiness for everyone.
Sora: I don't understand. Are you some kind of super being or something?
Not Kari: No, nothing like that. I am similar to the Digimon. I was produced by data bytes taken from the internet. But there's a difference: Unlike the Digimon, we're unable to take a shape in the form of a physical body. In order for me to communicate with you, I had to temporarily borrow Kari.
Tai: Couldn't you have taken Joe instead!?
Joe: Hey!
Not Kari: I had to take Kari. She's the only one that I'm able to communicate with.
The word Kami crossed the dub team's desk and the best they could come up with to avoid saying God was "some kind of super being". XD
Gatomon is still being shitty and dismissive towards Kari and I hate it.
Tai abruptly slaps Joe in the face for lulz because he's one of the two designated punching bags.
On the plus side, they nailed that interesting pluralization implying that there are more of whatever this being is.
(Officially, this is Homeostasis, but the lore around Homeostasis is vague and confusing, and Homeostasis is never named within the show itself. At least not this series; other entries in the Adventure franchise do identify Homeostasis by name.)
Not Hikari continues to explain things.
Not Hikari: Truthfully, I've been wanting to talk to you ever since you arrived on File Island.
Too fucking bad we accidentally left behind the only kid who could hear them.
That makes two separate attempts to prevent the Lord of the Flies experience from happening to them and give them a more traditional Isekai experience, ruined by present circumstances of their arrival.
Imagine spending like a thousand years preparing for the arrival of the chosen one and then going to take a shit and when you come back the Chosen One is not only here but has gone Feral BOTW Link for lack of guidance.
The children suddenly levitate into the air. Not Hikari levitates slowly over Hikarigaoka with the other kids in tow, as bright spotlights shine down on each of their younger counterparts frozen in time.
Taichi: Ah! That's Hikari and me from four years ago!
Jou: Ah! The one on the phone is me!
Mimi: That's me!
Sora: And there's me!
Takeru: There's me with Onii-chan!
Koushiro: I'm there too. But these lights....
Not Hikari: They're scanning everyone's data.
Yamato: But what for?
Not Hikari: Allow me to explain everything from the beginning.
Greymon and Parrotmon disappear into the sky portal. Not Hikari follows them in, with the children levitating up after.
In the dub:
Not Kari: To be honest, I wanted to contact you when you arrived at File Island, but it was completely impossible under the circumstances.
(Not Kari levitates everyone over Highton View Terrace)
Tai: Wow, it's a blast from the past! That's us four years ago!
Joe: Hey, that's me! How typical; I'm on the telephone.
Mimi: I was so cute!
Sora: Hard to believe we were that little!
T.K.: There's my brother and me!
Izzy: That's definitely me, but what's with the light?
Not Kari: Its purpose is to process all of your vital information.
Matt: That's kind of freaky; Why's it doing that?
Not Kari: Just follow me; I'll explain it to you.
Solid dub writing. They do a good job spicing up the bit where everyone says "That's me!" over and over. I also appreciate Matt pointing out that Not Kari quietly stealing their metadata while they're watching the fight is fucking skeevy.
Digimon Adventure was ahead of its time. If this was made today, Homeostasis would definitely be selling that shit to advertisers.
Speaking of which, both versions put a commercial break here. Talk about your commercial break cliffhangers! "Yes, I will finally, after 44 episodes, explain crucial details of the plot to you... RIGHT AFTER THESE MESSAGES!!!" Well played, Homeostasis. Well played.
Once Homeostasis has finished pocketing that lucrative McDonalds ad revenue, we find ourselves in a strange yet familiar locale.
Sora: Where... are we?
Koushiro: Does this place look familiar to you?
The kids start to look around, but then Takeru spots something.
Takeru: What's that over there?
Shortly followed by the others, Takeru runs over to a glass case containing eight Digitama.
Takeru: They're Digitama!
Group: (awestruck) Ahhhh!
Koromon: The Digivices and Crests are here too!
Sure enough, each Digitama has a Digivice and a Crest mysteriously plugged into it.
In the dub:
Sora: Where are we now, whoever you are?
Izzy: Rather bizarre place, indeed.
(The kids look around)
T.K.: Check this out!
(Everyone goes to the Digiegg case)
T.K.: They look like Digieggs!
Group: (awestruck) Ahhhh!
Koromon: Look! Crests and Digivices!
Matt: (annoyed) Okay, this is getting weird!
Joe: Oh, and floating in the sky is normal?
Koushiro immediately cottons on to the fact that they've been here before (which they have!). Izzy misses that entirely and just thinks the place is weird.
Matt and Joe get extra lines where, in a rare upset, Joe gets to dunk on someone else for a change.
Suddenly, phantoms of humanoids in cloaks pass by. Jou is the first to see them. He panics, raising his arms with alarm and accidentally shoving Mimi into the glass, eliciting a surprised shriek.
Jou: WAAAAAAUGH!!!
Mimi: AGGGGH!!!
Jou: W-WE'RE SORRY FOR INTRUDING!!!
The cloaked figures pass by, ignoring them entirely
Gomamon: Hey, what the hell!? You could at least address us!
Not Hikari: These people are a video recording. These are images of the past that are being projected into your minds.
Gomamon gets offended that we're not being yelled at for trespassing. XD
In the dub, Mimi doesn't react. She silently accepts being scooted aside by Joe's panic.
Joe: WAAAAAAUGH!!! Okay, it's official; This is definitely giving me the creeps.
(The cloaked figures ignore them)
Gomamon: What's the matter, fellas? Can't you say hello?
Not Kari: These men are just computer images. They are figments from the past who have been digitally transmitted to your present.
Once Not Kari's set the stage for what we're seeing, Koushiro suddenly notices a significant clue as to where we are.
Koushiro: Ah! This is the stone slate that was beneath Vamdemon's castle.
Piyomon: The Gate is here too! It's the same room!
The kids hurry over to gaze up at the Gate; Sure enough, it's the very same one they passed through to return to the human world.
Which, of course, explains why Gennai was not only familiar with the Gate but had the keycards to open it in his possession, rather than in Vamdemon's. At some point, like an otaku running away to live in Japan, Vamdemon decided to go straight to the source of his fandom and moved in.
Jou: But what are those people doing?
Not Hikari: They're preparing for the time when our world will be overrun by darkness. First, we created the Crests and Digivices out of the data we scanned from you.
Sora: "Created"?
Taichi: Then that means... You guys are the ones who chose us?
Not Hikari: That's right.
Finally getting some real answers, and none of Gennai's runarounds.
In the dub:
Izzy: I don't believe it! This is from Myotismon's castle!
Biyomon: Here's Myotismon's secret passage!
Joe: Let me guess, those are the elves that make the shoes at night?
Not Kari: They're monitoring the positive and negative forces to preserve harmony in the world. We took the information that we scanned from all of you, then we created your Digivices and Crests.
Sora: You did that?
Tai: That must mean that you're the ones who chose us. Is that true?
Not Kari: Yes, it is.
The dub's explanation for what the hooded figures are doing doesn't quite capture the urgency of their work.
In the original, Not Hikari indicates that they knew the balance was destabilizing, and they were doing all of this for the purpose of countering it. They saw things getting bad, and bringing in the humans' data and going through this whole rigamarole was their best idea for how to fix it.
The dub has the cloaked figures simply monitoring harmony as a day-to-day, and also they're making the Crests and Digivices too. Just in case things do get bad, I guess.
Taichi has some follow-up questions regarding their selection.
Taichi: But why were we chosen?
Not Hikari: You and Hikari-san made the Digitama that passed into the real world evolve into Greymon.
Taichi: That was katteni shinka.
Not Hikari: There is no such thing as katteni shinka.
Okay, this is a hard one to translate to English.
If you caught my post about Dragon Ball's Ultra Instinct I mentioned the word migatte as part of the technique's Japanese name. Katte is a root word of migatte, and katteni is similar in meaning. Katteni is autonomous; doing something of one's own accord, without permission or influence from others.
Taichi is saying that Koromon evolving to Agumon and then to Greymon happened arbitrarily; The Digimon evolved all by himself, while Taichi and Hikari were merely passive bystanders. Nothing that happened between them influenced Koromon's evolution in any way.
Homeostasis retorts that. No. That's stupid. Katteni shinka is not a thing. What Taichi is saying is not how evolution works. At all. Either for Digimon or otherwise.
Not Hikari: That evolution did not happen by chance. It was because of your presence that he evolved into Greymon.
(Flashback to Greymon v. Parrotmon)
Taichi: But... We didn't do anything! We didn't even have a Digivice!
Not Hikari: If you think the Digivice is merely a tool for evolution, you are mistaken.
(Back to present)
Not Hikari: The Digivice matches your personal qualities to your Digimon and enables them to evolve properly.
The dub is going to have a hard time with this section, since katteni shinka is difficult to translate and they have limited space to explain it in.
Tai: Then tell me this: What makes us so special?
Not Kari: You made it possible for Greymon to survive and Digivolve, and it couldn't have been accomplished without help from you and Kari.
Tai: But he Digivolved without me....
Not Kari: A Digimon can't Digivolve without you. It doesn't work that way.
That is a hard miss. Digimon absolutely can evolve without a person. If they couldn't, the Digital World would be nothing but Babies for miles around.
What they can't do is evolve arbitrarily, without influence from environmental factors. The point of this line isn't that humans are necessary to make evolution possible. It's that Homeostasis witnessed the effect that Taichi and Hikari's influence had on the wayward Digitama and had a Holy Shit Light Bulb moment.
They caused Botamon to evolve into Koromon, Agumon, and then Greymon. But not because evolution wouldn't be possible without them.
Not Kari: The very fact that you were both there made him Digivolve to protect you.
Tai: But how? We were just goofy little kids and we didn't even have a Digivice.
Not Kari: A Digivice is just a tool that was designed to help in the Digivolving process. It assists you by making you aware of your powers, but it's the special qualities in each of you that really makes it work.
This part is rock-solid. No notes. It's just the other part that had a high bar to clear that they messed up on.
Next, Homeostasis goes on to talk about the Crests.
Not Hikari: The same is true of your Crests. Is everyone aware of what their Crests represent?
Taichi: Mine's Courage.
Sora: Mine is Love.
Mimi: Purity!
Koushiro: Knowledge.
Jou: Sincerity.
Takeru: Mine is the Crest of Hope.
Yamato: (quiet, distant) Mine is....
Jou: Friendship, wasn't it?
Jou gives Yamato a friendly pat on the shoulder, but that only makes Yamato withdraw into himself.
Not Hikari: Those are the strongest qualities that each of you had four years ago. But what happens if you lose those qualities? You may end up misusing your Digimon. And if you use those special qualities of yours for the wrong reasons....
Taichi: (gasp) Could it be....
(Flashback to SkullGreymon's evolution)
Taichi: Back then, I jumped in front of the enemy so that I could force Greymon to Super-Evolve. But he became SkullGreymon instead.
(Flashback ends)
Taichi: (with certainty) That was the wrong kind of Courage.
Not Hikari: That's right. You've finally realized.
Wait, he only figured out what he did wrong just now?
Well, no, that makes sense, actually. He knew he'd fucked up back then, but they didn't learn the meanings of their Crests until much later. He hasn't had a reason to stop and think about how the virtue of Courage applies to the SkullGreymon incident.
Sometimes you have all the information you need to put the pieces together but it's already behind you and there's more important stuff to think about.
In the dub:
Not Kari: The same thing with the Crests. Can you tell me what your personal Crests really represent?
Tai: Well, mine's Courage.
Sora: And this one means Love.
Mimi: Sincerity!
Izzy: Mine's Knowledge!
Joe: Reliability.
T.K.: I know what this Crest means; It's Hope!
Matt: (quiet, distant) Well, mine is....
Joe: Wasn't it called Friendship? (pat)
Not Kari: All of that's true, but there's more to it than that. Every one of you has strengths and weaknesses. We took each of your strongest qualities that you possessed four years ago, then we made a Crest for that.
Tentomon: Oh! I get it!
Not Kari: If that trait is lost, then Digimon might become corrupted.
Tai: Ah! That happened!
(Flashback to SkullGreymon's evolution)
Tai: When I tried to make Agumon Digivolve by throwing myself in front of his enemy! But then something weird happened; He Digivolved into SkullGreymon!
(Flashback ends)
Tai: (with certainty) And now I realize that was pretty foolish.
Not Kari: But the important thing is that you learned from it.
Yep, that's another miss.
Dub Homeostasis claims that SkullGreymon happened because Tai lost his Courage. That's. Not. What happened there. Tai losing his Courage is what happened at Datamon's pyramid. Completely different event, and one that did not result in SkullGreymon.
SkullGreymon was the result of Taichi's Courage becoming corrupt.
Meanwhile, Tai's big revelation here is that jumping in front of the enemy was a stupid thing to do. That's. No. That's not his revelation; He already realized it was stupid way back when. It's the connection between that event and the virtue of Courage being corrupted that Taichi suddenly made here.
Jou steps forward to assess what they've learned.
Jou: So all of this work was to amplify the qualities we already had in the first place.
Yamato, still haunted by his inability to connect with his Crest virtue, wanders away to look at his Digitama, Crest, and Digivice in the case.
Tsunomon: Yamato...?
Not Hikari joins him, followed soon by the others.
Koushiro: I understand why Taichi-san and Hikari-san were chosen, but the rest of us didn't make a Digimon evolve.
Not Hikari: After examining everyone's data, we determined that you shared commonalities with Taichi-san and Hikari-san. The meaning behind it is still a mystery to us.
I take it back; Even Homeostasis seems to struggle with comprehending the plot. This answer is basically a shrug. "What made us choose the rest of you? There was something about your data. I don't know what."
In the dub:
Joe: All this time, we've been wracking our brains trying to figure out stuff about ourselves that we already knew! Ha! That's a fine how-do-ya-do.
(Matt walks away)
Joe: Huh?
(Matt stares at the glass case.)
Tsunomon: Who knew?
(Everyone joins him.)
Izzy: Prodigious! I see why you chose Tai and Kari, but the rest of us never made contact with the Digiegg so why us?
Not Kari: When we examined all of your data, we came to the conclusion that you had something in common with Tai and Kari. But we're not quite sure what it means. All we know is that you've proven yourselves to be very capable.
Joe managed to mangle his line so hard that I have no idea what he's even saying.
But the exposition is pretty much 1:1.
Takeru steps forward to examine the Digitama in the case.
Takeru: What are these Digitama?
Not Hikari: You can't tell?
Patamon: Is it us?
Not Hikari: Yes.
Palmon: Which one is me?
Tsunomon: We can tell by looking at the marks on the Crests!
(Piyomon and Gomamon find theirs)
Piyomon: That one?
Gomamon: This one's mine!
Piyomon's Digitama is covered in hearts because of course it is.
In the dub:
T.K.: Who do these belong to?
Not Kari: Isn't it obvious?
Patamon: I have a feeling it's us!
Not Kari: Yes.
Palmon: Wow, which one's me?
Tsunomon: I think the answer's in the Crests!
(Biyomon and Gomamon find theirs)
Biyomon: Look! This is me!
Gomamon: And that's mine!
Very faithful translation; Near word for word.
Unfortunately, things did not go well for the Chosen Children project.
Not Hikari: However, the Dark Masters learned about our plan and they came here to find us.
The doors open and Metal Empire forces spill into the room. Despite having been told that these are phantoms of past events and are not really happening, the kids still panic and scatter. Takeru trips and falls, prompting Patamon to let off an Air Shot at the Metal Empire soldiers to try and cover him.
Not Hikari: These are also video recordings.
The way Homeostasis has to say that again in their completely neutral matter-of-fact voice 'cause children be slow is sending me. XD Maybe you should have drafted some adults for your war.
The Metal Empire forces open fire on the hooded figures, blowing them up with rockets.
Taichi: Shit! So because they're video recordings, we can't do anything but stand here and watch!?
Taichi's blood is expectedly boiling at all this carnage. Koushiro, on the other hand, already has his laptop out because NEW DIGIMON JUST DROPPED. He starts with the brown one.
Guardromon is an Adult-stage Virus-type Machine Digimon, though the Analyzer makes an error and lists them as Data. This may have to do with the fact that they debuted in the Digimon World video game, where they were in fact Data Vaccine actually what the fuck.
I guess the anime just. Split the difference between Digimon World Vaccine and Metal Empire V-Pet Virus. XD
In any case, Guardromon is one of the two Metal Empire Adult Viruses.
Izzy: That one is Guardromon.
Narrator: Guardromon. A Machine type Digimon with iron-clad defenses. Their special attack is Destruction Grenade.
Also it's super easy to miss when they're in motion but can I just say that the Destruction Grenades are hilarious? XD Someone was like "This is my Vaccine Digimon, he shoots little cops that explode," and another person went, "Nah bro that goes into the Virus bin."
The silver Digimon, meanwhile, is Mekanorimon. Like Bakemon and bakemono, this is a play on an existing word: norimono, which means "vehicle". Mecha Norimono.
Mekanorimon is the other Adult-stage Virus-type Digimon from Metal Empire, and this one the Analyzer gets right. If your poorly cared for Hagurumon is well-trained, you get Guardromon; If not, Mekanorimon.
Yamato: Here comes another one!
Narrator: Mekanorimon. A powered suit Digimon that can be piloted like a vehicle. It uses its Linear Lens to fire its special attack Twinkle Beam.
Under the assault of explosion cops and Twinkle Beams, the cloaked figures are quickly overwhelmed.
In the dub:
Not Kari: Yes, but I'm afraid I have bad news. The Dark Masters got wind of our plan and have worked very hard to defeat us.
(Metal Empire forces enter; Kids scatter and flee)
Not Kari: Save your breath; They're computer images!
(Metal Empire starts killing everyone)
Tai: What!? Just because those guys are computer images, we have to sit back and do nothing!?
Izzy: (on the brown one) His name is Guardromon.
Izzy: (rundown) He's a Machine Digimon and his armor is constructed of solid iron. Absolutely nothing can penetrate that can of beans!
Matt: HERE COMES SOME MORE OF THEM!!!
Tentomon: (rundown) This is no space-age vacuum cleaner! Meet Mekanorimon. His Twin Beam will annihilate anything! Which makes housework a breeze.
Homeostasis's second line here is delivered as a scolding, rather than a comically matter-of-fact reassertion of information already provided. So it lacks the funny.
Guardromon's diegetic rundown claims that he's invulnerable... because he's made of iron. I mean, iron's great, don't get me wrong, but it's kind of basic? Especially this soon after the fantasy metal "INVULNERABLE CHROME DIGIZOID" was such a big thing.
The reason this happened is because the word in question, 鉄壁 teppeki, has multiple meanings. It literally translates to "iron wall", as in a literal iron wall used in a military fortification, and it means an impenetrable defense.
So they had word which could be saying Guardromon is made of iron or could be saying Guardromon's defenses are impenetrable, and they hedged their bets and went with both.
Meanwhile, Tentomon is too busy quipping to mention that Mekanorimon is a pilotable vehicle. Which. Is. Kind of. Important. Information. For events that will follow.
Also Mekanorimon's attack is "Twin Beam" despite there only being a single beam because I guess the dub team didn't like the twinkle.
While all this devastation is unfolding, Jou suddenly lets out a shriek.
Jou: AHH!!! IT'S PIEMON!!! Stay back! Stay back! Ahhhh go away!
Gomamon: We're okay.
Sora: It's just a video recording.
Piemon approaches the case with the Digitama. Letting out a wicked laugh, he shatters the case and collects all of the Crests.
Taichi: He's stealing the Crests!
Mimi: Can't we do something!?
Suddenly, one of the cloaked figures charges at him with a sword.
Cloaked Man: PIEMON!!! THOSE AREN'T YOURS TO TAKE!!!
Piemon: Gennai....
Takeru: THAT'S GENNAI-SAN!?!?
Gennai slashes at Piemon, but he's too slow. Piemon easily darts around Gennai's swing, then presses a strange black orb into Gennai's back. Gennai grits his teeth and grunts in agony as the ball enters his body.
He takes another swing at Piemon, who backs off. A Mekanorimon comes up behind him; Gennai dodges its Twinkle Beam and leaps up on top. Prying open Mekanorimon's cockpit, he yanks a Bakemon out of it and tosses the useless ghost aside.
Gennai: Out of the way!
Gennai slips inside the Mekanorimon himself, then scoops up all of the Digitama and Digivices.
Piemon: DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THE CRESTS!!!
...apparently he also has the Crests. To be honest, I'm not sure how he would have grabbed those. They were last seen in Piemon's hand, and Piemon thoroughly outfought Gennai.
In the dub:
Joe: AHHHH!!! PIEDMON IS HERE!!! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!!! SHOO!!! GO AWAY!!!
Gomamon: Relax, he's just an image.
Sora: (snarky) Yeah, save your screaming for the real thing.
(Piedmon goes for the Crests)
Tai: He's going to steal the Crests!
Mimi: Oh no!
(Piedmon takes the Crests)
Cloaked Man: Piedmon! Hands off those Crests!
Piedmon: Gennai!
T.K.: That man's Gennai!?
(Gennai attacks, gets black balled, then hijacks Mekanorimon and escapes with the loot)
Piedmon: Follow him! Don't let Gennai out of your sight!
Sora dunks on Joe but to be fair, they've been told twice now. This was legitimately an embarrassing moment for him, even if Original Sora was too kind to say anything.
Gennai takes to the skies with the Digitama, Digivices, and I guess the Crests somehow. The other Mekanorimon and Guardromon pursue him, trying to shoot him down.
Not Hikari: Let's follow them.
A near-miss causes him to lose a single Digitama and Digivice, which plummet to the continent below.
Tailmon: Ah! That's me!
(Tailmon's Digitama falls, and is not recovered)
Tailmon: So that's why I grew up alone.
Piyomon flies up behind Tailmon and gives her unexpected headpats.
Piyomon: But we're together now!
Tailmon: (smile) You're right.
Awww.... ^_^
In the dub:
Not Kari: Let's follow and see what happened in the past.
(Enemy rockets cause Gennai to drop the Digiegg)
Gatomon: That's my Digiegg!
(Gatomon's Digiegg falls, and is not recovered)
Gatomon: So that's why I was brought up all alone... That explains it....
(Surprise headpats)
Biyomon: Cheer up! We're together now!
Gatomon: (smiles, giggles)
Pretty much 1:1 faithful translation.
From there, Gennai escapes to File Island.
Taichi: it's File Island!
Not Hikari: After that, many, many years passed until....
Which... is a 100% barren, frozen hellscape. Must be winter, I guess, 'cause it's sunny and grassy by the time the Partner Digitama hatch.
We see Botamon's egg hatch first.
Koromon: I hatched!
From there, the Babies go outside with their Digivices and bounce them playfully.
Koromon: I remember! We were waiting all that time. For Taichi!
Tsunomon: Yamato!
Piyomon: Sora!
Gomamon: Jou!
Palmon: Mimi!
Patamon: Takeru!
Tentomon: Koushiro-han!
Koromon: Day after day, we'd wait patiently for their arrival! Until one day....
The babies bounce the Digivices high into the air, but instead it's the children who come plummeting down.
This is probably not literal, but a metaphorical representation of what they were doing. We cut from that to literal flashbacks of the Partners meeting the children in the woods, way back in episode 1.
In the dub:
Tai: It's File Island!
Not Kari: After Gennai rescued the Digieggs and Crests, many years passed by until finally....
(Botamon hatches)
Koromon: I was born!
(The Babies go outside and bounce their Digivices)
Koromon: Oh wow, I remember that! It seemed like I waited forever for Tai!
Tsunomon: For Matt!
Biyomon: For Sora!
Gomamon: For Joe!
Palmon: For Mimi!
Patamon: For T.K.!
Tentomon: For Izzy!
Koromon: We didn't think they would ever come! Then suddenly, out of the blue, they arrived with a bang!
Again, 1:1 faithful. Though most of this is just yelling character names.
With that, we're caught up to where the children began their involuntary excursion into the Digital World.
Taichi: So that's what happened.
Not Hikari: What is the Dark Masters' ultimate goal? How do we save the world? All we can do now is look after the peace of the Digimon World and try to build a system that can repair the damage before it takes place.
Taichi: What do you think we should do from here?
Not Hikari: I don't know. But I believe that, by relying on yourselves, you will find the answer.
Helpful. Thanks for the history lesson; Wish you had more practical advice for us.
In several years' human time when we're arguing over how to handle Meicoomon, try to remember how you were like "Uhhhh I have no idea how to solve things YOU GOT THIS RIGHT?"
Homeostasis gives off mad "It's my first day but also everyone else quit so please be patient while I figure out how to job" energy. They know the backstory better because they were there for it but they are as helplessly drowning in uncertain waters as the kids themselves.
The Forces of Darkness are rising. They don't know why the Forces of Darkness are rising. They don't know how to make the Forces of Darkness stop rising. And one day they saw two toddlers get along well with a Digimon and went "UM UM UM UM MAYBE CHILD SOLDIERS!?!?!?"
The reactor is melting down and the only person we have on-site is an intern. Well, that and exactly one survivor from the massacre who unfortunately has an unidentified Milk Dud of Doom turning him into a decrepit pervert or whatever it did to thim.
In the dub:
Not Kari: The question is, what exactly are the Dark Masters planning? We are working day and night trying to find out. For now, all we can do is guess and try to outwit them before something terrible happens.
Tai: Whoa! Well, if that's true, what should we do now?
Not Kari: It's hard to say, but I believe you'll all find an answer on your own.
The dub omits mention of Homeostasis's long-term goal to "build a system that can repair the damage before it takes place". Though they don't go into detail, they apparently have ideas in place to prevent something like the Dark Masters from happening again... if we can figure out how to make the Dark Masters stop happening in the the meanwhile.
Homeostasis is trying to create a vaccine against future instability, while using the Chosen Children as panic-button antidote against current instability.
(This, of course, ends up being Huckmon in Adventure Tri.)
But this doesn't make it across into the dub, which simply says that Homeostasis doesn't know what the Dark Masters are up to but is trying their best.
Returning to the woods where they started, Hikari wakes up in Taichi's arms.
Taichi: Hikari...?
Tailmon: Are you okay, Hikari?
HIkari: Onii-chan... Tailmon....
Taichi: You're okay!
Tailmon: Thank goodness....
Sora: Are you hurting anywhere?
Hikari: No... Is something wrong, all of you?
Taichi: I-It's nothing. Hikari, about what just happened...
Hikari: What just happened?
Taichi: Oh! If you don't remember, then never mind.
Smooth, Taichi. Rolling that 12 Charisma score for all it's worth. XD
The dub places its final commercial break here, at the end of Homeostasis's trip into the past. Solid choice.
Tai: Hey....
Gatomon: Are you gonna be alright?
Kari: ...oh, hi there. What's wrong?
Tai: You've come back!
Gatomon: We missed you!
Sora: Did it hurt?
Kari: No... What do you mean?
Tai: Don't you remember? Well, that's alright.
Kari: Remember what, Tai?
Tai: Never mind. Don't you worry about it.
I like how casual Kari is here. Like, so far as she understands, she just fell asleep suddenly and then woke up to everyone crowding around her for some reason.
Now, on to unfinished business. Taichi stands up and turns to face Yamato.
Taichi: Yamato. Now we know why we became the Chosen Children.
Yamato: Yeah.
Taichi: Like I thought, we're the only ones who can straighten out this world's distortions.
Taichi approaches Yamato, holding out his hand for Yamato's.
Taichi: Yamato. Let's join back up together.
Yamato: I can't.
Takeru: Onii-chan?
Taichi: I... I made a mistake.
Yamato: No. This was all my fault.
Yamato turns and walks away, but Taichi calls after him.
Taichi: That's not what I meant! I mean the way I've been behaving up to this point....
(Yamato stops walking)
Yamato: It's not my place to say this after how I've behaved recently, but I don't think there's ever a right or wrong way to do things. It's simply that you have your path and I have mine. I have no idea what sort of path is waiting for me. I thought that if I fought you, I'd understand what it is. An apology may not be enough for you to forgive me, but... I'm sorry.
Taichi and Yamato both recognize their faults and how they've contributed to their recent drama, and offer verbal concessions.
In the dub:
Tai: Well, Matt? There's no doubt about how we became the DigiDestined. We saw it happen!
Matt: We sure did.
Tai: So now the entire world is depending on us! And we all have to save it together!
(Tai steps forward to shake Matt's hand)
Tai: How 'bout it, Matt? Are we still a team?
Matt: ...
T.K.: What's wrong?
Tai: Hey, let's put the past behind us.
Matt: I know, but you wouldn't understand.
Tai: Sure, I would! I say that you and I should let bygones be bygones!
Matt: That's not the problem, Tai. This thing is bigger than either of us. It's not about right or wrong; I have my path and you have yours! And I'm not even sure where this path is going to lead me but I know I have to find it for myself. But I still believe in all of us; I mean, without any of you, where would I be? This is all just so confusing, and I let it get to me. That's why we fought.
Tai offers no concession for his own involvement in this whole mess.
Matt's supporting arguments are on much shakier ground than Yamato's. "This is bigger than us" and "I still believes in all of us" are arguments for staying with the group when he's supposed to be explaining why he has to leave.
Yamato says that they fought because he was convinced he would better understand himself and find his way to self-improvement through the act of fighting Taichi. Which is precisely what his conversation with Jureimon claimed.
Matt says they fought because he was confused about how much he wants to both leave and stay at the same time. It's a confusing response.
Now, with conviction, Yamato turns to face the others once more.
Yamato: But I want to find my own path. No, I have to! That's why I've decided to leave you all and go alone from here. Just me and Tsunomon.
Koushiro: Please reconsider. After all, Yamato-san, your Crest... I mean, your best quality is....
Yamato: Friendship. I know. But friendship is such a meaningless word, don't you think? No, maybe I just don't know what true friendship is.
Sora: H-Hey, how about this? We can break into two groups and go from there.
Yamato: Sorry, but I need to do this alone.
Sora: Oh... Well, I'm sure you'll be okay, Yamato. I believe in you.
Takeru: Onii-chan, what will I do without you?
Yamato: You're able to take care of yourself now.
Takeru: But....
Sora: You're with us, Takeru-kun. Yamato has something he needs to figure out by himself. We should let him go.
Takeru: (nod) Mm.
Yamato: Thank you. Bye.
With that surprisingly curt farewell, Yamato turns and walks away into the woods. Metaphorically still lost in the mayoi no mori but better equipped to some day find his way out.
I love the reversal here from "I don't need you to look after me Onii-chan" to "But who will look after me Onii-chan?" Where Yamato has been haunted since episode 3 by the threat of Takeru growing up, the perspective of his decision allows him to finally appreciate how strong his brother is becoming.
Sora, ever the peacemaker, tries to smooth this over as best she can.
In the dub:
Matt: It's important that you guys can count on me, but I'm going to do this because I have to! Tsunomon will be with me so I'll be alright. Don't worry, it will be a lot better this way.
Izzy: Matt, if you approach this logically, I'm sure you'll reconsider your decision. Your Crest, it's theme is to promote....
Matt: Friendship, I know. But I haven't been too much of a friend, in case you haven't noticed! Maybe it's because I don't know the true meaning of the word, or maybe I've just forgotten.
Sora: Here's a good idea. Let's break up into two groups instead of one big one.
Matt: I'm sorry, but I really need to do this alone!
Sora: Oh... Well, I believe in you and I'm not going to stand in your way!
T.K.: What am I supposed to do without you, Matt?
Matt: You're a big kid now. You can take care of yourself, T.K.
Sora: Yeah, don't worry! We'll be here for you. Besides, you know how big brothers are; They need their own space! Everything will be fine.
T.K.: (nod) Mm.
Matt: We'll see ya. Goodbye, everyone.
Matt comes off a lot more reluctant to do this. Between "I still believe in all of us", "Where would I be without you?" and now "It's important that you can count on me", he is not doing a good job of selling the reason for why he needs to leave. Which is that he, Matt, is convinced that he needs to, and no other reason.
Dub Sora patronizingly downplays this whole thing to T.K. "Big brothers need their space", she says as if we're discussing Tai no longer sleeping in the bunk bed with Kari.
Original Sora plays this straight with Takeru; Yamato has something he needs to go do, and we should support him.
Once Yamato's gone, it's time to get moving again. Except Yamato's departure is giving someone else ideas.
Taichi: Well, we should get moving. Ganbatte! Let's fix those distortions in the Digital World!
To get the nakama marching, Taichi gives everyone the good ol' ganbaru, the Japanese social construct of perseverance through great hardships via hard work and dedication.
But one person isn't interested in ganbaru anymore. Mimi hangs back, following slowly before she stops walking entirely. Realizing she isn't with them, Sora turns back, prompting the rest of the group to halt.
Sora: Mimi-chan?
Mimi: I'm sorry, Sora-san. I can't.
Sora: You can't? You want to stay here?
Mimi: Mhm. Others may get hurt and die. I don't want to see that again.
Mimi's voice is quiet and vulnerable. She knows she's letting the others down with this decision, but she can't do this anymore.
Without missing a beat, Senpai steps up to do his job.
Jou: Then I'll stay too.
Koushiro: Jou-san!
Jou: It's dangerous for Mimi-chan to be here by herself. I'll do what I can to convince her to return, then we'll meet up with the rest of you. Is that okay?
Taichi: Yeah. We're counting on you, Jou.
Jou: YES!!!
Jou is so excited that Taichi signed off on his plan, he shouts and runs for where Mimi is.
Gomamon: JOU WAIT FOR ME!!! (chases)
Eager to get the fuck out of this party, are we, Jou? XD
The dub, as usual, can't lean on ganbaru. But they've got something just as good for American cultural values: military lingo, which this arc's been leaning in heavily on.
Tai: We'd better move it, troops. We've got the world to save! So we're down one DigiDestined; That's no problem. We can do it, right?
(Mimi hangs back)
Sora: Hmm? Mimi?
Mimi: I'm sorry, Sora. I'm not going.
Sora: Huh? Why not? Come on, what?
Mimi: Well, I just don't want to see anybody else fight or hurt themselves. I hope you understand.
Joe: Then I'm staying too.
Izzy: But why?
Joe: It's not safe for Mimi to be here all alone. I'll make sure she's okay and then, hopefully later, we can rejoin you guys. Okay?
Tai: Okay. Good luck, Joe.
Joe: Thanks. (runs off)
Gomamon: Wait for me! (chases)
Despite having far more reasons to be excited about leaving these fuckers behind, Dub Joe does not scream exuberance at the top of his lungs as he quits the party.
To avoid the 'D' word, Mimi's "I don't want to see anyone get hurt or killed again" becomes "I don't want to see anyone fight or hurt themselves". She can't even say she's afraid of them being hurt by others?
As the group further fractures, Patamon shares his concerns.
Patamon: Everyone is separating again.
Piyomon: And just when all eight of us were finally together.
Tailmon: You guys don't get it, do you?
Piyomon: Huh?
Tailmon: The roads we take are different, but our destination will be the same. We'll all get there, no matter how thorny our paths may be.
Tailmon's final words lead us out. With one last glance at Jou and Mimi staying behind, the remaining five soldiers in our nakama stride onward.
Man, escaping from her abuser and reuniting with the crew she was meant to be with has done wonders for Tailmon's outlook. Amazing how that works.
This line has so much pathos coming from her. In the woods that Vamdemon found her in, no less.
In the dub:
Patamon: Gee, now we're all gonna be split up again!
Biyomon: Just when we were finally all together!
Gatomon: You may think we're separated but we're really not.
Biyomon: Huh!?
Gatomon: The roads might be different but the place we end up in is the same. I mean, think about it. If they truly are the DigiDestined, they're destined to be together once again. At least, that's the way I hope it works out.
Narrator: Is Gatomon right? Or is this the end of the DigiDestined!? Tune in to the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.
Fucking-ass killjoy narrator! XD I like how he asks that question then just says "Tune in" without promising any answers, because the Breaking of the Fellowship is not something that will be resolved any time soon.
Also love how Tailmon drops some hopeful philosophy while Gatomon's just like, "Look, it says 'destiny' right there in the name... that we made up for the dub." But then admits that she, like Tailmon, is just running on hope at this point.
There is no sound reason in either version to believe that Yamato, Mimi, and Jou will come back, but a kitty-cat can hope.
Assessment: Man, I hope you did not come into WarGreymon vs MetalGarurumon hoping for a Versus bout because that is the least important thing that happens in this episode.
The titular fight provides a backdrop for the much more interesting fistfight between Taichi and Yamato, giving them both plentiful opportunities to project what's going on with each of them.
This was a great episode for Taichi. Not just for the characterization he got to express verbally, but also for the choices he made in the end. Remember that when this started, he was yelling in Mimi's face and freaking out about Yamato wandering off because "The eight of us must be together to defeat the Dark Masters!"
By the end of this episode, after having it out with Yamato and talking with Homeostasis, Taichi owns up to his own problem behavior just as Yamato does. Then he stands back and lets three people leave. In fact, when Mimi says she wants out because she can't stand to see anyone else die, he doesn't say a word to her. He accepts her decision without question.
I think it was the SkullGreymon thing that did it, personally. Learning that there's a wrong kind of Courage made Taichi reflect on his behavior and gain a sense of perspective towards how he treats his crew and what he expects from them. That's my interpretation.
Whatever the case, Taichi demonstrates remarkable growth not just for what he said to Yamato but for what he didn't say to any of them.
Yamato, of course, still has a long ways to go. Which he knows, and is the reason that he left.
And this officially kicks off the Jou and Mimi side-quest. Which was the last part of the show that I've been super anticipating.
The dub, expectedly, struggled with this one. They have a hard time with lore-heavy episodes and half of this episode was just Homeostasis explaining the plot. There's a lot of good information there that builds out the backstory of how they got here (and one irritating shrug), but it is a lot of narrative exposition, which is the dub's biggest weak point.
Still, they did better than expected. They had their missteps here and there but there were also multiple expository scenes that came through solid. Like Taichi, the dub showed improvement.
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