pipwatchesdigimon

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Thirty-Three: Out On the Town

it was at this moment thirty seconds in that Pip knew she was going to love this entire episode

Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon have a car. They’re a pair of bad Digimon with the gift of the gab. They’re in the human world... OUT ON THE TOWN. I am SCREECHING IN LAUGHTER. This is the best thing to come back to after tonight’s work shift. 

Matt and TK, meanwhile, are taking the subway home. 

“Matt and TK’s Mom and Dad aren’t together any more, Patamon, so even though they’re brothers they don’t live together!” says Tsunomon, and my feels explode. “So TK lives with their Mom, and Matt lives with their Dad? That explains why they try so hard to stay together all the time.” My feels explode again. 

There’s some really super clever shots here with the back of one of them in the foreground and the other reflected in the train window’s background! 

That is just... such a cool idea for a sequence! It’s like taking from the stock-standard thing of a character looking in the mirror but instead thanks to refraction it’s actually the other you see in the train window’s reflection? They’re really laying on the metaphor here, love that kind of thing. 

Unfortunately, Patamon commenting on the same moment has TK blow a fuse about the pair of Digimon listening in... and the argument escalates. Patamon flies out of the train in a huff. TK is also in a huff, and it takes the doors closing for him to snap out of it. Luckily, all three get off. Unluckily, they don’t recognise the station, and just cannot find Patamon. 

“Yeah, I’m tired, and I don’t even have any feet or legs!”

The bros have another convo as they walk, Matt comes up with the big bro truths, and TK comes around. Meanwhile Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon are messing around on some pachinko machines and yelling at each other in comic relief. A security guard swoops in, mistakes them for human children wearing costumes, and kicks the pair out. Naughty evil-cute Digis playing gambling machines. (I wonder if any of the footage of Pumpkinmon winning was censored for the Western release...) “Boy, it’s a good thing we were just about to leave!” 

As they hightail it through the street, they trip over a random human on the phone. Pumpkin and Gotsu start flinging insults, and the human starts chasing them down. Soon enough, Matt, TK and Tsuno come across the fleeing Digis. 

tsunomon is still cute even when he’s about to throw down

Tsuno-turned-Gabu apprehends Pumpkin and Gotsu and recognises them as Myotismon’s minions. Pumpkin is hasty on the explanation that they’re being chased by a human, and Matt gets her off their trail. Once the coast is clear, it turns out that whilst it’s true that Myotis sent Gotsu and Pumpkin to find the Eighth Digidestined, all they’ve actually been doing is goofing off and having fun. Not so evil after all, I guess? Just minions going their own way! 

Tell me why Everything turned around Packing up Shacking up is all you want to do... 

I’m really digging Gotsu’s design. Sorta reminds me of a gargoyle-golem-skeleton? The axe in Pumpkin’s head is really funny as well, of course. 

The chaotic pair jump onto a traffic light, and start wrecking it, because of course they do. This causes a traffic accident, because of course it does. Gabumon is reasonably frustrated. All five head off after Matt hears sirens. More hijinks ensue. 

does an out of context digimon page exist because i feel like this would be a prime candidate

Suddenly, more hijinks. Then, suddenly a storm! Then, suddenly Myotismon!!

“Losers! Failures! Instead of causing pain and suffering I find you here eating icecream!”

“Well it is stolen!”

“I don’t care about icecream!”

I am WHEEZING

“I just can’t stay mad at TK anymore! Besides, I really miss him!”

yes yes little patamon, go back already

So. Pumpkin and Gotsu are chasing Matt, TK and Gabu around the city after Myotismon demanded they grab their Crests seeing they can’t seem to find the eighth child. Pumpkin and Gotsu are less than keen on seeing their new mission through, but Myotis turns up AGAIN to make sure they have. Seeing as they hadn’t, Myotis makes short work of them in a flurry of attacks from both sides. 

let him have it, matt

Garurumon pounces. The pair fight whilst Matt reasons out his anger and upset, though unfortunately Myotismon is just too strong - he shrugs off Howling Blaster and the like with ease. Myotis’s Crimson Lightning looks to be the end but luckily err’body up in this feels train and before Garurumon can fall to his death he digivolves to WereGarurumon and launches himself up again. The aerial battle ensues around the skyscrapers, blasting out windows and lights in the frenzy of blows. WereGaruru is getting pounded by Crimson Lightning, and TK blames himself. N’aw, TK. 

TK’S FEELS ABOUT THIS ARE SO POWERFUL THAT PATAMON DIGIVOLVES REMOTELY

guess who’s back, back again, angemon’s back, tell a friend

and then Myotismon scrams, because he’s a big ol’ coward. Ah well. I really truly hope that his eventual downfall will involve all eight humans and their digimon, then. Seeing as he is the big bad evil guy and all. Give me some classic power of friendship is magic up in this here monster anime. 

“I’m sorry, Patamon. Sorry I got mad.”

“Don’t cry, TK. It’s alright.”

yes yes those be proper feels

Tonight, leave me alone, I’m lonely, alone, I’m lonely, I’m tired, leave me alone, I’m lonely, alone, I’m lonely, go away, come back, go away, come back, why can’t I just have it both ways?

Gatomon is, as far as I’m concerned, more trying to convince herself more than anyone else that she’s going to ‘get [her] claws into [Kari]’ next time. Wonder how it’ll go? Seeing as at some stage (only realising after watching it all the way through this episode) they’ve updated the introduction song footage to include Kari, Gatomon and Angewomon, it’s gotta be soon! 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Thirty-Two: Gatomon Comes Calling

Four years on after IRL got super gnarly in many ways, Lopmon1234 got in touch here asking if I was able to get back into watching and writing down my reactions. So I’ll give it a red-hot go! 

Izzy recaps. (Thank goodness there are recaps, because it has been so long, even with re-reading past posts!) He and the group are looking for the eighth child in their home world. Plus Raremon VS Kabuterimon’s battle in the previous episode whilst Tai’s family cat runs the Digivice all over the city. 

“Human blood always tastes better with a dash of fear in it.” Yikes, Myotismon; settle down! 

Oh no, he’s in the human world! The woman surprised by the carriage (and Myotis himself), seems completely transfixed and goes in for a kiss. Ok, the vampire coding is off the charts now. Surely all the kids need to do is carry garlic around and not invite him into their houses? 

Oh man, he actually bit her! This is getting dark. Meanwhile, Demidevi is ranting and raving in impatience aboard a ship. “I’m gettin’ mildew on my wings!” Maybe I’ve said this before, maybe I haven’t; but Demidevi has a similar chaotic-nasty energy as Meowth from the Pokémon anime. Scratchy loud voice and punny one-liners to boot, too. I really like that type of character. “Sheesh, you couldn’t take a cab like everyone else?” Ah, perfection. 

We rejoin Tai after the fade-to-black as he searches his room for his old phonebook, bewailing how he was a messy kid. Agumon is there, and Kari is all OK with this. Tai’s Mum does the dishes whilst the news is on TV; addressing the monsters attacking the city, and also how a lot of women have recently been hospitalised for anemia holy crap Myotismon settle down would you

Tai, Kari and Agumon scooch outside to meet up with Izzy. 

“Psst... It’s me!” 

“Tentomon, nice disguise, dude.”

“Thanks, Tai, I put it together myself.”

This is adorable and wholesome and I love them

The kids and Digimon all meet up in the park for a meeting, and all the Digimon are dressed in clothes for disguises but they look ridiculous and it’s adorable and wholesome and I love them

It’s so good to get the team back together after their rather tumultuous journey back to the human world. They’re all there brainstorming and recapping and figuring out what each plot point means whilst the majority of their ‘mon are all still in baby form; like when they originally teleported to the Digiworld and met for the first time. It’s so cool seeing Matt with Tsunomon again. That little guy is the cutest. 

Izzy goes for the full summary once Joe rocks up with Gomamon. They were all present ‘four years ago’ when ‘Parrotmon’ fought Greymon (in the events of the first movie, which I’m yet to properly see). Izzy had the eighth Digivice signal for a bit there but lost it. They’re gonna use Sora’s phone book to call their entire list of peers, watch out for more attacks on the city, and hopefully go from there. Joe backs out of the mission because of his holiday school prep, but the others completely and utterly destroy him by handing him all their phone books with dialogue that is so subtly sarcastic and flippant it’s hilarious. 

Timecut for business men to whinge about the weather, Myotismon’s barge-boat (and carriage) to come into close proximity to the train that the Digidestined are on, before sinking into the other dimension and meet up with GATOMON. Whoop, there she is! 

Aw, what an adorably evil li’l kitty cat. Demidevimon and Gatomon trade verbal insults. Two little minions fighting over their evil master’s attentions, both vowing to find the eighth child first. 

Oh my goodness here we go! Gato plays mute and meows after Kari gets her attention by mentioning Agumon, before running off. Kari leaves sadly. Ooh, so darn close! Gato tails Kari in secret, musing that she could possibly be the eighth child. At the unit block, Kari yells for Gato to come inside, saying she knew she was being followed all along. Aw. 

Sora and Mimi are on the move, searching. They aim for a big tower to see from bird’s eye view, but the tower’s also caught the attention of a big metal golem ‘mon in disguise. 

Ooh, looks like it’s Mimi, Sora, Biyo and Pal saving the day this time! 

Birdramon and Togemon take on this wrestling chained rockstar from the side of the building, before Kuwaga joins the fray. Ah, Skullmeramon, fire element. Skullmera’s fire breathe melts a bit of the tower and it starts to fall on the city. Kuwaga holds it in place whilst Tai and Agu prep. 

“Greymon, I choose you!”

Greymon’s fire attack turns out to be a bad move. Skullmera just absorbs the thing and seems to grow in stature, too. Woop, and here comes Metalgreymon to up the ante. Toge and Birdra dash in to help but get creamed. The distraction proves super helpful, though, as after trading a few more insults and moves, Metalgrey is able to dodge Skullmera’s fire breath attack, throw him full into the air, and let off a successful Gigablaster. 

why are they shooting from his nipples though

Skullmera seems to be no more. 

And my favourite evil little kitty cat figures that Kari isn’t so bad for company after all, before preparing to strike at her. Kari’s just continuously sweet and wholesome and friendly, so Gato flips out and falls off the couch. Ladies and gentlemen, Gatomon has left the building. 

“Her sweetness makes me lose my edge... but I’ll be back, and next time I’ll be ready for her...” 

GATOMON, YOU HAD EVERY OPPORTUNITY JUST NOW TO - oh, why am I bothering? Anyway, looks like I’m faced with a slower burn than I expected with this! Which is kinda nice. Was totally expecting the choirs of angels and shocked happiness and insta-bond when the pair of them first saw each other, so it’s a pleasant surprise to have this show flip the script from the first couple of episodes (where it was just a “hey we’re partners right now” thing) and actually have Gatomon come around slowly. Wondering how that’ll turn out. See you for the next episode real soon! 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Thirty One: The Eighth Digivice

Demidevi is updating Myotis about the last episode’s battles... on his Bat Signal video phone.

Yes, really. Demidevi is rather amused about it all considering it was Gatomon’s responsibility and she (Mammoth and Geso under her command, too) messed up big time by letting the kids get away again. But Myotismon does his growly thing and Demidevi scarpers into the air to continue searching (without his phone).

Next up it’s Tai and Koro walking down the street talking about Kari’s cold and how she remembered the events of four years back (with the movie!Agumon, right?) Then...

“Oh wow! Do you think it’s possible that Kari’s the eighth child?”

No no no! Storytelling NO! How is Tai, the headstrong impulsive protag meant to be the one to put two and two together (if anyone, it should be Izzy or maybe Sora)? I mean, I know that what happens because I’ve learned enough about the plot by osmosis (seeing websites in my youth and whatnot) when she bonds with Gatomon, but the great thing about not spoiling the big reveal - at some stage, I’m guessing Gato has to have her big Heel Face Turn and join the Digidestined which I’m hoping will be awesome - is not spoiling the big reveal! Gee, whoops.

Oh and look, she’s looking after the family CAT Miko. Wow, I wonder whether she’ll get with a CAT DIGIMON?? -_-’

Miko laps her milk and is distracted by someone’s Digivice beeping under the bed, as Kari greets her parents and get the lowdown on her Grandmother from her Dad. 

So that’s what Tai’s Dad looks like. Kinda hilarious to see Tai’s smirk on a man’s face. He grabs a Sapporo (sorry, Tapporo, haha) beer and there’s Mum, too, meanwhile Miko is batting at the Digivice outside on the verandah. Oops, there it goes over the railing and down into the bushes below.

Tai makes it safely home and tells his mother that camp was cancelled because of the snow. He explains away Koromon in his arms by saying he brought it home for Kari. Koro does his best smiling plush toy routine.

Yes I am feeling feels. Mum and Dad remain nonplussed but the audience all know why he’s so broken. Thank you, storytellers, for reminding us that the last few months for the Digidestined have been fraught with stress and fear; all awesome-fighting-monster-friend-shenanigans aside.

Miko is sniffing at the bushes downstairs and searching for her toy but lo and behold another cat darts out of the bushes with it in its mouth and runs off. Miko freaks out. 

Oh gosh it’s Izzy’s mum now! She looks sweet and I definitely would hang out with her. Izzy arrives and there’s a bit of dubbing weirdness and a pause where Izzy rubs his gloves on his shirt and says the food was inferior. He sallies on into his room, opens the window and Tento zips in asking why he can’t use the door. Izzy sees him to the closet (“what am I, a Molemon?”) and heads right back out the door to Tai’s house. Izzy’s mum continues making dinner whilst the TV is on, recapping the fight between Geso and Ikkaku. 

“A suspicious life form has been spotted in the bay. There’s speculation that is some kind of monster. It’s possible that it could be a whale but it seems very unlikely. There may be some connection between this monster and the giant elephant and bird that attacked a nearby town - TIME FOR SPORTS, STARTING WITH BASEBALL!”

A whale? Neither Digimon look anything LIKE a whale! I am, however; highly amused that they’re going with that punchline of ‘nobody really cares’ because it matches up with all the human reactions we’ve seen so far and almost seems like they’re poking fun at themselves. 

Izzy installs a lock on the door, rushes through his line - I can’t tell what he says here, it’s driving me nuts because it’s something important I know - but all I can get is “Youranchelon appreciate this but I think it’s imperative.”

Tentomon praises Izzy’s mum for being kind and nice looking - for a human. (but he’s never seen her, just heard her through the door...? Unless there’s been a timecut where Izzy’s mum came into the room whilst he was closed up in the cupboard?) Izzy agrees, remembering the full flashback (!) we last got AAAAAGES ago (so long ago that I can’t remember the exact episode where Izzy freaked at an old hazy memory about his parents talking about ‘when are we going to tell him’)

Heeeeeeeere’s Johnny!

Bubby Izzy listens to his parents talk after he’s been put to bed and Mum says the A word and poor Izzy silently freaks, openmouthed, at the door before stepping away quietly. Flashback ended, Izzy deals with Mum’s questions about hearing another voice in his bedroom (practicing for a sketch show, really Izzy?) and I’m struck by how these two have been overheard by the other to their detriment. 

Izzy has to justify his excuse by doing the whole comedy routine for his Mum and Dad at the dinner table, and it is a very sweet moment, especially when he lets his parents (Mum especially) how much he appreciates everything they do. 

“Did you hear him, he said that he appreciated us. I never thought we’d be so lucky as to have a son like him.”

“You’re right about that, honey.”

Adoption holds a special place in my heart - I wasn’t adopted out myself, but have had a bit of personal context and experience which changes my perception - and I don’t know but this is kind of take-a-step-back character-building stuff... once again changing the tone from cackling sidekicks and campy demonic villains “I’ll get you next time Digidestined!” from fighting monster battles and yelling out attacks (nothing against those elements at ALL though, I have much love for them too) to this is honestly just so nice, old school Pokémon mostly lacked the parental connection in the anime besides ol’ Brocko and during the movies whenever Delia, Ash’s mum, showed up so basically YES to all this and let’s continue... 

Tai gobbles food and sneakily shovels Koromon some too whilst his Mum bustles in the kitchen and Dad and Kari are laughing at the TV. Miko has been giving chase the entire time in small snapshots to keep us in the loop as to that rogue Digivice. They leap into a delivery truck, and the striped cat runs out sans Digivice. Miko is victorious! Or would be, if the delivery driver doesn’t just close the truck’s doors on Miko before she can escape too. 

Wow this ep is REALLY all over the place, jumping POVs like anything. Tai asks Kari what she remembers from four years ago. Yup, Kari remembers the whole lot. Koro asks if Kari has a Digivice, and Tai shows his to demonstrate, but Kari doesn’t think so. Ah, so it appeared just that day under her bed and already got snatched by Miko before it could be discovered? 

Long story short as now the scary dramatic music commences. Miko’s truck is heading across a bridge. Something’s swimming in the water below holding a crest. The Digivice activates, making the crest glow. The something swims up in pursuit. There’s a boat on top of the water, the captain yells that there’s something below them. The thing surfaces and... 

Dear sweet Jesus it’s SeaZombiemon. 

Nearby at Club Poseidon, partygoers are raving on to disco music. 

Sick moves, guys. Demidevi is hanging (literally) in the stairwell and their crest they’re holding also starts glowing. 

Izzy’s messing about on his laptop looking at all the programs Gennai installed. The first two are rubbish but the third time lucky shows a map of Tokyo with an unidentified Digimon they need to see to. Animated Gennai yells through the speakers that he’s the only Digidestined that’s awake. 

“Am I doing this whole Godzilla-rises-from-the-ocean-thing right, guys?”

Izzy calls around but everyone’s asleep. Unidentifiedmon trashes Club Poseidon. Hey, young white kids were sweating their balls and chewing their cheeks off in there, dude. Have some respect. 

Tento, that is most definitely NOT the definition of ‘unwanted attention’. You look like Yoda. 

The Digimon vomits all over the truck, grabs it and hurls it. It flips over, and the back falls open. Miko with the Digivice runs out and meows furiously at the Digimon. Miko legs it when it goes to stamp on her. Izzy and Tento show up just as the Digimon gives chase. 

“These aren’t the Crests you’re looking for.”

Raremon. He’s gross, basically. Tento flings off his robe (why did Izzy even HAVE that still in his room? He’s far outgrown it by now...) and Digivolves. Izzy runs off to chase after the Digivice showing up on his own. They still think it’s the eighth child about and didn’t realise it was Miko all along. Demidevi’s on the move too. 

Tai’s Mum wakes him up saying she’s concerned about Izzy. Kabuteri sends out an Electroshocker and Raremon counters with Breath of Decay. 

Yes, I like Koca-Kola too, Japan. 

Tai rings Izzy’s house and gets his Mum. Ooooooops! Kabuteri is searching for Rare who slipped back in the bay water and Rare slimes him with a Breath of Decay to the face. He falls in the water and flails. Double oooops! Miko drops the Digivice in an alley and is set on by a growling dog. She scrams and the dog sniffs the Digivice then leaves, only for a raven to move in and snatch it into the air. What is this city, animal central? 

Rare is holding Kabuteri underwater. Dark... 

Kabuteri gets away from Rare, takes to the air again and blast Rare into oblivion. Izzy’s cornered by Demidevi. Kabuteri wards him off. TV crews are already on the scene and a camera pans up to capture sighting of Kabuteri with Izzy on his back. Myotismon is not pleased, and vows to deal with it himself. Finally! Never trust a mewling minion to do your work for you, Big Bad. Izzy and Tento sneak back in through the window. Izzy goes to grab Tento some food to replenish energy after Digivolving and once again hears his parents talking about him. 

“Everybody thinks that he’s always perfect, but that’s too much to expect of him! We’ve got to give him some freedom to become his own man. Y’know, he’s got to make mistakes, that’s part of what it is to be a kid. Don’t you think so?”

Oh, so that explains the whole Mum-on-the-phone thing before where the other mother on the other end was praising Izzy endlessly and comparing him to her children. 

Sorry, turns out Miko is a male. Sorry, kitty cat. Tai gets the signal again on his Digivice and it’s the raven flying up ahead. Kari sees her blinking Digivice as a pink star in the sky and marvels at how pretty it is. Ah, no; so close yet so far! Please, make it soon. 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Will be back with a new episode recap ASAP!

Updates

Ok so the long and short of this unexplained hiatus with everything creative-hobby-related is not only did my laptop hard drive experience a total and unrecoverable failure rendering myself completely unable to do anything except for phone and tablet stuff, but soon after my (partitioned and extremely important) external hard drive’s USB port fell off, gave off a burning smell when I used a replacement, freaked out and disconnected as soon as I realized it was fried, then had no spare time or money to deal until last week when I booked it in to the closest-to-home place I know and hoped to all the saints it would be 100% recoverable.

Just got a voicemail saying it is, with a slightly hiked up price admittedly (still cheaper than every other mob in the wider area!) but that’s no issue when it comes down to the fact all - ALL - the digital photos and home movies are saved on there and I (stupidly) never thought to upload to another backup service on the cloud or another physical drive.

Sorry I’ve been so dead. Have only been lurking around social media and the like. Haven’t had the chance to work on anything over the past weeks. Stress and worry levels have been through the roof with these two issues compounding. New laptop amazing but so small I’m going to have to rely on whatever new hard drive they give me with all the recovered data to run any programs or store large music files. My impeccable iTunes playlists - I’ll miss you…

Picking up data on Monday morning. Then I can finally get back into stuff.

[pipwatchesdigimon]

I've gone and put the current disc somewhere safe and promptly forgotten where that safe place is!! Super worried it's lost permanently... I have been combing the whole house... Maybe I could just use the alternate source in the meantime? Hate losing things...

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Thirty: Almost Home Free

Alright, thirty episodes! Let’s get this show on the road! 

Word of warning, I haven’t seen any past this point; English or Japanese. I tend to write more detail about things when I’m new to them. These recaps could get pretty hefty with screencaps and nitpicking... 

All the amusement that everyone just defaults to male pronouns when discussing the eighth Digidestined child. 

We meet up with Myotis and Demidevi who are... somewhere? 

Did Myotis just find an abandoned unit room somewhere to chuck his coffin (which he didn’t take with him, by the way; unless I’m very much mistaken) and store his bats? Are the bats actually physical and not just a spawning attack? Or are these random Earth bats and nothing to do with him? 

Both ‘mon call Earth the ‘real world’. Uh, gee, didn’t we already establish that the Digiworld is real as Earth? And why are they discussing this like they’re back on Digiworld - when they all deliberately travelled to Earth to go searching in the first place? 

Perhaps this all stems from what I’m guessing is Myotismon’s aversion to light so he has his minions do his work for him. In that case why did he set up shop right in the middle of that beam? 

Gatomon is bouncing around like a ninja from street-light to street-light and being evil-cutesy. This dude-mon whom we haven’t been introduced to yet is doing magic for the human kids for some reason; guess it’s to see if the duplicate Digivice will activate? 

Think he’s called Wizardmon? He has a pretty sweet design. I like the gloves and hat and bigass eyes. 

Aaaand this 'mon  - ironically the cliched disguise is doing its work as I can’t pick who it is. Or perhaps they’re new too. 

The Digidestined need to catch the subway. Tai, being the one who lives closest, explains a bit. They can’t resist chucking in a joke about the extremely convoluted Japanese subway lines. 

“Hey guys, uh so with this plotline we have about the Digimon coming back to Earth with the humans... what about all the people that would notice that these seven kids have strange living creatures around that definitely aren’t stuffed animals?”

“Uh... I think you mean... what people?”

“But the subways are always packed with people so-”

“Listen, we can kill two birds with one stone if we simply don’t animate any other humans in. Less work for us and less troublesome delays for the kids.”

“Yeah but that’s not exactly realistic-”

“This is a story about Digital Monsters, Miyazaki-san; not realistic train lines! They’re deserted and that’s final!”

Izzy’s laptop manages to nut out all the transfers they’ll have to make to get where they need to go. Koromon and the other Digimon are full of questions about this strange stuff. It’s kinda cute but then Patamon both speaks and has his mouth closed and I really can’t stand that just rub out the closed mouth for goodness’s sake

It looks like he has a nose and his eyes are all wonky and ugh, the other three didn’t exactly fare any better in this shot. 

“Ssshh!! C’mon guys, not another word out of you from now on, ok? We don’t want anybody seeing you and then asking a bunch of questions that we don’t want to explain the answers to!”

I’m not sure whether this rings true the entire season but Joe needs a verbal editor. I guess that’s just part of his ‘particular’ personality in a headcanon sort of way. That scolding could have easily been cut in half. Ah, then again there is lip-flap to deal with. 

Koro and Tsuno are nerving themselves out about all the new stuff like disembodied voices from the subway speaker alerting passengers that the train’s approaching and “I don’t like being underground,” goes Tsuno with a big ridiculous smile on his face so I guess whatever he said in Japanese wasn’t so negative. I didn’t think it’d be possible to miss his original voice from the first ep quite as much as I do but there you go. 

“Hello, you appear pleasant.”

The train approaches and the pair freak out that its lights are a Digimon’s glowing eyes - and for some stupid reason jump right in the path of it rather than away?? I mean, if you’re freaked out about one of Myotismon’s goons approaching what on earth is jumping in front of it going to accomplish? Never mind that it isn’t and they’re about to get hit by a train. They are in fact hit by the train and after it’s breezed past this happens: 

Digiworld physics or summin’. I’ve given up trying to work out how they got airborne after landing on the tracks and having nowhere to go. 

Sora gives a woman and baby a seat and it stops crying to start tugging on Yoko’s flower incessantly. Poor Yoko tolerates it until she can’t and bellows at the kid to let go. Everyone’s in stunned silence. “I guess my toy didn’t like it when you pulled on him,” Sora manages without moving her mouth one bit. Guys, when the character doesn’t speak, the character isn’t required to speak. 

Izzy 2.0 (the voice actor, at least) from down the carriage yells out how the stuffed animal talked and Sora’s out of ideas until she isn’t. She pulls the ol’ ventriloquism thing to the whole staring carriage and thankfully it pays off. Izzy 2.0 demands the same toy a la Veruca Salt and his father asks Sora where she bought it. They’re just pulling in to Nerima station so Sora blurts out it was the “Nerima Department Store” - haha, pulled a swifty there being so vague - and the entire carriage empties because they’re all after a Yokomon apparently, including the mother and baby and Yoko chirps “Bye-bye!” after them which is the sweetest thing ever; as is the sychronised sigh from the Digidestined once the train pulls out again. 

At Nakano station - their stop - everyone has dozed off simultaneously. Alrighty... Patamon is the only one to stir and realise they’re meant to get off the train, but Palmon hushes him because they’re not supposed to be talking and moving and they miss it entirely. Oops. The train terminates at Shinjuku and Izzy makes the executive decision to change trains. Everyone’s starving so they head into the massive crowds (ah, so they can animate other people!) and Izzy and Joe get separated from the others. 

Ahahaha Gomamon doing extremely well at the limp plushie thing. They nearly run into the sorta-Andromon-looking leather jacket ‘mon on the street but thanks to some sight gags the pair escape notice and rejoin the others at the top floor of a fast food joint. 

Tai tries to hitch a ride on the side of the road and there’s an odd moment when Matt gets embarrassed that he can’t come up with a better plan after having a go at Tai’s attempt. More dubbing errors I guess. 

Sora’s cousin just so happens to spot them. “Hi dweeb!” Joe asks what the odds of that happening are and Izzy actually gives him a number. At least the pessimist actually calls out the ridiculous coincidence, but we gotta get our ‘destined to Odaiba somehow I guess, after all this padding. 

Too loud! 

Dweeb changes the radio station and it’s a news broadcast about a strange explosion in Nerima at - you guessed it - the Highton View Terrace. Some humans even spotted Mammothmon and Garuda. Koromon goes poopie on the back seat, everyone bails out of the van, Dweeb freaks out and accosts Joe, Izzy tries to break it up and Dweeb shoves him off the walkway where he’s about to fall in the river. 

Moti becomes Tento and without further ado the bad Digimon of the day rocks up out of the river’s water. 

Gesomon’s design is kinda awesome. Reminds me of a Numemon, almost, but with more street cred and less aversion to the sun. 

Dweeb freaks and runs. Goma leaves some parting words for him and turns into Ikkaku. The pair are trading moves in the water and all the civilians start noticing (as you would) and gathering around. “My money’s on the big hairy one!” Gee, nobody’s really freaking to the absolute max that strange (some could say impossible) creatures and monsters are popping up seemingly out of nowhere and trashing their city. Everyone just kinda puts it down to ‘filming a movie’. Some odd cultural blindness to hey these things are alive and not animatronics and CERTAINLY not of this world. 

So somehow - because it’s not at all explained in either animation or dialogue - Geso is defeated (or at least stunned) and there’s a timecut to Ikkaku breezing through the water carrying kids and logs for others to sit on. 

Sorry for image spam but this is the sweetest shot I think I have ever seen of Izzy and Tento. <3 kyaaaa...

Also I love clouds and sunsets sooooo... 

Wait, that’s the end. Well the art is certainly lovely and great to finish upon but whatever happened to Geso? I know they’re trying to keep a low-ish profile when they can but I wanted more than one Harpoon Torpedo and a ton more action shots. Oh well... 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Twenty Nine: Return To Highton View Terrace

Highton View Terrace? That doesn’t sound Japanese at all! 

We rejoin the group straight after the end of the last ep. The kids are still relieved to be back on Earth - although they could be a tad more if you ask me. I know they’re only meant to be quite young but didn’t Mimi even pretty much have it in mind that she was never going to see her home again when she decided to be a princess instead? 

Tai runs off to check out the camp at large and just how much time has passed after all. He calls out for a volunteer to join him but three Digimon (and then the rest of the crew) tramp down the stairs after him instead. Koromon loses his balance given he has no limbs. I’d say the change between Koro and Agu would be the most annoying to adjust to. Grey and Metalgrey are just pretty much giant Agu with more gear. 

So the group at large - huzzah, they’re sticking to what Gennai advised! - decide to all go together. Then... the teacher rocks up! “Mr Fujiyama!” Tai says. 

His last name is Mount Fuji?? 

Fujiyama demands to know what they’re still doing up here and not packing up with the other kids. Koromon opens his big mouth and starts to introduce himself but Tai muffles him before Fuji can realise. 

“Look at those dirty little toys you’re carrying!”

Motimon - understandably - is pissed off; but the kids use it to their advantage and as a group weave a tale about finding them thrown out up on the trail so they did the right thing and brought them back. 

Oh. Kari was meant to be at camp with them? AHHHHHH OK HAI EIGHTH CHILD

So Gato and Demidevi are checking the skyscrapers out and commenting on how crowded the human world is. 

Being a vamp, Myotis can’t move during the daylight - or at the least get hit by the sun - and he sounds pretty awful even though he’s lurking in the shadows. He tosses Gato the child’s crest and tag to start off searching and he’ll rejoin them at sundown. 

The kids are psyching up their Digimon partners to act as much like stuffed animals as they can before they rejoin the bus groups. Everymon is pretty surprised to hear just how many people - and children specifically - there are in the human world. Mimi spots her friends and gives them both hugs, saying she missed them so much. “You just saw me ten minutes ago!”

“She’s wigging out. Too much caffeine!”

So even though they don’t live there any more - huh? thought they must have - the kids need to get to this Terrace and ask Fujiyama if they could get a lift. Although the bus driver isn’t all that fazed by this, and (eventually) figures out it’s quite close by to their route anyway, it’s against school policy to do dropoffs anywhere other than... (I don’t know, the school? their homes? I thought Tai DID live there??) and Matt pulls the my-parents-got-divorced card which is hella cold but hella conniving. 

AAAND guess who would get fired/sued on the spot in this day and age??? 

This schmuck. 

Some of the Digimon are relegated to the storage compartments above the seats on the bus, but the smaller - Moti, Koro, Tsuno - are able to sit in laps and such. Izzy’s laptop has survived the months as being data itself and so have the Digivices. 

“What’s that? Is that the latest toy all you kids are into?”

Er, well they were at some point in my childhood, yeah. Fuji takes a look at Sora’s Digivice but this certain uneasy plot point goes nowhere except to him snooping on Tai and Izzy’s conversation and then tickling Tai? Ew BAD TOUCH BAD TOUCH DON’T COME UP FROM BEHIND AND START TICKLING THE STUDENTS OMG

Gatomon is frustrated that with every child she comes across - and there’s a lot - the eighth child still hasn’t been one of them. She has to defend herself against a dog who seems to be on the loose (although is wearing a collar) but no issue there. 

Cut to Gato being menaced upon nightfall. 

“Please don’t hurt me your Evilship, I swear he’s not here-”

“Silence, Gatomon!”... 

Myotis rises from his coffin. Demidevi is carrying a ton of copies of the tag and crest which will still activate when the eighth child is nearby but only Myotis holds the original. 

“And when you do find him, then he must die!”

Woah, they said it! 

The kids meanwhile discover whilst chatting - after being dropped off by bus - that they all lived at Highton View Terrace before any of them knew each other. Spooooky! 

Gato sets Mammothmon on them. He starts wrecking the whole place. This dude has the cajones to yell at Mammoth when his motorbike gets flung and totalled. “Hey! Respect other people’s property ya big walking shag carpet!”

So this dude can not only see him for real but doesn’t have a major big issue with the fact there’s a hugeass mecha mammoth just standing there? “Hey! Whoever owns this elephant should know there’s a leash rule (?) round here!”

Are Tai and Co ABSOLUTELY SURE they got to the right dimension after picking the Gomamon card?? This dude is pretty upset about his bike but doesn’t seem to realise it’s 1) not an elephant and 2) not even from this world. Nor do the other people who spot Mammoth once he runs into an intersection and causes a massive traffic jam. 

“If that’s a car, it’s got an awful lot of trunk space!”

I’m legit pissing myself laughing ahahahahahaha oh lordy this show

Shit gets serious real fast after that amazing pun and Joe starts telling a story of how four years back there was a terrorist bombing and plenty of parents - like Izzy’s, for instance - moved away in fear. 

PLUM

OW PLUM

NEW MELLOW PLUM

DID THEY REALLY HAVE TO MAKE THESE STUPID TRANSLATION EDITS POP OUT FROM THE BACKGROUND SO MUCH

HONESTLY, THERE’S HIRAGANA ON THE OTHER SIGNS AND THEY’RE DEFINITELY IN JAPAN IN THE DUB AS WELL AS SORA JUST MENTIONED ODAIBA

WHY DID THEY FEEL THE NEED TO DO THIS EYESORE OF AN EDIT IT’S SO DISTRACTING IT’S MORE IN THE FOREGROUND THAN THE CHARACTERS ARE EVEN THOUGH HIDDEN BEHIND JOE’S HAIR A BIT

SHODDY

And they couldn’t even be assed to have proper continuity if the edit just got too difficult. 

The kids find Mammothmon whilst following the cops. Izzy finds him on the laptop Digidex (Analyzer my ass) and finds out he’s fully Digivolved. The Digimon take stock and assume battle positions but most are still at their tiny stages. 

Tsunomon is still hella cute when he’s angry, though. Anyway, Biyomon-turned Birdramon takes centre stage. Mammoth is unfazed by Meteor Wing and sends out a Tusk Crusher, felling her for a moment. 

TK takes this moment to yell something about how there were two monsters. Matt relates how after the terrorist bombing TK was adamant even at such a young age that he’d seen two monsters, but their mother doesn’t want to hear it. 

Wait just one second. 

HOLY SHIT THEY’RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE FIRST 20MIN MOVIE ARE THEY?? WHEN PARROTMON TAKES ON GREYMON?? 

HOOOOOLY SHIIIIIIT! That’s actually CANON?! 

OMG THEY ARE

Garudamon hits the ground to protect Tai and Sora from Tusk Crusher, then jumps on Mammoth and goes for a ride. 

Tai meanwhile finally dredges up the rest of his repressed childhood memory and relates it. 

Yes dubbers we can plainly spot awful edits to a closed mouth that you needed lipflap on. 

Garuda actually disintegrates Mammoth with a Wing Blade. Sora chucks an Ash and catches the falling Yoko. The kids take stock regarding this battle and the one four years ago (which may have been another Koro or not?? it’s inconclusive at this stage given Koro’s admission that he thinks he found Tai familiar even at their first meeting on File Island) then the cops and other emergency services arrive so they scram - not wanting to get questioned. 

“Y’know, I always thought it was kinda strange that out of all the kids at camp we were the only ones chosen to go to the Digiworld. And I knew it couldn’t just be coincidence. Somehow we were all connected by some common event. Today I discovered what that event was. [...] Four years ago we were all living at Highton View Terrace at the same time, and all of us saw those two Digimon fight.”

Naturally this means the eighth child saw the battle as well. 

And they keep referring to them as he... 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Twenty Eight: It’s All In The Cards

What on earth is with this card thing? So anyway the kids reconvene somehow with Gennai and take five. The Devidramon are meanwhile playing at being gargoyles on top of Myotismon’s castle. 

So somehow the kids got away from them at some stage or whatever and got far enough away from the castle that they could reconnect with Gennai. Make the story of how that all went down on your own, kiddies. 

“If that rotten creep goes on a rampage in the real world lots of innocent people will get hurt!” That’s ‘die’, Sora, but even Mewtwo calls it ‘leave this world’ so I know about the censors and all. 

Everyone’s pulling a different expression that have nothing to do with the situation at hand in that shot, too. 

Koromon is cute as hell as always. 

“Any door can be opened with the right keys,” Gennai reassures them all, and sends out a glowing spotlight beaming out the direction of his house so they can all properly reconvene with this mysterious old man finally in the flesh. 

They end up on the shores of a lake. 

After staring blankly at the back of the Gennai-gram for the entire exchange, poor ol’ Mimi freaks at the thought of swimming that her voice actually distorts like it wasn’t processed properly on the recording. “My hat! My beautiful hat!” 

Gomamon meanwhile has been exploring the water. 

He’s also adorable and I also want one because I have a thing for monsters with face markings. His animators really went to town on all the closeup shots he has in this episode. They look awesome. 

Gennai’s spotlight goes all Moses on the group and parts the water right under Goma. 

"And then the water parted! And then marching fishes died! And then suddenly oil spilled everywhere! And everyone got acne and it was gross. And then everyone was nerds for the rest of their lives.”

The group trucks on down and come to a beautiful Japanese styled house and garden and Gennai’s there for real standing on a bridge. He walks up to them and gives them a few quick answers to all the rapid fire questions from the humans which pretty much don’t answer anything. Why are they Digidestined? Chosen by whom? Is Gennai a human or Digimon? Etc. 

That’s a really awful rendition of Australia - and New Zealand didn’t fare any better either apparently. We’re missing Tasmania and NZ has been squished into one tiny island even smaller than its smallest one of two. But who’s caring about that - we’re zooming in on Japan; and the human’s home town. Right where Myotismon is at the time. The kids freak, but Gennai leads them into what looks like a study and places some Digimon trading cards down for them to look at. No really. Trading cards. Even though Matt calls them ‘keycards’. 

I know I joked about Yu-Gi-Oh! and all last recap but really this is just getting ridiculous. 

The cards are supposed to sit here to open the gate. Trouble is there’s ten cards and only nine spots; so one’s useless. This sounds like an awfully specific way to open a magical portal to the human world. Who came up with this system?? 

Tai just wants to try them all until they work, but Gennai freaks at him and starts going on about opening up portals to completely different worlds again other than the Digiworld and the human world (such as a world where Digimon and people 'switch skin’) ... and then getting stuck there forever. I would have thought a sneaky little maths explanation about how ridiculous trying every permutation would be and how it would take forever would work much better here rather than something that’s probably never going to be touched on again and make me - the dimension-crossing-fiction addict - rather disappointed. 

Izzy stays up late asking Gennai more questions whilst everyone else slumbers. Everything in the Digiworld is made up of computer data from the human world. We knew that already, sorta. But then Gennai explains that the oddities cropping up are due to errors in the data. OMG, so that means the phones and the fridge and the tram happen after someone’s Blue Screen of Death?! 

Gennai is also made up of data but according to him he has no ‘attributes’ and thus is not a Digimon. Attributes explain things like Digivolution and attacks and whether a Digi is good or evil. Hm... ‘Data’, ‘Virus’, ‘Vaccine’ classes. Oh, ok. More Wiki styled explanation. 

The next day Gennai has modded Izzy’s computer so it can access data for the Digimon Analyzer (STAT SCREEN!) through everyone else’s Digivices and store their info too. He then bids them farewell and tells them he can’t help them any more when they head back to Myotismon’s castle. Wat? 

When the kids do so there’s a really obvious sound effect of a wolf howling. Obviously not the Devidramon as they make completely different sounds. 

Tentomon nominates himself to take them out as MegaKabuterimon whilst the rest scram through the door. He also somehow manages to fix the warp in space so there’s no odd gravity any longer before he becomes Motimon again. 

That’s how I feel too, Tai. I watch monster shows to watch monsters, not cards. Everyone tries to figure out the pattern in different ways next to the portal. All rumination of course. Izzy mentions star signs which is interesting. 

Patamon goes next to find out what the disturbance is up the stairs and comes back with dire news: the whole place is coming down around them and they’re fast running out of time. Joe nominates Tai to decide on the cards. He does the whole “why me?” Chosen One thing but the other kids inspire him to give it a shot. Suddenly... 

What the hell are these things?! Nightmarefuelmon??

Tai turns around at the door and tells Izzy to do it instead. I thought everyone just said Tai should choose them? But after being surprised as well, Izzy takes heart. Thankfully his Digimon Analyzer comes to the rescue and indicates that the Sagittarius and Leo symbols are actually Centarumon and Leomon. And the monkey that he was confused about earlier? Etemon the King, of course! 

Izzy thinks back to his talk with Gennai about Data, Virus and Vaccine types. Leomon is Data, Centarumon is Virus, and Etemon is Vaccine. Number of stars are In Training, Rookie and Champion. 

Oh, so he has to either choose his own Digimon or Joe’s? Yikes. Suddenly Spidermon from the ceiling. 

Yeah alright. Ikkakumon, Togemon and Garurumon fight them off whilst Tai lays the cards down carefully. Biyomon gets in the game when they head for Sora. Dokugumon ups the ante with her two attacks and has the other three trapped so Garurumon Digivolves again and immobilises her. 

Tai flips the cards both upside down and snatches one without looking - he upturns Gomamon’s and picks that one on a whim. Ah, whatever works for you, Tai. The door opens and everyone legs it. WereGaruru smashes Dokugu and she dies like Kokatori way back when. Matt grabs him as Tsuno and the pair of them are the last through the now closing door. 

Oh, it’s the dimension-falling scene from the first ep! 

And oh look they’re right back where they started!! 

But where are their Digimon? 

Yeah, that sad music and dialogue fakeout didn’t have me for a SECOND actually it did for a tiny moment

“Now that we’re home, we don’t have to eat leaves anymore!”

Ah, Joe... 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Twenty Seven: The Gateway To Home

We open with the Digidestined and Digimon relaxing by the water’s edge somewhere. Joe and Tai are raving about collecting water in plastic bags they’d pinched from Digitamamon’s (or whatever he was called) restaurant. 

WAIT just one second. Last episode they were being threatened by Myotismon and he was coming after them that very moment?! Now cutting to this serene opening right away? But-

Why did they feel the need to jump cut past that whole cliffhanger thing and treat this episode like a new beginning considering the whole hey we’re episodic like a proper show not like Pokémon which you can miss several episodes and yet catch up in a flash if you need to? Seriously, just end on a happy note then back with Sora and not worry about the dun dun DUN to keep viewers watching. You’re already a season’s worth of episodes in. The dedicated watchers are going to keep being the dedicated watchers; yaknow? 

Cue more puns and jokes. I won’t list them all but needless to say Mimi’s still girly, Joe’s still maudlin, Tai’s still dubbingly weird ("Yeah, he’s small potatoes to us!” but isn’t that small fry if you’re not trying to match up to the lip flap - as in small fish not small french fries??)

Izzy runs up and says Gennai wants to speak with them all and Joe and Mimi speak their lines at exactly the same moment rendering Joe practically intelligible. 

Mimi: “Is this a scheduled visit?”

Joe: “Hope he’s found a way (I think that’s it?) to get us out of here!”

Gennai has good news and bad news. Joe nominates to hear the bad news first and keep the good news for the end - a guy after my own heart. But Matt goes against that and asks for the good news first. Gennai says he’s been told that there’s going to be another human child joining the Digidestined group. Sora gets right to the unasked point at hand (onya Sora!) and wants to know who told Gennai this. He completely ignores her question but insists that they have to find the eighth child as soon as possible and from then on stick together otherwise the Digiworld won’t be in harmony. 

Everyone starts guessing at gender and size and whatnot and Tai asks what their name is - but Gennai’s already forgotten. The kids freak. Gennai reassures them and lets them know the eighth child is in Japan. Gabumon wonders where that is and Agumon explains it’s in the East. 

Gennai’s bad news is that Myotismon is already clued in and is soon to be travelling to Japan with his forces. Um, how? How do Digimon deliberately cross the dimensions when it was just an accident with Tai and Koromon? So Tai yells that they need a mole. And no, not a Drimogemon... but a spy that can report back regarding Myotis’s movements. 

Sad Demidevimon is sad. He’s facing a bunch of Numemon, Vegiemon, and a Sukamon and Chuumon. Please say I got them all right it’s been so long since I’ve been watching this show

“Augh! The noodle-brainer team!”

Nanimon is standing above them and promises to whip them all into shape. 

Dear God what is that Digimon a head with arms and legs bro do you even lift

he looks like my partner minus the popping veins and bald head

Yeah I’m probably reaching on that one but... 

“Ok, big boy! We know you can talk the talk, but now it’s time for you to do your stuff!”

That’s not how the saying goes and changing ‘do your stuff’ to ‘walk the walk’ fits perfectly with the lip flap but ok

Here are our spies from the good side. Really digging the dreds and necklace there, Palmon. Agumon’s fro and neck scarf really do add a certain je ne sai quoi as well. 

“I’m PunkAgumon!”

“I’m ReggaePalmon!”

“YEAH!”

“What a couple of weirdos. You’re perfect - I’ll take ya!”

Myotismon is reading a book in the West Wing. 

Demidevi knocks at the door and announces that the soldiers are ready to move out. Myotis asks if they’re ready and Demidevi says yes but then a phantom voice chuckles and calls them ‘helpless sea-slugs’. 

Gatomon’s adorable and evil and I WANT ONE

Isn’t this the eighth Digimon character though? I’ve seen enough promotional material that indicates as such. If so... What?! Does she do a Heel-Face Turn and turns good when she bonds with the eighth Digidestined human?! OMG are they really going to pull that card OMG this show aaaaa I can’t WAIT

Gatomon is further dismissive of Demidevi’s soldiers. Demidevi is pissed. Myotismon cuts it out and asks if Gato did what he asked. “Yes! Per your instructions I searched everywhere and found the most ferocious Digimon I could find. You’ll be very pleased.” Geddit, geddit? Per and PURR? ‘cause she’s a CAT, GEDDIT

A Bakemon rocks up and says the room is ready and Myotis dismisses the other two and goes through a hidden corridor in his room. Down the stairs, more Bakemon are scrubbing the floor in a panic. They scram when Myotis approaches. 

Oh, so the door is the portal to Japan. Ok, got it. Cut to Digidestined chatting to Gennai and getting more info about portals and Myotismon’s plan and whatnot. Tai is a little concerned about how long Agumon and Palmon have been. 

They’re doing pushups and not looking for the location of the portal. The whole team is wrecked whilst the Vegiemon give Nanimon (the nani is right - I mean WHAT?) an arm massage. The Sukamon pipes up after Agumon and Palmon start bitching about blisters on blisters that he used to train with the Nanimon before and knows how to stop the rigorous workouts. “He liked to drink soda! But the bubbles go right to his head and make him as dipsy as a doodlemon!”

Chuumon pops up. “He gets real kooky and he’ll do anything you want!” “His stomach will fill with bubbles!”

Obvious dub is obvious. They plan on getting him drunker than the basted with white wine goose from Aristocats. One of the Numemon sneak away to grab some ‘soda’ and send it down with parachutes. 

Oh look, it’s my partner again before I called him out on being a raging alcoholic and he cleaned up his act. 

Nanimon passes out. Yay, let’s grab a permanent marker and draw dicks on his face! Palmon and Agumon scram. “Bubble fizz won’t last forever!” 

Palmon sends down a Poison Ivy to everyone outside. Meanwhile Myotismon is studying the backs of some Digimon TCG cards. Patamon, Gabumon, Matt and TK are walking down a hallway and Patamon starts speaking yet his mouth doesn’t start till he’s just about finished his sentence. The castle starts sending people upside down as they’re exploring in a Labyrinth-centric way. 

Now is NOT the time to start complaining about how things are scientifically impossible, Izzy! Myotis meanwhile sends Gato and Demidevi off to gather everyone as he’s ready to go. After they’ve left he lets the audience know that his minions won’t be sharing in the rewards. “I hold all the cards! And they are no longer a mystery.” What is this; Yu Gi Oh? 

The kids reunite and surmise all these castle tricks must be a way to stop the kids from finding the gate portal. Gomamon hears shadowy Digimon soldiers nearby and the group decides to follow them to their obviously important destination. 

Myotis lays the cards on the table. Literally. 

Gatomon yells something unintelligible (covered in mud!) and her soldiers head through the now open portal. The Digidestined run after them down the stairs and for whatever reason Myotismon asks if they work for him then tells Demidevi to deal with the ‘annoyance’? Um they JUST battled last episode. He’s been chasing them for a long while according to this episode’s beginning. He should know Demidevi and his soldiers are no match for them. 

The group - bar Patamon of course because apparently Angemon is just that special a thing - Digivolve to their champion forms and spook the soldiers so bad they scram. Nanimon is not far behind them and after waving a white flag runs off, leaving behind a flying poop which lands right on Demidevi. He gets taunted until Gatomon rocks up from somewhere and punches Greymon in the nose. For whatever reason she’s faster and stronger than all their digivolutions attacking at once? Overpowered much. Is she Champion grade already? But she’s still in the cute phase. 

The kids head for the door knowing Gatomon is distracted but she notices and the rings on her tail glow; turning the gargoyles around them into Digimon. Devidramon; the same one carrying Myotis’s carriage through the air. The Digimon attack the Devidra with their signature moves but they’re looking unscathed and send off a hypnosis attack of some sort with their four eyes apiece. The fighting begins anew. 

Patamon and his Boom Bubble is meanwhile guarding the rapidly closing gate against Demidevi. Greymon crash tackles one of the Devidra and the kids make a dash for it but are stopped by another. “Go through it!” Greymon insists, being choke-held by the Devidra. Tai reacts, gripping his Digivice, and Greymon digivolves again to take them down with Giga Blaster. They finally have their way clear but Gatomon - who hasn’t been doing a darn thing the entire time I guess - bashes Patamon away from Demidevi, then taunts them from the safety of the closing door. Tai nearly gets there but runs right into the just-slammed door and bounces back. Oh, he has Ash physics! 

Episode once again ends on a cliffhanger. Wonder if we’ll open next episode to another relaxing-by-the-lake montage? 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Twenty Six: Sora’s Quest Of Love

Back on the swan! That being said it looks a little worse for wear by this stage. Somehow the kids n digis have managed to duct tape it. Matt, TK and Izzy show up on the ridge above. Yeah, everyone’s getting back together! That is, except for Sora. 

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you! My, you’ve... grown shrunk!”

“Don’t rub it in!”

Why do they go back to these forms after digivolving to their ultimate forms and not the very first baby Digimon form? Is that an energy thing - so they have enough energy still after expending so much to keep to these forms and yet not their next? Why isn’t Motimon a Pabumon and Koromon a Botamon? What’s Tsunomon’s de-digivolution? 

Omg Punimon’s not as cute, waaaaaah! Digimon wikis are great but all this wealth of information at hand is a bit overwhelming because apparently Tsunomon can digivolve from three different digimon and it then can digivolve into a whole heap! (Least of all Elecmon, who we’ve met before in the anime) I’m not quite up to scratch with all this. I do remember the old Digimon tamagotchi that my sister had (and I henceforth took under my wing) used to work that way and branch out depending on the environment and feeding schedule (or something...) so it’s not so much a surprise as it is a ‘revision’ of their canon. I’m more used to the structured Pokémon evolution thing to be honest. 

Back to the ep. Everyone gets talking about Sora and Mimi mentions her nightmare which Sora chased away. Matt thinks it might just have been a dream but then Koromon (with his more recent chewing-gum voice) relates the time Sora called out to him not to eat the mushrooms of forgetfulness back when he was Agumon still. TK wonders what I’ve been wondering all this time - if she’s around why is she not rejoining the group? In any case they all start after her using their Digivices to point the way. 

“Because of your stupidity all my evil plans have failed!”

Yeah see this is why I love Digimon villains so far. They love being evil. Nothing like an antagonist and anti-hero and all in fiction but Devi, Ete and Myotis rejoice in being your cliched, two-dimensional bad guys. Maybe I’m looking way too much into this - sure, it’s a kid’s show - but motivation-wise; these guys know they’re fabulously evil as sin (c’mon, just look at that costume), just seem to want to fuck shit up for more power and completely relish punishing their minions in the meantime. 

Demidevimon announces during Myotismon’s first stat screen. “And he’s got all those bats. I hate bats!” 

Dude. You ARE a bat! 

Demidevi prostrates himself. Myotis is concerned about the crests all starting to glow. Demidevi reassures him that Sora’s crest still hasn’t activated and once she meets up with the rest of the Digidestined that’s when Demidevi will get them. 

The team meanwhile are completely wrecked after walking. Matt spots a signal on his Digivice. 

NO TK THAT BUZZING IS NOT SORA

Koromon yells that’s Flymon. 

Yeah, I said I’d stop doing that; but I lied. Beedrill are just the go-to Pokémon for the anime whenever they need something to attack in a forest. This Flymon is not a swarmer, though, I guess? He’s madly divebombing the group and shooting stingers from his rear. Koromon and Tsunomon both Digivolve. The group attack at large (Motimon is the only one not Digivolving yet and sounds even more like Jar Jar Binks than ever) but everyone’s attacks either fall short or are deflected. 

Birdramon rocks up and pwns Flymon with a Meteor Wing, then scrams. The group run after her. Sora’s running away too but somehow Tai gets in front of her. Matt blocks her backwards progress. She refuses to say a word to their worried questions until TK asks if she doesn’t like them any more. 

Biyomon urges Sora to tell the group what’s going on. Sora relates how she chanced upon Demidevi talking to Myotis through a portal about the crests. Each one has a special meaning to their wearer. For instance, Tai with his crest of courage needing to summon his own inner courage to face the firewall. Sora lists everyone’s crests. Then she tells them hers is the crest of love. Tai mentions that it’s perfect for her but she yells that it’s not. 

They couldn’t even be bothered to properly position Tai’s mouth when redrawing the lip flap to match with the rewritten script: they put the bottom lip where the top should be omg this bothers me so much, every TIME

Sora’s just as frustrated with this and yells at him to back off because he doesn’t know the first thing about her. She then looks down sadly and apologises... then explains it’s because her crest just won’t glow because she doesn’t have any love. 

“I don’t get it. Why is it that girls always have to get so emotional when it comes to love?”

That’s a bit sexist, Tai - and a whole lot more straight-faced than I’d be expecting. How old are these kids again? Surely only just past the whole ‘boy germs; girl germs’ thing? Matt calls him out and the pair bark at each other. 

Demidevimon is so cute when he’s being evil I can’t even deal

In the rest of the flashback he accosts Sora and jeers at her crest of love, proclaiming that she’ll never be able to make it glow. So taking the obviously evil route here rather than trickery or deception? Running out of ideas, Demidevi? 

“That’s it? I thought it was something serious like they were gonna stop making those stuffed beanbag animals. Besides, Demidevimon is a liar!”

What does that first sentence mean, Tai? 

MOAR flashbacks. Sora’s family owned a flower shop. Her mother was really dedicated to it. There was a soccer match that day and Sora pleaded with her mother to go, but she has an injured knee and her mother refuses. She goes on to tell Sora she wants her to stop playing soccer and come work at the shop, then when Sora refuses she puts the foot down. Sora bursts into tears and runs off. “Why can’t you understand?!”

“I walked around for hours. I found myself at the soccer field.”

I’m not on anyone’s side here but if you have an injured knee for God’s sake don’t be putting that much strain on it! So of course Sora’s team lost 6-3. 

“My teammates were so depressed, that they didn’t even notice me when they walked by me.”

Actually dubbers, NO, it’s using the animation to illustrate a metaphorical point without needing words to accompany said point. It’s not literally that Sora’s team didn’t notice her. Or if they are literally that close in person; they’re deliberately ignoring her to rub in the disappointment of losing the game. 

Sora emos for a bit then goes to chuck the necklace. Tai stops her but is lost for ideas when she starts bawling her eyes out. Matt suggests to just let her be and she’ll be ok. Agumon comments to Gabumon that Matt’s like a real grown up. 

TK jumps in right where needed and thanks Sora for saving them during the mushroom incident. Biyomon explains that they were stalking Demidevi (seeing as he’s been up to no good this entire time) to make sure he wasn’t picking on the others. TK is super sweet some more. The rest of the gang finally catch up and dun dun DUN Demidevi’s in the bushes watching the whole thing and scarpers off to let Myotis know. 

The hell is that Digimon flying Myotis’s airborne cart around? we may never know but I want one. 

I am screenshotting a whole lot more for this ep but let’s face it there’s a lot more hijinks and oddities worth documenting. Why does that syringe have an evil smiley face? we may never know

Biyomon stirs just as Demidevi is about to attack. “Demidart!” OH so flinging the syringe is his actual attack? 

Oh god needle horror! They left the shot of poor Biyomon’s side being completely punctured in! Ah that’s awful aaaaaaaaaa it embeds all the way to the blue tip aaaaaaaaaaaa then Sora pulls it out aaaaaaaaaaa Sora no did you see how big and thick that thing was what I swear it dramatically shrinks in size in that shot when Sora pulls it out at least but GOD

Biyomon’s down and out for the count. For whatever reason, after TK yells at Demidevimon he scrams backwards. A black cloud enshrouds the moon then when it lifts heeeere’s Myotismon! 

Wait what anime are we in again? 

Myotismon continues to be fabulous as his black, gold plated coffin slides neatly out of the carriage through the air and bursts open. He then laughs evilly. “Digidestined! Your journey ends here!”

“I never drink... wine.”

“These Digidestined are making me feel a little... batty!”

What’s the attack he calls out? Sounds like Grisly Wing, but that can’t be right. *checks* Oh, it is! Agumon and Gabumon get right in it. Motimon Digivolves. Thank goodness, I much prefer Tentomon’s voice. Some of Myotis’s bats get verily fried but there’s a lot left that go after Mimi and Joe. Palmon becomes Togemon: “Let me try to get my point across! Needle Spray!”

When you’re my age I think the more awful a pun is the funnier it is. 

Gomamon follows suit after Togemon took down Myotis’s bats and fires some Harpoon Torpedoes as Ikkakumon right at Myotis, who takes them without defense and flies out of the smoke with a Crimson Lightning attack on all the Digimon except for Biyomon who is David After Dentist spec still. 

(“I didn’t feel anything... I feel funny... Is this real life?”)

"I’ve gotta do something to help them! I’m the only one left to fight Myotismon!”

“It’s no use, you can’t do anything in your condition!”

“Please understand, Sora! I have to go!”

“No, Biyomon; you can’t! You’ll get hurt, I won’t let you! My decision is final!”

“Sora, why can’t you understand?!”

GET IT YET, KIDLETS? 

It was then that Sora realised (as all women do from time to time in their abject horror) that she’d unwittingly turned into her mother. 

Everything ramps up once Sora painstakingly explains this parallel even though the similar dialogue and once-again-flashback moment had done its job already just fine and allows the realisation to spark Biyomon-to-Birdramon. 

Myotis easily blocks her Meteor Wing and lashes out with another Crimson Lightning. She’s falling and Sora is running and her crest is glowing so strong it’s shining through her top. “Birdramon NO! I LOVE YOU!”

Excuse me I must have something in my eye

OMG IT’S A RADICAL 2D sequence! 

AW HELL YEAH

SHE’S BEAUTIFUL

BORN THROUGH THE POWER OF LOVE

Garudamon takes the teeny tiny Sora in her front talons and proclaims that she can feel her love. “It’s making me strong!”

Myotsimon is furious that Sora’s crest activated just as he was about to claim victory. I guess Garudamon puts Sora down at some point before bellowing that she’ll protect her, flying into the air and launching a vicious Wing Blade. 

Myotismon defends against the firey bird with another Grisly Wing and whilst he’s distracted, everyone hops on Garudamon’s talons again and she takes off. Wait, where are all their Digimon - did they manage to de-digivolve to their smaller forms before Garuda carries them all away? Where are they in the shot? And where’s Mimi? 

Oh. Ok. 

THAT STILL DOESN’T EXPLAIN WHERE ON EARTH THE OTHER DIGIMON ARE MEANT TO BE. 

The kids and Digimon all are sitting by the river elsewhere the day after ruminating. Joe offers some comic relief. Matt plays his harmonica. 

Only dun dun DUN Myotismon's black clouds arrive to leave the episode on a cliffhanger ending! Muhahahahahahahaaaaaa! 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Twenty Five: Princess Karaoke

I’m back, baby! 

Enter Agumon, Gomamon, Tai and Joe in the swan boat because that’s just how it goes in Digiworld when you need to cross the water. The two Digimon are gloating from their respective resting places about the fact they can’t help pedal because their feet can’t reach. 

They hit the shores and come across this palace. Tai’s Digivice is picking up Mimi’s signal loud and clear so they head up. Inside, a ton of frog/sousaphone and tadpole Digis are running around and freaking out about the Princess. “Is this a palace? Or some kind of a loony bin?” “Seems like it’s both!”

So Gekomon (who are born - doesn’t Goma mean hatched? - wearing their instruments) and Otamamon; tadpole mudskipper things with claws. The four ask what’s going on and three Gekos stop to demand the triple hot fudge sundae, the bacon chilli cheese burger with fries and a super sized milkshake, and the garden fresh salad with low fat dressing without dessert from our Digidestined. Not to be outdone the Otama start arguing about what kind of clothing items the Princess has been demanding. More confusion ensues. 

So of course the Princess turns out to be Mimi. “Oh bummer,” she says with breathy affectation when she sees who’s at the bottom of her staircase. 

Cut to Demidevimon and Myotismon. Demidevi’s gloating about how the plan is going wonderfully and if Mimi gets any more spoiled for any longer her crest will pretty much be completely useless. Guess that makes sense - she’s lying through her teeth to the Digimon about the whole ‘Princess’ thing. 

The four are trying to convince Mimi to get out of the ballroom gown and leave with them. Goes down like a lead balloon. Mimi’s plan is to stay at the palace and be treated like royalty because there’s no actual indication they’ll ever even get home. Eh as much as I don’t really feel I’m similar at all to Mimi’s personality I can’t really fault her reasoning. Just sucks that the Digimon are pretty much losing out with all these fast-paced ridiculous demands due to her flighty almost-airhead nature. 

Palmon rocks the dress; but doesn’t seem to have her original vim and vigour; barely standing up to Mimi’s behaviour of the others and only chiding her afterwards. 

Things intensify and the humans start yelling at each other. Tai and Joe are hella frustrated with Mimi given the dangers they’ve been through to find her but she is sticking to her guns about staying. Mimi rings the service bell and a heap of Gekos turn up at her door. She then tells them to evict the ‘peasants’. All four get chucked out the door. 

Tai and Joe take the time to wonder how on earth she managed to get all these Digimon to wait on her hand and foot and a few remaining Gekos and Otamas ask if they really want to know, looking at them sadly from the castle’s entrance. 

When they’re not stressed they’re miserable, I guess. The Digis take the four inside a building (“You’re not taking us to an evil Digimon, are you?” “Nuh-uh.”) and come face-to-back with their Master, Lord Shogunmon; who resembles a huge tomato with horns for ears. Shogun has been sleeping for 300 years after losing a singing contest. I guess he’s been there on stage with the disco ball and speakers for all those centuries, I guess?! To add to the absolute weirdness of this entire plot apparently only the contest winner’s voice (or one of that calibre) can wake him. One of the Otama relate how Demidevimon rocked up and told them about Mimi’s lovely voice. They found Mimi somehow and got her to sing - prompting his stalk to move as if he was awakening - but then halfway Mimi forgets the lyrics: 

I wanna sing a song

A song that’ll wake you up

And when you hear my voice

You’ll call me a sweet buttercup

Just gimme a listen

Mmmmmmmmmmm... uh-aha... Sorry I forgot the words! 

I don’t really blame you, Mimi; they’re inane. So the Gekos and Otamas treat her to a sumptuous banquet to inspire her to remember. What; was reading them off a piece of paper as you go just a tad too simple? She’s not even holding the mic; it’s on its stand. 

Next off Mimi demands the disco ball and costume; and the unimpressed Gekos are there in the mosh pit banging on tambourines and shaking castanets. But what’s this? Oh, Mimi’s tired and wants to try again tomorrow. Yeah, you get the picture. If any of them ark up at this unfair situation of Mimi being spoiled rotten and not delivering the song she threatens to lose her voice or something. 

Aw, poor little Otamas! 

What a bad situation. You’ve got the original banquet which they put on to Mimi’s surprise and delight and she got the hint pretty much straight away that these guys are so desperate to awaken their Master that they’ll do anything to just get her to bloody sing so she’s just rolling with it in a really selfish way. I’m not demonising Mimi at all but it’s just really tricky because she’s sorta just forgotten about the whole Digidestined prophecy stuff and living like a Queen Princess. Only Tai has ever made it back home - yet - so it’s been a whole lot of time in this strange wacky place with talking monsters and what have you. Funny how everyone copes in their own ways - Mimi using materialism and gimme-gimme and greed and hubris to pretty much bury her head in the sand about it. Izzy dives into curiosity and programming and computers to cope, Tai into rash action, etc. Anyhoo. 

The slave Digis plead with the Digidestined to try and reason with Mimi. They’re pretty much at the end of their rope at this stage. Tai announces that he knows exactly what to do. Cue bad karaoke styled screeching from our protagonist as he tries the wake-up song. Nothing doing, neither for Joe who’s actually in tune but comes up with some pretty hilarious words: 

“I’m attempting to sing a song, a song that will awaken you and aid all the Gekomon that are loyal to your worldview and the idea of you being in charge...”

Yeah that’s pretty much me and my friends whenever we go out for karaoke... 

Palmon rocks up once the singing’s over asking why nobody was happy to see them. Agumon retorts that Mimi’s not exactly acting right. Palmon thinks about this for a few seconds then agrees. “She has really gone off the deep end, even for her!”

Palmon, c’mon! Your relationship with Mimi is one I like the most because of your differences; surely you’ve realised something’s up by this stage! The other four call her out on this as well and she chuckles. 

Next Tai has a recording device set up outside Mimi’s room hooked up somehow to a karaoke machine - where did it come from COTTON EYED JOE

nobody knows

Trouble is, Mimi might not be too sincere any more but she sure is observant! Spotting the lead to outside, Goma’s foot nearby; and Joe and Agumon’s heads skulking at the window. Mimi screeches into the mic. 

The four of them get chucked in the slammer. Apparently this palace has a working one. Aw, and Palmon got locked in the cell next door for being an accomplice! “Nobody likes you more than I do! It hurts me deeply to have to say this but you’re a spoiled brat!”

Yeah, that’s more like the Palmon I remember. Only took you long enough. Unfortunately this doesn’t shock Mimi out of being so. She stalks off, her minions behind her; and what’s this - a shadowy figure at the window? “What can I do?” wonders Sora’s voice. She’s still lurking around and not getting back with the group? 

Mimi’s having a nightmare and being menaced by Devimon and Etemon. She pleads for help from her serfs and they refuse even when she threatens to not sing any more and fade away. Same goes for the other four, and even Palmon. A nearly-there Sora rouses her (does Mimi say ‘Grandma?’ here? It’s pretty clear she’s not fully awake yet) and asks her if she realises what the nightmare meant. Mimi apologises and Sora takes her hand then fades away. Next, Mimi’s Crest is glowing. 

The prisoners are led to the stage room along with all the Gekos and Otamas and Mimi - dressed in her original pink cowgirl getup - takes the stage and apologises to everyone. They forgive her instantly, of course. 

Aw... 

Gekos and Otamas thrilled, Shogunmon once again stirring, and the other four boogying when Mimi sings enough for him to stand up and turn around. 

We share the same facial expression upon being woken up after oversleeping... 

Tomato-frog-sousaphone-mon’s stat screen reads Shogungekomon but I swear they’ve been saying Shogunmon this entire episode. 

Shogun’s peeved at being awoken as he was having such a nice sleep. Threatens to squish the whole lot of adoring minions. He takes off after the fleeing mob and gives them a line of song which blasts a hole in the wall and takes pretty much everyone with it. They all fall in the moat. Rocks fall and Mimi dies prompts Palmon’s digivolution so she can punch them out of the sky. 

The pair share a touching moment of warmth and forgiveness after all the kerfuffle and Mimi grabs the mic and accosts Shogun. Palmon is backed up by Greymon and Ikkakumon from beyond the hole in the wall but Shogun sings some more - guess that’s his attack - and the sound waves nullify both their attacks and knocks them down. Greymon becomes Metalgreymon to protect Tai and Joe then uses nipple power to send rockets into Shogun’s two bells and pretty much ends him. 

You killed our Lord and Master, we’re so amused and thankful! 

Crisis averted, I guess. But what a whole lot of nothing and this wasn’t even Palmon’s big chance to digivolve into her Ultimate form when it would have served as a perfect redemption arc when Mimi turned back to sincerity and had to take responsibility for singing Shogun awake. Ah well. Leave it to Beaver Tai and Metalgreymon, I guess. 

Poor Demidevimon can’t catch a break in the amazingly rushed ‘and I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for you darn kids’ punishment moment which feels more like an afterthought this time around. Asks Myotismon for a glass of water. Um, Demidevi; you may just want to plead that he lift the chain a tad?

Such a weird episode, and it’s already such a weird show. Not that that’s a bad thing, haha. 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Just gained another follower and got reminded of this blog in general. I've been on an unfortunately long hiatus due to life. Hope to get back to recapping and whatnot ASAP!

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Twenty Four: No Questions Please

What is that non-Digimon bug doing there? 

"This is extremely perplexing. We've been trying to find Gennai for over two months, got any ideas, Tentomon? We're walking in circles."

"We could walk in squares, but that's not likely to work either!"

This kind of stuff is why I love Tentomon. 

Izzy's intent on continuing the search with the scientific approach but Tento just wants to take a break. 

Demidevimon's smacking a sign post into the ground and remembering being scolded by his boss Myotismon. He's so cute in some of the shots here. 

Izzy and Tento come into range and Demidevi turns paparazzi: 

No idea why he's taking pics, but whatever. They find Demidevi's signpost: 

"Look, Izzy, it's a sign!"

"You mean from above?"

"No, here on the ground."

Case in point. Beware of falling sludge. You mean the pink digi-poop from previous eps featuring Numemon? Tento and Izzy come across multiple signs all with their own imaginary bad situations and realise they're surrounded by them (Demidevi's been hard at work, I guess!) before the ground cracks open below them and they fall down a seemingly bottomless pit. Demidevi rejoices above. 

Izzy and Tento continue falling, until a mysterious voice speaks up and gives them flotation devices to stay put in the air. Yeah, ok, we're gettin' real digi-weird all of a sudden. 

The voice berates Izzy about being greedy about always wanting to gain more information and finally pops his big rubber duckie. Izzy grabs Tento's leg. The voice demands Izzy give up his curiosity or else he'll fall in the pit. 

"I DON'T WANNA KNOOOOOW!" Izzy screams and a purple bubble floats up. 

Suddenly, space! 

Poor Izzy's vague-ing out like you wouldn't believe. The voice belongs to Vademon and the universe belongs to him too. Vademon zaps Izzy's curiosity into his ray gun and gives him a book to read instead. "All you need to know, whether you like it or not." 

Is this meant to be metaphorical? 

Izzy's Digivice starts flashing yellow. Tento grabs Izzy's laptop and opens it to come across a transmission from Tai who is at this stage of the story still in Japan! Ah, so THAT'S why Izzy's eyes were half closed when he was talking to Tai back a few eps! Izzy's unperturbed about the whole thing and can't give two shits that Tai's trying to get back. Tento's melancholy. 

Vademon's rejoicing in his warehouse, setting Izzy's purple curiosity bubble down next to a pink bubble. "A penny for your thoughts and a nickel for your fears!" SUCH A WEIRD EPISODE, what is even going on? 

Demidevi's ringing the doorbell, showing Vade the picture of Izzy and Tento and asking if they happened to stumble into his universe. The pair bicker and bargain and haggle. Demidevi's after Izzy's tag and crest and offers his own curiosity in return. Actually, that looks more like a mountain of pink poop in Vade's imagination (and he even starts drooling thinking about it) so he happily agrees to the deal. 

Cut to Izzy reciting the alphabet in a creeped out vague voice. Not only that, but making the shapes of the letters with his entire body. Vademon rocks up again and asks Izzy to relinquish every possession besides his clothes. Tento's nearly hysterical at this point, running up to Vade when he snatches the tag and crest, and getting shot by his ray gun in the process. 

Running gag with Vade spooking Demidevi each time he pops out of the whole is a cute touch. "I'm gonna crank out some of my thoughts!" goes Demidevi, turning around and straining. Yeah, kinda obvious he's straining for something else, but that's a little too off I think. Though funny in a sick kinda way, I guess...?

Tento is in despair, and loses all his energy, and becomes a Motimon again. He only says "Motimon". That's odd, he could speak in the first ep. His energy depletes even more and we get to see the prevolution Pabumon for the first time. Pabu's voice is really narmy. 

Pabu starts crying and Izzy yells at him not to interrupt. "Have you forgotten who I am already, Izzy? Have you forgotten who you are? Try to remember! Try!"

Pabu's tear bubbles start showing Izzy's past when he's burning for knowledge. The bubbles pop and Izzy comes back. "I didn't mean to make you dedigivolve."

Ah, so that's what you call it. 

Sooooo, they start hearing Vade's and Demidevi's voices arguing.

"Don't get bent all out of shape!"

"I always change shape when I'm mad!"

Dub win

A door appears out of nowhere and Izzy and Pabu float towards it. Demidevi's pleading for Vade to hand over the tag and crest so he won't get into trouble with Myotismon but Vade's not bending. 

Izzy opens the door and Pabu sneaks in quick as a wink to get the tag and crest. He's noticed by Vade and Demidevi soon after though. The three rush out the door, but Izzy grabs Pabu and heads back through the door, leaving Demidevi and Vade trapped in his universe. 

Pabu finds Izzy's curiosity. Vade and Demidevi bust the door down just as Izzy takes his curiosity back into his heart with MAGIC. Vade fires upon them so they head back out into Vade's universe. Izzy prompts Pagu to digivolve into Moti again, soon after into Tentomon. THEN into Kabuterimon when Izzy gets shot at. That's like... sooooo many digivolutions... At least the first two were a simple fade. 

Being Vade's universe all he has to do is summon an asteroid field, which Kabuteri struggles with. Izzy screams at him to digivolve AGAIN. GIVE HIM A REST, IZZY! But never mind, of course it works, and we get Megakabuterimon which is even longer a name than Weregarurumon. This kinda stuff got me as a kid and still does to this day. These Digimon names run FAR longer than the Pokémon ones do. 

So this digivolution sequence was in 2D whereas Greymon and Garurumon's are in 3D? I like the 2D much better, I think I've already stated that previously. 

I don't really know if I like Megakabuterimon as much as I do his de-digivolution. The stag beetle head thing is cool, and I like the feet claws, but the colour scheme seems all off to me, personally, and I prefer Kabuterimon's skinnier look. I guess the back shell harkens back to Tentomon's ladybug-look though, so... 

Megakabuterimon (faaark, I ain't typing that all the way through each time!) blasts through Vade's asteroids with ease. 

Vade continues with his stereotyped camp summoning when he brings an entire planet to batter the poor bug. Mega smacks it with a... "Void Buster" (?) and divides by zero, or something, prompting the background to white out and Mega to catch a screaming Izzy in his mouth (or so it looks like...) and annoying pop music:

"Hey Digimon, hey Digimon, ultimate friends to the boys and girls, hey Digimon, hey Digimon, champions of the Digital World."

Yeah, about the same depth as Agumon's ditty in the sewers and still so out of place. Megakabuterimon blasts out of the earth in front of Matt and TK and Patamon and Tsunomon. Motimon crawls over to Izzy with a Jar Jar Binks voice and begs him to wake up. 

The six reunite. I SWEAR Tsunomon's voice has changed AGAIN. 

Gennai chooses this moment to appear. "The connection between the two worlds is still damaged. You'll have to stay longer." He gives them more info in a Digimon File. Izzy's laptop is now a Digidex, I guess. 

Demidevi has to bring the bad news to Myotismon and gets harangued by his bat minions again before the episode ends. "Can I at least have some milk and cookies?"

Don't sugar coat it TOO much, dubbers. 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Twenty Three: Weregarurumon's Diner

I'm back! And now with my very own copy of the first and second seasons DVD collections! No more using illegally ripped files! Woot! 

TK actually calls Tokomon "Toko" in the recap of the previous episode. Thought that was my thing, man... 

We rejoin Matt and Gabumon (after they farewelled TK and Toko in the last episode on the giant ridable swan) who hit up some stranger shores. Above them on a ridge, a Frigimon, Kokatorimon and Monzaemon are walking around. Matt and Gabu follow them and find 'a restaurant in the middle of nowhere'. Matt calls this weird. Dude, you've had a row of unworking telephones on the beach, a tram on an island, fresh eggs in a fridge... This whole world is weirder than some restaurant being out of the way. 

Such as its owner, Vegiemon. Joe narrates over his stat screen: maniacal manager of a rundown cafe, and slavedriver. Didn't look all that rundown from the previous shot, but whatever. 

Vegie screams at Goma and launches him out the door to find some more customers. Luckily Goma lands right in front of Matt and Gabu. 

Joe's in the kitchen cooking. Joe relates how he ran into Demidevi and got led around in search of the others only to hit up the restaurant for some lunch. Joe can only offer 'digidollars' whereas Vegie will only take US dollar bills. Obvious hasty edit over what I'm remembering to be a 'Japanese vs US money issue'. Vegie hits the roof when he realises Joe can't pay and demands he cook, scrub and clean to make it up. 

Vegie blasts through the door and screams for the order. When he tastes it after Joe's served it up he screams again and flings it against the kitchen draws. "Disgusting! I can't give that to my customers! Now you'll work an extra day for the ingredients you wasted!"

Ah, I see what's going on here. 

So, to make matters even weirder, Digitamamon rocks up with a Stimpy voice. Matt takes it this time; telling us Digitama is an evil Digimon, fully Digivolved. Gee, we wouldn't want the viewers to realise over time that he's evil, would we? 

So, no surprises, Digitama is suitably evil as he mentions maybe Matt could help Joe work off his debt and then demands he go away if he's going to be no use to the restaurant. 

Matt says he has to go and get TK, but afterwards is happy to help Joe. Joe's touched. 

Digitama heads upstairs and freaks at the sight of Demidevi waiting on a chair for him. Demi demands that he stop Matt leaving. Digi accosts them both on the beach just as they're about to hop back on the swan and insists they have to work or they're fired. "I quit!" says Matt. So Digi threatens Joe. "I'm just saying... while you're away there's no telling what might happen to your poor little friend, so many accidents can happen in the kitchen you know!"

Matt makes the decision to head back, but gets frustrated cooking rice whilst Joe rabbits on at him. Matt eventually snaps, but apologises right afterwards. He assures Joe he's a very good cook and can speed the work right up. 

Nek minnit, we're treated to poor Joe ruining the whole thing with slipups and accidents, dropping or burning food, etc, and racking up the time they have to spend there by huge increments. Matt's really aggravated but is trying to be patient. 

Outside, Demidevi's celebrating at how well the plan's going. He sees a couple of trays of potatoes sitting on bricks outside and steals a brick, so the whole thing's unstable. But what's this?

What's Sora doing here? And Biyomon? Why don't they go and meet up with their friends rather than running and hiding after saving Joe's hide? 

Demidevi is cranky that his plan was foiled (although he didn't see Sora fix it) and vows to play even dirtier. 

That night, Matt's playing blues harp on the beach and Demidevi strikes up a convo about Joe making mistakes on purpose so Matt won't leave. Matt's doubtful about this but starts wondering. 

The next day Demidevi flies in, trips Joe and he smashes a whole pile of plates whilst Matt's pleading for Digitama to let him go find TK. 

Tai and TK, meanwhile, are excited to find that Tai's Digivice is activating; meaning their friends are close by. 

I know how Gabu feels after a long night running plates... 

TK runs off in search of Matt. Tai and Joe follow only for Matt to say he doesn't want to go anywhere with Joe even if it means taking Tai's advice to run away. "He doesn't want to work together, he only cares about himself." Matt turns on Tai and TK too. 

Digitama rocks up and ruins the getaway plan. Demidevi shows himself from a nearby tree branch. Tai and Agumon run off after him and then Matt faces down an angry Digitama who somehow increases his size, closes his egg shell hole where his eyes normally look out from and tries ramming him. 

Gabu digivolves to Garuru and Boom Blasters the shell to no effect. Hang on, shouldn't that be Howling Blaster? Digitama tackles Garuru full on and it takes a tremendous toll on him. TK screams and it looks like Vegie's got him up on the roof. "Call off your beast!"

"How nice, your little brother decided to hang around." 

Joe: "That's going too far. I've had it." Go Goma! Go Goma! 

Joe, meanwhile, SOMEHOW, climbs onto the roof in the meantime (perhaps whilst Goma was digivolving), leaps full onto Vegie and smashes the pair of them into the potatoes. TK is flung away when Vegie loses his hold with his vine arm. Vegie binds Joe up instead and squeezes for life. Joe says that Matt take the opportunity to attack whilst Vegie is distracted. 

"Oh man! After I accused him and yelled at him, he still risked himself for TK. Joe... NOOOOOO!" 

YEAH

Digitama sends out a nightmare syndrome attack on both Garuru and Ikkaku which completely pulverises them. 

"We can't... just give up! We've gotta beat them! But I can't beat them alone! I need Tai, TK, Sora, Izzy, Mimi and Joe! Together we're strong! And we can beat anything! Garurumon! The crest of friendship!"

THERE IT IS

As Weregaruru and Digitama get back into battle cue the obnoxious out-of-place pop music. Weregaruru makes quick work of Digi by blocking and then sending back his Nightmare Syndrome attack, flinging him away somewhere. Demidevi takes the hint and flies off. Kids, didn't the original Kuwagamon saga teach you anything? Don't trust they're dead until you see them DEAD. 

Ikkaku and Were menace Vegie and he scrams as well into the forest. Turns out Were is back to Tsunomon form. The voice is not exactly the same... Matt apologises for beforehand, all is well, then... 

Poor Demidevi has to inform the new Big Bad Myotismon that he failed yet again. "PERHAPS YOUR BRAIN IS TOO SMALL FOR THIS JOB." Myotis's small black bats surround and torment him. It ain't easy being evil... 

After Tai relates what happened to him in the meantime (I'm assuming, since Matt recaps by mentioning that they need to fix what's going on in the Digiworld before Earth's problems will fix) both their Digivices start going off pointing in different directions. Matt and TK and respective Digimon go off left, and Tai and Joe head the opposite way; and they set a point for them to meet up afterwards. 

So I guess there's just Izzy, Mimi and Sora to go, then? Sora's been in a few now helping out on the sly, but hasn't met up with the others yet. I wonder why... :(

[pipwatchesdigimon]

2015 approaches toooooo quickly and I haven't caught up to even season 2 yet! November and December have been the busy seasons not the silly ones... Aaaaa

[pipwatchesdigimon]

Digimon Adventure Episode Twenty Two: Forget About It!

Finally back here posting after months of IRL commitments and net outages aplenty (my download speed is still rotten!) making it well nigh impossible to find time to watch kids cartoons and weigh in at the same time. Sorry! 

So Tai and Agumon find themselves back in the Digital World in the desert where they'd originally been sucked through the rift. A sandstorm's raging. "Some welcome home!"

Er, Tai... bit of a slip there, you just came from your home. Anyway, his Digivice picks up a signal from another Digivice and they go looking for it. 

Reaction shots... <3

They come across an unconscious Tokomon and TK's Digivice lying on the shore next to a river. Tokomon's voice is so much more high-pitched and squeaky than I remember, just checked the original ep and it's really similar to Patamon's there, but not here... HMPH. It is really cute and all, but PLEASE STOP CHANGING VOICES

Tokomon is angsty, and mentions TK's probably off with his new friend. Tai asks Toko to start from the beginning. Toko says the two were gone a really long time, which is interesting but yet makes sense since we already know there's a major time discrepancy between the real world and the Digiworld - Tai's return almost feels Narnian in quality considering barely any time had passed at all back home so even the brief few hours he spent back would have probably been weeks worth of time in the Digiworld. So interesting... 

"We looked high and low for you! I did most of the low part..." Everyone gets discouraged after a while and one night Sora and Biyo head off to look for Tai on their own and DEAR GOD I'D FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE TEETH

So eventually the whole group split, leaving only Matt, TK, Toko and Goma. Matt yells at TK in frustration at one point on a bridge and he bursts into tears. Matt calms him down, then they chance upon an amusement park. The only amusing thing here is the fact I don't even blink an eye now when anyone comes across weird shit like that anymore in this show. All part and parcel by now. 

For whatever reason, Matt heads off on a ridable swan, for 'a couple of hours'. Toko looks after TK for those hours and the ensuing week. At some stage TK understandably loses it on the wharf and this dude rocks up. 

Skull on forehead, scars, red claws, yellow cat eyes... Yeah this is definitely not a 'good Digimon'. 

Demidevimon, huh. Does he digivolve to Devimon by any chance? But wait, doesn't that mean this dude could just digivolve and take over File Island like the other Devimon, rendering the whole first arc a waste of time? ARGH this show... I believe it is just so confused about how many particular 'mon of any particular species there can be. 

Tokomon's heard of this little guy, but nothing positive... Demi stammers something about previously working for Etemon but now Etemon's no more Demi's grateful for his freedom. "Personally I never liked the guy!"

He may be a bit shady but that face is still really cute all the same... 

TK asks if he's seen Matt, so Demi heads off to have a scope around. He comes back moments later and breaks the awful news that Matt isn't coming back and never wants to see TK again. "Said he was tired of babysitting a crybaby!"

TK loses it, Demi flies off with a big grin and TK initiates the loopy-sped-up-run we saw Matt debut all those eps ago! Still have no idea who thought that'd be a good idea. 

At dusk, Toko's giving TK a pep talk, before running into Demi again, who flat out denies everything and continues smack-talking. Toko gets so frustrated it attacks with a pink bubble and TK runs up last minute having missed the conversation - but not the aftermath - completely. Demi continues fracturing the relationship between the two, sowing distrust, until Toko storms off, TK chucks his Digivice, tag and crest and goes off with Demi to ride the rollercoaster. Oh man... what a shitfight. 

Agu even comments on this and how everything goes to shit when they're not around. Don't give yourself too much credit. 

Cut to two Gazimon running around discussing what to do about their futures now their boss is dead. In the end they decide to eat and coincidentally come across a field of mushrooms. Luckily, not those mushrooms, haha. 

Cut back to Demi and TK going around in the ferris wheel and other rides. TK's just not feeling it, much to Demi's displeasure. He excuses himself for a moment and flies off, sniggering. 

Tai's Digivice is activating. They finally find TK! He's still at arms with Toko but Tai somewhat diffuses the situation, though TK goes on a bit. 

Demi comes across the two Gazimon lounging around in the mushroom field and all 'magic' aside the two of them have completely lost their memories! Demi grabs a few and heads back to give them to TK. So wait, did he have this plot in the beginning when he flew off, or just chanced upon them? If so, where was he going in the first place? 

Tai and Agu demand Demi take them to where Matt is, but Demi asks them to eat first since it's a long journey. As luck would have it Tai stops Agu pinching a mushroom from the basket and says they should have them cooked first. Tai's French accent is horrendous. Agu excuses himself to go to the loo - "Gotta use the little Digimon's room!" 

TK's about to take a bit of the first one but Tai grabs it - it's only half cooked. Demi does a classic anime fall from the air at being thwarted AGAIN. Agu meanwhile goes to grab a fresh mushy from where they're growing outside the bathroom stalls and Sora's voice echoes out from somewhere warning him to not eat the 'mushrooms of forgetfulness'.

"What do you mean, psilocybin?"

Agu freaks and hightails it back to the group. Sora and Biyo watch silently from the hedges. Why aren't they rejoining the group, already? 

Agu has to pull the mushroom right outta TK's mouth since he refuses to react to "THEY'RE POISON! EVIL! BAD STUFF!" in time. Agu has a fantastic angry flipout to Demi, loving the animation of his face here as he chucks Tai's mushroom-on-a-stick right at Demi's face then explains the whole situation. 

TK what is that on your face

Toko do you have to keep doing that with your teeth goddamn this gets me every time

Demi scrams but Agu catches him by the claws and drags him back. TK's betrayed, but having yelled a slur at Demi, runs over to Toko and asks forgiveness. They reunite with a hug then his crest starts glowing. 

Demi freaks even more about this and bites Agu's hand, escaping his grasp. He turns on TK and Toko but Toko leaps into attack. "I'm gonna teach this 'mon a lesson!"

Go GO DIGIVOLVE YEAH BOY Yay for Patamon! 

The aerial battle starts off and Demi starts beating the crap outta Pata. Agu joins the fray with Pepperbreath to give Pata some time to recover after being knocked into a teacup ride seat. Demi still has the upper hand and keeps taunting as he keeps attacking, till Pata sees red, gets a moment to recover and skull bashes him out of the sky above the ferris wheel, then completely disorientates Demi with a Boom Bubble or three. Demi ends up swimming, then... 

"I was close, so close!" 

Bowing on the earth as the sky turns red and tears apart to reveal... our new Big Bad? Yeah - this show doesn't waste ANY time, does it? 

Christian overtones ahoy

Demi freaks at his boss's arrival, cuing the inevitable puns about working overtime and on Sundays to fix the fact the crest of hope has regained its light. 

Tai, Agu, TK and Toko band together and set off in search of the other Digidestined, after Tai gives a speech about how they have to work together and they're all important. Teamwork Morals FTW! 

[pipwatchesdigimon]

New Digimon Adventure eps?!

Ok so I guess I have till Spring 2015 to get the first two seasons watched? Hehe