#and sora bonded with that thing and it evolved for him

[goldensunset]

i need to make a full outline for what i’d headcanon kh characters’ pokémon teams to look like at some point

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digi Dynamic Shipping Game

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Taichi Yagami | Yamato Ishida | Sora Takenouchi | Koushirou Izumi | Mimi Tachikawa | Jyou Kidou | Takeru Takaishi | Hikari Yagami | Daisuke Motomiya | Miyako Inoue | Iori Hida | Ken Ichijouji | Meiko Mochizuki

Whether canon provides input on them or not.

If you're a fan of Digimon Adventure in any capacity or at least familiar with the series - regardless of what kind of media we're talking about -, you will stumble across these two. One could say that they're the face of the franchise, the bread and butter of various chunks of the plot, the center of merchandise - and they have been a juggernaut in the fandom since the very beginning, probably only rivaled (or complemented) by the likes of Takari and Koumi (and maybe Daiken, depending on what corners you look at). Whether you're "oldschool" like me and call them "Taito" (or "Yamachi") or part of the more modern fandom, you may prefer to call them Taiyama/Yamatai - you know them. And why wouldn't you with that HUGE focus on their framing?!

Taichi and Yamato are being paralleled and contrasted against each other throughout the course of the entire series: They're the protagonist and his (temporary) rival, different yet similar in various aspects, which causes them to continuously clash with each other. Starting off as the stereotypes of "brash and hotheaded" vs. "reasonably cool", there is an ongoing theme of miscommunication between them throughout the years - and even though their Digimon are usually the first to evolve to every single next stage, it's their conflicts with each other (and reconciliations) that challenge each other's Crest meanings the most. Yamato starts off perceiving Taichi as "too reckless and inconsiderate", challenging his sense of courage and responsibility, whereas Taichi tries to calm Yamato's aggressiveness down, making him question his sense of friendship towards him and the group... They take their time to realize that they have much more in common than they initially thought - and that there are actually a lot of things they admire about the other, things they themselves lack. For example, they're both big brothers of younger siblings, both overprotective for very different reasons - but Yamato feeling incapable of being a good brother to Takeru like Taichi acts towards him at first is one of the reasons why Cherrymon is able to corrupt him temporarily, making him perceive Taichi as someone he needs to challenge and overcome.

But in the end, it's their bond to each other, their trust in the other that usually leads to victory; whether they let their siblings shoot arrows of love at them while they're holding hands to achieve the highest evolution level; whether they wait for the other to join a painful fight, because they know they can rely on each other; whether they get sucked through a computer to reach their partners simultaneously in the net to create the most iconic fusion in the entirety of Digimon; whether they gleefully bicker about how silly some of their fights were in the past, punching each other out of love and nostalgia; whether they start to question their own belief systems as they grow older, partly unable to communicate how much they believe in each other, so there is a lot of brooding and unspoken expectations, frustration and fondness between them; whether they mope about adulthood while being out for dinner and beer... It's the fact that, whenever they come together, putting their arguments aside to fight side by side, they're usually the reason why darkness won't succeed.

Long story short; they may have a contrasting/complementary theme going on most of the time - orange vs. blue, fire vs. ice -, but they do have a lot in common and develop a very close bond that lasts beyond adulthood. There may also be miscommunication between them here and there, but they trust and rely on each other greatly, they want to push each other to be better, a sense of "roughness yet softness" that shall never be underestimated.

Whether I think why and how they’d work.

As much as I can see the potential in everything I have pointed out above, I - personally - have always had a very hard time perceiving them through a romantic lense. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely see and understand the appeal, the trope this kind of ship is based on, the "constantly clashing off of each other, while being also completely ride or die for the other when the situation requires it". And whenever they are on good terms with each other, they are unstoppable - like I said, there is a sense of fondness and softness between them that is very intriguing. My biggest problem with that is that they keep falling back into old habits of miscommunication and that doesn't feel sustainable to me. Whenever you feel like they FINALLY got it, finally got over their differences and accept the other for who they are - there is another conflict (usually, but not exclusively, initiated by Yamato). Again, they're both not very good at using words towards each other (unless the situation is REALLY drastic), so either the harmonica has to do, or their fists...

For example, I like to point out how 02 already felt like some kind of logical honeymoon phase for them to me - and Kizuna kind of tried to pick that up again by showing that they were perfectly compatible going out for dinner without any serious disagreement between them. (Heck, even the Taiorato situation had NEVER been a "conflict" BETWEEN them, they had always been nothing but supportive of each other.)

But Tri was so heavy on making these two fail to communicate (for the sake of having a plot in the first place), that I am just asking myself how they would ever really be able to help each other grow OUTSIDE of world-saving contexts. They both suffer when they're at odds with each other, they don't enjoy it - Taichi always looks like a wounded puppy when Yamato gives him the cold shoulder and Yamato is so stuck in his Tsundere state, while being so unsure of himself, that he tends to be more verbally hurtful than he initially intended. He knows he "expects too much" of Taichi, he knows exactly why Taichi hesitates and has so many doubts - I'm pretty sure Yamato used to have the same doubts previously, I mean, he has punched them out of him before -, but he doesn't have the means to tell him.

My personal impression of Tri!Yamato is that he is so deep in the closet, that his love for Taichi (platonic, romantic, you name it!!!) could just burst out of him any minute now, but he absolutely doesn't know how to deal with that. So part of him rejects it - sometimes it bursts out of him violently, sometimes softly. He even offers Taichi that they can stop using Omegamon, because that would be "easier" for him - which sounds like the biggest "I know I can never have you and you probably don't want me anyway, and that's okay with me, I promise..." in the history of everything ever. And Taichi probably is subconsciously aware of that (somehow, even if he may not be able to fully process it), but isn't really able to act towards that either. (Heck, again, even Sora is aware of Yamato's feelings, but they all don't have the means to say it out loud! Hikari, Koushirou and Jyou hint at it at various points in Tri and the stageplay too, but it is never explicitly said...)

So in a sense, they feel like they're star-crossed lovers who aren't meant to be due to how they never find a way to actually cross the line. Like I said, Kizuna tries to show them being compatible - and it is true, they are close, but you get a feeling that there is always THAT ONE thing they cannot say. Taichi tries - but gets interrupted by SOMETHING or simply shies back. Yamato wants to - but gets unintentionally loud again and then the moment is over. They're both depressed to some degree by the time of Kizuna and both use the "Digimon duty" as escapism, as well as the moping-meet-ups to at least get out some steam. However, they are not able to pull each other out of that slump, they can't save each other unless they have to save the world as "Omegamon's enablers", because they're in too deep already...

Maybe in a Post-Beginning scenario where things are not at stake anymore, where they're reunited with their partners and back on track with their life paths, they could get another chance. Going on adventurous trips, playfully bickering again while everyone else shakes their heads at them like "Look at that old married couple again...", having fun, enjoying life. But if they just stay by themselves like that, kinda disconnected from the group and their true selves, it would feel more like "dysfunctional wound-licking" to me, with way too much pent-up frustration. And that is sad when you see all that love and ALL THAT potential...

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship.

I feel like I could have gone on about how they may play out, but in the end, while I can see all the potential outlined, I do prefer them to be platonic. It does feel like a tragic love story - and even if it kinda sounded like it, it isn't one-sided on Yamato's behalf either, there are mutual feelings involved, they just really have a tough time getting over their barriers and that's why I personally can't see them solving problems if they were in a long-term relationship. As mutually supportive friends who tend to have small arguments but reconcile eventually, always having each other's backs? HECK YEAH! I love the Yamataishirou friend group as well the, unfortunately, never fully explored Yamataikoura friend group and I love scenarios in which they tease each other about their crushes to others, but tl;dr: I prefer them to be platonic!

[shihalyfie]

hi, do you think the remaining four kids (sora mimi kyoushiro and jyou) have anyone that they could be compatible to jogress-evolve with? (also, i love all the meta you've wrote so much! very eye-opening and informative :D )

Good question! I think the thing is that as long as we're working with what-ifs, the answer could really be anyone, because the thing is that it's not like there's some One and Only person one could form a deep relationship with. I won't say it's as weak as "it just happened to be that way," but even the 02 kids' Jogresses were defined by the circumstances they were in and how they chose to react to them. I've argued that the existing 02 Jogresses were probably the optimal ones and it's unlikely other combos would have worked as well, but that's strictly under the existing series context and circumstances, and if things had been different, as long as these kids like each other they could have made anything work. Even the existing Takeru/Iori Jogress happened explicitly because the two of them knew they were the last ones left and needed to work things out as quickly as possible. Relationships are just kind of like that in general; it's about how you react to things and what you put into them, and you can't just sit around expecting things to magically work out for you.

Adventure involved a story with a ton of individuality, which is fitting for a narrative that's mostly about individuality, but it also means the interpersonal dynamics are a bit thinner compared to the 02 group's, and while the kids came to deep epiphanies it was very rare they shared it with others as much. Even Taichi and Yamato aren't actually a Jogress, not only because of Digimon lore but also because Omegamon's power comes from "everyone", not as much from their own interpersonal bond (however, I do also think they get very close to that kind of relationship based on the events of the series).

That said, I don't really want to leave this off on a total cop-out answer just by saying "technically anyone", so I will say that while Mimi is the type who seems she could bond with just about anyone, the other three are trickier cases. For instance, Koushirou really only ever seemed to open up much to Taichi over the course of the series due to the fact they knew each other beforehand, and you get the impression he holds Taichi in rather high esteem, despite everything Taichi put him through, and having even seen Taichi at his "worst" during Adventure episode 48.

Jou is actually one of the hardest to define a deep interpersonal relationship with because his character arc is very heavily about taking responsibility for others, and he's one of the most consistently conscious of his role as the oldest. While it's not in a condescending way, Jou has a certain wall of keeping others at arm's length because he sees them as people he has to be responsible for, so there's a sense of detachment between him and almost everyone else. Because of that, the fact he treats Yamato as somewhat of an equal in Adventure episode 23 actually sticks out a lot. Of course, part of it was that Jou felt very deep in guilt for imposing on Yamato, but I also get the impression that Yamato's independent streak means he gives off less of an impression of someone who needs to have someone else taking care of him. So because Jou seems to have less need to "be a responsible senior and set an example" in front of him, I personally would nominate Yamato as one of the most likely to get into that kind of headway with Jou.

Sora is a tricky case because she ostensibly seems easy to get along with on the surface, but the more and more you dig into her more sensitive issues the more likely she’s going to lock down on being stubborn (and unlike someone like Miyako, who’s definitely prone to exploding emotionally but is rather straightforward about it, Sora often doesn’t understand herself or refuses to), so it needs to be someone who’s emotionally straightforward enough to cut through to the issue but also careful about it. (This is what leads to the apparent paradox in her dynamic with Taichi; he knows her among the best and is very comfortable with her, but when push comes to shove he has an unfortunate tendency to push every single one of her buttons.) As of Adventure, Yamato and Mimi are probably the closest here in my mind (this is also presumably the biggest reason Yamato and Sora end up hooking up, so I have to add my usual note that while Jogress and romance have a lot of points in common, they also should not be considered the same thing).

But, again, this is all dependent on circumstance. Koushirou started working on opening up to people after the events of Adventure, Taichi became much more considerate, and as the kids got more and more independent Jou probably didn’t need to worry about taking care of his juniors so much. Anything can happen!

Also, thank you so much for the kind words about the meta -- I’m really glad it’s being helpful!

[otakween]

Digimon Adventure 02 (Blind Watch)- Episode 5

Okay, I feel like this episode was a return to form because it was character-focused, specifically on Iori this time. The episode's arc was basically about him gaining confidence to stand up for himself and building his relationship with his digimon partner.

Digimon introduced: Ebidramon

Notes:

-I somehow only just realized that the cast-size is different this season. In Adventure 01 it was 7 kids but now we're down to 5 and 2 of them are repeats so it does feel kinda dinky in comparison. On the other hand, smaller casts are sometimes better for development because you can give each person more screen time. We'll see how they use it.

-They were kind of hinting at the parallels between Joe and Iori the whole episode and I was like "nah, he's definitely a Koushiro." Then Joe was like "he's both" and I felt vindicated lol

-I'm gonna need them to be more consistent with the "you can't evolve when there's a dark tower around!" thing. Like...armor evolutions don't count? Why? Is it a difference between the new and old digivices? -big shrug-

-I've always found Gomamon and Joe kinda awkward together, like they never fully bonded. They're more like business partners than friends lol.

-Daisuke continues to exist just to be dumb and annoying. It's not like I hate him or anything, he's just kind of there.

-Joe's hair has kind of a 1970s Hardy Boys vibe to it. Kinda feathered and flouncy. I think it suits his dorkiness.

-I wonder what the inspiration was behind Iori's Digi-world outfit. It has a traditional, almost Indigenous look to it...

-The girls have been so sidelined. They could have been cut out of this episode and it wouldn't have made a difference. Waiting for a Miyako episode. She's appeared so little I keep forgetting her name! (Maybe she's the Sora of the season)

-Kendo is really cool and I'd love to see it IRL someday. I was surprised when Iori said he was going to the "police dojo." Police have dojos in Japan? Wha?

[eradicatetehnormal]

Oh Damn, a Soriku Pride Month Article Just Dropped and the Gamers Are Raging

Let's get one thing straight. This is not an article meant to convince anyone of anything. You can tell by how emotional the writer got towards the end that this was purely meant to be an opinion piece with a bit of emotional experience mixed in.

That's completely fair. While I personally don't think you should rely on a series like KH to provide representation or legitimate emotional gay comfort food, I think it's also understandable to look at the relationship of characters like Sora and Riku, see yourself, and your queerness within them and see them as queer.

I don't think it's wrong if Sora and Riku are "JuSt FrIeNdS." I don't think a platonic relationship would make their bond lesser. I do, however, also believe that there are legitimate reasons to see Sora and Riku's bond as romantic. Sora literally got betrayed by Riku and instead of disowning him or enjoying his "victory", Sora sat out to find Riku and bring him back home for Kairi's as well as his own happiness (I feel like people forget that CoM technically starts out as a SoRiku game lmao). Meanwhile, on Riku's side, He volunteers to be the one to save Sora despite Mickey arguably being more capable in that situation. It was even his presence that almost woke Sora up from that deep dark slumber.

Anyways, two things can be true at once. If you're a cishet person who admires Sora or Riku for their beautiful friendship and sees them as the shining example of brotherhood and platonic male bonding, that's great! Let them be that for you. If it helps you in any way, that's perfect. It's just that other people related to these characters in different ways.

[jippy-kandi]

Digimon Adventure: 2020 – Episode 63: The Crest Of Courage (Review)

Thoughts on the sixty-third episode of the Digimon Adventure reboot series.

I’m pretty mixed about this episode. I kinda appreciate its atmosphere and what it was going for, but at the same time, it was super anti-climatic and boring . . .

Taichi’s expression when looking at the castle . . . dude was looking for a fight, lmao. Maybe a castle hurt him in the past. :P

The silent Knightmon was kinda funny. :P

Why is Sora even in this episode? She was pushed aside almost immediately. :c

It’s such a coincidence to have Digimon from the Ancient War just pop up to explain lore to the kids throughout this series. Still, this golden bird doing it via a dream type thing was more of the better executed ideas.

The image of a golden sword through Taichi is a bit much for little kids? :c It was neat for me, though. :P

Valkyrimon says that the answer to stopping the Great Catastrophe is “the great power” that Taichi must find by “proving himself” . . .

Then Taichi “wakes up” in some kind of dream - where he tackles a Goblimon to protect a Botamon, lol. Good thing it’s just a “dream”, because LOL. As if Goblimon wouldn’t just club him to death. :P

Botamon is very cute. :3

Taichi: “I’m not strong like a Digimon, but my body was already moving before I knew it.” Maybe watch this series again, bro, because apparently you are actually super human. You vs. Superman - I’m putting money on you, Sir Hair. :P

“Pregnant” Taichi (with Botamon)! omg I can already see people with certain kinks having a field day with this image, lmao.

Botamon blowing bubbles is even cuter. :3

The fact that Taichi trusted the Botamon to protect him with bubbles against Allomon’s “fire” was a nice moment - the best in the episode, imo. Taichi’s bond with - and protection of - Botamon does make him a more likeable character . . . it’s just still not enough for me to actually care about him as a character, though. :c He needed to be fleshed out throughout the entire series a lot more . . .

Botamon “evolving” into Greymon was pretty cool. He looked like Kirby at the start, lol.

And, drumroll . . . “the great power” is . . . Omegamon, lol. And he’s super OP! But he has already appeared before in the series - and super early on . . . so it’s super anti-climatic. All that build-up for the answer to be a Digimon we met almost straight away at the start of the series? Nah, that doesn’t work for me. Also, I like how Yamato had NO PART in this at all, lmao. Omegamon is just Taichi’s heart, right? ;)

Valkyrimon’s explanation also made it sound like if everyone closed their eyes and wished really hard, Omegamon will just appear, lmao. Man, Taichi could’ve just done that from the start, instead of making us slog through 60+ episodes of this “adventure”! :P

So, this episode was kinda good . . . and also kinda not, lol.

But I actually like these types of episodes where things “slow down” and we get some more creative ways of telling a story. But I think I would have liked this episode a lot more if Taichi was an actual character with personality, instead of the most generic protagonist to ever walk the Earth.

It really does make a difference when you actually care about the characters . . . and I just don’t care about Taichi - almost at all, actually. Which is a real shame, seeing as he’s my third favourite character in the OG. Toei really screwed up big time with this reboot.

Oh well, we’re almost at the end! \o/

Next episode: ALL THE KIDS ARE FINALLY TOGETHER? PLEASE, LET IT BE TRUE. \o/

[dahniwitchoflight]

KH Thematic Trio Roles

I feel like I've made this post before about just the BBS trio and KH1 trio, but I’ve been thinking about it and expanding it a bit, and I think there’s actually a funny way to phrase things that groups all the trios into one of three types of emotional arcs and I thought it was neat to see who ended up with who so I’m typing them all out here:

1) Their path led ever downward until they were left with nothing but despair

2) They started out strong and kind, but were manipulated into making regretful mistakes

3) They're young, newer, but fierce and they were cast down before their time

So first up, the trios im using are: 

BBS (Terra Aqua Ven), 

KH1 (Sora Kairi Riku),

Days (Axel Roxas Xion)

and Other (Namine, Repliku, Vanitas) (Yeah okay I know theyre not any sort of official trio together but they are a trio of special outcasts who don’t have a place of their own and they fit this pattern so im doing it anyway)

Anyway first off we got: 

1) Their path led ever downward until they were left with nothing but despair And our winners are: Aqua, Riku, Roxas, Vanitas

Now obviously this doesn’t include any happy ending earned because mostly everyone got a happy ending in KH3 anyway we’re just here for the feels of the tragedy

but in general, Aqua started off a master, slowly lost everything, and was left to rot in the dark world for a decade before losing her keyblade and ever her own heart

Riku had his heart slowly filled with darkness over time and ended up losing both his best friends, his heart to darkness, his appearance and even currently still has his moments of despair but it was strongest in Days for him, but he ended up the best out these four tbh

Roxas started off knowing nothing but on a high note, making friends and chilling, but the more he learned the more his friendships were torn apart until he lost his trust for Axel, all memory of Xion, any love for the organization at all, and eventually was beaten down and lost his own identity for kh2

Vanitas is the clear downward trended one, he started off bad as a darkness being ripped out of a piece of a heart, only knowing constant pain and agony while seething over how he could feel how happy Ventus was and eventually fully accepted he was nothing but darkness and lost his sanity a little bit

Next we have:

2) They started out strong and kind, but were manipulated into making regretful mistakes

Terra, Sora, Axel, Namine aka people who at one point fully caught protagonist syndrome and it bit them later

Terra was the dude who started his adventure and is most well known for how he fell to xehanort’s careful and insidious manipulation (Sidenote, KH1 only Riku also fits here technically, but as Riku’s arc evolved it slowly changed over time to falling to darkness and then rising out again so it goes above)

Sora’s major arcs especially in DDD and KH3 have all been about how the Xehanort’s basically just be toying with him the whole time but yeah the regets part don’t really happen until KH3 for sure (but hes the main chara of main charas so of course it gets fixed easily) 

Axel’s got main character syndrome obviously because he’s so memetically popular, but his story also fits, as a kid him and Isa had ideas about being gallant heroes, then oops they lose their hearts, and suddenly Saix is manipulating Axel once their nobodies into doing icky jobs for the sake of their “friendship” to the point where it ends in the tragedy of Days and Axel is left regretting what he might have done different, everyone seems him as the clever sassy one but they forget Days was about him slowly becoming resentful of how his youthful friendship with Saix turned into nothing but manipulating him all the time

Namine was lonely and just wanted a friend so she put a self insert into the story and tried to become the main special focus and ends up regretting it hard, and even though she changed memories, it was Marluxia and Larxene who manipulated and mocked her feelings of loneliness making it worse and leading her to do that

Finally, we got:  3) They're young, newer, but fierce and they were cast down before their time aka they basically died at the end of the games they appeared in and those moments fill me with grief more than anything especially because of how spunky they were: Ventus, Kairi, Xion, Repliku (again, KH3 fixes everything so it’s not that bad too)

Ventus, couldn’t be clearer here, he starts off s young and full of hope and at the end makes the decision to shatter his own heart just so that Vanitas won’t have his own way Kairi, we all waited so long for her keyblade to become relevant and then MX just shatters her like that (thankfully KH3 DLc fixes everything up)

Xion, do I even gotta say it?

Repliku, his last lines wondering where does a fake heart go when it dies as he lies disappearing hurt me deep anyway yeah just thought that was neat to see the groups of people who might relate emotionally to eachother and how it’s not always as clear cut like all the soras together or all the rikus etc

But yeah,

Aqua, Riku, Roxas get to bond over life sucks syndrome (and drag Vanitas kicking and screaming along for the ride) Terra, Sora, Axel and Namine learn to stop constantly apologizing to people when and Ventus, Kairi, Xion and Repliku just be vibing like Same Death? Same Death!

[drazavonia]

She will no longer "Embrace Destiny"

Destiny is more often that not a goal or fate one's life is chained to. If destiny is a force of the universe, no one can "control" destiny so to speak. However someone of a higher power, domain or "providence" can change the destiny of one with lesser power, control and/or knowledge (of their own destiny).

Kairi was only four years old when Apprentice Xehanort took her, experimented on her and shipped her off of her world for two purposes apparently:

1) For her "Heart of Pure Light" to resonate with the "key bearer" and lead Xehanort to them.

2) As of Melody of Memory, apparently Apprentice Xehanort also wanted Kairi to arrive in a world of neither light or darkness which could possibly be The Final World. Ironically, this would mean he was successful on both accounts by the end of this game.

However, it's clear up above Kairi is upset and that line of "You're the one who keeps messing with my fate" implies much like how Aqua finally figured out in Kh3/Remind that Xehanort possessed Terra, Kairi will finally find out how and why she was ripped away from her grandma and home of Radiant Garden. Not only that, but it shows us she never really had a choice in how her fate was twisted and manipulated to whichever way the Xehanorts needed at the time:

- Apprentice Xehanort shipping Kairi off to Sora and Riku

- Ansem SOD/Riku sacrificing Destiny Islands causing Kairi's heart to take refuge in Sora's heart.

-Xemnas and Xehanort taking Kairi to crystalize her heart to use as a final gambit to open Kingdom Hearts.

The next lines "If it weren't for you Sora and everyone would be safe...I won't let you walk away" indicate for Sora, her friends and herself, she will no longer allow anyone control over her destiny. She has the strength and determination now to make her own destiny and fight against anyone who messes with her fate again.

This is the reason I can see Kairi getting a new keyblade.

A lot of the main characters' keyblades are symbolic of their hearts and roles within the series, as well as how they've grown and evolved over the course of their journeys.

The most obvious case being Riku.

Riku

Kingdom Key> Soul Eater

The Kingdom Key was originally meant for Riku, as he was the keyblade's chosen. But when he chose to give in to the darkness the keyblade went to Sora instead, and of course Soul Eater was a weapon of darkness given to him by Maleficent to signify his alignment with her.

Soul Eater> Way to Dawn

It's in the name.

But seriously Way to Dawn is a perfect symbol of Riku's journey of acceptance of his darkness and redemption from kh1 to kh2. The keychain is the dark heart on his "Dark Riku" form which signified his complete fall to darkness. But from the keychain upwards we see the "Gazing Eye" encircled by an angel wing and demon wing, symbolizing Riku's decision against alignment with light or darkness. Afterwards majority of the blade is the demon wing from Soul Eater largely because Riku's role within kh2 is him working from the shadows undercover as Ansem and doing his best to distance himself from his friends who walk the path of light. However at the very end, an angel wing meets the large demon wing which is symbolic of us teaming up with Riku finally, as he showcases his mastery of light and darkness alongside Sora and friends.

Way to Dawn> Braveheart

In DDD, Riku materializes Soul Eater and questions his worthiness as a keyblade wielder. He still has doubts but still continues to hold on to his true motivations being to protect Sora. Riku accepts that he can use the power of darkness while standing firmly on the side of light to protect his friends. He no longer needs to find or follow the way to dawn, because by the end of DDD came the Dawn of Riku, a Keyblade Master and Guardian of Light.

And "Braveheart" is pretty simple. Riku found the strength to protect what matters, and it's perfectly symbolized by Riku's sacrifice for Sora.

"I'm ready now, I'm in control now."

Terra and Aqua (technically Ven as well) have never left home by the beginning of BBS and throughout the game they experience trials and tribulations that challenge their friendship and we see by their Keyblades at the end the results of these trials.

Terra

Earthshaker> Ends of the Earth

Strong and powerful, after hearing Riku's motivation for strength being his friends he bestowed upon him the keyblade which reignited his devotion to his friends. This is also symbolized with Lingering Will, as that's the keyblade he's left with. He'll go to the ends of the earth to save his friends and right his wrongs.

Ends of the Earth> Chaos Ripper

Terra's devotion to protect his friends turns into rage against Xehanort for killing Eraqus, taking his home and manipulating him. Allowing darkness to further consume his heart.

Aqua

Rainfell> Stormfall

Aqua's journey mostly consist with things happening around her and to her friends. Aqua being the only master of the three and worried for their safety, Aqua does her best to assume responsibility and watch over them. Much like rain, it was a light and simple task. But Xehanort's manipulations and temptations with both Terra and Ven, increased Aqua's worry and need to have control over her friends to keep them out of danger. Unfortunately certain seeds had already been planted amongst them, causing Aqua's worry and concern to come off as patronizing and distrustful of her friends. This weakened the trust in the bonds they share making her job to protect them even more difficult and adding to the weight of responsibility she carries.

Stormfall> Brightcrest

Terra and Ventus have both lost their hearts to darkness. With Venuts sleeping in Castle Oblivion and Terra taken over by Xehanort, Aqua was their only chance of ever coming back. She was the only one who knew how to find Ventus and the only one left to defeat Xehanort once and for all. She stood tall and was willing to risk it all for her friends, she was their "light in the darkness".

Ventus

Wayward Wind + Lost Memory

Ventus' keyblade is the only one that doesn't evolve or change throughout the game. Instead Lost Memory is gained when Vanitas forces Ventus to remember how he came to be. Ventus gains a newfound acceptance for his fate with this knowledge and only cares if his friends are safe.

Axel/Lea (Dark Rescue)

Flame Liberator

Axel betrayed the organization. Axel did everything he could to keep Roxas and Xion unaware of the truth so they could live in blissful ignorance (or be happy). He saved Sora at the last minute in DDD and made it his mission in KH3 to get Roxas back. He even declared to Saix that he would bring him home as well. His keyblade represents his determination to save and free his friends from a cruel fate.

Destiny's Embrace also tells a story for Kairi, but much like how she got it, the symbolism isn't representative of her personal journey.

- The keychain of Destiny's Embrace is funny enough, a popular fruit. When two people share paopu fruits, their destinies become intertwined.

- The chain, unlike many others is a red thread in knots, most likely representative of the Red String of Destiny. The "Destiny Knot" (pokemon references ftw) is what ties two people together romantically or what ties two destinies together.

- The hilt of the keyblade is the King chess piece. The king in this case referring to Sora (Crown, Throne, Holds his keyblade like King Arthur in artwork). To me this is symbolic of how Kairi has literally held Sora's fate or destiny in her hands at certain points in the series.

• In kh1, Kairi reverts Sora back from a heartless/the darkness after sacrificing himself to restore her heart.

• In khcom, in order for Sora to regain his memories, he has to focus on his "light in the darkness".

• In kh2, it's not until after reading Kairi's letter to him that the Door to Light opens the way for Sora and Riku to return to Destiny Islands in the realm of light.

• In kh3, it's Kairi's light that keeps Sora from fading away within the demon tide and holds him together so he can save the other guardians.

- Surrounding the grip is a heart with half of it having a sea/ocean/wave aesthetic. It could be representative of Kairi's heart and the heart of her nobody counterpart Namine, whose name means wave.

- Half of the heart with the vine extending down the blade is identical to the keychains of Sora's Ultima Weapons in kh1,2,DDD,3.

The crown connects to the heart which belongs to both Kairi and Namine which makes sense because Sora and Kairi together created Namine.

- I'm not sure what the blade symbolizes aside from maybe fire because of her entanglement with Axel (doubt) or more likely the fires of Kairi's determination to improve, so she can stand by Sora and Riku.

- The flowers at the end with "logo" heart of course represents Radiant Garden. I think Nomura always planned to explore Kairi's past at some point especially with how connected it is to Union X, and that Kairi as well her grandma would be the bridge connecting the past and the present.

However, because of kh3 and most likely M.O.M, I think Kairi will quite literally be freed from "Destiny's Embrace", both Xehanort and the keyblade.

Like I said before, a lot of the symbolism for Destiny's Embrace is externally based. Mostly because Kairi never gets the chance to shine nor do we get to see what's going on inside of her head. Some of this is also because of Kairi's reluctance to bring up her past trauma when asked about it.

• Sora is gone, no need to be a plot device/motivation for him. Instead it's the other way around.

• Namine is her own person now.

• Melody of Memory will finally tackle and resolve Kairi's past.

Everything Destiny's Embrace represents will be resolved by the end of Melody of Memory. So just like how Riku completed his Darkness character arc by the end of DDD and got Way to Dawn replaced by Braveheart as a symbol of his newfound growth, either by the end of M.O.M or in KH4 Kairi will be rid off all of the things holding her character back from truly growing on a narrative and meta level and the keyblade that symbolizes all of those things:

Destiny's Embrace

*This is the other part of the Melody of Memory sticker post.

(Credit to Hartmann-lionhart for their Destiny's Embrace/Ultima Weapon Analysis)

[curedigiqueen]

So while I was working on my… analysis I suppose, on why Digimon Adventure: does not work as a show, it occurred to me that despite claims that Taichi in Adventure: is inspired by V-Tamer Taichi, his partner is an Agumon whose final evolution is Omegamon, and why that doesn’t work. But I realized that it is a point that I could expand on, and so I have separated it out here. Consider it a preview.

The protagonists of Digimon V-Tamer are Yagami Taichi and his partner Zero, a Veedramon. The story is carried by these two alone. While others help and hinder them on their way, their mission is theirs, and the responsibility of defeating Daemon belongs to no one else. It is with that power that they reach their highest form, UlforceVeedramon Future Mode While Taichi is the main protagonist, Zero is just as much a protagonist. Their names, even reference binary. While there are other characters who impact the plot, the role of protagonist belongs to these two. 

This is echoed in the themes of Digimon Adventure:, the digivice in the title supposedly representing the bonds between human and digimon. And, while I don’t think it particularly succeeds, I can see clear attempts to be made to make the digimon partners their own characters, equals to their human partners. 

But yet, Digimon Adventure: uses Omegamon as Taichi and Agumon’s final evolution. And that is a bit of a problem. Digimon Partners are not interchangeable. Well, okay, the species are a bit arbitrary, all things considered, (after all, Zero’s rookie form is also Agumon) but the problem is what UlforceVeedramon represents vs. Omegamon. 

In Digimon Adventure, Omegamon is not Taichi’s power alone. Not by a long shot. Taichi is not the solo human protagonist of Digimon Adventure. Even in the first film, before Hikari was even meant to play a key role in the series, she shared the series debut. Regardless, the burden of defeating Apocalymon is not his alone to bear. And Agumon’s evolutions reflect that. WarGreymon is reached through borrowing Hikari’s power. Omegamon is literally formed by WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon (who was formed by borrowing Takeru’s power), but in reality is born from the power of hundreds of people reaching out from across the world. And perhaps even Taichi’s crest of Courage is not something that belongs to him alone. As Yamato puts it, “It’s everyone's Friendship”. Though Taichi best embodies courage, the courage he wields is not his alone. Even tri. which I usually avoid using as an example, has Omegamon Merciful Mode, which very explicitly draws from the other children’s partners. Adventure’s Taichi’s not strong because he himself is powerful. Really compared to Hikari he seems rather unimpressive on his own. He’s strong because he is able to easily act as a receiver to others powers, a trait that is fitting for a leader. Because that’s what sets Adventure Taichi apart from his peers, he’s a leader.

Note, that I didn’t really bring up the partners in regards to the discussion of Adventure, not that they aren’t important, but that they aren’t a driving factor. Digimon partners are something vastly different in Digimon Adventure. They are reflections of the children’s inner selves. For straightforward characters, like Taichi, his partner Agumon is very much like him, and for characters like Sora, Piyomon seems very different. This isn’t to say that the digimon are simply their partners, Tailmon went through quite a bit on her own. But nevertheless, Tailmon is the way she is, because Hikari is the way she is. 

Digimon Partners and their evolutions are not things that are just assigned, and given. They are things that arise from the circumstances. Omegamon is there because the themes and circumstances make Omegamon the most appropriate "Ultra”. This is true both in and out of universe, who can forget SkullGreymon? SkullGreymon isn’t wrong. It’s just not the evolution that fits Taichi and Agumon’s situation.

And here’s the thing. Digimon has done the whole focus on “Bonds with Partner’s” before. That’s Tamers. And in Tamers, the final evolution was born from a human and a digimon literally coming together as one. The final episodes all appear somewhat humanoid as a result, particularly notable from WarGrowmon to Gallentmon. Because that was what evolutions were needed narratively and thematically. Otherwise, we have Megidramon. And guess what, the Adventure timeline also has a movie in which the focus is on the bonds between human and friendship, and lo and behold. In Digimon Adventure Kizuna, Agumon (Bond of Courage) and Gabumon (Bond of Friendship) were born. Born from the bond between human and digimon. They even use the “looking like humans” idea from Tamers.

Interestingly, Kizuna came right before Digimon Adventure: started. 

Now, I am really advocating for the Bond forms to be used in Adventure:, those forms were something special to that timeline. But that’s just the thing. Many evolutions, whether unique digimon or not, are brought about by circumstances unique to that timeline. Look at 02’s usage of Armor levels, Frontier's Hybrids, and Xros Wars' Xros mechanic. It’s not new for later seasons to take these Digimon that have existed in these specific circumstances and use them generically later. It would, after all, be a shame to put all those good designs to waste. But at the very least, the evolutions of the main cast are carefully chosen, created if need be, to fit the show.

And that creates a problem for Adventure: as a reboot. It is pulling from the evolutionary lines of its predecessor, despite aiming for different themes and using an entirely different world and characters, and in the process the meaning behind the evolutions has been stripped out. While it has been able to throw in additional evolutions, most of those are well within the confines of precedent: Armors and Ultimate’s that are already related to these evolutionary lines. Adventure: is trying to be a show that, as a reboot of Adventure, it cannot be. Adventure: spends so much of its time screaming that it is not the original Adventure, while simultaneously dragging in call backs that it loses any sense of identity.

The enemies they fight are not Taichi’s responsibility alone. These kids have to have crests. Agumon must evolve into Omegamon.  Angemon still has to die, HolyAngemon and Angemon have to mean something. Tailmon has to be Adult, and has to have been evil. Hikari and Takeru have to give their brother’s power. Omegamon still has to appear. . They still go to summer camp, and Taichi still fights Parrotmon. 

Note, that this is far from Adventure:’s only problem, however I do think it illustrates a large problem that affects the way certain elements and characters are used in this show. Taichi is a solo protagonist, but his “Ultra” is still Omegamon born of Yamato, Takeru and HIkari’s influence. Mimi is now a bossy rich girl, but her crest is still Purity. Yamato is a loner who doesn’t overly concern himself with others, but he’s still Friendship, and still Takeru’s semi-estranged younger brother. 

When Adventure: manages to work a new angle into the old mold, it works well. Yamato’s focus on his friendship with Gabumon works well, and various side characters work alright. Resolving the conflict over Tailmon’s Ultimates by using both for separate things and bringing in Goddramon is a great idea. But more often than not, it doesn’t. Properly contextualizing what a holy digimon is is great, but Angemon’s death is awkward, and Pegususmon’s presence smooths over the issues of Tailmon being champion and keeping Angemon special in an awkward way, refusing to address what an Armor is. Because they are trying to write a story around a set of evolutions they are required to have while absolutely refusing to be Adventure where it matters. Leading to the awkward mesh of Adventure elements and characters, with themes and stories that they were never meant for. 

If Adventure: was meant to be about the bond between Taichi and Agumon, Omegamon was never going to work, including the concepts of crests, was going to muddle things at the very least, and including 7 whole other partner pairs who are going to require at least a few episodes of focus a piece was not going to work out. It’s not that we couldn’t have had more focus on Taichi and Agumon within a reboot and their bond, or that the idea of Taichi and Agumon (or any other pair), activating an evolution because they are in agreement on a concept isn’t a good idea. Just an understanding that this primary focus wasn’t going to work because Adventure in its very concept has a lot of characters that need some degree of focus. Savers with its heavier Masaru focus and use of shonen tropes, dials back the number of “main” characters to half that of Adventure, because it is built around its premise. That unless they were going to be bumped down to secondary, recurring characters, this was never going to work, because that’s not how Adventure’s concept was intended. To tell a new story, it needed to have dropped a few more of Adventure’s elements. But to do that would be to essentially admit that this isn’t Adventure at all. Adventure: needed to have evaluated what story it could tell with what elements it was required to include.

Anything goes in Digimon, and Adventure: seems to want to make the most of this, using armors, Hybrids and Xros Wars digimon with regularity. But you can’t build a cohesive narrative simply by plucking your favorite ingredients and sticking it in a pot. Some things just don’t go together. You can’t take the ingredients to make bread and make a salad. But in short, V-Tamer Taichi and Adventure Taichi aren’t interchangeable. They are two different characters because they are designed for two different stories, and their partners reflect this. Adventure: was doomed from the start if it didn’t realize this. 

[fizzingwizard]

Last week I mistakenly wrote “episode 41″ instead of “episode 40.” Tried to fix it, not sure if Tumblr let me. Here’s the real episode 41!

We’ve been on a pretty darn good streak lately, but this episode was a miss for me. It’s not terrible - it’s still far and away better than much of what we were getting in the past - so I don’t want to be harsh. It’s a much needed Yamato & Takeru centric episode, which I was excited for.

But one of the weaknesses in this reboot is that the characters just lack the strong motivations and inner conflict that drove the 99 Adventure series. It’s not completely absent, but it’s very dialed back by comparison. So I just couldn’t really feel the brotherly bond this episode wanted me to feel. But more below the cut.

Pic of the week:

Yamato and his gentle face <3

The group is taking another break. I will never get bored of watching them just chill.

Gomamon gives Jou a massage. On the one hand, cute! On the other, wtf? XD I mean wouldn’t that hurt? He has claws

Cutest siblings.

Even though they’re taking a break, Taichi, of course, is too responsible to properly goof off. (99 Taichi would be so freaked out by this kid.) He decides to go scouting and Koushirou offers to go with him. I really hoped we’d see a bit of what they do this episode scattered through the main story, but looks like we’ll get to it next week and I can’tttt waaaaitttt

Speaking of the main story, Yamato and Takeru decide to go gather food.

Who even knows what the other four get up to. Jou and Mimi continuing their break makes sense, but I’m kinda surprised Hikari and Sora didn’t want to join one of the tasks, or do their own. I suppose they know they can’t leave Jou and Mimi unsupervised though hurr hurr

So Takeru and Yamato go to look for food and find themselves surrounded by fog. Suddenly this little guy, Opossomon, pops out. I instantly hate him and his annoying squeaky voice.

Opossomon takes them to his amusement park. He is sad because nobody comes to visit anymore. I figured Takeru would be like AMUSEMENT PARK AMUSEMENT PARK!! but literally all he cares about is “aw, opossomon seems sad, let’s give him what he wants.”

Whoever heard of a kid who wasn’t excited by amusement parks.

Takeru does get a little excited once they enter the park and start going on rides. They get on the ferris wheel - a classic Digimon motif - and the brothers recall going to a theme park with their parents before the divorce. Takeru reminisces happily, but Yamato seems a bit more reserved.

Takeru: Oniichan was scared of the haunted house and wouldn’t go in?

Gabumon: o_O y-you were??

Yamato: o/////////o

seriously Idk, I just love that he’s bothered by ghosts, bahahaha - pretty sure that wasn’t a thing till Tri, unless it happened in a CD drama or novel or something. Anyway it’s just, it’s just so perfect for Yamato, bahahaha

I am absolutely going to write a ficlet about Taichi, Yamato, & the haunted house now

Then there’s this weird bit. They come across a merry-go-round and they remember that, on their family trip, Takeru tried to go on it with Yamato, but Yamato said no and Takeru went with their mom instead. That seems to be the situation but IT’S NEVER EXPLAINED. Why did Yamato not want to go on the merry go round then?? Was there a reason? Or he just didn’t want to at the time, and the reason he regrets it now is because this turned out to be their last family trip and there was never another chance to go on the merry go round together after that? I could totally accept that but it’s not explained in any way.

Unless I totally zoned out... I’m pretty guilty of that with this show lol.

But this is the kind of thing that bugs me... we’re supposed to understand that Yamato, at least, is feeling some kind of melancholy, at least. But we have so little background for it. We know Yamato and Takeru don’t live together and that they care a lot about each other. But we don’t feel the kind of bitterness 99 Yamato had, nor is Takeru anything like as clingy as his 99 version. They seem pretty well adjusted.

And, I mean, that’s probably the point. Plenty of children of divorce are perfectly well adjusted. Maybe that’s the reason the producers didn’t want to be as heavy-handed with the trauma this time - there’s more divorced families than ever and you don’t want to be guilty of suggesting all those kids are messed up because of it. I’m on board with that. But even in 99, the main reason Yamato and Takeru struggled wasn’t because their parents were divorced - it was because the divorced separated them from each other as well. Each parent took one kid. You can see how that would seem practical, except that kids aren’t furniture, you can’t just divide them evenly and call it fair.

So... yeah. This episode seems to want us to believe Yamato and Takeru are indeed struggling over being separated. But it’s so low key. It just doesn’t make sense when in every other interaction they’ve had, they’ve been fine. The only previous sign was Yamato being worried about protecting Takeru when Tokyo was in danger, and anyone would be worried in that situation - you don’t need to be from a divorced family for that lol.

Back to busness - they come across... Xiaomon? Chowmon? who is annoyingly cute and helpless. Turns out, shock! The theme park is a trap! Opossomon is evil!

And he has evil balloons! Evil balloons!

Yamato and Takeru fight the balloons but somehow end up creating more fog and get separated. Previously they’d also realized that their Digivice communication wasn’t working, probably due to the fog. I hope we see more of that in future episodes.

Yamato hears Takeru’s voice coming from within the dreaded haunted house and ventures inside.

Here’s another bit that just left me like uggggh. Yamato is scared of haunted houses, so make it a big deal that he makes himself go in for Takeru! He has like one timid line about and that’s it. There’s no challenge here. There’s no stress. The whole encounter is like a minute long.

He quickly finds out the voice was actually just a mimic coming from these Takeru balloons.

And then Bakemon attacks.

Me: Now something interesting will happen, right??

Yamato: Nope.

Meanwhile, Takeru hears the story about how Opossomon has been luring Digimon into his theme park and then sacrificing them to his Monzaemon statue thing in another weird example of this Digimon-eat-Digimon world we’re in Why Opossomon is doing this, or where Monzaemon came from, is never explained.

Takeru also encounters his dreaded theme park ride, the roller coaster. But Pegasusmon takes care of it in a single attack lol.

He fights his hardest but still can’t prevent his new friend from getting sucked into the void. This was another place where they could’ve stressed Takeru out, but he’s fine.

Ugh, I miss crybaby Takeru. The victories are more powerful when the challenges are steeper, what does this show not get about that?

Monzaemon then becomes WaruMonzaemon, but he seems to be a mindless puppet ordered around by Opossomon. I DON’T GET IT BUT OKAY.

Now Takeru does something really cool! He wants to save the trapped Digimon and he understands they’re inside WaruMonzaemon’s hole. So he willingly goes in himself!

That is SO COOL! Why isn’t it a bigger deal???

Why don’t we get Takeru struggling to muster his courage?

Why don’t we get real fear and worry from Yamato when he sees him go inside??

Yamato runs up right at that moment just in time to watch his brother get swallowed up. HE SHOULD BE OUT OF HIS MIND WITH PANIC.

But he just fights normally. Shouts Takeur’s name, gets a bit of a power boost... that’s it.

Inside WaruMonzaemon, Takeru finds out that the trapped Digimon are having their life energy sucked away by the balloons connected to them.

Then he and Patamon also realize their own energy is draining away thanks to their own balloons.

Yamato finally looks properly concerned, though it’s still like... not at the level the episode needs.

He recalls the family theme park outing again, and apparently he promised Takeru that the next time, they would go on the merry-go-round together. The episode treats this promise like it’s a Big Deal, again without explaining anything like they never got that next time thanks to the divorce, or they’re so lonely being so far apart, or Yamato is obsessed with giving Takeru everything he wants... I don’t. I don’t get it. I can’t be moved by this nonsense.

why a merry go round? Maybe there’s a good reason I’m not thinking of, but I wish it had been the haunted house or the roller coaster. It would make more sense if Takeru were scared of the roller coaster and only wanted to try it if Yamato went with him, but Yamato at the time said no, and thus Takeru didn’t get over his fear and the roller coaster itself played a role in this episode both towards Takeru getting stronger and their brotherly bond getting stronger...

Inside WaruMonzaemon, Takeru gives a speech about HOPE and HOPE IS IMPORTANT and WE MUST NOT LOSE HOPE and the other Digimon are like YES WE HAVE HOPE HERE’S OUR POWER and are able to channel their life energy into Patamon so he can evolve...

... and Angemon appears. And I’m like, oh yeah, this is the Takeru episode. It’s supposed to be his episode. IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE IT. If anything, up till this point it feels like a Yamato episode.

I mean, in the other episodes, the kids’ Crest traits mattered to various degrees. Sometimes they talked about it in words, sometimes they didn’t so much, but you could see the trait at play (uh, not sure how well that applies to Jou’s case tho...? lol). This episode gets to the very end and is like “Oh yeah by the way Takeru’s trait is hope... forgot to mention it before so lemme mention it ten times in a row now!”

If Takeru had seemed sad, scared, upset - literally any negative emotion - this would have worked, BUT AS USUAL HE’S FINE THE WHOLE TIME.

Angemon wins, duh.

And apparently it’s evening now??? They’re still gonna go get food. By the time they get back the other kids are gonna be like wtf where were you we are STARVING

So yeah, I guess you get the idea of how I feel about this episode. Just nothing special. It’s like a summary of the episode it wanted to be, if you know what I mean. On paper, everything looks fine, but in execution, it’s just... a lot of nothing. I mean compare this to 99 Takeru with DemiDevimon at the theme park. Or how about that fan favorite episode with Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon? Those both kick this out of the water, despite being no more complex.

I just so want this show to understand.... what made 99 Digimon good wasn’t just the monsters and the battle scenes, it was the kids’ relatable flaws and problems and the surprisingly organic way they learned new things and overcame obstacles. Digimon Adventure in 1999 had a way of teaching without preaching that is incredibly rare in children’s media. The modus operandi was pretty much let the kids be kids.

This 2020 reboot is not preachy - but it’s also lacking the stuff that made the 99 show relatable.

However. This wasn’t a terrible episode. At least it gave us some face time between the brothers. I’m frustrated, but I’m still glad that the show has overall been moving in a much more Digimon Adventure-like direction. And who knows what will happen in the end - I plan to rewatch the whole thing after the finale and maybe I’ll discover they were doing something totally different with Yamato and Takeru the whole time that I just didn’t notice, or that wasn’t clear until the very end. We’ll see.

Next week!

My favorite Digimon, Raremon, appears!

More importantly, TAICHI AND KOUSHIROU EPISODE, TAICHI AND KOUSHIROU EPISODE, TAICHI AND KOUSHIROU EPISODE!!!!!!!!!!

like I’m sooooo psyched for this!! I hope it’s good but I’ll just be happy to see the two of them working together. Taichi didn’t appear in the preview though, only MetalGreymon - not sure if that means anything. Regardless, my little Taishiro heart is pounding!

[firstagent]

Review! Digimon Adventure: (2020) Episode 45: Activate, MetalGarurumon

In this episode, for some reason Gabumon decides he wants to run around a track. For some reason this leads to MetalGarurumon. These reasons will not be given.

If you had asked somebody familiar with the trappings of shounen anime but clueless about Digimon what was going on with this current string, they’d confidently tell you the show’s been waiting for the manga to advance the story farther to know how to proceed with Millenniumon’s inevitable revival. Like Angemon’s return and the random appearances by BlitzGreymon and Ponchomon, getting MetalGarurumon doesn’t change that. If anything, it makes the lack of story progress even more annoying. Now they’re falling so far behind they have to burn major evolutions in perfectly average filler material. Nothing about it is egregiously wrong and any spotlight on Gabumon is welcomed, but don’t leave this with any impression that the show is doing anything but spinning its wheels.

As much as we like seeing Gabumon take a star turn, it’s a version of Gabumon we’re woefully unfamiliar with. We get Gabumon as Yamato’s loyal companion and his playful rivalry with Greymon, but the obsession with running? That’s… new. Maybe that’s the reason Yamato and Garurumon did nothing but run through the plains for multiple days back when plot was happening to Taichi. When an episode is going to feature somebody, it’s best when the logic behind it tracks. Sora’s adventure with the Pomumon and Koshiro’s visit with Gerbemon didn’t need any explanation. Here we arrive at a racetrack and Gabumon is suddenly possessed by Sonic the Hedgehog.

This sudden character attribute we just learned about drives the entire episode. The introduction to Machmon is now more confrontational, which is the only way you’re picking up on his problem. Machmon, and the problem itself, is as fine a character and as fine a dilemma as what we’ve gotten used to in this run, where his willingness to open fire on his opponents is chalked up to his competitive streak rather than a more sinister influence. After demanding a clean rematch, Yamato, Koshiro, and Taichi investigate while the others trip over each other trying to have any presence. With the exception of MetalGarurumon, it’s the same routine as always, and hangs on a main character doing something totally arbitrary.

At least within the confines of this episode, Gabumon’s characterization is enjoyable. We’ve gotten moments here and there where the kids are allowed to be kids, and the essence of all this is giving a Digimon a chance to indulge himself with a run around a racetrack. It’s that preservation of fun that bolsters Gabumon as much as anything, and the suggestion that Machmon isn’t having fun troubles him more than being rammed into and shot at. Yamato is very much the supporting player here, following Gabumon’s lead with an admirable devotion and getting into enough trouble to prompt WereGarurumon to evolve. It’s nice to see it play both ways. With Yamato’s hesitance to provide unnecessary help well behind him, we’re left with a healthy, loyal, and ultimately kind of dull relationship.

Does it justify MetalGarurumon? So far the only thing we have to go off of is WarGreymon’s first appearance. From that, the only criteria are the understanding of a tight bond, and the need for a little more power. That seems more like a Champion-level prerequisite. The crest factor is present, sure, and Yamato going to bat for Gabumon, who fights to help Machmon, qualifies. In this context, with nothing on the line but a single Digimon having a rough decade, the stakes don’t justify the pomp. It also doesn’t help that the crest attributes haven’t been formally introduced yet. Technically, we have no idea that Taichi represents courage and Yamato represents friendship! Really the only bit of consistency is that new evolutions don’t seem to have much point to them and centering an episode’s conversation about one is foolhardy.

Thing is, beyond that, there isn’t much else to talk about. Other than Yamato, Koshiro is the only one with any real presence in the episode, even taking the random race jobs into consideration. The track and Parasimon’s presence are vaguely referential, but hardly to the point of nostalgia. If they were playing that card, the Grand Prix would be populated by someone other than a brand new Digimon and Parasimon would be going after a train for the third time in franchise history instead of a motorcycle. You can squint and see how elements of this episode could be highly enjoyable. Put them together and it continues to be a mediocre slog.

My Grade: C

Loose Data:

One easy fix for both Gabumon’s sudden enthusiasm for racing and everyone else’s lack of relevance is for all of them to get caught up in the excitement of a top racing facility and wanting to do a lap. It’s actually a little weird that Agumon and Patamon at least aren’t interested in giving it a go.

Why is anyone surprised that the race format is anything goes? The Grand Prix did exist in-universe, and even out of universe the short and the game don’t lend themselves to pure tests of speed and maneuvering. Hell, you can get away with half this stuff in NASCAR!

That upside-down fire-attack-as-thrust maneuver to save Machmon from the wall? Somebody in the writer’s room thought of that in their sleep and were dying to work that into an episode.

Yamato, Koshiro, and Taichi say something menacing about the big turn at the end being the key to unraveling the mystery. Other than its obligatory place for the dramatic finish, it has nothing to do with unraveling the mystery.

If the Lilimon cheerleader outfits on the girls weren’t enough of a hint that they were desperate to find something for the other characters to chew on, putting one on Takeru clinched it. Remember that someone in the cast had to have suggested it, someone had to make Takeru wear that, and someone had to prevent Yamato from coming to his brother’s rescue. That someone is obviously Mimi.

See reviews of every Digimon episode at Digimon: System Restore! Support the site by joining our Patreon!

[i-believe-in-soriku]

Essay Part 2: The Deepest Relationship

Now that I have explained how Riku is a strong character with is OWN development and his OWN personanity, I can talk about his relationship with Sora. Sora is also a developed character, even if his evolution is less spectacular than Riku's. I'm not here to talk about Sora so I'll probably give you links to wonderful analysis I've read.

If I mention that, it's because I want to point at something which is very important in terms of writing. To write a relationship between two characters (or more, but here it's two), the two characters involved must be developed. That's important to understand the dynamics between them, why they like each other, why their relationship exists and why it works. And this rule applies to all kinds of relationships.

Indeed, those conditions are filled with Sora and Riku's relationship.

Actually, the producer himself admits that their relationship is the very heart of the series:

"The fact is that the main focus of the series is Sora and Riku; how their friendship develops, but also how they grow up."

Now, let's see how their relationship works. Because it works. Whether you see it as friendly or romantic doesn't matter, it works the same.

The two of them were childhood friends. It is told in BBS and KH: they used to spend all their time together, inventing stories and dreaming about adventures. They kind of promised to protect each other at the really early age of 4 and 5.

Aqua: Sora, do you like Riku?

Sora: Of course I like him, he's my best friend!

Aqua: Good. So then, if something happens, and Riku is about to get lost--or say, he starts wandering down a dark path alone--you make sure to stay with him and keep him safe. That's your job, Sora, and I'm counting on you to do it, okay?

*Sora nods*

As they grew up, a distance has settled between them. I have already talked about what caused that distance. KH is not the best moment of their friendship but, believe it or not, it is essential to its development. Both guilt and love pushed Riku to seek to make amends with Sora, to protect him:

Sora, on his side, wasn't resentful against Riku at all -all he wanted was to find his friend back and make things the way they were before.

But it soon became clear to them that such a thing was impossible. Too many things had changed due to Riku's actions and the hardships they had to face. They had to stick the pieces back, and tried their best to do so. Sora tried to find back Riku during CoM and KH2.

Sora (beginning of KH2): Well, I'm gonna go look for Riku. Then he and I can go back to the islands together.

Riku tried to help Sora recover his memories and he watched his friend during his sleep.

And it didn't mattered to them that one year has passed, their goal never changed. When Sora woke up, Riku kept on protecting him, Sora kept on searching for him. Both of them wanted to recover something that mattered to them - that is to say, their best friend. Is it forced? No. It follow the events of KH. It is the consequence of what happened before.

When they finally find each other during the events of KH2, the feelings expressed by Sora (happiness, relief) and by Riku (shame, doubt) underline how much they care about each other.

Sora: Why didn't you let me know you were okay?

That's not like Sora's and Kairi's reunions, where all we can see is a promise - something that Sora and Riku also share - and mere relief, joy. I don't say Sora is not happy to be reunited with Kairi and vice-versa. It's just that when they do, the poor development Kairi is given prevents these scenes from being as powerful as Sora's and Riku's reunion(s).

Indeed, when they found each other in KH2, after a rough fight with Xemnas, what is the first thing that happens between them?

A heart-to-heart conversation.

That is sweet, and illustrates that, yes, they share a special bond. But what I like the most with this scene in the Dark Margin, is that it's the undeniable proof of what I've said before.

Those boys are trying to line the scattered pieces of their frienship up - and the way they do it is simple, touching. They are just being honest with each other while talking about their past feelings for each other - and also the one they experience in the present moment:

Riku: What I said back there...about thinking I was better at stuff than you... To tell you the truth, Sora... I was jealous of you.

Sora: What for?

Riku: I wished I could live life the way you do. Just following my heart.

Sora: Yeah, well, I've got my share of problems, too.

Riku: Like what?

Sora: Like...wanting to be like you.

Riku: Well, there is one advantage to being me... Something you could never imitate.

Sora: Really? What's that?

Riku: Having you for a friend.

Sora: Then I guess...I'm okay the way I am. I've got something you could never imitate too.

That is so sincere that I don't get why people keep on saying that their relation is forced.

Their story, however, is not over yet. Dream Drop Distance is the the highlight for the writing of their common story. I have already written a post about their bonds in KH3D, so I'll resume what I said, and add new elements. DDD is pretty smart because it depicts the link between Sora and Riku even though they're separated during almost the whole game.

At the beginning of the game, Riku and Sora are at Master Yen Sid's Tower, and he says that they have to pass the Mark of Mastery Exam. It is really important to Riku, but for Sora, it is quite useless. Still, Sora decides to pass the exam with Riku in order to motivate and support him.

Sora: But that's a formality, right? I already proved myself. Me and the king, and Riku--we can take on anything. Right, Riku?

Riku: I don't know. I think that in my heart, darkness still has a hold. Walking that path changed me. I'm not sure if I'm ready to wield a Keyblade. Maybe I do need to be tested.

Sora: Riku... Then count me in. Put me through the test! Just watch--me and Riku will pass with flying colors!

This element shows that the two of them trust each other. Which is the proof that their conversation on that dark beach has definitely recovered their bonds - their trust in each other, the fact that they can rely on each other no matter what.

That is an evolution, not just a "return to the way it was before". Because the dynamic between them has changed. Sora is the one Riku rely on. Sora is the one "in advance". Sora is the one confident and cool. (at least in Riku's eyes). But Riku is not jealous anymore. That's different.

The game has also a lot of interesting scenes. In Traverse Town, for instance, we """learn""" (in case it wasn't clear until that moment...) that Sora is Riku's most important person.

Beat: I just...wanna protect the one person who matters.

Riku: I know the feeling.

On Sora's side, by his own words, they are always together, even when they are separated:

Sora: Don't worry. He's with me--even when it might seem like he's not.

In La Cité des Cloches, the Quasimodo/Riku parallel shows that Riku his still holding back stuff inside of him.

Quasimodo: Master Frollo--he made me live inside the bell tower, but the real walls were the ones I built around my heart. You helped me see that, Riku.

Riku: I was...speaking from...personal experience.

Given the context, it is clear that it is a reference to Riku's feelings for Sora, especially if we take a look at Quasimodo's feelings for Esmeralda, and Esmeralda's and Phœbus words.

In Monstro, Riku says that Sora is his conscience, and even talks about "his stupid grin", what's.. extremely tender?!

Jiminy: You must have somebody--a friend you can talk to?

Riku: Yeah...actually, I do. That stupid grin he's always wearing--he's the best teacher I could ever have.

The Symphony Of Sorcery is also full of elements, like the fact that Sora considers that Riku is always there for him...

Sora: Don't worry. I've got a friend out there who will help. He's always picking up the slack for me.

...which was actually proved in game:

So yeah, the game does not only say that Riku is here for Sora, it actually shows that. And the fact that they share a "heart song" is purposely here to illustrate how strong their relationship is.

Mickey: It's like each of you is holding on to a little part of the other. Your hearts are always in tune, so they're free to sing.

Mickey even says that, when they're together, their heart are "free to sing". And it is true: they can be their true selves together, they know they can trust each other, they are comfortable with each other.

Riku being Sora's Dream Eater is a major point in his character but ALSO another proof that he cares really much about Sora and that it is instinctive, natural - he doesn't even realize it until someone points out this """detail""".

Another scene that, for me, is important to proove that their relationship is NOT forced is the moment when Riku is named Master. Sora is not upset, he's sincerely happy for Riku:

Sora: I knew you were gonna pass with flying colors. This is just so awesome!

Watching his reactions, it's easy to see that he knew how important it was to Riku:

And finally, KH3 is the consequence of this development. Riku and Sora have achieved a balance together, between trust in each other and independence. In this game, Sora wants to protect Riku, Riku wants to protect Sora - and he actually found the strenght to do it. Riku cheers Sora up, believes in him, the same way Sora did for him before:

In the end, Riku is, once again, the one who's saving Sora. In fact, I would say they constantly save each other - sometimes save and being saved is the same thing.

So, yeah, I don't know if it was clear... but what I meant is that every single KH game where those boys are present - that is to say the large majority of them - shows how they both evolve individualy but also how their relationship evolves to become something better, something greater. The way it is written follows a perfect logic, a dynamic that corresponds to the state of the two characters and the context in which the action takes place.

Once again, regarding the care that is taken to tell their story, it is unfair to say that their relationship is forced. ESPECIALLY if it is compared to Sora's relation to Kairi. It is simply incomparable.

Intro • Part 1

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digi Dynamic Shipping Game

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Taichi Yagami | Yamato Ishida | Sora Takenouchi | Koushirou Izumi | Mimi Tachikawa | Jyou Kidou | Takeru Takaishi | Hikari Yagami | Daisuke Motomiya | Miyako Inoue | Iori Hida | Ken Ichijouji

Whether canon provides input on them or not:  

Takeru and Koushirou are probably one of the “most unlikely duos” at face value due to the fact that Adventure and 02 initially did not put a lot of emphasis on them interacting. Despite them being among the youngest members of the original Chosen Children, there were only very minor instances of them talking to each other. Interestingly enough, there isn’t any indication to assume that they do not get along though. On the contrary - the interactions they do have are all friendly at the beginning, with the notable moment being Takeru asking Koushirou whether he could evolve Patamon with his laptop as well and Koushirou getting super excited as a result. Once again, you can tell they’re among the younger members, whose experiences shape their roles as “knowing superiors” in 02 towards the new kids - even if their interactions with each other are rather limited. However, the longer the series progresses, the more it becomes apparent that a bond has indeed been growing between them - even if it’s not immediately visible.

Tri has chosen to “pair” these two together in the third movie - which was an interesting choice, considering how both of them are usually paired up with other characters respectively. Even prior to this, there have been instances that showed them casually enjoying and respecting each other’s company - in a fun little role-reversal, Koushirou is portrayed as seeking fashion advice and Takeru, being two years younger than him, immediately catches on his intentions, basically turning into his own personal wingman when it comes to impressing Mimi. Other scenes portray Takeru being among those that regularly spend time in Koushirou’s office, helping to clean and checking on his health - and in the stageplay, he is the one who prevents Koushirou from mis-reading the room any further while Taichi and Yamato have an awkward silence contest. It almost feels like he has become somewhat of an impulse control for Koushirou - which is further implied by the little scene in the 02 movie in which he states that “it looks like Koushirou-san hasn’t gotten a lot of sleep lately”. He is observant of Koushirou’s quirks and behaviours and seems to be regularly in touch, in person and in written form, as they’re also seen communicating constantly throughout the early stages of Kizuna.

The care isn’t just one-sided though - and it’s not like Koushirou doesn’t act as a senpai for Takeru in return after all. The scene I’ve chosen for this post is one of my favourite moments between them - Takeru ends up blaming himself for not having been able to do anything to prevent Patamon from getting infected. Instead of letting him dwell in self-pity, Koushirou encourages him not to focus on what he couldn’t do - but on what he will do instead. And that inspires Takeru so much that he ends up using the exact same analogy to try and pull Meiko out of her own state of apathy as well...

Long story short, while Koushirou and Takeru don’t have the most obvious, most elaborated on relationship in the series, there is a lot of respect, support and comfort they give each other and while their screentime doesn’t state how deep their bond goes, it still exists - and is interesting to speculate about.

Whether I think why and how they’d work: 

While I haven’t paid a lot of attention to their relationship prior to this analysis, there are aspects about it that could be potentially very intriguing - especially in regards to their family backgrounds. First of all, they’re both care-takers in their own rights, with a tendency to blame themselves when things don’t go well - which can definitely be traced back to their respective childhood traumas, with one of them questioning his whereabouts and self-worth, whereas the other struggles with abandonment issues and the urge to keep everyone (in the broken family) together. They’re also both prone to hiding these feelings - behind laptop screens and fake smiles respectively. So in theory, only very specific people may be capable of breaking through to them, making them open up and feel safe and vulnerable. And honestly? Seeing how Takeru is already prone to worrying about Koushirou, his trusted senpai - how much would it affect him to hear about all the self-doubts he had been dealing with himself? How much would he be able to relate to that, wanting to help him to process everything? We can assume that Koushirou would eventually tell him about his past, considering how Takeru is the one who writes about all their adventures in his novel - and even if Koushirou may not open up about every single detail, these aspects could still be something for them to bond over even more. On the other hand - Koushirou, as depicted above, is also (more or less intentionally) able to break through Takeru’s barriers, making him be more honest about his emotions and facing them head-on. And again, only very few people may get him/them out of their shells like that - and they do it in very calm ways, as far as we can tell.

They’re both connectors, they both like to use computers/networking to stay in touch with everyone - and each other, bringing the squad together. They’re also both very, very fond of their families, so it’s not unlikely to assume that they could be good and soothing for each other once they’ve started opening up even further. There seems to be a lot of understanding and relatability between them - so besides a purely brotherly or platonic bond, there is a certain romantic potential between them healing together as well.

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship: 

As mentioned above, I haden’t focused too much on them prior to this analysis, since I had always found it a bit... Weird to see them get paired up in Tri. It had felt like they had replaced their “usual interaction partners” just for the sake of pairing them up as “left-over pairs” (since Taichi/Yamato and Mimi/Jyou were already pairs in the prior movies, Sora had to be paired up with the former and Hikari with Meiko, which all fell out of “the usual order”). However, digging deeper into their portrayal, they have managed to convince me of their bond actually having an organic dynamic with each other - that could really bloom once they grew a little older. Overall, I may still prefer them to be platonic, but as outlined before, there is a romantic potential in two people, who like to see their families happy, to become happy together as well.

[howaboutalittlehelpneos]

I get that kind of! Similar boat with having au ideas floating around for ages but struggling to sit down and draw them. What's his relationship with Banette now? Did it take well to being captured by the person who abandoned it? The big question I suppose, how did he obtain Guzzlord and why is it boxed? Can other characters Mega evolve their Pokemon and what region is everyone from? Sorry for all the questions kjhgfds

No you're totally fine, I'm living for this

1. With Banette... It's tough to put into words, because you do need to have a close bond with a Pokemon in order to mega evolve it, according to the anime. I think that while Banette slowly grows to trust Sora as a trainer, it still holds onto that grudge against him, and if no other targets are around, it will play tricks on Sora if left unsupervised for any amount of time.

Their relationship does end up changing for the better though, but the specifics are something I'll hold onto for now since that's part of a big plot point I don't wanna give away yet.

2. Since Leo Akaba and his child soldiers could make use of technology that transported them between dimensions, and the Ultra Beasts happen to come from other dimensions, I like to think that the same technology exists in this universe. Given their raw destructvie power, I doubt that everyone in Galactic went out and caught their own, and instead sent specialized teams to go out and catch as many as they could for only their best trainers to use. Guzzlord is currently in the box because it isn't needed on everyday missions, and hasn't really seen action since the attack on Shun's home.

3. With Mega Evolution, I suppose anyone who has a Pokemon that Can mega evolve could in theory do it; it's just a matter of getting the stone and putting in the work. Yuzu, for example, has a Gardevoir on her team, but since Yuya and his friends are coming to Sinnoh from Hoenn, they haven't really gotten to try mega evolution before, and likely have only ever heard of it in class.

I Love the thought of Sora being the one to teach Yuzu how to mega evolve her Gardevoir just like he taught her how to fusion summon, and you can bet that's gonna be a thing in this au.

4. Borrowing from the other Pokemon au here: Everyone from the fusion dimension hails from Kalos, Yuya, Yuzu, and Gong come from Hoenn, the rest of the standard dimension gang come from Sinnoh... Hmm, I think that Rin and Yugo having originally been from the Orre region makes the most sense, specifically Pyrite Town due to the huge crime rates there. Orre is also where the Starshipping au is set, so it's perfect in my heart to have all the Synchro members live in Orre. That just leaves the Xyz crew to come from... Mmm... I'm going to say Unova. Unova is based on NYC, and I feel like it's the closest to Heartland in Zexal.

If it sounds like I'm coming up with some of this stuff on the spot, I am lmao. We've more been focusing on all the interactions where the cast is together than the origins for each dimension, though some of this stuff was already settled on once we really got going coming up with the plot.

[holyangemon]

Etemon Arc

Surprisingly, for the arc considered to be the most forgettable, I actually have quite a bit to say about it. Mostly because it’s forgettable, and why that could be the case. (Other than just the fact that it’s the shortest arc, which is also a thing).

The biggest problem with this arc is the fact that when you boil it down, it’s about Taichi. Adventure is at its strongest when it shifts its focus around and you get to spend time with all of the characters. That doesn’t happen much here. 

Taichi finds his crest first, gets all dumb about it and acts like a dick, Agumon dark evolves into SkullGreymon filling the both of them with guilt, and while he’s able to evolve back into Agumon after degenerating to Koromon, he’s unable to reach Greymon. They get special training in some weird dimension to be able to evolve again, and Taichi seems to have grown, but then they learn they’re in a world of data which Taichi takes to mean they’re invincible and he starts acting like a dick once again. Once Koushiro clarifies that no, they can probably still die, Taichi is overcome with fear of death and is unable to save Sora from being kidnapped. In rescuing her and facing his fear, he’s able to activate the Crest of Courage, Greymon evolves to MetalGreymon, they ‘defeat’ Etemon and are then sucked back into the real world, end of arc.

What do the other characters do during this? Not much. They each find their crests, but they don’t get focus episodes for that, and instead maybe get a short moment, but it takes a backseat to Taichi’s plot. There’s a general hopelessness about the group, and concern over if they can raise their Digimon partners correctly, but this is show in brief moments and lines of dialogue. (The group was already struggling before Taichi disappeared, it’s not much of a surprise it fell apart after.) There are some nice little character moments here, Takeru doing his best to keep the mood of the group up despite only recently dealing with Angemon’s death (that’s a point for another day), Yamato and Koushiro’s cute little bonding adventure, Mimi’s reluctance to even find her crest after the SkullGremon event, but these all take place on the side of the main Taichi plot. 

I do think the Taichi plot is a good one, but it really could have used more time with the other characters, especially in-between his two acting like a dick events. They happen so close to each other it’s like, really Taichi? Again? We’re doing this again? Stop being a dick Taichi! But, it is what it is, and at least it’s over quickly I guess. It’s unfortunate though, since I think there is potential here for a much stronger arc. Oh well.

Some random observations!

1. What is with the weird thing with the girls taking baths in this arc? It’s a short arc, and yet there’s the Mimi in the bath scene, and then them taking showers on the boat which involves a slow pan over their discarded clothes and then has them running around in towels. Was that really necessary? It feels so much more gross than the bath scene in the mansion in Devimon’s arc.

2. In episode 3 they made a point to split the night watch shifts among the older boys and leave the girls and Takeru out of it. However, this arc shows Sora taking over for Taichi during a night watch. Yay for gender equality.

3. I’ll definitely talk more about Takeru once I compile my data, but connecting him dealing with the aftermath of Angemon to the aftermath of the divorce is one big old ow. 

[ahiddenpath]

Digimon Adventure 2020 Ep 16 Reaction

That was sure a thing that happened!  I do not know what to make of it!

OKAY so Team Chaos walked into a cave last time and popped out in Tokyo.  At the time, I thought that Taichi, Koushiro, and Mimi explored the cave purely because “it was weird.”  But Team Sora turned up to join them later, so now I’m like...  Wait, was this the rendezvous point the whole time???  Or???  I don’t remember these digivices having a tracking option like they did in Adventure...

ANYWAY, setting that aside...  Team Chaos finds themselves in Tokyo, wandering totally silent crowds who don’t notice the digimon.  Koushiro gently points out that something is weird- although I think it’s hilarious that “there’s wind in this cave” was judged weirder than “no one is talking or reacting to the digimon,” but I digress-

Anyway, Mimi wants a...  An avocado cheeseburger, which is a large talking point in this ep- apparently Mimi was the Agumon of the reboot all along- and, uh...  Yeah, Mimi is too pumped to be home to notice that things are odd.  Taichi seems pretty chill, too.  Koushiro looks disturbed the whole time, but doesn’t say much about it.  

Anyway, when the kids finally try talking to someone (and was it me, or did a lot of the random adults have Hikari’s exact Tri hairstyle?????), and the humans all repeat a phrase or two on loop.  Surprise!  They haven’t left the Digital World at all, and they’re in sort of... a virtual simulation of Tokyo.

(Speaking of which, I guess the kids don’t live in Odaiba in the reboot!  I hadn’t thought about it before, but clearly, Taichi and Koushiro live in Shibuya.  I think Mimi was heading elsewhere, apparently an expensive part of Tokyo according to Taichi, but somewhere nearby).  Admittedly, all I know about Shibuya is: railways, shopping, nightlife.  Kinda different from Odaiba, a residential area!)

So, in my opinion, it was a bit boring waiting for the obvious payoff that the kids weren’t actually home...  And I would have liked more suspicion (and for Koushiro to speak up more; he was clearly sensing a problem the whole time).  But the visuals were really fun when Eyesmon and baby Eyesmon revealed themselves!  Kind of a Pokemon vibe, with like...  Maybe a mob of ghost Pokemon in the tunnels, working together?  

So, Eyesmon used “Tokyo data” (retrieved from the Network, I wonder?) to make a virtual simulation of Tokyo.  Although it’s only an adult level digimon, its abilities made it difficult to battle; it kept rearranging the simulation to protect itself.

Eventually, Team Sora rolls in (with Weregarurumon sitting, legs crossed, on Zudomon, looking absolutely over it) to help fight, helpfully evolved all the way to perfect (why do they insist on evolving stepwise???).  And, of course, when we work together it’s much better!  They defeat Eyesmon, and we find out that:

1.)  It’s almost been 72 hours on earth, ie full power outage in Tokyo is near

2.)  Time seems to have synced up between the Digital World and earth, so the Chosen have lost their “slowed down time” advantage

3.)  Yuuko...  Doesn’t seem...  Concerned???  That Taichi has been gone... for roughly 72 hours?  And...  She is evacuating Tokyo... without him???  But that’s okay, because he’ll... call...  When he arrives home...  Assuming his mobile phone (which are canonically mysteriously functioning during the outages, along with the internet) does not lose all its power.  WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, YUUKO.  SURE, LET’S FOCUS ON THE HEALTH INSURANCE CARDS, THAT’S THE FREAKING PROBLEM HERE.

This is one of those eps were the immediate “what now” seems more interesting than the setup.  Like... really, what now?  Huh.

So this is minor, but you know what I noticed this ep?  There’s a part where Mimi is scared, and she seems really let down that she’s not actually home.  Palmon says, “Mimi, let’s get that burger together when this is over,” and takes Mimi’s hand really sweetly, so Mimi will have the courage to face a truly horrifying opponent.  Like, the humans all grinning and turning on them and morphing into eyeball monsters?  Yikes!

My point here is that the Chosen Child/digimon bond seems a little different in the reboot.  The digimon and kids seem a little less... on the same mental level?  The digimon are always offering emotional support to get the kids through problems, instead of mostly physical support in fights.  Like, okay, for sure the digimon always support the kids, but...  The digimon seem to take on an older, advice-giving, guiding role in the reboot.

We see this the most with Gomamon, who basically held Jyou’s hand through everything, especially the first perfect evolution...  But we also saw it with Tentomon guiding Koushiro through his self-confidence breakdown, and with Gabumon seeing through Yamato’s fronts, and with Palmon gently guiding Mimi and being conscious of her emotions.

It feels a little less like “the other me, on my level as a child” and more like “my protector and personal life coach.”  

It’s an interesting shift!  I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts on this.

And let’s just wait and see where the heck this goes next week, because I got no ding dang idea.