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tobiasdrake · 23 days

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Digimon Adventure 01x42 - Silence on the Ocean Floor! Whamon / Under Pressure

Previously on Digimon Adventure: Piximon's sacrifice got the kids away from the Dark Masters, but only for like five minutes. Chomping at the bit for some action, MetalSeadramon bolted straight out there set Anomalocarimon on fire. Whamon snuck away the kids. That's a whoopsy-doodle.

As with last episode, before we can begin this one, the dub needs to finish the previous episode.

We open back up in the ocean, with the kids floating in the water and MetalSeadramon towering over them. His River of Power finishes off Zudomon, launching Gomamon straight into Joe's face. Sadly, this goes unremarked upon.

Gomamon: AUUUUGH!!! (sploosh) MetalSeadramon: You're finished, you upstart DigiDestined! In a word, you're sunk! (Whamon's silhouette passes under them) MetalSeadramon: Huh? Who is that? Tai: IT'S WHAMON!!!

Whamon headbutts MetalSeadramon into the water, then scoops up the kids in his mouth.

Tai: Come on, everybody! I never thought I'd want to be fish food but we'll be safe in here! Izzy: Technically, it's a mammal!

Okay, Tai's quip was cute but Izzy Um Actually-ing him in the middle of this crisis sells it. XD

MetalSeadramon: Grahh! You've escaped this time, but you've escaped for the last time!

Once MetalSeadramon's finished shaking his proverbial fist at the kids and threatening revenge next episode, we begin next episode.

MetalSeadramon: Curse those Chosen Children....

Four little Digimon with sea jets turn up, reporting in to MetalSeadramon.

MetalSeadramon: Hangyomon? Hangyomon: We're sorry to be late, sir.

Hangyomon is a Perfect-stage Data-type Aquatic Beast Man Digimon. Lot going on with that classification. The name comes from the word 半魚人 hangyojin which means "Half Fish Person". It's a mermaid. Hangyojin are Japanese mermaids.

Hangyojin aren't as consistently designed as mermaids, though. The uniformity that dominates mermaid designs isn't present in traditional hangyojin lore. Basically any combination of Fish Stuff and Primate Stuff can be a hangyojin.

So we get Hangyomon whose name is "Half-Fish mon". It would be super easy to call them Mermon in English, it's right there, but I guess they aren't mermaid enough so they end up being Divermon. That's fair, probably less confusing that way.

In any case, Hangyomon is a Deep Saver from the .5 updated release of the V-Pet. Super fittingly in a "I see what you did there" way, they replace Anomalocarimon on the roster for the updated version.

Narrator: Hangyomon. An Aquatic Beast Man Digimon who swims deep in the oceans while wearing a wetsuit. His special attack is Strike Fishing. MetalSeadramon: Forget it. I control these waters. The Chosen Children can't escape me no matter where they try to run; Not even with Whamon helping them. Now go! Capture the Chosen Children! All Hangyomon: (English) Aye-Aye, Sir!

The Hangyomon dive beneath the water. MetalSeadramon lets out a furious roar that honestly sounds more like a death rattle and then plunges into the water as well.

In the dub, MetalSeadramon has questions.

MetalSeadramon: Why did Whamon stick his spout in my business and save the DigiDestined? (The Divermon pop up) MetalSeadramon: What are you doing here, Divermon? Divermon: We just came up for a little air! MetalSeadramon: (rundown) Those Divermon! If it wasn't for their Striking Fish attack, they'd be useless to me. MetalSeadramon: No matter. Wherever those kids try to hide, I'll find them. I rule this ocean with an iron hand, an iron tail, and an iron everything for that matter! I'll catch them even with Whamon on their side! ...well, don't just sit there treading water; I told you to GO FIND THOSE KIDS!!! All Divermon: Aye-Aye, Sir!

That "iron everything" bit is nicely punned. MetalSeadramon is proud of his near-completely Chrome Digizoid body and frankly he should be. He worked hard for it.

Striking Fish. Oh my god. XD Like. Conceptually, it's not that different from what Strike Fishing implies but it somehow sounds way lamer. That's not a mistranslation; Like most proper nouns, the attack name was in English. They made a choice to move the -ing and make it Striking Fish.

Weird choice to imply that the Divermon came by purely out of coincidence. The dub's still downplaying that his "minions" are a formal military.

Whamon ferries the children back up into breathable air once they're far enough away from MetalSeadramon.

Taichi: You saved us back there, Whamon! Koushiro: Really! I thought we were done for. Whamon: I'm glad you're safe. Yamato: Hey, Whamon? Do you have any ideas for how we can defeat the Dark Masters? Sora: Why did they do this to the Digimon World? Whamon: Unfortunately, I don't know all the details. I just felt the world shaking all of a sudden, and then the world became like this. That was when MetalSeadramon took control of the oceans.

Taichi angrily punches Whamon.

Taichi: Damn that MetalSeadramon! Hikari: (hug) Onii-chan, cheer up. Taichi: (sheepish) ...yeah. You're right. Let's all stay positive! Group: Yeah! Whamon: Yes, let's all keep our spirits up. I don't know if there's anywhere safe left in the world, but we should try to find somewhere that MetalSeadramon can't reach.

Also, if we can, try not to punch our friends anymore, Taichi. :P

In the dub:

Tai: Thanks for saving us, Whamon! Whamon: Aww, don't mention it! No, seriously, don't mention it. I don't want it to get around.

...not sure what that's supposed to mean. Is Dub Whamon embarrassed to be associated with the DigiDestined? This feels like they slapped in one of those jokes where the punchline is just the characters being mean to each other, without any regard to context.

I could get it if it were someone like Ogremon delivering that line, but it seems weird here.

Matt: Hey, guys? We still have a problem. How are we gonna be able to defeat the Dark Masters? Sora: I wonder how they took over the Digital World in the first place? Do you remember, Whamon? Whamon: Of course I remember Whamon! Big fella. Snappy dresser. Oh, you mean the Dark Masters? I don't know all the details, but soon after the Digital World began to warp, MetalSeadramon began to take over the ocean. Tai: (punches Whamon) DARN!!! Whamon: Ow! Tai: Oh, uh, sorry, Whamon! Kari: (hug) Tai, don't get upset. We'll fix things. Tai: You're right. We'll do it. We've done it before, haven't we? Group: YEAH!!! Whamon: That's the attitude! I'll find a safe place for you outside of MetalSeadramon's reach even if I have to swim to the far corners of the ocean! By the way, did I mention I charge by the mile?

Yeah, they're definitely having Whamon reach for whatever punchlines he can get his flippers around to try and ease back the tension.

"Of course I remember Whamon!" got me though. XD That's the best of the lot. I also appreciate that they have Whamon react to Tai punching him.

If you look closely in the image, you can see others around him looking with wide eyes down at Whamon as if to imply a "Uh, Taichi, maybe don't?" reaction but nobody says anything and the scene moves on, more focused on addressing Taichi's frustration than the fact that he punched Whamon.

I do like the "Let's stay positive and keep our spirits up" conversation better than the "Yeah, we'll figure out how to solve this" conversation, but it's nice for someone to remark on the punch before segueing into that.

From here, we briefly see the Hangyomon searching an undersea ruin for the Chosen Children, as well as hassling some of Gomamon's Marching Fishes. Then we rejoin the kids at a crescent-shaped island, stopping for lunch.

Yamato plays his harmonica while Taichi and Jou fish with traditional poles. Meanwhile, the Digimon strut their stuff and demonstrate their own techniques.

With flying fish jumping overhead, Tailmon steps up to the plate. She finds her moment and leaps into the air, slicing two of the fish into neatly cut segments which fall nicely onto the plate. Then she does a little bow to complete he maneuver.

After that, it's Palmon's turn. Utilizing her Poison Ivy, she manages to rip a huge fish right out of the ocean! So huge, in fact, that it crushes her on landing. Whoops.

This error also un-catches the fish Tailmon caught. It happens so fast that it can be difficult to make out, but when the giant fish lands, you can barely make out the plate getting knocked offscreen and scattering its contents. Goodbye, nicely cut flying fish.

None of this has any dialogue, but you know how the dub feels about that. They kick us off with Gatomon singing a little blues ditty to go with Matt's harmonica.

Gatomon: Cats land on their feet / But we still need to eat! / It's Gatomon's wish / For some fresh flying fish! / 'Cause I'm a kitty! / A Digi-kitty!

As if summoned by her singing, the fish appear and she goes to work. She remains silent for as long as her mouth is onscreen, before wrapping up.

Gatomon: Ohhh yeeeeeah MROWR! Palmon: That's great, Gatomon, but the rest of us have to eat too! Stand aside and watch how a pro does it. (Palmon attempts to fish and has violent regrets) Palmon: ...dinner is served....

This is all really cute. Both Gatomon's song and Palmon's use of the stock "Yeah well WATCH ME TRY (immediately fails hard)" gag. Though to be fair to her, she did catch an impressive fish. It's still caught, if she KO'd herself in the process!

Suddenly, Yamato stops playing, prompting a conversation.

Taichi: What's wrong, Yamato? Yamato: Can we really win against the Dark Masters? Taichi: (sigh)

The harmonica music starts back up again here, despite the fact that Yamato isn't playing.

Yamato: They're not like the other Digimon we've fought before. Can we really beat them with our usual methods? Koushiro: (approaches with his laptop) There may be a possibility with WarGreymon. Taichi & Yamato: Eh? Koushiro: The Dramon Killer.

The word "Killer" here is in English, like most proper nouns. In a sense, so is Dramon, since it's the Digimon equivalent of "dragon".

Yamato: Dramon Killer? Taichi: What is that? Koushiro: (pulls up the Digimon Analyzer) It's the weapon that's on WarGreymon's arms. According to the Digimon Analyzer, this weapon is highly effective against Dramon type Digimon. Dramon Killer. If he uses this, we may have a chance. Taichi: That's a great idea, Koushiro! The Dramon Killer? HEY!!! AGUMON!!! IT'S YOUR TIME TO SHINE!!!

Taichi whips around in time to see Agumon, jaw unhinged like a snake, swallowing the entire giant fish Palmon caught whole. And alive, as it flops its tail desperately in protest. He can't even get it all down, ending up staring helplessly at Taichi with a distended stomach and an unswallowable fin sticking out of his mouth.

Taichi: ... Yamato: .... Koushiro: .... Taichi: G-ganbare... Agumon: (reluctant) ....nnnngh okay....

We're all familiar with ganbaru by now; The Japanese cultural idea of perseverance in harsh situations through hard work and dedication.

Taichi, stuck for anything he can possibly say about the mostly-swallowed fish stuck in Agumon's throat, weakly offers it up as a punchline to encourage Agumon to finish this stupid ordeal he's begun. The moment of inspiration and hope has been utterly vanquished. XD

With regard to Koushiro's exposition, you may have noticed that WarGreymon's Digimon Analyzer rundown said absolutely nothing of the sort about him having some sort of super-powerful anti-dramon weapon. So this has all the energy of something the writers pulled straight out of their assholes.

I'm not 100% but I don't think it is, however. So far as I can tell, Koushiro is reading this right out of the Metal Empire V-Pet's bios, which includes the statement, "The 'Dramon Killer' claws on both of its arms can easily defeat dragon-type Digimon."

It also tells us that WarGreymon's armor is made from Chrome Digizoid, which the rundown also did not see fit to mention.

However, that archived web page is from 2010, a decade after this episode aired, so I can't say with certainty whether this information was included in the original V-Pet or not.

The dub can't use ganbaru so they're going to have to write their own punchline here.

Tai: Why'd you stop playing, Matt? Matt: Aww, that song is just too depressing. It always gives me the blues. Tai: (sigh)

The dub does not inexplicably start Matt's harmonica music up without him here. It does play music, but different music.

Matt: Besides, I can't stop thinking about the Dark Masters. They're different from any Digimon we've ever faced before. Izzy: (approaches with his laptop) Well, I've analyzed the situation and I believe we can defeat them with WarGreymon. Tai & Matt: Huh!? Izzy: He's a Dramon Destroyer. Matt: Dramon Destroyer? Tai: Try speaking English. Izzy: (pulls up the Digimon Analyzer) Well, you see, the weapons on WarGreymon's arms are the key. They're especially effective against Dramon type Digimon. Hence the phrase Dramon Destroyer! With these devices, we might be able to defeat the Dark Masters. Tai: Izzy, you're a genius! Dramon Destroyer, huh!? Agumon, you're going to eat those Dramon alive! (Agumon is making bad choices) Tai: ... Matt: ... Izzy: ... Tai: That's not what I had in mind!

Izzy's exposition is a little off. He says WarGreymon is a Dramon Destroyer, as opposed to WarGreymon having Dramon Destroyers. But I think that's fairly minor mistake. Also, it's Destroyer, not Killer, because obviously that was gonna get changed.

While Agumon is busily erasing everyone's appetites, Gomamon swims with his Marching Fishes, who report in what they saw.

Fish: We saw Hangyomon. Gomamon: WAUGH!!!

Gomamon panics so hard that Jou ends up yanked into the ocean by his fishing pole.

Gomamon: GUYS, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!! Jou: (sopping wet and unenthused) What is it, Gomamon? Gomamon: THE ENEMY IS ON THEIR WAY!!! Jou: WHAT!?!? Piyomon: Where!? Where!? Sora: I don't see any sign of them. Whamon: The fishes say they've spotted MetalSeadramon's forces two hundred units of distance away. Kids: EHHH!?!? Takeru: What do we do? Patamon: Takeru.... Whamon: They'll be here soon. Everyone, get inside. I'll try to shake them by widening the distance between us.

Not sure how Gomamon knows that the Hangyomon are aligned with MetalSeadramon. Did Whamon brief them on the Deep Savers Ankoku Gundan membership roster?

I am very shaky on this one but I have gone over Whamon's line over and over for like twenty straight minutes and I swear they never give a unit of measurement.

The dub and sub both have them say "200 miles" which doesn't seem like an "Everybody panic" situation. Also, Japan uses the metric system, so a measurement given in "miles" is usually suspect. I've seen other sources offer "200 meters".

However, as best I can tell, what they say is that MetalSeadramon's forces are "ni-hyaku no kyori de". Ni-hyaku is 200, but kyori is the word "distance" rather than any specific measurement.

So unless there's some nuance here that I am not understanding (that's a possibility), MetalSeadramon's forces are 200 distance away.

In the dub:

Gomamon: Hey, fishes! Learn anything new in school? Fish: We learned Divermon are in the area. Hahaha! Gomamon: HUH!?!? (Gomamon yanks Joe into the water) Gomamon: HEY GUUUUYS!!! WE GOT TROUBLE!!! Joe: (sopping wet and unenthused) I caught a whopper. Look. Gomamon: DIVERMON ARE HEADED THIS WAY!!! Joe: WAAAAAAUGH!!! Mimi: Not Divermon! Anything but Divermon! ...by the way, what are Divermon? Whamon: Oh, those are MetalSeadramon's henchmen. It seems the fish have seen them about 200 miles behind us. Kids: HUUUUH!?!? T.K.: What are we gonna do? Whamon: Well, we can't stay here! They'll find us too easily! I'm gonna dive. Quick, everyone get inside me! And don't mind the smell; I had fish for lunch. Kids: EWWWWW!!!

As noted, the dub presents the ambiguous measurement as 200 miles which. Like. That's pretty fucking far. I feel like we have time to finish lunch before we get going if they're that far out.

While the kids and Whamon vacate their little island, we cut to the Hangyomon scouring the ocean.

They seem to be communicating with each other through some kind of radio communication, though no device is ever shown.

Hangyomon 1: Areas 13 through 18 are all clear. Hangyomon 2: Areas 23 and 24 are clear. Hangyomon 3: (with MetalSeadramon) How long will this delay last!? Why can't we find that huge lump of a whale!? MetalSeadramon: There's no need to rush. Hangyomon 3: Huh? MetalSeadramon: I control the ocean. No matter where they run to, I'll have them sooner or later. Hangyomon 3: Sir. MetalSeadramon: Just relax and enjoy the hunt. Hangyomon 3: Sir! MetalSeadramon: Hehehe... Chosen Children, the hunt has only just begun.

MetalSeadramon's pretty chill. His dub counterpart, on the other hand, remains a hot-headed firecracker.

Divermon 1: Red Leader to Blue Leader, Areas 13 through 18 are clear. Divermon 2: Gold Leader to Blue Leader, Areas 23 and 24 are clear too! Divermon 3: Listen Phil, Sid, how many times do I have to tell you guys, there are just three of us! You can call me Jim! MetalSeadramon: Will you guys KNOCK IT OFF!?!? Divermon 3: Sorry! MetalSeadramon: Do you smell something? It's the scent of DigiDestined in the current. Either that or there's a bad patch of seaweed around here. Divermon 3: Ew. MetalSeadramon: THIS IS MY MOMENT TO SHINE!!! Does my hair look alright? Divermon 3: Yeah.... MetalSeadramon: YOU DIGIDESTINED FOOLS!!! YOU CAN SWIM BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!!! GYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

The "Stop using shitty code words and use our names" stock gag doesn't work so well when every member of a species has the same name. They try to differentiate by naming them Phil, Sid, and Jim, but that's not how Digimon names have ever worked so the joke's a little confusing.

Titles like Red Leader, Blue Leader, and Gold Leader make a lot of sense for multiple members of the same Digimon species.

"Does my hair look alright?" got me, though. XD

Bit of a plot difference here, though. The dub suggests that MetalSeadramon and Divermon have caught Whamon's trail and are closing in on them, while the original conversation is that they haven't found anything but MetalSeadramon's content to take his time.

Also, they say that there's three Divermon, but there are actually four. Only three are involved in this conversation, but there's four in total. We saw them when they first reported in to MetalSeadramon.

Back to Whamon, the children are chilling out inside that big chamber in his stomach that they once destroyed a Black Gear in. Koushiro is hard at work on his laptop. Wires coming down from the center of Whamon's chamber are plugged into the back.

Tailmon: Koushiro, what are you doing? Koushiro: Give me a minute. Taichi: Come on, stop stalling and just tell us. Koushiro: (more forceful) You'll see in a moment.... (Laptop beeps) Koushiro: There, it's connected!

Everybody gathers around Koushiro to see for themselves. On his laptop screen, they can see the ocean terrain moving around them.

Group: Ahh? Tentomon: Koushiro-han, what is this? Koushiro: I've linked my laptop up to Whamon's sensory information so that it can be transmitted to the screen. Patamon: Transmitted? Koushiro: In other words, what you're seeing here is exactly what Whamon is seeing right now.

Koushiro has gotten so good at this in the time he's been here.

In the dub:

Gatomon: What's that noise? I was taking a catnap and it woke me up. Izzy: (annoyed) I'll explain later! Tai: Oh, come on! You think I'm too brainless to understand!? Izzy: Yes, but I'll tell you anyway. Check it out. (The group gathers around Izzy) Sora: What is it? Mimi: What did you do, Izzy? (Sea floor visible through laptop screen) Sora: What a cool screensaver. Izzy: It's not a screensaver. Mimi: What is it, then? Izzy: I connected to Whamon's hard drive and rerouted all of his sensory information to my computer. Patamon: Rerouted? Izzy: In other words, what you're seeing on the screen is exactly what Whamon is looking at right now.

I cannot get over how much of a smug asshole the dub made Izzy, a character so polite that it weirded out his mom and became a plot point.

Also, I feel like rerouting Whamon's sensory information would have blinded him. That seems like a bad explanation.

The children celebrate Koushiro's accomplishment. Mimi gets up and starts swinging Palmon around and twirling from excitement.

Yamato: That's amazing. Mimi: WOW!!! IT'S LIKE WE'RE IN A SUBMARINE!!! Koushiro: Of course, this can only be done in the Digital World.

Suddenly, Hikari grabs her ears in pain.

Tailmon: Hikari, are you okay? Taichi: What is it, Hikari? Hikari: I'm okay. It's just mimi. Group: MIMI!?!?

Everybody jerks up and yells at Mimi at once, who abruptly stops spinning - in the process, losing her grip and throwing poor Palmon down on her face.

This is a comical misunderstanding pun. Mimi is the japanese word for ears. Hikari is complaining that her ears hurt, but everyone thought she said that Mimi was causing her pain.

Mimi: Eh? Now that you mention it, my ears hurt too.... (Everyone grabs their ears, now feeling it too) Whamon: Ohohoho, I'm sorry. I must have been in a hurry and dived too deep. I'll adjust the air pressure.

True to his word, Whamon releases air through their blowhole and the kids feel better.

Takeru: Ah, much better! Koushiro: So the pressure changed because you swam to the ocean floor. Hikari: Thank you, Whamon!

Meanwhile, the dub... Oh, fuck me, we handed them a scene based on an untranslatable pun in which everyone yells at Mimi, didn't we? Okay, here we go. Let's see what they do with it.

Matt: Cool! Like a submarine! Mimi: Oh boy! (starts spinning) I've always wanted to go on a submarine! Joe: I think she's been out to sea a little too long. (Kari grabs her ears in pain) Gatomon: Yeah, I hate square dances. Tai: What's wrong, Kari? Kari: It's my ears. They're starting to hurt. Tai: Mimi! Stop! Be quiet! (Mimi stops abruptly, flinging Palmon) Mimi: Oh! Hey, y'know, my ears hurt a little too. (The kids all grab their ears) Whamon: Ohoho, sorry! I dove a little too fast. I'll fix the pressure now. Hold on. (Whamon releases air through his blowhole, making a burp sound) T.K.: Aw, that's better! Izzy: Well, I guess that's one way to equalize the gas pressure. Kari: By the way, you're excused!

You know what, that was astonishingly well-restrained of them. Tai yells at her to be quiet but in a reasonable way. Joe and Gatomon do make quips at her expense; Joe's is funny, but Gatomon should probably have more concern for Kari's sudden agony.

Still nowhere near what I was dreading.

Suddenly, a loud rotor noise starts echoing through the chamber.

Piyomon: What's that sound? Mimi: Eh? Palmon: (delirious) Agh... what's wrong...? Koushiro: Be quiet, everyone!

The children wait in silence, trying to keep even their breathing down to avoid giving themselves away. We briefly see outside to identify the source of the noise; It's the spinning turbine of a Hangyomon.

Once the sound fades into the distance, the kids breathe again.

Gomamon: Sounds like they've passed us. Whamon: We're not out of danger yet. We need to stay quiet for a little longer.

In the dub, instead of the turbine noise, the sound is a sonar ping bouncing around. That's a good choice, because having to stay quiet makes more sense if they're actively pinging us with sonar.

I'm not sure how we were hearing the turbine through Whamon's hide, or why we thought the Hangyomon would hear us in turn.

Biyomon: What's that sound!? Mimi: Huh? Palmon: It's getting louder! Izzy: Everyone, be quiet! Tentomon: Sounds like Divermon! (Everyone quietly waits for the Divermon to pass) Gomamon: Sounds like they passed us. Whamon: We're not out of danger yet. You'll have to be quiet a little longer.

Pretty strong scene. My one criticism is that Tentomon shouts "Sounds like Divermon!" right after Izzy tells everyone to be quiet. A visual later in the scene will tell us that, Tentomon. You don't need to risk blowing our cover to exclaim it.

Unfortunately, there's no hiding from the Hangyomon. A critical error has already been made, and it's too late to take it back.

The scouting Hangyomon notices the bubbles from Whamon's attempt to equalize the pressure. Following the bubbles' course down to their point of origin, they see Whamon on the ocean floor.

Hangyomon: FOUND HIM!!! IT'S WHAMON!!!

Hangyomon changes course and goes straight for Whamon. Are they planning to try and take Whamon by themselves? Eh, probably; They are a Perfect Digimon after all.

Inside, the kids hear the turbine sound returning with a vengeance and freak out.

Kids: AHHHH!!! Taichi: Crap! They found us!

Surprisingly tame expletive for Taichi in this situation.

In the dub:

Divermon: OVER THERE!!! HEY, IT'S WHAMON!!! (Divermon goes for Whamon) Kids: AHHHH!!! Tai: Oh no! They found us!

Pretty much exactly the same.

After a commercial break, the Hangyomon who spotted the bubbles reports in.

Hangyomon 1: I've found Whamon! He's lurking on the ocean floor in Area 51! Hangyomon 2: Understood. I'll report this to MetalSeadramon-sama right away! Hangyomon 3: (With MetalSeadramon) They've found Whamon!

MetalSeadramon is so happy about this news, he erupts out of the ocean and does a little twirl in the air.

Hangyomon 3: WE'VE FOUND THE CHOSEN CHILDREN!!!

Music to MetalSeadramon's ears. With a big doofy smile, he flops around in the air. It's weirdly adorable.

The dub keeps up the odd name joke.

Divermon 1: Red Leader, this is-- Ah, uh, I mean, this is Phil. I found Whamon! He's in Area 51 on the ocean floor! Divermon 2: Great! Keep an eye on him! I'll tell the boss and he can tell MetalSeadramon! Divermon 3: (With MetalSeadramon) Good news! We found Whamon! MetalSeadramon: (explodes out of the water) YYYYYEAH YAY!!! Divermon 3: What do we do now, oh master of the ocean? MetalSeadramon: (flopping with joy) AAAAAAAAATTACK!!!

Having MetalSeadramon give orders while flailing around in the air is so ridiculous, I do not know if it makes this bit better or worse. XD Any way you slice it, MetalSeadramon's gleeful sky twisting is such an unexpected thing to put into the show.

Deep beneath the ocean, the Hangyomon that spotted Whamon moves in to attack.

Hangyomon: STRIKE FISHING!!! Koushiro: (inside) They're coming! Whamon: The Hangyomon are attacking! Everyone, stay calm!

Whamon creates a smokescreen out of bubbles to conceal himself. Hangyomon's Strike Fishing harpoons pass through the bubbles, missing their mark.

Hangyomon: Tch. He dodged them using bubbles for cover. (The other three Hangyomon arrive) Hangyomon: You're late!

In the dub:

Divermon: STRIKING FISH!!! Izzy: (inside) WATCH OUT!!! Whamon: The Divermon are attacking! Hang on, everyone! I've got an idea! (Bubble smokescreen) Divermon: Where did all those bubbles come from? Geeze, I couldn't see where I was aiming! (The other three Divermon arrive) Divermon: Hmm? UH-OH!!!

Tonal change. In the original, this Hangyomon is like, "Shit, they got away. Oh, and FINALLY the rest of the squad shows up; Come on, guys."

His corresponding Divermon is a hapless doof who has no idea what he saw, and also reacts like he's the one about to be in trouble. Presumably for letting Whamon slip away.

I always thought it was surprisingly bold, as a kid, for this one Divermon to try and attack Whamon on his own. Not being able to read the Japanese writing in their Digimon Analyzer screen leaves it extremely ambiguous as to what level they're supposed to be at. I thought they were Rookies because of their small size and numbers.

Nope. Perfect. This one Hangyomon is more than enough to utterly ruin Whamon's day in a fist-fight.

Inside Whamon, we find Yamato and Takeru with their Partners. Takeru's holding Patamon in his hands, while Yamato has his arm around Takeru with a firm grip on his shoulder.

Patamon: What should we do, Takeru? Takeru: If this keeps up, we won't make it.... Yamato: I hate to say it, but so long as we're stuck inside Whamon-- (Taichi pounds his fist) Taichi: Can't we do something!?

The kids are starting to come around to the realization that MetalSeadramon was right. The ocean is MetalSeadramon's domain, and they're at a tremendous disadvantage down here.

Koushiro: There are three more pursuers behind us! Sora: What!? Whamon: The enemy has brought reinforcements! Kids: (collective gasp)

Brief shot of three Hangyomon now in pursuit of Whamon, with the fourth lagging behind and coming up to join them.

Hangyomon 4: Sorry to keep you waiting. Tentomon: (inside, watching the laptop) THEY'RE GAINING ON US!!! Taichi: Whamon! You need to surface! Then we'll be able to fight back! Yamato: Please! Taichi: WHAMON!!! Whamon: ...I have a different idea. If this works, we should be able to lose them. Palmon: If it works...? Mimi: And what if it doesn't work!?

We're at an impasse here and there are no good options. Even one Hangyomon would be enough to make mincemeat out of Whamon and there's four of them. The children can't fight them this far down.

(However, MetalSeadramon is unaccounted for, which is a significant peril of trying to surface and fight. I can understand Whamon's reluctance to let this become a brawl.)

The dub kicks us off with some brotherly banter.

Patamon: You're squeezing me too hard! T.K.: Matt, you're squeezing me too hard. Matt: Sorry, I guess we're all a little scared. (Tai pounds his fist) Tai: I HATE THIS!!! WE'RE STUCK IN HERE AND CAN'T FIGHT!!! Izzy: According to the audio sensors, there are three more behind us! Sora: What is it, Whamon? Whamon: IT'S THE ENEMY!!! Kids: (collective gasp)

I like that the dub specifies "according to the audio sensors" because this fills in a bit of a plot hole. Koushiro is supposed to be reading Whamon's sensory data, so it's unclear how he was able to see something behind Whamon on the laptop feed from Whamon's eyes.

...well, Whamon doesn't have eyes, but the feed from Whamon's... wherever their visual senses come from.

The dub steps in and has Izzy clearly state that he's picking it up from Whamon's ears. Whamon heard the arrival of three more.

Divermon 4: DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!!! Tentomon: (inside, watching the laptop) OOOOGH, THEY'RE GAINING ON US!!! Tai: THAT'S IT!!! I'M TIRED OF RUNNING!!! COME ON, WHAMON, LET'S GO UP TO THE SURFACE AND FIGHT!!! Matt: RIGHT!!! Tai: Well!? Whamon: Let me try one more thing. Hopefully, it'll work. Palmon: What do you mean, hopefully it will work!? Mimi: That's what the Captain of the Titanic said! And what if it doesn't work!? What's Plan B!? Tai: I still think we should turn and fight! I hope you know what you're doing, Whamon.

Mimi's dialogue is expanded and Tai gets an extra line to close us out, but this exchange is mostly the same.

Acting on their plan, Whamon speeds ahead until they reach the edge of a massive underwater trench, then swims down deep.

Hangyomon 1: What is he trying to do? Hangyomon 2: That moron! They're trying to escape through this narrow passage? Hangyomon 3: Yes! This is our chance to pen them in!

The Hangyomon pursue Whamon down into the trench.

Hangyomon 1: There's no use trying to resist! Hangyomon 2: This is the end for you! Give up! Jou: (inside) WE'RE DONE FOR!!!

Triumphant, one of the Hangyomon jams their harpoon down into Whamon's hide.

Mimi: NOOOOOOO!!!

In the dub:

Divermon 1: What's he trying to do!? Divermon 2: Whamon must be crazy, trying to escape into such a narrow space! Divermon 3: Stay with him! No matter what! (The Divermon pursue Whamon into the trench) Divermon 1: You, in the big whale: PULL OVER!!! Divermon 2: It's no use! We've got you trapped! Joe: (inside) OH NO!!! THEY'LL CATCH US!!! (Divermon jams his harpoon into Whamon's hide) Mimi: NOOOOOOO!!!

The traffic cop bit from the Divermon made me laugh. XD Even Digimon Adventure knew that ACAB.

Suddenly, when it seems like the Hangyomon are having their moment of triumph, the most unexpected happens. Well, unexpected for anyone not familiar with nautical physics.

The crushing depth of the ocean pulverizes the oxygen tank for the Hangyomon hanging from the harpoon, sending them floundering and flailing back up to the surface. The other three back off, watching their drowning companion with stunned confusion.

Hangyomon: DAMN IT!!! Koushiro: (inside) Water pressure! So that was Whamon's plan! (Kids cheer and celebrate) Gomamon: Whamon's a deep sea Digimon, so water pressure is nothing to them! Jou: YOU DID IT, WHAMON!!!

Obviously, the Divermon do not yell curse words in the dub.

Divermon 1: Huh? Divermon 2: Tough break. Divermon 3: That's gotta hurt! Izzy: (inside) Prodigious! They can't take the water pressure; That was Whamon's plan all along! (Kids cheer and celebrate) Gomamon: Whamon's built to handle pressure! Unlike some of us.... Joe: Well, forgive me for not being a whale!

If that crack is meant to be at Joe's expense for screaming "WE'RE DOOMED" seconds before Whamon's plan thwarted the Divermon, then it's hilarious. XD

And fair. That is an actual thing he did in the original too.

So we're safe from the Hangyomon for now, but the kids need to figure out next steps.

Taichi: That was close! Tailmon: What a clever trick! Hikari: (afraid) Onii-chan, what do we do now? Sora: We can't stay at the bottom of the ocean forever. Koushiro: I've got it. Hikari-san, can you come over here?

Koushiro whispers his plan into Hikari's ear.

Koushiro: If you take your whistle and.... (beat while Koushiro silently explains the rest) Hikari: (face slowly turns to a smile) Okay!

Hikari moves to the center of the "room" and gives everybody a bow. Then she picks up her whistle.

Hikari: Here I go.... Koushiro: If you would, please.

Taking a deep breath, Hikari blows into the whistle with all her might. She blows so hard that the cartoon physics of her effort lift her off the ground. The high-pitched whistle tone bounces off the walls not just inside Whamon's stomach, but also in the trench beyond.

Following the bouncing signal, Koushiro locates a nearby opening in the trench wall.

Koushiro: It worked! Thank you, Hikari-san. Hikari: (breathing heavily, but excited) ...yeah! Koushiro: I used the reverberations from the sound to find a tunnel up ahead. We might be able to escape through it. Whamon: Yes, I felt it too. That tunnel is connected to an area of land above the surface!

Just like that, we have a plan of escape. Whamon makes his way towards the tunnel.

In the dub:

Tai: Boy, that was close! Gatomon: I didn't know you had this kind of hidden attack! Kari: This is great, but what are we going to do now? Sora: Yeah, we can't stay at the bottom of the ocean forever! Izzy: I've got it! Kari, come over here for a moment. (Kari goes over to Izzy) Izzy: (whispers unintelligibly) Kari: (face slowly turns into a smile) Ahh...! Right! (Kari goes to the center and bows) Kari: (bowing) Ta-da! (finishes her bow) Ready? Izzy: You can do it! (Kari echolocates for the team) Izzy: Yeah! We did it, Kari! Thanks for the help! Kari: (breathing heavily, but excited) ...sure! Izzy: The whistle was sort of like sonar. We used the reverberations from the sound to find a tunnel. And there's one up ahead that should lead us to land! Matt/Joe/Mimi: Cool! / Nice job! / Far out! Tai: Isn't that great, Whamon? Whamon: What? Tai: I said, ISN'T THAT GREAT!?!? Whamon: I can't hear you. Someone was whistling in my ear. But there's a tunnel up ahead! It should lead us to land!

The dub has Izzy explain that the tunnel will take us to the surface so that it can set up the "Someone was whistling in my ear" joke. Which is a great bit; I was sitting here wondering how Whamon is coping with the sudden high-pitched noise assailing their eardrums while watching the original.

Though this gag does render the whole scene pointless, as Dub Whamon finds the tunnel himself despite missing out on Izzy's explanation of the plan. Ultimately, the dub kids deafened Whamon while accomplishing nothing.

Unfortunately, the children are about to learn about the one glaring vulnerability that active sonar has during naval warfare: Enemy ships can hear your pings.

We cut to MetalSeadramon listening to the sound of Hikari's whistle cutting through the water.

MetalSeadramon: I can see through your plan. Enjoy playing submarine while you still can!

Making a ninety degree turn from his original course and angling down deeper, MetalSeadramon takes off in pursuit.

Down in the trench, Whamon enters an area glowing with bright green.. kelp? Honestly not sure what those are supposed to be, but it's a gorgeous enough sight that the girls are all gathered around Koushiro's laptop.

Mimi, Sora, & Hikari: AHHHHH, PRETTY!!! Koushiro: Ah! Yamato: There's the tunnel! Mimi: (silently vibrates with excitement) Palmon: WE'RE SAVED!!! Mimi: HOORAY!!!

Mimi stands up, ecstatic, and a chill runs down what passes for Palmon's spine. Sweat beads form instantly on her head and she whips around to see Mimi holding out her hands, as if inviting Palmon to another twirl.

Palmon stares at Mimi for a second, then jerks away out of fear.

The dub frequently misses story pieces that are buried in sound effects, and this is no exception. Since MetalSeadramon did not verbally acknowledge that he could hear Hikari's whistle, the dub team seems unaware that he's meant to be reacting to it. The waters around him in their version are silent.

MetalSeadramon: Those fools think I don't know where they're headed? They're easier to figure out than a two-piece jigsaw puzzle! Enjoy playing submarine while you can! RRRRYARGH!!!

The submarine crack does make it, and "easier to figure out than a two-piece jigsaw puzzle" is a creative burn. Still, I'm not sure why he suddenly whips around and shoots off a different direction if he already knew what their plan was. Really needs that whistle to react to.

Mimi, Sora, and Kari: WOW!!! PRETTY!!! Izzy: Aha! Matt: A tunnel!? Mimi: YAAAAY!!! Palmon: WE'RE SAVED!!! Mimi: I've got to get changed! Palmon: (sweatdrops and chill; whips ar ound) Huh!? Mimi: (holds out hands) HUUUUUUG!!! (beat) Palmon: (flinches and steps back)

...nothing happens in this scene; How did you manage to butcher it?

First off, Matt reacts to the tunnel with surprise, so I guess he wasn't listening when Izzy explained that they found a tunnel a minute ago.

Mimi stands up and declares, "I've got to get changed!" as we approach the tunnel. Um. Why? Did she pack a specific tunnel-exploring outfit? Also, we're in a huge empty room; Is she planning to start changing right there in front of everyone? What a weird-ass line.

Palmon's panic is then reframed to be a reaction to Mimi wanting to change. For some reason. Then when she whips around, Mimi has completely changed her intentions and now wants a hug.

With Mimi's original intent to twirl Palmon around the room again like last time gone, Palmon flinches away from hugging Mimi for what is now no reason at all.

Suddenly, a heavy impact shakes Whamon. We're under attack once more.

Taichi: Did they come back!? Tailmon: We weren't able to shake them off? Whamon: Be careful, everyone. It's MetalSeadramon! Kids: EHHHH!?!?

MetalSeadramon chases Whamon into the tunnel, which narrows to the point of being too tight for either to pass comfortably. Whamon pushes through, breaking through to the surface and momentarily leaving MetalSeadramon behind.

In the dub:

Tai: NOT AGAIN!!! Gatomon: How can those fishheads be back? Whamon: They're not! Be careful, everyone! It's MetalSeadramon! Kids: (fearful wailing)

Surprisingly, Whamon and MetalSeadramon make it through their chase scene with no silence-breakers. The dub team sits back and lets the tension simmer and boil.

Whamon finally escapes to the surface, letting the children out into the fresh air.

Taichi: It's so bright! Mimi: The air's so fresh! Yamato: Who'd have ever thought the sun could make you feel so good?

The kids enjoy a relieved laugh, happy to be out from undersea.

The dub gives us some silence-breaking dialogue while we're slowly zooming in on Whamon and setting the stage.

Tai: Is everybody okay? Izzy: Where... Where are we!? (Zoom in on Tai and the others) Tai: The sun's so bright! Mimi: Smell that? Fresh air! Matt: I feel I've been underwater so long, I might never take a bath again!

Izzy asks a very good question that goes completely ignored once the original script picks up.

Also, Matt, that's gross. You weren't even in the water. That's not how that works and I hope Hiroaki does some parenting when you get home.

The kids all share a jovial moment of mirth, which is swiftly undercut by an inquisitive voice from the sea.

MetalSeadramon: What's so funny?

MetalSeadramon bursts up from the water, startling everyone.

Yamato: METALSEADRAMON!!! Sora: HOW!?!? MetalSeadramon: This is as far as you go, Chosen Children! Taichi: Ugh!

I don't know why they're surprised. Frankly, if Whamon could squeeze through there, the serpentine MetalSeadramon should have had no problem. Snakes are practically made for squishing through crevasses. Plus his invulnerable metal plating means he'd have a trivial time forcing his way through jagged rocks and shit.

(Ironically, this means Whamon's plan did not work, and only ended up postponing the kids' plan of surfacing and drawing battle lines. Though Whamon did provide us with a change of scenery more conducive to land mammals, so it wasn't for nothing.)

In the dub, fitting his more fiery personality, MetalSeadramon sounds offended by their laughter.

MetalSeadramon: Mind telling me what's so FUNNY!?!? (MetalSeadramon bursts out of the water)

The dub puts a commercial break here on this cliffhanger, and then we come back to him bursting out of the water again to remind us where we are.

(MetalSeadramon bursts out of the water) Matt: IT'S METALSEADRAMON!!! Sora: How can it be!? MetalSeadramon: It was only a matter of time before you came up for air. NOW YOU'RE GOING DOWN WITH THE SHIP!!!

MetalSeadramon tries to explain how he got here. His explanation syncs up well with the earlier moment, when the dub missed him picking up the whistle sound. He's explaining his plan.

However, this explanation ignores the fact that he did not meet them at the surface; He chased them through the underwater tunnel. Sora's bad question does not warrant an answer.

Cornered now, Whamon has one last trick up their sleeve.

Whamon: Everyone, hang on! TIDAL WAVE!!!

Whamon leads us off with Tidal Wave, swimming in a tight circle and sending out powerful waves through the water. One of the Hangyomon gets washed away by the force of Whamon's current.

...there have not yet been any Hangyomon in this scene. The first we see of them is being washed away.

In any case, Whamon's Tidal Wave buys the kids time to figure out how to put their plan of attack into action.

Hangyomon: WAUGH!!! Agumon: Taichi! Taichi: (nods approvingly) It's up to you now. (to the others) Let's head to shore and take up battle positions while Agumon is distracting them. Yamato: Understood! Jou: Gomamon and I will provide cover! Taichi: Great! Sora: The waves are subsiding. Taichi: (holds out Digivice) Agumon! Agumon: HERE I GO!!!

Agumon Warp-Evolves into WarGreymon, setting the plan into motion.

In the dub:

Whamon: Everyone, hold on! TIDAL WAVE!!! (Tidal Wave washes away a Divermon) Divermon: BLAAARGH! Agumon: Should I? Tai: (nods approvingly) Sure, go for it! (to the others) While Agumon gets their attention, let's cross over to the shore and prepare ourselves for battle! Matt: Aye-aye. Joe: Uh, Gomamon and I will stay here and bring up the rear. Sora: Joe, don't be such a coward! Tai: (holds out Digivice) AGUMON!!! Agumon: Here I go!

(heavy sigh)

Jou's offering to lay down covering fire for their escape. You know. Because Ikkakumon is an artillery cannon and that's one of the things that artillery does.

The dub changes this to Joe trying to chicken out and stay with Whamon. Then replaces the somewhat important information that the Tidal Wave is ending and we need to act now with Sora yelling at him for his cowardice.

Thanks, I hate it.

WarGreymon gets his complete Warp-Evolution sequence while Garurumon, Ikkakumon, Kabuterimon, and Birdramon evolve offscreen.

Finally it's time for Ultimate vs. Ultimate. Rematch with the first Dark Master, and with the Dramon Killer, we can't possibly--

WarGreymon goes straight for the throat with Dramon Killer, but his claws glance harmlessly off of MetalSeadramon's invulnerable armored body.

WarGreymon: Tch! MetalSeadramon: Hyegh... I have the same Chrome Digizoid as you. You can't hurt me so easily!

Well, that plan went to shit quicker than expected.

As planned, the children withdraw to the shore while MetalSeadramon's focus is on WarGreymon. Yamato takes Takeru and Patamon on Garurumon. Koushiro ferries Taichi, Hikari, and Tailmon on Kabuterimon. Jou and Sora ride their Partners alone.

Taichi: WHAMON!!! THANK YOU!!! LEAVE THE REST TO US!!! Whamon: But-- Yamato: At your size, you'd be an easy target! You need to get out of here as fast as you can! Sora: Hurry! Whamon: I understand!

Reluctantly, Whamon dives beneath the surface once more.

Dub WarGreymon seems a little more pleased with his total lack of damage dealt.

WarGreymon: RAAAAHH!!! (slash, clink) AHAHA!!! MetalSeadramon: What was that, a love tap? I'm made of Chrome Digizoid too, y'know! You can't hurt me that easily! (Meanwhile, the DigiDestined withdraw to the shore) Tai: Whamon, thanks for everything but you can leave the rest to us! Whamon: What, no tip? Matt: Hurry and get out of here! You're an easy target! You're just too big! Whamon: Are you calling me fat? I'm just big-boned.

We lose a bit of characterization for Whamon here. In the original, Whamon is committed to this whole ordeal and is reluctant to leave now that the fight has begun in earnest. It takes Yamato and Sora joining Taichi in telling them to go to convince them to back off.

Dub Whamon shows no reluctance but makes a couple parting quips before he goes.

The Hangyomon cut in but, true to his word, Jou lays down artillery cover fire to get Whamon out of there.

Hangyomon: YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!!! (Hangyomon throws their Strike Fishing harpoon) Ikkakumon: HARPOON TORPEDO!!!

It's not super clear if the Hangyomon is trying to stop Whamon's retreat or the kids' tactical withdrawal.

Ikkakumon fires a Harpoon Vulcan into the air, which explodes into a shower of missiles and pepper the water. This brings all of their attention on Jou and provokes a counterattack; They shower Jou in retaliatory Strike Fishing harpoons.

Jou: IKAKKUMON, GANBARU!!! Ikkakumon: GOT IT!!!

With the Hangyomon now focusing on them, Ikkakumon Super-Evolves into Zudomon.

In the dub, Divermon uses his line to just call his attack.

Divermon: STRIKING FISH!!! Ikkakumon: HARPOON TORPEDO!!! (Missiles spray the water; Divermon retaliate) Joe: Ikkakumon, quick! Digivolve!

Once again, ganbaru has no easy translation, so they have to improvise. It's not too hard to do so.

Freshly evolved, Zudomon towers over the water, casting his silhouette down on those he intends to destroy.

Zudomon: HAMMER SPARK!!!

A single Hammer Spark sends a jolt of electricity through the surrounding sea and creates an upward explosion of water.

The attack is a little too effective, as it pulls MetalSeadramon's attention momentarily.

MetalSeadramon: ULTIMATE STREAM!!!

MetalSeadramon's nose cannon carves an arc across the landscape.

Hurrying to try and shut that down, WarGreymon rushes in with Brave Shield; A defensive technique using his invulnerable Chrome Digizoid shield to block any attack.

It does not go well.

Blocking the Ultimate Stream, WarGreymon pushes in until he gets too close.

WarGreymon: BRAVE SHIIIIIIIIIEL-- MetalSeadramon: MORON!!! WarGreymon: Oh, crap!

As he nearly did with Tailmon before, MetalSeadramon suddenly stops firing and chomps, snatching WarGreymon up in his jaws. Immediately, MetalSeadramon dives underwater, taking his prey with him.

Taichi: WarGreymon! Koushiro: That's bad. He's at an overwhelming disadvantage in the water.

Super effective trap by MetalSeadramon. We're again seeing what Piemon was talking about with that whole, "I can fight circles around you because you became Ultimate yesterday and have no experience."

In the dub, WarGreymon calls Terra Force for some reason.

WarGreymon: TERRA FORCE!!! MetalSeadramon: GOT YOU!!! WarGreymon: NOOOOOOO!!! (MetalSeadramon takes WarGreymon down into the water) Tai: WarGreymon! Izzy: Big trouble! WarGreymon's at a huge disadvantage in the water!

Calling the wrong attack confuses the action, making it less clear that this was a trap. Terra Force is supposed to be WarGreymon's big offensive blast, so it comes across like he was going on the offense and then got countered.

Cut over to Zudomon, who drops another Hammer Spark into the water. We hear the Hangyomon cry out again. So I guess Jou and Zudomon have been pretty busy doing that.

Jou: Where are the others!?

Brief shot of Birdramon and Garurumon offloading their passengers.

Jou: That's great--HUH!?!?

Jou suddenly notices MetalSeadramon. For no clear reason, despite it explicitly being said like ten seconds ago that WarGreymon's at a disadvantage underwater, MetalSeadramon has resurfaced. He has WarGreymon up in the air, still between his teeth.

WarGreymon is struggling at this point. His muscles are weakening and he's losing his grip. He can't keep this up.

Hikari: WarGreymon! Taichi: DAMN IT!!! MetalSeadramon: What a fool you are, WarGreymon! THIS IS THE END!!!

Suddenly, in a super blurry moment of truth, Whamon erupts from the sea and slams into MetalSeadramon. (Yes, it's a still image that just looks like that.) The impact knocks WarGreymon out of MetalSeadramon's mouth, saving the day.

MetalSeadramon: IS THIS SUPPOSED TO BE A JOKE!?!?

Roaring with outrage that Whamon would dare even try, MetalSeadramon cuts loose with one shot from his Ultimate Stream. And... at their size, Whamon is an easy target. The beam rips through Whamon's head for a kill shot.

Taichi: WHAMON!!!

In the dub:

Joe: Oh, boy. Is everybody okay?

Jou's follow-up lines are cut. The camera shows us everyone getting off and then pans over to MetalSeadramon, but Joe offers no indication that he's seeing any of that.

Kari: WARGREYMON!!! Tai: I can't watch! MetalSeadramon: I'm tired of playing around with you, WarGreymon! SAY GOODBYE!!! Narrator: Is this really the end for WarGreymon? Will the DigiDestined ever defeat the Dark Masters? Find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters.

Yeah, the dub cut and ran early again. They pick WarGreymon in MetalSeadramon's mouth as a good cliffhanger and skedaddle, despite there still being a full two minutes left in the episode. I have no idea how they're going to make up all this time they keep losing.

...actually, no, I have a hunch.

Well, I can tolerate one scene but I'm not waiting for two minutes of plot so we're skipping ahead. NEXT DUB EPISODE STARTS NOW.

MetalSeadramon: I'm tired of playing around with you, WarGreymon! SAY GOODBYE!!! (Whamon strikes!) MetalSeadramon: RIVER OF POWER!!! (Whamon struck)

You know, if I had to wait a week between "You need to leave; You're too big of a target!" and Whamon getting shot dead immediately upon returning, I don't feel like it would hit as strongly. Whamon's sacrificial death is paying off both a warning they were given earlier in the episode and their demonstrated reluctance to do what they were told and save themselves.

We also lose MetalSeadramon's immeasurable fury at being interrupted, as he opts to simply call his attack in the dub.

Whamon's choice to get involved saves WarGreymon's life, but at the cost of their own. They pay for their heroism by receiving the full force of MetalSeadramon's power. But, by letting Whamon momentarily pull his attention and giving WarGreymon a second to breathe, MetalSeadramon has made a mistake just as fatal.

WarGreymon: BRAVE TORNADO!!! MetalSeadramon: ULTIMATE STREAM!!!

Hoisting his Dramon Killers above his head to form a spear with his body, WarGreymon spins up his Brave Tornado and fires straight down the barrel of MetalSeadramon's Ultimate Stream. This is basically a much better conceived version of what he was trying to do with his Brave Shield.

MetalSeadramon unloads into WarGreymon, but Wargreymon's own invulnerable Chrome Digizoid armor and spinning attack deflects the beam and allows him to travel all the way down its length. He enters MetalSeadramon's body through the Ultimate Stream emitter itself, carving his Dramon Killer straight through and setting off small explosions of Ultimate Stream energy throughout the serpentine shell.

Finally, WarGreymon bursts through MetalSeadramon's back, triumphant.

With one last dying roar, MetalSeadramon collapses into the water. We hang on a shot of WarGreymon and Kabuterimon looking triumphantly down at the slain Dark Master for fifteen straight seconds while Show Me Your Brave Heart plays in the background. Then finally cut to Taichi, Hikari, and Koushiro on Kabuterimon.

Taichi: We did it....

Stunningly, none of this tremendous violence gets cut from the dub. Both Whamon's headshot and MetalSeadramon's gruesome death make it in uncut.

Fifteen seconds of a still image and no dialogue is a lot more than the dub is willing to tolerate. Fortunately, WarGreymon is facing away from the camera and Kabuterimon doesn't have lip flaps so they can teabag the corpse to their hearts' content.

WarGreymon: So much for your impenetrable Chrome Digizoid armor! Looks to me like it got a little rusty! Kabuterimon: Next time you decide you want to rule the waters, do everybody a favor and take a bubble bath instead! Tai: We won!

Sick burn from WarGreymon. Kabuterimon should probably workshop his smack talk a bit more.

With the fight over, WarGreymon reverts to Koromon and the remaining kids head to shore. Everyone gathers around the dying Whamon.

Whamon: Chosen Children... Please... Save our world.... Kids: WHAMON!!! Jou: (a little late) WHAMON!!!

Whamon disintegrates into pixels; Their data flying up into the sky. The children watch Whamon die with tears in their eyes.

Takeru: Whamon... is dead? (quiet moment as the kids grieve) Koushiro: Look at that!

Koushiro draws the group's attention to MetalSeadramon, who is also disintegrating into pixels.

Yamato: It's happening to MetalSeadramon too. Sora: (watches the data pixels rise into the sky; solemn) They're floating in the air. Gomamon: Where do you think they're going? Tentomon: (frantic) TO THE TOP OF SPIRAL MOUNTAIN!!!

I mean. It is a sort of heaven. Throne of the Four Heavenly Kings, anyway.

But no, that's definitely not where the data of the dead is supposed to be going, which is why Tentomon's flipping the fuck out about it. We know what's supposed to happen to deceased Digimon. More on that in later episodes.

The dub sort of tries to talk around Whamon's death.

Whamon: ...the DigiDestined... Please... Save this world.... T.K.: Whamon... Where did he go...? (Whamon's pixels rise into the sky) Izzy: LOOK THERE, EVERYONE!!! Matt: It's happening to MetalSeadramon too! Sora: (watches the data pixels rise into the sky; cheerful) They're floating in the sky! Gomamon: I know where they're going! Tentomon: Spiral Mountain's Peak!

They avoid saying the 'D' word and everyone's kind of chipper about this like they're watching a mysterious and wondrous phenomenon. Even Tentomon's line is delivered in this sort of triumphant and hopeful tone when. Um. No, that's bad. It's bad that their data is going up to Spiral Mountain's peak.

Still, it's pretty obvious that they're dead, all the same.

Suddenly, the ground begins to shake terribly.

Gomamon: AN EARTHQUAKE!?!? Taichi: No! (points at Spiral Mountain) THAT'S why the ground is shaking!

MetalSeadramon's death unravels the part of Spiral Mountain that was made from stolen ocean.

Sora: The ocean! Jou: It's disappearing!

The children watch from the Digital World as the ocean ribbon of Spiral Mountain is steadily unmade, returning its terrain to the world. From Earth, they too can see this section of Spiral Mountain become undone.

However, the humans aren't the only ones who can see the ocean withdrawing from Spiral Mountain. The Dark Masters, reclining up in their palace can see the same.

Piemon: Look. The ocean is disappearing. Pinochimon: (gets down off the sofa) I guess this means it's my turn. Heh.

We close this episode on Pinochimon's devilish smirk, preparing to face what he brings to the table next episode.

In the dub, Tai's line is a little awkward.

Kids: (miscellaneous yelping) Tai: No! (points at Spiral Mountain) That's the real reason for all the shaking! Over there! (Ocean ribbon is becoming unmade) Sora: The ocean! Joe: It's, uh... Disappearing!

Tai corrects them about the earthquake, but no one ever said there was an earthquake so there's no segue into his line.

Piedmon: Well, you don't... sea that every day! Puppetmon: Tag, I'm it! MetalSeadramon out, Puppetmon IN!!! Hehehehehehehe!

The dub puts a commercial break at the end of Puppetmon's line, so as to preserve the cliffhanger that was originally the end of the preceding episode.

Assessment: So ends the reign of the first Dark Master. A bit awkward that they're consciously and purposefully setting themselves up as a sequential set of minibosses, when tag-teaming the Chosen Children worked out so well last time.

And that is also our fourth character death of the arc. Returning cast are dropping like flies now that we're officially in the war arc.

I wonder what happened to the Hangyomon? If Gomamon didn't have lines during Whamon's death scene, I could make a crack about Zudomon still being offscreen shocking them through the whole thing.

I was really surprised at how not-entirely-accurately I remembered the final MetalSeadramon fight. I remembered WarGreymon attacking MetalSeadramon internally but I thought he went down MetalSeadramon's gullet, not the Ultimate Stream emitter. Huh.

Guess he took a chance that the gun part of MetalSeadramon had to be made from gun parts and shit instead of the indestructible alloy that the rest of him was made of.

The dub... They keep staggering their endings further and further away from where the original ended. I have a hunch they're buying space for the many cuts that will need to be made to the Pinochimon fight, but that's just a guess.

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

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