#revisiting digimon adventure

[tobiasdrake]

Oh, and in case anyone's wondering: Yes, the giant saw in front of the Big Sight convention center is a real thing.

I was actually having a hell of a time figuring out where Vamdemon took everyone until I saw the big saw. That's a landmark that's hard to miss.

[morgannox]

No. 81 - Tanemon Wanted to try my hand at the painterly background style found in Digimon Adventure. I'll have to revisit this later.

[kooldewd123]

revisiting digimon as an adult, it is incredibly striking to me just how strongly adventure and 02 contrast against each other in their views of technology. despite releasing only a year apart from one another, they fall on opposite sides of the millennium - 1999 and 2000, respectively. and because of that separation, being a year apart yet divided across a thousand-year boundary, they have a weird dynamic when held up against each other. the digital world is clearly a representation of the internet, the digital age, the rise of technology, whatever you wanna call it. in digimon adventure, the digital world is a frightening place. there's something hollow to it. it's filled with technological relics - payphones that spout only nonsense, power lines that lack any cables, factories that create and then disassemble the same odd shapes in an endless cycle. these were the modern marvels of the time, and their existence here in this broken state asks the question of whether they have a future in the coming age of the internet or if they'll instead be replaced by newer, better, digital inventions. although the series ultimately offers an optimistic view of what the future holds (represented by the digimon themselves), that feeling of uncertainty and trepidation underlies the entire journey, reinforced with every new out-of-place landmark the digidestined reach.

and then we reach 02, and the entire perspective completely shifts. what does the future hold? well, we're in the future now! 2002, baby! the digidestined have traveled the digital world and befriended many of its inhabitants. it's no longer foreign and dangerous, but familiar and comfortable. the new digidestined don't approach it with the same terror the original cast did; rather, they see it all as a big game from the very start. it all feels very reflective of how, as home computers became more widespread and people became more familiar with them, so too did we see a rise in online entertainment. the best way i can describe the feel of 02 is "early-to-mid-'00s browser game." the show just bleeds this very Y2K, almost frutiger aero sort of aesthetic. tk and kari's outfits are comprised of saturated, contrasting colors. the original digivices already look outdated next to the new D-3s, with their smoother, more plastic-y designs. instead of the plain rectangular crests, the digieggs all have sleek, curvy shapes to them. veemon and his armor digivolutions simply feel like browser game mascots in a way that i can't properly describe. i typically don't like to compare digimon designs to other franchises (i've seen enough comparisons to a certain other monster-collecting franchise already), but demiveemon practically looks like a goddamn neopet to me. it all collectively feeds into this new-millennium optimism you can feel at the core of the show: the internet is fun, it's exciting. we're at the cusp of a generation who will grow up never knowing a non-online world, and we are the trailblazers who get to define what that means. as opposed to adventure, which trapped its characters in the digital world for most its runtime, the characters of 02 are allowed to freely travel between the two worlds with only a few narratively unimportant limitations. adventure uses the digital world as a vessel to ask the question of what the future of technology looks like, and 02 then tries to offer an answer by telling a story about the real world and the digital world evolving in tandem with one another, each shaping the future of the other. the show is in constant dialogue with itself as these two themes collide.

[citrus-cactus]

Bad End Takuma #2 (prompt: Darkness & Loss)

Image descriptions in the Alt ID.

I decided to revisit a concept I started during @surviveweek (and reuse a prompt!), where I illustrate the non-canonical "Bad Endings" for Takuma I see in my head. You can see the first piece in this series here.

Technically this Bad Ending is not concluded yet, but it's going to take me a while to make a part 2. So feel free to speculate on what might happen in the meantime (mwahaha) >:)

Some more rambling under the cut!

This one is also based off of in-game dialogue, but from the beginning of Chapter 8 this time, when (SPOILERS!) Miyuki rescues Takuma from the Master's domain and they end up in the Real World. The Master’s quote is also from the game, though I think from a different section (might be the beginning of Chapter 4… but alas, I don't remember).

Other inspirations include Adventure/02, namely the scene of the Older Chosen getting kidnapped in Hurricane Touchdown (because OF COURSE that movie is on my mind all the time always, yes I really AM that predictable), and episode 24 of the original Adventure, where Koushiro has a run-in with Vademon. Digimon likes doing this sort of thing a LOT, doesn’t it?!

Relevant screenshots from the game for extra-thoroughness (emphasis mine):

Miyuki: And it's not just me. You were in danger just now too, Takuma. Takuma: Do you mean that if I hadn't come to the light, away from the darkness... Miyuki: You would have been captured, just as I was. No, I think you would have gone even deeper. All of your soul, life, and existence... gone. Takuma: It really was a close call, then.

???: Power, knowledge... Existence, soul, heart... Bring them all... to me!

[occasionalanarchy]

The digital world in the original Adventure run of the anime is just more and more uncanny each time a revisit it. I think a lot of it is the budget and art style, but the sort of liminal emptiness it has hits in a way I can’t place. I hear that survive leans into that, but I also hear that the rest of it is kinda bad? I think I’ll play it either way, I need to get back into digimon.

[ultraericthered]

2020 Memories: Anime Revisits

One of the things quarantine was really good for was the amount of free time I had and the amount of anime that piled up for me to use that time for watching. And not just new anime or anime for my Anime Update posts, either - I rewatched some anime I'd loved from years back, 'cause I could! My Bride Is A Mermaid and Higurashi, me and @themattress had watched five years prior, so both of us did rewatches in Spring and Fall respectively. I'd seen Anohana and Darling In The Franxx in 2018, the former ended up showing up on Netflix and the latter I rewatched 'cause I just needed something to watch during a pretty miserable Summer vacation period. Angel Beats! and Danganronpa: The Animation, I'd seen just a year prior in 2019, the former, again, popped up on Netflix and it even became part of my Anime Updates for the year, and rewatched the latter in October to cap off my whole 2020 Danganronpa extravaganza. And since a new Digimon Adventure series came out in the Summer of that year, I rewatched the original (superior) Digimon Adventure, getting to experience the dub and sub for a compare-contrasting!

[sternengreif]

I joined the zine "Transcartoonology" by @ghostsharkpress this year aaand in March i finished this two page comic! The task was to pick a cartoon from your childhood and review it through the gender lense, so i took my favourite two Digimon Adventure characters and made this. This show aired when i was a kid and i still remember the feeling it gave me, so it was very fun to revisit and make my own versions of the designs. :> Also Gatomon is my alltime fave and i still have her plushie. I mean!! they got to be angels!! ofc i liked them. :D

[the-demi-jedi]

Happy Odaiba Day!

Since today, August 1st, is the Odaiba Memorial Day (something like May the 4th for Digimon fans), Digimon are my childhood love which I'm now revisiting and a lot of fans are doing this, I've made this favorite Digimon chart ^^ (I know this is supposed to be fan-art, but I can't draw for shit, so maybe next year!)

Looking at the chart, it might look like I'm kind of a 02 fanboy... which I actually kind of am, since I've seen it like a million times when I was a child, but to be fair, I really loved and enjoyed all animes, even the more "divisive" ones like Tri. and the 2020 Adventure: reboot (I still have to watch Xros Wars and Appmon tho). I love that the stories had something to offer to my 8-years-old me, and it still has now, 20 years later.

(Also, Shutumon is absolutely hotter than Angewomon. Fight me.)

Since I've had a hard time choosing in some categories, let me do some honorable mentions:

Child (Rookie): Gammamon, Renamon, Angoramon Adult (Champion): Growmon, GeoGreymon, Aquillamon Perfect (Ultimate): MetalGreymon, RizeGreymon, Garudamon Ultimate (Mega): Hououmon, Ophanimon, WarGreymon

[acquired-stardust]

Game Spotlight #3: Digimon World (1999)

Today is a special day and as such it is is only fitting that today marks the first Acquired Stardust Game Spotlight brought to you by me, Larsa. What makes today special? Well that’s because it’s August 1st, better known to many fans around the world as "Odaiba Memorial" or more simply "Odaiba Day", a day which marks the 24th anniversary of the chosen children, the “Digidestined”, who first made their way into the digital world. No matter when you became a fan of Digimon this date holds a deep meaning to all of us in the Digimon fandom for being the day that the original chosen children started their journey. 

                                                  “ ! “

This is a universal day we in the fandom celebrate the world over and it is an eventful day like this that puts on full display how caring the Digimon fanbase is of the series. Whether you can visit the man made island of Odaiba in person on this day or you are browsing through your social media apps embracing the meme this is our day fellow "Digi-fans".  Digimon is the franchise that kick-started my imagination and truly meant the most to me growing up as a child back in 1999 when "Digimon Adventure" first aired on Fox in North America. It is no exaggeration to say years in my childhood that Digimon was very much my life. It was what I most often thought about when I would daydream at school, or soccer practice. I would even find the spare time as a child to desecrate an innocent sheet of paper with my personal crudely drawn original Digimon. ( We all did this am I right? )   As a way to make me happy with my childhood obsession the first home console game that my older brothers bought me was Digimon World for the original Playstation. The game blew my mind with how large it felt at the time and as a result was what largely consumed my summer vacation that year. I happily say that this game has been an absolute adventure to revisit to this day~!

                                “ This was innovative at the time! “

Digimon, shorthand for " Digital Monsters ", started as a virtual pet toy created by WiZ and Bandai in the year 1997 as the more "masculine" companion to big sister toyline " Tamagotchi ". These new Digital Monsters weren't just adorable pets wanting for you to take care of them they were born fighters and you the player would tame these creatures from birth to battle other players of the game through connecting devices. It turns out many children did become tamers because the Digimon v-pet toy was an instant hit selling many toys right away. Immediately after the launch of the original toy-line it was clear that Bandai was very confident that they could shape Digimon into a successful multimedia franchise. The Digimon toyline was quickly followed up with a more expanded toyline, magazines, manga, trading card game, and several video game projects - the first notable home console video game release being "Digital Monster Ver. S" for the Sega Saturn in Japan.  The first globally released Digimon video game would be "Digimon World" for the Playstation console and this game was developed alongside it's own sequel "Digimon World 2" in an ambitious project by Bandai to ensure in their minds global domination. 

“ Digimon World “ was originally was released on January 28th in the year 1999 in Japan to a successful launch.  The following year it would be first released in May to North America(NTSC) and shortly afterward in July to European(PAL) regions. Both of these version would both go onto be big selling hits on the console earning the Playstation's "Greatest Hits" label in North America and likewise "Platinum" status in Europe because quite frankly Digimon was that big of a deal already. By the year 2000, it was clear outside of Japan that Digimon would not just go down as another another contender to Pokemon’s reign. The Digimon series had become a champion in it's own right establishing itself as a rival even for Pokemon at the time. Digimon World was the first Digimon video game most of the world experienced. So the question is after all this time how does the game hold up 24 years later? Was it worth the hype in a crowded platform like the Playstation?

                      “ Sidenote: They were pushing the original Digimon TCG  “     

                                  “Welcome to The Digital World “

 The Digital World is a vast and mysterious place that exists both within our world and outside of it. You insert the Digimon World disc then go through the Playstation start up sequence where you are greeted by that haunting yet relaxing boot up sound of the console. After a brief load time you are shown in wonderfully aged FMV from a typical afternoon of the year 1999 in Japan complete with children battling virtually through the Digimon V-Pet toys. Before long the battle between the two players go from toy to imagination in our main character's head, daydreaming of the fight between two Ultimate level Digimon: the proud MetalMamemon and the imposing MetalGreymon. After the cut-scene you hit start to officially start your own journey to the digital world albeit an unintentional one for our avatar as they are forcefully whisked away into the Digital World itself through their own V-Pet toy.

                                      “ MetalMamemon wants to fight! “

Once the scene finishes playing then you are confronted by Jijimon, an elderly wise Digimon who asks the players some background questions which determine your starter Digimon. You see depending on the answers you gave Jijimon you will receive Agumon or Gabumon as a companion both Digimon whose potential take different shapes. After being introduced to your partner you are then given reason for why you were brought here to the Digital World: it turns out maybe you really do just love Digimon so much that it made you a chosen child yourself? At any rate you the player are tasked by Jijimon with the serious task of rebuilding " File City ", a village where Digimon used to live in peace with one another until recent times where the formerly peace loving Digimon fled the city after having forgotten their own past. As you guide each new Digimon back to the city you may uncover the truth behind the current ongoing mystery of File Island.  Those who re-join the new File City  will offer something helpful to the city whether it to run a Bank, Item Shop, Clinic, or much more.  Ideally you will help the village grow from its humble roots to a true city but it won’t be easy, tamer.

                           “ Becoming Garurumon is gonna be tough... “      

                        The game truly begins now as you are set on a journey to explore File Island, a wondrous land of mystery with many different ecosystems filled with many diverse Digimon and just as many wires emerging from the soil unlike anything you may have seen before anywhere else. And now with this journey comes responsibility - while your primary goal for being here may be to help File Island at large your more immediate task is to care for and raise your Digimon properly. It is up to you the player to decide how you raise your digital partner as each day passes by in a linear manner through morning, day, dusk, and dawn cycles. It is at this point you can immediately with courage choose to venture outside the city into the unknown or spend some time building the combat stats of your Digimon partner at The Green Gym section of File City. At the gym you can put your Digimon through a variety of training tasks which is typically focused on increasing one stat at a time primarily. These stats are known in the game as HP which effects how much damage they can take before fainting. MP which determines the amount of points how many combat techniques your partner can use in a battle. Off(ense) which is the stat the game uses to figure out how hard a Digimon hits another. Def(ense) which works as the opposite, this stat determines how much damage a Digimon takes from being hit in which the higher def means less taken away from HP. SPD which determines how often a Digimon attacks with a technique (this caps at 300 SPD), how often a Digimon guards against an opponent's technique, and how fast your Digimon's Finishing Move charges through their own actions. And last but not least is Wis(dom!) which can give your Digimon the ability to listen to more commands in battle. Each training session causes an hour to pass by in the digital world but this is time well spent because these stats are the key to success in combat.

                                     “ Yup, it really won’t be easy. “               

If you raise your Rookie-rank Digimon improperly they will eventually become a rather weak Champion-level creature known as "Numemon" hardly fitting for the moniker at first glance. However if you raise them well they can become something greater through digivolution and every Digimon has multiple evolutionary branches which are driven conditionally by how you raise the Digimon whether it be through hitting stat thresholds, battles, the amount (or lack of) care mistakes, techniques learned, or even body weight.  The game even has additional secret methods of reaching digivolutions that may surprise a player the first time playing and even longtime players who have yet to experience everything the game has to offer in their time with it. You may not always get what you want through Digivolution without proper planning so keep that in mind.

           Outside the city you may run into hostile Digimon that can quickly become challenging for your partner had they not been prepared properly for the dangers of the wild. Once in combat you have to leave the battling to your Digimon partner as you stand on the sidelines making commands or supporting them with various healing items. It is at this early point you learn that you cannot directly control what your partner does in battle you can only offer them orders to influence their behavior in a battle system akin to something known as an "auto-battler" today. Your partner when they achieve victory can learn techniques from their foes, obtain items, and Bits (currency). On the other hand your partner can fall in battle and for each time they fall in battle they will lose a heart which will result in them passing away upon losing three hearts. Between any battles that can occur your digital partner needs food, they need to use the bathroom, and your digital partner needs rest. Every time your Digimon uses the bathroom outside of a stall or porta-potty it will result in a "Care Mistake"  which the game will remember for that Digimon's lifespan through an in game counter. 

                       “ Forget it. This dino is more cuddly than any wolf. “

  I mentioned lifespan earlier, right? Well every partner Digimon generally needs to be cared for with love before unavoidably they pass away sooner or later. And when that time comes Jijimon will be there to reincarnate your partner Digimon into a Digi-Egg where they start life all over again. Due to the nature of this game you form a bond with your Digimon that you may not find yourself having with other similar monster raising video games such as Pokemon. The time you have with your Digimon in the Digital World is fleeting and it's quite sad. As a tamer it is with love inside of your heart that you must juggle that fleeting time between making your buddy stronger and spending their same limited time saving the Digimon outside the city alongside the player. There is a real somber feeling when you know your Digimon might be on your last day as you run a frozen tundra for the final time at night knowing it might be their last one with you. Everyone who has played this game enough understands that heavy feeling and it is that feeling which drives you to do better for your next partner.

                              “  This land is labeled correctly. “

This game world has its own logic and rules that are rewarding to learn to get past the harsh difficulty curves.  And now with that being said it is this same "gameplay loop" which I laid out in detail leading up to this which would often overwhelm me as a child. Many times I would aim for my Agumon to become the mighty Greymon only to get another alternate digivolution like Monochromon instead of the one which I planned for. This would happen to younger me even with the official Brady Strategy Guide by my side because a guide can only help you through so much - this was a game you had to experience and learn yourself back in the day to get the most out of it.

                                  “ Time flows differently here! “

The Digital World in this game is all about discovery. Often you may have no idea what to do next exactly if you are playing the game blind though with enough discovery you will figure it out.  You may find that next Digimon you need to bring back to File Island in a place you never thought to check. You may even find a random item on screen you have walked by hundreds of time without ever having seen before that hundredth visit. Digimon World balances elements of a pet-simulator, and maybe more impressively a world that feels like it is really one of a kind.  The environments in this game are beautiful, populated with all kinds of digital critters, and accompanied by often fitting ambient sounds which fit the atmosphere the game presents to us.  There is nothing quite like walking through File City at nighttime with your Digimon partner as that lovely song plays away in the background. Composers Koji Yamada and Yuko Ishii outdid themselves with this game’s score, most songs being geared to the environment at hand and some others geared towards pulse pounding combat as your partner is locked in a fight for survival. For example the musical themes of Factorial Town feels daunting and mechanical in nature.  We now live in an era full of "open world" video games everywhere and yet sometimes Digital World feels more alive to me than even some modern AAA offerings. It says a lot about a game’s quality when it can stick with someone positively years later.

                                      “ Make the right choice. “

Speaking of the way the game looks all together it is a pretty nice looking game for the Playstation. It is the first time that the original Digimon which famed Digimon designer Kenji Watanabe created were being presented in a 3D environment within a video game. These 3D models are a huge leap in technology over the V-Pet sprites and these over several dozen designs really shined in this iteration of The Digital World. Often the monsters in this series are known for looking "cool" such as Leomon so it is worth mentioning even the cuter designs like Monzaemon look absolutely adorable in this game. The graphics, soundtrack, and presentation of this game are pretty strong in my opinion.        

              “ This chart helps you raise every kind of Digimon available! ”

 I truly appreciate this game even more today then I did in the year 2000 when I played it for the very first time and there is so much more that I could muse over with this game. Now with all this being said there are many bugs and glitches in this game so be warned this gemstone can be rough around the edges.   Overall I will cut myself short to say proudly that this game stands up to the test of time and the influence of this game is felt to this day. Worth mentioning that "Digimon World: Next Order" serves as a true sequel to this beloved PlayStation title and yet as good as it may be the new title does not replace the original game. I'm urging anybody who has not played this game yet to seek it out and give it a chance. Better yet find the Digimon World Randomizer created by the game's devout community which adds many features and fixes nearly every game bug, all things in service of making the experience even better. There is even chatter from the current producer of Digimon video games that we can expect either a remaster or remake of this beloved title someday. Which makes sense considering Digimon is even more popular globally than ever now. No matter how you experience this game it is worth playing for any Digimon fan even just one time. 

Digimon World is an incredible adventure worthy of being called stardust.

-- Larsa

[undecidedhikki]

I love Digimon Adventure so much. We watched it with a friend, two episodes a week during last year. It was awesome revisiting it. I loved it.

[tobiasdrake]

Also, thinking about Devimon and Etemon.

Etemon is referred to as the King of Digimon, as well as the World's Strongest - though that latter part comes with an explicit disclaimer that it's self-proclaimed. But it hasn't been disproven prior to the Children's arrival, so he's at least up there.

Etemon is Old Power. He has an established power structure already in place when the children arrive. He has far-reaching authority across Server, with an forces at his beck and call all over the place. And his Dark Network is fucking everywhere. He's been in a position of consolidated power for what's suggested to be a pretty long time.

Like. He's been in power for long enough to have a tradition of annual concerts.

And though he's actively pursuing the slippery little kids, he's able to threaten the Chosen Children wherever they are by ringing up whichever of his forces are garrisoned over there.

Etemon is not just the World's Strongest (allegedly). Of the three villains prior to the Dark Masters arc, Etemon is the one with the most reach and political influence.

Vamdemon, the next villain, is a recluse living in an isolated castle he seemingly bulit himself, extensively studying Chosen Children lore with no influence beyond his walls. He holds no authority over DIgimon society and relies on his two minions, PicoDevimon and Tailmon, to interact with the outside world.

And Devimon?

Devimon doesn't have shit compared to them. And he knows it. He's a bottom-feeder in the hierarchy of wickedness. But on File Island, he gets to be a dark god.

"The strongest evil Digimon!" says Agumon, who later admits he's never left File Island. He doesn't know what's out there on Server, which is where this assessment of Devimon's power is coming from.

Devimon is, knowingly and on purpose, the big fish in this small pond.

File Island was supposed to be a safe place for the Isekai'd kids to be received and properly instructed. Gennai was meant to appear to them the moment they arrived in that forest.

They had the Tags over here waiting for the Children to arrive, a whole-ass temple dedicated to Digivice lore for them to study at, and Gennai was all set to meet them.

But then bottom-feeding Devimon also found File Island and realized it'd be a great place to bunker down and build up his master plan.

The Black Gears are Devimon's great equalizer against the likes of Vamdemon and Etemon. Though he's inferior to them in power, the gears - seemingly based on his Death Claw attack, which has the same effect - are capable of enslaving the minds of even Perfect-stage Digimon.

He came out here to the distant, isolated, and lowkey in power Tutorial Island, shorted out Gennai's signal, and also found the Tags that were waiting for the Chosen Children and shoved them in a hole.

Get that shit out of here. I have gear-making to do.

Then he set to work making fucktons of Black Gears and hollowing out File Island, turning the whole place into a fleet of ships to carry his Black Gears to foreign shores.

What's really interesting about this, however, is when you stop to consider his ambitions.

What is he making this huge surplus of Black Gears for?

The other side of the ocean is Server Continent. Who, exactly, is he invading?

That. Is fascinating when you stop to think about it.

The forces of darkness are not one big happy family. We know this. Vamdemon and PicoDevimon did not give one single solitary shit about what happened to Etemon, and in fact used his death as part of their own machinations.

Devimon is a weak bottom-feeder with ambitions of being king of the world, creating tools of mind control that can enslave even Digimon far more powerful than he is. Etemon is presently King of Digimon, ruler of Server, and World's Strongest (allegedly) Perfect-stage Digimon.

And there's a very real possibility that, had the Chosen Children not gotten between them, Devimon was days away from going to war with Etemon for power, prestige, and territory.

I wonder what that would have been like? A Devimon vs. Etemon war sounds really interesting as an AU.

But then he died.

And in his final moments he was like "HAHAHA You have no idea about the guy I was doing all of this to beat and you wasted this shit on me! You're all so fucked! HAHAHA!!!"

And he was almost right.

There but for the interference of Nanomon, the Chosen Children's arrival on Server would have been three minutes of bloodsport for Etemon and then right back to ruling his kingdom, never truly understanding either of the deadly forces that were knocking at his front door.

[ashitomarisu]

2024 Anime Rewatch: It's a Digital Summer After All (DIGIMON (AiM Era))

25 years...what an achievement for any anime. It was about a decade ago I relived one of my childhood titles from the days of airing on ABC Family and Jetix. Of course, I had a Pokemon phase, but its competitor left a bigger impression on me.

Thus, to honor Digimon's 25th Anniversary, all summer long, I will relive the first three Digimon seasons, which I dubbed the AiM Era.

Why?

Those 3 seasons all have one thing in common: ALL THE ENDINGS WERE SUNG BY AI MAEDA.

(There was a time only two Ai's occupied my head: THIS one and the underrated one (Nagano, I meant). She REALLY changed her looks; as if she took Nagano's hairstyle from the past few years??)

Now, I will make this disclaimer right now: There MAY be changes to the schedule this summer as I am currently applying for a new job, which might affect my blog activity.

With that said, 25 years is a huge achievement and is still going along with newer content. However, would revisiting the original 3 be worth the time?

(OP misses Gomamon dearly...)

Thus, here is how this will work:

June: Digimon Adventure

July: Digimon Adventure 02

August: Digimon Tamers

Any movie tie-ins or specials related to these three seasons alone will be looked into, but will not guarantee reaching Digimon Adventure Tri by the time the summer ends.

Now that I have everything down, I'll be looking forward to reminiscing a simpler time starting Saturday. Stay tuned!

(OH LORD I FORGOT I MADE THIS?!!?!?)

[kursed-arcana]

Digimon adventure 02 The Beginning Review: All Filler, No Killer

I wanted to love this movie. I was well aware of people’s complaints going into this, but I still expected the best. I was wrong. I went in expecting a coherent and compelling narrative, instead it was all filler, no killer.

This movie is sadly a waste of the 02 cast. While marketed as their revival film, their presence was little more then window dressing to another chosen child’s story. Not a single 02 cast member made a contribution to the plot that could only be made by them. Not a single 02 cast member received a character arc in the film. The most focus and effort put into showing their lives as adults was the opening montages of the film. While a beautiful opening it was, it was not enough to make this film worth watching for any digimon adventure fans.

Not only did this film not focus on any of the 02 digidestined, it did not address or mention the plot of last adventure kizuna and its major reveal (unless a certain single line of dialogue in the closing narration was meant to imply kizuna’s reveal is now meaningless, despite never even being mentioned in the film prior). Instead we were treated to another story about a new oc crammed into the franchise, cough male Meiko cough. For every complaint people had about Meiko’s focus in tri, this movie did it worse. She had 6 movies, so at least the focus on her was spread out and the 8 characters the audience is invested in had character arcs, that is not the case here. Instead , we were treated to a story about another digidestined. Another claiming to be the first, which we were previously lead to believe we saw in tri, which was a weird retcon to begin with, then we met the first child to lose her partner in kizuna, and now we meet a new special snowflake, with his new special digimon that apparently is responsible for the partnership between all digidestined and digimon, and maybe even the death of his parents (lol). Not only is this insulting to adventure cast, but fans as well. When will they realize, we don’t need shocking reveals that contradict previously established lore, but meaningful character arcs for our chosen children and to see their partner digimon reach new digivolution heights.

The director of this film possibly thought he could recapture the magic of the first 02 film, but what makes that film more enjoyable is the fact that it came out during 02’s original release and not decades later. And while Willis was a primary character, the main cast still had plenty of chances to shine. Like gatomon and palmon suddenly reaching mega with no build up whatsoever lol.

This film contributed nothing new for our 02 cast. No new mega forms, or even their ultimates, new new levels for DNA digivolved Silphymon and Shakkoumon, not even the chance to see the digiegg of kindness in the anime for the first time. Hell, armor digivolution never even got mentioned, but at least we revisited the computer lab.

Not to mention that after all these years, there are still plotlines left unresolved. The dark ocean still hasn’t been explained, despite being brought up in tri and claiming Maki Himekawa, nor has its ruler Dragomon, or what happened to Daemon once he was stranded there and the fact his presence alluded to a plotline with the 7 demon lords. These dangling plotlines would have been perfect to address in a 02 movie or series, instead we got something less meaningful then a shounen filler movie (like the original 02 movie). At least those typically allow for their cast to shine despite focusing on original characters.

The 02 cast deserve their tri movie series, or even their version of kizuna. They needed to regain the future they achieved at the end of 02 that got retconned away, despite the epilogue still apparently being canon. They deserved character arcs, and some damn confirmation on takari after all these years. I wanted to see them overcome obstacles, to achieve their dreams. Instead I endured a meandering story for a new more chosen then all the rest of the “chosen children”. Can the people behind the digimon movies please stop trying to one up each other now?

I encourage all digimon fans to still watch the movie. If we want to see the adventure and 02 cast again, we need to support the series, but we also have to let our complaints be known, in order to encourage a better outcome in the future. While this film is a waste of the 02 cast, it is still nice to see them again, even if their presence felt more significant in their brief subplot in kizuna. At least we have confirmation that they’re still making progress towards their dreams, still hanging out and still hoping for a brighter future with their digimon. What little we got of them interacting was still nice, funny and even heartwarming at times. And if you’re a dub fan, at least we got Brian Donovan back as Davis one more time. Weird they let him reclaim the role but not Lara Jill miller for Kari, even though Tara Sands is still great.

Until next time digimon fam, stay Prodigious

(If you like my review and have my anime list, please follow the link and like it there. Id like to gain alittle traction as a reviewer and its always nics to be able to see if my writing is appreciated)

P.S. And To Lui, the saddest chosen child in all the land

[bluediva]

Writing prompt dream I had this morning

When you're a little sick today, and you have a digimon dream. That's what happened this morning.

Based with the Digimon Adventure 01/02 group. Looked like they were hanging around to have a meal together or make a meal together? Half were there and other half wasn't there yet.

What I remember: Taichi (Tai), Yamato (Matt), Mimi, and Koshiro (Izzy) were the ones already there, and the other 4 of the first team hadn't arrived yet. We also include another character who may have been included story-wise as another member of the team (OC/Reader).

This is when everyone is either finding out that Yamato and Sora have started dating, or they've been dating for a little while at this point. (OC/Reader) is a little sad but trying to hide it because she also liked Yamato, but she can see that he's happy with Sora and that everyone appears happy that they're together, so she's trying to keep that hidden and get over her feelings in secret. I think maybe Mimi may know about (OC/Reader)'s feelings about Yamato, but since she appears ok with everything, she's not bringing it up or talking to her about it. Plus Mimi is happy Sora is looking happy and in love.

Reader goes off to grab a few more ingredients while the others are talking, and takes time to put herself "back together"/prepare to see her crush with his girlfriend (her 2 friends). She goes back and shortly after the other 4 arrive.

Now, this can lead to stuff like a Taichi/(OC/Reader) pairing later on. It could also (one day in the future) have Yamato and Sora breaking up (mutually or one instigates it) and Yamato later developing feelings for (OC/Reader) and them dating.

What I don't remember: (OC/Reader)'s part in the team, Crest, "role" in the group, partner digimon, etc. That can be up to anyone to decide.

Tossing this on here in case I want to revisit it one day or see if someone else wants to use the prompt. Just credit me for the base idea, please, if you do use it.

Happy Sunday, everyone.

(December 29, 2024)

[darkened-storm]

When you feel nostalgic and revisit Adventure…

——

Suddenly and without warning, the door swung open to reveal a small child with short brown hair. She looked up, her brown eyes widening in surprise that quickly morphed into excitement when she saw the Digimon in Steph’s arms.

“Oh wow! You have a Digimon too,” the girl exclaimed.

Steph blinked, then slowly looked down at the Digimon who grew suddenly very still in her arms.

“How do you know …” she began, then she stopped herself. She could figure out the details later. All that mattered now was finding their leader.

“Never mind,” she said. “Kari - did Tai come back from camp already?”

Kari inclined her head curiously.

“My brother …” she repeated slowly, and Steph felt her heart begin to sink. What if her theory had been wrong all along - what if Tai hadn’t made it through the gate the way she thought he had. What if she was stranded here in the Real World while all her friends remained in the Digital World.

Kari shifted, her hand still holding the edge of the door framed. “He’s right over there.” She stepped aside, opening the wider and allowing Steph a better view of the inside of the Kamiya apartment. Unable to help herself, Steph peered inside and caught a glimpse of messy brown hair sticking up from behind the sofa cushions.

“Taichi…” she murmured.

He sat up, craning his neck to look over the top of the couch, his brown eyes widening in surprise. A moment passed; then he was up, vaulting over the edge of the couch towards her, startling Kari, who jumped back in alarm.

He hugged her with enough force to knock the wind out of her, but Steph couldn’t care less. She’d done it, she realised with a mixture of triumph and relief; she’d found Tai, and if they could find a way back to the Digital World then maybe - just maybe, they could bring everyone back together again.

He pulled away, holding her at arms length and looking her up and down, like one might appraise a relative they hadn’t seen in a long time. Then he grinned - that carefree, cheeky grin of his she remembered so vividly.

“What’s with the tears?” he asked.

Steph laughed despite herself, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I’m just so glad to see you, Tai.”

[game-boy-pocket]

Are there any non Sonic Sega games you want to play right now?

Right now? Not particularly. I still have been meaning to finish Ristar and NiGHTS into Dreams. Maybe try a later Monkey Ball ( i've only played a little bit of the first one ). And I still haven't managed to get around to playing Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, even though it's been on my list ever since Sonic Adventure came out on the Gamecube and had a demo disc that included it. Truth be told I haven't been following what they're even doing lately so I don't really know what they're doing, if something does come along that catches my attention, you'll probably know because you might see reblogs on this blog.

But even if there was a Sega game that had my attention, I probably still wouldn't feel like playing it right now because frankly i'm just not in a gaming mood. I've revisited Batman Arkham because i've been reading a ton of comics, and played a little of Digimon World because of the recent Odaiba Day anniversary, but that's really it. I love gaming but I spend a lot less of my time doing it than you'd think, even though I probably have more free time than most adults my age.