Digimon, Digital Monsters, Digimon Are The Champions (Survive might actually be getting a release date!?)

Proper bobbins, this one.  No new Digivolutions, the Gekomon are bobbins and so's their master (and I don't know why we had 'Kobushi Tone' instead of translating it properly in the subs, or was that the keikaku all along?), and all that happens is that Mimi re-enters the fold.  I think it's an attempt at a comedy episode, and also probably a chance for Mimi's voice actress to show off her lungs, but it's not done well.

Also we never know why Mimi left the group, and her crest ('Purity?') seems creepy.

The brief exchange between Tai and Mimi at the start of this episode about ep. 25 makes me feel more kindly disposed to it than anything in ep. 25 itself.  It and Palmon commenting on the in-trainings also made me smile more than anything in the supposed 'comedy episode'.

Oh hello Myotismon!  Your voice actor and Japanese name are both surprisingly bad!  Also: I thought his shoulder-pad thingies looked ridiculous at the time.  That hasn't changed.

The next bit is absolute gold.  Whether it's Sora getting a heck of a lot of character development (look Jay!  No washing!), the reason she's been hiding, TK projecting his family issues majorly, Demidevi being an utter shit more so even than usual, or Joe falling in the river.  Everything in this scene is excellent and I want to take it out to dinner and buy it the second-cheapest champagne and give it all the flowers.

Myotismon's coach and especially its weird demon Digimon flying horse dragon things is appropriately spooky.  Shame about the 'man' himself.  What is it with Japanese creepy characters and really long arms?  (Also, blood moon!)  Anyway, we have a good battle with bats and then the most pathetic low-effort Mega-Digivolution sequence yet...

...which is a shame because Garudamon is an absolute boss.  I love its design!  It feels like it takes inspiration from native American deities.  

Blaziken used Sky Attack!

Sadly it looks like we're going to get some prime villain monologuing next episode.  Ho hum.

Monologue averted.  Whew!  I wonder who the eighth kid is... Oh, and if you don't know the new credits sequence is chock-full of spoilers.

Then we have the scene with Nanimon and... er... yes.  There's not a single thing about that scene I know what to say about.

Hello Gato... Tailmon?  Makes Vamdemon sound good.

'The grudge of food is deep and terrifying.'  A Numemon has the best line of the episode, is it?  Also: Nanimon is Susano from Okami, completely with music.  Good to know.  It'll be 'soda' or something in the dub won't it.

The battle in front of the door is one of the most tedious pieces of crap (literally in Nanimon's case) that I've seen in a while.  Also the scale thing with Gatomon doesn't make sense for me: she's too small to get enough punch behind her attacks.  If Greymon et al. were Charizard-sized it would make much more sense.  At least the Devidramon are scary-looking beasts, and we get quite the cliffhanger.

I got some chuckles from the Mimi episode, particularly Tai trying to sing.
The Sora episode was excellent, you're not wrong.
Yeah, they claimed it was Soda but they're not falling anyone - that was me in Digimon form! I really enjoy that Gatomon is Champion strength in an ity bitty body. And I thought the door fight was fun, with some unique and exciting stakes.

Good episode from what I recall. SkullGreymon was suitably destructive and it was good to see Tai exhibit some character flaws.

Kinda dull. It felt like a retread of the haunted mansion episode - Kokatorimon was grating too. Moving on!

Piximon was kinda dull. A training session on Dagobah, this was not. It felt like there could have been a more interesting way to have Agumon regain his evolution abilities, but ah well.

Basically a two parter this one. And really good to boot!

Again, it was good to see Tai have some character development and Sora was quite right to have a moan at him being immature and risking their lives. Nanomon was fine as a villain - nothing special, but I must admit having your body cloned and being essentially replaced is quite a scary prospect. Seeing the group work together to rescue Sora was ace too. And our first Ultimate (or Perfect form, whatever) Digivolution!

Goddamn, what a great episode. Gorgeous animation and such a cool premise of having the Digimon impact the real world. Koromon in the real world was a cutie and Ogremon was genuinely horrifying in that different art style. I was much more engaged in seeing the Digimon bleed into the real world and mess things up as opposed to the kids's adventures in the digital world. Perhaps that was because I had a greater affinity with the movie as opposed to the TV show when I was younger so that sort of story had me more engaged.

More of this, please!

I hated this episode.

It didn't help coming after the incredible Episode 21, but even without that unfortunate juxtaposition it still would have stank up the joint. If I was doing my character rankings TK would have plummeted for this one - how the fuck could you trust a little suspicious bat Digimon named Pico DEVIMON? You idiot TK. And after all Toko/Patamon had done for you. And your brother too. Like, I know he's meant to be young but surely that would have made him less trusting of the freaky bat dude? They handled this better in the next episode when PicoDevimon says to Joe that he's just some bat Digimon as opposed to revealing he's a pre-evolution of fucking Devimon.

This was a weird episode. It all felt a bit contrived and Matt's crest awakening scene didn't have a lot of impact as a result.

I'm interested to know what Sora's up to though.

This episode affirmed to me that Pico Devimon is a lost member of Team Rocket. His schemes and mannerisms remind me of Meowth.

This was weird. Like, super weird but I fucking loved it. There were aliens and piles of shit and space voids. Vadermon essentially enrolling Izzy into Scientology was funny. Tentamon regressing for... reasons? Vadermon doing a smooch and summoning a meteor shower?! Yeah, this was top.

Also I don't remember THAT Digimon being called Vamdemonmon, but there you go.

Decent, this one.

I can't help feeling that Gennai could have solved a lot of problems for the Digidestined by just being clearer, the big twit.  What is he?  Why has he mixed in another card?  And why is he so Japanese?  The music, the fan, the house... and that circle on the map was straight out of Ōkami and I loved it.

I think it's a residual thing from my childhood that I hate 'leaders' of cliques and social groups, and so I don't take kindly to that aspect of Tai.  His goofyness regarding the card he chose almost makes up for it though.  Meanwhile Izzy continues to be the real hero (although how do you know so much about Internet occultism...?), and Motimon bouncing downstairs is adorable.

Let's not forget how MegaKabuterimon straightened out a time distortion by brute force.  Although I suppose after the whole meteors thing that's not too far-fetched.

Dokugumon is a pretty cool-looking villain who wasn't given the time he deserved, but oh well - the episode wasn't really about the fight.  Again: decent!

Okay, we seem to have worked out the recipe for bloody amazing episodes: set them in Japan!

The whole school bit is super-cute, apart from Mimi being 'the popular girl' and ignoring Palmon. Yes I have a lot of pent-up rage from school, why do you ask?  Also the teacher being allowed to tickle Tai wouldn't hold up in anything these days...  But we get more Koromon bouncing all over the place, the driver with the kazoo music, and sad Palmon.

It's worth looking at the Digimon's faces in these scenes too.  Gomamon's reaction to Palmon wanting to be a doll edges out Koromon's face when he's being whirled around.

Myotismon being pathetic around the light rather suggests whose Digimon is/are going to have to take him down, again.  Also it's funny.

Then we get some pretty effective back-story, and Mammon is well-designed and effective.  And then Garudamon sits on him.

It's good!  It's really good.  Top-notch.

This one is alright too!  I mean, there's not actually much Digimon action in it, and I feel like the creepy rubbery Gesomon was underused; but I like the kids wandering around Tokyo (of course only Izzy knows the tube map), I like Koromon dumping in surfer dude's car, and I like Patamon almost dropping a chip.  Also at the younger children in this episode being utterly awful just as this comes up in my life.

One thing, though: we have Matt (and his EPIC THUMB GESTURE OF ULTIMATE COOL) being flirted at by an older lady, and Sora and Mimi obviously being perved on and given candy by an older man.  Is that okay in Japan?  Drunka?

This episode was a little less exciting that what's been going on around it. I really liked that in the moment when everyone said Tai was leader and should make the decision, he did something genuinely really sensible: he delegated to the one with the appropriate talents. That's real leadersip!
It was also cute that the final choice just came down to him keeping the Agumon card.

OH MY GOD! GUYS! I THINK THIS IS THE EPISODE FROM WHICH I STARTED WATCHING WEEKLY AS A KID!

It's a bit of a good'n, as well. I liked the realisation that they aren't the digidestined because of some all-powerful force of fate, but just because they happened to see Digimon when they were younger.

Plus, they pretty much fought a Gammoth.

Ballamon wrote:

The whole school bit is super-cute, apart from Mimi being 'the popular girl' and ignoring Palmon. Yes I have a lot of pent-up rage from school, why do you ask?  Also the teacher being allowed to tickle Tai wouldn't hold up in anything these days...  But we get more Koromon bouncing all over the place, the driver with the kazoo music, and sad Palmon.

I was hoping someone would mention this. It's actually a Japan thing, I think. I was pretty shocked when I started my job and found that it was not only accepted, but actually expected that teachers interact with kids with a level of familiarity that would get you in trouble in the UK. I let little ones sit on my lap, I tickle, I lift them bup over my head, I arm wrestle, all sorts. Parents like to see us having fun and being familiar with their kids.

That wasn't Sora's cousin in Japanese, was it?

Balladeer wrote:

One thing, though: we have Matt (and his EPIC THUMB GESTURE OF ULTIMATE COOL) being flirted at by an older lady, and Sora and Mimi obviously being perved on and given candy by an older man.  Is that okay in Japan?  Drunka?

Okay? No. COmmon? Yes.


Love the Tokyo stuff. Do they call it by name more in Japanese? In English, they mostly say stuff like "My hometown".

This episode was good.  Cute Koromon is good, Tentomon's snot bubble is good, Gennai's weird programmes are good, the kitty is good and I hope it gets back safely, Raremon is better than the Pokémon sludge monsters (and the 'undead decay but metal' thing is good design), and Izzy is a very good kid.  I'm really surprisingly invested in his whole family drama.  It's just more good Digimon stuff!  Good.

Ah, this starting stinger.  This stayed with me from when I was a kid: I was terrified by the idea of using somebody's romantic interest to murder them (as I thought at the time).  Really creepy connotations of sexual abuse if you think about it too hard, just like any vampire.  I think that Myotismon had a great line in the dub about blood tasting better with a dash of fear, and I don't know if it actually works better or worse with that line omitted.  It definitely works better without the dumb plinky harpsichord music though.

Poor Joe.  Poor Palmon, having her weight criticised.  Poor everybody, having to deal with the heat.  I like Agumon eating so much that he Digivolves: does that mean Matt's been starving poor Tsunomon?

I didn't like SkullMeramon that much, and the fight was a bit abrupt ( at flaming Togemon though), and honestly the plot didn't go anywhere apart from the Gatomon/Kari interaction.  It's a decent episode, but not good.  One of the worse ones of recent times.

And we're back on the 'top drawer' train! I thought that this was going to be a jokey funtimes episode with two lovable rogues, but then it took a turn for the dark and was all the better for it. (The 'sad montage' then went on for a tad too long considering we'd known them for ten minutes, but anyway...) I thought that Patamon's lack of sensitivity was more to criticise than TK snapping at him, but Patamon's too cute for me to be too annoyed. Floaty potato thing. Also: the best hat.

Not great this one, to be honest.  A bit cloying, right from Gatomon narrating her story.  Myotismon nicking Gatomon at the end to draw out Kari was the only truly good bit.  Wizardmon is a Digimon I would have liked a lot when I was an edgelord adolescent - at this point I'm just amused by his alcoholic shenanigans.

Ah yes, Episode Number S**t Hits The Fan.

Yes this was good stuff.  Myotismon shows the full extent of his power (that manic laugh ), and the dopey Bakumon become actually scary.  Fortunately we get almost a Big Damn Hero moment from everyone in exchange.  Not from Mimi's mum though, she's awful and we see where Mimi gets her odd egg choices from.

While I'm on episode negatives: DarkTyrannomon is a palette-swap of one of the dullest Digimon, Phantomon's voice almost immediately dispels any fear he might present, Bolero really doesn't work, Myotismon not killing everyone for 'aesthetic' reasons is daft, and Mimi continues to be Worst Child with her pettiness and her really weird evolutionary thing.  How is 'not forgiving' people a sign of purity in Japan?  Drunka?

That aside, kid by kid, we have:

• Okay so Tai doesn't do much, but Greymon at least does his best to show how powerful Squeakyvoicedmon is I guess.  That moment with his mother would be heartbreaking if it were a bit longer.
  
• Matt's dad is a bad-ass apparently, although I find it unrealistic that his team.  Also I can completely see why his wife broke up with him: he looks like exactly the sort of person who would neglect everyone to do his job.  
  
• Oh gosh, everything about Sora.  Biyomon looking really cool, the return of that sutra idea, her mum...  My only criticism is that she's a bit too chilled, almost inhumanly so, when captured.
  
• Where's Izzy?  Where's my boy?
  
• Mimi's dad at least tries hard, and the Togemon fight in the background of their squishy romance is very funny.
  
• TK didn't really have a chance to shine so much, but he stands up for himself surprisingly well.
  
• And poor Joe.  Why not just Ikkakumon across the water though mate?
  

Yep, a very good episode.  Not flawless, but very good.  Mostly because of Sora's stuff.

You can tell it isn't going to relent from hereon out!  Izzy is best boy again and his parents have one hell of a mask up, Joe saves TK (and Patamon, again, could do with being able to evolve more often), Thormon is a slightly meh design but MetalSeadramon is suitably frightening, and even though I couldn't care less for Phantomon's minions the episode ended on a suitably dramatic moment.

Lillymon is tiny.