#1 - “Enter Flamedramon”
Three new DigiDestined are chosen to save the DigiWorld from
the clutches of the evil Digimon Emperor.
The storyline of this episode is too fast-paced for my liking -
it’s obvious that the writers are attempting to set up the
new status quo of the season as fast as they can. The storyline
is choppy at best, but serves it’s purpose, introducing us
to the new characters and setting up the basis for the first
story arc. The animation style is notably different from the
previous season - the art is not as angular, and is smoother for
it. The episode lacks substance, presumably because the writers
thought it would gain high viewing figures as it was a season
premiere.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
#2 - “The Digiteam Complete”
Davis is captured by the Digimon Emperor, and Yolei and Cody must
find their Digi-Eggs and Digimon to help free him.
This episode flows much better than the first, with a more solid
story, and a proper introduction to the Digimon Emperor. It is
especially nice to see the old DigiDestined again, and setting up
the relationship between them and the new team, as well as
gaining more insight into the personalities of the new kids. The
animation is of the usual standard.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#3 - “A New Digitude”
T.K. and Kari discover their Digi-Eggs, and Patamon and Gatomon
Armour Digivolve to save the new kids from the Emperor’s
wrath.
This episode seems to serve little point other than to introduce
Pegasusmon and Nefertimon. But that said, at least it has a
smooth, uninterrupted storyline, plus it introduces us to Ken
Ichijouji. The major drawback is that it is made glaringly
obvious within the space of five minutes that he is the Digimon
Emperor.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
#4 - “Iron Vegiemon”
Matt and Gabumon join up with the new team to take on RedVegiemon
and destroy one of the Emperor’s Control Spires.
Low on plot, high on action - even if most of the action is the
result of Veemon’s desire to cheer Davis up, which is pretty
dumb. Matt has matured since his 01 days, so he is a welcome
addition to the cast this episode, able to actually do something,
rather than spend most of the time arguing, as he used to do in
the first season. Gabumon’s return is likewise enjoyable.
This episode is important in that it introduces us to Control
Spires, which play a major role in the rest of the series.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#5 - “Old Reliable”
Joe and Gomamon aid the team in battle with the Emperor in the
frozen North.
Joe and Gomamon have always been a great double act, and
it’s good seeing them on form again in this episode. The
storyline is straightforward, and the animation is of the usual
standard, plus this episode showcases the first new non-DD
Digimon for this season, Ebidramon. Plus we are shown more of the
relationship between Wormmon and the Emperor. This episode gets a
higher rating not because it’s great, or anything, but
simply because it is better than all that have gone before.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#6 - “Family Picnic”
Mimi goes on a picnic in the DigiWorld with the new team, but she
and Yolei are separated from the team, and are attacked by the
Roachmon Brothers.
The formula of this episode - bring back an old character,
destroy a Control Spire - has been used in the previous two, and
is now growing tired. The Roachmon Brothers make an amusing
comedy act, but the Emperor’s involvement in this episode is
limited, and will only decrease as his arc goes on (with the
exception of the MetalGreymon three-parter). Yolei’s bizarre
“Mimi fantasy” seems to be a major turn-off point for
fans in this episode, resulting in it being considered one of the
worst of the series, but really, it isn't that bad.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#7 - “Guardian Angel”
Kari is trapped in a city of Gardromon, and it’s up to Davis
and T.K. to rescue her - but the Emperor sends Andromon to take
care of them once and for all!
This episode is, happily, a departure from the formula of the
previous three. It also helps to expand on the responsibility
T.K. feels for Kari’s safety, which will play an important
role in later episodes. It’s also nice to see Angemon and
Andromon again, but this episode is still essentially filler
material before the Emperor’s true identity is exposed -
although anyone with half a brain will have figured out that it
is Ken Ichijouji by now, thanks to the characters doing all but
saying he is the Emperor.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
#8 - “Ken’s Secret”
Davis plays the famous Ken Ichijouji in a soccer match, but is
then subjected to mind-games by the Digimon Emperor. In a
scuffle, the Emperor’s true identity is revealed.
This episode is certainly the best of the series so far. The
animation is slightly above normal standard, and the soccer match
scenes are well done (particularly thanks to the well done
music-synching for the dub, at least). Ken is excellently
portrayed here – his two-faced nature at this time is
evident, due in part to some very good acting from Derek Stephen
Prince. The Emperor’s threats to Davis are cruel, and a
rather nasty concept so early on in the series.
I still have one BIG problem here, though.
Oh, WOW! KEN’S THE EMPEROR!!
Duhhhh.
This episode would have been SO much better if the writers
had actually TRIED to hide the fact that Ken was the Emperor.
They should have introduced a bunch of other supporting
characters over the course of the opening episode, and made a few
hints towards them, too. The revelation that Ken is the Emperor
– being the big moment the series has been moving towards
for the last little while – falls totally flat.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#9 - “The Emperor’s New Home”
Ken runs away from home to live in the DigiWorld, and then
captures Greymon, who Digivolves into SkullGreymon and is
unleashed upon the DigiDestined.
This episode’s major problem is that it wastes time. A lot
of it is simply Ken remembering mostly extraneous things, and the
DigiDestined sitting around and talking about him. If the pace
had been picked up, it’s likely that this could have been
compressed with another episode to give a more
“complete” story. SkullGreymon’s return is
welcome, although the animators certainly didn’t break the
budget with Greymon’s dull, uninspired Digivolve sequence.
Rating: 2 out of 5
#10 - “The Captive Digimon”
(No review)
#11 - “Storm of Friendship”
The DigiDestined are on the trail of the Emperor and
MetalGreymon, and find the Digi-Egg of Friendship along the way.
“Storm of Friendship” is the perfect example of a
Digimon episode that didn’t quite get the formula for a good
story right. Davis’s issues with friendship - while they may
be necessary character building - essentially come from nowhere,
and are rammed home in a ham-fisted, cringe-worthy manner. No
offence to Davis fans, but he and his problems basically get in
the way of what could have been a much better episode. I know
that I for one would much rather have had MetalGreymon razing
some cities with a dominant sense of hopelessness, rather than
listening to Davis whine. Also, the animation of this episode was
sub-par, which does nothing to support it’s flailing
storyline.
Rating: 2 out of 5
#12 - “The Good, the Bad and the Digi”
Biyomon is captured by Starmon, and Sora travels to the DigiWorld
with the new team to help her.
It puzzles me that many consider “The Good, the Bad and the
Digi” one of the season’s worst episodes. While it is
clearly filler, it is one of the better examples of filler
episodes in the season, as it is intended as nothing more than
comedy. Starmon and Deputymon are walking jokes - so I suppose I
can see why they would grate on people’s nerves - and the
episode is full of sight-gags, such as Starmon’s lunch box,
Armadillomon and Veemon’s drooling, and Starmon’s
little “video-game” power-up action, which gave me a
chuckle.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#13 - “His Master’s Voice”
Kari is sucked into a strange new dimension, and it’s up to
T.K. to save her from it’s dark inhabitants.
“His Master’s Voice” is without question the best
episode of the Emperor arc thus far. The storyline is dark and
mysterious, and the above-par animation compliments this well,
making the scenes in the World of Darkness very atmospheric and
creepy. T.K. and Kari’s connection is enhanced (although the
dub would have us believe that there is more to it than simple
friendship). Also, for the dub, this episode featured the highest
quality voice acting so far in the series, but that is largely
because a lot of dialogue was added in where there had been
silence in the original, meaning the actors did not have to lip
synch. However, this episode loses points for setting up
intriguing plot aspects which were never fully explored or
explained in the series.
Rating: 4 out of 5
#14 - “The Samurai of Sincerity”
The new kids get into some trouble at Digitamamon’s diner,
where they meet Mimi, and her friend Michael, a DigiDestined from
America.
“The Samurai of Sincerity,” like “Storm of
Friendship,” almost gets it right, but doesn’t quite
make it. The episode essentially falls apart half-way through,
when the focus is suddenly shifted around. Gorillamon’s
appearance is brief and unnecessary, and Yolei’s outburst
about sincerity is too sudden, clumsily done, and certainly not
the normal reaction one would to such a situation. As with Davis
in “Storm of Friendship,” Yolei and her issues get in
the way of the more important aspect of the episode, which is to
say, the existence of other DigiDestined in the world. Positive
points in this episode, however, are explanation on how Davis,
Yolei and Cody became DigiDestined, the highest quality animation
in an 02 ep yet, and Shurimon’s slick Digivolve sequence.
However, Shurimon’s first appearance seems rushed. Michael
seems to be the reason a lot of people dislike this episode - and
even then, it is only because of his dub voice and personality,
which is a rather pathetic reason for disliking the ep (though
there are plenty of other reasons to dislike it!). Yes, he is an
over-the-top character, but is obviously intended as such.
Rating: 2 out of 5
#15 - “Big Trouble In Little Edo”
The Emperor takes control of ShogunGekomon’s village, and
the DigiDestined are required to save the day.
This episode is filler in it’s worst form. The storyline
jumps about all over the place, and the animation is only
average, and doesn’t help to keep the sagging plot afloat.
However, it is nice that Shurimon actually gets a decent
showcasing this episode, as his first appearance in the previous
one was hurried.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
#16 - “20,000 Digi-Leagues Under the Sea”
The DigiDestined are trapped in an off-shore oil platform, and
it’s up to Cody to brave his fear of the ocean to get help.
While this episode is hardly a masterpiece, when compared to the
several low-quality episodes that have immediately preceded it,
it is clearly a much better put-together
episode. The storyline is fluid, and there is much more
“real” character interaction, rather than just cracking
jokes and yelling orders in the middle of battle. Whamon’s
return is nice (although in the original Japanese version, this
Whamon is not actually the same Whamon that helped the kids in
01), and Submarimon’s introduction is well-executed, as he
stays around until the end of the episode, not reverting back to
Armadillomon the second the battle is over, meaning his showcase
does not have the rushed feeling that Shurimon’s did.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#17 - “Ghost of a Chance”
As DigiDestined old and new celebrate the anniversary of the
first trip to the DigiWorld, strange goings-on plague the Odaiba
TV station.
A delightful, solid episode. It’s great to finally have all
the DigiDestined together for the first time, and for 01
continuity to finally be well integrated into 02.
Wizardmon’s return is exceedingly welcome, even if it is
only limited. The In-Trainings also finally get full Digivolve
sequences. However, this episode suffers from what is
categorically the worst animation in an 02 episode thus far,
which seriously detracts from the viewing experience.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#18 - “Run Yolei Run”
The DigiDestined discover the location of the Emperor’s
base, and plan to stay in the DigiWorld until they have destroyed
it.
The Emperor has been practically for this latter portion of his
arc, which does not help his reputation as a villain. He does
slightly more than nothing this episode, but is still not
appearing as much as an arc villain should. This episode is of
fair quality, but Yolei’s actions and outbursts are more
than just a little out of character for her, given what we have
seen of her so far (and I swear to God, if the dub has Gatomon
make another cat joke, I will SCREAM!)
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
#19 - “The Digimon Emperor’s Revenge,” Pt. 1 -
“An Old Enemy Returns”
The Digimon Emperor voyages into the Dark Whirlpool, where he
harvests Devimon’s data, and uses it to finish his own
Digimon, Kimeramon, which he unleashes on the DigiDestined.
02 finally picks up with this quality episode. The animation is
above average, and the storyline is exciting, bringing back the
first villain of 01. However, Devimon’s appearance is
largely unexplained, and later tied to the World of Darkness, but
full revelations still elude us, which irritates. T.K. and
Ken’s fist-fight, although cut down a tiny bit by the dub,
is excellent - the animation is perfect; you can really feel the
force behind T.K.’s punch. This particular confrontation
also begins to hint at T.K.’s anger when it comes to
darkness, which will be important later in the series. Kimeramon
is nothing if not fearsome.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#20 - “The Digimon Emperor’s Revenge,” Pt. 2 -
“The Darkness Before Dawn”
The Digimon Emperor cuts a swathe of destruction through the
DigiWorld with his fortress and Kimeramon, and the DigiDestined
invade his base to shut him down.
Again, animation on this episode is above average, which
certainly amplifies the atmosphere within the Emperor’s
throne room, as he slowly becomes unhinged. The
DigiDestined’s fights with the Bakemon squadrons are
annoying though, because the second fight is identical to the
first - the footage is simply played again, except the film is
flipped. It has a sense of cheapness about it which should not be
present for this exciting arc-ending trilogy. Also, the same
feeling is present when we see that Veemon’s change into
Magnamon is identical to the footage from the movie. None the
less, the episode is a good one.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#21 - “The Digimon Emperor’s Revenge,” Pt. 3 -
“The Crest of Kindness”
Magnamon battles with the out-of-control Kimeramon, and
Wormmon’s sacrifice leads to the Emperor’s reversion to
his true persona.
This episode is a fitting end to the Emperor arc, with an
exciting, well-paced plot, and animation of a higher quality than
usual - check out those explosions inside the base near the start
of the episode! The Emperor’s defeat comes at just the right
time in the episode - not too early, so that the episode drag,
and not too late, so that it’s rushed. Wormmon's death is
quite shocking - he does effectively explode, after all. I
imagine it would be even more shocking if you a) didn’t know
it was coming, and b) didn’t know he was coming back in two
episode’s time. And a little comedy from Matt and June
rounds the episode out nicely. Perfectly balanced.
Rating: 4 out of 5
#22 - “Davis Cries Wolfmon"
Davis tries to trick Veemon into Digivolving, but only winds up
annoying Tortomon.
This episode’s light-hearted nature is in direct contrast to
the more serious trilogy of episodes beforehand, but that
shouldn’t necessarily make it worse. However, this episode
had some irritating flaws. Veemon’s crush on Gatomon comes
from nowhere, and is mentioned only once more in the rest of the
series (that’s 38 more episodes). There is the question of
why Veemon does not Armour Digivolve to fight Tortomon, rather
than just running from him. And why do none of Davis’s
tricks work, anyway? Veemon thought the monster was real, and the
bridge collapsing WAS real, so why could he not Digivolve
until Tortomon came along? Also, when Veemon finally does
Digivolve, Davis holds up his Digivice expectantly, as if he
KNOWS Veemon is going to be able to Digivolve. It was nice that
ExVeemon stayed around to the end of the episode, making his
introduction feel solid and not rushing (Shurimon! Argh!).
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
#23 - “Genesis of Evil”
Ken dreams of his past, and recalls how he became the Digimon
Emperor.
This is definitely the darkest episode of Digimon. While I said
that I would not make comments on dub changes, I just have to
point out that this episode contained only ONE joke, AND it was
written by Jeff Nimoy to boot. Animation quality is above par,
and the sunset sequence in Sam’s bedroom is very pleasing to
the eye - and I know that *I* was startled when Ken looked up at
Sam and saw the Emperor looking back. Desire to slap the
Ichijoujis remains, but they can’t help being idiots... This
episode also begins the big “Ryo” issue - Ryo being the
boy in Ken’s flashback. No explanation is ever given on him
in the show, so many fans who do not know of the Japanese video
games are left in the dark about him. This episode essentially
marks the transitions from evil Ken to good Ken, and gets the
ball rolling for the rest of the series. The only thing the
episode is missing is an action sequence - and while I know not
all fans would want one in such a meaningful episode,
Saban’s target audience were no doubt bored by this ep.
Rating: 4 out of 5
#24 - “If I Had a Tail Hammer”
The DigiDestined continue their rebuilding, but as Armadillomon
first Digivolves into Ankylomon, there are signs of another evil
on the horizon.
There isn’t a lot to say about this episode. The plot, pace
and structure are all fine - nothing is wrong, but nothing really
leaps out at you either (aside from the fact that Digimon goes
all out of proportion when he shifts around when Thundermon
attacks). Ankylomon’s Digivolve is handled better than
ExVeemon’s, but Ankylomon is drawn a lot bigger in this
episode than he is later on. Stingmon is great, and Arukenimon,
even in her role as the “mysterious woman,” oozes evil.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#25 - “Spirit Needle”
The mysterious woman’s influence is felt as a Golemon
appears to attack a dam, and Yolei must confront her feelings
about Ken.
Again, there’s not much to say about “Spirit
Needle.” Pace and structure are good, but the plot is a
little weak, although it does introduce us to Aquilamon (in a way
which is better than certain other Digimon I could mention were
introduced thus far in the season), and reveals a bit more about
Arukenimon. And of course, there’s that Kenyako pairing
evidence/foreshadowing...
Rating: 3 out of 5
#26 - “United We Stand”
The reactor to the Emperor’s base threatens to explode, and
the DigiDestined need Ken’s help to stop it - but the
mysterious woman isn’t about to let that happen. However,
she hasn’t counted on the power of DNA Digivolving!
This episode marks another notable increase in quality.
Davis’s character continues to evolve and deepen as he shows
his faith and belief in Ken, who has to deal with his grief over
his brother’s death, and the feeling of no control over his
own life, as he learns that he was under Arukenimon’s
control as the Emperor. Angemon finally gets to reappear, but
it’s all too brief. The DNA Digivolve sequence for Stingmon
and ExVeemon is visually impressive, marking the
arrival of CGI Digivolve sequences in 02 - but when you stop to
think about it, ExVeemon and Stingmon have only been around for
four and two episodes respectively. They went Ultimate kinda
fast. Animation on this episode is above par, and the storyline
is well put together.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#27 - “Fusion Confusion”
Paildramon battles Okuwamon as the DigiDestined try to stop the
explosion, and then learn more about DNA Digivolving from Izzy.
This episode is a great showcase introduction for Paildramon, who
struts his stuff in style. The mysterious World of Darkness
reappears, and it’s connection to Ken is hinted at a little
more, which may seem good, but in the end, only winds up being
annoying, as no closure was ever given on this topic. The plot
device de jour, the Crest of Kindness, outlives it’s
usefulness after this episode. Also, Omnimon makes his way into
the series, as Izzy mentions him in a flashback sequence, which
only serves to confuse fans who continue to wage the
“Jogress vs. Fusion” argument. All in all, though,
it’s a good episode which fully introduces a new and
important concept - DNA Digivolving - to the series.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#28 - “The Insect Master’s Trap”
The DigiDestined are lured to the Giga House by the
mysterious woman, who then sends an army of insectoid Digimon
against them, and uses her powers to take over Stingmon and
Digmon’s minds!
Originally aired as part of a triple bill featuring
“United We Stand” and “Fusion Confusion,”
this episode stands out as having some of the best animation in
02 thus far – the inclusion of the “demon”
head-enlarging effects on Davis and Cody are surprised, and
amusing. The Giga House is a silly concept (not silly ha-ha,
either), but despite a less-than-intelligent basis, the plot of
the episode holds together well, although it’s really just
one long fight scene. Some of the episode’s best scenes are
between Ken and Cody – Ken is trying to make up for his
past, but Cody isn’t buying it. It helps develop the
character of Cody, who, by the end of the series, is clearly the
most developed character from the cast. Davis seems a little
dumber than usual in this episode, and it’s not through dub
fault this time, as the original animation can show.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#29 - “Arukenimon’s Tangled Web”
The kids manage to break the mysterious woman’s hold
over the insect Digimon, and in retaliation, she reveals her true
form – Arukenimon, an Ultimate spider-woman Digimon!
An enjoyable episode, which picks up directly from the
cliffhanger of the previous one – something that does not
happen enough on Digimon. Arukenimon is finally revealed,
although you would have to have been a fool not to have realised
that she was a Digimon by now, thanks to the dub referring to her
by name. What’s particularly good about this episode is the
way that all the kids and Digimon get to beat up on Arukenimon in
an intelligent series of moves – pepper, bug-spray, electric
cords – rather than the usual mindless fight sequence of a
Digimon episode. Mummymon’s last minute introduction is a
bit “off” – it would have been nice if he had been
introduced previously; as it stands, he just appears out of the
blue.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#30 - "Ultimate Anti-Hero"
Angered over her defeat, Arukenimon combines one hundred
Control Spires to create the powerful BlackWarGreymon, who
promptly defeats the DigiDestined in battle - but then turns on
Arukenimon herself!
This is a good episode, with lots of character development of
both our heroes and the villains, though the animation is out of
the norm, and more "pointy" than usual - the opening
scenes of this episode are rather reminiscent of the style used
in "Digimon: The Movie."
Again, we see Cody and Ken refusing to work together, with Davis
and Veemon as the butt of jokes early on in the episode - and
very amusing jokes they are, too, perhaps because they (or
something similar to them) existed in the original version of the
show, and are not added by the dub. But at the same time, Davis's
desire to see Cody and Ken as friends is clear - and this notion
of teamwork that he has continues to develop as the series goes
on (it is even present in the movie).
Mummymon's personality, and his relationship with Arukenimon, is
clearly established in this episode, when she pushes him off a
cliff, and when he hits the ground, he just wonders if it's love
he feels. He will prove to be one of the series' more endearing
characters, which is quite a feat for a villain!
BlackWarGreymon is a force to be reckoned with, and his refusal
to follow Arukenimon's orders is a surprise, which leaves the
viewer questioning him - right now, they might see him as just a
warrior obsessed with fighting, but over the course of the next
few episodes, that will definitely change.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#31 - "Opposites Attract"
The search for Gatomon's tail ring inadvertently takes Ken,
Yolei and Kari into the World of Darkness, and Gatomon and
Aquilamon DNA Digivolve for the first time.
I feel that it was perhaps not the best strategy by the writers
to introduce a brand new villain in the previous episode
(BlackWarGreymon), and then to basically totally ignore him for
the this one, beyond a few seconds at the episode's beginning, in
favour of what is effectively a filler episode. However, despite
that, this is a particularly strong episode, with above par
animation, and further advancement of the Dark Ocean concept
(though it is very irritating that no closure is ever given on
the topic).
One VERY annoying thing is the infantile slapping of the
characters that has been occurring lately. In "United We
Stand," Davis slapped Ken, in "Ultimate
Anti-Hero," Yolei slapped Ken, and in this episode, Kari
slaps Yolei, then Kari slaps her back later on. It's stupid and
childish - but then again, it is perhaps a better method of
knocking some sense into a character than an emotional speech
(which we still managed to get in this episode…).
Silphymon's introduction, I feel, was better orchestrated than
Paildramon's - with Paildramon, it just sort of happened after
Davis yelled at Ken for a few minutes. This time around, the
whole episode has had Yolei and Kari interacting, bringing them
closer together in preparation for the moment.
For filler - this rocks.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#32 - "If I Only Had a Heart"
While Arukenimon and Mummymon turn their attention to the
mystical Destiny Stones, BlackWarGreymon encounters Agumon.
This episode is slightly slow, but is integral to the current
arc, in that it introduces the Destiny Stones, the driving force
behind the next five episodes. We are also given insight into
BlackWarGreymon's character - his exclamations during his battle
with the Mammothmon are quite surprising (more for the fact that
the dub included them, than anything else), and his talk with
Agumon reveals more about his concerns. However, this talk tends
to drag, and begins to become annoying after a while - you'd
think that Agumon would be able to give some slightly more
coherent answers than he does. The cliffhanger of the episode is
a particularly exciting one… but read the review of the next
episode to find out what went wrong.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#33 - "A Chance Encounter"
While on a class trip to the city of Kyoto, Yolei encounters
Sora's father and Joe's brother - as well as BlackWarGreymon!
I was colossally let down by this episode from the very
beginning, when I discovered that it didn't actually pick up from
the cliffhanger at the end of the previous episode - it's not
often that Digimon actually ends on a REAL cliffhanger, but when
it does, I damn well expect the next episode to follow on from
that, not just jump a day or two forward. Very annoying.
The rest of the episode is fine - while we do learn some
information from Sora's father that will be important for the
future, and while BlackWarGreymon manages to destroy another
Destiny Stone, the episode on the whole smacks of filler
material.
Point of interest: in episode 39, Kari says that it would be
impossible for the kids to travel to other places around the
world using the DigiWorld. Funny, then, isn't it, that Ken and
Stingmon have absolutely no problem doing just that in this
episode?
Rating: 3 out of 5
#34 - "Destiny in Doubt"
The kids race to stop BlackWarGreymon from destroying more of
the Destiny Stones, and Angemon Digivolves to MagnaAngemon to
battle him.
This episode is a little bland, beyond MagnaAngemon's
reintroduction. There's no substance to the episode's plot - it's
just BlackWarGreymon destroying two more Destiny Stones.
T.K. and Cody's interaction, however, is the episode's redeeming
value. Cody continues to be the most developed character from the
second season of the show, while it is good to see how the kids'
first adventure has actually affected T.K. deeper than anyone
thought. I know from experience, however, than little kids who
watch the show simply don't "get" why T.K. is afraid.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#35 - "Cody Takes a Stand"
Another Destiny Stones is destroyed, and the DigiDestined
have to mount a massive offensive to protect the next one - but
it is all in vain, as BlackWarGreymon eliminates it.
Once more, the T.K./Cody interaction is dominant in the episode,
which is good, as it means they are getting the biggest build-up
to their Digimon DNA Digivolving. It's nice to see Ikkakumon, but
I'm beginning to wonder why we so rarely get to see Gomamon.
The battle with BlackWarGreymon is great - everyone gets to let
loose on him, and he STILL keeps coming, and defeats them all.
It's an excellent showcase for BlackWarGreymon's power and
determination.
BlackWarGreymon's talk with Cody is a little fudged by the dub,
which doesn't explain properly the connotations between Cody and
the flower that BlackWarGreymon is feeling - but perhaps more
shocking is the fact that the dub actually included words like
"kill" and "die," something that happens very
rarely on kids' shows these days, due to those parents who like
to shelter their children from reality.
T.K. and Cody's "moment" on the beach at the episode's
conclusion proves that they understand each other now, setting
the stage for the next episode.
Rating: 3 out of 5
#36 - "Stone Soup"
The seventh and final Destiny Stone is located, in a spring
that Digitamamon is using to make soup. BlackWarGreymon,
Arukenimon, Mummymon and the DigiDestined converge on it, and
Angemon and Ankylomon DNA Digivolve into Shakkoumon to fight!
It is unusual that this episode, which is effectively the
beginning of the end of the "BlackWarGreymon arc," is
so light-hearted, which is in direct contrast to the rest of the
arc, but I think that it is a better episode for it. It also
helps that this episode has the best animation from an 02 episode
yet, brought to us by the same animation studio that worked on
"The Insect Master's Trap."
This episode is not light-hearted in the same way that
"Davis Cries Wolfmon" is light-hearted: this episode is
genuinely funny, with lots of physical and verbal comedy from all
the characters, and with Arukenimon and Mummymon being the focus
of a large portion of this episode. They certainly live up to the
fan notion that they are spoofs on Jesse and James from
Pokémon's Team Rocket, cracking puns and performing over-the-top
antics, and even "blasting off" after a fashion towards
the end of the episode. Mummymon in particular continues to
become a fan favourite.
Some fans are confused over Arukenimon's "black pearl"
comment, misconstruing it as an actual desire to get her hands on
something called "The Black Pearl." She is actually
referring to BlackWarGreymon, who she needs to get to destroy the
final Destiny Stone, so the DigiWorld can become her
"oyster." See? Oyster… pearl… get it?
One issue I would have with this ep is Cody and T.K. finally
having their Digimon DNA Digivolve. When it happens, they act as
if they expected it would. Now, granted, DNA Digivolving is
pretty common at this point, what with Paildramon and Silphymon
appearing every episode, but, still, there's something about that
scene that doesn't seem quite right to me.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#37 - "Kyoto Dragon"
Azulongmon is freed from his prison, and tells the
DigiDestined the story behind their selection, the Digi-Eggs, the
Dark Masters, and more.
It's disappointing that the BlackWarGreymon arc ends with such a
poor example of an episode. It's all just talk, talk, talk, talk,
TALK. BlackWarGreymon's departure is fairly well done, but
there's no explanation of where he goes to, not even when he
returns later in the series.
Azulongmon is an annoying bastard, due more than anything else to
the number of ridiculous, out-of-place jokes that the dub inserts
into his speech. Poor acting from all the other voice artists
really drag the dub of this episode down even further. And,
y'know, if Azulongmon is such a wise fella, you'd think he'd know
a bit more than he's letting on.
The notion of the other Harmonious Ones is never expanded on -
you'd think the DigiDestined, or Azulongmon himself, would try
and free them. And there's the question of how the Dark Masters
were ever able to beat creatures with the powers of GODS anyway.
A disappointing episode, which really reveals little information
of importance, beyond perhaps the Digi-Egg of Miracles/Crest of
Kindness business, and the fact there's another evil out there.
Sub-par animation doesn't help, either.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
#38 - "A Very Digi Christmas"
The DigiDestined bring the partner Digimon of the old
DigiDestined into the real world to celebrate Christmas with
them, and then go to Ken's Christmas party, only to have the
festivities cut short when Digimon appear in the real world!
Perhaps the most controversial episode out of the entire Digimon
series, "A Very Digi Christmas" breaks all the rules,
and actually introduces REAL romance into the series. However,
more fans maligned this occurrence than loved it, as the romance
in question was "Sorato," the pairing of Sora and Matt.
The romantic couplings of "Taiora" (Tai/Sora) and
"Taito" (Tai/Matt) are both infinitely more popular
than Sorato in the fan community, and this episode kicked up a
serious fuss.
This is, needless to say, the talking point of the episode. Some
other stuff happens… Davis almost says "Strip
Poker" in the dub (quite amazingly)… we get to hear the
full version of "Turn Around" by Matt's band - Matt's
voice actor, Michael Reisz, is quite the singer… we get to
see the old Digimon Digivolve again… Oikawa's introduction
is suitably spooky, and excellently done… uhm, and some
other things happen. No one really cares… Sorato, man!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#39 - "Dramon Power"
Gennai arrives on Earth and bestows the power of Azulongmon's
Digi-Core on the Digimon, restoring the original eight's lost
ability to Digivolve to Ultimate, and giving Paildramon the power
to Mega Digivolve to Imperialdramon.
Following on from the events of "A Very Digi
Christmas," this episode sets up the "Digimon World
Tour" trilogy. It's enjoyable fare, with Imperialdramon's
Digivolution being one of the best orchestrated of the series -
and mighty cool looking, to boot. Mummymon gets in on the action,
which is always welcome, and Oikawa lurks in the background.
Gennai essentially sets up the whole plot of the World Tour in
about five minutes - though it's funny that he DOESN'T TAKE
THIRTY SECONDS TO EXPLAIN WHY HE'S A YOUNG MAN AGAIN!! Rrrgh!
Retroactive continuity blooper - Why are Yolei and Cody so
surprised when Poromon and Upamon Digivolve to Rookie in the real
world? They've done it before, in "Ghost of a Chance"
and "A Chance Encounter," and just last episode, in
"A Very Digi Christmas," they Digivolved to Rookie,
then to Champion, and then DNA Digivolved! A little slip-up,
methinks…
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#40 - "Digimon World Tour, Pt. 1"
While Davis meets up with Mimi, Michael and the other
American DigiDestined to battle a Cherrymon in New York, Kari and
Izzy team up with the Poy Brothers in Hong Kong, to help a girl
named Mina cross the India/China border.
I'll say it now - the World Tour three-parter is unadulterated
filler material, which is very annoying, as it takes up important
time when there are plenty of loose plot threads to be tied up.
However, that said, it's still fun filler, with lots of action
and different settings.
Mimi sports yet another new hairstyle in the "New York"
segment of this episode, which sees the animators pulling out all
the old models sheets from season one and drawing just about any
Digimon they can think of. Would it really kill them to put in
ones that hadn't appeared on the show before? Odd things include
learning that Seadramon and Sukamon can fly - and there's some
explanation for Michael's slightly hoity-toity nature, when we
learn that his father is a movie star. And Lillymon's back! Yay!
Retroactive continuity blooper - Why are Mimi's parents so
distressed when they see Lillymon? They were quite happy to see
Palmon in "A Very Digi Christmas," when the montage
sequence at the end showed them smiling happily in her presence.
The dub rather fudges up the "China" section of this
episode, when the Poy Brothers are made to speak English, instead
of Chinese, eliminating the language barrier that was present in
the original version of the episode - Izzy instead has trouble
explaining about being DigiDestined, rather than just basic
communication.
The whole "crush on Kari" thing is getting tiresome, at
this point. Kari, once a character who had a lot of promise, has,
over the course of season two, despite the whole "threat of
the darkness" business, been reduced to a giggling tease,
who messes with boys' heads, particularly Davis.
There's those model sheets at work again for the border
scene…
The New York section of this episode is great fun, and really
colourful and "Christmassy," but the dull nature of the
Chinese segment lets it down. But that Mummymon epilogue is
really creepy…
Rating: 3 out of 5
#41 - "Digimon World Tour, Pt. 2"
Joe and Cody meet up with Aussie DigiDestined Derek in
Australia, while Tai and T.K. save Catherine, a French
DigiDestined, from the Mamemon brothers and Giromon.
This episode is probably the best of the three World Tour
episodes. The Australian section is a hoot, with Joe's usual wry
wit (a dub creation, yet fun nonetheless) poking through. Joe and
Cody is perhaps the only sensible pairing in the World Tour
story, and it's probably because of the fact that they mesh well
that this segment of the episode comes off as one of the best.
The dub's Australian accents are well done too, which is a LOT
more than can be said for the French ones. The erroneous
pronunciation of "Coelamon" tended to grate on
more-educated fans' nerves.
The French section is good, too, once the fighting actually
starts. Beforehand, T.K.'s Grandfather's voice acting leaves
something to be desired, and the whole over-run joke about
"grandma" is annoying. When the fighting starts up,
it's good stuff, though. We get to see the full Digivolve
sequences for MetalGreymon and MagnaAngemon (when coupled with
Zudomon's sequence from the previous segment, that's something no
other World Tour episode offers), and there's even a bit of
rarely seen lip-action when T.K. and Tai both kiss Catherine. And
the Arukenimon epilogue gives me the willies.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#42 - "Digimon World Tour, Pt. 3"
Ken and Matt encounter Rosa and her Gotsumon in Mexico, while
Yolei and Sora have to deal with the language barrier to save
Russia.
Definitely the worst of the World Tour Episodes. Fangirls will,
of course, like the Matt/Ken Mexico segment which begins this
episode, for little reason other than it's got Ken and Matt in it
- but there's little else to it. Rosa is whiny - though it's nice
that the dub kept her speaking at least some Spanish - and
Wormmon acts HORRENDOUSLY out of character (and yet, is probably
at his most amusing). Rosa's Gotsumon's full Digivolve sequence
was a nice idea, but it's done cheaply, and the quality is
markedly lower than that of a "real" Digivolve
sequence.
WereGarurumon's return is nice, though - it has been over fifty
episodes since he last appeared. You have to wonder, though - TWO
Digimon? They came all this way, and there were only TWO Digimon?
Bit of a waste.
The Russian segment is very badly done. Yolei and Sora do NOT
make a good pairing - the characters are just too different to
mesh well together, despite what their ONE scene together at the
beginning of the series might have implied. The language barrier
thing is funny at first, but Yolei's moronic charades grow very
annoying, very quickly. We don't get Garudamon's sequence. And
bluntly, the girls were going to lose if Imperialdramon hadn't
shown up when he did for a cop-out ending.
One thing I'll give this episode is that the "Jingle
Bells" montage sequence at the end is very nice - I always
find myself singing along. And the Arukenimon epilogue is great
also, setting up the new few episodes very well and drawing the
viewer in.
All in all, though, a distinctly average episode, which gets a
distinctly average rating.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
#43 - "Invasion of the Daemon Corps"
Back in Tokyo, an evil cadre of Digimon appears, and the
DigiDestined engage them in battle, only to be defeated by
SkullSatamon. The other Digimon have to give their power to
Imperialdramon, to allow him to Mode Change and defeat the enemy.
This episode marks the departure of Jeff Nimoy and Bob Buchholz,
as well as a shift in the tone of the show, becoming grimmer as
the season finale looms. This episode is written by Michael
Sorich, but it starts poorly, with some very bizarre, and totally
out of place dialogue from Davis. It does nothing but get better,
though - more secrets of Ken's past are revealed, and the battle
between the Digimon and SkullSatamon is nothing short of awesome,
as all the old Ultimate Digimon appear again together for the
first time since the end of season one. This episode also has
what is categorically THE best animation from ANY 02 episode,
brought to us by the same animator group that did "The
Insect Master's Trap" and "Stone Soup."
Dub voice notes - Bob Pappenbrook does an excellent job as Daemon
this ep. His voice is less whispery and hissing in his next two
episodes, but still good. Also, for some reason, Sora and Yolei
have different voices his episode! Apparently their voice
actresses were indisposed, and have been replaced by Wendee Lee
and Bridgette Hoffman respectively.
Other dub sound notes - There's a very brief bit in this episode,
where we see a guy in car driving through a tunnel, and you hear
a few notes of music from his car's radio. Now, the dub's
background music is generally much of a muchness (though it has a
much wider range than your average American cartoon show), so I
always think it's nice when a scene has a bit of 'exclusive'
music that you don't hear re-used over and over and OVER again,
as the BGMs tend to be. This radio music is such an example. In
fact, the only two other examples I can think of are the
"Jingle Bells" music at the end of the previous
episode, and the short burst of samba music in Veemon's daydream
in "Davis Cries Wolfmon."
Rating: 4 out of 5
#44 - "Dark Sun, Dark Spore"
Ken is confronted by Oikawa, who reveals his link to his
past. As the other Digimon battle and are forced to destroy the
Daemon Corps, Oikawa copies Ken's Dark Spore into the 'kidnapped'
children, when they are attacked by Daemon!
The Daemon three-parter continues, vaguely reminiscent of the
Myotismon saga of season one. Cody and Yolei are given a firm
smack in the chops this episode, when their Digimon are forced to
destroy LadyDevimon and MarineDevimon - and it's really about
damn time. Not that Yolei's "skateboard thwap attack"
on LadyDevimon wasn't cool, though. Most of this episode is given
over to explanation from Oikawa, however, all done very well by
his voice actor, Jamieson Price.
Weird animation note - how come, in the truck, Oikawa is fully
lit up, but the kids around him are in darkness? It's a very
noticeable flaw. However, despite this, the animation remains
above par.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#45 - "The Dark Gate"
The kids confront Daemon, and repel him into the World of
Darkness.
The final instalment of the Daemon three-parter - above average
animation continues, and will continue until the end of the
series. Daemon finally got to get his hands dirty this episode,
and quickly became a fan favourite because of it. It's funny, but
surprisingly little actually happens in this episode, yet it's
still a damnably enjoyable one.
Why IS it that the characters talk about the Dark Ocean like it's
part of the DigiWorld? It's been established in several episodes
that it is "another world," and yet in this episode,
T.K. talks like it's somewhere in the DigiWorld. Indeed, back in
"Samurai of Sincerity," even resident smart aleck Izzy
talked about it that way!
Funky scene note - Maybe it's just me, but I love that little
part where Veemon and Wormmon jump off the top of the truck and
blindside Arukenimon. "Vee Headbutt!" "Sticky
Net!" Heh, go get her, guys!
Bloody Annoying Character note - My GOD, I wish Mrs. Ichijouji
would shut the hell UP!! If Ken goes ANYWHERE, she bawls and
wails! What is this woman's PROBLEM? I thought she WANTED him to
have friends! For God's sake, I'll bet she goes through whole box
of Kleenex if Ken stays in the BATHROOM for too long! ARGH!
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#46 - "Duel of the WarGreymon"
The kids keep watch on the Dark Spore children, but
BlackWarGreymon arrives on Earth, intending to destroy Oikawa -
problem is, the DigiDestined need Oikawa to remove the Dark
Spores, so ol' BWG's going to have to go through WarGreymon
first!
This episode is all about butt-whup, boys and girls. WarGreymon
and BlackWarGreymon's brawl is a regular clash of titans - once
again, maybe it's just me, but I love a good "evil
twin" fight. Negaduck... Venom... Captain Pollution... the
Psycho Rangers... evil twins rock. This battle is done just
right, not drawn out, and not too short. And I'll confess to
getting giddy-happy upon seeing Agumon Warp-Digivolving again for
the first time since the movie...
For the dub, Mummymon is at his comedic best. "It's going to
be a good fight, maybe we should stay and watch!" A mon
after my own heart!
And who's ever going to forget "No, no... it's my teddy
bear, you can't have it!"
It would, however, have been nice to get some clarification of
just where BlackWarGreymon has BEEN for the last nine episodes.
Methinks there weren't actually any plans to use him again, but
when the Japanese writing team moved around, and brought writers
on who were going to end the series and start season three, he
was plucked back from character limbo. But that's pure
speculation, of course.
I also love that scene where Arukenimon and Oikawa are watching
TV, and there's a conspiracy theorist on, talking about the
monsters.
"The government got to you too, DIDN'T IT?!"
Rating: 4 out of 5
#47 - "BlackWarGreymon's Destiny"
Cody discovers that his father and grandfather knew about the
DigiWorld, and then discovers that Oikawa knew his father when
they were younger. Noriko's Dark Spore blooms, and Oikawa absorbs
its energy, fatally injuring BlackWarGreymon, who, in the last
moments of his life, seals the Highton View Terrace gate with his
body.
A mushy, talky episode is this one, yet still a very
entertaining, very creepy one. I remember being considerably
wowed upon watching some clips of this in Japanese... all
screaming and stuff. It carried over pretty well, though Oikawa
yells, rather than screams. Some of the dub dialogue when he is
on the railway bridge is absolutely excellent.
"Happiness is an illusion, life's ugly and cruel..."
Rebecca Olkowski, I think you're my favourite dub writer.
The scene where Oikawa visits the graveyard may well be my
favourite scene in a Digimon episode ever. The bats in the
trees... BlackWarGreymon's voiceover... Oikawa's Arukenimon and
Mummymon hallucinations... it's all pure ferking brilliance.
"What's the matter? Afraid to face the truth?"
"We represent the essence of your ugliness!"
We're LIVING your NIGHTMARE!"
"LIES!"
"...you're nothing by a foreign object..."
"You're WRONNNNG!"
Damn, that's treading the line of kid-friendliness for the dub -
which makes it all the better! I got chills.
Something that also gave me chills was the scene where Noriko's
Dark Spore bloomed. The screams of her Japanese voice actress
were more effective than those of Bridgette Hoffman's, but
still... geez, man. When I saw the Japanese clip, I wasn't even
sure if Noriko was still alive or not after Oikawa took her
energy. Scary stuff.
However, after all this infinitely cool stuff, the episode takes
on a very rushed feeling. BlackWarGreymon pops out of nowhere,
and WarGreymon just suddenly appears as well. There's actually no
NEED for WarGreymon either, as he doesn't do anything at all in
the episode. Agumon would have been fine; he didn't need to be
WarGreymon. Plus the fact is, he just seemed to be WarGreymon
already, just sitting about waiting for something to happen.
Feeble Acting Note - Just *listen* to T.K.'s voice after
BlackWarGreymon dies. Did he just inhale some helium, or
something?
Other dub sound notes - Palmon doesn't have her normal voice this
episode for the one line she speaks at the beginning ("I'm
getting frostbite") - indeed, I didn't realise it WAS
Palmon, until I noticed there was no-one else there who the voice
would fit with. It appears to be Philece Sampler replacing Anna
Garduno, because it sounds just like Cody. Funnily, Garduno also
does not record Palmon's line in "A Million Points of
Light," so some might theorise that she left the show, but
her name is still included in the credits, unlike the departed
Jeff Nimoy and Bob Buchholz. Also, at the very end of the
episode, one minute, WarGreymon is screaming out BWG's name, then
the next, Agumon's voice is heard saying goodbye, as if Agumon
was with the other Digimon in the DigiWorld.
Anyway... geez, this was a LONG review... shows how much I liked
it.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
#48 - "Oikawa's Shame"
Oikawa puts his plan into action, and tries to open a portal
to the DigiWorld, but instead winds up in another dimension,
where the truth at last comes to light, and the DigiDestined's
deadliest enemy is reborn!
One tends to find that fans are sorely split into two camps over
the final three episodes of Digimon 02 - there are various
reasons, and a lot of it hinges on whether or not your like
Myotismon. 'Cause love him or hate him, he's back, and he's large
and in charge with this episode.
Reasons people don't like this episode - Myotismon comes back.
MaloMyotismon kills Arukenimon and Mummymon, the two most popular
"villain" characters on the show, excepting possibly
BlackWarGreymon, who wasn't *really* a villain. For the dub,
MaloMyotismon is kind of a dumb name (personally, I got used to
it).
Reasons why people like this episode - Myotismon comes back. The
dub didn't edit out Arukenimon and Mummymon's (rather gruesome)
deaths. Spanky animation, well put together plot.
Reasons why *I* like this episode - Myotismon comes back. Spanky
animation, well put together plot. I'll tend to like pretty much
any monologue Oikawa gives, because he is a really interesting,
heartstring tugging character, with a some damnably great
dialogue, and he talks his ass off in this ep.
On the other hand, it can't be denied that Myotismon's return is
a writing ploy to pull in older viewers and go for high ratings
on the season finale. Some of the writing of the next two
episodes is VERY clumsy, as the writers toss care out the window,
and do all then can to end the series.
But this episode doesn't suffer from that.
Also, great to see Richard Epcar back as Myotismon.
Rating: 4 out of 5
#49 - "The Last Temptation of the DigiDestined"
MaloMyotismon subjects the DigiDestined to illusions of their
greatest desires, but Davis wins through, and the kids use the
power of the dimension to make all their Digimon Digivolve to all
their forms at once.
This is where the writing starts to slip. The DigiDestined's
illusions are very interesting, and deal with the issues that
have been brought up surrounding the characters during the series
- for T.K., it's seeing his family together, for Kari, it's
humans and Digimon living in peace, for Cody (who is definitely
the best-developed of all the 02 kids, character-wise), it's
being able to show his father the DigiWorld, and for Ken, it's
being with his brother, and on a deeper level, seeing himself
punished for his acts as the Digimon Emperor. And for Yolei...
...for Yolei, it's being able to eat lots of dessert. As she
herself might say... oy vey. Now, of course, it's actually a
clever metaphor for her wanting to be an only child, but, really,
when was the last time you heard Yolei complain about her family?
In fact, the only time I can EVER think of her doing that is in
"Big Trouble in Little Edo," when her dad changes the
channel on the TV and her brother trips on Poromon and tells her
to "pick up her toys." But other than that, Yolei's
never seemed to actually HAVE any issues with her siblings, so
it's a pretty damn weak illusion compared to the others the kids
have.
Oh, and Davis? Davis, with his crush on Kari, his desire to be a
champion soccer player, and (as seen next episode), his dream to
open a noodle cart... Davis apparently doesn't HAVE any dreams.
MY ASS! That is the biggest plot convenience in this entire
three-parter, and man, it's a HUGE one.
The triple-Digivolve sequences are very nice (though Wormmon gets
the shaft), but the second-biggest plot convenience creeps up
when the two Imperialdramons blast MaloMyotismon, and it creates
a rift in reality, which just happens to drop the villain into
the DigiWorld. What a happy coincidence.
And would someone mind telling me just where all this darkness in
the DigiWorld came from?
That said, the sheer fun and enjoyment factor of the ep does help
you to overlook the writing inconsistencies.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
#50 - "A Million Points of Light"
In the shattering season finale, all the DigiDestined from
across the globe unite against MaloMyotismon, to use the power of
their hopes and dreams to exterminate the villain for good!
If ever there was a controversial episode of Digimon, that so
sorely split the fans into two, then "A Million Points of
Light" was it. Steel yourselves, o faithful readers, for a
review of epic proportions...
Firstly, to begin, one cannot deny that as a season finale, this
episode is much better orchestrated than the final battle with
Apocalymon in Season One. With Apocalymon, he killed himself
after about three minutes of fighting, and the rest of the ep was
left for emotional waffle. With this, however, the battle goes on
JUST the right amount of time, and then, as many loose ends as
the writers can be bothered with (which was very few,
unfortunately) are tied up in some form or fashion.
However, on the other hand, it rather sucks that they beat
MaloMyotismon by talking. I mean, I'll accept that the Dark
Spores make things like darkness and light more than just moral
concepts, and turn them into actual forms of energy, but really,
would it have hurt to have all the Digimon beat the Digicrap out
of MaloMyotismon after he was weakened? ALL the DigiDestined's
Digimon, from ALL over the WORLD were there - can you imagine how
COOL it would have been if they'd all attacked at once?
Well, at least Imperialdramon got to blast the bugger. Hurray for
gigantic badly timed CGI explosions!
By the way, how exactly is it that Noriko was able to travel
through the digital gate when she didn't have a Digivice? Sure,
Sora was holding on to her, but that doesn't mean squat. It's
been said, several times, that you can't travel through the
digital gates if you don't have a Digivice. Yet another of this
trilogy's plot-holes. I'll overlook the kids stepping through the
reality hole from the dream dimension to the DigiWorld, because
it's only ever been said you needed a Digivice to cross over from
*Earth.* Plus the apparent point of the Earth-based Digi-Ports
was to dematerialise and rematerialise the user, and that's not
necessary here - in fact, it's already happened to the kids (in
"Oikawa's Shame,") so maybe they don't have to do it
again. The dream dimension appears to be an extension of the
DigiWorld anyway. That, and I'm sure they all wanted to go to the
DigiWorld, so the power of the dream dimension allowed them to.
Or something.
All fans will agree how touching the moment when Oikawa
sacrifices himself is, though. I had no idea it was coming when I
watched Japanese clips of the episode, and it nearly made me cry.
It was a beautiful moment.
But after that... ohh, after that...
The epilogue.
Insert crash of thunder and lighting here.
We take a jump forward, 25 years into the future, to see what the
DigiDestined have got themselves up to. Points of conflict are:
- Matt is an ASTRONAUT. This is beyond ridiculous to many fans.
What happened to the rock star gig? Now, people will argue
"he can change his mind!" but really - would it have
killed them to just let him BE a rock star? They let Davis and
Kari become a noodle guy and a kindergarten teacher, it's not
like letting Matt fulfil his dream would be any less realistic.
- Sora and Matt's marriage. The number of people who deny it has
slowly decreased since the episode aired, but you still find 'em.
Okay, sure, they didn't SAY they were married, but just look at
their stinking, bastard children, would you? I'm a Taiora fan,
and I don't deny it! I don't LIKE it, but I don't deny it...
- Yolei and Ken's marriage. You'll find a large amount of support
for this, and it's understandable, but really, Ken never showed a
drop of interest in Yolei. Now, I'll say this - I'm not a
"fan" of Kenyako per se, not am I a fan of Daiyako -
but as the series went on, Yolei's interest in Ken simply went
away. For all intents and purposes, she seemed more interested in
Davis. I'm not saying she WAS interested in him, just that the
evidence is there, if you want to believe it. Her feelings for
Ken were nothing more than an immature, fangirlish crush, which
largely disappeared after the end of the Emperor arc. It's
annoying to many fans that the writers went back and used them
again, after ignoring them for a long, long time by putting the
two of them together.
- Yolei as a housewife? Does the ambitious, go-getting,
hyperactive, tech-head Yolei strike you as someone who'd be happy
as a housewife? Didn't think so.
- Maybe this last one is just me, but, whatever happened to
Davis's big-time dream to become a soccer player? All of a sudden
this episode, his dream is to own a noodle cart. Either Davis
really lowered his ambitions, or someone smashed that boy full on
in the face with a sack full of reality bricks when we weren't
looking. And also:
Japanese Writer #1 - "Hey, I know, let's make the star of
the show a millionaire!"
Japanese Writer #2 - "Any reason?"
Japanese Writer #1 - "Nope."
Japanese Writer #2 - "I like the way you think!"
Ah well... what can ya do, huh? They were trying to close the
book on the world of "Digimon Adventure," so they could
write "Digimon Tamers." Maybe it wasn't the smartest
thing to do, but they did it.
And I admit - I get a little shiver every single time I hear,
read, or just think about T.K.'s closing lines from the epilogue,
and the Adventure series. I miss these guys, a lot. But we just
didn't need the epilogue to kick us all square in the nuts,
that's all.
Rating:
Sans Epilogue: 3.5 out of 5
With Epilogue: 3 out of 5