Digimon Adventure tri: Part 2 – Determination [Ketsui] – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Overview

Digimon returns for another round and while there isn’t a huge amount of action or compelling fights, we do get to see the challenges which come from being a DigiDestined who still has to go to school and have a life outside of the digital world.

Summary (with Commentary)

After the first distortions from the first episode, it seems the government is trying to not only better predict where distortions may appear but also become less reliant on the Digidestined to handle these situations. For one, they cause a bit too much destruction to keep incidents in control and two, they are children. Which is a strong focus of the 2^nd part of this Digimon revival trilogy. What we see is Joe focusing more on his studies than the activities everyone else is doing for, at the end of the day, they may battle Digimon for a few hours, but what after that? What about school, a job, and a future? As for the rest, they are mostly dealing with high school stuff ranging from Mimi trying to be outgoing but ending up a “Jikochu” which is someone annoying apparently to Taichi and Yamato still having the type of confrontations which lead you to wonder if you are perhaps missing something?

As for the Digimon you grew up with? Well, the focus this round is Palmon, Gomamon, and Meicoomon when it comes to fighting and, alongside Leomon, they take on Ogremon and Imperialdramon. Now, when it comes to Ogremon, he is an infected and, according to Koshiro, there is the slightest of chances these Digimon are either willingly infected or find themselves in the darkness and give in for power. It is all rather hard to say anything is a fact however since he is still investigating. What is known though is Meicoomon is at the center of it all and a man named Ken Ichijouji, who everyone seems to know, is a major player when it comes to the bad things going on. Well, at least he is portrayed that way.

Things To Note

We get to see Palmon’s various digievolutions as well as Gomamon’s.

Highlights

The final battle which features Palmon and Gomamon’s various digievolutions brought a lot of nostalgia and was the one quality battle of the episode.

Which isn’t to say the rest were bad, for Togemon vs. Ogremon was decent, especially since Togemon’s needle attack hit a helicopter and showed why the government is trying to use the Digidestine as a trump card.

I appreciated Joe and his push for trying to establish there is a world outside of being a digidestine and that eventually these kids, who aren’t rich and privilege like your usual superheroes, will need jobs, to go to university, and simply be more than the partners of these special Digimon.

Low Points

So much time is spent watching everyone just chill, be students, or watch the Digimon be cute and playful, that it can get boring at times. Especially with, once again, the movie being split into episodes.

To me, there wasn’t enough quality action. Granted, things do pick up toward the end, but there is no guarantee that the last movie is going to be action packed and we can just consider all this the build.

Final Thought(s): TV Viewing

While the film still gives a sense of nostalgia, it also is starting to grow a bit old for as much as I care about the DigiDestined, a part of me really just wants to see the digital world and to see battles happen. That is, as opposed to what Joe, Tai, and Yamato are presenting in which we see friends have animosity toward one another, deal with growing up, and even perhaps seem to be wanting to distance themselves from all the chaos. Which is understandable, and has its place, but with the kids being more so a focus than the Digimon, it makes some of the character development seem almost like a liability more so than an asset in terms of keeping you attentive and glued to the screen.

Collected Quote(s)

Honestly, I don’t like holding myself back for the sake of others. Being quiet in front of people means you’re just complaining later. I detest it. When people have something to say they should just speak up.

—  “Episode 6.” Digimon Adventure Tri (Ketsui)