Well alright then… if this didn’t give me “Our Wargame” vibes before… IT CERTAINLY IS NOW.
I’m honestly not sure how I feel about the fact that we already get Omnimon. It’s only episode 2 after all. We haven’t even seen their mega forms, much less their ultimate forms. It feels a bit too fast since Taichi and Yamato don’t even have that strong of a bond with their Digimon partners yet. Not to mention the only way for them to even DNA Digivolve was also their bond with each other… They just freaking met! On one hand, we get a very exciting first arc. On the other, it feels a bit less earned.
We get formally introduced to Ma- Yamato. Back when I was a kid, I only liked Yamato for his hair. I didn’t really care much for him character-wise. And so far, I still don’t. He’s too much of the stoic, cool type of character that I’m not much of a fan of. Now, if he turns out to be a secret dork, I’ll probably change my tune towards him. But as of right now, he’s not really a character I think I’ll be that into. Garurumon on the other hand seems like a good boy. From what I can gauge from him, while he is quiet, he seems to be both playful and likes the thrill of competition in a sense as he seems to establish a playful rivalry with Greymon early on. Which is cute.
Looking back at these two episodes, I definitely felt War Game vibes, but I didn’t realize they were ACTUALLY JUST RETELLING THE ENTIRE STORY. I feel like I should have caught on a little earlier, especially since those virus Digimon were… basically reskinned versions of Diaboromon’s evolution line and it forcing the US army to fire a missile right into Tokyo out of spite. But I guess a part of me hoped they were just going for the vibe… not just rehashing it. So I’m a bit disappointed in that aspect, but I’ll wait to see how this all plays out before I state my full opinion.
I do appreciate the fact that two Champion leveled Digimon were able to take down an Ultimate, unlike what usually happens in the original series (barring Angemon’s line). Since it seems like it was just impossible for the Champion levels to even leave a dent in Ultimates, no matter how many there were. It was pretty ridiculous, so I’m glad that they were able to take it down together instead of immediately going into their Ultimate stages. However… as soon as that thing went to the Mega stage my immediate thought was: Oh no… there’s no way. I knew they either had to reach their Ultimate or Mega stages. But I really didn’t want them too because it’s literally way too early! It took them two freaking seasons to get up to Ultimate stages in the original and it was after a long grueling journey with their partners and the group. Digimon 2020, SLOW DOWN YOU’RE GOING TOO FAST.
What I did like is the start of Taichi and Yamato’s friendship/rivalry with each other. I never really understood their relationship in the old series since I thought they were just friends… but I guess their rivalry went over my head as a kid. I remember thinking that they were supposed to be best friends, but I guess not? Anyways, while I do like the start of their relationship, it’s definitely moving unnaturally fast. I don’t mind them being a good team right off the bat, but come on… As much as I love it when characters brofirst, it was too early for Taichi and Yamato! They just met each other, they haven’t earned THE RIGHT to brofist. I wish they were able to develop a bit more before this arc hit, but here we are anyways.
And while I knew the animation would dip after the first episode, I was still a bit disappointed. However, it’s still better than the animation in the original so I can’t complain too much. Though they still did good animation when it really counted and I appreciate the extra effort in certain shots with motion blurs and a sense of weight. And now that Omnimon has shown up, I hope they’ll showcase some awesome animation next episode. Because that fight is gonna be epic. Don’t disappoint me too much Toei. You restored my faith in you last episode, don’t make me take back my praise!
While I did have issues with the pacing and the way too early appearance of Omnimon, it was still an entertaining episode to watch. It still showcased great cinematography with good action (with an exception of a few shots) and I liked that they alluded to both of Taichi and Yamato’s little siblings getting their Digivices. Also can I just say that both of them are freaking adorable??? They’re so smol! Please protect. In any case, I do hope that they can justify Omnimon so freaking early. If not, I at least hope we’re in for some great fighting animation.
