Digimon Adventure: (2020) Episode 11

Wait a minute – Gabumon is a reptile type?? Whaaaat?!  o.O  So he’s a reptile, but he transforms into a wolf…? Does that make sense to anyone?

Now let’s see… Ahahaha, Taichi got stuck with Mimi. xD  But hey at least he’s got Koshiro on his team. This leaves Matt, Sora (ahahaha) and Joe on the other team.

I must say, I am also really enjoying Digimon Adventure: (2020)‘s soundtrack! Every time there’s a big battle there’s some kick-ass Jpop song to amp up the beat and energize the scene. I don’t know the words, nor even what the title is, but I like it.

So Taichi’s team (I’m dubbing them Team 1) has gone north around the swamp, which is technically the shorter route but they have to climb what looks like a mountain or very large hill. They get to the top and there’s a jungle with some ancient overgrown ruins in the middle. Taichi’s team is also being watched by more Soundbirdmon, but they don’t realize this yet. Is this Devimon spying on them from afar?

Meanwhile Yamato’s team, Team 2, has encountered a desert south of the swamp. They’re in the process of flying over it in a basket carried by Birdramon when they are attacked by flying Sandyammamon, which can conjure up dust devils with their screeches. When Joe’s team is forced to land they are attacked by Scorpiomon hiding in the sand. Yamato’s group also encounters some Kyaromon bystanders who are also caught up in their fight against Scorpiomon. Yamato, being stubborn and the strongest member of Team 2, insists Sora and Joe go on ahead with their Digimon while he and Garurumon fight against Scorpiomon.

Yamato manages to overcome (but not defeat) Scorpiomon and together with Gabumon, the two press on until they catch up with Sora and Joe. The Kyaromon lead the Digidestined back to a cave where the rest of their group (a Bearmon and two Labramon) and their leader Neamon are hiding. After thanking the DigiDestined for saving Kyaromon, Neamon explains that a Digimon named Leomon is leading a resistance against some strong Digimon who are “infected with miasma” like Metaltyranomon was. Neamon and his group want to find Leomon but are too scared to cross the desert alone; staying put will also likely eventually end up with them dead when a stronger Digimon find and turns them into prey. Sora and Joe want to help but Yamato does not, so he presses on alone.

Digimon has always done a really good job with illustrating that team work and friendship are the ways to defeat problems, and the series highlights this clash of options well with characters like Yamato. I noticed it in the original Digimon series too as a teen but I don’t remember it being quite as blatant as in this reboot. Yamato is a loner; he solves things by himself, and usually with power. He believes that other people bog him down and get in his way, so he prefers to work alone. However he does undergo some character development in that he usually pulls his head out of his butt at the last minute and smartens up, leading to him returning to help his friends.

Therefore when Sora and Joe inevitably get into trouble as they try to escort Kyakomon and their friends across the desert, Yamato returns at the last moment and saves the group from Scorpiomon’s attacks. /eyeroll   Which I mean yay, teamwork, but this scenario also irritates me because I feel like sometimes the other DigiDestined’s Digimon don’t get enough credit. Birdramon and Ikkakumon aren’t completely weak, and I don’t feel like the scenarios the group are put into are truly indicative of how strong Birdramon and Ikkakumon really are. Because if you’re telling me a giant phoenix can’t take down a few flies with her fireballs, why not? And how are missiles less effective than magical blue fire spray?

Garurumon takes some shots at Scorpiomon but is overwhelmed. Yamato had been right earlier in the episode; Scorpiomon was an Ultimate Digimon. Matt does some self-reflection and gets all charged up, his emotions allowed Garurumon to Digivolve into his stronger form, Weregarurumon!  (Or something like that. >> )

Scorpiomon is shown to have black smog coming from its mouth like Metaltyranomon did in the previous two episodes, revealing that it is one of the infected Digimon Neamon mentioned earlier. As Metalgreymon became stronger than Metaltyranomon, Weregarurumon is now stronger than Scorpiomon. With Sora and Joe watching in awe, Weregarurumon quickly disposes of Scorpiomon like it was nothing.

The DigiDestined drop Neamon and its friends off on the other side of the desert. In a very rare moment of transparency, Yamato reveals to Sora and Joe that his reason for rushing earlier was because he has a little brother Takeru who is stranded in Tokyo. I don’t remember Yamato and Takeru’s situation specifically, ie whether they live alone or if their parents are around, but if Takeru (who is still quite little) was left alone in his home then I can understand Yamato’s urge to finish their mission asap.

The episode ends with Taichi’s group having made it into the ruins, but they’re being slowed down by Koshiro’s insistence at taking pictures of all the hieroglyphics on the walls. Mimi is bored and irritated, but things suddenly get a lot more lively very quickly when Mimi accidentally push a hidden panel on the wall and the ground gives way beneath her!