Rahspot
I was really looking forward to this. I don't know how much would newcomers enjoy this. The plot is pretty simple but we don't get a proper introduction to the characters, which is odd because we haven't seen these characters in years. Last time we saw Taichi was on Xros Wars, that's true, but he didn't do much, he was just there for fanservice. Even if is easy to tell who is who even if you haven't watch the series, you better do it because you'll miss everything. At least you got to know an idea of who are the characters and some of the lore because if you don't you'll be completely lost.The cast has become older but they're the same characters we've met in the first season. Age is the only thing that's changed, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, but I'd like seeing an older version of our beloved characters. Everyone's in their highschool years and we've seen a lot of that in so many shows. One of the characters thinks other is hot now that she's a teenager, others clash because of testosterone (this isn't new though, we've seen this before in Digimon in very single season and is too damn old), etc. This movie has a different tone, it's not Adventure but much more similar to the other Digimon movies. Not so childish, characters face more grown-up problems (or at least Taichi does), even if they're not explored as much as I'd like to.If you're an old fan of the series you'll like it, for sure. The thing is, besides some nostalgic movies, not much happens in this movie. We're introduced to an older version of the characters we already know, they face a new foe we know nothing about to, they win and that's it. The animation is good, not the best thing we've seen in an anime but better than any of the Digimon seasons. The animation is much fluid and we notice this especially during fights, we don't get static shots or reused ones (I've noticed this a lot during Digimon Frontier when I rewatched it not long ago and it was really annoying). Also some characters have suffered some re-designs, nothing major but it helps building the new tone. The digivolve scenes have been renewed too, in a good way.The pacing is pretty difficult to rate because of the way this OVA was released. If we rate it as episodes, probably might get a good rating, as the pace is totally different than any of the Digimon series. Is slower but refreshing in a way, as the episodes don't have the same structure as it used to happen in all the Digimon episodes. I'll watch the next two movies and give and overall opinion, but this felt too much like an introduction and not much more, there's not an actual plot and we don't get any of the answers we wanted to get. Who's Alphamon and why is he attacking the real world? What's up with the infected Digimons, who's doing that and why? Also we don't have any real threat or menace during the whole movie. Kuwagamon might be interesting for us in a nostalgic way, but even if there's more of them and they have new abilities, we already know the good guys are going to win. Alphamon, in the other hand, is the typical invincible Digimon that requires extreme measures... that means Omnimon, because of course, an indestructible Digimon can be defeated just by another indestructible Digimon. Overall, I enjoyed this movie/episodes much more than anything on Savers or Xros Wars. Was it a great movie? No, but I'm looking forward for the other two and that's exactly what this movie tries to do. There's not enough character development and the plot is weak but the opening theme may be enough to make up for it. If you're an old Digimon fan, at least for the first season, you have to watch this, you won't regret it.
Filippos A. Rempoutzakos
Digimon has always held a special spot in my heart, as I watched it growing up, and I could not stop loving the series years later. Well, as a long-time fan, this movie didn't disappoint me; it was just as much a celebration of its history as it was a loving gift to its fans. *This review will contain spoilers for the first two Digimon series, as well as this movie.*Plot: 7/10 - Following the events of Digimon Adventure 02, the group has grown up further, and they're well into their high school years. Strange disturbances in the networks throughout Japan ominously herald the start of another adventure. During a soccer game, Tai chases after a Kuwagamon and witnesses firsthand the devastation such a creature could bring about. Chased and exhausted, he is saved at the last moment by Agumon, who proceeds to fight Kuwagamon after Digivolving into Greymon. The two are then transported into an airport and continue their fight, while Tai and the other DigiDestined are all escorted to the airport and reunited with their Digimon partners. After driving back Kuwagamon and its two reinforcements, the group struggles to regain its luster, knowing all too well that the fight has just begun. The plot of this movie is essentially groundwork for what's to come; it sets up character arcs and relationships that will not be expanded upon until later, as well as conflicts and problems we can spot a mile away.Characters: 10/10 - Right from the onset, there seems to be discontent from the group, as with their adulthood looming they develop both physically and mentally, and they drift ever further apart. Tai, the leader of the group in the first series, has serious issues with his future, and the entire DigiDestined seem shackled to the past in one way or another. The love triangle between him, Matt and Sora doesn't aid in calming his nerves, and his newfound fear in the power of Digimon and helplessness towards them that he failed to grasp as a child. Izzy has a glow-in-the-dark obvious crush on Mimi, and he struggles with it, while TK and Kari are also starting to notice their increased popularity and attraction is changing their relationship. Even the oldest of the group, Jo, has a girlfriend, one whom he disregards for his failing entrance exam scores. The character development is subtle, and logical, deeply rooted in the characters established in the two prior series and with an additional layer of complexity worthy of exploration. Interesting moments and character beats connect long-time fans with their childhood favorites, while also showing signs of adulthood and change all-too familiar. Pacing: 8/10 – Up until the final five minutes of the movie, the pacing was excellent and worked wonders. Taking itself slowly, and showing through actions, not words, how far the characters have changed from our last encounter, it brought the group well into focus and the movie gained gravitas and impact because of it. But the final five minutes the movie realized it needed to wrap up; non- stop evolutions of progressively greater power, culminating in a frantic Alphamon vs Omnimon battle, none of which was built up properly or had a pay-off worthy of its much greater hourly set-up. Ending the movie on the Omnimon transformation would have worked great, I felt, as would a declaration from Tai to fight, finding a reason to. Maybe his failure to size up could have ended the movie on a cliffhanger, and provided motivation to fight next time. But this ending felt rushed and unworthy of the honestly very atmospheric and amazingly powerful built-up that the movie had spent itself creating. General Notes: 9/10 – The animation is beautiful to behold, crisp and clear while retaining much of the charm from the earlier, sloppier, animation style before it. The Digivolution sequences were great, although they were a bit too much Digimon Tamers rather than Adventure for me. Hearing the "Butterfly" and "Brave Heart" songs again was amazing, and the renditions here are excellent. The brief glimpses of the four Adventure 02 DigiDestined and their defeat at the start of the series was a subtle and effective way of showing the continuity of 02. But their complete lack of reference past that point is baffling. Especially as TK is shown communicating to the worldwide DigiDestined community, and we know that those shown briefly should be discussed more, especially as Kari and TK know them well, and they go to the same school! Mention their disappearance at least. Conclusion: 9/10 – For me, characters and atmosphere can dominate story and improve a property immensely, and Digimon Tri did just that. Its story is obvious and not the most interesting, but the rest is amazing. If not for the horribly paced final minutes, then it would be a clear 9.5/10, but it lost a lot of its flow in reaching for that Omnimon appearance. The villain is also non- existent as an element in Tri, and the use of Kuwagamon, while significant to us as their first challenge in the digital world, is never menacing. If you can watch the movie as a single film, it is much better than the episodic version, as this was clearly meant to be a single unit, and not a string of episodes. For long-time fans or people looking for a tearfully nostalgic property, Digimon Adventure Tri satisfies perfectly. Newcomers will be lost however, as there is no recap of previous events.
