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Tamers Episode 08: A Question of Trust

In this episode, Guilmon is falsely accused of setting fire to lovers in the park. Yes, they actually show lovers in the park. And guns. Lots and lots of guns.


There's a lot to celebrate in this episode. Guilmon finally evolves for the first time, once again spurned by a tamer showing concern for his partner. For the first time, a Digimon is able to create some havoc in the city, breaking free of the digital field and doing some tangible damage. Most importantly, it's a hallmark episode in its minimal censorship in the dub.

It's often joked that Tamers is the season where the censors gave up. Whether it was due to the overwhelming amount of potentially objectionable content or the final year of Fox Kids rendering execs disinterested and censors less trigger-happy, Tamers gets away with murder. Literally!

Obviously there are plenty of moments that get flash-framed or airbrushed throughout the series, and even a cigarette got cut out here, but this episode has two places where the dub resists the urge to blot out spots that may have been deemed unsuitable in the past. After guns were stolen from Puppetmon, that Mexican guard and even Gargomon in episode 3, here we see a whole cadre of armed officers shooting down Guilmon in Takato's fantasy. The difference may be that the censored incidents involved pointing guns at children while here they were turned on a Digimon. If that's the case, it means the network is undermining the message that Digimon should be treated as living creatures.

The second is integral to this episode's story: Impmon's been spooking and smoking couples in the park and Takato worries that it may be Guilmon. Scenes of couples in close quarters or even full-on making out are retained. If anything, the dub gets even more risque, adding some suggestive “go back to my place” dialogue and a cop (an inexplicable Foghorn Leghorn impersonator) making reference to “oscillatory activities of consenting adults.” If you know what I mean.

Despite Guilmon's first evolution, this isn't a great episode for Takato. After catching Guilmon out of his pen, against strict orders, he hears only the part he dreaded- that Guilmon was involved in the spookings. He didn't hear the part about Guilmon following someone else, not enjoying it, and returning home with clean hands. It's human nature for Takato to misinterpret it, but it doesn't make him any less stupid for it.

Instead, Guilmon himself gets the development card this time. He's still very fresh and behaves more like an animal than any other Digimon, but he's clearly learning. He buries his dinner to conserve food for later. He does his best to obey Takato until Impmon goads him into leaving. He gets nothing out of the way Impmon pesters the couples and promptly returns. It takes Takato to understand that Guilmon was not the culprit in order to get the push necessary to evolve, but Guilmon is settling into a more-defined character than given credit for.

Devidramon's bio-emerging is also the first time we see a Wild One causing some havoc in the streets. Bystanders witness the monster and damage is done. Hypnos is helpless once again, and you can sense Yamaki's blood pressure go up a tick more as he seeks to wipe everyone's memory and have Riley invent a cover story to explain what happened. Good luck with that.

My Grade: B-

Loose Data:
  • More signs of Takato's immature logic in Digimon creation: after creating a powerful monster with all sorts of natural weapons, he pauses when he realizes he won't be able to ride him.
  • For everything that was left in this episode, it's funny that they cut someone's cigarette out as Hiroaki Ishida was seen smoking in Adventure. Then again, that's Hiroki Ishida. This is some guy in the park hoping to get laid.
  • Hey, some personality for Miss Asaji as well, bailing out Takato and just feeling uncomfortable patrolling the park with Mr. Mori.
  • Renamon refuses to join in Guilmon's fight against Devidramon. What exactly are her standards for this? She had no problem stealing the kill against Vilemon and Devidramon poses a far bigger threat.
  • Given Takato's piss-pour work with modify cards, we're getting the distinct impression that he's not getting a proper sequence until he starts putting some thought into it.

7 comments:

  1. Well Takato, you know you have full control over your digimon's next form. You also know that, unlike seasons 1 and 2, Champion-level digimon tend to stick around for a while. And you want to keep Guilmon as secret as possible. Now, what did you create?

    ...

    A twenty-foot tall fire-breathing dinosaur.

    ...

    Takato, you moron.

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    1. "Well Takato, you know you have full control over your digimon's next form."
      Does he know? I mean Guilmon stems from a drawing but that does not mean everything he draws about Guilmon comes true.

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  2. *Snicker*
    He worries over not being able to RIDE Growlmon? And I'm NOT the only one who think all goggleheads are complete, and utter morons?
    Wicked. Anyway, real comment time:
    Guilemon is supposed to be SECRET, Takato. Not a bloody twenty-foot tall, fire-breathing Dinosaur, as Sir Exal put it. I can understand the fire-breathing as Guilemon breathes fire, so it makes sense. What I DO NOT GET AT ALL, is the need for such a growth-spurt. If he gained an extra foot of height, that's reasonable. What is NOT reasonable is Guilemon gaining about FIFTEEN feet of height (and half of that in width). I get making the spikes on Guilemon's back bigger. What Takato did NOT need to do, however, was make them FIVE FEET TALL! I get adding the white hair/fur stuff on his head, as Digivolving sometimes occurs by a Digimon gaining age or wisdom. What I don't get is why the hell is it WHITE and GREY. That's like stereotyping old people. That's bad, cause my 103 year-old great grandfather still had a hair full of black hair WHEN HE DIED AT 104! What's with the horns, anyway? Do they have some sort of significance? Or are they just there, and I quote, to have the "coolest Digimon ever"? My god, Takato! If you're going to freaking obsess about Digimon anime/trading cards/video games, learn to do stuff (like developing personality) to make a REALISTIC DIGIMON! Whether be Guilemon or Growlmon, NEITHER make an iota of sense!
    ………
    Takato, you absaloutley baka.

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Takatos designs fore his partner may be not very practical fore the whole keeping it a secret thing but otherwise they pretty awesome. Becoming alot bigger is not unnatural fore Digimon when they evolve. Just look at Agumon and Greymon which Takato probably based Guilmon of.
      Nothing about Guilmon ore Growlmon does make less sense than any other Digimon. Its not like Digimon are all that realistic to begin with. I mean what kinda of kid things about realism when designing a Monster?

      In my opinion Guilmon and Growlmon are fantastic Digimon designs.

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  3. Is it just me, or did the Devidramon in this episode sound like a more animalistic version of Devimon from Adventure?

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    1. It WAS Devimon (Tom Wyner, to be precise).

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