*deep breath* IN! THIS! EPISODE! We
prep for a dub that struggles to acknowledge the reality of death and
its new season whose primary theme is... acknowledging the reality of
death.
We'd like to assure everybody that our
time spent between seasons of Digimon Fusion have been used
productively. There's this really sweet new fanfic we've been working
on where we're like five chapters in already and there's this one
part that's soooo awesome. We also took care of that pesky
curse about not meeting any of the voices of the main kids, thanks to
Steve Blum and Anime Milwaukee. Oh, we also got really good at those
slidy puzzles and typing games on the site for the new Adventure series. We've been clicking like almost every day. Except when we
forgot.
Actually, let's hold off on that,
because if we talk about Tri now, you're not going to stick around to
listen to the Fusion stuff. That's really why we're back: season two
of Digimon Fusion is returning, safe and sound and exclusively on
Nicktoons, the channel that still airs episodes of Avatar that
include everything that got cut out of season one of Digimon Fusion.
This is a good sign; indications are that other than managing the
rampage of fanservice, this season will have fewer edits. Considering
what goes down, that's really important.
The first half was a little sensitive
in talking about death. It's not alone; Adventure struggled with it
for the first 33 or so episodes before tackling it head on. Data
Squad never quite mustered the nerve to address it directly even as
it was happening everywhere. However, a dub that struggles to
recognize death is going to have problems when it's one of this
season's primary themes.
That's pretty much what all this is
about. You have a character who is determined to be the big dog in
this fight until the death of a close ally. You have a character who
is all about helping those in need being forced to kill somebody who
is sick, but not evil. You have a character who is manipulated into
believing that death does not exist in this world until his closest
companion dies in front of him. No amount of euphemisms will hide the
fact that season two of Fusion has a high body count, and failing to
acknowledge that runs contrary to the show's biggest lessons.
Season two of Fusion is a series of
mini-arcs and therefore runs hot and cold. Some of the arcs are
ordinary, some beyond epic. Taking Jeremy and Angie out of the
picture gets the clutter out of the way, but unifying Mikey,
Christopher and Nene takes away the dynamic that made the first half
so interesting. That tension certainly affects their relationship
early on in the season, but at the end of the day they are working
towards a common objective and they all understand that. Or at least
they will eventually.
About our posting schedule, we are
totally winging it. When the episode airs, we'll write about it and
post it a few days later, either on Monday or Thursday as always.
There may be some interruptions since I have a bunch of conventions
coming up... oh, and I'm getting married in May. For the most part,
however, we'll try to keep up with the actual airing.
So what about Tri? Well, as alluded to
last time we posted, the site's Tumblr companion page has digivolved!
Here's what you missed:
The Digimon 30 Day Challenge- Short
essays on each of the prompts in the popular Tumblr game
How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the New Adventure Season- Making peace with an Adventure-focused
fandom and the cries to retcon Zero Two
Hiroaki Ishida Facts- Things you didn't
know about the world's greatest action hero.
Terrible Tri Trolling- Inventing the
worst imaginable responses to the new season
Back In The Fanfic Saddle- Initial
thoughts on writing Digimon fanfic again, with preview
Why Canon Is Awesome- Defending Tri's
decision to utilize the ending/epilogue we all hate so much
10 Times The Dub Did It Better- An
adaptation is never automatically an inferior product
How Matt Became An Astronaut (Starring Chris Pratt)- A useful headcanon for understanding the most confusing
part of that darn epilogue
This is the sort of stuff you get over
there, and this will be where all of my coverage of Tri will be
taking place, at least until we see a dub. I'm not sure how extensive
the reviews will be, but I gotta do something, right? I mean, a
follow up to Zero Two that addresses the messy inter-world
relationship left behind by that ending? If you've read my
fanfiction, you'll know that's right in my wheelhouse!
Oh, and I'm also on Twitter now.
Less of a Digimon focus there, but it's a good way to be in touch
with my more general persona.
Well... um... this is... different. It's not a bad song at all, but a radical departure from the usual shounen rock we're used to getting. It definitely has that melancholy tone that usually goes with later opening themes. And I don't know why Cutemon and Dondokomon are dancing in the foreground, but I do know that every self-respecting Digimon fan needs to have Cutemon's dance memorized.
THE EPILOGUE IS CANON?!?! Fuck me with a Steelix. I had heard that Zero Two was going to be accepted as canon but I figured the Epilogue (a.k.a. the most hated three-and-a-half-minutes of the entire franchise) was a whole different kettle of fish. They really aren't doing themselves any favors with all of these links to Zero Two (seriously it'd be like associating a Pokémon reboot with Best Wishes; a very stupid idea). At this point I am really starting to rethink giving Tri a chance because it continues to look like a train wreck in progress. The staff choices aren't exactly filling me with confidence either. Depending on the battle sequences, character development, and, above all, plot. This is either going to be a really good season or the biggest piece of crap since Zero Two itself. Give me The Story We Never Told any day, at least the writing is consistent and there is an actual plot.
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