Appmon Episode 32: Let's Draw Him Out Together! Offmon the Shut-in!

In this episode, after hiding in a box following his disastrous first App Fusion, Offmon decides to wander off alone… which is sort of what started this whole disaster in the first place.


The steady road to improvement and prosperity continues here. Sure, there are things to nitpick, like shifting from a critical scene with critical points to dwell on a less important consequence of it for some sight gags, or a flashback to a moment that didn’t have much impact, to another major villain who seems to die too early. But we see some dramatic shots of a monster turning on his partner, more from Yujin’s own eyes, and let’s face it: those sight gags were pretty fun to watch. We’re back to major plot developments, meaningful character building, and even one of the coolest-looking battles we’ve had yet.

Last time, we ended on what’s technically a cliffhanger, even though it was pretty clear Shutmon was about to turn on everybody. From SkullGreymon to Meicoomon, the thought of such a thing still and will forever remain an alarming sight, moreso considering the degree of the attack. Haru’s injured and Yujin has to step in and protect him, getting a nice chunk taken out of his shoulder. While there’s an element of Yujin fixing his buddy’s mess, it’s hard not to think back to his App Drive question and his promise to stick his neck out for Haru. Or his shoulder.

So once Yujin settles down Shutmon, which road do we go down first? Offmon feels guilty about letting Shutmon go berserk and won’t come out of his box. This is where Appmon can be both endearing and frustrating at the same time. There are far more important things to talk about, and far heavier material later on, but instead we get a flood of cute and silly. Haru’s terrible portrayal of a ruffian (and with Ai’s adorable snickering at it) and Astora stretching his story too far are the sorts of moments that make us love these characters so much. They also feel like unnecessary padding when clearly there are more important things to get to.

They do get to them eventually, one being Yujin’s hidden confidence issues. He loves being part of a team, but he hates letting his team down. Now, with both the team of himself and Offmon and the App Drivers as a whole, he can’t help but feel responsible for Offmon’s issues. The flashback of him literally steering his team off course could have had more punch, but it again illustrates why Haru is so important to him. Haru’s the rock of reassurance through all of Yujin’s inadequacies, no matter who is perceived to be more capable.

Offmon shouldn’t be overlooked in this either. The story doesn’t appear to be much more than Shutmon being a termination app and carrying with him the urge to shut everything down in sight. Offmon can suppress that normally in his Standard form, but all bets are off when he’s Ultimate. It’s a lot of baggage, and justifies his withdrawals even more. Given how little it’s a factor going forward, it seems to exist only to give Yujin something to work out in his buddy. But given how rarely kids have to step up and come through with a response to their partner’s damage, it’s a good development.

Despite his assertions, there’s no possible way Sateramon orchestrated Offmon to take another walk on his own. And for someone whose best tactic is sniping from space, calling a rematch with Shutmon a matter of pride is a bit laughable… especially considering he shoots back into space the second Offmon and Yujin’s heartwarming reconciliation delivers the opponent he wants. It’s an awkward way to force this battle again, and it’s not even a decent fight as this time Sateramon’s the one putting Shutmon on his heels.

Haru and Globemon’s appearance does more than salvage it, however. First off, Haru showing up simply because Yuujin didn’t answer his phone is delightful. Second off, Globemon brings back some of the searching tactics that have been sorely missing from recent battles. The need for the App Link is illustrated very well, and while the fight from there is short, we understand why the linked form turned the tide so effectively. It’s another sudden end to another quirky mini-boss, but man did it look and sound sweet. Welcome back insert songs!

My Grade: B+

Loose Data:

• The blue data pouring out of Yujin’s shoulder instead of red blood is fantastic fodder for wondering whether it’s a product of them being in an AR Field of an indicator that something’s amiss with him. Even if you know the ending, you’re not sure which to attribute that to.
• Haru’s story of the sun goddess is made so much better when the cast members are the actors in the fantasy, with a notable star turn for caught-up man.
• “Warui” means bad in Japanese, so the “Haru to Waru” pun is just… well, bad.
• Gotta say Musimon really rocks that dress and makeup on the red carpet.
• More than any other App Link we’ve seen so far, Shutmon plus Globemon actually looks like a proper Jogress. And we can all take a look at Daisuke and Ken to understand what a proper Jogress means!
• Is anything a more significant sign of Yujin and Offmon’s restored partnership than Yujin letting Offmon do the same dap he does with Haru? 

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