Digimon Universe App Monsters: Ending 3

In this episode, as Appmon launches into its thrilling home stretch, the new Adventure reboot puts as at a crossroads ourselves.


After its sputtering start to the second half, three thrillers in a row set the stage for an impressive run in. That makes it hard to look back on the last batch of episodes: we’re either going to be dazzled with Offmon’s debut, the elections results, and the death and rebirth of the four main buddies… or we’re going to lament the general lack of anything else to capture our imaginations. Either way, it’s too easy to look ahead to the resolution of the Ultimate 4 arc, the final stand against Leviathan, and the fun little treats we’ll get in between.

The new project alluded to in the halftime break turned out to be a reboot of Adventure, putting the kids in the modern day, seemingly changing up the plot details, and hopefully utilizing the modern state of the internet to craft more relevant stories while keeping the kids true to their original wonderful selves. Looking at the current Adventure universe, the recent follow-ups have left us with precious few questions that need answering and the 02 epilogue increasingly limits its story potential. A reboot can do away with all of those, take these characters in new directions, and explore our relationship with the digital world in new ways the same way Appmon did. The key word here, of course, is “can.” Not “will.” There’s limitless potential with Digimon Adventure: but only to the extent they’re willing to pursue it. Having familiar comfort food with a nicer polish than the original Adventure might work with a new audience, but wouldn’t offer much in the way of new content for us to digest.

That’s why there’s a possibility I won’t review the new series here. There are several reasons for this. One is because of the possibility it ends up as more of a remake than a reboot. I don’t want to be that guy comparing the old thing with the new thing and nitpicking every decision. Just like how I avoided too many comparisons between the English and Japanese versions (you know, back when we had English dubs), I would rather appreciate the new series for what it is rather than how it holds up against the original. I already reviewed the original, so a reboot needs to have something distinctive to focus on.

System Restore was also designed to be reflective, looking back on old shows and breaking them down to explore its themes and characters instead of attempting instant reactions. It was never meant for something contemporary, and while we should be lucky we got contemporary Digimon in its lifespan, a full reboot of the original series might be a good time to pack in this format. Between my Twitter, Tumblr, and the podcast, there will be ample ways to hear my opinions.

Appmon won’t finish until the end of April, so I’ll be able to check out the first few episodes of the new series to get a better taste before making a decision. And if there’s no official simulcast, we’d be under the same rules as Appmon and waiting for an official English release anyway. So I’m not making a decision yet. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on whether I should continue System Restore for the new series. If you really want me to continue, a Ko-Fi donation would be an appropriate way to show how much the project is valued! I’m not even ruling out a Patreon if Toei insists on giving us more Digimon.

Also, don’t forget about the March 25 screening of Last Evolution Kizuna in the US! Our review of it will go up the next day, along with a full episode of the With the Will podcast on March 28 devoted to discussing it (a couple peers in the Digimon review community are planning to join us!).

Digimon Universe App Monsters Ending 3: Little Pi
Continuing the run of Digimon endings that don’t feel like Digimon endings, a bouncy idol number with zany randomness going on behind it! The first half is an homage to the spinoff Appmon Gakuen manga that several reliable sources swear existed. The second half gets good mileage out of the minute counter and alternate iconography for the five main Appmon that never really got attention before. At least everyone floating away at the end is sort of on brand.

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