tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086806519830822483.post1129507978732771003..comments2024-01-20T12:42:28.972-06:00Comments on Digimon:SR: Adventure: (2020) Episode 35: The Glowing AngewomonA. R. Pulverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09577517752912942056noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8086806519830822483.post-77442879301660508912021-02-14T11:22:21.201-06:002021-02-14T11:22:21.201-06:00"It’s important to specify that while we cert..."It’s important to specify that while we certainly have questions about how exactly Tailmon sacrificing her life to defeat Millenniumon resulted in her becoming a puppet to his revival, there are enough potential answers out there that not only can we be patient about the possibility of one, it’s not even essential. If it’s never spoken of again, blame it on the Vademon cult."<br /><br />I disagree strongly with this. It sounds less like "the show has provided enough clues to point at a few theories" and more like "the show has just done this and we're supposed to do the writers' jobs for them". Especially given their poor track record for explaining anything, up to and including where Taichi keeps pulling out these handy new evolutions, which is a central mechanic of the entire Mons concept.<br /><br />It's tempting to cry that we shouldn't compare with the original Adventure, but... this is a reboot deliberately trafficking in the nostalgia of the original. And even if it wasn't, we can point to literally any of the other Digimon anime for examples.<br /><br />Tailmon/Gatomon in the original wasn't just corrupted. It was revealed she was specifically brainwashed and conditioned into it by Myotismon, in an attempt to suppress her natural defiance. Her whole character arc revolved around breaking his influence, and the one Digimon who did the most to help her - Wizardmon - was a beneficiary of one of her good moments.<br /><br />Ken? Had an unhappily complicated relationship with his brother, an escapist motive, and despite the dark spore providing an easy explanation for his descent to madness, consistently treated his own corruption as though it was his own fault.<br /><br />Beelzemon? We saw an ongoing arc detailing how his love-hate relationship with himself and obsession with power (which had an in-universe explanation as the result of how the Digital World works) got the better of him.<br /><br />Koichi? Already a torn-up kid due to painful family issues, which only got worse when Cherubimon used them to mess with him further.<br /><br />ShineGreymon Ruin Mode? A direct result of his partner Masaru/Marcus letting his emotions get the better of him, a recurring theme in his character arc.<br /><br />Nene and Yuu/Ewan? Blackmailed, tricked, and manipulated by AxeKnightmon/DarkKnightmon, due to caring too much for her brother and caring too much for the suffering of others respectively.<br /><br />One thing they all (and possibly some others I don't remember right this minute) have in common is that they get explained and explored as their respective series' progress. You don't have to take it on faith that there's a good explanation for their corruptions, because we see it happen and see the consequences of this.<br /><br />I know it gets repetitive hearing the same old complaints over and over, but this reboot really is squandering its story and character opportunities, even when it seems to find some juicy ones. It absolutely should get penalized for it, because so far the only things it does better than the original seem to be related purely to superficial things like production value or fight choreography.<br /><br />When it's basically a flashy toy advertisement with little to no substance beyond that, it's hard not to view the whole reboot as an extremely cynical nostalgia trick. Given the other seasons managed better than this, it comes close to being an overly lenient double standard.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com