Digimon Adventure tri - Sōshitsu (Loss)

Well, this opinion post of mine is rather late. So here are my thoughts and opinions on the latest installment in Digimon Adventure tri.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/thumbnails/max1000x1500/cms/news/107644/digimon.jpg

Overall, I thought the film was okay. Not great but not bad either. It hits the right marks in some places and does not hit some in the others. Let me list out a couple of aspects I think the film got right and some that the film does not.

What makes it:

The amnesia - This aspect is peculiar here because on one hand, there are parts where the amnesia works well and others where it seems underdeveloped. I will be discussing what was done well. 

Unless you have not watched the previous film (in that case, why are you even here, reader?), let me bring you up to speed: Due to events in the previous film, the Digimon have lost all their memories of their human partners.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/Amnesia-The-Dark-Descent-Cover-Art.png

Unfitting image aside, what I did like is that none of the Digimon gravitated towards their partners right away and were somewhat intimidated by said partners who claimed to know them. It made for a unique situation where the human partners would have to earn the trust of their amnesiac friends rather than have the humans immediately gain the adoration and respect from them (a contrasting situation to how the DigiDestined first met their adoring Digimon). 

I also appreciated that the Digimon did not take the words of their partners at face value and that they actually doubted the veracity of their claims of friendship. After all, would anyone immediately trust a person who claimed to know them? This results in the DigiDestined needing to use differing approaches to earn back the trust and friendship of their partners (one that Takeru/T.K manages to figure out to his credit). Part of the charm here is watching the Digimon regain their trust and affection for their partners as they begin to understand and empathize with their respective partners, rebuilding bonds thought fragmented through a hard reset.

The battles - Or rather battle. It was decently animated (compared to the first installment of these films).

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f7/Digimon_Battle_Logo.jpg

The opponents here are a pleasant surprise to see since they were from the original series (hint hint) but they seem under-powered in comparison to their actual selves in the aforementioned series (then again, the main cast has matured and grown stronger far more at this point).

Mega evolutions - Seraphimon finally shows up and actually participates in a legitimate fight. And it. is pretty good. Nothing revolutionary but after the so-called movie (or rather Hurricane Touchdown), it is great to see Seraphimon in an actual fight. As for Phoenixmon, the build-up to it was decent as well since part of the film's focus lay on Sora and her relationship with her Digimon partner. Also, WARGREYMON'S BACK, FUCK YEAH!!!

http://www.zerochan.net/WarGreymon

Ahem... as the observant reader can tell, I am a huge fan of WarGreymon and will always feel elation at seeing that humanoid beast of perfection appear on screen in battles. So that's one bonus point for the film.

What breaks it

The amnesia - Now for the downside of the amnesia plot: Some of it feels under-utilised or like wasted potential due to the movie format of the show. With the amnesia, a lot of character moments and insight could have been made like how the humans would have felt from being unable to reconnect with their partners initially, how the Digimon would have felt about their partners and their claims, how frustrating it would be for some of the humans who can no longer discuss or reminisce with their amnesiac Digimon.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/ba/Amnesiaamachineforpigscoverart.jpg

Sora's story with her own Digimon partner is the only part that actually explored that dynamic with a partner who attempts to distance herself from the former due to initial disassociation with her pre-amnesia self. The rest simply regain their affection for their partners rather quickly (though a nice touch is separating the pairs and mixing them around at one point which allows other characters to provide their own descriptions the Digimon's respective human partners). 

Lack of 02's presence - Okay, now this is starting to bug me. It is the fourth movie already and there is still no clue of the 02. While 02 has a bad reputation, it is starting to get annoying with how little they reference them. From the presence of the D3 Digivices and Ken's existence, it is clear 02 exists in continuity (ship sinking notwithstanding). They better have a big revelation for the next film.

Rushed pacing - My biggest problem with these films, and this one included, is the rushed pacing. What I mean by this is how quickly this film goes from the beginnings of a new adventure with new dilemmas to battling the antagonists. The sudden change in situations and plot points is one that often throws me off when watching these films. This is not a problem with the story of the films (in fact, the dilemmas faced by the protagonists are decent) but rather the format of these series of films. If tri was a regular animated series like the original series, pacing would not be an issue since there can be episodes dedicated to world-building, character establishment, setup for potential conflicts and more. In fact, gradual build-up was something that the old show did and as a result, the impact was greater and left a stronger impression. However, since tri are a series of movies, a lot has to be crammed into a relatively shorter run-time. Hence, pacing issues and subsequently, less build-up with less impact. While this is something others may be able to overlook, I feel that this is the one thing that drags these series of films down.

Summary:
Overall, it is alright. Not great but not bad, just a solid C+. I did not enjoy as much as the previous film though the revelations and the parts with WarGreymon were enjoyable. I do not recommend the film now since it ends on a cliffhanger as always plus it may be better to watch it once there is resolution to that cliffhanger.  

Some thoughts while watching:

• Okay, new Digimon film. Time to watch it!
• Hmm... good. They are pursuing the amnesia aspect of the story decently.
• Good approach to dealing with Tokomon, TK.
• Interesting... The story's focus is clearly on Sora.
• Interesting revelations on the Digimon Sovereigns.
• There's that name! I wonder if it will go All Out in the ending.

A Look at Vampire the Masquerade – Bloodlines Part 16

After a long leave of absence, I make a brief return to continue the tale of Mark Flavian, kindhearted madman and vampire in Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines.

Here Mark stands looking over the graveyard, wondering how long has he been standing here.

Onward through the shortcut!

Jason Anderson and Tim Cain? I am sure that those folk are not significant in anyway...

[Kidding, of course. Real Fallout fans ought to know who the two are or at least, should know who Tim Cain is.]

Now for a quick crawl through here...

Oh dear... Whatever dirty secret Tawni had must have been pretty dirty.

The least Mark should get for causing someone's death is some monetary compensation. Now to find out what Tawni did.

Oh.... At least it was not necrophilia...?

As further compensation, it is time to collect a new quest from Imalia: Getting Imalia a magazine featuring herself.

Well, there is only one kind of place that may sell magazines with scantily-clad women.

Now to ask this sleaze-bag for the goods.

And there is the option!

Wouldn't jacking off to Tawni be counted as necrophilia now?

Oh... so Imalia went missing last year? Interesting...

Darn... Mark does not have enough skills in Finance.

Not sure if Mark would since he just lost 500 dollars. Also, why are those pages stuck toge-

Urgh... You are a sad, sick little man...

Mark demands compensation for this loss of income.

Looks like this is the magazine Imalia is looking for.

Now to present it to Imalia.

Not sure why the camera does not center on her here but it still works.

Oh, she does pay Mark for his work. Hopefully it covers the costs.

I guess not... Ah well, the experience points would be useful.

Now for Imalia's origin story (again if I have posted this before).

The blanks as I have filled them: Imalia screamed at the sight of Gary and as she did so, he threw the martini near her to draw her attention before Embracing her.

"Life is a cold-hearted bitch, so now I get to be one too." - Imalia 

Alright, got it written down here.

She is at least grateful so I guess Mark gets to keep his reputation as a kind-hearted madman or at least, a helpful madman.

Now to complete some side-quests...

In Santa Monica.

As one can tell, Bertram has a task for Mark.

So the task is to find a CD in the Warrens to get him to teach you something.

This is why I had Mark pick up the CD first. It will save up on the backtracking.

The player character is supposed to get some additional points in the appropriate skills but I'm not sure if Mark did get those points. He did get the experience points at least.

Now to check back with the old Haven.

A lot of e-mails. Time to read most of them.

Here are the quests Mark has obtained. One of them can be handled in Santa Monica, so Mark gets to that one first.

Before heading to it, Mark remembers to grab the key in his post-box.

Now I will level up Mark's lockpicking skill.

For this part. There is something in here to take.

Also, Mercurio has a new toy for Mark.

A tactical riffle, complete with toggle-able zoom. For now, Mark will not be using it.

Here lies Megahurtz Computing.

Now to sneak around, even though I am aware that the place is deserted.

The door directly across from the entrance leads to this room with a man-sized vent.

That leads to another room with this power switch.

Unlocking the door of that room means that Mark will not have to crawl back to the other room.

Here is the room with the terminal required to proceed.

The password can be found in the quest log but since I am too lazy to open it up, I will have Mark hack it instead.

I wonder if he is related to Norman or Bill?

Only one command is available so Mark uses that one...

Which enables a hub of Schrecknet that allows the quest-line to progress.

Now to head to Downtown.

Here is a disturbing image with a disturbing message! World of Darkness, reader!

Before heading up, Mark completes the other quest in the log by placing the required item in his post box.

Been a while since Mark has spoken to Heather. I guess she is in need of her fix.

Vampire blood. It does that to you.

Looks like there are more quests from Mitnick for Schrecknet.

Now to go to the place where it all began.

Via the sewers, of course.

What Mark needs is the access point that leads into the theatre.

Like this one.

Okay, he is in.

With a creepy poster to greet him.

This time, there are guards in the place where Mark intends to break into.

To get around the patrolling guard, Mark ascends to a position of superior altitude.

From above, the Mark gazes at the ground, wondering how did he survive that first night... Or he is standing still so that the human player could get this screen-cap.

The spot where it all began and the last place Mark would like to drop onto.

X marks the spot though I have to wonder if the Nosferatu will clean up the obvious mark later.

Camera set and it is one of those old web-cams.

Now to find the active computer of the theatre.

With a little help from Obfuscate. Without it, this part requires impeccable timing and a good Sneak stat.

Several of these doors serve as decoys and hiding spots from the patrolling guard.

Have I ever mentioned how useful Obfuscate is? Because here I am mentioning it again.

Here is the active computer.

There goes the cameras.

Now for net security.

What better way to avoid jinxing.

Time to activate the hub.

If James Bond were a madman with his hair ripped out, maybe.

Now to sneak out.

With Obfuscate, of course.

Normal, non-Obfuscated players ought to use the catwalks to sneak around this part. Mark is just using them to prove this point.

With that, Mark has bypassed the last of the guards.

Which means he is home-free.

Now for a quick nip of rat.

And a return to the surface.

Or rather the apartment's basement.

Remember that tape I left in the mail? That was for Gary who will pay for such items with a poster of the various female character of the game. Here is Jeanette. I wonder how Therese would feel about this poster in Mark's haven?

Now for the next set of quests. Another poster quest and a new place to break into for Schrecknet.

Here is the key to the place.

And here is the item Mark needs to hand over for the poster.

The reward is this poster of V.V.

Here is the next poster quest.

With the required item.

Huh... a character Mark has not met yet. Looks like I broke some kind of sequence here.

A poster of Damsel, eh?

Looks like it is time to head back to Hollywood for Schrecknet and posters.

Here is the entrance. The sign makes it rather obvious.

Inside are these shelves of stored goods and guards unseen in this screen-cap. This area is tough to sneak around due to how small the area is for sneaking around.

Obfuscate is Mark's friend here.

The most important place to enter in this place is the security room on the opposite side of the entrance. This room, in fact.

The reason: It unlocks everything you need.

Rock on indeed.

Now for some sensual sneaking.

Infiltrating the interior of this building.

In that case, salute me as I destroy your security and set up a hub here.

Not me. I rarely use Turbo in Fallout New Vegas.

Huh... After all those messages, this one is rather bland.

Now to set up Schrecknet.

And there's the e-mail from Mitnick.

This is the next item needed for a poster.

Now to sneak out with Obfuscate.

Now to return to Downtown for my prize and next mission.

Human Damsel, eh? She is definitely gonna be pissed about this.

New e-mails.

Here are the next quests. All of them are in Chinatown so it is time to proceed with the main story.

To Chinatown!

Self-explanatory.

Here, in front of this shop named Tseng's, is where we will stop for now in this look at Vampire the Masquerade - Bloodlines. Next time, Mark will explore more of Chinatown and sample the local cuisine of side-quests.