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.