Digimon Adventure tri. Part 1: Reunion (2016)

Good concept, poorly executed.

best movie i've ever seen.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

It appears this film is the first in a series of film which will conclude in 2018. If I knew that I wouldn't have watched it. The following review will be for both the first and second films. From what I read, the third is supposed to be awesome but I haven't been able to get my hands on it. The first film in the series is extremely lacking because it simply acts an introduction or reintroduction. Plus there is hardly has any action in it.

I was a fan of Digimon as a kid, but unlike Dragon Ball Z and Escaflowne, I'm not a fan as an adult. Digimon just doesn't hit that sweet spot anymore I guess. I was expecting stellar animation like that which was in the previously theatrically released Digimon: The Movie, and safe to say I was disappointed. In this new film the animation was choppy, the facial and eye artwork was sloppy, the sound design was jarring, and overall the pacing was way too slow. A 96 minute long movie never felt so long.And yes, I know Digimon: The Movie was three short films edited together to make a full length movie. And yes, I know that most fans don't like the English version of this movie because of the bad editing. But it still has stellar animation, no matter what Fox Kids did to it. I saw this movie in the English special theatre release. I liked the voice acting, though Vic Mignogna as Matt was jarring because Matt is blonde haired and blue eyed, which just made me think of Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist the whole time. I get that this isn't technically a movie, it's the first four episodes of a new series. In any case, it's still slow and choppy. I get too that it only had a small budget, which was obvious in the amount of still shots in the movie, but even so, the artists could try a little harder on the faces.

*contains spoilers* So the new movie is out and its as amazing as the adventure 01 & 02 series. Here's my views of the movie. 1. Characters: Its amazing to see all the old digidestined back in action again. If you are a person who grew up watching digimon then definitely it'll take you back. I'm one such person. So it made me feel as though I met a few old friends after a long gap. So the whole nostalgic feeling makes you go wow! All the eight are grown up and are leading a typical teenage life. I love the canons. Mimi and Koushiro, Sora and Yamato, Takeru and Hikari all is going on. It's correct in my opinion because as people grow it's quite common that they start falling in love or start experiencing the need to impress another person or feeling jealous. Yes I'm hinting at Koushiro trying out apps to see which style of clothes suit him better, Hikari stopping her cycle after hearing Takeru is going out with a girl. All this is in it. Although I missed Joe, I think its alright for the moment because there are so many things going on in his life. For me Mimi and Sora are definitely the most promising. Mimi kind of gels the whole group together and Sora still has that big sister's feel. I'm a bit disappointed with Taichi being so pessimistic. But its just the first movie. Of course digimon are a main part of the movie so, I cant miss them out. The fact that the original voice artists at back is icing on the cake. It really feels wow when you hear agumon shinka, gabumon shinka and in th background we have brave heart playing(which is also cool as well). So all in all the characters are great. Its the main part of the movie. There is a good level of character development. For me the main thing considering characters is that there must be a reasonable level of similarity with the original child characters. What I mean to say is that if I see Mimi today I must get the feel that 'ya this is the same Mimi'. The movie delivers this. So for me, I give a perfect 10 for the characters.Plot - Digidestined+ Kuwagamon + champion forms + battle + alphamon + meicoomon = amazing plot. What is more convincing is that you don't get bored. The episodes keep you thinking what's going to happen next. Yeah the end was a bit rushed. They must have shown the evolution sequence for agumon and Gabumon's ultimate forms. The story is nice. There's government there. Dunno if they are good or bad. Also you have a new character. Meiko. She's a bit strange. Another thing I like of the plot is that no 02 kids are being mentioned. So it makes me wondering what is up with them. So yeah the plot for me is a 9. Animation and Music - When you are talking about a digimon movie, you cannot ignore the evolution sequence and the music. This is considered as a separate factor because any body who follows digimon knows what the animation and the songs mean to them. First up the songs. I have heard the full versions of all the three main songs - Butterfly, Brave heart and I wish. I must say they are all as good as they were in the first season. 'I wish' by Ai Maeda is my favourite this time out of the three. 😊. The animation is cool. I loved the new evolution sequence. Just to hear brave heart play and hear that 'agumon shinka' or 'piyomon shinka'... Gives me Goosebumps. Unfortunately not all of them evolved. Missed Ikakkumon. But for me Birdramon and Kabuterimon looked different and way better than 01. One thing I didn't like is that none of the digimons screamed their attacks. Greymon didn't say Mega flame nor Garurumon said fox fire. But I loved how Togemon said chik chiku bang bang. Anyhow, music and animation are cool. So a 10. So basically that's it for me. As I said, its a perfect start to the 6 part movie. The next movie Ketsui is expected to be out on March 12. And to see Rosemon and Vikemon on its poster is so exiting. Its kinda cool if Mimi and Joe would team up again like they did in adventure, when they decided to travel the spiral mountain together. It's nostalgic again and to see them get their ultimates first, really cool! So lets hope that the new movie brings us more excitement and happiness like this movie brought. Let the adventure evolve! 😊

Digimon has always held a special spot in my heart, as I watched it growing up, and I could not stop loving the series years later. Well, as a long-time fan, this movie didn't disappoint me; it was just as much a celebration of its history as it was a loving gift to its fans. *This review will contain spoilers for the first two Digimon series, as well as this movie.*Plot: 7/10 - Following the events of Digimon Adventure 02, the group has grown up further, and they're well into their high school years. Strange disturbances in the networks throughout Japan ominously herald the start of another adventure. During a soccer game, Tai chases after a Kuwagamon and witnesses firsthand the devastation such a creature could bring about. Chased and exhausted, he is saved at the last moment by Agumon, who proceeds to fight Kuwagamon after Digivolving into Greymon. The two are then transported into an airport and continue their fight, while Tai and the other DigiDestined are all escorted to the airport and reunited with their Digimon partners. After driving back Kuwagamon and its two reinforcements, the group struggles to regain its luster, knowing all too well that the fight has just begun. The plot of this movie is essentially groundwork for what's to come; it sets up character arcs and relationships that will not be expanded upon until later, as well as conflicts and problems we can spot a mile away.Characters: 10/10 - Right from the onset, there seems to be discontent from the group, as with their adulthood looming they develop both physically and mentally, and they drift ever further apart. Tai, the leader of the group in the first series, has serious issues with his future, and the entire DigiDestined seem shackled to the past in one way or another. The love triangle between him, Matt and Sora doesn't aid in calming his nerves, and his newfound fear in the power of Digimon and helplessness towards them that he failed to grasp as a child. Izzy has a glow-in-the-dark obvious crush on Mimi, and he struggles with it, while TK and Kari are also starting to notice their increased popularity and attraction is changing their relationship. Even the oldest of the group, Jo, has a girlfriend, one whom he disregards for his failing entrance exam scores. The character development is subtle, and logical, deeply rooted in the characters established in the two prior series and with an additional layer of complexity worthy of exploration. Interesting moments and character beats connect long-time fans with their childhood favorites, while also showing signs of adulthood and change all-too familiar. Pacing: 8/10 – Up until the final five minutes of the movie, the pacing was excellent and worked wonders. Taking itself slowly, and showing through actions, not words, how far the characters have changed from our last encounter, it brought the group well into focus and the movie gained gravitas and impact because of it. But the final five minutes the movie realized it needed to wrap up; non- stop evolutions of progressively greater power, culminating in a frantic Alphamon vs Omnimon battle, none of which was built up properly or had a pay-off worthy of its much greater hourly set-up. Ending the movie on the Omnimon transformation would have worked great, I felt, as would a declaration from Tai to fight, finding a reason to. Maybe his failure to size up could have ended the movie on a cliffhanger, and provided motivation to fight next time. But this ending felt rushed and unworthy of the honestly very atmospheric and amazingly powerful built-up that the movie had spent itself creating. General Notes: 9/10 – The animation is beautiful to behold, crisp and clear while retaining much of the charm from the earlier, sloppier, animation style before it. The Digivolution sequences were great, although they were a bit too much Digimon Tamers rather than Adventure for me. Hearing the "Butterfly" and "Brave Heart" songs again was amazing, and the renditions here are excellent. The brief glimpses of the four Adventure 02 DigiDestined and their defeat at the start of the series was a subtle and effective way of showing the continuity of 02. But their complete lack of reference past that point is baffling. Especially as TK is shown communicating to the worldwide DigiDestined community, and we know that those shown briefly should be discussed more, especially as Kari and TK know them well, and they go to the same school! Mention their disappearance at least. Conclusion: 9/10 – For me, characters and atmosphere can dominate story and improve a property immensely, and Digimon Tri did just that. Its story is obvious and not the most interesting, but the rest is amazing. If not for the horribly paced final minutes, then it would be a clear 9.5/10, but it lost a lot of its flow in reaching for that Omnimon appearance. The villain is also non- existent as an element in Tri, and the use of Kuwagamon, while significant to us as their first challenge in the digital world, is never menacing. If you can watch the movie as a single film, it is much better than the episodic version, as this was clearly meant to be a single unit, and not a string of episodes. For long-time fans or people looking for a tearfully nostalgic property, Digimon Adventure Tri satisfies perfectly. Newcomers will be lost however, as there is no recap of previous events.