Digimon Adventure S02E22

After TK embarrasses Davis in basketball, the group heads to the Digital World to help repair the damaged infrastructure and environment from their many battles against the Digimon Emperor. Davis starts to think the key to getting Kari’s attention is for Veemon to Digivolve into a proper Champion to rival Angemon. He creates two fake dangerous scenarios to try and prompt the evolution, but both fail. His second shenanigan causes boulders to roll down a cliff toward them. While they escape, the boulder strikes Tortomon, who gets pretty pissed about it. It chases them toward another cliff, and when all hope seems lost, Veemon Digivolves into ExVeemon and defeats Tortomon.

Meanwhile, TK becomes suspicious that they still have access to the Digital World despite them having beaten the Emperor. He surmises that there is another evil out there, and their battle isn’t yet over.

Iori: And so, the country was saved. The king was overthrown, and the country was saved. The people were deeply saddened by the king’s downfall. That sadness remained forever with the people, and became a legend.
Cody: And so the kingdom was saved, but there was no joy in the land that day, for the king had died. In an effort to save his people, he mistakenly stood on the wrong side of the cannon as it was being fired. The people watched in shock as the king flew overhead.

If I had a week, I wouldn’t be able to figure out what the hell is happening here. Cody/Iori is reading a story aloud in class. In Japanese, you can see that it’s a bittersweet story of a revolution. In the dub it’s… a comedy? About a king who couldn’t identify the business end of a cannon and got thrown into the air like the Dragonborn after meeting their first giant? In both cases, Upamon tells Cody the story was depressing (though in the dub it’s implied that Cody’s reading is what made it depressing), but that was a really… odd change.

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Miyako: Take this fluid, mix it with the other fluid in a beaker, heat it with an alcohol lamp… oh, and wait three minutes!
Poromon: That looks a little dangerous…
Yolei: Pay attention, everybody. I take this tube of hydro-something stuff, and add it to this beaker of a few things I threw together, I let it simmer for a bit… now the experiment is almost complete! I’m thinking about doing some tutoring in chemistry after school if any of you boys are interested.
Poromon: Uh-oh!
Student: Is it supposed to smoke that much?
Yolei: Uh… uh… of course… it’s just the chlorodicarbonate polyethelene!

That sounds legit.

Kids, this is why your teacher tells you to wear your protective equipment in class.

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The music Kari’s dancing to isn’t that big of a change in the dub. The original was a piano piece, while the dub’s is more violin-led. But at least it was still the same genre of music, so credit where it’s due.

More exacerbation of Davis’ dub character.

silence
Davis: You guys are lame! Watch me! Nothing but net! Not only am I the best soccer player in school, I’m the best basketball player, too!

The following lines, while unrelated in the Japanese, are in the dub just making things worse. DemiVeemon bragging, Gatomon pointing out that Davis has no modesty, etc.

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Kari actively roots for TK in the basketball game. Hikari doesn’t say anything.

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Hikari: How about we try it again from the beginning?
Kari: Come on, I think Davis needs a little more time to practice!

MAN Kari’s mean in this series.

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In the dub, Davis blames his team for not knowing how to pass (which is irrelevant since he had the ball from the beginning before he tripped). In the original, he doesn’t state why he’s upset.

In both versions, Daisuke says they’re in the Digital World to help restore it after what the Emperor did, and says that they (the DigiDestined) are partially to blame for the destruction, so it’s only right that the help.

The weird part is that this does NOT fit with Davis’ character, who not two minutes ago blamed his team for not passing the ball when he had it in his hands and tripped while dribbling. It’s a good line, and it fits with Daisuke’s real characterization, but including it in the dub just shows how distorted the character is there.

silence
Gotsumon: Don’t leave any stone unturned, even if it’s your cousin!

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silence
RedVeggimon: Form a single line, everybody, and no cutting in! Today’s entrée will be tuna surprise! Unfortunately, we didn’t have any tuna. That’s the surprise!

At least it wasn’t a three bean salad without the third bean.

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(miles away from the RedVeggiemon)
Armadimon: Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, dagyaa!
Armadillomon: You hear that Cody? You can get a free lunch!

Wait, Armadillomon can hear cutaways?

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silence
Geckomon: Alright, you Bakumon, a little to the left! Now a smidge to the right! That’s it! That’s it! Yeah!

First, they’re Bakemon, not Bakumon. Secondly, they were floating forward when he was giving those left-right directions and were nowhere near the bridge yet. Thirdly… it’s okay for a scene to be quiet.

While the kids work, the original uses some nice orchestral background music. The dub uses a horn-based version of Digimon Are The Champions. It’s not a bad choice per se, but it is a lot more in-your-face than the original’s.

Wow, the dub left an actually funny joke from the original out. It happens when they’re trying to pull a boat out of the water.

Daisuke: Move, Numemon! You’re in the way!
Davis: C’mon Veggiemon, lift! You gotta put some backbone into it! …oh, I forgot, you don’t have one!

That dialogue change was to cut out the fact that the Numemon were very irritated with Daisuke’s order, and angrily jumped away leaving poop behind. As Numemon do. And the dub cut that scene. As Digimon dubs do.

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Takeru and Hikari (and their dub counterparts) go looking for the other three kids to tell them the theory that there’s a new evil lurking somewhere in the Digital World. But they can’t find Daisuke and the others anywhere. But it’s just a weird plot hole, since they have e-mail, so why are they running around looking for them?

Daisuke: How come Takeru and Hikari-chan get along so well?
Davis: Hey Veemon, have you noticed how chummy TK and Kari are together? Why do you think that is?
Veemon: Maybe they’re identical twins that look completely different!

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Flashback Kari: I love you, TK!
Veemon: …funny, I don’t remember it like that.

XD

The cartoon drawing of Veemon’s supposed Adult level was called UltraAngemon in the original. In the dub, it’s called Champion MegaDancermon.

Halfway through!

Hm. There’s something odd about this Digimon. I can’t quite put my seam splitter on it, though…

When V-mon doesn’t evolve to the Adult level, Daisuke gives him a smack on the head that’s cut from the dub.

Davis: You usually Digivolve when you’re scared!

*checks notes* No… I don’t think that’s right.

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Daisuke: If I got in danger, you’d evolve to Adult and save me. That was the plan.
V-mon: But it looks like it didn’t work…
Davis: Well, I thought that maybe Kari would like me more if my Digimon could reach the Champion level like TK’s can.
Veemon: That’s silly. Gatomon wouldn’t like me more if you could Digivolve.

He’s got you there, Davis.

When Daisuke and V-mon happen upon Tortamon, he’s… peeing. Using a claw to cover his… parts.

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• 

He’s also giggling for some reason…

Narrator: Tortamon! A tortoise-like reptilian Digimon with a sharp spiked shell. His special attack is Shell Phalanx.
Tortomon: I am Tortomon! I am a turtle-type Digimon, but I hide my head from no one! I use my Strong Carapace attack to be hard on my enemies!

V-mon: If someone saw them while peeing happily…
Daisuke: But it’s not like we wanted to look…
Veemon: I’d be pretty angry too if I had a boulder come at me like that!
Davis: We didn’t throw it!

But why was he so happy?

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Takeru: You saw Tortamon while he was peeing happily?
TK: So you think this Digimon is mad at you because he thinks you threw a boulder at him?

BUT WHY HAPPILY?!

Now Cody and Iori e-mail Yolei and Miyako about Davis’ and Daisuke’s situation. Where was that idea earlier?

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I love how no one tries to help Daisuke or V-mon in either version.

In both versions, Daisuke asks Tortamon to wash his hands before killing them. In the original, it’s obviously because he just got done peeing and should have clean hands. In the dub, Davis says it’s because he’s a clean person, to which Veemon remarks that it’s a good thing Tortomon hasn’t seen his room.

The switch to Brave Heart for when Vmon evolves is completely lost, of course since the dub always uses the same song for evolutions. Then it switches to Let’s Kick It Up.

Narrator: XV-mon! V-mon used his original poers to evolve into this Adult level Phantom Dragon Digimon. His special technique is X Laser.
ExVeemon: I feel like a new mon! Davis, wait ’till you see my Vee Laser attack! It’ll make my Vee Headbutt look like a tap on the shoulder!

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When XV-mon punches Tortamon (though I had to rewatch it like four times because it really looks like a kick based on the perspective) he remains silent. In the dub, he calls out ExVee Punch. Then later, he calls out Vee Kick. Again, nothing is said in the original.

Weirdly, when it looks like XV-mon is roaring, he’s silent in the original. The dub adds a roar.

Tortamon starts spinning on the ground. He’s silent in the original, but the dub calls it Spinning Attack.

Tortamon starts peeing again.

In the original, Daisuke and XV-mon cover their eyes to give him privacy. In the dub, they “can’t watch” because they expect him to attack again.

And he’s literally guffawing while he pees in the original. I don’t get it.