Digimon Adventure S02E26

The five DigiDestined head into the Digital World to repair a bridge that was destroyed during one of the battles against the Digimon Emperor. Just as they finish, the mysterious woman in red creates a Minotarumon from a Control Spire and sics it on the bridge. The team fights Minotarumon off, but the bridge is damaged once more. Davis brings up the idea of asking Ken to help with the repairs, but he’s shouted down by the others. Before they can repair it, they get an e-mail from Izzy, warning them that the Digimon Emperor’s former base is about to explode. Upon arrival, Davis leaps to the conclusion that Ken needs to bring the Crest of Kindness to the base to stop the reactor from exploding.

The mysterious woman appears on Ken’s computer to distract him so Davis’ messages don’t go through. Eventually, Izzy just calls him on the land line and Wormmon answers, waking Ken up from his angry argument with the woman. As he heads into the Digital World, the woman intercepts the rest of the kids and uses ten Control Spires to create a fake Okuwamon who takes down most of the Digimon handily. Ken arrives and insists on solving the problem himself, but Davis refuses to let him, and somehow that bonds the two together. ExVeemon and Stingmon DNA Digivolve into Paildramon, and prepare to take on the Okuwamon and stop the base’s explosion.

Like any good episode of Zero-Two, we open with changed dialogue.

silence
Davis: Ow! Shurimon, watch what you’re doing!
Shurimon: You don’t have to yell at me.

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Hawkman: Hmm, delicious!
Hawkman: Uh… do you have any Worcestershire?

Honestly, the biggest takeaway here is that Hawkmon pronounces it “wer-stir-SHEER,” and that’s how I’ve been saying it since I was a kid as a result. I will not debate this pronunciation.

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In the original, Miyako’s concern was solely about the weird white-haired woman. In the dub, she mentions her, but her overall concern is that she’s a threat to Ken specifically.

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Wormmon: What are you looking at?
Ken: How can this [Dark Tower] turn into a Digimon?
Wormmon: Look on the bright side, Ken: at least no one will ever say you think small!
Ken: You certainly have a good point.

No he does not. Ken, stop lying to the poor Digimon.

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Honestly, this entire exchange is changed so much, I’m reluctant to list everything here, lest this comparison be longer than War and Peace. The dub sometimes downplays the danger, and sometimes up-plays it, and there’s no real rhyme or reason to it. Dub Wormmon warns Ken not to touch the Control Spire and Ken calls it “Pure Evil.” That’s contrasted by Dub Wormmon’s joke about thinking small, and the original version’s more somber, quiet tone with less dialogue.

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In the original, Ken says that no longer being the Digimon Kaiser means he doesn’t fully understand what’s going on or how things work anymore. This prompts Wormmon to ask with concern if Ken wants to be the Kaiser again. Ken quickly quashes his fears, saying that being the Kaiser gave him clarity of mind to understand most things, but not the weight of his own actions.

In the dub, Ken says he can’t understand how Control Spires become Digimon, and he literally name-drops Arukenimon, whose name has not been revealed to this point. The original keeps her name (and subsequently her status as an actual Digimon) a secret still.

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Wormmon: Earth to Ken, you’re a genius. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.
Ken: Thanks pal, I’m glad someone still has faith in me.

…yeah, it’s not like Davis spent the entire last episode demonstrating his faith in you. Nor Yolei at the end of that same episode. Nope, just Wormmon.

Ken then goes on to say he’s not a genius anymore, directly contradicting Wormmon, and Wormmon says that’s a relief. Ken says it’s great he’s relieved, but what about the Digital World (and offers no context as to why the Digital World would want him to be a genius again), and Wormmon says they’ll “get over it.” Did the writers take turns writing each sentence and just failed to consult each other?

Just so you know, I’m only about 2 minutes into the episode, not counting the recap and intro. The dub conversation seems to be going off the rails in ways I’m having trouble explaining.

Ken: This is… what I built.
Wormmon: I’m sorry… if only I had been stronger, this wouldn’t have happened to you…
Ken: Wormmon… looking at these things makes me sick to my stomach.
Wormmon: Oh great. Stick your head between your knees and take a deep breath. This whole thing is my fault!

…what?

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Ken: It’s not your fault, Wormmon. I’m the one to blame.
Wormmon: Ken-chan… let’s restore the Digital World together, okay?
Ken: How many times do I have to tell you it’s not your fault? There are people you can talk to about this stuff!
Wormmon: Then why didn’t you talk to them before becoming the Digimon Emperor? It had to be easier than building control spires!

Wait, are they talking about therapy now? Are there therapists in the Digital World? Why is this conversation so far off the rails?

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In the original, the kids are all proud of themselves for working so hard to fix the bridge. In the dub, they all poke fun at Davis and act like because he was helping, the bridge can’t be structurally stable. Then Flamedramon and Davis bicker about who caused a rock slide.

This is a great example of how the dub makes them seem less like an actual team. Sure, Daisuke gets some teasing for his immature behavior now and again in the original, but overall, the team supports each other and they work together well. In the dub, they just constantly snipe at each other, and it feels more like they tolerate each other rather than actually being friends. It also weakens the effect of the bridge being attacked in the next scene because the dub audience doesn’t feel the sense of accomplishment the DigiDestined should have displayed.

In the original, the mysterious woman says nothing as she throws her hair at the Dark Tower. In the dub she shouts “Spirit Needle!” with the requisite echo effect that lets you know it’s a Digimon ability.

And after the break, Davis and the now-devolved Veemon are still bickering about the rockslide.

Narrator: Minotarumon! Adult level. His special attack is Darkside Quake.
Raidramon: Minotarumon is a Champion-level Digimon with a nasty left jab! His Earthquake Drill will turn that bridge into stepping stones!

In the original, Minotarumon doesn’t call out his attack. In the dub, he shouts Earthquake Drill.

Takeru: Daisuke! Are you okay?!
Daisuke: Takeru! He really is trying to destroy the bridge we repaired!
TK: Davis! Taking a swim?
Davis: Very funny, TP! A little help here?

The weird part is that TK actually sounded legitimately concerned about Davis when he called out his name, then suddenly switched to a joking tone out of nowhere.

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Miyako: Why would [Minotarumon] do that?!
Yolei: Davis is gonna mess this up again!

Davis is literally the only one actually trying to fight the Digimon, and Raidramon has done no damage to the bridge at all! I never thought I’d say this, but Davis deserves better.

Then in the next scene, Aquilamon damages the bridge when he drops Minotarumon. Yolei’s response? “Oi vey.”

In the original when Break Up! is playing, they use the opening guitar riff from Brave Heart and nothing more to indicate the start of a standard evolution sequence, not interrupting the existing song. Obviously the dub does nothing of the sort.

Davis: Augh, I feel so violated…
TK: It’s okay, Davis. We still respect you.

Excuse me, what?

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When Daisuke suggests that Ken help with the bridge, only Iori objects. In the dub, all the kids complain, with Yolei even asking if he’s out of his mind. So what the hell happened to all that development she had in the last episode?

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The remaining conversation is pretty close in both versions, though Daisuke comes off as more insightful than Davis, who prefers to dismiss any potential criticism of his ideas with statements like, “I know it’s not logical, but neither am I!” It kind of hampers the sincerity of the scene.

Something strange is happening nearby! Please go check it out!
I’m getting a real bizarre signal. It’s not too far from you. Check it out. –Izzy

Large parts of the next conversation were inverted in the dub. Originally, Stingmon says he can continue knocking down Dark Towers, but Ken urges him to take a break for the day. Wormmon later says that Ken worries too much. In the dub, Stingmon says he wants to take a break and a bath, and later complains that Ken is walking too fast. This change was unnecessary and really alters Wormmon’s character, leaning into the dub’s attempt at humor using Wormmon’s apparently frail constitution and a dash of laziness.

The show got a new eyecatch, so now you do too!

In the original, Ken’s computer beeps and Wormmon is surprised when the mysterious woman appears on screen. In the dub, he reacts before she appears, making you wonder what startled him if not her.

The differences between the conversation with Ken and the mysterious woman are minor between versions, but when Izzy calls, things take a turn for the goofy. Izzy mentions that Wormmon sounds “bright enough to me!” to which Wormmon asks what Izzy has heard about him. Then Izzy insults Davis’ intelligence. That exchange is not in the original, and Koushiro gets down to business, telling him that there’s an emergency right off the bat.

The other difference is that the woman is a bit more curt and angry in the original, but only by a little.

Narrator: Ookuwamon, Perfect level. His Scissor Armos Omega are sharp enough to cut through diamonds!
Woman: Okuwamon is an Ultimate Digimon. Stay clear of his Double Scissor Claw attack – he has a cutting sense of humor.

Takeru: It’s a Perfect level…
TK: It’s showtime, guys!

Seems to be a trend that when the original points out what level a Digimon is at, usually to point out a disadvantage of some kind, the dub cuts the line and replaces it with something inconsequential to the plot.

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Gatomon: He’d be kitty kibble if I could become Angewomon.
Patamon: You go, gurl.

Pfft. Okay, that was funny.

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Hikari: Angemon’s attack is only effective against dark types!
Kari: Angemon’s attack is most effective against evil Digimon! That thing’s not even a Digimon!

The American dub has always downplayed references to Digimon types and alignments unless they absolutely have to address it, like in the card scene back in the first season.

I’m starting to think that none of the Dark Tower Digimon are actually capable of speech in the original, but the dub keeps having them call out attack names anyway. At least they’re not making bad jokes.

After the commercial break, the dub reuses scenes of the Digimon being hit by Okuwamon and reverting to their Rookie forms, though it does it out of sequence from how the battle actually played out.

Now ExVeemon points out that Okuwamon is an Ultimate, so there goes that pattern.

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Ken: I won’t let people suffer anymore because of what I did.
Ken: No one else is going to die for my mistakes, understand?

Ooooooooh, he said the “D” word…

Holy carp, they kept the scene where Davis slaps Ken. Didn’t even censor it!

Davis: I’m tired of your big bad wolf act!
ExVeemon: He means lone wolf.
Davis: That’s what I meant!

Oi vey.

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Daisuke’s pep talk (with XVmon’s support) is that Ken won’t accomplish anything by dying, but will leave behind a worse situation. In the dub, they cut out all the death stuff once again, having Davis focus on Ken’s tendency to beat himself up for his past mistakes.

The statement that causes the next evolution sequence in the original was Ken saying he didn’t want to upset his family by dying. In the dub, Davis tells him to lean on his friends when things get tough, and Ken says, “What happens if you don’t have any friends?!” It’s a weird line to end on, since usually statements that lead to Digivolution are more… impactful and final than that.

When XVmon and Stingmon merge, it’s referred to as “Jogress Evolution,” Jogress being a portmanteau of “Joint” and “Progress.” In the dub, it’s referred to as “DNA Digivolution.”

The original debuts a new song: Beat Hit, which is played during Jogress Evolution. The dub continues to use Digimon Are the Champions as always.