Pop Culture Panda: Digimon Tri - Soushitsu/Loss ep1

Digimon Tri movie 4 has come out and it wasn't what I expected.

For one thing, nothing much happened. They're even reusing old sets!

Hello, Seadramon set from like, episode three of the original run!

After the last movie, the kids were all sucked back into the digital world and their Digimon - who had reverted back into their 'in-training' forms - had forgotten who they were.

This doesn't seem to be a problem. The general attitude of the chosen children is that 'yeah we can see you're freaked out and confused and sometimes afraid that we're gonna eat ya but it's okay, we know we're cool so we'll just hang around and laugh at your antics!'

Ha ha, oh you!

They halfheartedly moan about being back where they were and not knowing more about their situation or how to get home.

No-one really seems to care though?

They all seem fine to just stand around and weirdly bond with their Digimon again.

"You just came to the wrong Digi-village..."

Then this happens. Yokomon is the grumpiest little pink flower thing this side of Super Mario.

Everything Sora does is wrong - she steps on her head flower accidentally (although in her defense, Yokomon was pretty much lying prone in the path for some reason) she forcibly restrains Yokomon with a well intentioned but poorly thought out hug and then..

...then she says this.

Note to viewers - if you're trying to get back in someone's good books don't call them pathetic babies especially when they don't seem to have the same attitude as the someone you once knew.

If you have to do it, then use a PR spin, tell them how close you once were and that you miss them.

Given that no Digimon remembers them at all, the kids just act weird towards them and try to forcibly remind them of like.. the last... what? how many years?

I get that it would be weird. I get that it would be soul crushing. It just seems strange that none of the Digimon try to leave and that the children - for the most part - interact with their amnesiac buddies without really taking into account that they DO NOT REMEMBER THEM.

Hikari, for example, does it right. She approaches Nyaromon, who at first freaks but then realises that Hikari smells like the whistle she gave her earlier and finds it comforting. They bond. It's cute. It's effective.

Sora meanwhile - gets entirely swept under the rug. Not one other person acknowledges that their good buddy Sora is emotionally devastated about Yokomon.

I'm not even sure if they actually look outside their own situation and even notice that she's upset.

Heck, there is still no word on the Season 02 kids and no one gives a rat's arse either.

They are keen on pushing more of a Tai/Matt friendship on us, and showing us their constant battle for the best reaction shot.

I'm happy with Tai's development in this series.

Matt is still a jerk most of the time, no matter what anyone else says.

Then this little bastard appears.

I do not care for Meicoomon or Mei!

That name still pisses me off. It's like having Mimi and Mimimon! Graaagh!

Anyway, Meicoomon shows up for a cry about Mei not being there. Meanwhile, Mei has a cry about being back in the normal world and not having Meicoomon there.
Tai tries to chase Meicoomon down to help but she runs away because that's helpful as hell.

"What are you, my grandmother?!"

The next big plot point is that apparently Sora stayed up all night to make an absolute buffet which she somehow hid under her skirts, I guess?

Even Yokomon begrudgingly eats the food, but gets ticked at Sora when she's like "oh, you like meatballs and you're currently eating some?? Have another bowl right now!"

Then despite the show's love of showing entire digivolution sequences, the entire team misses that their Digimon have digivolved and have grouped together for a more effective photo.

All in all, there was some good ideas in this episode that never really came to fruition. The most exciting thing that happened was a random, muted and monochromatic flashback to the last Digidestined and the Sovereign Digimon and that was only brief.

I do hate starter episodes though and this just felt like another starter.. like this could literally have been the first episode of Digimon Tri and it feels off.