Translation of a “Character Research” subsection of the Anime City section from the August 2000 issue of Animedia, featuring an in-character interview (submitted by Toei Animation) with V-mon and Daisuke from Digimon Adventure 02.
–Today, we’ll be chatting with Daisuke Motomiya-kun and V-mon. Firstly, when and where were you born?
Daisuke: I was born in 1991 in Odaiba! So I’m 11 years old in 2002, but I guess I’d be 9 in 2000. My birthday’s a secret!
V-mon: I was born in 1999, I guess. But I was sleeping under the Digimental for a while after that, so I don’t really remember all that well.
–What are your hobbies and special skills?
Daisuke: I like eating, and I’m good at never getting tired!
V-mon: Eating and never getting tired!
–What kinds of food do you like and dislike?
Daisuke: I’m not really all that picky. Oh, but taro roots1 kinda give me a hard time. I just can’t keep them in my chopsticks!
V-mon: I love chocolate!
–Is there anything you really struggle with?
Daisuke: Y’know, ghosts and stuff…it’s like, they’re all here and there…it’s hard to figure them out, they give me the creeps.
V-mon: I’m not good at writing kanji2…
–When it comes to the opposite gender, what’s your type?
Daisuke: Come on, don’t make me answer that…
V-mon: What’s an opposite gender?
–Daisuke-kun, what do you think about Hikari-chan?
Daisuke: Come on, don’t make me answer that…
–This question is for Daisuke-kun. How would you size up V-mon?
Daisuke: Well, he’s got a long tail, and I guess his legs are pretty short.3
–V-mon, how would you size up Daisuke-kun?
V-mon: He has nothing to hide, and he’s a real good kid. You could say he’s a bit too simple-minded, though.
–Do you ever get scared when fighting your enemies?
Daisuke: When I think back on it afterwards, it’s pretty scary, but when I’m in the actual moment, I think “I have to do this!” and give it everything I’ve got.
V-mon: Daisuke gives me courage and friendship, so I have nothing to be afraid of!
–Are you worried about anything right now?
Daisuke: We’ve been fighting so much in the Digital World that sometimes I forget to do my homework after that…haha…(sweats).
V-mon: Whenever Daisuke’s in class, I’ve got nothing to do…
–In closing, please leave some words for our Animedia readers.
Daisuke: Look forward to the rest of the TV show and the movies!
V-mon: There’s still much more coming! We’ll show you how cool we are!
(Interview: Toei Animation)
Translator's notes
- Taro roots (satoimo) are commonly used in Japanese cooking in a similar way to potatoes, but since it has a somewhat slimy texture, it slips easily from chopsticks. [↩]
- Kanji = The subset of Japanese written characters that come from Chinese. There are more than two thousand kanji in standard use, so young children and second-language learners will often have difficulty memorizing and writing them. [↩]
- Daisuke and V-mon are asked about each other with the idiom “chousho to tansho” (長所と短所), which is intended to mean something along the lines of “strengths and weaknesses” or “good points and bad points”, but Daisuke interprets the question with its literal meaning of “long parts and short parts”. [↩]