Hiroyuki Kakudou, director of Digimon Adventure and Adventure 02, has a little part on his website where he’d commented on Adventure’s episodes every week as they aired (any episode before 39 is allegedly under construction, but seeing how long it’s been, I wouldn’t expect updates anytime soon).
(This Week’s Digimon | This Week’s Digimon 02 | This Week’s Digimon Tamers | This Week’s Digimon Frontier)
Episode 30 – “Digimon Tokyo Crossing”
Screenplay: Atsushi Maekawa
Director: Junji Shimizu
Episode 31 – “The Raremon Attack on Tokyo Bay”
Screenplay: Hiro Masaki
Director: Hiroki Shibata
Episode 32 – “Tokyo Tower is Burning! DeathMeramon”
Screenplay: Satoru Nishizono
Director: Tetsuo Imazawa
Episode 33 – “Pump and Gotsu are Shibuya-Type Digimon”
Screenplay: Yoshio Urasawa
Director: Hiroyuki Kakudou
Episode 34 – “The Bond of Destiny, Tailmon”
Screenplay: Genki Yoshimura
Director: Takenori Kawada
Episode 35 – “The Fairy of Odaiba, Flowering Lilimon”
Screenplay: Hiro Masaki
Director: Takahiro Imamura
Episode 36 – “Break Through the Barrier! Zudomon Spark”
Screenplay: Atsushi Maekawa
Director: Tetsuji Nakamura
Episode 37 – “Perfect-Levels Advance! Sparkling Angewomon”
Screenplay: Genki Yoshimura
Director: Hiroki Shibata
Episode 38 – “Resurrection! The Demon King VenomVamdemon”
Screenplay: Hiro Masaki
Director: Genki Yoshimura
Episode 39 – “Two Great Ultimate Evolutions! Let’s Beat the Darkness Away”
Screenplay: Atsushi Maekawa
Director: Junji Shimizu
As the title suggests, the main focus of this episode is Agumon’s Ultimate form WarGreymon and Gabumon’s Ultimate form MetalGarurumon’s fight with the **-meter tall VenomVamdemon, but you can’t miss Garudamon and AtlaKabuterimon’s two-shot in the second half, haha. The truth is, even though they play a very active role, there’s a sort of gracefulness that comes from their long-bodied appearance from behind, so since a lot of people might miss it accidentally, please keep a look out for it.
This Tokyo arc that we’ve spent ten weeks on is coming to an end here, and the stage for episode 40 onwards will be the Digital World, but from here there will be some shocking changes. Or at least, I want you to be shocked (^.^)
Oh, and of course, the title of this episode is from a Rolling Stones1 song title. Why the Rolling Stones? Even the Kakudou back then didn’t understand quite well when he was proposing it, but I thought, in the previous screenplay’s description that Masaki-san wrote, wasn’t the Fuji TV ball rolling like a stone? (^.^)
Episode 40 – “The Four Great Kings of the Demon Mountain, the Dark Masters”
Screenplay: Satoru Nishizono
Director: Tetsuo Imazawa
From this point on, we begin the development of once again restoring the Digimon world to normal. When we last left off, why were we able to see the Digimon world from the real world? And furthermore on that note, the Digital World looked pretty different from how it did before. Huh? It didn’t look that different? No, it was already like that…hm, did I spoil too much (^^;)?
Episode 41 – “The Savage King of the Sea! MetalSeadramon”
Screenplay: Yoshio Urasawa
Director: Takenori Kawada
Animation director: Shigetaka Kiyoyama
Art director: Tetsuhiro Shimizu
After Kuwagamon reappeared from the first episode in episode 39 (though it wasn’t the one in episode 18), this time you get to feel Shellmon’s return since episode 2. It’s the same location, known as the telephone box coast. The original image of the telephone boxes on the coast comes from Shuuji Terayama’s movie Boxer. But there weren’t so many of them lined up next to each other in the movie (^^;)
Here’s a quiz. Who voices the episode title’s MetalSeadramon of the Dark Masters (also known as the evil Four Great Kings)? Is it too obvious? (haha)2
Episode 42 – “Silent Whamon at the Bottom of the Sea”
Screenplay: Akatsuki Yamatoya
Director: Takahiro Imamura
Animation director: Yoshitaka Yashima
Art director: Yukiko Iijima
There’s the famous film series Under Siege with “silent” in its Japanese title3 and Steven Segal in it, but the original inspiration for this title was Jacques Cousteau’s The Silent World. But speaking of submarines, there’s also Kaiji Kawaguchi’s The Silent Service. If you look closely at Whamon’s dorsal fin, “Yamato” [the name of the submarine] should be inscribed in it. Ah, do whales not have dorsal fins? (haha)4)
Digimon’s story is becoming more and more serious, but because the fate of the world is at stake after all, it’s only natural things won’t be as easy for them. For those who are going to Comiket, don’t forget to set your answering machines. I should, too. (^^;)
Episode 43: “The Dangerous Game! Pinnochimon”
Screenplay: Genki Yoshimura
Director: Hiroki Shibata
Animation director: Setsuko Nobuzane
Art director: Tetsuhiro Shimizu
The second member of the Dark Masters, Pinnochimon, has the body of a child that doesn’t suit an Ultimate-level. His strength in that regard comes less from his power and more from his evil personality. The person who plays him, Etsuko Kozakura, is a very nice person. Ah, I’ve finally introduced her properly (^^;)
You may have noticed that I wanted to do a similar thing with the camera shutter to 007′s familiar gunpoint.
Episode 44: “Jureimon of the Lost Forest”
Screenplay: Atsushi Maekawa
Director: Hiroyuki Kakudou
Animation director: Yukio Ebisawa
Art director: Yukiko Iijima
In the opening, there’s a frame with Garurumon, with Yamato on his back, jumping from a cliff. This time, MetalGarurumon is doing the same thing, since, after all, he can do it because he’s an Ultimate-level (Garurumon being an Adult-level) and he has more than enough power, so at the beginning that one frame was like practice so he could do it this time without messing up. Because the size [of where he can ride] has become somewhat small, Yamato might have a hard time riding him. The metal must be tough (^^;) Oh, the enemy Digimon in the title, Jureimon, talks quite a bit for an enemy Digimon. Yamato says a lot, too, but the real protagonist this episode is
Gabumon. It’s the first time he’s had this many lines.
Episode 45: “The Clash of Ultimates! WarGreymon VS MetalGarurumon”
Screenplay: Hiro Masaki
Director: Tetsuo Imazawa
Animation director: Tomoko Itou
Art director: Tetsuhiro Shimizu
The Ultimates certainly do clash with each other, and moreover between two who had formerly been allied, but the actual focus is “the story of the eight eggs”. Of course, like how we told you this would happen during last week’s airing, we’ll be telling you again about the relation to the incident of four years prior (told in last year’s theatrical airing), but there’s also the surprising past of an unexpected character besides them! In the time we had for this scenario, it’s already gone so fast. Please look forward to it.
Episode 46: “MetalEtemon’s Counterattack”
Screenplay: Hiro Masaki
Director: Takenori Kawada
Animation director: Toshio Deguchi
Art director: Yukiko Iijima
Well, it’s exactly like the title says, so I don’t really have anything else to say (^^;) When the problem presents itself, for a moment you won’t really know what’s going on, but we’re in Pinnochimon’s fourth episode in the Dark Masters’ Spiral Mountain arc. MetalEtemon, like the Dark Masters, is an Ultimate-level. He hasn’t appeared since episode 20, so something like two cours ago. Ogremon, on the left, hasn’t appeared since episode 13.
Episode 47: “Oh Wind! Oh Light! SaberLeomon”
Screenplay: Atsushi Maekawa
Director: Takao Yoshizawa
Animation director: Masahiro Naoi
Art director: Tetsuhiro Shimizu
Oh wind! Oh light! The prayer of justice
Transform, Leomon, to SaberLeomon
To protect the Digimon world
Defeat the dark Digimon
Now! Now is the time, warp evolve!
Advance, Leomon, soar, soar, Leomon
Go, SaberLeomon5
Episode 48: “Bombing Commander! Mugendramon”
Screenplay: Satoru Nishizono
Director: Hiroki Shibata
Animation director: Yoshitaka Yashima
Art director: Yukiko Iijima
Of course, at the time this was filmed, when MetalGreymon was escaping the town while it was being bombed, the Taichi and Koushirou on his back were actually stuntmen, because it was dangerous. But you can’t see it in most of the shots (⌒＿⌒) MetalGreymon is somewhat used to explosions, so he’s fine.
Episode 49: “Farewell, Numemon”
Screenplay: Yoshio Urasawa
Director: Takahiro Imamura
Animation director: Shigetaka Kiyoyama
Art director: Tetsuhiro Shimizu
The Numemon-kun have been very active since their first appearance in episode 6. Initially, they were voiced by Yuuji Ueda, taking a break from Pokémon. It was fun hearing him. The Numemon were surprisingly popular, and although the title of this episode alone caused fans to start screaming, the actual contents of this episode…um, well, what can I say…I’m sorry m(_ _)m.
Episode 50: “A Fight Between Women! LadyDevimon”
Screenplay: Atsushi Maekawa
Director: Hiroyuki Kakudou
Animation director: Setsuko Nobuzane
Art director: Yukiko Iijima
By nature, Digimon don’t have gender, but among the rare exceptions are Angewomon and LadyDevimon. You could say it’s a combination that has to fight with each other at least once. It’s pretty rare to see Angewomon throwing off her usual humble personality. Oh, and you’ll see her use a certain attack for the first time.
Episode 51: “The Clown of Hell, Piemon”
Screenplay: Genki Yoshimura
Director: Takao Yoshizawa
Animation director: Tomoko Itou
Art director: Tetsuhiro Shimizu
Richard Widmark, Darren McGavin’s Kolchak, Dick Dastardly, Yomi, Noroi, Goemon Ishikawa XIII, and of course the Rat Man. There are many others that I can’t write in such a small space like this. Before anything else, the first thing you think of when casting a voice is their acting, right? I’m happy that we got to have Goromaki’s Chikao Ohtsuka…
He gives his voice to very difficult roles, so he also made Piemon do his job with vigor.
Episode 52: “The Holy Swordsman, HolyAngemon”
Screenplay: Hiro Masaki
Director: Takenori Kawada
Animation director: Toshio Deguchi
Art director: Yukiko Iijima
Angemon appeared for the first time in episode 13. After that, we didn’t see him again for all the way until episode 33, and since then he’s gotten many opportunities to appear, with as much as you’d expect especially recently. And so, even though he’s appeared in the ending theme since episode 27, everyone’s been waiting and waiting so long you’re probably even wondering if he really is supposed to be a regular member of the cast!…but he’s finally here in episode 52. Because maybe your feet have gotten numb from sitting on them while you waited, you’ll have to watch your feet much more carefully…huh, am I wrong?
Episode 53: “The Final Dark Digimon”
Screenplay: Genki Yoshimura
Director: Hiroki Shibata
Since I wasn’t able to take a personal photo of the final dark Digimon, Apocalymon, I’ve used my own Phantom-kun instead. During this series, we specifically asked Bandai and WiZ to design VenomVamdemon and this Apocalymon for the TV series…but it really does look like something I’d order because of my own preferences (^^;) How did it come to this, Kenji Watanabe-san? I’m happy, but my sole complaint is that I wasn’t able to direct any episode with Apocalymon in the anime (laughs)
Episode 54: “A New World”
Screenplay: Hiro Masaki
Director: Takahiro Imamura
Animation director: Yoshitaka Yashima
Art director: Yukiko Iijima
To Two Years’ Vacation, Treasure Island, The Mysterious Island, Journey to the West, The Blue Bird, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, Dracula, A Princess of Mars, It, Stand By Me, Summer of Night, Stinger, Lord of the Flies, The Crystal World, The Last Adventure, Capital City Disappearance, Crystallized Star Cluster, Legend of the White Devil in the Land of the Gods, Genma Wars, Kunlun Commando Unit, Steal the Agni, Invader Summer, OKAGE, City of Flame, and many others that I couldn’t write here, all the stories that have entertained me up until now, all the monster movies, and Ultraman, especially Ultraman Tiga, I give my thanks.
Translator's notes
- The latter half of the title in Japanese is 闇をぶっとばせ, and is referring to the Rolling Stones “Let’s Spend the Night Together”; the song’s Japanese title is 夜をぶっとばせ, literally something along the lines of “let’s beat the night away”. [↩]
- The answer is Yuuto Kazama, who also voices Yamato. [↩]
- The Japanese title of Under Siege (沈黙の戦艦) literally translates to “silent battleship”. [↩]
- Whales do have dorsal fins…? (Whamon doesn’t, though. [↩]
- It’s an extended parody of the opening theme to the tokusatsu series The Vigilant Lion Knight (of which presumably the title is also a reference to). [↩]