Digimon Adventure tri. - Chapter 1

=Characters=

=Summary=

Epigraph

 * At genesis, there existed in the universe only, the soulless creator; Idea, the true form of the world; and chaotic souls without form.
 * Demiurge knew not of the entity that created it, nor of the soul, nor even of Idea.
 * The world that was thus created was but a shadow of the true world.

The year is 2005, three years since the defeat of Belial Vamdemon. The Real World has become isolated from the Digital World, so it has been a year since any of the Chosen Children have been able to visit or see their partner Digimon. Also, Motomiya Daisuke, Ichijouji Ken, Inoue Miyako, and Hida Iori have all gone missing after being defeated by Alphamon in the Digital World.

On a day where there are reports of mass blackouts in the Kawasaki region, Yagami Taichi oversleeps. His sister, Yagami Hikari, cajoles him out of bed so that he doesn't miss his early morning soccer training. He rides to training, but forgets his lunch, which Hikari brings to him.

After training, Taichi attends his class at Tsukishima General High School, along with Takenouchi Sora and Ishida Yamato. However, he is approached by their class's deputy homeroom teacher, Nishijima Daigo, who requests that Taichi see him after school due to his continued failure to submit a career planning form. In their meeting, Taichi admits that he has no idea what he would like to pursue as a long-term path in life, and when asked by Nishijima for any interests that might be usable, struggles to come up with anything, although he does reflect on how he misses his friends in the Digital World.

Meanwhile, at the docks, an Kuwagamon that is behaving erratically realizes while Meicoomon is on the run in the area. Hackmon observes these events.

Yamato's new band, KNIFE OF DAY, has a gig on the coming Sunday, but this clashes with a soccer match that Taichi has scheduled. Both try to recruit their friends to attend, but struggle with everyone's conflicting schedules: Izumi Kōshirō has a wedding anniversary dinner with his parents, Kido Jo is studying for an entrance exam (having recently received a bad test result), and Hikari has a friend's birthday party. Kōshirō reaches out to Tachikawa Mimi, who is still in America, and she volunteers to come as long as they pay her airfare. Takaishi Takeru agrees to attend Yamato's gig with a friend, while Takenouchi Sora agrees to attend both, although she is frustrated by the short notice she gets from Taichi and the need to plan a way to attend both. Both Taichi and Yamato are disappointed by the limited turnout that expect to see.

On that Sunday, as Taichi leaves the house, he sees a new neighbor, Mochizuki Meiko, moving in nearby. Meanwhile, the Kuwagamon is flying around Tokyo, causing electronic disruptions, including affecting KNIFE OF DAY's instruments. At 2pm, as Taichi's soccer match is about to begin, it flies over the field. Taichi abandons the match to pursue it.

Taichi tails the Kuwagamon around town on bicycle as it smashes into cars and buildings, and the media begins to report on its presence. Taichi is shocked at the sight of the damage it causes and confused as to why it is appearing now. At the station, it spots Taichi and begins attacking him specifically. He leads it to a vacant lot to get it away from buildings to damage.

At the vacant lot, the Kuwagamon swoops on Taichi and knocks him off his bicycle, then crushes it underfoot. Just as the Kuwagamon swoops in for the kill, Taichi's Digivice lights up and Agumon also realizes to protect him. Agumon evolves into Greymon and engages the Kuwagamon in a fight that takes them away from Taichi, around the city and surrounds through multiple distortions. Taichi receives a call from Hikari, who tips him off that the two have been sighted at. Taichi almost asks for Hikari's help, but when he remembers the damage that the Kuwagamon caused, he decides against it out of fear. Nishijima arrives in a black van and takes Taichi to Haneda. Meanwhile, Hikari is approached by two government agents.

At the airport, the presence of Greymon and Kuwagamon has halted flights and caused confusion. The two continue to fight, but just as Taichi arrives, Kuwagamon overpowers Greymon and knocks him out of the fight. At that moment, Yamato, Sora, Kōshirō, Takeru, Hikari, and all of the other partner Digimon arrive as reinforcements, but two more Kuwagamon realize. Gabumon, Piyomon, Tentomon, and Patamon all evolve and, along with Tailmon, engage the three Kuwagamon.

Meanwhile, at another airport, Mimi has landed in America, but is frustrated to find that nobody is there to meet her and that Taichi will not respond to her texts. She sees the battle at Haneda on the news, and is approached by Himekawa Maki, who takes her to Haneda.

At Haneda, Kabuterimon and Birdramon take on and destroy one of the Kuwagamon, while Angemon and Tailmon do the same for a second. Kōshirō observes the data of the destroyed Kuwagamon returning to a distortion in the sky. Garurumon takes on the third Kuwagamon by himself but is overpowered. As the Kuwagamon prepares a final blast, a dimensional rift opens up behind it and Alphamon reaches into the Real World to snatch the Kuwagamon away.

After the battle, the Chosen Children observe both the extensive damage that the battle has caused to Haneda, and the sudden appearance of a large number of government agents on the scene. At that moment, Mimi arrives, reunites with Palmon, and tells the others that she and her family have returned for a long-term stay. Himekawa drives them home. Meanwhile, Jo is at home studying, but he sees a news report about the Haneda incident (he had been asked to attend by government agents, but had refused). Gomamon appears at his window, and Jo lets him in.

The next morning, the news plays a story about the Haneda incident. It becomes clear that the destruction has led to negative sentiment about Digimon, and that both the Kuwagamon and the partner Digimon are being tarred with the same brush. At school, Taichi and Yamato try to locate Nishijima, but find that he is absent. Both Mimi and Meiko (who Mimi has taken under her wing) are starting at Tsukishima (Mimi in Kōshirō's class, and Meiko in Taichi and Sora's).

After school, the eight Chosen Children meet under a nearby bridge to discuss recent events. Kōshirō identifies six recent unusual occurrences, all of which he attributes to distortions in the curvature of space:
 * 1) The Digital Gates being closed off for the past year
 * 2) The malfunction of the Digivices for unknown reasons
 * 3) Regional radio disturbances, concentrated mainly around the Odaiba area, occurring right before a blackout
 * 4) Disabling of wireless transmission due to a radio disturbance, affecting wireless internet, mobile phones, and television broadcasts
 * 5) A spatial distortion that has created a new connection to the Digital World other than the Digital Gates, through which the Kuwagamon entered the Real World; he believes this to have been forcibly opened from the Digital World side
 * 6) The Kuwagamon having undergone an unfamiliar mutation, making them more powerful

Many of the Chosen Children are critical of the tone of the reporting about the incident, but Taichi is too worried by the collateral damage and acknowledges that grain of truth in that reporting. Taichi and Yamato butt heads over the threat and Taichi's hesitation, and Yamato storms off. Taichi also leaves. Mimi invites the others to get something to eat, and Jo lets it slip that he now has a girlfriend (although all of the others are shocked and sceptical).

Mimi, Hikari, Sora, Palmon, Tailmon, and Piyomon all go to a restaurant, where Mimi jokingly dissuades Sora from trying to act as peacemaker between Taichi and Yamato. They see Meiko outside.

Taichi and Yamato separately return to school to speak with Nishijima. Nishijima presents them with his business card, which reveals to them his (to them, bafflingly long) real job title:


 * Nishijima Daigo: Management Case Officer, 2nd Class; National Data Processing Bureau, Telecommunications Strategy Division, Data Management Office

He tells them that so far, his organization has been taking care of Digimon who have been appearing in the real world through distortions, but that recently they have started encountering what the organization has termed "infected Digimon", who are particularly strong but who have been infected by an unknown, powerful force that has driven them mad. Because of the infected Digimon, they have recruited the Chosen Children to help. He also reveals that Gennai has been an informant to them and is responsible for much of their knowledge so far, including their knowledge of the Chosen Children.

Meanwhile, Himekawa is in a meeting with a superior, who reports that other countries are demanding information about Digimon, and requests that she compile what is known so far to pass onto them. When asked if Gennai can help fill in blanks in their knowledge, she reports that he has been unreachable for some time. She receives a phone call from Nishijima reporting on his conversation with Taichi and Yamato.

Kōshirō and Takeru talk about online shopping for clothing, as Kōshirō has taken a recent interest in choosing and buying clothes for himself. Both Takeru and Tentomon suspect that it is due to Mimi's return, but Kōshirō denies this. Due to his social anxiety at dealing with sales clerks, Kōshirō has developed dress-up software that allows him to test clothing on a digital representation of himself.

At the shore, Taichi and Agumon talk about the earlier incident with Yamato. Taichi reflects that Yamato hasn't changed and that he understands why Yamato is mad, but also that he is now afraid of the destruction that he has caused in the past and that he risks continuing to cause. Meanwhile, in Yamato's bedroom, Yamato and Gabumon also reflect on the incident, and on the possibility of himself changing as he grows older.

Taichi, Hikari, Takeru, Sora, and Mimi make their first visit to Kōshirō's new office, which is part of his lending a hand to a firm started by an American friend of his. Taichi shares everything that he and Yamato learned from Nishijima with the group. Tentomon showcases's Kōshirō latest creation: a private cyberspace within his office's server that their Digimon can live in and use to be transported around via Internet-connected computers, with a text communication line with the Chosen Children's phones.

The Chosen Children, except Jo, make plans to get together again on Saturday, and Takeru calls Yamato to make sure that he comes this time. Takeru leaves a message on the "DIGIDISTINED IN THE WORLD" message board to notify Chosen Children around the world of the emergence of the Kuwagamon in Tokyo.

That Saturday, Taichi, Hikari, Sora, Kōshirō, Mimi, and Takeru gather in the city. Kōshirō presents Taichi with a pair of enhanced goggles that he had just finished developing, which visualize the flow of data and distortions. They set out to examine the area for distortions, and as they leave, they encounter Meiko, who says she is searching for her "cat". Sora and Mimi invite Meiko to join the group. They explore the city, but find neither the "cat" nor any sign of distortions.

Meanwhile, Jo is in prep school, where he receives another bad test result.

The group parts ways with Meiko. Mimi suggests using a tall place, like the Ferris wheel, to overcome the goggles' limited range and help Taichi see distortions over a much broader swath of the city at once. Yamato arrives, although Gabumon has to encourage him to actually join the group.

The group boards Daikanransha, although Sora shuts Taichi and Yamato out of the car that the others take in an attempt to force them to talk. They board a separate car for themselves, and discuss Taichi's recent hesitation. Yamato demands that Taichi start overcoming his hesitation given the risk that the infected Digimon pose, and points out that not acting no different from running away, but Taichi insists that it is not so simple and expresses his misgivings about what they are doing. When Yamato asks why they are on a Ferris wheel in the first place, Taichi remembers and puts on his goggles, and observes a massive distortion and rainstorm forming in the sky above a shopping mall in Odaiba. Meiko is also in the area, still searching for her "cat", Meicoomon, who is running away.

The distortion opens up, and Alphamon emerges. It spots Meicoomon and begins pursuing her. Meicoomon briefly has a fit of mysterious power, but fights it down and runs away. Hackmon observes Alphamon's arrival from the shadows and then disappears, while Himekawa watches a live feed.

The seven Chosen Children arrive, and Kōshirō's Digimon Analyzer program identifies Alphamon, but only by name as it has no other data on it. Kōshirō summons the partner Digimon out of the laptop.

Meiko also arrives in the mall and is reunited with Meicoomon, but Alphamon aims its at them. The blast knocks them off their feet as they run away, and Meicoomon projects a force field to soften their landing. Taichi and Yamato move to intervene, but Taichi has flashbacks to the destruction that Kuwagamon caused and halts. Yamato tackles Meiko and Meicoomon out of the way of another. All of the partner Digimon except Agumon attempt to engage Alphamon in their Adult forms, but they fail to do any damage at all and are very easily thrown aside as Alphamon continues to pursue Meicoomon.

Yamato asks Taichi to form Omegamon, but Taichi still hesitates as he grapples with the question of what to do considering the devastation. Yamato once again insists that doing nothing is no different to running away, and that even if Taichi does not act, the area will still be destroyed. As Alphamon closes in on Meiko and Meicoomon, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, Taichi musters the courage to take action and calls Agumon into battle. Agumon and Gabumon evolve through their Perfect and Ultimate forms while engaging Alphamon, and then fuse into Omegamon.

Alphamon Mode Changes into Alphamon: Ouryuken and engages Omegamon in a duel which whips up powerful shockwaves of wind that buffet the Chosen Children and cause more damage to the surrounding area. Alphamon also destroys the Daikanransha with a that Omegamon dodges. When a missed swing at Omegamon embeds the in the ground and Alphamon struggles to retrieve it, Omegamon charges its  at point-blank range; Taichi once again has anxiety at the thought of the destruction that the attack will cause, but makes his peace with it. However, at the last moment, Alphamon abandons the Ouryuken and retreats into a distortion. The blast takes out a chunk of a nearby building and leaves a long crater. Omegamon reverts into Koromon and Tunomon.

Meiko introduces Meicoomon to the Chosen Children as the one she had been looking for and as her partner Digimon. The Chosen Children, Mimi in particular, are excited to welcome her into the group as another Chosen Child.

Taichi and Yamato reflect on the immense destruction caused by the battle. Yamato asks Taichi if he has found his resolve, and tells him that he is, at least, glad that Taichi did not run away. Taichi does not answer. Sora watches the two with a disappointed look on her face.

Meanwhile, Jo watches a news report on the battle at Odaiba. He turns it off, and grimly returns to his studies.

=Screenshots=

=Credits= =Extra=

Trivia

 * In July 2020, Digimon Web conducted a series of polls where users voted on their favorite scenes in each of the four original-continuity Digimon Adventure anime productions. The battle between Alphamon and Omegamon in "Reunion" placed third in the Digimon Adventure tri. category.

=Quotations=

=Edits=

Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll's subtitled distribution of "Reunion" is split into four approximately twenty-minute episodes, presented by the site as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th episodes of the Digimon Adventure tri. series.


 * Unlike the film release, the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th episodes have an opening credits sequence comprised of edited footage from various pre-release teaser trailers and the rest of "Reunion". The first verse of "Butter-Fly ~tri.version~" plays in this sequence. An episode number is shown right after the opening credits.
 * The Digimon Adventure tri. logo appears in the bottom-left corner of the screen approximately ten to fifteen minutes into each episode, seemingly marking a point for a potential commercial break, though the episode carries on unedited and uninterrupted.
 * All four episodes have ending credits, shortened from the cinematic version to use only the first verse of "I wish (tri. Version)".
 * Approximately 38 seconds of footage, containing Kōshirō's explanation of the private cyberspace's mechanics, is repeated between the end of #3 and the start of #4.

Other
=Notes and References=