Thoughts on Tri: The Chosen Children

SPOILERS

The Chosen Children

Might as well cover them all at once.

八神 太一 Yagami Taichi

And so, our Fearless Leader... or, well... more like Fearful Leader

Apparently everyone has a small problem that they need to deal with throughout Digimon Tri, which I think contributes to their evolution somehow (the never explained "looking into the darkness and going beyond it" prophecy)... and the problem is that while everyone else can get over theirs in a couple of episodes, it takes Taichi the entire series to get over his.

So what's the big issue that requires the entire series for him to get in knots about?

Taichi has issues about being a Chosen Child, or at least the repercussions of being a Chosen Child.  When they were in the Digital World, they didn't really think too much about the destruction of property.  Now that all the battles are in the human world, he's hesitant to continue his role as leader, which is basically what the whole "the more I grow up, the less I understand" stuff is all about.

Now, in a way, I think I get where Toe Animation was going with this.  However, all of this is really out of the blue - there was nothing except the after effects of all this that explains why Taichi is feeling this way.  Maybe if he and the other Chosen Children gave a crap about where the 02 kids were the whole time, then I would get why even the most inkling bit of fear would suddenly arise from the one who bore the Crest of Courage.

To put it plainly, Taichi really strays from what he represents, and just like Meiko, he comes in right at the last minute.

In speaking of Meiko, what the heck is going on with this TaichixMeiko ship?  Why was Toe Animation even pushing for that ship, or any ship at all with either Taichi or Meiko?  Throughout the whole freaking anime, both characters are clearly emotionally unstable.  Sure, they are there for each other, and that's endearing to an extent, but what does that say about their relationship?  Do they constantly have to be in turmoil in order to be okay for each other?  Heck, the Taichi that Meiko met wasn't even really Taichi, but an emo counterpart.  To add insult to injury, I cannot think of anything under any circumstances that Meiko was actually a help to Taichi - it was always the other way around.

So basically Taichi wasn't himself, and that TaichixMeiko ship needs to sink like the Titanic.

  石田 ヤマト Ishida Yamato

I think that out of all the characters in Tri, Yamato was the most susceptible to this hollow plot.

Truth is, out of everyone else, next to a few other characters, he was the one I most agreed with.

My biggest issue is that he was only himself when the plot called for it, such as how he was the only one to confront Himekawa about where the 02 kids were, although even then that didn't lead anywhere.  The only thing that it all seemed to lead to is him eventually becoming leader for a very brief amount of time (I'm glad Taichi doesn't die, alright?).

武之内 空 Takenouchi Sora

As a whole, Sora being a mediator isn't really annoying - I mean, this is her childhood friend and her boyfriend that are usually doing the arguing, so it makes a lot of sense.  However, she seems to be one of the top two people of choice when it comes to rushing to Meiko's aid.  Now, as characters, not doing this would totally be out of character (and it's a breath of fresh air how Sora tries even a little bit to encourage Meiko to be stronger) but I still find it annoying anyway.

The only other thing I can think of that I found really annoying is how Sora's the victim of a love triangle that I thought was settled in Digimon Adventure 02... you know, the Taiora/Sorato triangle... and sure, this part of the plot fades away as if to pretend it didn't exist, but it did, and we're calling out Toe Animation for that.

泉 光子郎, Izumi Kōshirō  

I really didn't have a problem with Izumi in Digimon Tri - in fact, aside from that temporary crush he had on Mimi (that also faded into nothing because, idk, fanbase?), Izumi was super cool.  My only issue regarding Izumi is how little the team thinks of him as a whole.  Sure, he gets briefly mentioned, and I think they take him a little bit more seriously now, but it's still not all that great.  Even when Joe forces him to get some sleep, Sora is the only one to call and Taichi briefly mentions him to Meiko in hopes she'll talk in Confession.  Even after all this, Meiko never apologizes him.

Look, I get it, alright?  Izumi isn't one of the top three Chosen Children and he's too level-headed for drama.  I just think that even from the beginning, he's been underrated, and I'll just leave it at that.

太刀川 ミミ Tachikawa Mimi

城戸 丈 Kido Jō  

Truth is, I don't really have any problems worth mentioning about these two.  Their star scenes were in Determination and they played it really well.  I can go into another spew about how inconsiderate the team has been as whole, but I won't.  The only thing I will say is that for someone who bore the Crest of Sincerity, Mimi really lacks in that department to anyone else except Meiko.

  高石 タケル Takaishi Takeru 

Takeru as a character isn't really bad, but I think he's also a victim of plot, as what happened in Digimon Adventure 01 repeated again on a larger scale... you know... because of the virus.

八神 ヒカリ Yagami Hikari

Hikari seems to be her usual self, but the only thing that confuses me is why she said she couldn't forgive Taichi in the end when he returned to his original self.  It might have been a compassion thing, but still.

I'll save how I feel about the 02 kids for another post