After plenty of procrastination, I’ve finally gotten around to watching the first movie of Tri: Reunion. My expectations were fairly low heading into the film since it seemed really divisive with the fanbase, and I can see why after finishing. It wasn’t a bad time by any means, I liked how ethical questions such as the immense property damage / danger caused by Digimon battles were brought up, and the action was pretty solid as well, but it was ultimately a bit hollow for me.
The hollowness I’m referring to is exemplified by how the kids hardly feel any different to how they were in 02, sure, they’re technically a few years older and have slightly aged up designs to match, but they’re all still doing pretty much the same stuff and repeating conflicts from even the original Adventure (eg: Tai and Matt fighting for the 5,000th time). It’s incredibly disappointing since seeing the kids’ growth was one of my favorite parts of 02, I assume this was done to appeal to people’s nostalgia, but I wish they would’ve pushed the characters forward like Kizuna did instead of trapping them in amber. In general, the film really suffers from the slavish adherence to nostalgia that Kizuna critiqued, it feels hollow because it’s not focused on crafting a unique plot that utilizes the characters in a new way, instead the plot is more of a vehicle to re-create iconic moments without realizing that those moments were only iconic in the first place because of the strong world-building and character development that surrounded them.
Said plot does have some interesting ideas, such as good Digimon facing backlash / scrutiny because of the actions of evil Digimon. It makes perfect sense that people would be distrustful of such powerful creatures after they’ve destroyed Tokyo like 5 times, and I could see it going in some intriguing directions like the Digidestined facing harassment or the government trying to arrest the Digimon / restricting the kids’ access to them, I’m not too optimistic that the rest of the movies will capitalize on these possibilities though since the ending of this one implies that the creators plan on dragging out the Tai and Matt melodrama as long as possible.
Moving on, I didn’t have any major issues with the animation, it’s miles better than 02 even if it’s only middle of the road for an OVA released in 2015. The character designs were also solid, except for Agumon, who looks severely anemic with how desaturated his colors are. Overall, the film was entertaining and technically competent, but lacking in substance. There are still 5 more films to go though, so hopefully the series finds its footing soon.