With this episode, it has become abundantly clear that Impmon will not be participating in the final battle. It's not a fatal misstep, but a misstep nonetheless, because his part of the story provided the most dramatic heft. Essentially, this means that the series set aside one of its strongest assets during, arguably, its most crucial moment. We still get a rather tender moment between Impmon, Ai and Mako.
The rest of the episode is essentially one long action sequence, which is very appropriate for a penultimate chapter (and a confirmation that the extraneous mushy moments are done with), and the crimson hue of the scenery helps set the mood. However, this part of the battle is hampered by too much talking and too few enemies. I was really hoping that the group would encounter a greater horde of agents, especially since they are travelling INSIDE the D-Reaper. Grani is out of commission for most of the fight, which is dumb because (a) they just leave him stuck in the ground and keep running and (b) Grani has been great for adding excitement and kineticism to the action. The Cable Reaper is adequately imposing, thanks to its impressive size, but I wish they had given it abilities aside from a bunch of scythes. I know they're supposed to associate it with death, but compared to the creative and wacky attacks of other creatures in this franchise, they're pretty mundane. I did, however, like that moment when the Cable Reaper slashes at Gallantmon and the remnants of his cape are scattered. It's animated in such a way that for a brief moment you'd think it was blood! Also, the scene where Gallantmon tries to run up the side of the Mother D-Reaper only to get shot down is poignant, and well complemented by the final sacrifice of Grani (who sounds a lot like MagnaAngemon).
After an entire story arc of being captured and going through a myriad of negative emotions, Jeri suddenly undergoes a whopper of an epiphany about destiny and purpose and all that stuff, and this is supposed to pass for her taking action. The fact that the core concept was taught in a more effective and less overbearing way in "The Lion King" notwithstanding, these big leaps in understanding simply don't feel earned. Her moments with Calumon would have been acceptable as rudimentary points in progress, but having her subsequently spout out such a longwinded, detailed declaration is way too much to ingest at once, making it all the more jarring. There has been little impression that she's wrestling with anything because she doesn't actively work to move through her grief, but allows it to overcome her. The one time that she did seem to be struggling was when she initially accepted Beelzemon's help, but the sight of Leomon's spirit made her too afraid to go through with it. Clearly, more effort went into writing her failings than her personal efforts in managing them, and this lopsided treatment of her character arc leaves it almost bereft of fulfillment. Nonetheless, as a whole this is a successful episode.
The rest of the episode is essentially one long action sequence, which is very appropriate for a penultimate chapter (and a confirmation that the extraneous mushy moments are done with), and the crimson hue of the scenery helps set the mood. However, this part of the battle is hampered by too much talking and too few enemies. I was really hoping that the group would encounter a greater horde of agents, especially since they are travelling INSIDE the D-Reaper. Grani is out of commission for most of the fight, which is dumb because (a) they just leave him stuck in the ground and keep running and (b) Grani has been great for adding excitement and kineticism to the action. The Cable Reaper is adequately imposing, thanks to its impressive size, but I wish they had given it abilities aside from a bunch of scythes. I know they're supposed to associate it with death, but compared to the creative and wacky attacks of other creatures in this franchise, they're pretty mundane. I did, however, like that moment when the Cable Reaper slashes at Gallantmon and the remnants of his cape are scattered. It's animated in such a way that for a brief moment you'd think it was blood! Also, the scene where Gallantmon tries to run up the side of the Mother D-Reaper only to get shot down is poignant, and well complemented by the final sacrifice of Grani (who sounds a lot like MagnaAngemon).
After an entire story arc of being captured and going through a myriad of negative emotions, Jeri suddenly undergoes a whopper of an epiphany about destiny and purpose and all that stuff, and this is supposed to pass for her taking action. The fact that the core concept was taught in a more effective and less overbearing way in "The Lion King" notwithstanding, these big leaps in understanding simply don't feel earned. Her moments with Calumon would have been acceptable as rudimentary points in progress, but having her subsequently spout out such a longwinded, detailed declaration is way too much to ingest at once, making it all the more jarring. There has been little impression that she's wrestling with anything because she doesn't actively work to move through her grief, but allows it to overcome her. The one time that she did seem to be struggling was when she initially accepted Beelzemon's help, but the sight of Leomon's spirit made her too afraid to go through with it. Clearly, more effort went into writing her failings than her personal efforts in managing them, and this lopsided treatment of her character arc leaves it almost bereft of fulfillment. Nonetheless, as a whole this is a successful episode.
