Digimon Adventure S02E02

The original DigiDestined meet up to discuss the events of the previous episode. While they want to do more to help, their lives and responsibilities as teenagers compounded with their inability to open gates to the Digital World make them realize that they’re no longer the current team of DigiDestined. The next day, Davis, Yolei, Cody, Izzy, Sora, TK, and Kari return to the Digital World, at which point the Digimon Emperor captures Davis and Veemon, intending to place a Dark Ring around Veemon’s neck. Before he can succeed, Yolei and Cody find the Digi-Eggs of Love and Knowledge respectively, allowing their Digimon to Armor Digivolve.

Davis: That’s when I met Veemon, which is good because he taught me how to open the Digi-Egg.

YOU DIDN’T OPEN ANYTHING YOU– ugh, what’s the point?

In the original, the narrator recapped the first episode’s events just after the opening theme. As you can see, Davis does the narration in the dub, doing so before the theme song.

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Iori: Miyako-san, let’s leave it [traveling to the Digital World] for another day.
Miyako: Why? Iori, don’t you want to go?
Iori: Well, I’m interested too, but my mother will get worried if I don’t go home soon.
Taichi: Yeah, we should go home for today.
Koshirou: I think so, too.
Takeru: Let’s go, Miyako-san.
Yolei: Don’t you want to go to the Digital World, Cody?!
Cody: Of course, seeing all those monsters and stuff would be fun, but tonight’s macaroni and cheese night at my house and I don’t want to miss out. [Who makes macaroni and cheese as a whole meal?]
Tai: That’s right, it’s pork surprise at my place. [The surprise is that it’s a smoothie.]
Izzy: Stuffed green peppers in a salad. [He means upholstered capsicum annuum in a vegetable-based medley. Indeed.]
TK: TV dinners in the microwave. [And you’re in a rush to get to that?]

There’s a Looney Tunes-esque falling sound effect accompanying Sora’s jump from the monkey bars in the dub. No such oddities in the original.

Sora: It’s been a while since we all got together.
Sora: It’s been a long time. It’s nice to be back.

Sora, you didn’t go anywhere.

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Yamato’s reaction to the Armor Evolution concept was much more abrupt and forceful than Matt’s. The facial expression matches better in the original, but contextually it makes more sense in the dub.

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Yamato: Why don’t we go too? To the Digital World.
Koshirou: But when I left the room, the gate had already closed.
Yamato: Right, makes sense.
Matt: I think we should just go there and do things our way.
Izzy: We can’t. I went back to check the computer and the gate was already closed.
Matt: That means… we can’t help them?

Oddly, Matt’s line makes more sense than Yamato’s. Aside from that, this conversation is pretty spot-on in the dub, so good on them for that. At least until we get to Joe.

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Jou: Sorry, I have a national test…
Joe: I can’t. I have an oral test tomorrow on laryngitis.

Yamato: I skipped band practice today, so…
Matt: Yeah, and my band’s got a big concert coming up and we have to practice.

Yamato/Matt, weren’t you the one who was just gung-ho about going to the Digital World and protecting your Digimon like fifteen seconds ago? Now suddenly band practice takes priority?

Taichi: It’s hard to keep up with the work in middle school… but let’s go somewhere else!
Tai: Well, I’ve been having problems adjusting to high school. It’s the girls: they’re so much older!

Apparently, so are you, if the dub has any say in the matter.

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<peace and quiet>
Izzy: Is everyone okay?
Davis: Yeah, but I feel like I just went through the rinse cycle in the dishwasher!

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Miyako: Wow, cool!
Yolei: Hey! I’m dressed like I’m part of the cool crowd!

Yolei, the cool crowd doesn’t wear helmets in school…

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Miyako: Well they’re not bad, but mine are cooler.
Yolei: I love this helmet, it makes my glasses look smaller!

But it makes your head look bigger, so…

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Sora: These new Chosen Children seem really different from us… Is it the age?
Sora: Kids today have no sense of values. When I was a kid, I showed a lot more respect when I received a gift.

Like that hat you let Tai throw up in?

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The Kaiser’s lip flap matches his quieter ruminations. The Emperor yelling with that lip flap just looks off.

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Most of the dialogue by this point is pretty accurate save for additional puns and bad jokes thrown in here and there.

Narrator: Drimogemon! An Adult-level Digimon that lives underground. His special attack is Drill Spin.
Tentomon: Drimogemon lives deep inside the cavities of the Digital World! His Drill Spin attack will make you wish you were at the dentist!

Hah. I see what you did there. Dentist. Drill. Cavity. Hah.

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Narrator: Mojyamon! An Adult level Digimon who lives in the snowy mountains. His special attack is…
Mojyamon: Hone Hone Boomerang!
Tentomon: Mojyamon is a frosty Digimon from the snowy mountains. His bone boomerang attack will make your head spin!

A shot of the boomerang striking V-Mon’s head was replaced with a flash impact screen in the dub.

Iori: We have to help them…
Koshirou: Let’s get out of here!
Iori: But Daisuke!
Cody: Well… I want to go home now.
Izzy: First we have to protect ourselves!
Cody: But what about Davis?!

So Cody seemed cowardly in the dub until suddenly he’s worried about Davis?

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Daisuke: <stares in horror at the canyon he’s suspended over>
Davis: Oh, great! I must’ve been sleepwalking again!

The dub writers have never heard of dramatic tension, apparently.

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V-Mon: They got me!
Veemon: Hey! Great view, isn’t it?

Or they’re allergic to it. It’s gotta be that.

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Iori: What’s this? The Digivice is reacting…
Old Man Cody: This Digavice you were nice enough to give me is starting to make noise.

That wasn’t a typo, he actually says DIJ-uh-vice. And Cody, no one there “gave” you that thing. I might understand the statement if Tai was present, but Sora, Izzy, TK, and Kari had nothing to do with it.

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Takeru: But our Digivices aren’t reacting in any way…
Sora: Same with ours.
TK: My Digivice is going off, too. I think something’s nearby.
Sora: A building of some sort.

Not sure why this was changed. In the original, only the Digivices compatible with the new Digimentals went off. In the dub, all the Digivices respond to the building.

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Piyomon: Could it be because of that?
Tentomon: No doubt.
Sora: Huh?
Piyomon: Everyone, follow us!
Biyomon: Hm! There are no buildings around here!
Tentomon: Nope, just the temple!
Sora: Temple?
Biyomon: Yeah, but it’s closed down now.
Tentomon: They couldn’t book enough weddings or bar mitzvahs.
Sora: Well something in there is making our Digivices go off, and I don’t think it’s the caterers! Let’s go take a look!

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Miyako: It looks like a Mayan pyramid, doesn’t it?
Yolei: I’m EXHAUSTED! Hasn’t anybody heard of escalators?!
Biyomon: Look at it this way, Yolei: only a few more steps to go!

I hope you’re all wearing your Fitbits, otherwise what’s the point?

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Sora: Are those Digimentals?!
Sora: They look like Digi-Eggs!

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The poor digi-chickens…

It’s like that egg episode on File Island last season got stuck in the dubbers’ minds, and now everywhere they look, they see eggs.

Narrator: Hawkmon! A well-mannered and calm Child level bird Digimon.
Hawkmon: It feels so good to be out from under that stuffy rock and spread my wings!

Wait, you were immobilized but conscious for how long?

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Narrator: Armadimon! An easy-going Child level mammal Digimon.
Armadillomon: Howdy! Why’d you have to wake me up? I was havin’ such a nice dream…

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Okay, for this bit of trivia, I had to hit up the Digimon Wiki and Wikipedia so I will be accepting praise for my superior research skills. In my experience, when an anime character has a distinct accent in the dub, it means they also have a distinct accent in the Japanese version. So Armadillomon’s southern country accent is an adaptation of Armadimon’s Nagoya dialect. From what I’ve read, it’s a mix between the standard dialect of Japanese, and the Kansai dialect (Tentomon’s dialect in the original). This site also says that speakers of the Nagoya dialect are said to be talking like cats. I’m not sure what that means, but if it’s anything like those weird cat girl maid fetish cafes, count me out.

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Meanwhile, Japanese Hawkmon talks like a super proper Samurai. This was localized to make him a British gentleman in the dub. Interestingly, Halsemon sounds more like Japanese Hawkmon.

Hawkmon: So, Miyako-san, let us fight together!
Miyako: Wait a second! I can’t fight!
Hawkmon: Well, that is a problem.
Hawkmon: So then, Yolei. You and I shall be working together as a team.
Yolei: What?! I don’t fight, except with my sister over who gets the last cookie!
Hawkmon: Are you saying you refuse to fight?! Harumph! Why do I get stuck with the defective human?!

Dub Hawkmon didn’t mention fighting at all, so Yolei’s reaction is weirdly out of context. I suppose she could have put two-and-two together, but most people would connect the dots out loud in my experience (Wait, work together… as in fight?!) rather than just jump topics like that.

Narrator: Holsmon! A beast Digimon who excels at aerial attacks. His special attack, Mach Impulse, releases a shockwave from his wings.
Halsemon: I am an Armor Digimon. As Hawkmon, I use the Digi-Egg of Love to Armor Digivolve. I use my Tempest Wing attack to defeat my enemies.

Halsemon’s self-introduction sounds so bland, like he had to stand up in class and talk about himself on the first day of school.

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Narrator: Digmon! An Insect Digimon who is unbeatable underground. His attack, Gold Rush, fires his drills at the enemy.
Digmon: I, too, am an Armor Digimon. As Armadillomon, I use the Digi-Egg of Knowledge to Armor Digivolve.

And Digmon sounds like the next kid in line who copied Halsemon before him, but got scared and sat down before he finished his introduction.

Naturally, the Digivolution sequences are altered for the changed names.

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Digmon’s Digivolution phrase is Steel Knowledge in the original version. In the dub, it’s translated as “The Drill of Power.” Not sure what inspired this change, but considering what happens later, it seems even the dub team aren’t sure why they did that.

I’m amused that when panning between the two sets of characters, they didn’t even bother changing the background.

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Digimon Kaiser: It’s your punishment for trespassing in my area. I’ll show you how your Digimon becomes my slave…
Digimon Emperor: You’ve both been trespassing in my garden, and as your punishment, you’ll be forced to watch Veemon as he becomes my slave.

Garden? This place is a barren rock canyon!

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V-Mon: I’ve waited a long time… I’ve waited to meet Daisuke… So how could I become your slave now that I’ve met him?
Veemon: Hey, take it easy, I was just kiddin’! C’mon buddy, don’t you know a good joke when you hear one? You know, a little comedy to lighten the mood! Haha, funny guy, Veemon! C’mon!

Wow. That is a huge change for Veemon’s character, and not in a good way. It seemed like he’d be as brave as his Japanese counterpart, then he backpedaled entirely during this exchange.

Holsemon attacks, shouting “Red Sun!” This will later be translated as “Eagle Eye” in the dub, but in this scene, he shouts “Tempest Wing!” instead.

Tailmon: You won’t get past me.
Gatomon: This litter box ain’t big enough for the both of us.

Ew.

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Wormmon: I won’t let you touch Ken-chan!
Wormmon: Keep your claws to yourself, you big bully!

Interesting that Wormmon let Ken’s identity slip like that…

That screeching Digivice noise is a near-constant during Digivolution sequences and the “Digi-Armor Energize” stock footage.

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The battle music used here, and the music used for the Digi-Gate sequences is the song Run Around from the Digimon movie soundtrack. I’ll… let you experience it yourself if you haven’t.

Mojyamon’s Icicle Rod becomes Ice Cloud* in the dub.

*No clouds were harmed in the making of this attack, and as such, I have no idea why they called it that.

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Fladramon’s Knuckle Fire becomes Fire Rocket in the dub. I think all of Flamedramon’s attacks get called Fire Rocket at some point in the series.

A scene of the Digimon Kaiser plotting his next move was cut out of the dub for no apparent reason. I think it was sent to the end of the episode, but as a weird overlay on the night sky in the final shot. The dub includes the beeping noise from his goggles, but you can’t see the data running across them, so what’s the point?

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Taichi: Aaah, man… Fujiyama-sensei just can’t stop talking…
Tai: The birds and the bees? Thanks, Mr. Fujiyama! Boy, when it comes to girls, this guy has a lot to learn.

Take that, censors!

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Taichi: You brought the Digimon, too?!
Miyako: Kawaiiiiii!!!! [Cute]
Iori: We didn’t mean to bring them, they just followed us. But why did they change like that?
Hikari: They must have reverted to their Baby forms.
Patamon: But we didn’t change…
Takeru: Maybe it’s because our Digivices are different?
Tai: The new Digimon returned to their In-Training forms!
Yolei: Wow! He’s so cute!
AARP Member Cody: I don’t understand how this little fella… can turn himself into such a great big creature like Digmon.
Kari: Are we going to have to do this [crash into the ground] every time we come back?
Patamon: And I thought Digivolving was a tough job.
TK: Well, at least we made it back to the real world safe and sound!

The hallmark of a properly done dub is pertinent information being replaced with mindless banter.

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Piyomon: Sora, we’ll try to find out more about the Digimon Kaiser.
Tentomon: We’ll let you know if we find something.
Biyomon: Don’t worry, we’ll both be safe here because the Digimon Emperor never comes out at night!
Tentomon: Imagine, all that power and he’s afraid of the dark!

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Koushirou: G-guys, I’m sorry but… please hurry up and get off me!

I love this line’s exclusion from the dub, because the entire team crashed on top of Izzy when they returned, but he doesn’t say a word or move at all the entire time. It’s like he’s dead. XD