Digimon Adventure S01E11

28 min read
Dancing Ghosts! Bakemon

Dancing Ghosts! Bakemon (JP)
The Dancing Digimon (EN)

Original Writer: Yoshio Urasawa
English Writers: Michael L. Reynolds and J.M. Morris

Original Airdates:
May 16, 1999 (JP)
September 25, 1999 (EN)


This is one of the oldest comparisons on the site and is due for revision.

Section: Summary

So we get to Jou and Sora and their spooky evil church adventure. I used to not like this episode too much because I thought it created fodder for the awful ship of Jou and Sora, but ever since I’ve stopped caring, I’ve been able to sit back and enjoy it.

This episode didn’t fair too well in the English dub. Most of the dialogue was changed unnecessarily, dialogue was added unnecessarily, Jou’s anxiety is changed to cowardice, and Sora alternates between being awesome and annoying. The Bakemon are cute and funny, though. :3

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Devimon: “Chosen Children, resent your destiny!”
Devimon: “I, Devimon, have completely separated those seven brats and their pesty [sic] Digimon… that is, until that Tai and Mimi caught up with Matt and Izzy, but I’ll make sure they never find their other friends! Especially with the plans I have for Sora and Joe on that lovely day, the Bakemon holiday!”

Now you may think it’s a story change since Devimon obviously doesn’t know the Chosen Childrens’ names, but I’m pretty sure the above line is actually being read from his memoirs, which he wrote during production. Granted, he wasn’t supposed to read it on air, but you know how actors can be.

And yes, his Japanese line really was that short. He didn’t start talking until he appeared on screen and the shot started moving to see his face.


Jou: “This is why I said I didn’t want to go to camp.”
Joe: “There’s one thing I’ve learned in DigiWorld: beds don’t make good boats.”

Digital World, and that bed is doing a remarkable job of functioning as a boat!


Jou: “Did you eat it all?!”
Gomamon nods.
Jou: “THIS IS WHY I SAID I DIDN’T WANT TO GO TO CAMP!”

Joe: “Did I just hear you eating again?!”
Gomamon: “Uh-huh.”
Joe: “Didn’t I tell you not to eat all the food since we don’t know when we’ll find land?!”


Jou: “I have to study for entrance exams to get into a prestigious junior high school next year!”
Gomamon: “Telling me that doesn’t do any good.”
Jou: “THEN WHOM WILL I TELL?! THERE’S NO ONE HERE BUT YOU AND ME, GOMAMON!!”
Gomamon: “Well, that’s true, but it’s better to float with a little more hope so we don’t get seasick, or bedsick–“
Jou: “WHAT GOOD DOES HOPE DO FOR SEASICKNESS?!?!”

Joe: “I told you that we’d need to ration, which means to save food for later, as in much later!”
Gomamon: “But it is later, Joe; you told me that twenty minutes ago!”
Joe: “TWENTY MINUTES IS NOT MUCH LATER! PLEASE TELL ME THERE IS STILL SOME FOOD IN THE BAG!”
Gomamon: “Well, no, since you can’t handle eating and floating on the ocean at the same time I ate it all besides I need food to digivolve in case we run into bad Digimon.”
Joe: “So?! Have we seen any bad Digimon?! NO! If I starve, who’re you going to protect?!”

[Joe: “And don’t you dare use run-on sentences with me, young man!”]


(Regurgitation!)
Gomamon: “Are you okay?”
Jou: “I’m not okay.”

Gomamon: “Jeez, that’s why I said to have hope!”
Gomamon: “That’s enough about food.”
Joe: *groans*
Gomamon: “Things’ll get better soon. Hang in there, buddy!”


Gomamon: “A box?”
Gomamon: “That crate’s gonna hit us!”

OH NOES.


Jou: “Maybe it has food! Maybe like canned food, or frozen food!”
Gomamon: “No way.”
Jou: “DIDN’T YOU TELL ME TO HAVE HOPE JUST NOW?!”
Gomamon: “Calm down…”

Joe: “Maybe it’s full of fruit, vegetables, bread, milk, cereal, hot dogs, cookies, candy, and soda?!”
Gomamon: “I wish.”
Joe: “YOU WISH?! WE WOULDN’T NEED MORE FOOD IF YOU HADN’T EATEN OURS.”
Gomamon: “You’re strong when you’re hungry.”

That’s a rather specific grocery list. Nothing beats a bowl of seawater-soaked cereal in ocean-borne-for-cod-knows-how-long milk!


No dialogue.
Joe: “Starvation is a good motivator. Looks like we’ll need a jackhammer to open this. Hmm, let’s see… um…”

[Joe: “Where’s the jackhammer tool on my pen knife… oh, wait! The English version censored my pen knife! DAMN YOU, SABAN!”]

Section: Side Note

So this here is, in my opinion, the best part of the episode. Ogremon is in the crate that floats up to Jou and Gomamon on their floating bed of death. He bursts out of the crate as Jou leans over it, scaring the bejeezus out of Jou and Gomamon, and forcing the plot along.

Why is this the best part of the episode? Because Ogremon floated up to them in a crate. That in and of itself isn’t what makes this scene so great; it’s what had to have happened before this point.Ogremon had to get in that crate somehow.

The fact that the top on the crate bulges and breaks rather than simply lifting off also indicates that it was, indeed, sealed shut. Since there are no nails or bolts on top, it’s possible that it’s sealed up with a powerful wood glue, indicating that Ogremon was rolling solo in his endeavor. We can only guess as to how he managed to get the crate into the water. Maybe he tipped it repeatedly until he heard a splash. Maybe he set it on the shore and waited for high tide. Maybe Leomon stopped by before running off to Ancient Daino Region to help out.

Regardless, here we have a Digimon so determined in his mission, he actually came up with a plan to seal himself inside a crate, take to the sea, and float for several days with no steering system or visibility until he collided with something that might be a Chosen Child, and then attack it if it is a Chosen Child.

And it worked perfectly.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is dedication. Too bad it all fell apart, since all Jou and Gomamon had to do was run away, but still. Ogremon, we salute you.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Ogremon: “Too bad I’m not food!”
Ogremon: “Right, you little Digi-pest! Pummel Whack!”

Listed because I liked that Ogremon felt the need to clarify he wasn’t food.


Ogremon: “I’ll kill the Chosen Children!”
Dub Ogremon just laughs. Might have sniffed too much wood glue.


Ogremon says “Pummel Whack” a couple more times in the dub, although he’s not actually using an official attack — he’s just swinging his club at them. Gomamon also says, “Come out of the sea, Marching Fishes,” rather than just “Marching Fishes”.


Ogremon: “Wh-what are these guys?! Hey, stop it!!”
Ogremon: “I’m not scared of some stinking fish! … On second thought, that really hurt!”


Gomamon: “Ogremon is from the Great Canyon mountains. He should be weak to the smell of raw sea fish!”
Ogremon uses Supreme King Fist to thwart the fishes and laughs.

Gomamon: “When the small and meek join forces to fight for a good purpose, they can often bring about the downfall of the big and powerful.”
Ogremon: “Yarr, get off me!” *smack smack smack*

XD


Ogremon: “You’re next!”
Ogremon: “And now, for you meeks!”

I miss polite Ogremon. :<


Ogremon cries out in surprise before regaining his composure.
Ogremon: “You’re bigger now, I’m so scared! NOT!”

:'<


Ogremon: “Supreme King Fist!”
Ogremon: “Here’s the ‘Mega Hand Pummel Whacking’!”

Okay, that just sounds wrong.


Ogremon: “What’re you doing? *looks down* Where are you going?! Wait!! Shit, I’m a hammer, so I can’t do anything…” [In Japanese, “hammer” is a slang term for someone who can’t swim.]
Ogremon: “GYAARRR, *looks down* [shit]… Go ahead and run! See how far you get! Fraidy cats, come back and fight! I dare ya! Come on!”

Make up your mind!

Section: Side Note

In the dub, after Ogremon looks down at the water, it sounds like he mutters “shit!” under his breath. XD I’m sure it wasn’t intended, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there!

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Jou: “That was scary… I knew coming to camp was a mistake.”
Joe: “Oh, man… I don’t like adventure. I’m a stay-at-home-and-read kind of guy.”


Jou: “Ikkakumon!”
Ikkakumon: “I’m tired.”
Jou: “Really? You must have used all your energy in the fight just now.”

Ikkakumon: “I’m tired, hungry, sinking…”
Joe: “Sinking is bad… Ikkakumon! Hey, wait a minute! I thought you were supposed to be some sort of super water mammal!”

…vhat are you sinking about– *is smacked* o.<


Piyomon: “Piyopiyo piyopiyo…” [‘Piyopiyo’ is an onomatopaeic expression for the chirping of small birds.]
Biyomon: “Sora’s fishing, Sora’s fishing!” [… which apparently translates to mocking Sora in English. I approve!]


Piyomon: “Fishing?”
Sora: “I thought we should secure some food.”
Piyomon: “You’re so smart! My stomach’s growling, too.”
Sora: “However, the bait is just a twig. It’d be nice if a fish mistook it for a bug. How’s it look?”
Piyomon: “I don’t know because of the fog.”

Biyomon: “Catch anything?” [She’d just thrown her line out.]
Sora: “Not yet. Give me time; I’m hoping to catch something big.” [With a stick as bait.]
Biyomon: “I’d even be happy if you caught me a little sardine…”
Sora: “I know how hungry you can get, [fatass]. If I caught a huge any-kind-of-fish, you’d be right there eating it with me, right?”
Biyomon: “Well, since you put it that way…”

Yay, anisakis, yay~!


Piyomon: “It looks like an island, but… haa! You caught something!”
Sora: “A huge fish was fooled by the twig!”

Biyomon: “Do you really think you can make a big catch? Oh, look, maybe there’s one now!”
Sora: “Oh boy, it feels like a whale! This is a whopper for sure!”

Yay, illegal whaling, yay~!


(It’s Jou.)
Sora: “Jou-senpai!”

Sora: “Oh, my! That’s a person! JOE!”

We’re gonna need a bigger boat.

Section: Side Note

As you might know, “senpai” means “upperclassmen” in Japanese. In Japan, it’s common to address people in higher grade levels than your own with “senpai” as a suffix to show respect. “Kouhai” is the word for underclassmen, however it isn’t used as a suffix; for that, one would use “-kun”.

In English, the words “senior” and “upperclassman” are common translation of “senpai” as a word, but since we don’t use the terms as titles by which to address people, “Jou-senpai” has no English cultural equivalent. The direct translation would be “Upperclassman Jou”, but that sounds stupid.

I do think Jou’s title is important to his relationship with the other kids, though, so when I write Sora’s dialogue, the “-senpai” suffix will be written out instead of dropped like I do with other suffixes.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Sora: “Just what happened?”
Gomamon: “About that…

Gomamon: “Then a large crate drifted over to us, Ogremon popped out and attacked us!”
Sora: “Goodness, how horrible!”

It is horrible! Poor Ogremon was stuck in a crate. D:


The flashback went without Gomamon’s narration in the original. It didn’t really need any narration; we could see what was happening.


Sora: “Oh my goodness! I’m so glad that the both of you are okay.”

That was the most fake-sounding condolence I’ve ever heard. Nice work, Sora.


Speaking of fake condolences, Sora tells Gomamon that Joe will be fine in the dub (he only nearly died, after all!), where in the original she asked Gomamon if Jou was okay.


Gomamon: “His spirit’s getting weaker.”
Sora: “Well, he never had a strong spirit…”
Gomamon: “We don’t know what’ll happen from now on. If he stays like this, we can’t have adventures!”

Gomamon: “Well, yes, physically, but I’m worried about his confidence! Fighting Ogremon back there really knocked him out. He needs to rebuild his self-confidence.”

Uhhhh… I’m pretty sure the near-drowning is what knocked him out. He needs to not fill his lungs with sea water.

Speaking of which, you guys did resuscitate him, right?


(Jou wakes up.)
Jou: “Gomamon… Sora, Piyomon! Where’s everyone?”

Joe: “Hey, where’s Ogremon? Huh, huh, huh?”

Oh, good, they did resuscitate him. Ogremon’s okay, Joe. He’s just trapped in a crate in the middle of the ocean, but he managed to get that far, so I’m sure he can get back on his own.


Piyomon: “We don’t know.”
Sora: “We just got here ourselves.”
Jou: “I see.”
Sora: “So, from now on, you should become our leader, Jou-senpai!”

Biyomon: “He’s gone.”
Sora: (while Biyomon is still talking — how rude!) “But we’ve got a bigger problem! We can’t find the others. What should we do? We’re stuck on this deserted island with no leader. So I guess you’re going to have to lead us, Joe!”

Smooth, Sora. Real smooth.


Jou: “W-w-wait a minute…”
Sora: “Jou-senpai, you’re the only one who can do it!”

Joe: “Not me! I am not a leader!”
Sora: “You have to; you’re the strongest one here!”

Doubt it. Sora could probably bench press Jou.

Biyomon: “Not to mention the bravest!”

Nope.

Gomamon: “Come on, Joe! Remember how you fought the Unimon!”

We all know he just wanted a pony ride.

Jou: “I understand. I’ll become the leader!”
Joe: “I am ready. You’re right! I’m the brightest one here!”

Great, now he’s deluded. Thanks, guys!


Bells chime from a distance.
Jou: “Is that bell ringing because I became the leader?”
Sora: “Impossible!”

Sora: “Well, let’s not get too carried away.
Joe: “But if I fail, who will save you or me?”
Sora: “My fish line? Heheheh…”

The fish line would probably make a more effective leader than Joe.

Section: Side Note

In the dub, the bell starts ringing after Sora nominates her fish line to be Joe’s runner-up. The bell is quieter as well, and a different melody is used.

In the original
, the bell also corresponded with the fog lifting, which Piyomon noted. Since the fog wasn’t mentioned in the dub, they left that part out.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Jou: “Ahh, well… e-everyone, l-let’s go!”
Joe: “What if we see a bad Digimon? I, uh… uh, I need a moment… okay.”

Original: anxiety. Dub: total weenie. Thank you, Saban.


Oh, wonderful. So they’re walking uphill, and Jou and Gomamon are breathing heavily (probably because their lungs were filled with liquid not too long ago), and the English version changes it to Joe singing, “Hut, two, three, four, oh, your left, two three four,” etc. It’s embarassing for all involved.


Sora: “Must he keep up that army march drivel?”

Should have let the fishing line lead…


No dialogue while the scene zooms out from the church.
Sora: “It all looks so familiar to me. As if it’s a place I’ve dreamed about, or déjà vu. You know, like we’ve been here before.”

This is a weird line, now that I think about it. I don’t remember anything like it in the original, and it never comes up again or becomes important.


(There must be humans here!)
Sora: “You’re still saying that?”
Jou: “Yes! This time, it’s true!”
Sora: “I know you believe that, but…”

Sora: “You’re assuming quite a bit there.”
Joe: “Fine, it’s my opinion!”
Sora: “I’m just giving you another view.”

No, you were stating a fact. Now kick him in the nads.


Sora: “What’s he swaggering about?”
Gomamon: “He’s an unusual leader.”
Sora: *laughs* “Really!”

Sora: “We’ve created a monster.”
Gomamon: “Hey, you think a black gear got him?”
Sora: *laughs* “Gomamon!”

This was all your idea, you little punk. Kick him, too, Sora.

Section: Side Note

More music! The Japanese version had some cute festival music going while the church was shown (while Jou and the others were still walking up to it). The dub‘s background music was awful and has nothing to do with anything, as usual.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Joe: “Okay, step lightly now, troops! Let’s have no stragglers! There’s the church.”

We see it. Thanks, Joe.


Piyomon: “What’s that?” (The music)
Sora: “Leader, go take a look!”
Jou: “Heeeeeh?”
Piyomon: “Go look!”
Sora: “Leader!”

Biyomon: “Who’s going in?”
Sora: (to Joe) “What are you waiting for?!”
Joe: “Huuuuuuh?”
Biyomon: “What’s wrong?”
Sora: “Well, boss?”

Damn. See, they would have saved a lot of time if they’d just made the fishing line the leader!


(Gomamon offers to go.)
Jou: “D-don’t do unnecessary things! As the leader, I’ll go look!”

Joe: “NO, I don’t want you taking a peek! I can’t wait to go in there!”

XD


Gomamon adds, “I think it worked” after Joe leaves. We know, Gomamon. Thanks.


Joe says, “Okay, I’m afraid,” while sneaking along the wall. We all are, Joe.


No dialogue.
Joe: “I was right! Just a normal group of people!”

… dancing to no music in the dub! Just like normal people at fun, totally not-a-cult, holiday festivals do.


Jou: “There really are humans here! Lots of them!”
Joe: “Oh hey guys WHOA! *he skids by them* There are people in the church, dancing — badly, I might add!”

Hey now! That isn’t nice. There’s nothing wrong with their freakish ritual dance!

Section: Cut or moved footage

(00:05) Sora is watching the “people” dance. Gomamon asks what they’re doing, and Piyomon comments that it looks kind of fun. At the end of the scene, we can see someone come up from behind them.

Section: Eyecatch

If you’re scared, now is a good time to run for it!

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Jou: “Why are they dancing?”
Sora: “A festival?”
Priest: “This is a carnival where we make offerings to Lord Bakemon.”

Sora: “There are people! They’re dancing and they’re wearing masks, like it’s… Halloween.”
Priest: “Hallo-what?”

Sora must have had some boring Halloweens growing up.

Section: Side Note

In the Japanese version, when the priest’s face appears beside Sora’s suddenly, a background violin stings reminiscent of Psycho can be heard. It’s awesome.

The references to Halloween in the dub are added in and, quite frankly, they’re pretty dumb because their little carnival looks nothing like Halloween. Maybe it’s what Halloween will look like if whiny parents keep trying to dumb it down for their whiny brats, but for now, it’s all about the jack-o-lanterns and paper-thin store-bought costumes.

Mind you, Halloween is celebrated in Japan, but it too looks nothing like the Lord Bakemon carnival.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Gomamon: “I’d like to hear something…”
Priest: “Go ahead.”
Gomamon: “You mentioned Lord Bakemon…”
Priest: “Yes.”
Gomamon: “The Bakemon I know is… a ghost Digimon who reside in the Overdell Graveyard. I don’t think he’s worthy of having ‘Lord’ [-sama] added to his name and offerings made to him.”
Piyomon: “I agree.”
Priest: “God does not forgive those who speak ill of Lord Bakemon!”
Gomamon: “Sorry!”
Piyomon: “Sorry!”

Priest: “You arrived just in time for some… fun.”
Joe: “Like trick or treat? You do that for Bakemon?”
Priest: “Yes.”
Gomamon: “Wait. Bakemon, as in Lord Bakemon?”
Priest: “Yes.”
Gomamon: “But the only Bakemon I know of is a horrible Digimon who lives among ghosts as their ruler. Why would you honour and celebrate someone like that in the words of our friends he’s like a loser!”
Biyomon: “You got that right!”
Priest: “Don’t you dare come in here telling us what to honour or not! [And don’t you dare use run-on sentences with me, either, young man!]”
Gomamon: “Now now!”
Biyomon: “Back off!”


Sora: “Where’s your offering? I don’t see one anywhere.”
Sora: “You’re a little touchy. We just want to know when the trick-or-treating starts.”

Damn, kids these days are so rude! In my day, if we walked into a religious establishment, we treated the cultists with respect. We never got any candy, and since this was back in the day when candy didn’t have great things like aspartame and razor blades and staples in it, we were damn grateful for the opportunity to keep our teeth! And if we gave the clergy any lip, they’d feed us ceremoniously to their awful gods.


Priest: “It is here.”
Priest: “You’re not afraid?”

I don’t mind saying that I would be afraid if a priest in a freaky mask invited me into a church occupied only by other priests for some “fun”.


Priest: “Our offering to Lord Bakemon is… *boo* you!”
Priest: “Well, you should be, because it’s a trick… *boo* and you’re the treat!”


Digimon Analyser: “Bakemon: a ghost Digimon covered entirely in a white sheet. No one knows what its true form looks like underneath.”
Gomamon: “The masked man was the evil Digimon Lord Bakemon in disguise. No one had ever seen him in his true form.”

Possible mistranslation. The narrator in the original meant that no one has seen what Bakemon looks like under its sheet. Obviously someone would have had to have seen it before, otherwise how did Gomamon know what it looked like? And it’s a regular Bakemon — Lord Bakemon is formed when the Bakemon all combine.


The Bakemon chant “Trick or treat” in the dub for some reason when they come out of their disguises. It was obviously necessary; the episode didn’t have enough Halloween references, and the kids won’t know that the not-Halloween evil cult festival is similar to Halloween if we don’t cram it down their throats.


Piyomon and Sora: “Overdell Graveyard!”
Sora: “The dancers, who I bet are ghosts, too!”
Bakemon/Dancers: “That’s right!”


Gomamon: “I can’t evolve now because I did it earlier.”
Gomamon: “I need food you were right I should have saved some earlier.”

You need punctuation, son.


They just scream.
Joe: “Ooh, I’m allergic– OW! I’m allergic to pain!”


No dialogue.
Bakemon: “Get in there!”
Another Bakemon: “You, too!”

No. >:(


And now they’re chanting, “Trick or treat! YOU’RE the treat!” Yes, guys, we get it. You’ve made that joke like four times now.

Section: Side Note

When Jou and Sora are up on the table/desk/pedestal/altar/whatever the hell that thing is called, some drum beats play in the Japanese version, which is pretty cool as it gives a more ritualistic or ceremonial feel to the scene.

In the dub, no music.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Jou: “We’re Lord Bakemon’s offering?”
Sora: “It looks that way.”
Jou: *starts crying* “I knew it would have been better to stay home studying for entrance exams instead of coming to camp!”
Sora: “You’re starting that again?”

Joe: “Okay, don’t panic. I’m still in control and feeling strong.”
Sora: “Okay.”
Joe: *starts crying* “Waaah, I don’t wanna be somebody’s appetizer! I’m supposed to go to med school!”


Bakemon with Salt: “Salt.”
Bakemon with Pepper: “Pepper.”
Bakemon with Salt: “Salt.”
Bakemon with Pepper: “Pepper.”

Bakemon with Pepper: “And pepper!”
Bakemon with Salt: “More?”
Bakemon with Pepper: “Why not?”

Listed because the original scene was cute. :< And yes, the Bakemon with the pepper in the dub did say “and pepper” even though the Bakemon with the salt didn’t say “salt”.


Sora: “D-don’t you think you should go easy on the salt?”
Bakemon with Salt: “That’s true. They say eating too much salt is bad for your body.”
Jou: “They really are going to eat us!!”

Sora: “Salt and pepper? You’re not really gonna eat us, are you?”
Bakemon: “You’re a little on the scrawny side, but you’d be surprised what the right seasonings can do!”
Joe: “You think we can fanagle them into dining on someone a bit bigger?”

Maybe. Where’s Biyomon?


Sora: “Just what is this Lord Bakemon?!”
Sora: “What kind of fiend is this guy? We’re just kids!

Being kids is all the better reason to eat you! You can’t defend yourselves, your bones are still soft and chewy, and you’re annoying! It’s win-win!


Gomamon: “It doesn’t look like we can break out.”
Piyomon: “But we have to get out somehow.”

Biyomon: “There must be a way out of here.”
Gomamon: “Maybe we’ve been looking in all the wrong places.”
Biyomon: “There’s not much room to look in this place.”

Listed because damnit, that entire conversation was asinine. “Maybe we’ve been looking in the wrong places?” Well, yeah, since there hasn’t been an exit in any of the places you’ve looked, I’d say so!


In the dub, Biyomon comes up with the idea of tricking the guard Bakemon. Gomamon did originally.


(Gomamon says the guard Bakemon looks dumb enough to be tricked.)
Piyomon: “How do you know he’s easy to trick?”
Gomamon: “Digimon who sleep with snot bubbles coming out of their noses are easy-to-fool Digimon!”
Piyomon: “Is it really okay to base an assertion on that?”
Gomamon: “It’s fine!”
Piyomon: “So how do we do it?”

Biyomon: “Right, so first we have to try and wake him up.”
Gomamon: “And how are we gonna do that? Look at him! For a ghost, he sleeps like a log.”
Biyomon: “We just have to get his attention or we’ll never escape!”
Gomamon: “Uh-huh.”
Biyomon: “But I’m all out of ideas!”
Gomamon: “I think I have just the thing!”


Gomamon: “Bakemon!”
Bakemon Guard: “Me?”
Gomaon: “You!”
Bakemon Guard: “What is it?”
Gomamon: “Aren’t you going to taunt us?”
Bakemon Guard: “What?”
Piyomon: “We want to be taunted!”
Bakemon Guard: “You guys sure are weird Digimon.”

Bakemon Guard: “Heeey, what’s the idea?!”
Gomamon: “So when do you start?”
Bakemon Guard: “Start what?”
Gomamon: “Start taunting us, you floating bag of wind!”
Bakemon Guard: “Wha?”
Biyomon: “You give bad Digimon a bad name!”
Bakemon Guard: “But I haven’t learned how to taunt anyone yet!”

Poor guy. It’s his first day on the job, he falls asleep, and he leaves his handbook at home!

Section: Side Note

I guess I could mention the Bakemons’ voices at some point. The Japanese voices are deep and echoed to sound more ghost-like. The English voices are growly and forced, more like fake monster voices. The voice actor for the Bakemon guard above switches to a smoother, dorkier voice for the character, and it works pretty well.

In the dub, the Bakemon do singing/chanting as a group. The studio did get multiple people to participate in those scenes, and you can hear the variety of voices when they do.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

The taunting scene is done pretty well. The dub leaves out a remark from Gomamon, asking if the graveyard is so poor they don’t have any food (to taunt him and Piyomon with) (of course, why else would the Bakemon capture some wandering kids and eat them?) (I suppose Gomamon wouldn’t know that part for sure, though), which prompts the Bakemon Guard to get mad, declare that they have plenty of food, and bring out the bananas.


Piyomon: “This food is enough to bring back my energy!”
Gomamon: “Yeah!”

Gomamon: “That was a pretty good idea.”
Biyomon: “Never get between a Digimon and his meal!”

Isn’t that what you two just did? And are about to do?


Jou: “M-my soul tastes bad!”
Sora: “What?! Are you saying mine tastes better?
Jou: “It probably tastes better than mine!”
Sora: “Jou-senpai!! And yet you’re the leader?!”

Joe: “You don’t want to eat me; I’m mostly gristle anyway!”
Sora: “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying they should eat me first?”
Joe: “Oh, can’t you see it’s curtains for both of us?!”
Sora: “Oh, go have your pity party somewhere else!!”

I’m sure he’d love to, but he’s a little tied up right no– *is smacked* o.<


During the above conversation, the Bakemon are chanting, “We like food! We like to eat! Munching you both will be a treat!” Because we haven’t had enough of the word “treat”.


Bakemon: “Let’s call forth Lord Bakemon.”
Bakemon: *chanting* “Munching you both will be a treat!”

Just can’t… get… enough of it.


Bakemon: “We’re scary ghosts! We like to ‘boo’! Now it’s time to chew on you! Now it’s time to chew on YOOUUU~!”

That was adorable. XD

Section: Side Note

Lord Bakemon’s voice is in the same boat as the other Bakemon – deep and spooky in the original, fake monster in the dub.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Jou: “Ikkakumon!”
Sora: “Birdramon!”

Joe: “Good timing! Couldn’t be better!”
Sora: “Hey, go get Bakemon!”

Bloody ungrateful bastards…


No dialogue.
Sora and Joe: “… while we get out of here!”

Jerks.

Section: Side Note

When catching Ikkakumon’s Harpoon Vulcan, Lord Bakemon is using his special move, “Hell’s Hand”. This is left out of the dub.

Section: Cut or moved footage

(00:04) A shot of Jou and Sora hiding behind the headstones.

Sora: “Lord Bakemon is stronger than I thought!”
Jou: “Well, he’s a ghost!”


The scenes are re-arranged again when the dub comes back from a fade-to-commercial break.

Original:
Lord Bakemon tosses away Ikkakumon’s Harpoon Vulcan.
Birdramon uses Meteor Wing.
Lord Bakemon deflects Meteor Wing.
The cut scene above.

The dub, when returning from break:
Lord Bakemon catches the Harpoon Torpedo.
A shot of Sora from a few moments later in the episode saying, “Lord Bakemon is tough!”
Birdramon uses Meteor Wing.
Bakemon deflects Meteor Wing.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Jou: “With a ghost, an abbreviated sutra of gratitude!”
Joe: “His power comes from evil, but I know that good can beat him with time.”

Well, that’s useful right now.


Sora: “What is that?”
Jou: “With an abbreviated sutra of gratitude, Lord Bakemon’s power will weaken!”
Sora: “You can do that?!”

Sora: “Oh, what if it’s too late?!”
Joe: “It’s never too late to fight evil! But we have to weaken Lord Bakemon to help our friends prevail!”
Sora: “‘We’? You’re the leader, not me!”

Jerk.


Jou: “I can!”
Sora: “Do you know any sutras of gratitude?”
Jou: “There’s one my grandmother from the country taught me to help me take tests!”

Joe: “Don’t be a quitter!”
Sora: “So what makes you think that we can beat him?”
Joe: “I once saw a show about this Roman physicist. He believed that repeating a phrase helps you focus mind over matter!”

Worst physicist ever.


Sora: “Will it work against Lord Bakemon?”
Jou: “It’s a sutra of gratitude, so it has to work!”
Sora: “What’s with the sudden faith? It’s kind of scary…”

Sora: “Let’s focus on running!”
Joe: “No, we focus on making Bakemon lose his power.”
Sora: “Okay, you’re in charge! Start focusing.”

Well, stop distracting him!

Section: Side Note

sutra is a text that summarizes religious and philosophical teachings, which Wikipedia will tell you if you click on the link. Jou is reciting a Buddhist sutra.

The sutra was changed to “Bakemon, lose your power”. I know, it’s shocking. The dialogue box above only completely spoiled that for you.

Fortunately for Joe, Lord Bakemon is very impressionable and he obliges.

Obviously, the sutra was removed because Western kids might learn something if they’d left it in, and stupid parents would throw tantrums because some kids are using harmless chants to drive away a child-eating ghost in a cartoon. Also, there wasn’t really an opportunity in the dialogue to explain that cultural element… probably should have led with that.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Jou: “*reciting the sutra* The mokugyo!” [A ‘mokugyo’ 「木魚」 is a fish-shaped, wooden drum used during recitation of sutras.]
Joe: “Bakemon, lose your power. Bakemon, lose your power. Bakemon, lose your power. *to Sora* You can jump in any time now… WELL, HELP!”

XD You tell her, Joe!


Jou resumes reciting the sutra.
Joe: “Good.”
Sora: “Yeah, we’ll use my lucky hat!”

I wouldn’t touch it if I were you, Joe.

Section: Side Note

Original: as with most battle scenes, Brave Heart plays in the background starting when Gomamon evolves into Ikkakumon. When Sora and Jou are talking about the sutra, the song quiets down, and it stops completely when Jou starts reciting. It picks back up as Jou orders Ikkakumon and Birdramon to attack.

The dub doesn’t do the same, but the song playing is actually appropriate while Joe is chanting. Once he declares victory, though, the music doesn’t pick up, so it’s kind of anti-climactic.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Jou: “Ikkakumon, Birdramon, NOW!!”
Joe: “Bakemon better pick his fights more carefully WE WON!!”

A little premature, but okay.

Section: Cut or moved footage

(00:01) A shot of Lord Bakemon getting hit with Ikkakumon’s Harpoon Vulcan is covered up with a short clip of Jou talking from when he gave the attack order/declared premature victory.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

Sora: “I don’t understand it, but this is great!”
Sora: “Way to go, guys! You got Bakemon!”

Section: Side Note

Where it shows Birdramon and Ikkakumon right after their victory, in the original, they roared. In the dub, they laughed.

It sounded EVIL.

Section: Dialogue Deviation

The ground cracks and Jou and Sora peek into the fault line.
Sora: “Black gears!”

Joe: “It’s an earthquake!”
Sora: “But we’re not shaking! Uh-oh, those are black gears!”


Jou: “They stopped.”
Joe: “Lots of ’em, huh?”

Plot!


Sora adds “Now we’re shaking!” when the island shakes and the gears break.


Jou: “It’s Infinity Mountain!”
Joe: “I’m sure glad those black gears broke.”
Sora: “And I’m glad Bakemon’s gone!”

And I’m glad this episode is almost over!


The last few lines were changed around a little:

Sora: “Everyone might be over there!”
Jou: “Let’s go look!”

Sora: “Look, it’s Infinity Mountain!”
Joe: “And that’s where we’re going.”
Sora: “Yeah.”
(They head for the mountain.)
Joe: “Maybe our friends are there, Sora.”
Sora: “I hope so.”

Final Result

Total Footage Kept

99%. Just some short cuts.

Tags: , ,

There are no comments yet

Why not be the first

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Font
Off On
Size
revert
Content
Color
revert
Links
Color
revert

Skip to content