Digimon Frontier S01E13
Seraphimon Awakens! Secret of the Ten Warriors (JP)
Better an Egg Than an Eggshell (EN)
Original Writer:
Dub Writers: Seth Walther
Original Airdates:
June 30, 2002 (JP)
November 15, 2002 (EN)
I swear, the episode titles aren’t even trying anymore.
And I know I commented on this during the last comparison, but four of the five evil Legendary Warriors have a distinctive (and often irritating) speech pattern or accent. Ranamon sounds like she comes from the Southern United States at the height of the Civil War, Mercurymon doth speak with Shakespearian tongue and verily his milkshake bringeth all yonder gentlefolk to the yard, Arbormon’s got ‘dis Brooklyn accent, an he can’t nevuh get a cab, riiiiiiiiiiight? And Grumblemon no have grammar!
Also, Duskmon is voiced by Crispin Freeman, one of the most well known (and one of my personally favorite) anime dub voice actors. I know him best as Thomas Norstein from Digimon Data Squad and Red Arrow from Young Justice.
Silence
Arbormon: I tried to stop him. You saw dat, right?
*sigh* And so it starts…
Silence
Takuya: I can’t believe it: we’re actually here!
J.P.: Oh, my legs can believe it…
Quit whining.
Silence
Takuya: There’s the sign! Forest Terminal!
Yeah, because no one else in the group can read it for themselves. I see we’re back to writing dialogue in wherever the characters’ mouths can’t be seen.
The sign in the dub is written in English. As Takuya stated above, it now says “Forest Terminal.”
The Deramon in the original version offered the kids free food because he had not seen any customers in a while. In the dub, he said that their first meal would be free, so it was more like a marketing campaign than kindness. Yay for capitalism!
Wow. The dub did something very different this time. Usually, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, the dub likes to make jackasses of the characters, portraying them as much ruder than they are in the Japanese version. I know this is only one line, but it seems so…different than what is normal for this show:
(note that this is during the restaurant scene, after the kids try the food.)
Bokomon: Even though it’s free, it tastes disgusting.
Bokomon: We must respectfully decline your kind offer of food.
Granted, both versions get real mean after this, but it’s an odd twist.
Neemon: He should give us a discount.
Neemon: I can’t feel my tongue anymore!
The original line was funnier.
Deramon: I suppose you kids are heading to the forest terminal.
Izumi: That’s right, but…
Deramon: Give that up right now.
Takuya: Why?
Deramon: Alright, alright, what’s the big idea?! I just can’t believe all of you are going to turn down free food!
Zoe: That was food?!
Deramon: I’m insulted!
Takuya: I’m gonna be sick!
Takuya: You’re just trying to scare us! You’re trying to make money off this stuff!
Takuya: Yeah? We’ll we’ll just take our chances. I doubt the Forest Terminal can be any worse than this “food.”
That’s because you haven’t had to listen to the evil Legendary Warriors’ dialects yet.
Silence
Koji: This place is empty, too!
Zoe: Yeah, and just a little bit creepy.
Listed because Zoe went ‘valley girl’ on us for a few seconds there.
Izumi: It’s like a royal palace!
Takuya: There must be some people here.
J.P.: Yeah, but what if they’re all…*gulp*…ghosts?!
First of all Takuya, there aren’t any people here. It’s the Digital World. Get used to it, you’re the only ones. Second of all, JP, this isn’t an episode of Scooby-Doo.
Silence
Takuya: I guess we’ve got no choice but to keep walking.
J.P.: Oh man, this world sure loves its walking!
Izumi: What? My Digivice!
(castle appears)
Izumi: A castle?
Zoe: Maybe my Digivice is good for something.
(castle appears)
Zoe: I hate it when I’m right!
Zoe’s so damned skittish. It’s almost like…
Oh
My
Gennai
This is a Scooby-Doo adaptation.
Zoe = girly girl, creeped out easily = Daphne
JP = terrified, lazy, likes to eat = Shaggy
Kouji = sorta smart, voice of reason = Velma
Takuya = leader-ish, makes the plans, kinda goofy = Fred
Tommy = youngest, kinda annoying, mascot = Scooby
Bokomon = annoying, no one likes him = Scrappy
Neemon = dumbass, serves no purpose = Flim Flam
Jinkies.
Silence
Scooby: We’ll never know what’s inside if we don’t go in!
Shaggy: Says the kid at the back of the line.
Actually, J.P., you’re right next to him. Not only that, but Bokomon and Neemon are behind you, so no, he’s not at the back of the line.
There was a door knocker at the door to the castle that Takuya uses. In the original, it makes this pleasant crystal-like sound when used to knock. In the dub, it sounds like someone beating a wooden club on a wooden door. O_o
Tomoki: No one’s in.
Takuya: Given this sort of place, who knows what lives here?
Tommy: Maybe no one lives here.
Takuya: Maybe you should open a wishful thinking store, Tommy.
Bet the restaurant guy will sell you his storefront real cheap.
The whole scene where they meet Sorcerermon is changed quite a bit. In the original, Kouji convinces him that they’re on the same side. In the dub, they sort of accidentally manage to figure it all out because of Takuya’s never-ending babbling.
Sorcerymon in the original becomes Sorcerermon in the dub.
Deramon: I’d better see what’s so unappetizing about this.
Deramon: Whatever did I do wrong?! The recipe is clear: one egg in pasta, boil in dirty socks.
You ever notice the dub can’t ever let a joke be subtle? Like they gotta beat you over the head with it with a hammertime?
When Deramon is about to try his own soup, a large amount of footage is cut. First, Grottomon appears, then starts to throttle Deramon, grilling him of the location of the Chosen Children. Then Arbormon eats the soup and finds it delicious. In the dub, it skips all of this and goes straight to a shot of the sign with Mercurymon saying, “They’ve gone to Forest Terminal.”
Silence
Koji: Where are you taking us, anyway?
Sorcerermon: To meet someone.
Koji: I bet it’s a trap.
Tommy: You think everything’s a trap.
Um, guys? He can hear you.
Grottomon: Heh. Big trouble is coming their way!
Grumblemon: Tracks. Fresh. Little further.
Silence
Grumblemon: Just little further.
Ranamon: So you keep saying.
More silence…
Grumblemon: Little further…
Mercurymon: Would you stop that?!
Everyone: O_o
Mercurymon: Erm, I meant… forsooth, woudst thou cease thy prattling? Verily.
When Grottomon and the others arrive, there’s a pan-down shot of the group from behind before the characters started talking. In the dub, they talk first, then that pan is reversed (starting down and moving upwards) before the scene ends.
Seraphimon’s story remains relatively unchanged throughout. However, there is one little interruption…
Bokomon: My, this story sounds familiar…
Mystery, Inc. Kids: Bokomon!!!
Bokomon: What?!
I’ll give him this, we hear this story like eight times from different sources throughout the series, with only a little more information each time. I’d be making snide remarks about it, too.
The whole scene with the villains exchanging taunts with the heroes qualifies as stupid dialogue.
The dub lengthened the Spirit Evolving scenes by doing them in twos instead of doing all four at once like the original.
Izumi: If only I could take back my own spirit…
Grottomon: That isn’t going to do you any good!
Zoe: If only that big doofus hadn’t taken my spirit, I’d show him a thing or two!
Grumblemon: Yeah? Well, me did, and now me show you thing or three!
Gah! They did it again. Burning Salamander, which should be called Pyro Punch in the dub, has been called Pyro Tornado like three times now. So this time, they decide to change it up and call it Pyro Darts, which is a completely different move.
Ranamon’s Rain Stream is called Draining Rain in the dub. (Or perhaps, more accurately, Drainin’ Rain, considering her accent.)
Arbormon’s Machinegun Dance becomes Roundhouse Punt.
Sorcerymon’s Crystal Cloud becomes Sorcerermon’s Crystal Barrage.
Mercuremon’s Offset Reflector becomes Mercurymon’s Dark Reflection.
Seraphimon is retained, and his Seventh Heaven becomes Strike of the Seven Stars.
Mercuremon’s Generous Mirror also becomes Dark Reflection.
Silence
Mercurymon: We shall take it by unpleasant, painful, agonizing force!
Wow, that was repetitive, redundant, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was practically saying the same thing over and over again.
Silence
Arbormon: Aw, dey got away, right?
I don’t know, did they?
The music in the original when Sorcerymon stays behind is more dramatic and puts more of a sad, sacrificed mood to the scene. The dub music is… its normal self, evoking no emotions at all. But hey, we’re all used to it by now, right?
Final Verdict
Total episode retained: 99%
This is, by far, my least favorite Scooby-Doo revival.