The final film in the series, <\/span>Future<\/span><\/i>, ties it all together as the worlds of innocent child and jaded adult clash within our heroes one final time–even as their Digimon battle for the fate of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n Future<\/span><\/i> begins directly after the previous films cliffhanger ending. Tai, finally coming to peace with the idea that happy endings for everyone rarely come to pass, sacrifices himself to save Matt and Meiko. Much of <\/span>Future<\/span><\/i>\u2019s plot is spent focusing on the ramifications of this action.<\/span><\/p>\n Matt finds himself thrust into the position of leader. After constantly fighting Tai about his obsession with the moral and ethical repercussions of their actions, he suddenly is forced to deal with the same crushing responsibility that Tai has been over the course of the series. <\/span><\/p>\n The expected route of such a story is for Matt to struggle with his new position, and in the process, come to understand the internal dilemma that plagued Tai for much of the series. However, this isn\u2019t what happens. Instead, Matt shoulders the responsibility flawlessly. <\/span><\/p>\n Picking up just where Tai\u2019s character arc left off, Matt chooses to blaze his own path: neither the stagnant harmony of Homeostasis nor the destructive rebirth of King Drasil. As the other\u2019s break down one by one, he is the one that keeps the group focused on saving the world. And this isn\u2019t through rousing speeches, it\u2019s by simply leading by action. He doesn\u2019t back down or give up. He is a rock standing against a storm. <\/span><\/p>\n Of course, this isn\u2019t to say he isn\u2019t struggling on the inside. After all, he, just like all the others is dealing with the death of his best friend. In private with Gabumon, he can reveal that vulnerability. But to everyone else, he has decided to become the unflappable leader he idealized Tai to be.<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, others aren\u2019t handling the situation nearly as well–namely Kari. Kari is simply devastated. Not only has she lost her brother, but due to her grief immediately following that, has lost Gatomon as well. In her mind, her brother has been a nearly invincible, unshakable presence. With him gone along with her Digimon support, the stress is too much for her. <\/span><\/p>\n As responsible as she is, especially compared to her brother, it\u2019s easy to forget that she (along with T.K.) is much younger than the rest of the DigiDestined. In <\/span>Tri<\/span><\/i>, they are both still middle schoolers while the rest are in high school. <\/span><\/p>\n Over the series, each of the older DigiDestined has been forced to grow up in some way. Tai learns about necessary sacrifice; Matt comes to understand leadership; Joe learns to pave his own future; Mimi discovers that intentions matter less than actions; Sora learns that selflessness needs limits; and Izzy finds that there are some problems even his massive intelligence can\u2019t solve. Even young T.K. is forced to learn the hard lesson that all the hope in the world doesn\u2019t mean that things will work out.<\/span><\/p>\n So logically, you\u2019d think that this would be the time for Kari to grow up, too. You\u2019d expect that, as her crest is \u201clight,\u201d she\u2019d overcome the darkness inside of her caused by her brother\u2019s loss and resolve to fight on, even without her Digimon. <\/span><\/p>\n However, this isn\u2019t what happens. Instead she has a deus ex machina vision that is the key to winning. In the end, she gets her brother back, her Digimon back, and is given the key to restoring all their Digimon\u2019s lost memories. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This works solely because of the thematic core of the film: the dichotomy of children and adults–and how we craft stories about each.<\/span><\/p>\n As children, the DigiDestined saved the world though nothing but the drive to not give up. Their childhood innocence granted them a clarity of vision that let them press on to the end. <\/span><\/p>\n Then, there is the more metatextual angle. In a show starring kids and aimed at kids–like the original <\/span>Digimon<\/span><\/i>–we get a sense as the children fight on that they deserve to win and get their happy ending–and so they do. But as we\u2019ve seen in <\/span>Tri<\/span><\/i>, the rest of the DigiDestined have lost this childhood clarity and thus they are treated as adults in an adult story–i.e., they exist in a story aimed at adults where bad things happen and no happy ending is guaranteed. <\/span><\/p>\n Kari, unlike the rest of the main cast, however, is still a kid. And because of that, the story still treats her like a child in a work aimed at kids. She alone is still able to draw out the happy ending the others have given up on as they stepped into adulthood. In a children\u2019s story, her brother suddenly dying seems impossible–so he is found alive. Likewise, the tragedy of losing both Gatomon and all the partner Digimon\u2019s memories is also too dark for her tale–so both are returned.<\/span><\/p>\n The real climax of the film is not the final battle between Digimon, it\u2019s when her brother announces that it\u2019s his intention to kill Meicoomon. His pragmatic adult viewpoint sees that as the minimum sacrifice needed to save the world. He has come to believe that some losses can\u2019t be prevented, no matter how much he wants them to be. Of course to Kari, this is an unforgivable choice–directly clashing with her innocent (and recently rewarded) view of the world. What we\u2019re witnessing is the light of childhood optimism shining against the pessimistic adult world. <\/span><\/p>\n In a story fully aimed at children, Kari would be right and her view would triumph. But <\/span>Tri<\/span><\/i>, as a whole, is about the DigiDestined growing up and entering the world of adults. Outside of Kari, <\/span>Tri<\/span><\/i> is an adult story. Tai, just like any of us, can\u2019t re-enter the realm of childhood innocence–but he can appreciate it and strive to protect it. <\/span><\/p>\n And in the end, Tai does what any good adult would do: he makes a painful sacrifice himself–taking full responsibility for the dark choice of killing Meicoomon and thus allowing his sister to continue living in the sheltered world of children just a little longer. With this scene, Tri shows that while we all have to grow up, the purity of childhood still deserves to be protected–even if the world itself is not as perfect as children see it. <\/span><\/p>\n And honestly, that\u2019s a damn good moral to wrap up on.<\/span><\/p>\n Digimon Adventure Tri: Future<\/span><\/i> was released in Japanese theaters on May 5, 2018. It can be viewed with English subtitles in the US at <\/span>Crunchyroll<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Top Image Source: maidigitv\u200f<\/a> on YouTube.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/1w-rHlqTWQs\/hqdefault.jpg?w=700\")
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Image source: maidigitv\u200f\u200f<\/a> on YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/DcZvKb3VMAA1Go2.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: 5.5\u30c7\u30b8\u30e2\u30f3tri.\u7b2c6\u7ae0\u300c\u307c\u304f\u3089\u306e\u672a\u6765\u300d<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/DcZvKbsVAAATnTU.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
Image source: 5.5\u30c7\u30b8\u30e2\u30f3tri.\u7b2c6\u7ae0\u300c\u307c\u304f\u3089\u306e\u672a\u6765\u300d<\/a> on Twitter<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/yqhj19QQdqI\/maxresdefault.jpg?w=700\")
Image source: maidigitv\u200f\u200f<\/a> on YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/b14utWMmD2E\/hqdefault.jpg?w=700\")
Image source: \u6771\u6620\u30a2\u30cb\u30e1\u30fc\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3\u516c\u5f0fYouTube\u30c1\u30e3\u30f3\u30cd\u30eb\u200f<\/a> on YouTube<\/em><\/p>\n
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