Digimon Marathon: Digimon Data Squad: #BlameKurata

One problem I see with projects, in particular fan works, is the poor combination of either parts of franchises, or franchises completely. It’s not something I see often enough to be a large problem, but when I find one, it really stands out, like the subject of this review, Digimon Data Squad.

Set in once again, a new universe, Digimon are starting to break out of the Digital World and cause chaos in the real world. To counter this, a team is put together that goes by the name DATS. All members of DATS are partnered with a Digimon, and must stop the ones breaking free by restoring them to Digi Eggs and teleporting them back to the Digital World. Simple enough? Yeah... it doesn’t stay that way... turns out that this whole mess started because of an expedition to the Digital World, which led to the fracture of the peace, and now members of both sides want to eliminate the other permanently. One by going on a mass genocide, turning everything into a army of weapons, the other by forcing the worlds to collide... For kids!!! If you’re getting Tamers flash backs from this, you’re not the only one, but I said that this was a combination, so what’s the other?

There are three main Digi Destined, eventually four, but the focus is kept on just the three, Marcus, Thomas and Yoshi , all of whom are basically older, version two’s of Digi Destined of the past, mainly Tai, Matt and Sora. Yep, the other half of the combination is Digimon Adventure. The reason why I say this is, aside from the personalities being more “mature” versions of Tai, Matt and Sora, its a connection I also see in their partner Digimon. You’ve got another Agumon for Marcus, who digivolves into a Greymon with more spikes, a not MetalGreymon named RizeGreymon (yes, its Rize not Rise)and then not WarGreymon in the form of ShineGreymon. Tomas’s  Gaomon who’s a not Gabumon, not Garurumon in the form of Gaogamon, what would happen if WereGarurumon and Embor had a child and tried Robotasizing it in the form of MachGaogamon, then... the only one that breaks my comparison, MirageGaogamon. Then we have for Yoshi, with not Palmon (ok, so she has a version two of Mimi’s Digimon, the point still stands), Togamon’s Sunflower of a sister, Not Lilymon and then, even though it wasn’t in the show, the exact same Mega level in the form of Rosemon. I can’t give them valid personality analysis because I cannot see them as anything other than older versions of Tai, Matt and Sora (especially for Yoshi, who's voice by Coleen O'Shaughnessey, Sora's voice actor). Another complaint I have about them is that “older” part. While sources I’ve found say otherwise, to me, Marcus, Thomas and Yoshi are all in their 17- early 20’s, Yoshi is even seen driving (she’s the only one to show that she’s 18, apparently Thomas and Marcus are 14, to which I say

While I wouldn’t do this normally, one of the major villains is Akahiro Kurata, who you can pretty much say is responsible for almost, if not everything wrong in this world. Millions of Digimon are killed and turned into Digimon killing robots? Blame Kurata. Marcus has father issues? Blame Kurata. The Digital World is about to crash into the planet? Ok technically it’s another villain, but it’s in response to Kurata’s actions so blame Kurata. People can’t let a entertainment medium be a entertainment medium and trust people are smart enough to not replicate the actions they see? Blame Kurata. Trains not running? Blame Kurata. Department cuts to almost every department in Australia and National hardware upgrade is getting a downgrade? Blame Kura... Oh wait...

While I like the animation and the soundtrack, everything else has already been done before. Another death of a Leomon that had time for the audience to grow attached to... unless they learned from Tamers. Burst mode is nothing spectacular and feels like a downgrade in comparison. That and Data Squad is the series I struggle to sit through because, again, I've already seen all of this done before, with much better characters. Nothing except for Kurata sticks out for me. But with that, its almost time to end the Digimon Matathon with Digimon Fusion Season 1. See ya on Friday.