The biggest problem with this episode is that it is uncomfortably mismatched. Not only does it lack any trace of the sci-fi influence that pervades much of the series, but it also exacerbates the deterrence in momentum from this excursion to the Digital World. Frankly, it feels as if the kids have literally fallen into a different show, one that more closely resembles the previous two seasons. All things considered, this becomes an issue for two primary reasons (although there are certainly other reasons to dislike this one).
First, by now it has become difficult to dissociate this particular group of kids from the desolate, occasionally abstract version of the Digital World. Here they don't feel like they belong, and as a result the new setting becomes exceedingly jarring. Second, the storyline incorporates some potentially edgy material that clashes with the sillier elements. The effects of enslavement are meant to be acknowledged (the geckomon have a noticeably sullener demeanor) and those milkshakes were originally sake, but the geckomon are too inherently ridiculous to be taken seriously and I don't believe anyone would compare Orochimon's penchant for beverages to the Emperor's treatment of captured creatures.
The treatment of the characters is questionable, to say the least. I think I've made it clear that I hate it when episodes don't live up to their first few minutes. Here we get the impression that there will be development on the dynamic between Rika and Jeri, but the rest of the episode seems to actively avoid that subject in favor of the banal surrounding story. In fact, there really is no central or distinguished character. Despite Kazu's obtaining of a partner being the only real development, it's treated like an afterthought because we don't get any build-up nor are his actions of particular importance. The person to get the most benefit from the story is actually Jeri, as she is given the opportunity to actually do something, but even her big moment at the end feels more obligatory than earned; the fact that Kazu, rather than Rika, urges her to act is bewildering. It's all really a testament that most of these kids don't have the personalities or rapport to sustain an entire series, at least without Impmon, Hypnos and the Monster Makers to pick up the slack.
The quality of the action and overall technical aspects is sub-par, with the animation for Andromon's attack recycled from the first season being the least offense. Orochimon is one of the most disorganized looking monsters in the series, sporting neither menace nor visual appeal. As far as snake monsters go, he's a downgrade from Sandiramon, and Hydra-like creatures have been done far better in the past, as in "Jason and the Argonauts" and Disney's "Hercules". Save for a really cool looking moment where Renamon fires her diamond storm attack, his final skirmish with the group is curiously low on energy, suffers from the distracting grainy sky (that will return for the clash with Beelzemon), and ends in an anticlimax. The darkness wave ability, as used by Leomon, resembles a stream of ionized coffee breath (even fizzling into a steady puff), and Orochimon behaves like a statue when hit by it.
What is most frustrating is that this episode could have saved Rika's character arc by infusing her friendship with Jeri with much needed substance and detail, but all we get is this mismatched, utterly thoughtless pile of piffle.
First, by now it has become difficult to dissociate this particular group of kids from the desolate, occasionally abstract version of the Digital World. Here they don't feel like they belong, and as a result the new setting becomes exceedingly jarring. Second, the storyline incorporates some potentially edgy material that clashes with the sillier elements. The effects of enslavement are meant to be acknowledged (the geckomon have a noticeably sullener demeanor) and those milkshakes were originally sake, but the geckomon are too inherently ridiculous to be taken seriously and I don't believe anyone would compare Orochimon's penchant for beverages to the Emperor's treatment of captured creatures.
The treatment of the characters is questionable, to say the least. I think I've made it clear that I hate it when episodes don't live up to their first few minutes. Here we get the impression that there will be development on the dynamic between Rika and Jeri, but the rest of the episode seems to actively avoid that subject in favor of the banal surrounding story. In fact, there really is no central or distinguished character. Despite Kazu's obtaining of a partner being the only real development, it's treated like an afterthought because we don't get any build-up nor are his actions of particular importance. The person to get the most benefit from the story is actually Jeri, as she is given the opportunity to actually do something, but even her big moment at the end feels more obligatory than earned; the fact that Kazu, rather than Rika, urges her to act is bewildering. It's all really a testament that most of these kids don't have the personalities or rapport to sustain an entire series, at least without Impmon, Hypnos and the Monster Makers to pick up the slack.
The quality of the action and overall technical aspects is sub-par, with the animation for Andromon's attack recycled from the first season being the least offense. Orochimon is one of the most disorganized looking monsters in the series, sporting neither menace nor visual appeal. As far as snake monsters go, he's a downgrade from Sandiramon, and Hydra-like creatures have been done far better in the past, as in "Jason and the Argonauts" and Disney's "Hercules". Save for a really cool looking moment where Renamon fires her diamond storm attack, his final skirmish with the group is curiously low on energy, suffers from the distracting grainy sky (that will return for the clash with Beelzemon), and ends in an anticlimax. The darkness wave ability, as used by Leomon, resembles a stream of ionized coffee breath (even fizzling into a steady puff), and Orochimon behaves like a statue when hit by it.
What is most frustrating is that this episode could have saved Rika's character arc by infusing her friendship with Jeri with much needed substance and detail, but all we get is this mismatched, utterly thoughtless pile of piffle.
