Reviews

Sep 23, 2016
When producing continuations of popular anime, the creators are often accused of milking the franchise. While this might be true in some cases, there is a large number of counter-examples. One of them is the sequel to the Digimon Adventure franchise, Digimon Adventure tri. The first two films have already been no disappointment and the third one, Kokuhaku, is another case of a successful sequel.

Kokuhaku’s atmosphere is much darker than that of tri’s previous instalments and it manages to convey a dull, melancholic feeling from the very beginning. This is supported by the absence of an opening in the first part of the film whose presence would have cheered the viewer up. Of course, this film is not entirely dark as there is a good amount of comic relief to see. However, one cannot deny that the events of the previous films have affected the cast’s – and, therefore, the film’s – mood immensely. Nevertheless, Kokuhaku feels natural as the tone shift is not unexpected, even though the story could also have progressed in a different direction which, thankfully, it did not.

Another difference from Saikai and Ketsui, the films which preceded this one, is the length: Kokuhaku is approximately 20 minutes longer. While one could be thankful for this, it also comes with a number of problems since, for example, the film’s pacing suffers greatly from this. Toei Animation could have compressed the story into a shorter film and not much would have been lost. The way it is now, some scenes feel a bit too long, even though they are important. Additionally, the animation quality and the consistency of the character designs have decreased in quality, albeit not having been extraordinarily great in the other two films either. Had the film been shorter, aforementioned aspects would probably not have suffered as much as they have now.

That being said, this film is in no way boring. The viewer experiences amazing and surprisingly complex world building which does not contradict anything that has already been established. One might argue that it is a bit too complex for its own good but even then, it does not disrupt the film’s flow.

As different as Kokuhaku might be, it still stays true to the franchise to which it belongs. It communicates important themes such as departure or loss in true Digimon fashion and does not disappoint when it comes to nostalgic moments either. It shows how a story can continue without conveying a feeling of a franchise being milked.

Other than the other two films, Kokuhaku does not focus on two characters. While Koushirou and Takeru are a bit more important than the rest of the cast, the plot does not revolve around them as it did with Mimi and Jou in Ketsui. Thanks to this, one is able to see how the events in the previous films helped developing the personality of certain characters, especially Jou. Moreover, this film revolves more around the Digimon than the other two did. While before, they were shown side-to-side with their partners, this time we can see them interact with one another without the children being nearby. These scenes show how much personality the Digimon have, which is a fact that is often forgotten.

Action scenes are, on the one hand, handled rather well. The battles’ choreographies are more complex than in the TV series, where fights usually ended with Digimon using their respective special move. Here, much more thought has been put into the action and the result is undeniably satisfactory. On the other hand, aforementioned animation issues dull the experience a bit and, moreover, it feels as though the camera is zoomed in during important clashes, making it hard to find out what exactly happens on screen.

Kokuhaku is unexpectedly emotional. Digimon has always been a bit cheesy and this film is no exception. However, the execution is on point and underlined by a beautiful soundtrack. Moreover, due to the aforementioned atmosphere, emotional scenes are much more believable and relatable. In this aspect, Kokuhaku surpasses the two other films and to a certain extent also the TV series.

In my opinion, this film is the best tri-film so far. It has less weaknesses than the other two and manages to surprise its audience with compelling twists, even though it is basically targeted at children. It might not be entirely perfect and the usual production quality of Toei Animation is not its only fault. However, Kokuhaku is a must-watch for Digimon fans and I personally cannot wait for the next film to air.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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