Recap: Subzero Ice Punch

(Note: This recap was originally intended to be posted in 2015, but shall instead serve as one to help start 2016.)

Hello, and welcome to the tiger phase of my Chinese Zodiac theme. My initial plan is to reach monkeys in the cycle by the Chinese New Year on February 8. Seeing as I already granted myself some leeway to consider Biyomon similar to a rooster; I guess I can also use Gabumon for tigers in the cycle. So, let’s open up “Subzero Ice Punch” to deal with this cold snap we’ve been having this winter. 

We open on more “Previously-on” highlights; which shows how this whole conflict with Devimon officially begins. Essentially, Devimon set a trap for the Digidestined; then scattered them across the Digital World!

Once again, we get that great electro theme song. No further need to elaborate. Have a listen for yourself. 

Even though the Digidestined are scattered across the digital world; Devimon vows to finish the job with his army of evil Digimon!

Naturally, Tai and Agumon are first to make landfall; but due to the nature of their departure, Tai is wearing nothing but underwear and sneakers in a snowy climate.

Rub your chest, your arms will take care of themselves.

He does find his clothes very quickly; though. While Agumon thaws out his shirt okay; he unwittingly singes Tai’s pants. Whoops! 

It'll take a while to get the smoky smell out, but at least I can get dressed now.

Yet; much like the assault on Starkiller base; burnt shorts are the least of their problems.

I was in sanitation. "Sanitation?!"

They run afoul of a Frigimon; who is yet another victim of the Black Gears, which explains his violent demeanor.

Looks like the bear on the Icee cup finally snapped.

Agumon tries to attack, but he’s too hungry to make an effective strike! Agumon suggest tossing him; but he’s too heavy for Tai!

Jeez, dude! What did you eat?

Thanks to some quick thinking from Tai; he kicks Agumon like a soccer ball, and Agumon destroys the black gear with a well-placed Pepper Breath! So, the next task is finding their friends!

First up is Matt, who is dealing with the bitter cold of his environment; not helped by the fact he’s wearing a top that’s more suited for summer than winter! 

Now I know how Leonardo DiCaprio felt filming The Revenant!

Herding him into a cave; Gabumon then encourages Matt to rest while he tries to find the others! 

Back with Tai and Agumon, Frigimon helps them reach the next island with a bridge of ice!

Now comes one of the reasons why I decided to do this episode: Matt almost freezes in the the icy conditions; and Gabumon gives him his pelt to stay warm! Ugh, ugh, and I thought they smelled bad on the outside!

Eventually, just as Tai and Agumon reach the island; Matt starts coming out of his near-death experience.

Mommy, where am I, and why does my blankie smell like fish?

Gabumon, now with a cold himself; is glad that Matt is all right as he puts his pelt back on.

You think my pelt smells bad? Try smelling your dirty socks sometime!

So, not long after; Tai reunites with Matt, and there was much rejoicing. “Yay.”

The next step is to find the others; but unfortunately, Tai and Matt are divided on how to do so. This devolves into a fight between the two; which is a character setup that helps set the series apart from Pokémon in that time. For the record; I have watched the Japanese version of this episode for a frame of reference, and I find it odd that Saban cut the punches but left in Tai and Matt tumbling around. Especially since this aired on Fox Kids the same time that year’s season of Power Rangers had the first time they killed one of the rangers off; and had the main villain turn her minions into suicide bombers later in the season. I am not making that up. Still, one could easily compare this to how some fans are divided on where seasonal rot set in for the show.

I say Frontier sucked more! "I say, Data Squad sucked more!"

Their scuffle draws the ire of a Mojyamon; but thankfully, Frigimon has food for everyone and medicine for Gabumon’s cold. Of course, the medicine isn’t exactly a winner in the flavor department; as Gabumon can attest.

Bleugh! Tastes like licking the backside of a fish that died of dysentery!

With their energy restored; the Digimon Digivolve and snap Mojyamon out of his stupor!

Matt then apologizes to Tai for their fight; and the two vow to find their friends and stop Devimon once and for all! 

“Subzero Ice Punch” is a fun adventure to help kick off the first of many story arcs for the original Digimon. It also shows off the unique character dynamic of the Digidestined; showing how they’re often more conflicted than most given Pokémon trainers, and it also stands out more than the cardboard cutouts that Yo-Kai Watch tries to pass of as characters. The animation is also very good for its time; and a surprising amount of fan art has been made of the early scene with Tai in his skivvies. I personally found Agumon thawing his frozen quasi-90s duds more amusing; but hey, whatever floats your boat.

I did say that I wanted to do more specific Pokémon episode recaps in favor of more movies; so the next few recaps will all be related to my Chinese Zodiac theme in some way. Given Netflix’s habit of changing their rotation of shows every month or so; I want to be ready for any future material in advance. That said, rabbits are next in the cycle; so my next recap will be on something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. See you, space cowboy!