Recap: O Partner, Where Art Thou?

Hello again. Seeing as how this month marks the 18th anniversary of the Digimon anime, I thought I would finally do the third and final episode to tell the story of our three main “Tamers”, to follow the episodes I have already done for the first episode and Henry’s backstory! Let’s open up “O Partner, Where Art Thou?”

As per usual, we get a brief reel of “previously-on” antics detailing the last episode; which was centered around Calumon causing antics at Takato’s school when he started messing with the soccer field’s chalk. His rules made about as much sense as a game of Calvinball or Whackbat, but it’s a fun episode that I might think about in the near future. 

We then get the theme song, and I still really enjoy the industrial metal remix of the Digimon theme for this season. What the heck: I’ll post the link again. 

Our proper opening is at Rika’s school, which is a much more posh school than where Takato and Henry study. 

It also turns out that the writer of this episode’s dub is Steve Blum! Not only did a VA I admire get a great role in this anime, he also wrote the script as well! Think I’m really going to enjoy this. 

Then, with a photograph in her pencil case; it’s revealed that Rika’s relationship with her mother isn’t the best. She wishes her daughter would be more friendly to people, and likewise; Rika doesn’t think very highly of her mother’s status as an actress and model. This stood out at me when I was 9, as while the female leads of the two Adventure series were more idealistic, Rika had a more serious persona that reflected many attitudes at the time. 

We’re then shown a flashback before the events of the series, where Rika is less than pleased at her mother mistaking her Digimon TCG cards for tarot cards. Even though I was wondering about the age difference between Nate and his mother in Yo-Kai Watch, here’s a similar situation that I discovered about these two: in the original, Rika and the other Tamers are 10; while her mother is roughly 28. While Rika and the others were aged up to 12 for the dub, they forgot to do the same thing to her mother. Oops.

What next? You think I'm some emoticon with a stocking hat?

As Rika heads home after class, she sees yet another beacon of light emerging from the fog nearby! Oh dear, what’s Loki up to now?

She quickly heads home, and changes out of her uniform and into her early-2000s “pop punk” attire. The mixture of the triple-belted jeans I mentioned before, a “broken heart” shirt and a studded pair of red sneakers. Renamon emerges from the shadows, sharing her determination! It’s as if to say, “Time to punch in, no time to stop for Starbucks!”

Meanwhile, we see Takato, Henry, Terriermon and Guilmon are playing Ro-Sham-Bo, but Guilmon isn’t very good at it with just three fingers on each hand.

The Digimon materializes out of the fog, and is revealed to be a brute known as Allomon! 

Renamon then goes after Allomon, and Rika activates a modify card of Agumon’s Frozen Wind!

Still, this power-up isn’t enough, but luckily; Takato and Henry are able to lend a hand with Guilmon and Terriermon, much to her chagrin. So, as you guessed, this is another episode that helps with Rika’s development as a Tamer. While the other series all have their own unique takes on the human characters, to date; Tamers really set my expectations high for many series that don’t draw from Adventure or use it as an influence. Also the reason why the series after that, Frontier was such a big step back for me.

Scoffing at the others’ help, Rika activates another card, the Hyper Shift! Still better than the Hyper Scan (go watch AVGN and Fact Hunt to see how disappointing that toy was).

This gives Renamon a much-needed power boost! She’s able to defeat the beast and absorb the data from Allomon!

Rika and Renamon then go back home, however; a snide figure in black is watching them from the power poles! This is Impmon, who I never noticed when I was younger had a very condescending Joe Pesci impression in his voice. Kids in 2001 loved that, apparently.

That night, even though Renamon fought well that day, Rika wonders exactly what’s missing for her to Digivolve to her Champion form. While the visual style of this anime in general deviates from the look of the Adventure series, it still has a very distinct look and feel to it. I never noticed this when I was younger, but the colors of the three main tamers have a nice; subtle accent to many scenes involving them: red for Takato, green for Henry and blue for Rika. A simple RGB color scheme just has an ideal look for cyberpunk. 

We then get more on Rika’s backstory, which showed that she was so good at the TCG she even became champion; but still felt that something was missing. This 12-year-old version of Trinity may be one of many reasons I subconsciously list competitiveness as a flaw on my resumé.

After she returned home, her bedroom was invaded by dark spirits that left her quaking in her skull shirt! Also, in a contrast to Takato and Henry, her mother does well enough from acting and modeling to show they live in a very nice traditional Japanese home!

They’re a bunch of Digimon that want to be Rika’s partner, but Rika says she only wants one! At that moment, a blue card appears in her collection! 

Rika puts the card in her scanner, which turns into a Digivice; and Rika’s partner became Renamon from that day forward! That is a key reason why Rika made my Top 13 Anime Women so long ago: her drive is what got her to become a Digimon Tamer; and why she stood out at me among the other female characters up to that point. 

Anyway, Renamon is out in the city when Rika picks up Impmon’s signal on her Digivice! 

After Impmon scoffs at the idea of partnering with humans, it’s also shown he can shoot fire out of his fingertips! 

At that moment, another Digimon materializes by the park and we see more of Steve Blum’s CO twiddling with his lighter! Also, one of the monitors looks like it has a fidget spinner on it. I personally don’t get the whole obsession with them. I known they’re ostensibly meant to help the disabled, but as someone who actually is; to me, they’re basically this year’s Beanie Babies or Furby. I am well aware of the irony given how I’m writing about this episode; so I’m just going to move on. 

Rika heads to the source of the fog, and discovers a bunch spiderwebs in the park! Who left this mess here? Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield or Tom Holland?

Rika’s Digivice identifies the source as Dokugumon, which resembles a massive spider! Gonna take a lot more than one of my Game Informers to take this sucker out! Should’ve brought her mom’s Italian Vogue!

It turns out Renamon is trapped, and Dokugumon tries to do the same to Rika! Ugh, it’s white, sticky, disgusting and everywhere! 

Even though there’s a slight jump cut before the moment of impact as Dokugumon bites Renamon, it still ends up as a pretty gruesome scene from both the perspective of a 9-year-old and a 25-year-old.

Still, even as Renamon and Rika free themselves, it’s ultimately Rika’s love for Renamon that causes her to Digivolve into her Champion form, Kyubimon! 

With an increase in power and new special moves, Kyubimon is able to make short work of Dokugumon and incorporate its data! 

Of course, while I am satisfied their bond has led to this development, Impmon is not. Knowing what lies ahead; I am just going to wrap this up. 

So, we close on a new step forward in the journey of both Rika and Kyubimon! 

“O Partner, Where Art Thou” is an ideal episode to flesh out Rika’s character and round out the stories of the three main tamers. I have long appreciated Tamers for its storytelling, characterization and animation; and it’s a series that remains my favorite take on Digimon after all these years. It’s one thing for some pickup artist to use the series to denigrate its most notable rival while getting details wrong about both. It’s another to appreciate both of them for their own merits. Even though it’s clear that brand synergy is also playing a part here, I do enjoy how it builds a whole world around the material given to them, like any good adaptation should. Depending on how I feel, this won’t be the last Digimon recap I do for this blog. Next up: I will officially get back on track with my Pokémon movie marathon with my look at Arceus and the Jewel of Life. See you, space cowboy.