Covering the episodes of Digimon Adventure Tri under the Coexistence banner, the DigiDestined start the movie in the middle of a run in with a corrupted Gennai, and they spend most of the film mulling over the implications of what they have learned and what they need to do next.
Coexistence is the penultimate instalment in the series, and that really comes across in the film’s plot. The vast majority of the story is either dealing with the fallout of the previous movie, having characters spell out their feelings, or setting up what is to come next. As a result, it lacks a plot that is as cohesive as earlier instalments in the franchise. The second film had Joe and Mimi struggle with personal issues that proved relevant to the plot, the third movie had T.K. struggling with his fear of losing Patamon again. Coexistence, on the other hand, simply exposition – a lot of exposition. There is some action but it isn’t choreographed well and doesn’t take up much of the film’s runtime. The latter issue is a problem which also affected the earlier entries in the saga, but those films at least had the excuse that they were at a time in the series when it was still trying to set up the plot. Such an excuse doesn’t apply here.
Each of the releases in this series so far have included one extra designed to offer a look at how the show is made. This time, it’s a brief interview with Johnny Yong Bosch, the actor who has taken on the role of T.K. this time around. Bosch talks about what it was like to act in the series as a newcomer alongside veteran Digimon actors, and it is a lot of fun. Bosch is at ease and seems happy to be there, with the whole thing having the feel of an informal chat.
This may be a low point in the Digimon Adventure Tri movies; existing purely to bridge the earlier parts of its series to the finale, it offers little in itself that might have helped it succeed as a complete product. There are elements which work, the emotional turmoil the characters are going through does feel real, and as always, the animation is beautiful to look at. The problem is that these elements are buried under a lot of exposition and a needlessly long run time.
The extra feature is nice, but it isn’t enough by itself to justify purchasing this release.
Extras: Interview with Johnny Yong Bosch
DIGIMON ADVENTURE TRI THE MOVIE PART 5 / CERT: PG / DIRECTOR: KEITARÔ MOTONAGA / SCREENPLAY: MITSUTAKA HIROTA / STARRING: JOSHUA SETH, VIC MIGNOGNA, COLLEEN O’SHAUGHNESSEY, MONA MARSHALL, PHILECE SAMPLER, ROBBIE DAYMOND, JOHNNY YONG BOSCH, TARA SANDS, CHRISTINA VEE / RELEASE DATE: JULY 30TH
