[barnstenchfartface]

Managed to finish some work earlier than I expected so I decided to finish up Hunters today while I had some free time.


My feelings on it now are...complicated. I really didn't expect the last four episodes to change my thoughts on the series as a whole much at all, but...man. Wow.

I...actually think the last three episodes or so are more or less the perfect conclusion...to a show that could have been, but sadly, not at all the one we got. The more the endgame went on the more I was on board with everything that was going on.

In particular, the entire idea of Tagiru surpassing Taiki and taking his place among the legends (including Ryoma's part as a parallel, also striving for that goal) as the driving theme of the show really struck a chord with me. I mean, it's not like that hadn't been brought up before, Tagiru's entire motivation had always been wanting to surpass Taiki. But it didn't strike me until we were actually at that point, when it actually had to happen at an important part, that I realized what an actually brilliant driving theme it was for a Xros Wars follow up. Taiki's problem is that he's too perfect a protagonist, too perfect a hero. He himself doesn't change a bit throughout the 79 episodes of the Xros Wars saga. He was a fully realized goody two shoes from the beginning. And that's fine, at least for me. As I see it, Xros Wars is not about Taiki changing and improving as a person, it's about him helping others do that. However, despite not being the sort of dynamic character a protagonist really should be, he still had to fill that that role in XW. Tagiru, on the other hand, is a pretty flawed guy. He's hotheaded, kind of dumb, reckless, and irresponsible. Which means he has far more potential for growth, which is good for a protagonist. Placing him in the protagonist role in XW, with Yuu as the rival-friend hybrid that pushes him to be better, and Taiki this time in a mentor position as the goal Tagiru aims to reach and an example for him to follow...it's actually a really good set-up for what could have been a really good story and development for all of these characters. Oh man, it could have been so good. Just imagining it during those last 24 minutes. Chills. When in the last moments, when it really counts, the perfect hero can't fulfill that role, and the still imperfect Tagiru had to rise up to the challenge.

Given the right development and proper build up throughout the season, it could have been a really great climax. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, even if it didn't get any of that, I still really enjoyed it. The thought behind it was good.

It's just a shame that the show itself was not. It's so weird that these last few episodes really did change my opinion so weirdly. In a sense, it definitely made me more appreciative of what the show could have been (and what I guess they actually thought they were doing), while at the same time they only lowered my view of the first 20 something episodes of the show for being so mediocre.

It's just...such a huge disconnect. You get the sense that they were building up the fact that Tagiru was becoming this great hero throughout the show, so it naturally leads to him saving the world in the finale, but it's....bullshit. It didn't have to be but it was. I mentioned this in my last post, but Hunters had negligible stakes throught the entire show, raising them to astronomical levels at the very end doesn't work. For the first 80%+ of the show, nothing mattered. There was no overall significant story or meaningful development for anything or anyone. It's all dumb little stories of the week, this time about how one of Tagiru's classmates just really likes trains a lot, ok? he's all about trains, and then maybe next week about how this other one of his classmates' dad has problems making his ramen taste good.

It's...just...so inane. It makes me sad. The show really had a lot of potential, but it all ends up being too little too late. It had a good finish but since it didn't have any legs to stand on it just fell flat. And it's a damn shame.

There really were some really neat moments in the last few eps though. I've mostly talked about Tagiru, and his role in the last episode, but there's other things...

I enjoyed episode 24 quite a bit, actually. There was a very noticeable "getting the gang back together" vibe about it. Having all of Xros Heart back together and giving most of the main ones lines (except Sparrowmon because screw him I guess), giving Zenjirou and Akari Xros Loaders so they can actually Do Things (I'm probably alone in this, but I like the both of them even without Loaders. That being said, giving them more tangible ways to contribute is all right in my book regardless) ...was cool. Doesn't even nearly begin to make up for sidelining them so hard for the rest of the show, but...it could have been worse, theoretically.

Of course, the big elephant in the room about Hunters' endgame is the random inclusion of characters from the other Digimon series, and I...actually didn't mind that at all! Sure it's pretty unnecessary fanservice, but it's harmless, and considering each and every one of the shows these guys came from are themselves better than Hunters, their inclusion didn't exactly hurt it. Was also fun seeing them comment on the various different ways they each used their powers and all that. Zenjirou being a fun guy about it. I didn't mind it. About the worst thing that can be said about it is that it took up a little time, but not nearly as much as I expected, for one thing, and also it's not like they were gonna use that time to like, give Ren character development or something so I don't actually care.

(but like seriously, what the fuck was even Ren's point in the grand scheme of this show? Ryoma was Ryoma and Airu at least featured solo in a couple of episodes, functioning as Yuu's rival and at least growing a little bit in the process, but Ren was like....man, just, fuck Ren)

My favorite part in the entire show may just have been the very last plot twist, however. The identity of the clock man...holy crap. That was a pretty neat twist. Kinda nonsense, maybe, but I really really liked it.

...anyway, that sure is a wall of text. Hunters wasn't that good a show. But maybe it could have been. Oh well.

I hope Applimonsters is good.