Digimon has dramatically evolved over the last few years. After being a TV series and special movies when it was launched in 1999, the series has gotten a bit more serious than a kid’s show about a group of kids and their digital monsters. Five years ago, Digimon Adventure tri. really upped the game with six feature films that delved into the characters and weren’t just a way to sell a toy line. Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna pushes even deeper into the relationship between the youthful characters and their little pals with a result that might leave you searching for a tissue.
The new movie starts five years after Digimon Adventure tri.: Future as the DigiDestined are about to embark on adulthood. They have to figure out jobs to pay for things since they’re no longer kids. But in the midst of the deciding career opportunities, Tai (Joshua Seth) and Matt (Nicolas Roye) get approached by Menoa Bellucci. She has a major mission for them that involve their Digimon. Turns out Eosmon has been going around and destroying other DigiDestined and their Digimon. Are they up for the big battle on the internet to stop this creature from claiming their friends? While Tai and Matt act like it’s going to be a normal battle from their early adventures, there’s a sense that things are changing. She warns the aging teenagers that as a DigiDestined get older, their bond with Digmon weakens. Her research has shown this is true. Somehow the relationship is all about potential and when the kid gets a sense of what they want to do for the rest of their life, the Digimon breaks apart. Will Tai and Agumon not be together forever? Is this the ultimate price of growing up?
Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna does a lot in what feels like a wrap up of the original characters. if you’ve been following the TV series and movies over the last two decades, the final scene will be an emotional gut punch.
Here’s Josie with her take on the movie. She’s not happy that a certain character wasn’t featured more prominently:
The video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The audio is 5.1 DTS-HD MA in both Japanese and English. Both sound fine so you can enjoy either version equally.
DVD has the movie and bonus features at a lower resolution.
The Final Evolution: Remembering 20 Years of Digimon Adventure (15:19) has Joshua Seth and Tom Fahn reflect on what might be their final vocal sessions as Tai and Agumon. Little did either of them know that a job two decades ago would last so long. We get to see video of them delivering their final lines.
Theatrical Trailer (1:33) has the DigiDestined growing up.
Shout! Factory presents Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna. Directed by: Tomohisa Taguchi. Screenplay by: Akatsuki Yamatoya. Starring: Natsuki Hanae, Joshua Seth, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Nicolas Roye, Mutsumi Tamura, Mona Marshall, Suzuko Mimori, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Chika Sakamoto and Tom Fahn. Running Time: 94 minutes. Released: October 6, 2020.
