As was the case before, there is an interesting first few minutes that transition poorly into the rest of the story, though I would argue that the lack of internal follow-up makes this worse.
We see Rika's mother attempt to bond with Rika, but on her own terms rather than actually getting to know her daughter. It's a brief sequence, but you can really tell how uncomfortable Rika is during the photoshoot. It reminds us of the rift that exists between these two, the only parent/child relationship that has received any effective basis, but it's quickly brushed to the side in favor of an utterly extraneous scenario. The Tamers don't learn anything about the Sovereign aside from slightly more confirmation of his existence (which they would have learned later anyway), and the explanation that the Devas' goal is to rule humanity is not only predictable, but inaccurate, as will be shown later. Vajramon could have been one of the most substantial of the Devas, thanks to his obvious attraction to Renamon, but his attempts to sway her are utterly defused by the fact that, all things considered, there isn't a scintilla of a reason for her to take them seriously. The end fight is decent, though overdrawn and marred by another perfunctory introduction for an ultimate level digimon and the usual digital field brightness level.
But the real issue is those first few minutes. This episode would have been SO much better if it revolved around Rika and Rumiko actually taking steps towards understanding each other better. I'm not saying their issues should be completely resolved here, but some real effort is required; watch "The Eighth Digivice" from the first season and consider the difference. It's not so much that Rika dismisses Rumiko's attempt to talk to her; it's that the matter nonchalantly ends there. As it is, the opening sequence does nothing beyond reaffirm stuff we already know and provide justification for the brief, albeit thoughtful, scene in "The Journey Begins". In between, there will be nothing more than a mechanical jump.
We also see that Riley, the red-haired analyst that works at Hypnos, apparently has a life outside of work (big surprise), but none of this tells us anything of importance. In fact, Hypnos' role in this episode is pretty trite, merely detecting the appearance of another "wild one", failing to do anything about it, and Yamaki giving his usual "they must all be destroyed" speech.
We see Rika's mother attempt to bond with Rika, but on her own terms rather than actually getting to know her daughter. It's a brief sequence, but you can really tell how uncomfortable Rika is during the photoshoot. It reminds us of the rift that exists between these two, the only parent/child relationship that has received any effective basis, but it's quickly brushed to the side in favor of an utterly extraneous scenario. The Tamers don't learn anything about the Sovereign aside from slightly more confirmation of his existence (which they would have learned later anyway), and the explanation that the Devas' goal is to rule humanity is not only predictable, but inaccurate, as will be shown later. Vajramon could have been one of the most substantial of the Devas, thanks to his obvious attraction to Renamon, but his attempts to sway her are utterly defused by the fact that, all things considered, there isn't a scintilla of a reason for her to take them seriously. The end fight is decent, though overdrawn and marred by another perfunctory introduction for an ultimate level digimon and the usual digital field brightness level.
But the real issue is those first few minutes. This episode would have been SO much better if it revolved around Rika and Rumiko actually taking steps towards understanding each other better. I'm not saying their issues should be completely resolved here, but some real effort is required; watch "The Eighth Digivice" from the first season and consider the difference. It's not so much that Rika dismisses Rumiko's attempt to talk to her; it's that the matter nonchalantly ends there. As it is, the opening sequence does nothing beyond reaffirm stuff we already know and provide justification for the brief, albeit thoughtful, scene in "The Journey Begins". In between, there will be nothing more than a mechanical jump.
We also see that Riley, the red-haired analyst that works at Hypnos, apparently has a life outside of work (big surprise), but none of this tells us anything of importance. In fact, Hypnos' role in this episode is pretty trite, merely detecting the appearance of another "wild one", failing to do anything about it, and Yamaki giving his usual "they must all be destroyed" speech.
