"Janyu's Ark" is really more concerned about filling a quota than telling a complete story. It's told well enough and manages to fulfill more objectives than usual, but these don't always cohere as one would expect. This makes it an odd hybrid of a "bridge" episode and a "laundry list" episode. That being said, the "shining evolution" sequence is very well done, bolstered by a nice montage of images from previously visited parts of the Digital World and some effective music. The only problem with it is that Calumon refuses to shut up.
There's also a really cool moment when Zhuqiaomon proclaims to the partner digimon that, his personal disapproval of their partnership with humans notwithstanding, he will respect their decisions. It's a brief but effective demonstration of this Sovereign's leadership capabilities, and makes the relationship between Lopmon and him much more interesting than the one with Suzie.
After this, everything shifts to the kids trying to get to the ark in time, which leads to the writers pulling out all the stops to make this simple task difficult. The D-Reaper knocking out power at Hypnos is kind of unnecessary (providing an embarrassing moment when Azulongmon looks like a sliding cutout) and doesn't create much tension, as it only leads to a fancy computer solution requiring help from a multitude of people. Admittedly, the thought of so many people readily contributing to a good cause is inspiring, but it's so rushed through that the feelings of convenience and idealism are unshakeable.
By far, the two best moments relate to Beelzemon and Jeri. Beelzemon's guilt over his actions has perceptibly increased, complemented well by the gloomy image of Jeri. This whole scene, with his newfound disgust for power, is far more effective than that longwinded flashback from "The Battle Within". As for Jeri, not questioning the fact that her puppet was acting on its own is odd, but the image of her with those horrific yellow eyes is BY FAR the most disturbing sight in the whole season, something that will increase later.
Of course, we have Rika and Renamon going out of their way to save Impmon. Under most circumstances, this would have been a powerful act of compassion, but here it's just a contrived excuse to get Impmon back home. Renamon is the one who instigated the rescue, and the only reason they are so keen on doing this is that the transformation into Sakuyamon compelled them to care, which, as far as I'm concerned, borders on cheating. Had the bio-merge been triggered by their personal efforts to become more compassionate, this would have been acceptable, but there's no reason to reiterate why that's not the case. Never mind the implication that these two will be crucial to his rehabilitation, even though there will be no follow-up.
There's also a really cool moment when Zhuqiaomon proclaims to the partner digimon that, his personal disapproval of their partnership with humans notwithstanding, he will respect their decisions. It's a brief but effective demonstration of this Sovereign's leadership capabilities, and makes the relationship between Lopmon and him much more interesting than the one with Suzie.
After this, everything shifts to the kids trying to get to the ark in time, which leads to the writers pulling out all the stops to make this simple task difficult. The D-Reaper knocking out power at Hypnos is kind of unnecessary (providing an embarrassing moment when Azulongmon looks like a sliding cutout) and doesn't create much tension, as it only leads to a fancy computer solution requiring help from a multitude of people. Admittedly, the thought of so many people readily contributing to a good cause is inspiring, but it's so rushed through that the feelings of convenience and idealism are unshakeable.
By far, the two best moments relate to Beelzemon and Jeri. Beelzemon's guilt over his actions has perceptibly increased, complemented well by the gloomy image of Jeri. This whole scene, with his newfound disgust for power, is far more effective than that longwinded flashback from "The Battle Within". As for Jeri, not questioning the fact that her puppet was acting on its own is odd, but the image of her with those horrific yellow eyes is BY FAR the most disturbing sight in the whole season, something that will increase later.
Of course, we have Rika and Renamon going out of their way to save Impmon. Under most circumstances, this would have been a powerful act of compassion, but here it's just a contrived excuse to get Impmon back home. Renamon is the one who instigated the rescue, and the only reason they are so keen on doing this is that the transformation into Sakuyamon compelled them to care, which, as far as I'm concerned, borders on cheating. Had the bio-merge been triggered by their personal efforts to become more compassionate, this would have been acceptable, but there's no reason to reiterate why that's not the case. Never mind the implication that these two will be crucial to his rehabilitation, even though there will be no follow-up.
