A significant fact about this episode is that Thomas and his concerns actually are the focus, which yields an engaging storyline and makes this one of the best episodes of the season, if not the best. Thomas Norstein's primary distinguishing characteristic from Matt Ishida, aside from his age, is his genius-level intellect, but up until now this has merely manifested in his knack for planning. It hasn't really been shown to affect Thomas' growth as a person. Now, in true follow-up to his brief scene in "Journey to the Sacred City", we see the possibility that Thomas feels isolated because of his intelligence, even wondering if he's working with people who don't value his input.
I don't usually comment on the animation quality of "Data Squad" because it's been pretty consistent, but this one clearly looks better than the last few. The heroes' faces have more definition, the sunset hued scene before the fighting looks good and the face-off between Thomas and Nanami is tense and atmospheric, with a creepy oneiric sequence.
Speaking of which, I have a strong suspicion that someone on the staff was a big fan of "Death Note", as Nanami is pretty much one big cluster of references to that manga. She bears more than a passing resemblance to Misa Amane and claims she hunts digimon out of boredom from life as a genius, more or less like Light Yagami. At one point, she even tempts Thomas with the notion of the two of them becoming the "gods of the new world", a line that speaks for itself.
But all of that aside, the clash between Thomas and Nanami is thoroughly engaging, because the temptations from the villain match the concerns of the hero, and it's satisfying to see Thomas' resolve to do the right thing. It's believable that she would have an interest in Thomas, making this perhaps the best hero/villain dynamic so far; it's a shame it isn't explored further.
The fight between Miragegaogamon and Bio-Rotusmon isn't entirely successful. A sense of strategy definitely pervades it, but even in an animated medium I just can't accept the sight of such large creatures moving so swiftly, with little sense of mass. Nonetheless, I definitely recommend this one.
I don't usually comment on the animation quality of "Data Squad" because it's been pretty consistent, but this one clearly looks better than the last few. The heroes' faces have more definition, the sunset hued scene before the fighting looks good and the face-off between Thomas and Nanami is tense and atmospheric, with a creepy oneiric sequence.
Speaking of which, I have a strong suspicion that someone on the staff was a big fan of "Death Note", as Nanami is pretty much one big cluster of references to that manga. She bears more than a passing resemblance to Misa Amane and claims she hunts digimon out of boredom from life as a genius, more or less like Light Yagami. At one point, she even tempts Thomas with the notion of the two of them becoming the "gods of the new world", a line that speaks for itself.
But all of that aside, the clash between Thomas and Nanami is thoroughly engaging, because the temptations from the villain match the concerns of the hero, and it's satisfying to see Thomas' resolve to do the right thing. It's believable that she would have an interest in Thomas, making this perhaps the best hero/villain dynamic so far; it's a shame it isn't explored further.
The fight between Miragegaogamon and Bio-Rotusmon isn't entirely successful. A sense of strategy definitely pervades it, but even in an animated medium I just can't accept the sight of such large creatures moving so swiftly, with little sense of mass. Nonetheless, I definitely recommend this one.
