Karma on empty

Tomoro and Reina were both major highlights for me this week. Both dealing with a feeling of "stagnacy." Though not in the same way. Building off from the first two episodes of the arc, we're seeing the natural conclusions of what was previously established

Tomoro I feel is misunderstood in this episode. Theres alot of debate on how much Tomoro was taking in what Miharu was saying. I agree that the main reason Miharu was so convincing was, in no small part, due to their trauma point being near identical (though the specifics can be debated). However Miharu also hits at something thats been knawing at Tomoro for essentially his entire life.

See, GIFT is likely a cult, I dont think the way they view digimon/human relationships is correct and its often why the lengths they go to fufill their goals exhibits a clear apathy for humanity. While I think this is true, Tomoro cannot fully deny the urgency of which Miharu refers to. Miharu isnt a character who became this way for no reason. Her motivation are VERY rooted in the things happening to her, Tomoro, digimon and many others right now. Unlike Klay, Miharu is a teenager meaning the power dynamics at play here are very different. Though more importantly she is an entity working OUTSIDE of WU to achieve her goal. Something not even GD can fully claim.

Keep in mind its AFTER they capture Jokermon that GD finds out why GIFT was targeting WU employees. Employees who mind you, happily sent truckloads of digimon to their death. It punctuated this at the end of episode 28 intentionally so that you cant just handwave their grievances. That *Tomoro* cant just handwave their grievances. Tomoro is impulsive but hes not naive or stupid. I would even argue that Tomoro was in fact VERY jaded at the start of BB. When Tomoro states, "who says you get to pass judgement" its him saying that the WU doesnt have the right to tell anyone that their version of violence is worse. That Miharu's suffering can be willingly ignored for the sake of a stagnant world. Its why Im always a little put off by people trying to claim Rose is the good guy here. We dont gotta "hand it" to World Union, theyre the reason GIFT and Tactics exists in the first place. Tomoro made the decision to defend Miharu not because he agrees with GIFT wholesale, its because by siding with Rose he would have to side with the group that believes digimon are glitches to be deleted. That HE'S a glitch that should be discarded from society.

Then there's Reina who's character reached a point I suspected (and kinda hoped) would happen for a while. Reina always had an odd dichotomy in my mind as someone who always seemed very capable as an individual. Yet struggles to utilize Wolvermon to their full potential. Note how many times Reina can Get Things Done in a pinch to the point she HELD BACK ludomon. Or this week when she ran to guy holding a knife at someone with zero fear. It speaks to her experience as a cleaner and as someone who for years has had to fend for herself. Yet when wolvermon crumbles, Reina struggles to keep it together.

Theres a very obvious mental block Reina is dealing with. Which in large part is a result of her insecurities. Reina was deemed by both her parents and family as being uneeded and undesirable. Ever since, Reina has attempted to carve out her own family and home. Though worryingly Reina has the belief she needs to "prove" her worth to those around her. Its why shes so obsessed with monetary gain. Often even more so than what the job actually entails. Its why she's so affectionate to Kyo even though its a crush that wont go anywhere. That's why despite being better at planning than Tomoro, Reina also tends to rush into things. Some of these traits arent inherently bad but all these facets imply alot about the pressures Reina perceives. After many years its still weighing on her and you could argue thats why her growth as a cleaner has stagnated for so long. Even though shes in the biz longer than Tomoro and Makoto.

Rose dismissing Reina was the finale nail in the coffin. Laying out all of her anxieties in a brutal bluntness. Its an uncomfortable moment that causes Reina to reach an all time low. Despite being in good terms with Pristimon, theres a sense of distance between them. That Reina is too ashamed to be open with them. That similarly to GD, Reina is afraid of failing Pristimon. Perpetuating her negative feedback loop.

(And some minor thoughts I have on BB overall almost three quarters in)

Raito being under Kaito and Honoka's wing does heavily imply that the two are mainly 5 stars cause theyre just That Good rather than being morally bankrupt. I kinda doubt Rose is entirely the same but at least if she's taken out this arc that really only leaves Genjo and Wong to deal with. And given what the showrunners have told us, its very likely Wong will be betrayed by Genjo anyways. So Imo if the 49 episodes rumor is true then this does put things at ease for me a smidge as far as pacing goes. Cause I DO like the set-up of this arc being a blend of character/world building episodes and the growing mystery surrounding GIFT. I just think the placing of it is Unfortunate cause we've had to put off alot of other plot points as a consequence. Even Im getting a bit worried of how things will play out (we still barely know anything about Kyo or Asuka's past 😭).

I was hoping we would get more insight on how Raito acquired monodramon but Beatbreak is still being pretty vague about this. Tbf I think their goal was pretty different from what I had in mind. One thing I really liked is Raito pulling one over on Tomoro this week. There were alot of episodes in the previous arc of Raito being surpassed by Tomoro cause he couldnt understand what made him so strong. This time Raito has turned traits that originally lead to his downfall, into his greatest strength. Being able to stay cool, and use a more patient approach to ultimately save the day. Now being more in tune than ever with monodramon to better actualize HIS way of doing things. Finally standing on equal footing with Tomoro. Its a great bit of efficient characterization while also being attached to one of the more stand out fights in beatbreak.

Even though Tomoro's brashness leads to trouble, his growth as a cleaner gets to show off here. Having lost his sapotama MID DIGIVOLUTION, and still getting it back by smartly using gekkomon's absurd sense of smell. Its cute that Raito understands Tomoro's way of handling things and uses it to his advantage to create a winning scenario. Theres yet again an emphasis on neither side being nessicarily wrong but its what they both bring to table that gets the job done.

Do I think there should've been an episode where TT7 had to reconcile with what they had done? Yeah. Do I also feel that the last time they did this with Haruomi went a bit fast and wouldnt work in the format theyre commiting to? Probably not. So Im okay with an episode centered in Raito handling the remnants of Tactics. As a way of taking responsibility for what his previous actions has snowballed into.

The circumstances of the episode also spotlighted Raito being the hugest tsundere ever. Raito being so standoffish to Tomoro initially while monodramon quickly starts playing with Gekkomon tells you everything to know (lol). Not to mention teaming up with the guy that has yaoi tension with Tomoro's mentor (though unlike Kyo/Kaito, Raito's affection is not onesided 😉).

It was really sweet to see how much Hotaruko and Granit care about Raito and the fondness they have for eachother. Despite going their separate ways, theres an immutable bond between the three thats a similar yet different flavor of GD's dynamic.