#adv refs

OPs commentary: Every time someone in this fandom tries to tell me Sorato “never interacted” or “never had moments where they talked to/supported each other” I’m going to show them this compilation and tell them “Please recognize the US dub was drastically altered from the original (+heavily Americanized in general) and just because you try to claim that incessantly, it doesn’t mean these moments and interactions weren’t there.”

BONUS:

{Jou may have been here [and equally important!] in this scene too but Yamato’s presence specifically was significant for Sora as well.}

{Gomamon grabs specifically Yamato’s doll; Sora immediately throws it without hesitation, fully and completely / intentionally near-sacrificing HER OWN LIFE to save everyone which, yes, includes Yamato himself.}

{Taichi is the one asking if it’s “homemade”. In Japan, it is often considered significant if someone makes homemade sweets/food for their crush/partner, usually because more emphasis overall is placed on homemade food given as gifts to romantic partners, for “confessions”, etc. For example, on Valentines Day in Japan, girls may give “obligation chocolates” to boys they’re on more casual or friendly terms with as a customary gift, and “honmei choco” [‘True Feelings’ chocolate] to romantic partners. Such would often given to husbands, boyfriends, and desired partners. Honmei chocolate is usually higher-quality and more expensive than giri choco (the "obligation chocolate"), which is given to male coworkers and other men the woman has no romantic attachment to.} [^some information via Wikipedia articles ‘giri choco’ and ‘honmei choco’] and though the above scene isn’t referencing Valentines Day, the significance of giving homemade food/sweets is still important, because {Note: the above regarding Valentines’ is also still relevant to them in a certain drama CD [that takes place on Valentines] referenced below.}

regarding Christmas in Japan: Encouraged by commerce, the “secular” (not-religious) celebration of Christmas is popular in Japan, though Christmas is not a national holiday. Gifts are sometimes exchanged. Christmas parties are held around Christmas Day; Christmas Eve {December 24} has become a holiday for couples to spend time together and exchange gifts. - via Wiki article “Observance of Christmas by country” {under ‘Japan’} [the above scene and below one happens on December 24th.]

{Jun Motomiya [who had been crushing on Yamato]-vision (her physical vision as she was there at the concert reacting immediately after this) complete with lighthearted music and “sparkly” sound effect in the Japanese version.} [The resulting effect is also Jun giving up on Yamato.] {not long after this Jun immediately becomes interested in Shuu Kido, Jou’s oldest brother of the two Kido brothers.}

{Physical contact / arms around the shoulder.}

{if it wasn’t obvious here he was very clearly asking Sora to come see his concert.}

{She then frets anxiously about trying to attend what she’s invited to.}

{Sora very casually speaking for Yamato. Mimi jokingly [not seriously] calls him “tsundere” in turn.} [Note: I’m aware this scene contains other characters. It’s still relevant for Sora & Yamato’s relationship too. Also, it’d be nice if you could consider the rest of this entire post too.]

{Sora is the first to stand up in response to Yamato’s firm words.}

{the full scene is a bit too long and plot-spoilery to include here so I’ll probably make a separate post for it soon, but it’s right after Yamato & Sora talk and also attempt on both ends to provide comfort to each other in the final Tri movie “Bokura no Mirai” / “Our Future”.}

{Yamato is the one to mention Sora and bring up her career goals.} (Kizuna)

gifs by @izzyizumi, {DO NOT REPOST} {DO NOT REMOVE CAPTION} {OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE BLOCKED} {usage of gifs may be allowed if permission is asked / or if credit is given. However, read my about & FAQ pages first. Please do NOT use / ask if you match anything in my “Do Not Interact” sections.}

{Additional note: this post is mainly intended AS SHIP. please remember + RESPECT this when interacting please tag only as the ship name and DO NOT tag as only “brotp” or the like only*, thank you!} (*It is ok if you tag as “friendship” or the like along with the ship!!) {Failure to acknowledge rules will result in a block}

[Note: commenting/tagging positively/respectfully is ok!] (Please AGREE TO BANNERS BEFORE interacting) (Note: click on the banners to enlarge!)

Mini-FAQ & clarifications (for this post):

Why did you make this compilation?

a) Because I am tired of various others in this fandom [+usually they are White and/or American/U.K./Western fans] (completely seriously!) trying to tell me these two “never interacted” when I can point out pretty much any and every instance (small or significant) where they have, in fact, interacted. I also have the entire Japanese version of Adventures on hand, which certainly helps in making such a compilation and pointing out these things. b) because those issues aside, it can be a genuinely useful reference for both myself, my mutuals (if they ship these two or not), and anyone else who could use it when trying to reference canonical lines and interactions. But in all honesty I really just made this for me. Because I like to use such posts as references. c) Because I wanted to. d) There were various other scattered meta / analysis posts from over the years that pointed out many of these scenes and lines and their contexts in the original version much better than I can describe on my own (despite making a slight attempt here), but these moments can still often be overlooked a lot, {especially by Western fans} so I decided to collect everything I was able to (+fit) into a reference post. This post only covers the Adventures anime. They’ve also had blatant references to them “dating” in the {yes, canonical} drama CD Michi e no Armor Shinka / Armor Evolution to the Unknown, where Yamato quite literally yells “SORA I LOVE YOU” during a battle moment. (...Like, look, I’m literally just pointing out the canon here.)

{someone who often bashes other Adventures characters, especially if Sora herself, or other Adventure Chosen ships/ship fandoms}: Can I interact with this post {+if I intend to debate you}?

NO. Unless you’re genuinely willing to consider these things, I’d rather you not. Please leave. & I am Not here to “explain” this ship further to you Seriously if you ignore this and try to force-interact anyway I will block I BET you’re just some Sorato Stan TM who is turning their nose down on other ships with them by daring to make this post / contents for them! {legit actual thing I’ve had implied at me once because people never read my FAQ nor noticed contents I’ve MADE AND, others I’ve SUPPORTED for various other such ships} - Please actually read my linked FAQ, my ship list, and also my sidebar. Because the sidebar also mentions most of my other top ships and OTPs. (If you haven’t done this it is Not my fault.)

You only like this ship BECAUSE [x reason asker personally finds insignificant for some reason]! I have a tag you should read in general if you’re new to my blog. There’s some posts there like this, this and this. {and yes the posts linked are relevant to this ship.}

{FINAL NOTE: I’m pretty sure I got most major moments here but there’s still some scattered other small-but-notable moments I’ll probably make other posts for in the future. -TO PEOPLE WHO INTERACT/REBLOG: Please regard all the information/rules listed on this post. This includes if you reblog positively.}

(THAT SAID)

(TAICHI Clearly {ALSO} ‘Takes after’ Taichi’s father, too!}

IN BOTH LOOKS AND PERSONALITY HONESTLY IF IT WASN’T FOR TAICHI’S HAIR

BONUS SUSUMU IN TRI’S “OUR FUTURE”: (Jou’s mom on left; Mrs. Yuuko Yagami middle, Susumu right)

“ Don’t worry,

THESE KIDS HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH

EVERY TIME . ”

* BECAUSE HE CARES ABOUT HER AND WAS WATCHING OVER HER SO SHE WOULDN’T HAVE TO FIGHT AND *

[ disclaimer : much of this is speculation / unconfirmed, but it’s basically noting “conflicting ages” issue re: the Adventures timeline sans OWG’s continuity errors, if going by Kakudou’s statement noted below. i.e. “these would / could be the ages using provided statements + 02 ages despite conflicting ages issues” ... I hope this makes sense! ] extra notes / references: - 02 Memorial Book - an official published book (Japanese language only) that confirms every Chosen Child’s age “in” / at some point of (including the latter end of) 02 sans Takeru’s. This is also despite continuity errors with the Adventure movie “Our War Game” and Sora’s previously assumed “birthday”, among any other continuity errors. [*any following information leaves Sora’s supposed “birthday” alone + treats it as non-canon to the main series or subject to “fixes”, going by Kakudou’s word.] - Adventures director Kakudou since stated on Twitter the only character with a confirmed “zodiac sign” was Miyako, also despite Sora’s supposed “birthday” range. He went on to say besides Miyako, none of the characters had / have “set birthdays”. Despite this, the 02 ages and Taichi’s given ages since remain official, so take Kakudou’s word with a grain of salt as well, however, it is still notable. [ x ] asker on Twitter: “Is this true? [Link to an image with the Chosen Children and zodiac signs.]” Kakudou: “It’s not true. The only one with a set birthday is Miyako. The other characters don’t have set birthdays.” (emphasis / italics mine) - The 02 Memorial Book also confirms Jun Motomiya (Daisuke’s older sister) to be 17 in 11th grade, however her friend and Miyako’s older sister Momoe is also confirmed 11th grade. Note we also have no confirmation of either’s birthday ranges. They are NOT in 12th grade / 18 in the Japanese version (it literally isn’t possible unless they also have conflicting ages, which seems unlikely as both have their grades confirmed to be 11th... and Jun’s age “17″.) - This could mean either could have actually been around 16 at the start of 02 OR within an accurate real-world setting without the timeline inconsistencies. - this is also despite Taichi (and some of the other Chosen) often officially being given the “older” age range for his school grades’ years. Note Jun and Momoe are also not part of the “main” Chosen Children group and do not become Chosen until post-02. - In comparison, Chizuru (Miyako’s other sister)’s grade is also confirmed to be 8th, “same as Yamato”’s. - If Taichi + Yamato are officially confirmed 14 in 02, they would be on the “older” end of their grades’ age ranges (13~14, with Taichi+Yamato by extension being 14). Koushiro and Mimi are confirmed 13 in 02, placing them one year younger than Taichi exactly regardless of where their “birthdays” may fall, again implying they’re on the older end of their age ranges if their birthday ranges follow a similar pattern. This is also despite a real-world setting implying they should be younger (i.e. 13~), and could be because they’re a part of the “main” Chosen Children group. (i.e. “conflicting age”) - There is nothing confirming their ages to be more than a year less than Taichi’s. If going by 02′s confirmed material only, they’re a year less exactly by any (CERTAIN) point of any series in the canon, and anything else is unofficial. - their official ages are also not confirmed in any Tri materials. (as of September 2018), only Taichi’s given Tri age of “17″ is official for Tri. (+ the 02 ages, Taichi & Yamato’s official ages of “22″ in the sequel movie, etc.) (If Taichi is “17″ in Tri, Koushiro + Mimi would be 16~17, unless Taichi ages to 18 by December 2005. If Taichi is 18 during (any point of), or by the end of Tri [likely], as he was 14 in (some point of) 02, Koushiro + Mimi would both be 17 ~ 18 by around the same point(s), following him.) (* This is despite Taichi being in 11th grade, Jou being in 12th, and them being in 10th.) - Koushiro’s adoptive parents state his biological parents had him “two years” after they married. If Koushiro was born around 1989 (Taichi 1988, if going by his V-Tamer manga’s birth year but also by the official given timeline statements of Adventures - Adventure takes place in 1999, minus 11 years [Taichi’s assumed age] = 1988), this would estimate they married around 1987~. (*confirmed in the Japanese version of Episode 38 of Adventure, when Koushiro’s parents reveal this information to him.) (*an interesting additional note - certain adoption laws in Japan were apparently only just being finalized around 1989.) [ x ] (linked source: a three-part series of articles / written blogs on adoption in Japan. Trigger warnings all around, but they contain some very useful info.) ( “Adoption in the sense of taking a non-biological child and making them legally and emotionally indistinguishable from a biological child is an entirely new concept in Japan. Legislation to create the legal framework for this sort of adoption was only finalised in 1989. The entire concept remains unfamiliar, particularly in the case of interracial adoptions.” ) - quote, emphasis mine [ *the article in question being written around 2013. ] - Jou, Daisuke, & Iori’s birthdays may all hypothetically (note: ‘hypothetically’, unconfirmed, unofficial, etc.) fall after August 3rd ~ December 31st if going by the stated timeline, taking note some of the continuity errors noted by Our War Game and using the official 02 ages. If not Jou’s, Daisuke & Iori’s particularly, also using their official given ages (7 and 5 respectively) on August 3rd in Adventure, when both witness Digimon for the first times. - Miyako could also potentially be 11 at the start of 02 turning 12 between May 22 - June 20, but her official 02 age is “12″ while the younger 02 kids are officially stated “11″, i.e. not “11″ and “10″ respectively. - the 02 kids would at the least be 11~12 (or possibly 12~13, should they all be on the “older” aged range for their school year) by “Natsu e no Tobira” regardless of conflicting ages issues with them. - Hikari was stated to be older than Takeru in an early Tri interview, though they’re still in the same grade (confirmed). 02′s Memorial Book also confirms her, Daisuke, and Ken [sans Takeru, age not given] to all be the same age (11). - it’s possible that because only Takeru’s age wasn’t given and he’s confirmed “younger”, he could actually be the “younger” age range for their grade while the rest of them [sans also Miyako] are the “older” range. - Meiko has no officially given age. Her grade (correction: same as *TAICHI’S, YAMATO’S & SORA’S - she is literally in Taichi’s class) would assume an age range of around 16 ~ 17, however, note for all we know she could even be slightly older than Taichi; we literally don’t know. EDIT: a 2016 interview likely confirmed her age range being similar to Taichi’s, i.e. 17~. If she’s same age as him she’d be 17-going-on-18 too. [ x ] “ Q: How long have Meiko and Meikoomon been partners? A: Meiko’s digivice are the same model as Taichi and party’s, and she’s also the same age as them… ” (*emphasis mine) - Jou is not in high school yet in 02, instead, he is studying to take the entrance exams at a private school in order to enter high school. This is important to note in order to not place him as being too much older compared to the rest of the kids. He’s still only one grade above Taichi. - The English dub ages almost everyone up by about 1 ~ 2 years from their confirmed ages or grades. Note this is only canon to the English / American / US dub and any dubs that base their scripts off it, not the Japanese version. However, they are canon within their own “universe” if going by its script. * This is apparently retconned / changed by the Tri dub’s dvd summaries, however, it would still be canon to Adventure-02′s dubs in non Tri canon compliant fanworks and the like regardless. * ( Note: before Tri was first announced in 2015, many, many older fanworks contained either the older ages / timeline info or the dub ages timeline / info, especially fanworks by non-Japanese International artists. So, for example, the Adventure Chosen [Taichi and co.] during 02 could be portrayed in their 02 school uniforms at a higher age of +1~2 years, because that was the canon info given at the time. It’d still be canon compliant for non Tri compliant works. +Etc. similar scenarios involving the Adventure kids being older in the various dubs.) - official birthdays + zodiac signs have not been given for any Chosen aside from Miyako’s + her siblings’ zodiac, as Kakudou stated, and the continuity errors with Sora’s birthday in “Our War Game”. Take any such “lists” you see with a huge grain of salt and compare to Miyako’s given zodiac range (Gemini). This would include any such “lists” used by the Japanese fandom, which may also still have incorrect estimates based on the given canon info / statements. (Gemini is May 21 - June 20, give or take “cusp” dates.) - Tri is confirmed to have taken place in the year 2005, “December” “2005″ showing in Takeru’s email. The Japanese school year begins in April and ends in March. This would imply around 8 months passed since the start of Tri, nearly a full year, and likely aging many of the main Chosen regardless by December. Around 4~5 months would have passed between April and August 2005 / late summer. This would include any time passed (+3 or so months) before Dec. Japanese School system notes - Children who have their 6th birthday on or before April 1 enter the first grade of elementary school of that year. [ Japanese school system reference provided by the Tokyo International Communication Commitee. i.e. use these notes over Wikipedia.] - In order to be a first year high school student in Japan, the student needs to be at an age to turn 15 to 16 between April 1st to March 31st in the next year. [ * causing even more issues ! ] [ source: (from a native Japanese fan in one of my other fandoms which has similar timing issues to Digimon’s, i.e. taking place mid-August while only giving grades and “conflicting (official) ages”): x + x . The series in question is Kagerou Project / Mekakucity Actors (2014 anime) - please note there’s major spoilers for the initial plot of that series! however, this is the source for this statement. ] - Skipping or repeating grades is an extremely unlikely event that typically, within a real-world setting, may formally involve changing schools, thus why it’s rarely done. Koushiro and Ken both even note such, Koushiro mentioning in “Our War Game” (iirc??) and Ken in an episode of 02 while being interviewed. - + extra confirmation of Tri grades (not ages): [ x ] [ x ] - “Taichi, 17, high school days”: [ x ] [ x ] EDITS: [ *note: this post may be further edited as needed! ] [ **note: should the 02 ages be “conflicting”, this would assume their ages at any point of 02 (including ‘at the end of 02′). However, please note ages are confirmed for [some point of] 02 while they’re not confirmed for Adventure, meaning anything for Adventure would be pure speculation and possibly thrown off by continuity errors (i.e. Sora’s “birthday” in OWG + Kakudou’s statement.) ] [ *** if you want to read further on the various issues, there’s an entire archived thread on “With the Will” going over the various conflicting ages / timeline. Note this thread occured around 2013+ and we did not have Tri info at the time. Take anything you read there with a huge grain of salt. The only things confirmed are: grades [adv, 02, tri] (NOT AGES), Taichi’s ages [02, tri, sequel movie, not stated in Adventure], the 02 Chosens’ (all of them - Taichi and co. + 02)’s ages during some point of 02 [Memorial Book], and any other stated references. i.e. ages are not officially stated for Adventure nor tri for anyone NOT Taichi.] (the same thread mentions: According to one of the books, the movie [Our War Game] does indeed take place on March 4. x + x . Once again, emphasizing even more conflicting issues caused by Our War Games’ continuity. ) [+ even more potentially useful timeline notes under the read more!!] [concept art book references; drama cd references; some other Koushiro (+ Sora) specific timeline related notes, etc. etc. etc.....]

(* the same book’s concept arts / info from above mentions the Hikarigaoka / “Heighton View Terrace” battle in the 1st Adventure movie to take place in 1995. This is despite the novels stating Hikari recalled the events happening “three years ago” and Adventure taking place in 1999 on August 1st ~ 3rd. )

(note the “1995″, third column from the right on the second header line.) [ where younger Taichi + Hikari are pictured ] (right click + open in new tab + click again if needed to enlarge!) (* Wikimon also confirms “1995″. ) (*Daisuke’s birth year is stated to be “1991″ in V-tamer’s manga, but again note the continuity issues presented even by the novels’ dates. However, also note 2002 [when 02 takes place] - 11 years [confirmed age] = 1991.) (* regardless if they can be considered “canon” or not, the Adventure drama cds take place between: - 2-and-a-half-years after Adventure, - during the summer of 2001 post-Adventure / pre-02 [also note: Koushiro visiting his biological parents’ graves, likely also Obon, as the Ohigan holiday is also mentioned by him in his April 2001 drama cd track ], (elaborated on further below as well) ... - during a NEXT summer post-02 [Natsu e no Tobira] where Iori “already” “has a girlfriend” (yeah, unlikely he’d be 9 still), - and a Valentines’ Day sometime post-start of 02. Note 02 starts around April, meaning that Valentines’ can’t be until the year after [or Feb. 14, 2003].) ** Koushiro’s drama cd track “Chat” also confirms “1995″ for the Hikarigaoka incident: “ According to Gennai-san, the numbers [of new Chosen Children] seem to grow twice their original amount each year. So that means… in 1999, there were eight of us. Since there was apparently no other but us eight, then what about in 1995? ’95 was the time of the Hikarigaoka incident… just what was the story behind it…?” ” ** the same post-Adventure drama cd track includes the following months/timeframes: November 1999 [Taichi], May 2000 [Jou], October 2000 [Sora], April 2001 [Koushiro], September 2001 [Mimi], March 2002 [Yamato]. ** Koushiro also mentions in his drama cd track (taking place, again, during April 2001): “I even grew a little taller. Even though the fifth-grade girls that just joined the computer club this year are taller than me… I’m going to be Captain starting this year, though!”, implying he was in sixth grade in 2001 and possibly older than the fifth-grade girls he mentioned, who would be 10~11[ish]; Koushiro being confirmed 13 in 02. ** Jou’s drama cd track mentions he’s in Junior High as of May 2000: “Yeah, [Junior High] school is going smoothly.” ** Sora’s drama cd track mentions a possible reference to her still being elementary school-aged as of October 2000: “I’m thinking that next time, I will try reading one of [Sora’s father]’s books. Mom keeps them locked safely behind the shelves. There’s so many of them! I wonder if they’re still too difficult for an [elementary]-schooler to understand…” *** Sora also mentions her father’s birthday, occuring during the same timeframe i.e. October of 2000, implying possibly her birthday month wouldn’t be October (and again regardless of OWG issues re: her “birthday”). ** Mimi’s drama cd track mentions her starting that school year in America in September of 2001: “The new school term begins in September over here, so I’ve started school yesterday.” The track itself takes place Sept. 11th, implying “yesterday” to be Sept. 10th. This could cause further issues for Mimi’s age. ** Taichi’s drama cd drack [taking place Nov. ‘99] mentions: “And… it’s already 3 months since I’ve been separated from [Agumon]…” he then [later] proceeds to mention re: Hikarigaoka: “In the middle of that screen shone a fuzzy light. The light was… like that time! Yes, that time when Hikari and I met our first Digimon 4 years ago. It looked exactly like that time a Digiegg popped out of Dad’s computer in the middle of the night!” - again conflicting with the novels stating “3 years ago” and giving the “correct” year range of ‘95, as Koushiro’s did. ** re: Hikarigaoka, Jou’s drama cd track [taking place May 2000 as opposed to Taichi’s Nov 1999] mentions: “Shuu-niisan [Jou’s oldest brother] wasn’t even at home in Hikarigaoka when the Digimon first appeared 5 years ago, right?” -^.... implying further that the Hikarigaoka incidents’ date being 1995 is correct ** in the summer of 2001′s drama cd track, Mimi mentions: “Yep! Since last month I’ve been in New York City, and next month I’ll be starting my new school!”. Referring to the above, “next month” would be Sept. 10 2001. Note the dates for Obon in comparison [should Koushiro be visiting his parents’ graves for this reason] would be “August 15″ or “15th day of the 7th lunar month”. In 2018, Obon was “August 25″, in 2019, it was “August 15th”. x  *** Important: there is NO official confirmation, including within the book itself, that the grades in the 02 Memorial Book were from “the end of” 02. That is unconfirmed and mere speculation by the fanbase, using other timeline points as references. Unfortunately, “Our War Game”’s continuity also tends to interfere with this interpretation. Basically, it is nothing but theory at this point and hasn’t been confirmed in any official printed materials. Do not take it as “canon” fact. Though it can obviously be used as references for fic and the like, please keep this in mind, and that multiple continuity issues also conflict with this theory. [+ etc. info on Jou’s ages during 02 + Iori’s ] Note how above, I also mentioned Jou wasn’t in high school yet in 02. he is only ONE GRADE ABOVE Taichi [+ Yamato] (+ Meiko) (+ Sora) This becomes even more obvious with Tri, because he does not wear Tri’s high school uniform in 02. Instead he wears his private school’s dark blue uniform. 02 takes place in 2002. (starting April, through post-Christmas? 2002) Tri took place around April through late December 2005. (And Tri wasn’t even a THING circa 2002 yet. It did not exist until 2015.) in comparison, let’s look at Iori. (the youngest Chosen) he’s in 3rd grade in 02. he meets Jou who is in 9th. both first meet some time before Odaiba Memorial Day (August 3rd) We have no confirmation if either met when Jou was perhaps 14 ~ 15. Jou, regardless, is at 15 during SOME POINT of 02 or even since the very start, even if mathematically it’s maybe impossible. But he’d STILL be much closer to 15 at the start of 02 if that was the case (and this also depends on if his birthday really is after August 3rd.) (for all we know, it could possibly be estimated before while the staff just shrugs) The novels do seem to confirm Jou could have been younger at the start because Yamato initially assumed they were in the same grade. The novel (NOT THE SHOW) also refers to Jou at “11 years” in Adventure. However, the novels had other continuity errors re: Hikarigaoka date, too. The show only gives Jou’s grade (6th in Adventure, 9th in 02.) Again, let’s look back at Iori. He meets Jou when Iori is stated to be in “3rd grade”. the Memorial Book (seems to?) confirm Iori as “9″ however, please note if you follow the “theory” the ages reflect, so-called, “the end of 02″, that’d also place IORI on the early end of his grade’s age ranges (9~10) AT THE “”END OF 02″”. POST-AUGUST 3RD - DECEMBER 31ST [ again, another inconsistency !! ] So, instead, it seems safer to assume Iori would actually be 10 / 9~10 before or by the end of 02 even if it’s mathematically / maybe impossible possibly with a birthday range sometime after August 3rd through post-December 31st or possibly even sometime before August 3rd (if the staff just shrugged this off like w/Sora, for example) then he’d be 10~11 post-02, and +1 year or so in “Natsu e no Tobira” (11~12, 12~13 etc.) (or 10-going-on-11, turning a year older at any point of the following school year) [ again. he’s stated to have a girlfriend. A GIRLFRIEND. BEFORE DAISUKE ] [ unlikely ? if he was 9 at the start of 02 and there ] so, if Jou is 15 ~ 16 in 02, 15 at / around the very start, and Iori is 9 ~ 10 in 02, 10 by the end, their age difference would be about 5 years, while meeting as minors. if Jou is a year younger at the start, it’d be even less. he’d be 14 ~ 15, turning 15 some point during 02 / before the end. (around 4 years for the age difference, give or take) it’s even possible Iori could somehow be 10~11 not very long after the end of 02. or even during 02, with a given conflicting age of “9″. ( while again the staff just shrugs ) ( and then the age difference would only be around 3~4 years, should Jou be younger at the start, too ) [ also see: how Daisuke has a very similar issue, yet he’s listed as “11″ ] [ he also sees the Digimon for the first time on August 3rd, with his age ( 7 ) officially given alongside Iori’s ( 5 ) ] [ and yet, in 02, somehow Iori is 9 instead of 10, while Daisuke is 11 ] ( at the assumed start, if not the end ) [ W/DAISUKE NOT ? 10 ] ( unless one of the two or both has a conflicting age / birthday issue in which case, whoo !! ) [ THANKS 02 AGES + OUR WAR GAME + KAKUDOU ]

[+perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT piece of information for Koushiro fans:] The Japanese version of Episode 38 of Adventure (i.e. again, the famous Koushiro’s adoption reveal scene) does not mention Koushiro’s biological parents having died “when he was a baby” that was a line / “edit” seemingly added in by the US DUB. Instead, the Japanese version mentions his parents’ meeting / his father’s career and when they had him (iirc it was along the lines of “two years later, they had you”) (hence the estimating for Koushiro’s birth year, noted above) (but I’ll rewatch again + provide full caps and exact dialogue as soon as I’m able to!) basically - as far as I’ve seen when gathering all this info, unless any guidebook states otherwise, Koushiro’s biological parents having died “when he was a baby” was a line added in BY THE AMERICAN DUB (meaning) (if anyone reading can please provide a direct quote / translation on anything to do with the timeframes of Koushiro’s past that isn’t from ep38 of Adventure i.e. from the Japanese guidebooks, the third novel that was still untranslated, etc. PLEASE LET ME KNOW p l e a s e ) because WHEN EXACTLY DID HIS BIOLOGICAL PARENTS DIE, THEN (WHAT IF KOUSHIRO WAS OLDER THAN “A BABY”) (OR AT LEAST OLDER THAN TWO YEARS OLD AT MOST) (BECAUSE WOW DO I HAVE T H E O R I E S) (at the very least it’d be useful info for estimating years / the timeline further) (because otherwise this places Koushiro’s biological parents’ deaths to) (have occurred) (anywhere from the time Koushiro was born [estimated 1989]) [perhaps giving a year i.e. 1990] (..... to the time of pre-MOVING TO ODAIBA [estimated 1995]) [+further info on Sora’s grades below!]

(right click + open in new tab to enlarge!) [or you may have to otherwise zoom in, thanks tumblr] For the record, these are what Sora’s ages / grades would be if the timeline wasn’t an issue and if we kinda-sorta ignore her “birthday” in OWG. Note if you follow the timing given in her drama cd track (”October 2000″) with her still being an elementary school student in October 2000 - [and Koushiro+Mimi following one grade / year behind exactly] - - the grades / ages actually DO match up. i.e. Sora is in 8th grade in 2002 [AT SOME POINT] and 11th in Tri, at the canon ages given by 02 (all Chosen) + Tri (for Taichi). The same occurs with most of the rest of the Chosen. Basically - ( THANKS OUR WAR GAME + KAKUDOU ) ( + an extra theory bit on Sora !! )

FINAL PSA:

Even on that WTW thread, even on various Wikis, there’s often the absolute insisting that we absolutely only use what info the “canon” has given us.

While for the most part I agree, I especially agree that all of Adventures canon is “canon”, yes, including / especially OWG and the CD Dramas, novels, etc. (though I am hesitant because the novels do have a different continuity while V-tamer did as well, including it managed by different people, also noted below,) (OWG and the CD dramas are near definitely canon by this point though) (since even around Tri, we got the “summer of 2001″ cd drama) I would also like to point out: that post I linked above from the native Japanese translator where they point out the inconsistencies in my other fandom? She mentions things like,

“[ [the staff] may have thought that the fans will misinterpret that (the ages)] [and think (the characters) were one grade below (the others in their same year)]”

for example, even in that series, a major character’s conflicting age was later “shown correctly” (at “17″ instead of “16″ by an August 15th period).

The anime staff for that same series even noted (at an event for Japanese fans) another major characters’ birthday literally conflicts with the script itself. (she states she’s “16″ consistently, but the character can literally only be “15″ at the very start - her birthday is Feb. 14th. The series takes place August 15th, with her being a first-year high school student saying she’s “16″ instead of “15″.)

Japanese animators are human too, you know? Obviously they could make mistakes with the script. Obviously they will correct issues where needed, or otherwise even simply leave it alone.

Kakudou even notes this in the various novels “afterwords”; how Adventures’ planning was all over the place, because no one expected it would become this popular.

Kakudou: (emphasis / italics mine):

“ As the season changed from summer to fall, the contents of this new TV show began to be finalized. During that time, talks were brought up of a comic serialization in Shueisha V-Jump and a story for a movie. The only thing agreed upon was that the character “Taichi” would be the concurrent main character in both, and a separate staff was prepared for the making of the [1st] movie. The name “Taichi” was decided on by Toei, while the original visual of him wearing goggles was produced by the comic artist. With that Taichi at the center, we decided on the ages, specialties, and personalities of the other seven main characters. “ “ The stage for the TV series was basically set in the Digital World, while the movie was based in the real world in a different year. After that, it was all chaos. The story that started in File Island expanded to a bigger scale, and we even inserted in stories of them in the real world. “ “ The real world arc that begins in this second volume was actually only meant to be three episodes at first. In reality, it became eleven episodes. Although Taichi and the others lived in the familiar Odaiba, the “Odaiba elementary school” they attended was completely made up, something that was decided on only two weeks before post-recording of the first episode. There was a lot of running about going on.   Although I say it was utter disarray, I don’t have to tell you that, as the creator, I enjoyed it the most.   Fortunately, many people were able to enjoy the TV series. ” This is not a “persistent” “rumor”, it literally is Kakudou’s word itself that Adventures’ planning was somewhat wild at some point of the beginning of the series, from the Afterwords of the novels.

Does it mean the entire series’ (+02, +Tri etc) planning was wild all over? No.

Does it mean things are never subject to future change / corrections, provided this fandom is allowed to continue as a franchise? No.

Granted, until we get those corrections, we should still pay attention to the canon and the official ages given.

For all we know, some excuse could be given i.e., “this character was held back” [even though it’s impossible*] or “this character is [older/younger] [than previously stated]” [even though it’s impossible] (* I’ve seen that happen, too - characters stating “you’ll have to repeat [if you fail your grade]!” even though it almost never / rarely happens in real-world Japan the rules can be bent for anime, you know??) (and for example, Sora’s case could have potentially already been “corrected” by her cd drama track “October 2000″, which actually came out after OWG.) (Even OWG has Japan’s spring break starting much earlier than usual - i.e. around March 4th, beginning of March, instead of around the final week of March before school resumes April 1st. This is literally where the “timing” issue for literally all of this may come from.) ... Because I’ve also seen cases where these inconsistencies weren’t corrected. And the fandoms ended up (mostly) fine in the end. So, let up on those 1~2 year gaps / inconsistencies a bit, please ?? (note: Adventure first aired in ‘99.