This is MJ, I'm an author, I'm an artist, I'm an analyzer. You can find all my work at MJMunoz.com.
Welcome to Digimon Chronicles. This is Digimon Seekers Chapter 1, Part 16.
I'm continuing the ongoing saga of the Odyssey of this audiobook.
And last we left, AG getting attacked by a Numemon that is the partner of this interesting cop lady.
So I'm going to go ahead and get right into it.
And after I'm done reading, I will make some comments on what I thought of the content of this chapter.
I'm reading from Keikun's translation once again, which is linked in the show notes, which you can find at my website.
It's linked in the audio and video platforms wherever you're finding this.
And if you subscribe to this, the audio feed, you will get access to it before it goes on the video platforms,
even before it's on my website because it goes up to the audio podcast feed first and then distributes everywhere else.
So if you're really itching for it, you can get it there as soon as it's out and everywhere else is going to get it second.
So continuing on with the audiobook, Digimon Seekers, Part 16 of Chapter 1.
Numemon, adult level, mollusk type, virus species.
The hollow lies deputy squad leader rode on top of Numemon's back.
The Numemon was about the size of a small truck.
They appeared to act as a police vehicle because a police siren rested on top of their head.
You're under arrest the both of yous.
You got me really angry now. Who the hell do you think I am?
I'm Deputy Squad Leader of the Metropolitan Police's Community Safety Department's Cybercrime Division's Digimon Crime Response Team Investigation Section 11.
Satsuki, Tamahime, you bastards.
That's one hell of a long title, Eiji called out.
Codecrackers normally referred to them as the Digi Police, but this was Eiji's first time hearing it referred specifically as Investigation Section 11.
Oh shit, my affiliation. I wasn't supposed to say that.
Satsuki covered her mouth with both hands.
Hey, Five Head and Ding Dong, you didn't hear that.
I don't give a crap, Eiji called out.
And why do you keep calling me Five Head?
Lugamon grimaced, nudging at the interface on his forehead with one front paw.
Well, I'm not wrong, am I?
Meiji Mutt, the Deputy Squad Leader.
Satsuki, you've refused to let up.
I want to be cop like you has no business insulting me, Lugamon grumbled.
Maybe I'll make you cry. I like this interface on my forehead, and I'm not about to let you off easily for making fun of it.
Enough talking, Five Head. On my command, Command Ramon, fire the M16.
What kanji do you use for your name, Satsuki? Eiji tried to calm things down a bit.
Huh? It's the Tama from Shoji, Hime from Princess, and you write it Satsuki with the kanji for Thread, Little, and Moon.
And why am I telling you this? It's personal information.
She really was on edge.
Teasing her brought out funny reactions, and Eiji feared that he'd get addicted to doing it.
My name is Eiji, Eiji Nagasumi.
I didn't ask.
Satsuki made a gesture with her hand, as if to ward off a persistent playboy trying to hit on her.
Wait, scratch that. I'm Codecracker Feng. Forget what I just said, Satsuki-chan.
No, you just saved me the trouble of IDing you, Eiji Nagasumi.
I've established you as an Elite Level A or higher codecracker capable of mindlinking.
Satsuki pointed to Eiji threateningly.
Alright, I got Satsuki-chan's seal of approval.
Lugamon, did you hear that? I'm an Elite Codecracker.
Level A codecrackers are automatically placed on the Metropolitan Police Department's backlist.
Your days of living a normal life are over for you, sociopath.
You're about to end up on the other side of the fence.
No, maaaaan!
The slug cried out.
Don't be scared just because the enemy is Adult Level, Lugamon said, writing himself for battle.
I get like a physical reaction against slimy things, Eiji said queasily.
Like grated yams or okra or natto.
Blip blip blip blip blip blip.
New Maman shot something out of their body, like a rapid fire cannon.
Spineless guys like you who can't eat natto might as well eat Digimon food, Satsuki instigated.
That's not food, that's poop, Eiji and Lugamon dodged New Maman's attack in the nick of time.
What a disgusting attack, Lugamon said, repulsed.
This is why Digimon who look like they're from the landfills of Fifth Avenue have zero taste.
They're a perfect match with that loudmouth woman though.
Um, Lugamon, she can hear you, you know?
You seem to have a talent for pissing off women.
Eiji was sweating bullets, but the damage had already been done.
Manji Five Head Mutt, you can insult me all you want, but I won't let you talk about my New Maman like that.
That was what incited her anger further.
New Maman fired something huge at the duo.
Lugamon took a small jump to get out of its way, but the bullet bounced off the wall and hit Eiji.
Oh sorry, forgot you were there.
Help me, Lugamon, Eiji cried pathetically. He was completely covered in poop.
It was only a ricochet, besides, it's good luck.
Ha ha, very funny. Getting covered in manure isn't something you even see in comedy manga these days.
I should never have mind-linked. Eiji started crying.
It was because he was mind-linked that he could smell and feel New Maman's poop as real poop.
His will to fight plummeted.
Kyahaha, pathetic. Serves you right for making fun of my beautiful New Maman.
Satsuki laughed loudly atop her New Maman.
Satsuki-chan, what do you even like about New Maman exactly?
Eiji asked as he wiped the poop off himself.
Their shine, their sliminess, and their hidden ferocity. It's so charming.
I raise the Granululemux Fusconornis in the real world, but they prey on the other slugs and snails.
They gulp them right down. It's so thrilling.
I'll look that up later.
Do you want to see?
Satsuki opened up a virtual monitor above her head and went on a video site.
Not here, please. Silence.
Satsuki was apparently the type to keep going and ignore the atmosphere of the room when she began talking about something she liked.
Hey Eiji.
Wait, Fang was it? Lugaman carefully corrected himself.
Forget it. After all that's just happened, I'm so done. Eiji said moodily.
Ugh, good grief. Lugaman clicked his tongue.
We're mind linked, so while it's a huge pain in my ass, you and I are one mind and body right now.
Oh, that's right. No matter how much of a first-class codecracker I've become, I can't let myself get eaten.
I mean arrested while you're here.
Cut off your hololization and return to me.
But I'm covered in poop after you've cleaned off.
Eiji cut off the hololization as Lugaman had directed.
His form disappeared. Only the poop remained, splattering to the floor from where he'd stood.
Eiji was once again back in Lugaman's Digicore.
His viewpoint merged with that of Lugaman.
Eiji's consciousness connected to the heads-up virtual monitor.
He activated his tools and set the AI mode to battle.
Commandramon! Satsuki cried. Fire!
DCD bomb!
The Commandramon took the initiative, tossing bombs all over the place.
Lugaman dug all four feet into the ground before leaping up and running vertically across the walls of the illegally constructed buildings surrounding the plaza, dodging the explosions.
Howling fire!
A wall of flames divided the Commandramon in two, disrupting them.
Tch! An inextinguishable magic flame! Satsuki grimaced.
It's only as strong as a bonfire, but still a pain in the ass.
Satsuki's new memawd advanced forward, unafraid of the flames.
A damn slug's undaunted by my flames! Lugaman growled.
The slug's slimy mucus seemed to ward off the flames to a certain extent.
Lugaman's fire has no effect! Eiji cried in disappointment.
It's poop, but it's an adult-level poop.
Plus, there's the Commandramon here, too. If I don't give it all I've got, we're toast, Lugaman said.
The tone of his voice seemed to insinuate that he was testing Eiji.
Adult level.
Give it your all. Are you talking about evolution?
Yes, Eiji, evolution, Lugaman called out.
Can we really do that? Here? Now?
Did you think lifting the functions of the Digimon linker were just for show?
I've gotten pretty used to mind-linking with you, too.
But more than that, I'm losing control of myself.
The blue wolf's fur stood up, and he bared his fangs.
Lugaman, even Eiji's consciousness, could feel the chill of goosebumps.
Ever since we arrived in Wall Slum, since we arrived at the Castle of Nine Wolves,
something inside me, some kind of power has been trying to burst out,
as if there was something that wasn't him inside of him.
I want to evolve so much that I'm suffocating.
This power is too great for a child level's body to handle.
With Lugaman's cry, an alert flashed onto the virtual monitor.
Evolution.
Eiji's tools informed him that a mutation was occurring in Lugaman's body.
Evolution, okay.
I'll evolve with you, Lugaman, and become the ultimate codecracker.
I can't afford to stumble and fail here. I'll be a winner in the digital world.
Eiji's heart stirred with morale.
There was no need for him to hold back. He could do it.
In the network, there was nothing he couldn't do.
It prompted a Digimon to grow explosively.
Damn Fivehead, you're up to something, aren't you?
We'll get him once and for all.
Give them an extra large serving, Numaman, Satsuki ordered dangerously.
Numaman hunkered down right there, straining.
Lugaman evolve! Flash.
With the glow of evolution, Lugaman's stats, displaying on Eiji's virtual monitor, shot through the roof all at once.
Warning, warning! Target is evolving!
The Commandramon up above warned aloud.
Evolving? Gah!
A swirling flame appeared above Satsuki's head.
There was a shockwave, throwing the Commandramon in disorder.
Satsuki was blown off Numaman's back.
Lugaman, adult level, Dark Beast type, virus species.
And that is the end.
So, I enjoyed that just fine.
Maybe the read was about 10 minutes long.
There was a point where I needed to edit.
There was a couple of places I could have edited, but one I'm going to actually go back and edit, where she ticks and talks about him doing something or other.
Satsuki, that is.
But anyway, the thing about Numaman's sludge or slime or whatever on his body making it so that the flames were less effective, and Eiji said it wasn't very effective.
He didn't say it quite like that, but it made me think about Pokemon.
It's not very effective.
And there are some things in this that make the Digimon feel a little bit like Pokemon.
And I believe I did mention that in the third or fourth episode.
And that's really weird, especially because I have Professor Oak vibes from Professor whatever his name is Ryu Senji.
And I definitely did like this.
And I feel like we're in an okay place.
The only thing I don't like is the weird poop humor, which I believe is it's not uniquely Japanese, but it's especially Japanese.
And I really don't get it.
But whatever.
It's especially odd because this is the 25th anniversary project, and it is supposed to be this cool, edgy sort of...
What is it?
Dystopian Future, Blade Runner.
What do they call that thing?
Like cyberpunk.
And Eiji is this interesting protagonist.
He's the oldest that we've had that I know of anyway, at least from Adventure to Frontier.
And yet they're going through like one vibe, and then all of a sudden you've got poop all over the place and the poop monster.
And I get that the poop's disgusting and New Monomon's like a weird choice.
And it's kind of interesting that Satsuki has the weird habit or the weird practice of raising snails or slugs or whatever on her own.
And that's something that she does in her personal life and it carries over to her in the digital world.
And I feel what she does is that one of the members of the Digi Police.
That's kind of interesting.
It's also just like really weird.
And it's just a strange choice.
I don't understand why you would do that.
That just doesn't feel cool.
But it's a choice.
It's what they went with.
And I kind of like people doing things because they want to do them, not because they're writing to market, so to speak.
But writing to market is profitable.
So that's a good thing.
And I don't know, I wonder exactly how other people are going to feel about this.
But I feel comfortable sticking with Seekers, especially if it keeps about this pace.
I think I'll be happy with what it turns out to be even after a slow, long, drawn out start.
So it's interesting.
She's definitely got a quirky personality.
And the way that she and Eiji interact with each other is weird.
And it's odd that he tells her his name, like he's an idiot in that regard.
That's kind of interesting.
I like, though, that Lugaman has this weird feeling once they get to 9th Avenue that something's inside of him.
Something's a reawakening or whatever, and it causes him to digivolve like that.
What are the mechanics of digivolution in, or evolution, whatever, in Seekers?
I don't know.
I would think it'd be different from Adventure or any of the other shows.
Maybe more related to how it is in the video games, which I don't really pay that much attention to.
So I couldn't really say.
So I'll be interested to see how it's explored and what it means and how it develops as they continue the narrative.
Because I'm sure I already get the feeling that we'll get more of that.
I wonder if her new Lugaman will digivolve and what it can digivolve into, and if that's going to be her permanent Digimon.
Do those become Manzemon?
I don't think they do, but maybe not.
So maybe a rare Mon. That would make sense.
Visually, it seems to make sense.
But anyway, yeah, I mean, I liked it.
I was entertained. I enjoyed it.
It's a little quirky, a little weird, but I like the bold choices being made as opposed to just trying to be safe and cool.
So I dig that.
Anyway, check out the show notes for more information and also find everything else I do.
I'm going to keep up with Digimon Seekers or Digimon Chronicles rather, which is the podcast feed.
If you subscribe to the audio only, you get it before anybody else does.
You get it before the video platforms.
You get it before the website, mjmunoz.com does.
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Subscribe everywhere, but subscribe to the audio specifically if that's where you're going to get it.
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Until next time, folks, this is MJ signing out.