Digimon Beatbreak Episode 12 Review - When Two Beats Become One
Ha, I called it! Gekkomon did evolve in Episode 12! Was the wait worth it? Absolutely. This is definitely a great way to end off the first arc of the anime. Complain about the slow pace all you want, but all the stories from the first episode to the twelfth was necessary for Tomoro and Gekkomon’s development.
I honestly do like that Tomoro is slowly relapsing back to how he was in the beginning, but he’s not fully regressed. It just shows that he’s very human as we aren’t perfect and will always take two steps back whenever we take one step forward. He’s still having thoughts about the whole Cleaner thing, his issues with his brother and what Gekkomon means to him. I honestly like that he was able to come to a conclusion in this episode without dragging it out for too long. The way he realizes that he’s been behaving the same way Asuka has been with him reminded me a lot of Sora from Adventure where she had issues with her mother being overprotective but then Biyomon starts behaving in ways that makes Sora see her mother in herself and learns why she acts the way she does. This is apparent when Gekkomon says something that Tomoro once said to Asuka in a moment of frustration.
Gekkomon is everything about Tomoro that he hated about himself, which I had theorized in previous episodes. Fortunately, Tomoro doesn’t reject that part of him anymore and is able to accept Gekkomon as he is, like what he had learned with Makoto and Haruko from the Shangri-La Egg episodes. I honestly like that the previous episodes were like lessons that Tomoro takes in to grow, but he still chooses a path that he’s chosen for himself and that he’d be satisfied with. I like that his solidified bond with Gekkomon is shown when he finally introduces his lizard son to him. Asuka, you’ve become an uncle.
Kekomon was cute! The way that it could only say “Keko” like a Pokemon was cute; it was even cuter when Chiropmon translates his words. Still, I’m glad that he was able to evolve twice in this episode, from Kekomon to Gekkomon and then to Armalizamon. I am amazed with how Toei managed to keep Armalizamon a secret for this long because they usually love spoiling these kinds of things either in the opening or in merch. I like Armalizamon’s design! He’s like a three-way fusion between Sandslash, Groudon and Barney the Dinosaur. Yes, I know he’s based off of the Armadillo Girdled Lizard. I also like the insert song! If you had noticed, it was the song Tomoro was listening to on his iPod in the very beginning, when he got back from school.
There’s also more information about Kyo in this episode. He used to be part of the Five Stars and was recruited when he was eleven years old. He’s currently 22 years old, meaning that he’s been a Cleaner for 11 years. That’s pretty crazy if you think about it. This means that Digimon have been around for over a decade, yet they’re still considered societal secrets in the public. On top of that, he used to be the Gold Star. Kaito had also been recruited as a Five Star at the same time, meaning that Kaito has been at the top for a very long time and still continues to do so. Young Kyo seemed to only care about battling, so I do wonder what caused him to have a change of heart. Also, I think the lifeless eyes are just an intentional character design as he had them as a kid.
The new Gold Star, Genjo Kanada, seems to be the reason why the MarineBullmon was sent in the area near the Glowing Dawn’s base. He’s Gokuwmon’s Owner, which means that he’s the one who has Asuka’s Sapotama. I do wonder why he’s doing this. It does seem as if he’s trying to test Tomoro or something. If MarineBullmon was going crazy due to an e-pulse overload, does that mean Genjo also has a glitchy e-pulse like Tomoro? It’s never stated that Tomoro is the only one with such a condition, after all. I do wonder why he’s holding onto Asuka’s Sapotama. I just like to think that maybe he’s Asuka’s evil ex-boyfriend and wants to get rid of Tomoro as revenge or something…besides, we know little about Asuka—this could be a plausible theory (ignore it, please).
Though, I was seriously going crazy when Genjo started speaking because he’s voiced by none other than Hiroshi Kamiya! He had been in Digimon before as Kouji Minamoto from Frontier. Now, he’s back as a villain? Crazy! It’s also amusing to have him as a villain who opposes a character voiced by Miyu Irino because the two were a part of a duo called Kamiyu. Anyways, if you don’t know who Hiroshi Kamiya is, he’s voiced characters like Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan, Trafalgar Law from One Piece and Ego from Blue Lock; I’m currently enjoying listening to him as Mudano from Tougen Anki, by the way.
And if you think having Yuichi Nakamura and Hiroshi Kamiya in this anime is crazy enough, the trailer for the second arc released with a plethora of big names in their cast list which I won’t go over until they make their official debut in the anime. I’m really anticipating the second arc because of all the new human characters and the fact that we’re getting a rival group for Glowing Dawn. Having this many human characters in Digimon feels so surreal. Unfortunately, the new arc won’t start until January 4, 2026, meaning that there won't be a new episode on the 28th.
Oh yeah, Beatbreak is getting a dub! This also feels surreal because Digimon dubs don’t come out this fast and we just had a Ghost Game dub released a few weeks ago. If you’re curious about the cast, Zeno Robinson and Risa Mei voice the main duo. Zeno always does a good job, but I’m mostly anticipating Risa Mei as Gekkomon because she sounds just like if he was speaking English! Let me know your thoughts on this episode!
