REVIEW: ‘Digimon Beatbreak’ Episode 4 – “Family”

Digimon Beatbreak Episode 4, “Family,” sees the Glowing Dawn take on a job to catch a rogue Digimon that has been harassing shipping trucks recently. Despite needing the work to make ends meet, Tomoro (Miyu Irino, Spirited Away) is reluctant to pull his weight, as his only focus is on curing his brother. This causes tension with Reina (Tomoyo Kurosawa, Arknights: Rise From Embers), whom Kyo (Yôhei Azakami, Dynasty Warriors: Origins) leaves in charge of the mission. 

The central focus of Digimon Beatbreak Episode 4 is two-fold. It explores Reina’s character and continues to draw Tomoro into The Glowing Dawn, looking to incorporate him into the family unit. While it explores many of its themes well, it just misses the mark in touching on an important element of found family: accepting when someone isn’t ready to be found. 

Reina’s role in Digimon Beatbreak Episode 4 is her biggest yet, and the screen time is used excellently to flesh out her character. Her past and its role in why the Glowing Dawn is so important to her are delivered in a way that provides both context and emotional impact.

Reina takes centerstage in Digimon Beatbreak Episode 4, giving us more insight into her character.

Her early attempts to force Tomoro into the family unit the others have built are shown skillfully for what they are. Well-intentioned, but poorly implemented. The group has come to mean so much to her that she doesn’t comprehend how it couldn’t mean anything to Tomoro. This oversight is the root of much of the conflict in Digimon Beatbreak Episode 4. 

Despite how well the episode handles Reina, it falls a bit short for Tomoro. Even as it presents his reluctance as an understandable emotion, it fails to acknowledge a critical element. It drives away any sense that it’s ok for Tomoro not to see the Glowing Dawn as family. 

Family is generally portrayed as wonderful in the media and often is in real life. However, sometimes family isn’t what a person needs or something they can handle. Tomoro is still grappling with his brother’s situation, so expecting him to just bond with these near-complete strangers is asking a lot. He may need time to process and figure out what he wants or needs from any potential “new family.” 

Despite this shortcoming in the narrative, the core focus still lands nicely in Digimon Beatbreak Episode 4. The aims of everyone align, as both Reina and Tomoro acknowledge they mishandled the situation, leading to the team’s failure to capture the target Digimon in their first encounter. 

The exploration of family is touched upon briefly, but may require more episodes to really hit home.

On the action side of Digimon Beatbreak Episode 4, we see a fun expansion upon the foundation of fighting that previous episodes have delivered. With the target of this bounty being a motorcycle-inspired Digimon, the group must work with more coordination to wrangle their prey this time. 

The team dynamic brings a fresh element to the simplistic action. Both in the first encounter, when their lack of coordination sees the target slip away, as well as in the final, when teamwork makes the dream work. This elevates the action far beyond the previous clashes. The one-on-one fights previously featured deliver far less style and energy, given the fewer elements for the combat to play with. 

Digimon Beatbreak Episode 4 explores a fair amount, with positive results. While it could’ve done better, what it delivers is still a strong, positive message that explores and builds its cast. Along with some creative action, this entry continues to strengthen the show’s overall quality. 

Digimon Beatbreak Episode 4 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

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