Digimon Adventure Tri Reunion: Follow-up Interview with Voice Actor Joshua Seth

Note to Readers: You can catch the previous interview with Joshua HERE

Digimon Adventure Tri Reunion warmly welcomes back Joshua Seth into his role as Tai Kamiya, after retiring from voice acting in 2006.

Reprising The Role as Tai Kamiya After a Decade

Seth never dreamed that he would return to the Digimon franchise after leaving to pursue other interests, but now that it has come full circle he says it feels great to be back. “Going back to the recording studio to voice Tai felt so natural that it was as though I had never left,” he says.

He expresses that this was a role he wanted to remain involved with for as long as he could. “When the opportunity arose I jumped on it because this is a once in a lifetime role that has a cultural touch, so I’m thrilled to be back doing it.”

When Seth went to the studio to record his lines for Tai he experienced a wave of nostalgia. “From the moment I walked into the studio and saw some of the old faces that you guys never get to see on the production side are still working for Digimon 15 years later,” he begins. “That was great and having those kinds of conversations and meeting.”

Seth was worried at first if he could still play Tai like he used to. “Personally I thought to myself for an instant that I hoped I can bring Tai out of me because it’s been ten years. But as soon as I heard the three beeps in the headphones and opened my mouth to speak it was right there. I didn’t have to think about it or do anything it just came right back like riding a bike.”

Welcoming New Voice Actors to The Digimon Franchise With Open Arms

Not every voice actor from the original cast came back for this project due to a variety of reasons, and Seth shares how he feels.

“Personally from the perspective of nostalgia it’s always nice to work with people from the original cast again, and there were some. I understand why some people can’t be involved because of contractual reasons or other work obligations, but I think that the people came in to replace them all did a good job and it all worked out in the end.”

The Maturity of Tai Kamiya: How it Impacted Joshua’s Performance

The original Digimon cast of characters has all grown into their own since the initial first season back in 1999.

One character that has grown and matured dramatically is Tai himself. “ I think that’s the evolution of his character,” says Seth. “He used to take action first without considering the consequences and now he considers the consequences so deeply that a lot of screen time is devoted to that eternal struggle. Hopefully, that’s the progression that we all journey on as people anyway.“

Seth compares this change to all of us when we are young. “When we are young we are reckless and foolish, we don’t know any better and then as we mature we start to realise hey our actions have consequences and affect the people around us.”

He says this makes the Digimon Adventure Tri Reunion movies more interesting. “I think that there is that sort of eternal conflict going on. It’s not just hey guys let’s save the world! What’s the best way to do that, that’s going to cause the least amount of damage to the people and property around us?”

This development in Tai’s character Seth says made his performance more complex, evolved and nuanced.

Capturing The Essence of Change And Maturity With a New Art Style For Digimon Adventure Tri Reunion

Digimon  Adventure Tri Reunion introduces a new art style and while some components take a little getting used to, Seth agrees that it captures the maturity and growth of the characters.  “The music took a little getting used to for me, but the artwork seemed immediately appropriate because we as audience members have grown up and so too should those characters,” says Seth. “So now they’re a little bit older and the artwork honours that evolution. And I like it. I think the look of the characters is kind of edgy and hip and it’s appropriate for the scene that they’re discussing. I think it all meshes and works very well together.”

Discussing Two Memorable Scenes in Digimon Adventure Tri Reunion: It’s Hard to Pick Just One!

If you’ve grown up with the Digimon series from the start and onward, there are bound to be some scenes that have made an impression. Seth couldn’t pick just one scene from Digimon Adventure Tri Reunion that he considered his favourite, so he discusses both of them.

“I keep going back to that scene between Tai and Matt (voiced by Vic Mignogna) on the gondola, because they needed to have a difficult conversation with each other and were unwilling to do it, but then their friends forced them into a physical environment where they had no escape and had to have that conversation,” reminisces Seth.

“I feel it made for a very compelling scene, and a good counterpoint to all the action but also that they should consider how valuable friendships are,” says Seth. “And to realise how important it is to have these deep meaningful conversations. Because we don’t always have that opportunity where we’re forced to engage.”

The other scene that was memorable was when Tai reunites with Agumon. Seth describes that moment as reuniting with an old friend.

“That’s the other scene I almost picked because it was almost a tearful scene but it was like tears of joy, of re-connection and reuniting with an old friend,” describes Seth. “Again like in life you don’t always appreciate what you got until it’s gone, and then nostalgically look back at the friendship with the person that perhaps you never see again and you’ve moved on.

What’s Next For Joshua?

Now that he is back in Los Angeles, Seth says he is looking forward to heading out to Comic Cons to meet the fans and overall staying engaged with the series.

Fans can visit Joshua’s Official Fan Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialjoshuaseth