Digimon

[Spark Of Spirit]

Color me impressed. Four episodes in and it started off pretty strong.

I'm glad it got the budget the series has always deserved, but the four episodes didn't really feel like a movie but four actual episodes. Given that there are going to be six of them, I'm definitely good with 24 episodes of Tri. Despite the worries about the staff, they've managed to keep the core of what people liked about the original series both with the action and with the characters. The first four episodes don't really solve anything except finally letting us see Omegamon again, but the set up is pretty strong for the next five movies. Although, I do hope we find out what happened to the 02 cast. The teaser in the first episode hinted at something but it was never followed up on in these four episodes. It's a good start and I'm already eager to see more.

Also, the epilogue is basically non-canon now. It doesn't look like any of that is even going to slightly happen after this.

Really liked the new OP and EDs using remakes from Adventure.

[gunswordfist]

I need to catch up on Digimon.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Holy shit! That was excellent! Better than I could have hoped!

When I heard that this was being done by the director of School Days, I cringed and immediately lowered my expectations. It didn't help that Toei's track record in recent years left me decidedly less enthusiastic about this series than I would've been. As I've said before, though, I don't actually want anything to be bad, and would love to be proven wrong. Usually I'm not. This time? I was dead wrong to doubt Digimon Adventure Tri. It absolutely blew me away, and is already on track to become my favorite Digimon series, even surpassing Tamers, if it can maintain this level of quality.

What I especially love is how the writers have been REALLY smart about how they handle the characters. It would be easy enough to take the nostalgia-catering route and just make them exact carbon copies of what they were in the original series. But the writers kept in line with the realistic nature of the original show's character development, and guess what, kids don't just stop developing between childhood and high school. The characters are definitely the same ones that we grew up watching and loved from the original series, but they are also older now and manage to act their age. And in these four episodes alone they are still continuing to grow and develop. That's why callbacks to the first series like Tai and Matt having it out in an argument and splitting up for a couple of days before making up feels all the more rewarding for a fan. It does pay tribute to the original series, but it doesn't come off as pandering since the characters don't exactly follow all of the same beats in other aspects.

I also want to compare this to the recent Dragon Ball Z movies. I truly do enjoy those films for what they are, and they are loving tributes to fans that capture the essence of what the series was at its best. But it hasn't changed or grown up with the fans, which Super really needs to do in order to stay relevant. That's not to say that it needs to completely change its identity. Not at all. It just needs to adapt a little and not stick so much to basic formula, while still retaining the spirit of the original series, which itself changed drastically in scope and tone over its own run, but still always managed to feel like the same series. Digimon Adventure Tri does just this. It presents a slightly more grown-up version of the show that we loved when we were younger, and that's the best way to do a series of this nature. In that regard, it's a better example of what I'd like to see from Dragon Ball in the future.

At any rate, I may be overhyping the series, and not everyone may agree with me, but I really do genuinely love what I've seen. I haven't been so thoroughly engrossed in and excited by an anime series as I'm watching it in a long time. The staff behind this show have really nailed it so far with a loving sequel and tribute to the original Digimon cast, and I couldn't be happier to be a Digimon Adventure fan at this time.

On the subject of the plot:

Spoiler

Clearly Adventure 02 is canon (perhaps minus the epilogue), since we see that TK and Kari have their updated Digivice models, but it's strange that literally none of the other 02 cast are anywhere in sight. I'm not complaining since this series is meant to focus on the original cast, anyways, but the fan in me would at least like to know what the other Digidestined members are up to while all this shit is going down in the city. Also, seeing as how the new girl (I can't recall her name at the moment) has an old-school Digivice model, how does she factor into this story? It was made pretty clear in the first series that Kari completed the group of the original 8 Digidestined. There was a hint that there may have been Digidestined from before the main group were chosen, though, so could this girl be one of the orignals? She seems a bit too young to fit the bill, though, since she's around the same age as Tai, Matt, and Sora.

Also, I like how this series acknowledges that the government would be involved in this stuff. It always bugged me how 02 seemed to completely forget that the existence of the Digital World literally came out in the open when the sky opened up tears to that dimension at the end of the Myotismon arc. It makes perfect sense that the government would be all over that shit. Also it reminds me of Digimon Tamers, which is a good thing.

[close]

[Spark Of Spirit]

Spoiler

Clearly Adventure 02 is canon (perhaps minus the epilogue), since we see that TK and Kari have their updated Digivice models, but it's strange that literally none of the other 02 cast are anywhere in sight. I'm not complaining since this series is meant to focus on the original cast, anyways, but the fan in me would at least like to know what the other Digidestined members are up to while all this shit is going down in the city. Also, seeing as how the new girl (I can't recall her name at the moment) has an old-school Digivice model, how does she factor into this story? It was made pretty clear in the first series that Kari completed the group of the original 8 Digidestined. There was a hint that there may have been Digidestined from before the main group were chosen, though, so could this girl be one of the orignals? She seems a bit too young to fit the bill, though, since she's around the same age as Tai, Matt, and Sora.

Also, I like how this series acknowledges that the government would be involved in this stuff. It always bugged me how 02 seemed to completely forget that the existence of the Digital World literally came out in the open when the sky opened up tears to that dimension at the end of the Myotismon arc. It makes perfect sense that the government would be all over that shit. Also it reminds me of Digimon Tamers, which is a good thing.

[close]

Spoiler

Whatever happened to the 02 Digidestined was shown in the first five minutes as Tai got up and left for school. It wasn't elaborated on at all what happened to them, but it doesn't look like it was anything good. And since the gate to the Digital World was closed, it makes it doubly confusing as to their current location. But there was a scene later on where Himekawa (the female agent) was on her computer that listed all the Digidestined's locations on a map. Ken Ichijoji is right in the center of the screen and says "Unknown".

So, I think that's a plot point that will be explored later.

[close]

I like that they took a cue from Tamers and got more government people involved in the Digimon shenanigans since 02 made fairly certain that they were well known by the World Tour arc. The people are also, quite rightfully, scared of them since they probably see them as something like alien invaders. That made Tai's moral dilemma about property damage and hurting innocents go over much better to me. It was weird to see Tai as the level-headed one and Matt as the firebrand, but the staff kept it as it should be and made them both have good points. Only this time, it was Matt who ended up being right at the end.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Shit, you're right! I noticed that but somehow completely forgot about that scene.

Still, it is a bit odd that nobody ever questions where the other kids are when all of this is going on, especially TK and Kari.

Also, I just realized that Digimon handled the destruction of the city aspect with a lot more care than the movie Man of Steel did. Just thought I'd point out how a well-written kids show has better sense than a big-budget Zack Snyder movie.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I'm really liking what I'm seeing. This is how you make a mature continuation and sequel/reboot of a show the right way, and I only wish Toei had put as much effort into Super. I probably don't share quite as much enthusiasm for the show as others here; Digimon wasn't a very important part of my childhood as I was only a casual viewer of it as best and haven't revisit it much, so I don't really have that much nostalgia or emotional attachment to it. But as a casual viewer, this was still very appealing and hit all the right beats with me, and I'm very interested in seeing how it'll play out. And I especially want to know what the heck happened to the 02 kids, because based on that sequence at the beginning it looks like they got into some serious shit...

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

You can only imagine how ESPECIALLY pleasing it is for those of us who do have a ton of nostalgia for the original show.

Though, I do still hold the opinion that Adventure season one is a legitimately great kids show with lots of effort put into the writing and mythology, and surprisingly mature themes in the later arcs. And Tamers is just a great anime in general, transcending just being a good Digimon series or a great shonen series. It's not one of my personal favorite anime out of blind nostalgia.

But yeah, whether or not you were a big fan of the original show is almost irrelevant with this sequel so far, because the writers made it superior to its source material, in a way that makes it stand out as great in general, and not just as a Digimon series, much like Tamers, but possibly even better if it keeps this level of quality throughout the rest of the series, which is saying a lot.

Please Toei, you've been slowly improving it, but it would be amazing if you could bring this level of care and talent to Dragon Ball Super.

[Spark Of Spirit]

It's not one of my personal favorite anime out of blind nostalgia.

This is true as the poster in question didn't like Tamers a few years ago. That he watched it without any nostalgia and still thought it great says a lot about how it holds up nowadays.

But Tamers is legit great. A lot of influence from that seems to be in this one so far, which is a very good thing. Tamers had very strong writing, characterization, story, and themes. Digimon hasn't been able to surpass Tamers for almost fifteen years, though this movie series has the potential to do it. It depends on where they go from here.

Adventure is a fun adventure show that is still a lot of fun to watch nowadays. Of the monster shows of the late '90s it was by far the best one. The animation might be typical Toei, but the characters and story are very engaging. I still think anyone with a younger sibling or family member wouldn't be hurt letting them see the show. I don't think there are many kid shows better than it. Mamoru Hasoda and Chiaki J. Konaka got their start in this series, and it shows in their work.

I would only recommend 02 and Frontier to fans, though. They just don't hit the same level as the above two.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Yeah, Tamers was actually my LEAST favorite as a kid. Re-watching it about five years ago completely changed my mind. I had a newfound appreciation for it and how it was really ballsy in subverting many of the tropes set up by the first two seasons. On top of that, the characters were great, and the writing and directing by Chiaki J. Konaka was of a much more subtle and crafty nature than one would expect from a children's show (the same could be said of the episode and animated features of Digimon Adventure which were directed by Mamoru Hosoda). Yes, it has marketing plugs like you would expect from a show made to sell merchandise, but that's clearly not the focus of the story or its themes, which are really just a brilliant allegory for childhood, and the various real-life problems that one faces as they experience life and grow up.

If we're talking about what holds up vs. nostalgia, then I'd say that Adventure 02 is the weak link. I liked it as a kid, and nostalgia keeps me from flat-out disliking it these days, but it really suffers from many writing flaws, despite some great moments and nice ideas (Ken's character arc was brilliant, for example, but unfortunately it was one of the few legitimate highlights of the season). And of course there's that universally detested epilogue.

Comparatively, Digimon Adventure season one is a great show for kids. It has timeless moral lessons and tackles very relatable issues. It's entertaining for children, and while it doesn't outright blow my mind when I watch it now, it's still a fun adventure series for me as an adult. The characters are really what make it stick out, and that's why I'm so glad that it's this very aspect that Tri has been focusing on, so far.

And as Desensitized and I already elaborated, Tamers doesn't merely just hold up, and isn't merely just a great series for Digimon fans. It's a great anime in its own right.

[Spark Of Spirit]

One of the best things in 02 is the second ED which always randomly gets stuck in my head.

But yeah, it's only worth watching if you really liked Adventure and want to see more of the characters. Other than Ken's arc, though, nothing is as strong as anything in the original series.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Another Tamers reference that I noticed was the booklet on Tai's desk titled ONE VISION. And yes, I'm 100% positive that it's an Easter Egg and not just a mere coincidence.

I'm also speculating that future movies/episodes will bring them to the Digital World (it wouldn't really be a Digimon series without them going there at some point), on a rescue mission of sorts to retrieve the 02 cast, who I believe fell there.

And no, I don't think that the 02 cast are dead. I've seen a surprising number of people claim this, and it's just beyond stupid. Clearly they were incapacitated, but like hell Toei would let them actually kill off any main characters from a Digimon series, and especially not out of context at that.

This has really gotten me interested in the circumstances of the 02 cast, though, which is saying a lot considering how boring I found them (except for TK and Kari) in the actual show. I actually want to see them again and what they were up to, so that's another big plus for Tri, in my book.

[LumRanmaYasha]

The 2nd film will be out on March 12th.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Yeah, it looks like we won't have to wait a year for each new movie to release; though like many people, I do expect the waits to get longer in-between films/episodes (however you want to classify them).

I really am eager to see where the story goes, though, so I can see these gaps in-between releases driving me a little nuts.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Movie 2 (and 3) preview.

Looks like we'll get to see some big stuff going down.

[Spark Of Spirit]

New trailer for the second film.