Digimon : Digital Monsters

I watched a couple of episodes of Digimon near its beginning and dismissed as derivative rubbish. Then, a few months later and rather bored, I turned it on again. I couldn't believe it. This supposed kids' cartoon had one of the most dramatic, engaging, even shocking story arcs I've seen. This programme deals with love and loyalty, life and death, fear and self-doubt. The 'Digi-destined' children fight with their parents, who have trouble understanding the sacrifices their children have to make. One child finds out he's adopted. Characters sacrifice their lives to save others. The children get scared, and doubt their own ability to save the world as they are destined to do. If this had slightly better animation, and was billed as adult anim&eacute, no-one would question it once. So much more than just a kids' show.

I'll admit, when I first saw the commercials for "Digimon" a year ago, I automatically thought it was some sort of "Pokemon" spinoff. Sure, the two share some common ground - spunky kids hooking up with cute little monsters that evolve into big, less-cute monsters - but the similarities end there.

I won't insult anyone's intelligence, most of all my own, by trying to compare the two series point by point - I'm not at all familiar with "Pokemon", though I get the feeling that if you've seen one episode of this series, you've seen 'em all. But "Digimon" simply seems to be a more thoughtful and engaging series than its predecessor: the character designs are inventive, mixing nature with technology; the colour palette is varied, contrasting the brightly-hued Digimon and human kids with comparatively subdued backgrounds; the digital world into which the children stumble is a place full of mystery and wonder, evoking an atmosphere reminiscent of CS Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia".

The characters themselves are well-rounded and fully realised, not the cookie-cutter stereotypes one would initially take them for. Not one of the children who leaves the digital world is the same person they were upon arriving there; throughout the numerous cataclysmic battles and far-reaching story arcs, the characters undergo intense changes, becoming stronger, braver, and more mature as they call upon the powers that lie within them. The relationships - among the children themselves and between each child and his digital counterpart - are by turns humorous, intriguing, and heartfelt.

Of course the show is not without its flaws - the animation is occasionally lacklustre; seeing the same transformation scenes over and over again can grow tiresome; and several episodes suffer from poor writing. But, in my opinion, these problems are outweighed by the tightly-woven plotline and spot-on characterisations.

Say what you will about "Digimon", but it truly is in a class by itself.

It's really funny because a lot of people think that Digimon is a rip off of Pokémon which is totally wrong and as they say "ignorance is bliss". Just because of the word "Digimon" especially the 'mon' bit, people think that it is immediately a Pokémon rip-off. I happened to have had been one of those people. I refused to watch Digimon when it started because it sounded like a rip off of Pokémon and there was a cactus with boxing gloves on! %( I mean come on, a cactus with boxing gloves thats as stupid as an electric rodent. Anyway I gave it a chance when there was a gap after Pokémon finished (and my nephew loved Digimon so I reluctantly gave it a chance). I ended up loving Digimon as it was alarmingly more adult than Pokémon and they had what many people craved... continuity.

The Comparisions Digimon follows the story of eight children with their respective Digimon, each with distinctive personalities and traits, working together in heroic situations (many viewers form emotional attachment to the character - I love Gabumon and my girlfriend loves Gatomon) whereas Pokémon centres around three kids who catch and train Pokémon (no matter what I still love Onix & Vulpix). Digimon can speak English whereas Pokémon can only say their name (excluding Meowth & Slowking - also Lapras can mind link with humans as can Lugia & Mewtwo) And finally Digimon follows a storyline where the heroes battle evil continuously, learn about themselves and each other. We also learn about their families, hopes, fears and watch them fight for what is right while Pokémon goes along the same line as Digimon but to a lesser extent and rarely does Pokémon follow up stories from previous episodes.

So all in all, why can't a person still love Pokémon but also watch Digimon. You may be pleasantly surprised at how different Pokémon and Digimon really are. After all I watch them both (their on rival channels but Pokémon is on half an hour before Digimon... but Digimon is opposite Dragonball Z (what a dilemma!) ;-)

Don't get me wrong, this stuff is still quite cheesey, but I found it to be more entertaining than Pokemon. Here are the reasons why:

1. Not only did I find Digimon to be much more humorous than Pokemon, but overall it seemed more colorful in nature.

2. The soundtrack contained fun rock songs that fit well with the movie.

3. Which brings me to the point that Digimon is aimed at a slightly older audience than Pokemon, which is probably why I enjoyed it more.

4. I found there to be more character development. Each character's personality grew apparent and the fact that they were all in a closely knit group called the Digi-Destined helped the character development greatly.

5. The action seemed a bit more violent at times and the concept of Digivolving was great. Really helped peak the interest and intensity.

That's about it. It's still goofy stuff, but pretty fun nonetheless.

5 years ago, I'm watching a commercial break during the original Pokemon. All of a sudden, I see an interesting commercial: a new anime show named "Digimon." "Hmmm.." I think to myself. "Probably some half-baked rip-off of Pokemon. Oh well. I guess I might as well watch it anyway." To my surprise and utter delight, what I watched a week later was by no means some Pokemon clone as I had anticipated. I had found myself wrapped up in an original masterpiece that had me immediately hooked. That first season of Digimon had me engaged from the opening segment of the first episode to the last scene of the final episode in a complex web of character building, good and evil and an occasional hinted romance. Though the next 3 installments were also great, they have not surpassed the glory of season 1. Though the series is indefinitely canceled, you can still catch re-runs on Jetix or through tapes. But I must warn you: You WILL Be hooked.

Animation Score (10/10) Overall Score (10/10) Recommended