Digimon: Digital Monsters

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.

Right to start off with the usual, "Digimon ain't no Pokemon" rant. I saw the first episodes of Pokemon and thought it was an interesting idea but that was all, there is not plot minus the "Ash wants to be PokeMaster!" which I don't think they are going to resolve anytime soon. Decent enough for kids but not something you would call brilliant. Digimon sucked me in from the first episode; its plot is pretty clear from the off and has to be resolved- seven kids get sucked into another world and meet Digimon but really all they want to do is go home so thats what they try and do. I grant you the dub especially can be annoying- there are lines where you think, "they did not just say that, was that meant to be funny?" but some of it is a big laugh. For example when Tai tries to draw a map of the Island and its terrible, then they get attacked and Agumon accidentally sets it on fire and apoligises to which Tai replies, "thats OK, at least it didn't land into the hands of the enemy!". Still corny but quite funny. Also the digivolving sequences get annoying after the first few times until they get to the point of ridiculousness where it literally spends 5 minutes of the episode showing all the Digimon digivolving. Really annoying but we can bypass. If you look beneath all the corny jokes and pointless digivolving there is something really special there. The characters are really quite realistic. Tai makes mistakes but admits it and tries to fix them. Izzy is obsessed with his computer due to knowing secretly that he is adopted and its the only way he can deal with it. Even the comedic Joe has issues with his parents wanting him to be a Doctor when he doesn't really want to be one. Thats what is good about the show, the digidestined shine beyond most cartoon characters. The plot line is pretty good, especially the Myotismon arc but its pretty much, "defeat bad guy,". Season 2 has a better plot line in my opinion but the digidestined are handled really badly. Davis and Yolei appear to have no issues whatsoever, Cody's only become important near the end, Kari and T.K are just there and Ken remains the only one who comes up to par with the Season 1 cast. Season 3 is great; if you really couldn't stand the jokes in the last 2 then this one will be more your style. The digidestined are up to par again but the Digimon are as well (where before only Gatomon had any interesting development)it's a class season, but does get a bit slow at times where Season 1 is always pretty well paced. Season 4 is best left alone, I didn't enjoy it and wouldn't recommend it. So yes- don't judge Digimon off its name because you are missing out if you do. It might be childish and corny at times but at other times it matures way beyond the maturity of other children programs and into the realm of wondering who it was really aimed at. In my opinion its something I would show my children, it teaches great lessons about friendship and is colourful and fun for them- plus I don't think I'd get bored watching it if they were ^ ^.

I was just reading the comment that totally ragged on Digimon, saying that Pokemon was better.... I'm laughing hysterically right now. Alright, ya, I guess a lot of people like Pokemon, me NOT being one of them, but I'm not here to complain about that show; I'm here to say how great Digimon is!

To me, Digimon began, and ended with the first season.... The others after just weren't the same. Digimon: Digital Monsters was my very first Anime, and I totally fell in love with the main characters(Matt!!), their digimon (Gabumon and all his forms!!), and the bad guys(Myotismon!!!) It was one of the most realistic shows I'd watched (excluding the monsters and other world parts) because the kids had problems like normal kids do.

Even though I've grown up a lot since the first season ended, I still can find nothing bad to say about it. I have no regrets about spending a few years halfways obsessed with it, and I'm looking on the internet to buy all the episodes. I think it's a must see for everyone, and I do NOT think Pokemon will ever measure up to the standards Digimon has set within the minds and hearts of kids and teens everywhere (dumb, i know, but i felt like saying that, lol) So, yeah, watch this show if you ever have the chance!!

Digimon: Digital Monsters is an English translated version of Digimon: Adventure, it's your typical imported Japanese anime from the late 90's about monsters and children. Critics have criticized it as being a pseudo version of Pokemon, Digimon however is far from being a rip-off it shares common aspects with more popular Pokemon such as children befriending the monsters, the monster evolve, the monsters battle etc. Unlike the lighthearted Pokemon however, Digimon is more of a classic tale of good and evil it's plot is completely different from that of Pokemon. I have seen other anime that follow what I call the Pokemon formula, Digimon is not one of them.

The Pokemon formula: A character aims to be great at something, goes on a quest, wins things, monsters come out of stuff to battle (cards, toys, balls, etc), usually involves some kind of monster tournament. Beyblade, Yu-Gi-Oh, Bakugan, and others follow this formula more than Digimon. If anything Digimon has more in common with science fiction anime's or Saturday morning American cartoons about action and adventure, than it does with the other monster anime.

The characters are not your typical one dimensional anime characters, all of the characters seem to have very distinctive personality's with interesting back stories that keep the viewer interested. Even some of the villains and Digimon themselves. The anime is a lighthearted tale of good and evil, with some mature themes mixed in such as losing your parents and death, the anime also teaches kids about teamwork, friendship, and the importance of working together. The anime has great plots and sub plots that are not to complex for children to follow, but are very well written and interesting.

The English version of Digimon is filled with cheesy puns and comedy to keep kids laughing, and a score composed of cheesy 90's early 00's pop rock to catch their ear. The English version also has some of the more intense scenes removed from the original Japanese version making it more appropriate for kids, without parents having to worry about Digimon being a bad influence on children or to dodge controversial Japanese anime stereotypes. For the older audience who may enjoy anime, the original Japanese version of Digimon Adventure, features a much more serious script (the dialog at times is usually completely different), a beautifully composed score made up of orchestra, electric synths, J- Rock and J-Pop, and features much more as a lot was cut out of the English dub to make it more suitable for western children and western audiences.

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.