Brief Summary
This video is a comprehensive retrospective of the Digimon anime series, covering from the original Digimon Adventure to Digimon Adventure tri. It explores the unique aspects of each series, including character development, plot structures, and animation quality, while also addressing common criticisms and the series' overall impact.
- Digimon Adventure: Explores the sincere story about kids, their relationships, and growing up.
- Digimon Adventure 02: A mixed bag, with strong moments interspersed between dropped storylines and character development issues.
- Digimon Tamers: A darker, more meta-narrative that challenges audience expectations and features complex character relationships.
- Digimon Frontier: A departure from the partner digimon concept, with mixed results in character development and world-building.
- Digimon Data Squad: A more mature take on the series, but ultimately lacks depth and a compelling plot.
- Digimon Adventure tri: A nostalgic return to the original characters, but suffers from convoluted plots and character inconsistencies.
Digimon: Digital Monsters
Digimon is often dismissed as a Pokémon clone, but it originated as a sister product to Tamagotchi, marketed towards boys. The original Digimon virtual pet involved raising a Digimon from an egg, battling, and dealing with its eventual death. The franchise expanded into video games, manga, a card game, and the anime series Digimon Adventure in 1999.
Digimon Adventure
Digimon Adventure follows seven kids at summer camp who are transported to the Digital World. Each kid is paired with a Digimon partner, whose personalities complement or contrast their own. The series explores themes of relationships and growing up, grounded in real-life domestic troubles. The initial episodes follow a formula where a Digimon attacks, and a partner Digimon transforms to protect the kids. The first arc introduces Devimon as the main antagonist, who separates the kids. As they reunite, they learn they are the Digidestined, tasked with protecting the Digital World. The arc culminates in Padamon digivolving to Angemon to defeat Devimon.
Tags and Crests
After defeating Devimon, the kids embark on a mission to collect tags and crests, which will help their Digimon reach the next stage of evolution. They are pursued by Etemon, a powerful Digimon. The crests are tied to specific values or traits that each kid exemplifies, such as courage, friendship, and sincerity. The kids must discover and uphold these values to activate their crests and enable their Digimon to digivolve. Tai returns home briefly, where he has a strange and uncomfortable experience with his sister Kari.
Myotismon Arc
The kids learn that Myotismon wants to enter the human world to find the eighth Digidestined. Myotismon escapes to the human world, and the kids follow. Kari is revealed to be the eighth child. The action shifts to the human world, raising the stakes. The parents become involved in the plot. Gatomon, Myotismon's henchman, is revealed to be Kari's long-lost Digimon. Wizardmon sacrifices himself to protect Kari, and Angemon defeats Myotismon.
Dark Masters Arc
After Myotismon's defeat, a rift opens between the Digital and human worlds, and the kids must return to face the Dark Masters. This arc tests their strength, relationships, and roles within the group. The stakes are high, as digimon are dying, and reincarnation is paused. Leomon returns only to die again. The final Dark Master is defeated when TK's crest activates. The kids then face Apocalymon, whom they defeat. The series ends with the gate between the worlds closing, and the kids saying goodbye to their Digimon.
Digimon Adventure Movies
The video reviews several Digimon Adventure movies. The first movie shows Kari and Tai receiving a special egg that hatches into Coromon, who grows and battles a giant parrot Digimon. The second movie, Our War Game, involves a Digimon invading the internet and tampering with computer systems. Izzy and Tai must contact the other kids to stop the Digimon from detonating a nuclear warhead. The third movie, Digimon Hurricane Touchdown, sees TK and Kari encountering a boy named Willis, who is tracking down an evil Digimon. The original Digimon Movie is also discussed, highlighting its soundtrack and fun elements. The final movie reviewed is Revenge of Diaboromon, a sequel to Our War Game, where Diaboromon returns with a new plan to escape into the physical world.
Digimon Adventure 02
Digimon Adventure 02 takes place three years after the original series. The older kids are sidelined for a new team: TK, Kari, Yoli, Cody, and Davis. The new team uses D3 digivices to open gateways to the Digital World. The primary villain is the Digimon Emperor, a human who uses a dark digivice to control Digimon. The new kids use Digi-Eggs to armor digivolve. Ken, the Digimon Emperor, is the most interesting villain, with a redemption arc stemming from grief over his brother's death. However, his development is undermined when it's revealed he was controlled by an evil spore. The series suffers from inconsistent storylines and a tacked-on inclusion of Myotismon.
Digimon Hurricane Touchdown Transcendent Evolution! The Golden Digimentals
TK and Kari encounter Willis, who is tracking down an evil Digimon. The other original Digidestined are captured. The 02 gang travels to America to help rescue them. They meet Willis and his Digimon, Terriermon, and head to Summer Memory, where Willis first met his twin Digimon. Wendigomon, corrupted by a virus, kidnaps the other Digidestined. Willis has to kill Wendigomon. The movie is slow and depressing, but the characters work well together.
The Digimon Movie
The Digimon Movie is silly, funny, and has an awesome soundtrack.
Digimon Tamers
Digimon Tamers is a meta-narrative taking place in a world where Digimon is a popular franchise. The core cast includes Takato, Henry, and Rika. Takato is a normal kid who meets Guilmon, a Digimon based on his own drawing. Henry is a pacifist, and Rika is a violent Digimon Queen. The Digimon are their own characters with unique feelings and development. The plot is a slow burn, focusing on how Digimon interact in the real world. The kids use cards from the Digimon card game to give their Digimon extra powers. The series explores themes of perspective and change, with each character having different philosophies.
Digimon Tamers: Battle of Adventurers
Takato and Henry are spending their summer vacation in Okinawa, while Rika is in Shinjuku. Omnimon appears in the Digital World and needs to stop Mephistomon from destroying humanity. A girl named Minami is sad about losing her dog, and her dad makes her a virtual pet to replace it. Mephistomon unleashes Digimon onto the world, but the virtual pet is a vaccine made to kill them. The movie has many ideas and moving parts, but it doesn't play to Tamer's strengths.
Digimon Tamers: Runaway Locomon
Six months after the end of Digimon Tamers, all the Digimon have returned to the human world. A train misses its stop, and it's revealed to be Locomon, a train Digimon who is speeding all over the place. Takato gets on the train, leaving Guilmon behind. Rika and Renamon get on as well. The team works together to catch Locomon. Takato finds out that Locomon is being controlled by a parasite Digimon. They defeat the parasite, and it's revealed that everyone was planning a surprise party for Rika. The movie is well-paced, but the consequences of Locomon hitting its destination aren't dire enough.
Digimon Frontier
Digimon Frontier takes place in its own universe. Five kids are taken to the Digital World and can transform into Digimon. The plot involves an ancient feud between beast-type and human-type Digimon. The characters are one-note, and the character drama is either repetitive or not relatable. The villains overstay their welcome.
Digimon Frontier: Revival of Ancient Digimon
The cast of Digimon Frontier comes across two groups of feuding Digimon, human-type and beast-type. The kids try to foster peace between both groups. They discover an ancient mural telling of ancient Greymon and ancient Gururumon, ancient guardians who can bring peace. It's revealed that Hippogriffmon and Darkmon are the same Digimon. Ornismon is resurrected, but so are ancient Greymon and ancient Gururumon, who help to defeat Ornismon.
Digital Monsters X-Evolution
The Digital World is being cleansed by Yggdrasil using the X Program. Certain Digimon develop an immunity to the X Program called the X Antibody, which causes them to mutate. The Royal Knights are called in to slaughter the remaining Digimon. The film follows the story of Dorumon, a small Digimon who carries the X Antibody. Gallantmon defects from King Drasil. Dorumon digivolves into Alphamon, and Alphamon and Omnimon defeat King Drasil.
Digimon Data Squad
Digimon Data Squad has a slightly older cast. Marcus Damon meets Agumon and joins a government organization called DATS. The series evolves to tell a more traditional Digimon story. The DATS premise feels abandoned. The characters are technically teenagers, but it feels like young adults working their first job. The show is generic and soulless.
Digimon Savers the Movie: Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!!
In a post-apocalyptic world, an evil plant Digimon has overgrown the city and taken humanity captive. The Digimon from Digimon Savers have to traverse through the city to defeat the evil Digimon. Agumon burns the plant Digimon, allowing Marcus to be released. Marcus punches the bad Digimon, and Agumon digivolves to Shine Greymon. Shine Greymon gets the ultimate power activate burst mode and defeats the bad guy. The film has an environmental message, but it doesn't carry any weight.
Digimon Fusion
Digimon Fusion feels like a kids' show. Mikey Kudo and his friends are transferred to the Digital World, where they meet Shoutmon, who wants to be the king of the Digital World. The Digital World is fractured into 108 different zones. It's a race between the Fusion Fighters and the Bagra Army to collect the Code Crowns. The characters are either passable or completely misrepresented versions of other Digimon archetypes. The digimon designs all look like they were designed as toys first.
Digimon Adventure tri.
Digimon Adventure tri. takes place three years after 02 and six years after the original Digimon Adventure. The cast is getting close to graduating high school. The Digimon return to battle off a new threat. Portals from the Digital World are opening up all over the real world, releasing Digimon infected with a corruption virus. A new Digidestined, Mako, shows up with a mysterious cat Digimon, Meikumon. The series is about how the kids' relationship to the Digimon changes as they're getting ready to become adults. The plot is complicated and convoluted. The characters' odd behavior and odd performance are the foundational problem with Digimon Adventure tri.
