When it comes to 'childhood shows' you grew up watching, there comes a certain kind of dissonance between the experience you had as a kid and the experience you would have as an adult. Rewatching Digimon Adventure recently, I realized that it's the kind of show that wouldn't sit well with you if you think too much, especially when compared to other better anime. Objectively speaking, it's not a classic, and one would certainly have to retain some sense of nostalgia to really enjoy having this adventure. For an anime created to promote the virtual pets merchandise, however, it is a well-produced series that offers a few surprises, even for the more cynical audiences.
While it's definitely better than the other popular 'mons' anime franchise in terms of its overarching plot, the story is not the strongest aspect of the anime. The series is split into four major arcs, and like any monster-battling shounen shows, the storyline can get a bit episodic, with the children fighting a new set of villains with the beginning of each arc. Predictable cliches are commonly found without looking closely, and there are even a number of plot-holes and deus ex machinas that attack your common sense and logic. That said, viewers going in expecting a typical beat'em up will be pleasantly surprised by some of the darker plot-twists during mid-series. For a show seemingly targeted towards a younger audience, its angst and drama can become a bit mature for the little ones. This is where the strongest suit of the series comes into play - the character writing.
For the entirety of the show, it's as if the writers had set out to place their focus solely on 'evolving' the seven children (and to a lesser extent, the eighth child) in the show. Most of the side characters in the show, even the protagonist Digimon characters, have little to no personality. Their morality and motivations are pretty clear, and it's definitely a good versus evil story at play. There's little intelligence to be found among the villains' cliche 'take over the (digital) world' scheme, and even the good guys don't give a satisfying explanation of why these particular children, and not any others, were chosen to be sent to the Digital World and fight the battles. Nevertheless, this leaves plenty of room for a singular focus - the Chosen Children characters.
As the story goes on, each of the eight children are given a proper development scenario where they have to conquer their flaws and become a better person. Nearly all of them has an inner demon to fight with, and this can range from casual angst to realistically unpleasant situations. After doing some research on the show, I found out that the writers had decided to name each of the characters based on symbolical words that are related to good luck and fortune. This had me thinking that the writers really cared about the characters as they would care about a bunch of real children, and the writing really shows. While the manner in which the characters overcome their fears and anxieties can be overly convenient and even awkwardly forced at times, 'character development' is at its most literal sense here as we see the children evolve past their immature selves and be freed as a butterfly would.
For an anime produced in the '90s, the art department did quite a decent job. However, the first thing I noticed rewatching the show is how blend the water-color backgrounds can be. While it's a common, traditional style among many anime of that era, the art of both the Digital World and the real world in this anime would be the least memorable thing in your mind. This can be effective in the sense that your focus is entirely placed on the characters instead of a picturesque backdrop, and considering that the characters are well-animated, this is hardly a problem. Given the angst the protagonists would face, the color tones at these grimmer moments do give the show the appropriate atmosphere, being cheery, thrilling, and emotional at the right times.
However, viewers would be annoyed at the repetitive transformation sequences the Digimon would go through very often. While this may be fun for the kids, and it's certainly an effective business technique to promote the toys, they get old and tired for the more impatient viewers. Moreover, while the traditional animation transformations were decent to look at, viewers may find the CG animations to be cheesy and even cheap. The accompanying music, however, helps the audience through the ordeal without leaving things too awkward.
Some of the scores you hear in the anime might feel familiar for you older audiences out there. That's because composer Arisawa Takanori had decided to recycle and remix a few of his old tracks from Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. Cheap productions aside, I noticed that many of the scenes in the anime have awkward silences where no track is played, and this can be sometimes anti-climatic. That said, there are more than a handful of enjoyable scores, character themes, and battle themes inserted in every episode to keep one entertained, not to mention the ever memorable "Butter-Fly" theme song by Wada Kouji. In addition, the theme song for the Digimon evolution sequences, Miyazaki Ayumi's "Brave Heart", would certainly fire up the spirits in your heart as you root for the heroes to win.
One particular aspect I would like to mention about the songs in the original Japanese series is that the lyrics are definitely a lot more mature, symbolic, and memorable than those second-rated pop songs used in the dub series. In exchange for an opening about becoming a fluttering butterfly, the dub chose to use an over-the-top cheese-fest that repeats the word, "Digimon" over and over again.
The overall enjoyment of the series is a difficult aspect to evaluate. As stated above, what one might enjoy as a child is vastly different than as an adult. Being a kid, I really loved this season of Digimon to death, more so when I discovered the original Japanese version. The values this show brings to children about courage, friendship, and love are more entertaining than preachy, and they really help the younger audiences relate to them as they journey on this fun adventure with these lovable characters. But as you grow older and become more cynical, you would start noticing the chinks in the plot-armor, the randomness even in the original Japanese dialogues, and you would wonder to yourself how the heck you had managed to sit through this show.
Nostalgic factors aside, the anime series is pretty tame compared to better-written shounen shows out there, even with its above average character writing. However, for a carefree experience revisiting your childhood again, the show will serve up as more than decent entertainment as you travel with the Chosen Children on this Digimon Adventure.
Screenshots
Add to list