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luke-reviews-things · 5 years ago

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Digimon Adventure: (2020) Quick Review #1 – Episodes 1-3 (Our War Game?)

Hi everyone, I’ve decided to write two kinds of reviews to the episodes so I can basically cover both my initial thoughts on groups of episodes and then write separate reviews for individual episodes where I get into the nitty gritty of it all. Expect the reviews to be relatively positive as I’ve really enjoyed the first ten episodes but I do have a few minor gripes that seem pretty common which I’ll get into as and when they crop up. To start with, I’ll be focusing on the first three episodes which are kind of obviously paying homage to Our War Game.

Things I loved:

1. Digimon is back! This is a given but I am so happy that the series has been given a second life and can be updated to a more modern adventure. I loved the 90’s setting of the original but given this is such a technology-oriented story it has become a time capsule very quickly. I’m excited to see how modern advances in tech will be included.

2. Introducing the main cast slowly is something I am really happy with. In the original we were introduced to all the characters at the same time which was fine, but given that to a lot of the viewers this is going to be a re-introduction to an updated set of beloved characters, it’s nice to be able to get a feel for the “new” personalities of Taichi, Koushiro and Yamato. Up to now my favourite is probably Koushiro.

3. They’re not telling the exact same story of the original show which I am thrilled about. I’ve seen a lot of hate on Reddit that the show is too different from the original and therefore less good. That, in my opinion, is lunacy. If you want the old story, go watch the old story! As a viewer I would be so bored watching a copy of the original with a few small changes. I feel the same about over-comparing the pacing and what had happened by certain points in the original. I simply do not understand that mentality. Different does not necessarily mean good or bad.

4. The constant connection to the real world and how it’s affected by happenings in the Digital World (or the network in these episodes). One of my favourite parts of the original was time spent in the real world so this makes it all the more entertaining for me.

5. The little introduction at the start of each episode that explain the premise of the series is very cool and keeps it short with the basic need to know information. There’s not much else to say about it.

6. The OP and ED are both high energy which I always love in an anime. The most recent example I can think of is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba which I just finished. The OP is my favourite visually, especially the part where there are stills of the characters and their partners/crests quickly appearing one after the other (pictured). I prefer the ED song and I like that Yamato gets some focus, especially as we don’t know much about him at this point, a little teasing of his personality and backstory is nice.

Things I’m okay with:

1. Omegamon/Omnimon appearing in the beginning. Did it feel a little soon for me? Yes. That said, I’ve never been a massive fan of this ‘mon. It’s a cool idea and I love the symbolism of what he represents but to me I’m happier seeing WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon individually. He’s also not really a surprise anymore as a returning viewer and any new viewer doesn’t know the significance anyway, so it allows for a cool moment. I’ll get into the scene itself more in the episode review.

2. That the crests are already appearing rather than them needing to go on a quest for them. It was great in the original as a second arc but would definitely feel repetitive if they did it again. I’m glad they seem to be skipping over it at least a bit.

Missed opportunities?

I feel like they could have (alternatively) introduced the characters at the camp. I think this would have kept some of the purists a bit more pacified but also would have been interesting to have Takeru there but not Yamato. It appears they do not live together so it would have been interesting to see it play out this way and the other chosen children not find out they are sibling until later. I did like Joe’s cameo and Sora’s brief introduction, setting her up for her focus episode. I was content in the end with the short little cameos.

I don’t think I’ve missed anything but if I have I’ll be sure to include it in the individual reviews. Also, when I say review I can only really give a grade based on how entertained I was and how well it compares to other episodes in the current series. Any comparison to the original will either be nostalgia or referential to some improvement the new series has made, not to say the old version did it better.

#digimon #Digimon Adventure:#digimon adventure 2020

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luke-reviews-things · 5 years ago

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Before I start reviewing Digimon Adventure: (2020) I want to give a little background to my thoughts on the parts of the franchise I've experienced up to now and how they inform my opinions on the reboot.

The original canon:

I watched the original Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02 when I was a kid, probably around age 5-8. I never saw every episode but I saw most, and rewatched them in adulthood when they first released them on DVD in the UK. The reason I liked it as a kid is that it had a large cast of characters who all had real flaws and individual qualities that made them feel real. When I watched as an adult I really appreciated that it didn't shy away from Yamato's and Takeru's parents being divorced, Koushiro being adopted or the children experiencing grief when their friends and allies died. It also made it feel like there were real stakes in the story which made the experience all the more enjoyable.

Another main reason I liked it is because the characters actually aged between each series so in 02 we got to see more mature versions of the Digi-destined as well as new characters, who for the most part I liked. Their flaws grated on me a bit more than the original characters as they felt slightly more superficial. (Davis/Daisuke being obsessed with Kari being the major source of irritation.)

As far as Tri. is concerned, I enjoyed it 99% of the time. I didn't mind Meiko as a character or her partner. I felt the original characters got some good development even if it was a little rushed in places. (Biyomon and Sora's relationship in the fourth movie particularly stands out to me.) I would also have liked to see the 02 kids properly and did feel it was out of character for the original kids to not worry about them for the most part. I hear this is addressed in the new movie but I haven't seen that yet so can't really comment.

The last major thing I enjoyed about the original is that it was partially set in the real world. I'm a sucker for anime/fantasy series set in the real world and as much as I love the digital world, I really enjoy it when the characters are hanging out in Japan or even battling in the real world. That sentiment will definitely tie in to my thoughts on the reboot.

As a whole I really enjoyed the old canon (Kizuna excluded for now) but I don't expect the reboot to follow it too closely, nor do I think they should. We've already seen the old version, give us something new and different rather than repeating the same old stories and format.

Finally, I think it's fair to say my favourite characters in the original were Yamato and Gabumon plus Joe and Gomamon. However in Tri. I really enjoyed the focus on Joe and Mimi as characters in the second movie, that scene in the rain is one of the few times I cried watching Tri.

Basically I love Digimon and I'm very excited for what the new series has in store!

#digimon #digimon adventure:#digimon adventure 2020

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