Digimon Adventure Review (Anime)
I’ve been waiting to own Digimon Adventure on DVD (well, Blu-ray but that’s not happening) for a long time and it’s finally coming as of October. I’ve checked the series’ official release out and I’m pleased to say that Digimon still holds up as a fantastic show and that’s not just nostalgia talking!
The first season of Digimon follows a group of children, known as the DigiDestined, who’ve been sucked into the Digital World where they’re greeted by talking monsters. When the monsters prove to not be threatening to them and instead want to help them, they all quickly bond with one another with each child being partnered with one Digimon. The Digital World is in trouble by a powerful threat who wants to take over, and it’s up to the DigiDestined to help the Digimon take their world back as well as find a way back to the real world – these kids aren’t getting the nicest food away from home! What I loved about it as a child is what I still love about it now and that’s that the show has a rather dark tone where Digimon can actually die in battle, and the dialogue is fantastic along with some great character development – the group of children and their relationships are portrayed in a relatable way.
Digimon is an old show that aired through 1999-2000 and whilst it’s certainly showing its age, its art style and animation are still praiseworthy. This is a DVD only release and although Japan has a Blu-Ray version, there’s only so much that can be done for a show so old without fully remastering or re-drawing art, but Digimon Tri is being focused on now. Some scenes come across as a bit blurry and multiple art lines overlap, but overall the action is still intense, I love the character design, the Digimon design and the world, and whilst I’d have liked it to have been redone in the way that Dragon Ball Z Kai was, I’m happy with the DVD set and the ability to own and watch the series whenever I want. The menu is plain and features a Digivice and the option between playing all or choosing an episode, but I never expected too much fancy menu work from a DVD only release – this isn’t a knock to it, by any means!
You’ve got to love early children’s English dubs! The jokes never get old and the acting, although sometimes quite over the top, is fun, cheerful and a joy to listen to. The voice-cast isn’t comprised of my voice-actors and actresses that I’m familiar with past Wendee Lee voicing T.K. but I couldn’t imagine this show without them as the casting and voice directing is so on-point. Many of the jokes went over my head as a kid but now I realise how truly funny Digimon Adventure is and, on a bit of a side note, it’s nice to see Yo-kai Watch’s English Dub take so much inspiration from this and the original Pokemon series. The Digimon theme song always crops up somewhere and for good reason – this is one super catchy opening song! The soundtrack as a whole is great, but it’s the theme song that really stands out.
Digimon Adventure remains one of my favourite shows both as a child and as an adult, and if anything it’s even better now that I’m catching all of the jokes and such. If you’re a fan who’s looking for nostalgia then Digimon Adventure won’t disappoint and if you missed out on watching Digimon when you were younger, then I recommend getting into it with its humble anime beginnings with this release and Digimon Adventure 02 which is also releasing this year, along with Digimon Tri which is a sequel to Digimon Adventure. It’s a great time to be a Digimon fan!
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