Digimon Tamers

The Digimon franchise needs no introduction to almost every anime fan; the first series, airing back in 1999, took the anime world by storm and millions upon millions of children and young teenagers from around the globe pledged allegiance to the franchise. Ever since then the series has become a huge hit, managing to even rival the colossal Pokemon franchise. The series only grew in popularity after the creation of a sequel, which while not receiving the same positive reception as the previous season still did well enough for Toei Animation to decide to do a third season. The new season would have a different cast of characters and plot while sharing fundamental similarities with previous seasons. And with none other than Serial Experiments Lain's Chiaki Konaka at the realm, what we're left with is a unique experience among kodomo titles to say the least. If you can't already tell I feel the series lived up to it's reputation and became one of the best, if not the benchmark for all kodomo titles. I have many reasons to believe in this, starting with: Story (9/10): The story unfortunately starts off rather slowly and not as tightly written as one would hope, an unfortunate trademark with the Digimon franchise. The story nevertheless turns out to be incredibly tightly written and multi-layered to say the least, dealing with countless mature themes that most anime series let alone kodomo titles don't dare approach. The setting is incredibly well-fleshed out and built up carefully but hardly loses focus and incredibly fun to watch, even in it's slice-of-life aspects. It also does a magnificent job deconstructing kodomo cliches while also never forgetting what it is and therefore gains many points for accessibility. Another aspect that should not be forgotten is that it's style of storytelling is very efficient and well executed; info-dumps are hardly present, and the show tells it's story or subtly presents it's character development in a way that feels neither forced nor boring, another aspect that should be praised especially considering the fact that the series has a slow but necessary and well-executed pacing. It still unfortunately loses points due to it's slow beginning but these are minor nitpicks to an otherwise amazing and very appealing yet mature story. Art/Animation (7/10): The artwork is quite pleasant to look at and well-above average for a kodomo title. The subtle differences however are present, as the characters are given fresher and more mature looks to fit in with the nature of the show. The backgrounds are simple yet change mood depending on the atmosphere of the show, which works to great effect and succeeds in greatly enhancing the experience. The Digimon designs and their respective evolutions also look great, as they look even more stylish and greatly contribute to the presentation of the themes and development present in the series. The animation quality however randomly fluctuates, ruining a lot of tension present in the series. The beginning of the series in particular suffers because of this probably due to the fact that the production team were saving the best of their budget for last, and indeed the animation quality does improve though problems still remain all the way to the end. I don't care much about art/animaton, but mixed results to say the least. Sound (10/10): The soundtrack as one would expect from the Digimon franchise sounds AMAZING, with the right tracks playing at the right time and perfectly fitting the mood of the show at any given time. The opening and ending songs are incredibly stylish and foreshadow the character struggles add to the fact that minor changes in the Digimon evolutions presented in the opening change accordingly to the progression of the story-line. Yes, these changes aren't much but they genuinely make a strong impression of how much effort was put into the project. The voice-acting is also excellent and fitting well with their respective roles, and never feels forced or unnecessary, on par and even beating previous installations. Basically, no complaints that I can muster or think of. Character (10/10): The best aspect of the show. The characters are carefully written, well-developed, love-able and yet fit their age and respective roles. The human characters have excellent motives and reasons behind their actions, and grow up over the course of a series in a natural and well-built manner. The Digimon characters are also quite different from each other in terms of personality, and the highlight of the series is it's fascinating building of character interactions, whether human with human, Digimon with human and even Digimon with human. What we ultimately get is an interesting web of character relations, carefully constructed and well-built up and developed, making this series a joy to watch when it comes to character development and relationships. Easily my favorite cast of characters in any kodomo title and almost every anime. Enjoyment (10/10): It was a great experience re-watching this series and noticing just how truly amazing it is, as well as reviving some good old childhood memories. The series is a great watch and a truly memorable experience. Despite minor setbacks, I found it to be a great series that I feel many anime fans should appreciate more. Just please, PLEASE don't let the first few episodes or the animation quality hamper you and you will be rewarded. Overall, I grant this series a 9 out of 10. I truly want to be the biggest dreamer and continue living for a purpose. Thank you very much for reading my review! Feedback is greatly appreciated :D

A beautiful follow up to the flopped Digimon Adventures 02, where originality shone in the most tell tale places. Digimon Tamers did a good job.