There are only 5 days more to the release of Digimon Tri (Part 1 of 6). For those who don't know what it is, it is a new Digimon movie that is set a few years after the final arc of Digimon Adventure 1 and 02. While the movie has been set to be released in a 6-part series, the first film is exciting enough to bring up the enthusiasm of Digimon fans worldwide.
I read an article earlier on regarding why we still love Digimon over 15 years after its first release, and it was a brilliant article ((in my opinion)). Being a fan of both Digimon and Pokemon, I completely resonate with the feelings of the writer, and I truly appreciate how the writer took the time to applaud both series for their efforts in making something truly different.
So today, I decided to write my own views on why we still love digimon, and more importantly, how it is so different from the series people often compare it with - Pokemon.
Now, if you are a hard core Pokemon fan who can't appreciate Digimon on its own, I'm sorry to say this but you're definitely losing out on a lot of touching moments and exciting adventures.
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HOW IS DIGIMON DIFFERENT FROM POKEMON?
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#01: The logic behind the existence of both kinds of monsters
While both short-form ended with the phrase mon and both exploited the use of monsters as the centre of their series, they were very different.
Pokemon stands for Pocket Monsters - which were monsters that could be stored in the pockets of humans. This is the reason why your favourite Eevee and Bulbasaur were often kept in Pocket Balls, short formed as Pokeballs. The logic behind the existence of Pocket Monsters has never been explained, but we believe that the world of Pokemon in itself ((inclusive of the humans who live in it)) is a world where we can't comprehend with our logic today.
It uses the same basis as many cartoons - Spongebob where creatures live under water and a sponge is alive, or Teen Titans where Starfire comes from a completely different planet in the same world. We also find it difficult to relate Pokemon to several landmarks in Japan, with areas such as Johto and Hoenn.
This suggests that Pokemon, on its own, is set in a world we can't comprehend.
Digimon stands for Digital Monsters - which are monsters that are essentially created via digital data, very much like computer data. They are not conceived like creatures that are created by God, as they cannot reproduce. Instead, duplicates exist only due to the duplication of the digital data used to create a Digimon in the first place.
This explains why, in Digimon Adventure 02, the Chosen Children enter the Digital World via a computer most of the time. It is believed that the Digivice also acts like a computer, bridging the gap between the Digital world and the Real world. Digimon are essentially computer data, and the children are experiencing their adventures in a world that is set in the computer.
Of course, the Digital World and Digimon are created by someone. Who did it? Honestly, we don't have the answers to that yet. But for a children show, it is better not the have the answers sometimes, isn't it? The mystery makes the adventure more enriching.
Since both are completely different in the basis of their existence, we can't actually put them on a scale and compare.
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#02: Ash/Pikachu versus Chosen Children/Digimon
Pikachu is probably one of the greatest reason we watch Pokemon, unless you're one of the minority that tells me you'd watch the show for Ash Ketchum? While Ash Ketchum never fails to appear in every episode, he manages to make himself one of the least favourite character of the whole series.
How often do you hear someone actually saying their favourite character of the entire Pokemon series is "Ash Ketchum" over any of the few hundreds of adorable Pokemon. I rest my case.
For the case of Digimon, while many people often state that their least favourite character is Joe Kido, you don't actually see the majority choosing Digimon as their bias over characters. There is a better balance between the favouritism shown to all characters in the Digimon series.
Personally, I love Hikari and Tailmon. However, I can't deny how adorable Taichi and Takeru are. I also love Yamato for being cool, but always feel like I can relate to Mimi better because I'm probably as whiney and lazy as her.
The difference in both series lies in the fact that Pokemon has managed to create such a successful franchise where the main character of the cartoon is, more often than not, despised upon; while Digimon created a franchise where the main characters (note that this is actually plural instead) are actually characters the audiences relate to, and love.
If you also like Hikari and Tailmon, I love you.
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#03: Animals versus... Dinosaurs?
Pokemon has always pride itself in making the monsters similar to creatures we find in our everyday lives, despite being set in a world we don't quite understand. It brings our favourite flowers and animals to life in a twisted manner, giving electricity to a mouse to make Pikachu or making a dancing flower like Sunflora.
We always found Pokemon to look like creatures that already exist, with a few extended abilities. Well, with the few exceptions of some of the legendary creatures that don't quite resemble any creature in particular. I mean, how does Zapdos look like any bird despite being a legendary bird? The spiky wings don't even make sense.
Despite so, our favourite starters always manage to resemble adorable animals like little dragons, turtles, and chicks.
Digimon has been a little difficult to comprehend in terms of the ideas that eventually bloomed into the different Digimon. I have to admit that, while Agumon resembles a dinosaur of some sort, Patamon does not make any sense at all. Even though Palmon insists that it is a plant, I don't believe any form of plant could be twisted to look like that.
In fact, Agumon evolves to become more of a dinosaur in Greymon, and then slowly distorts away in Metal Greymon and War Greymon. By War Greymon, it does not even make sense to call it a Dinosaur anymore ((with the armor and wings)).
It also does not make sense, that while Pokemon have a certain species they stick to, Digimon does not. We see Charmander evolve through the stages into Charizard, becoming a stronger dragon along the way, gaining the abilities to fly in the final stage. In the case of Digimon, it does not always occur this way.
Yes, Agumon and Gabumon evolved to stay along the same lines of their original species, but not for all Digimon. Tailmon, evolved from a cat that went into a dog, and into Tailmon. After Tailmon evolves, it becomes a full-fledged Angel that flies and looks human. It is creepy sometimes to picture that evolution, but I can't deny how all the evolution in that one Digimon is adorable.
Apart from Tailmon, Palmon also grows to be a little distorted despite having a completely logical sense to it. From a plant, it becomes a cactus ((still a plant)) and a flower blooms for it to become a flower fairy. Now, we understand the link in terms of plants for this evolution, but we don't understand how a plant evolves into a flower fairy that is adorable and pink in the end.
Therefore, they are very different ((both series)).
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There are so many reasons why Pokemon and Digimon are different, and I could name them one by one but there wouldn't be a point anyway. You'd have to watch both series, to understand the difference.
Another difference is that the English version of Pokemon is adorable but if you watch the English version of Digimon, you can't sit with us.
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WHY DO WE LOVE DIGIMON
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If you had read the article I pasted the link for above before you finished reading this, there were several reasons why we love Digimon (now we're no longer comparing it to Pokemon) but I decided to write a few that I felt very personal about as well.
These may be subjective comments, but they are exceptionally true for me.
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#01: Not everyone had the perfect childhood
Everyone has had tough times in their childhood, albeit adults saying that children have nothing to worry about. Parents who separated ended up causing scars and lessons learned the hard way for many children - as seen with Yamato and Takeru.
Having grown up with separated parents who managed to gain custody of the children separately, Yamato grew up to be independent with the father who worked most of the time in the media industry. Takeru grew up to be more reliant on his mother, although in the later series we see how much more matured he grew due to his adventures with the rest of the children and Digimon.
If the Digimon did not bring Yamato and Takeru together, I believe they would have grown up with a larger gap than they already had. Yamato would have grown up to be sour, and Takeru would not have understood his brother's emotions the way he did because of their adventures together.
Sometimes, children's problems were about studies. Having grown up in an Asian society where academic results were everything, many children were faced with a huge amount of stress juggling major examinations. This is exceptionally evident for Joe, who had to always worry for his exams because he was older than the rest of them.
I could always relate to Joe, despite laughing at him when I was younger because he was a boring person who saw no end to studying and tuitions.
Our parents did not always understood our dreams - how many of us grew up wishing we could be whoever we wanted to be, only to have reality shoot our dreams down in the form of our parents?
Wasn't this true for Sora as well? Despite loving soccer and being very much of a Tom-Boy in the first season, her mother did not approve of her daughter's boyish ways and tried to make her more lady like by encouraging her to learn flower arrangements. Although Sora grew up to become a fashion designer and play tennis like many girls, we all had a time when our dreams didn't quite gain the approval of our loved ones.
Although those times were difficult, Sora proved that parents were just concerned for us and meant no harm. If we tried to come to a mutual understanding, life would be easier on both ends.
I always liked this part about the entire Digimon series ((especially season 1)) because many of them faced problems of their own. These weren't problems that were far fetched because they are problems that are still happening in our society today. It gave us a deeper understanding of the characters, and explained why they behaved the way they did.
Throughout the series, we also watched as they grow from the problems they were thrown at. We watched as Sora reconciled with her mother, Yamato and Takeru understanding their brotherhood better, and Joe beginning to relax a little more. We watched as these problems we may have faced in our childhood, found a solution.
From this, we also learned to loosen up on our own part, and be more understanding individuals who could find the solutions to our problems instead of dwelling on it and letting it affect our behaviour in the long run. It gave us hope that these problems, however serious they may have seemed at that point, were not unsolvable. It was solvable, if we worked it out like the children in Digimon did.
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#02: We have the power within us to do great things, if we could believe
I absolutely love the morale behind Digimon, because of the lessons it holds within each episode of the series. In the first season, each child held a crest that symbolised something they once held within their hearts as their proudest virtue.
Courage, The importance of Friendship, True Love, The thirst for Knowledge, Purity, The sincerity and honesty/trustworthiness in one's words/actions, Hope for a better future, and the Light within oneself; While these 8 crests belonged to the individual, we watched as these crests showed the audiences, and the chosen children, the power we hold if we believe that we are able to make a difference.
While Taichi did not find the courage initially, he believed in himself and his ability to save Sora, eventually awakening the courage within him. When Taichi learned of his powers and ability through his display of courage, we also witnessed his ability to make a difference because he displayed that virtue so true to him.
Even though many people say the logic is flawed - how can your attack prove to be ineffective against the enemy in one time, and then effective in the next; I believe it's all about the heart and the thought that brings strength. Yes, the attack may have proven ineffective, but if we believe that it will work, that belief will turn into strength that strengthens the power of the attack, proving to be effective eventually.
It's the same logic as hitting someone when you haven't eat, and when you've finished eating. While the attack may appear the same, the strength and impact are vastly different because you've gained energy through eating. Taking the energy to represent the belief to make a difference in the child's heart, we see as the same attack makes a difference the second time it lands.
I believe that, while belief and this whole logic has entirely no basis, it is something that gives us strength mentally and emotionally. Have you read the Secrets book where they explained the law of attraction? Sometimes, a psychological thought can give us strength that will convert into physical strength we never knew we possessed but we actually did.
In Digimon, the psychological thought and strength was manifested and proven to be effective in helping their Digimon partners gain strength for defeating the enemy. Isn't it amazing how much power your belief can hold?
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#03: All of us wanted to be at least one of them
One of the best selling factor of the entire Digimon series, is the diverse personalities and stories behind each chosen child. We didn't all have to be stuck with just Taichi, we could love Yamato as well!
All of us would have identified ourselves with one of the children, whoever it was. If you couldn't identify yourself with the original 8, you could still identify yourself with the later 4. If you were the introvert who preferred to keep your cool and sometimes burst, you'd love Joe. You could also be cool headed and emotional like Yamato, or hot headed and strong like Taichi.
Sometimes, you'd like the adorable Takeru who was pleasant to everyone, and sometimes you'd feel your inner nerd surface like Koushiro.
For the ladies, we all had a point where we tried to be the cool Tom Boy that Sora was, probably to end up as the mean-girl lookalike, Mimi. However, we can't deny the inner Sharpay that we all have, that resembles Mimi so much as well. Of course, all little girls wanted to be the adorable Hikari who was not afraid to have fun, cry, and be a gentle fun-loving friend to everyone else.
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#04: There was a lot of growing up involved
Yes, the time lapse throughout the series and up till Digimon Tri was a long time as we watch Taichi go through Elementary school, Junior High, and enter Senior High in the upcoming movie. However, we also watched them grow up mentally and emotionally.
We watched as they learned so much about friendship, about love, and more importantly, about themselves. We saw them entering puberty stages - their first crush, first relationships, and love triangles even. We even managed to watch Yamato grew to become a lead singer of a student band, or Hikari growing to love taking photograph.
We witnessed Takeru growing to Yamato's height from 1999 to 2002, from barely taller than Patamon to at least 5 times Patamon's height. We also saw Mimi changing to Pink coloured hair, and then back to her natural brown again, all while looking adorable and fashionable.
Takeru (1999)
Takeru (2002)
We watched as they learned - sometimes it's better to take a step back, it's important to fight for what you believe in, and more importantly, sacrifices are necessary in the fight against evil.
In season 1, we saw Mimi dreading the death of Digimon, good or bad. In season 2, we saw Yolei struggling with the same purity and love for all lives alike. There, we watched as Sora and Mimi help Yolei grow the way they did, explaining to her the importance of making sacrifices for the fight against evil, despite how painful it may appear at first.
That showed the growth of not only Yolei throughout season 2, but also how much Sora and Mimi grew in 3 years.
The best part about the series wasn't just their physical growth, donning on uniforms from Junior high and trying out a new hairstyle, it was learning from their adventures and growing together with their Digimon counterparts.
However, we aren't always in a rush to grow up. In the series, we watched a few characters who never grew up. I'm not talking about the ever playful Daisuke, but the Digimon themselves. The Digimon, proving to be best partners, were always ready to remind the children of their adventures and childhood dreams.
The Digimon were patient friends, who would give them strength when they felt weak, and always awakened that adventure sense within them even when they were growing up fast. Despite having matured so much, we watch the chosen children act just the same way around their Digimon partners, playing around and crying/laughing together.
We grew up with these characters, and at the same time remembering our childhood when we see the Digimon themselves. For most of us who were at their age when the cartoon was released, we felt extremely nostalgic when Digimon Tri was announced.
Many of us, back then only 5-6 (around the age of Hikari/Takeru) have grown up to become teenagers that are entering the young adult stage in life. Just as we are preparing for this change, Digimon Tri was announced. Just like us, the children have grown up to be just about the same ages as we are, except now we are the ages of Taichi more so than Takeru.
Digimon grew up, and so did we. However, that sense of adventure that lies within us are awakened the way theirs would be when they meet their Digimon once again. The adventure begins again, and so will ours. Even at 19, I'm feeling so young. I'm feeling like I'm a little child watching television on Sunday mornings again.
We all grew up, we all learned a little more about life, but our childhood doesn't just fade away. Our childhood adventures continue to be a part of our life, a part of our memory, and will any day come back to us. When it does, our adventures will begin again.
That's, the best part about Digimon. That's what makes Digimon so different. Because they don't need to cater to a new audience, there is no need to extend the life of this series to the children today; They are starting a brand new adventure for us, the ones who grew up with the franchise. We, are the ones who will begin our adventure again, together with the children and their Digimon.
And honestly, I can't wait for this adventure to begin.
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If I can't convince you on why Digimon is amazing and why we love it, you could read the article I pasted the link for above. It was tear jerking and I almost teared reading it, all while listening to the acoustic version of Butterfly. Have I also mentioned that I respect Wada Kouji so much, having gave his entire music career to Digimon.
I do hope to see a stronger, and healthier Wada Kouji during Digimon Tri promotions; I hope he gets well soon.
Let's hope that Digimon Tri Part 1 will prove to be an amazing beginning for our new adventures, and that we can all look forward to more adventures in the future movies!
Here's the Tri Rerecorded version of Butterfly by Wada Kouji. Having gone through so much, Wada Kouji proved that he was still an amazing singer, remaking the original classic theme song from season 1. We thank him for putting our childhood into beautiful melody.
Joanna
