Hey!
What's with the "very bad event about to happen" music ?!
Hey you!
What are you doing ?!
Was that a creepy direction ?!
If something bad has to happen, just make it hap-
There's a lot of traffic in this interdimensional tunnel!
Please...Tell me you aren't what I think you are...
I'm your Digimon! Lamemon! And you're my chosen child!
Lamemon!
Rookie level Digimon cheaply created with a couple of bucks
capable of amazing disappointment.
His special move: "Shameless Escape"
First of all...I wanted a Patamon!
Secondly...Isn't it a bit late to recruit me as "Chosen Child" ?
I mean, I'm 29. Shouldn't you have called me like 15 years ago ?!
Weeell, there has been some problem, some delay,
some burocratic issue with the Digital world's spirits
so we had to rely on the help of the japanese section, that saved us at the last minute!
Wait...Japanese section ?
-What section is this ? -Italian section...
Well, this explains everything, since the problem here is solved I'm leaving, byeeeee!
Well...
That was weird...
Let's get back to wo-Lamemon ?!
Why did you leave so soon ?
Because I don't have the budget nor the equipment to stay too long in alternative dimensions...
Right...Wow...What a nice place!
Say, what do you do here ?
Well...I make...videos...
You know, videos on stuff I like, I pretty much analyze different worlds and-
Awesome, awesome, awesome! Come on!
Please, analyze the Digital world!
But to be honest I was already working on something I really care about and...
And...Alright...
Afterall it is a world worthy to be talked about...
I'm Virtu Al! And...
And here's the world of today!
Ok, that wasn't the plan, but to be fair today's theme is really interesting!
Digimon!
Many know it as a franchise spawned off from an animated series for kids
and probably as the fiercest rival the Pokemon series had to face through the years,
way before Yokai Watch.
But its origins aren't found in the tv series,
aired for the first time in 1999 in Japan,
and, despite what one could think,
it wasn't born to be in direct competition with Pokemon, not at the beginning at least.
No...To find and explain the birth of Digimon's concept,
we have to go back a couple of years...in 1997.
Right in this year a new kind of electronic toy was released by Bandai,
the same company that put on the market the famous Tamagotchi toys;
remember them ?
they were virtual pets that kids could feed, pamper,
play with and, generally take care of.
Hey! Did you have one too ?
Of course I did, I still keep it around, there it is!
-Daddy, can you buy it ? Pleeease! -Alright dear, but you gotta take care of it.
Hooray, my first virtual pet!
-Make that thing stop beeping! -My eeears!!
-It's 4 AM, what the fuck is this noise ?! -You forgot to feed it again ?!
-How much does this thing eat ?! -It pooped! It pooped again!
IT'S DEAD!! IT'S DEAAAAD!!!
Shall we keep going ?!
As we all know Tamagotchi were an amazing success worldwide,
but Bandai wanted to evolve the concept and create a toy more aimed at young males;
that's how the first Digimon V-Pets were born.
the idea was the same of the Tamagotchi. Give the kids a virtual pet to take care of,
but unlike their predecessors, the V-pets could not only evolve into stronger creatures,
but also connect to each other to start awesome battles
to decide who had the strongest monster.
but who do we owe for Digimon's creation ?
Researching this question, quite often you can find the name of a certain Akiyoshi Hongo,
a name that often pops up in many Digimon-related projects.
Too bad Akiyoshi Hongo isn't a real person, but a "portmanteau".
a term used to refer to the merging of different persons under one unique identity.
In the case of Akiyoshi Hongo, this is the result of the merging of three persons:
Aki Maita, co-creator of Tamagotchi,
Hiroshi Izawa, creator of the first Digimon manga,
and Takechi Hongo, head of Bandai's marketing.
The success of V-pets in Japan was so huge that soon Bandai wanted to expand Digimon's brand;
they started commissioning a manga to the already mentioned mangaka, Hiroshi Izawa,
responsible of creating the first narrative example of the brand
and the characters of Taichi and Veedramon.
A card game was created
and even an RPG for Playstation under the title of Digimon World.
A videogame series that graced the Sony platforms for many years,
bringing a different experience in every title;
while the first title was a hybrid of a virtual pet and a brutally difficult RPG,
the second was more of a dungeon crawler,
the third one was a classic RPG very similar to Pokemon in some fields,
and the fourth one gave melee and long-range weapons to different Digimon,
turning it into a hack'n slash game.
quite the varied career, I'd say!
but the biggest impact the Digimon brand had on the world arrived only two years later, in 1999.
When we witnessed the animated series that conquered the heart of thousands of kids
and that brought the success of the digital monsters to the skies!
The name of this series ?
Digimon Adventure!!
Let me just roll myself in nostalgia for a moment...
Ok, let's keep going...
Digimon Adventure tells the story of a group of 7 kids who, during a simple summer camp,
witness a sudden out of season snow storm.
In front of them mysterious electronic devices fall from the sky, one for each of them,
which summon them to an alternative dimension, where they meet small and friendly creatures called Digimon.
Having been chosen by the digital world itself, Taichi, Yamato, Takeru,
Sora, Mimi and Joe
will have to help their new digital friends to grow stronger, -Al, you forgot about poor Koushiro! D:
through the power of digievolution
and help each other to defeat the dark entities
who threaten both their worlds.
Produced by Toei Animation, Digimon Adventure is today the most famous part of the brand
and many of us keep it within us with a lot of nostalgia.
It's also true that, looking at it as adults, the series isn't perfect for many reasons,
but it had a lot of heart
and had surprisingly mature themes for being a series so specificly aimed at younger audiences!
But let's proceed in order.
Initially the animated project of Digimon was to be only a short
that aired one day before the debut of the series.
The short shown the first meeting of Taichi and his sister Hikari with a Digimon.
But once storyboards were completed in 1998
the producers saw so much potential in the project
that they approved production of a series of more than 50 episodes!
I'll say it right away, while the animation of the short was of very high quality,
the animation of Digimon Adventure was produced with a very low budget.
And I mean a veeery, VEEERY low budget!
Remember the episode on Mobile Suit Gundam ? A series of the 70's ?
Well, in comparison to this 1999 series, Mobile Suit Gundam was of Disney quality!
Because while the animation of the latter appeared rough and dirty,
it was infinitely more studied and dynamic than the one in Digimon Adventure.
It isn't my intention to make a direct comparison of the two series,
since they have very little in common,
but it's a good example to understand how Japan's animation was going through a quality crisis
mostly because of the arrival of new and less expensive technologies.
Afterall 1999 was a time period in which Japan was transitioning from traditional to digital animation.
Digimon Adventure and many other series of the time, infact, made use tricks
that made it easy to save a lot of money on each episode.
How are you doing dear terribly lowly paid animator ?
Sir...With all due respect, but the way you want us to animate this scene is horrible!
-Horrible ? -It sucks!
-How much ? -Quite a lot!
More than a rent you can't pay ?
-See how easy that was ? -Piece of cake...
What's our motto ?
-Miyazaki is overrated... -Good boy!
To sum it up, the prospect of saving money is the reason of why in the series we can se very stiff battles,
use of CGI or very cheap digital effects.
Except for episode 21! This episode is a masterpiece of direction and animation,
also thanks to the guest director who worked on it. But we'll go back to this later!
Anyway, despite the very cheap animation quality, the series isn't all awful visually.
If on a side the animation is clunky and produced with very little budget,
on the other hand the artstyle of the human characters and the designs of the Digimon
are among the reasons this series was so attractive to us.
The character designer of the human characters in Digimon Adventure is Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru.
An artist who started out by contributing to the entire Dragon Ball series,
inlcuding Z and GT.
Nakatsuru brings a very particular style to the series
showing us very simple-looking characters with some western influences,
like big hands and feet in comparison to their limbs which appear quite thin.
But this gives the characters a slender and vivid look, as well as fresh,
making them very recognizable if compared to other series of the times.
During the episodes they also show off quite the impressive array of expressions.
It doesn't surprise me that they resulted very likeable to both kids and animation fans!
But what about the Digimon ?
A lot of the merit for the design of these creatures goes to Kenji Watanabe,
the main illustrator, who worked on the designs ever since the V-pets,
way before the series was even made.
Taking inspirations from the american comics of Marvel and DC,
which at the time started being successful in Japan,
Watanabe gave the digital monsters a really strong look,
with a highly detailed anatomy and a thick-shaded lineart.
The Digimon show themselves as huge and muscled creatures,
with heavy armours and weapons everywhere.
In a few words, with every single detail to make them as over-the-top as possible!
Especially in their more advanced evolutions!
Quite the contrast if compared to the designs from Pokemon,
which go for a softer and more conceptual style.
And here comes the question...
Design-wise, who's better ? Pokemon ? Or Digimon ?
As you can imagine it is quite the sensitive matter for the fans of both series...
My perspective is that neither of them has an objectively superior style to the other,
Since-- Oh fuck!! let me speak first, for the love of Godmon!
What I mean is that the approach of both series is so different
that arguing about what is the one that has the better designs
is impossible without involving some purely subjective preferences.
As said before, Pokemon has base concepts behind every single designs.
inspired to animals and plants,
as well as legends, religions, local cultures...
Nowadays in Pokemon we have creatures inspired to Nordic mythology,
to Hawaii's folklore, to alchemic concepts,
or even to the different kinds of ambient pollution.
Even the drawing style is quite softer and subtle.
In contrast, Digimon are designed to be as over-the-top as possible
and to be simply badass monsters.
But naturally there's a designs study here.
You can't just put a couple of laser cannons on a dinosaur to make it badass,
you need to strike a careful balance of shapes and colours that can impress the eye.
The result works even better thanks to Watanabe's artstyle as well as his detailed anatomy,
which gives to the different Digimon a more recognizable look.
I mean, look at those muscles...
Going back to topic!
To sum it up, while Pokemon gives itself specific limits
and uses those same limits to create simple, but distinct creatures,
Digimon prefer to go out of boundaries and play everything on a pondered exaggeration.
Even the evolutionary process of both series are in line with this philosophy.
You just have to take a look at two evolution lines taken randomly from each series
to understand how different the concepts are.
This is why I think none of the two are necessarily superior.
Both series have talented designers who simply have totally opposite approaches.
It's up to each person's personal preference decide which is better for them.
I like both, myself!
But I'm going off-topic!
Let's go back to the series and especially to its characters and its plot.
While the plot is in general really simple to follow and partly predictable,
what makes this series particular isn't the plot itself,
but rather the number of details that enrich its narrative.
Despite a general sense of adventure, there's also the presence of a heavy element of survival.
The kids and the Digimon share rations, seek for food and shelter
and it isn't rare that they are struck by home sickness,
showing both the whimsical side and the more realistic side that this kind of adventure can have.
We're talking about average kids, snatched from their homes to save an unknown world,
a world that, being digital, isn't bound to what may be the rules of the real world.
This is how the Chosen children find telephone booths on a beach,
factories that build nothing, upside-down pyramids,
all while they'll have to face foes ready to kill them to achieve their goals.
The main group shows unique and well-developed characters.
Each of the kids has his own role in the group and his own Digimon,
with whom they build an unique bond, in some cases even symbolic.
Taichi is the leader. The bravest of the kids, but also the most reckless one,
who doesn't always think about the consequences of his actions.
It still doesn't work...
In those situations you just have to give them a wack!
Please, stop it!
His Digimon, Agumon, has a child-like and naive behaviour,
but generally in line with his partner's.
Andromon isn't waking up...
In those situations you just have to give them a wack!
This recklessness is often held down by Yamato, known in the west as Matt.
Yamato's behaviour is the extreme opposite of Taichi's:
While the latter is really loud, optimist but rash,
Yamato is a more silent and thoughtful boy,
partly because of his little brother Takeru's presence, who Yamato is constantly worried of,
making him one of the most responsible members of the group,
but also the one who's put constantly under pressure due to the high expectations he has toward himself,
which brings him to seclude himself from the others.
The crest of friendship...
Why does a person like me have the crest of friendship ?!
Arguments aren't rare, between the two kids, to decide what is best to face the dangers
that the kids will find themselves in front of.
But somehow the two opposite behaviours complete each other.
While Yamato keeps Taichi's recklessness under control,
Taichi's contagious optimism keeps the group united and strong,
even when the situation is desperate.
Yamato himself is encouraged to reach even when his hesitation becomes strong.
His partner, Gabumon, a Digimon with a sweet and kind personality,
is often a shoulder to cry on, even when Yamato secludes himself,
resulting in a loyal companion who keeps the boy's inner demons under control.
I want to be useful too, Al!
It's a really nice thought Lamemon, but it isn't needed...
Come ooon, tell me about your problems, I wanna help you!
I don't have any problem!
I wanna help you!
I don't have any!
-TELL ME!! -I DON'T HAVE ANY!!
TELL ME YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM!!
I have a psycho Digimon with severe problems of inadequacy who's pointing a gun at me!!
LEAVE IT TO ME!!
There...See ?
Wasn't I useful ?
Pats on the head ?
PATS ON THE HEAD!!
Naturally the other kids have their own share qualities and flaws too.
It is interesting to see how the relationship between the Digimon and their respective partners
will result in a personal growth
both for the Digimon, who grow stronger to defend their friends,
and for the human kids, who learn to cooperate and manage their own limits and issues.
But there is one thing that makes Digimon stand out if compared to other series for kids of the time...
It handled a very brave theme:
family issues.
And we aren't talking about simple everyday problems.
We're talking about problems that can really influence the growth of a kid!
Koushiro, for example, found out he has been adopted eavesdrooping his parents.
For this reason he's a really smart and curious kid,
who projected the stress of this discovery on the study of the world around him
to find out more about it and, not knowing his own origins, about himself.
Yamato and Takeru are children of divorced parents and
while Yamato is extremely protective toward the younger brother,
the latter, despite his initial insecurities,
will want to prove that he too can be useful with his partner Patamon,
thing that will create quite a few tensions between the two brothers.
Joe is the oldest of the group and, because of this, he has a paranoid behaviour,
feeling responsible for the wellbeing of the other kids.
This behaviour stems off his admiration for his elder brother, a student of medicine,
of which the responsibility, pushes Joe to be an example for his younger companions.
Sora has a rebel tomboy behaviour clashing with her mother,
Taichi has terrible feelings of guilt toward his sister Hikari
because of a past negligence,
while Mimi hides a particular sensitivity
behind an apparently spoiled and vain behaviour.
In a few words they're all full of complexes!
No, you're right!
That's exactly the point!
The goal of the series is to give us characters we can relate with.
A growing kid is always subject of insecurities he vents or hides in different ways,
like simple misunderstandings between parents and kids
or more complicated matters, like adoption or divorce.
Digimon Adventure shows how having issues within their own family is an absolutely normal thing
that everyone can have and everyone can get through.
Many parents could think how showing the existence of such problems to kids
could be damaging and could traumatize them,
but kind of like animated movies like The Lion King
made us aware of the existence of death,
of its consequences and of how one can get past the suffering caused by the latter,
Digimon Adventure makes us aware of those situations,
and of, how getting through them, also depends on ourselves and our own growth.
We like to call them childhood traumas, but somehow those traumas,
if we should really call them like that, made us grow up.
It isn't by hiding the existence of those problems to the kid
that he'll be able to develop the maturity to face them.
And let's just say it, there are parents who despise the presence of themes like this in animated products
while the situation back at home is like this...
The adventure of those kids has at its center different values
that, while being quite overused on a narrative level,
are values that, in my aware naivety, I find fundamental,
too often forgotten in the chaos of the everyday life:
Courage, friendship, love, purity,
knowledge, honesty and hope.
Each of the kids represent a different value, in line with their behaviour
and with the type of growth they'll have to face with their own digimon,
who'll be able to access a more powerful evolution through the comprehension of those values.
And talking about evolutions...
Each time this song kicked off we all jumped on the couch with excitement!
It was time of the hero's comeback, of the epic fights
the moment in which those friendly creatures evolved in their ultimate forms
to fight the evil Digimon of the episode!
And so Agumon, a baby dinosaur, becomes a huge striped t-rex!
Pyiomon, a kind pink bird becomes a terrifying flaming phoenix!
Tentomon, a ladybug Digimon becomes a huge armoured bug!
Palmon, a sweet plant monster becomes a-
Ehr...A...Boxer...Cactus...?
Well, she's cool anyways!
Gomamon, a lil punk seal becomes an enormous artic Sealion!
Gabumon, a pelt-wearing lizard becomes a kickass flame-breathing wolf!
And then we have Patamon, one of the most adorable things ever!
Given the initial form he'll likely become a winged hamster or a fat boar!
YOU'RE FUCKIN' BADAAASS!!
The evolution of the main Digimon was something of really special,
especially since the psychological growth the Chosen Children had to face
to unlock the secret powers of their Digimon.
It was a true symbol of growth and comprehension of themselves.
Of course, the trope of the power-up of a character in a desperate situation has been used again and again,
but if executed in the right way it always results as effective.
And much of the emotional impact those events had on us in Digimon Adventure
was owed especially to the iconic guitar riff that started the song you are listening to, right now...
Brave Heart!!
This song is probably the most well-known piece of the late composer and singer Koji Wada.
Passed away only the last year, he not only composed Brave Heart,
but also the opening song of the series Butterfly,
and most of the vocal songs of Digimon Adventure.
But he kept composing awesome pieces even for the following Digimon series.
His work was crucial to give heart to the series,
which owes to the music a lot of its emotional charge.
Wada's composing style, expression of hope in the face of adversities is perfect for this kind of series!
Unluckily in the italian version we never had the chance to enjoy Wada's amazing voice,
replaced by an instrumental version of Brave Heart.
Of course, we had it good compared to America
that totally erased the original soundtrack, replacing it!
Replacing it with what ?
Hold me!
But let's not forget about the composer of the instrumental songs!
While Wada took care of many of the vocal songs,
we owe the instrumental part to Arisawa Takanori.
Famous for being the official composer of the entire Sailor Moon saga,
Takanori gave us, in part digital and electronic tracks, in line with the theme of the series,
and many orchestral pieces that carried the most emotional and moving scenes.
But all this tlak about fights, evolutions and music and I haven't introduced the villains yet!
Let's fix that!
Digimon Adventure's villains have only one goal:
kill the Chosen Children and their Digimon
to destroy the balance between digital and real world
and throw both into chaos.
The Chosen Children will face different evil Digimon, usually leaded
by one or more powerful masters who hold the strings.
The most recognizable one has to be Devimon.
Let's start with the fact that his design is fantastic!
Huge ripped bat wings, crimson blood eyes,
long and slender arms...
It is more than enough to give an idea of danger as soon as one looks at him.
Not only he's the first true villain of the series, but also the one to pose a real threat for the Chosen Children,
to the point where his defeat can't be considered a true victory for the main characters.
Of course, Devimon isn't the only threat the Chosen Children and their Digimon will face.
Each main villain affirms itself with its own identity and a threatening presence for the kids.
Even the one who would be the comic relief villain is a concrete danger!
And if we count the cruelty of beings like Vamdemon, known in the west as Myotismon,
you can understand why these villains had such an impact on our childhood!
What need did you have to kill them ?!
The series isn't afraid to pull out religious icons to represent the malice of these beings.
In an episode we can see Devimon come out of a picture showing an angel,
recalling the biblical inspiration of the character,
while further in the series, the advent of a powerful enemy will be foretold by a prophecy
which refers to the sixth second of the sixth minute of the sixth hour, also called the hour of the beast!
Wow, a reference to John's Book of revelation,
we're going full bible here! Interesting, right ??
But the kids, what will happen to the kids if they will watch such blasphemies ?!
Ehr...Sorry, what could happen ?
They could be influenced, they could become
rapists, maniacs, murderers, satanists, or worse...
HOMOSEXUALS!!
Ma'am, those biblical references to devils and demons are clearly used by the series
to show to the kid a representation of pure evil,
so something to keep away from at all costs,
without counting all of the other moral lessons Digimon adven-
With all of the bad that's in the world we can't subject our children to those depravities!
It is the duty of us parents to protect those candid creatures of God a-
Mommy, can I have a cookie ?
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO INTERRUPT ME WHILE I SPEAK OF SERIOUS MATTERS ?!
YOU'RE A DISGRACE!!
My opinion is that if a kid becomes, let's say, problematic,
the fault can't be found in some cartoon or videogame,
which most of the time are used as scapegoat to take attention away from the real problems,
like education, family situation and mental health of the subjects.
Buuuut it's a very complicated matter, I'd have to make an entire episode about it.
What we find in Digimon Adventure is the classic battle of evil versus good,
light and darkness, which never tires me if executed well.
It's the motivation behind the evil Digimon to be especially interesting.
I won't ruin anything, but there's a reason behind the evilness of those beings and,
while it isn't a reason of redemption at all,
it gives gives reason to their lack of mercy.
So it has well-developed characters...
-Yes -Badass monster design
-Right -Threatening villains!
Fantastic music!
-Ah, yes! -So it's a perfect series!
Far from it!
FUCK!
beside low-budget animation, the rhythm of the series is often slower than it should be,
with some episodes that aren't as good as others
or that move the story at a snail's pace,
being heavily based on the monster of the week formula,
that the characters had to wrap up before the end of the episode.
This without counting the few, but significative times in which, to force the plot to go a certain way,
the kids took choices that could be considered...ehr...debatable ?
Let's take the episode in which the Chosen Children are in the middle of a soccer field,
and are ambushed by an evil Digimon and forced to flee...
Ah, well...
Goooooooaaal...
Luckily there are also many episodes that develop the characters.
The dramatic and emotional moments work really well
and the ending of each arc is always intense,
inlcuding the actual ending of the series,
as it still results as one of the most emotional and well-developed moments I ever watched in series like this!
And talking about special episodes, I'd like to talk for a moment about episode 21,
which tells about Taichi who, split from the group,
somehow finds a way back in the real world where he meets his sister Hikari.
We can notice right away how this episode is particular
because of a production of infinitely higher technical quality.
The relationship between Hikari and Taichi is told with a micture of few words and silent moments
flirting with an almost visual narrative.
The entire episode manages to have a surreal, but somehow familiar atmosphere,
almost as if Taichi's experience in the real world is more of a dream,
a mere interruption from the dangerous reality of the digital world.
The dynamic animation, the dull colours and the harsh contrast between light and shadow,
make the vision even more meaningful.
It's one of the most emotional episodes of the series and, I won't lie...
its ending made me tear up...
All of this is owed to the fact that episode 21
has been directed by Mamoru Hosoda.
If you never heard about him, he's one of the most talented directors of Japan,
having directed animated masterpieces of the caliber of Wolf Children,
The Boy and the Beast and Summer Wars.
The latter in particular has been inspired from his work on the Digimon movie "Our War Game".
Inspired on its own by the 1983 movie "Wargames",
the movie is set after the events of the series
and sees Taichi and other of the Chosen Children involved in a battle through internet
against a new virus type Digimon about to cause a nuclear disaster.
Useless to say that even in this case animation and direction are of fantastic quality
and despite its short lenght, the movie has everything:
epic fights, humour, emotional moments and big surprises.
Our War Game was also localized in Italy, buuut...
Unluckily we ended up with the American version...
In a few words, what the American distribution did was taking the first short aired before the series,
Our War Game and another Digimon movie
that wasn't even canonical for the official series
and mixing them all under a single plot.
You can easily imagine what a mess it all was!
and, don't take me wrong, the italian dubbing treatment was absolutely fantastic!
I worked on it too!
The main problem is with the localization work done in America.
Not only the three movies don't really mix well together,
but they also erased the original soundtrack,
which in the most important moment of Our War Game is crucial for the kind of emotion the director wanted to give to the scene!
And talking about "rubbing salt onto the wounds", well...
Aahh...The Digimon movie!
-I still didn't see it! -Well, get ready for a nostalgia trip!
Let's start!
The distributors added a short inspired from a...veeeeery particular series called "Angela Anaconda",
which in this case introduced to the movie...
Those are the things that turn us into mad psychopaths, not the biblical references!
So if you have the chance, watch the original version of Our War Game, it's worth it!
To wrap up this analysis on Digimon Adventure...
It's ture, it had a very low animation budget,
severe problems of pace and episode slowness...
But despite those flaws you could still feel the heart the authors put into this series!
Let's say it, the authors could've just limited themselves to put out a mere commercial series,
being based around a toy.
It could have been one of those totally harmless series
that don't really leave a lasting mark on the kids that follow it.
What they gave us instead is something special.
Digimon Adventure is a series full of heart, emotion,
that puts really pure values at its own center,
without being afraid to result too romantic.
The value of friendship, for example, is always quite mocked in animated products
because always treated in a very idealized manner,
since there's this quite cynical idea that real friendship can't exist in real life.
but in my opinion...Maybe many think that way because no one genuinely believes in this value.
Of course, it's also true that a real friendship has to be supported by a certain maturity
as well as the will to better ourselves and grow as persons.
And this is where the developement of the chatacters in Digimon Adventure comes in;
it isn't a mere consequence of plot progression,
but a true personal growth the kids could relate with.
We weren't watching some empty shell in which,
according to some businessman in a suit we would've projected ourselves,
but complete characters. Kids who, like many of us,
suffered under their own limits and insecurities,
which were caused by various family issues.
Maybe it is for their imperfections that we felt, and we still feel, so close to them.
Their emotions and their relationships appeared as genuine to us.
They were a group of friends who loved each other, had fun, helped each other and,
yes, also argued violently at times.
But in the right moments they always were looking out for each other,
Digimon and humans, bonded by a common goal but also by a honest friendship
that grew more and more through the series.
And let me say this...
I really appreciated how the series managed the theme of the relationship between older and younger siblings.
With the insecurities, feelings of guilt, responsibilities,
but also the moments of happyness, comprehension and affection.
Being the oldest brother of three fantastic persons, I couldn't help but feel deeply touched...
Not only Digimon Adventure contained everything a real adventure could have:
like a totally unknown world,
friendly and strong creatures protecting us,
ruthless villains and fantastic music,
but it also managed to show us the darker moments of this adventure,
and the conflicts of the characters without breaking that feeling of hope
which seems to be the most powerful theme in the entire series.
Of course, nowadays it can't hold a candle to better animated
and narrated products,
But I learned something in the last years...
If something is truly special, being a series, a movie, a game or anything else,
it doesn't matter its age.
the echo of the passion and the brilliance used to make them
will always resonate through time for the right people.
It just takes a mind open enough to jump into something coming from a time different from ours,
and Digimon Adventure manages to be a special series, despite the limits it was conceived in.
There are very few productions that can achieve this feat!
At the moment Digimon is going through newfound popularity
through new movies that resume the events of Digimon Adventure 15 years later.
They seem really well made, at least from what I saw
and maybe when we'll have the complete set, I'll tell you about them!
As you may have realized, it's a series that touched my heart
and I hope I've been able to intrigue you and made you know this weird digital world
that struck an entire generation of children!
Thanks for everything Al!
No problem, now I can finally go back to work on the scrip-
Bow before the powerful Sorandomon!
This world now belongs to me!!
This explains everything!
Our worlds are connected because of him,
he must've used all this time to gather enough energy to take form!
Now you tell me ?!
Ok Lamemon! it's time to show him what you are made of!
Alright!
Shameless Escape!
Lamemon, what the fuck ?!
I can't do it, I'm too scared, I'm so Lamemon!!
Lamemon! I know you can do it!
yeah, right!
You gotta believe in yourself!
Don't you see how pathetic he is ?!
And if you can't believe in yourself...
Believe in the you who believes in you!
Wait, what ?
It can't rain forever!
Wha-
Do or not do...
There is no try!
Are you just quoting things at random ?!
The owls are not what they seem!
Oh come on, this one doesn't even make sense!!
And remember!
Bangerang!!
Lamemon Digievoooolve...
Kickassmon!
Awesomesauce Beeeeam!!
Whaaaaarrrgh what a predictable and bland endiiiing!!!
Kickassmon ?!
Come on, we got this far, you can't leave without a goodbye speech...
I'll never forget you...Al...
Ah, there it is...
Thanks for teaching me to believe in myself!
And for entertaining me so much!
We'll see each other again one day!
Now go! Go and continue your script!
Well...
See you in the next world...
The world of Xenoblade Chronicles X!
Lift your arm a bit!
Ok, I see you now and a bit of your hair...
So...I suggest you to operate...Yeah...
I'm thinking...
it's beautiful...
Please, tell me you aren-you-
Pler-rbrbehbrhrbe
-Aaahh...The Digimon Movie -I still didn't see it!
-Aaahh...The Digimon Movie -I still didn't see it!
Then get ready for a nostalgia trip!!
I still didn't see it!
Then get ready for a nostalgia trip!
Let's start!
Kick-Kick him!
Tondo is fired!!
What I do is take things I like and introduce them as different worlds-
Awesome, awesome! Please, do a...
Ffuck it!!
Well...
That was weird...
Let's get back to wo-Lamemon ?!
FUCK!!
I knew it...
FUUUCK!
Fuck!
Shall I show my best side ?
Let's get back to wo-Lamemon ?!
Head...
FUUUUCK!
You can see the lil pyramid!
Hi cousin!
I'M NAKEEED!!!
And it had surprisingly mature themes for being a series...
So aimed at...Fuckin'...
3...2...1...Action!
Are you doing everything you can to make me laugh ?!
What's happened ?
He put on the 3D glasses!
I wish you could see him...
He looks like Krang's huge robot body from...
The Ninja turtles!
No, YOU go in front of the camera now!!
Krang! It's Krang!
It's Krang's robot!
I personally think that...There is no...
Fucking reason for me to remember all of the lines!
But I'm going off-topic!
Let's go back to the series and spsph
Given his initial form hishehhshghhddbjbke
*smooch*
Let's fix that!
HOMOSEXUALS!
...I forgot...
I'm eating hair!
So we just finished Lamemon's takes...
-Oh yes yes! -All of his part!
-Now I can just go out of character! -I'd say so!
Great, fantastic!
It has been a fantastic experience, thanks a lot for inviting me Virtu Al!
No, I thank you, it has been a honour working with a great actor like you! Such a great actor!
His recitation, I have to say...
yeah, I have to say that the role, despite my old age and my experience has been very difficult!
Acting out this role...
It has been a real challenge, but...
It has been...Sorry, I can't even muster the words!
-I understand the emotion! -I still gotta get out of the character!
He's a very funny guy!!
Hello guys and girls, Virtu Al here!
If you liked this episode, feel free to comment, share
or to keep watching on my channel
other episodes of Virtu Al Show!
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