SpectralTime
Since: Apr, 2009
04/22/2023 00:00:00
This is one of those shows I loved so much as a kid that I’m legitimately afraid to go back as an adult and see firsthand how it may or may not hold up at all… Not least because I’m well aware that, having watched it in the original serialized format, I could very well have accidentally cut many irrelevant filler episodes that directly contributed to my overall enjoyment!
Goodvibrations
Since: May, 2021
04/22/2023 00:00:00
If it reassures you, the fillers are mainly in the first half of the series, and they\'re not too bad or too many. The second half is much more streamlined though.
I really don't want to brag or anything, but...Leave a Comment:
Thankfully not tame!
Oh boy, here we go! The big one, the one everyone seems to love! If you're a Digimon fan, or even if you're merely interested in 2000s anime, you have probably heard many times how good this series is, so good it even surpasses the largely more iconic Adventure. So when I sat down to watch it, I hoped that something didn't trigger my usual contrarian tendencies, and that I would simply be able to enjoy it...
...and honestly? Yeah, pretty good show. The only contrarian thing I'll say about it is that I don't think it's better than the first series, but it's apples and oranges, so I guess it comes down to taste.
(I will use the Japanese names since that's the language in which I watched it)
So, the plot starts simple: we got our three Tamers, Takato (mostly chill), Li (chill) and Ruki (aggressively chill), with their three Digimons, Guilmon (dinosaur), Terriermon (technically a dog) and Renamon (forever famous on Deviantart). All of the main six have a well defined and ultimately well rounded personality, plus some good emotional depth. I particularly appreciated Ruki of the three, for her fairly classic but well played character development. The supporting cast is pretty strong too, the adults especially (and surprisingly) so. The one character people probably remember the most is Juri, for the unexpected themes she brings to the series, but I was more surprised of seeing Leomon being back... again! Without spoiling too much, the poor lion-man always has to get on some crazy adventure with some kids! He just can't catch a break!
Of course, it's not a Digimon series without some spicy drama revolving around children having mediocre-to-awful childhoods, and I can say with confidence that this series delivers quite well. Apparently, some viewers at the time thought it was a bit much for a show aimed at children, but I don't know how true this rumor is (after all, it's not like Adventure or 02 held their punches in regards to themes, it's just that this series is remarkably darker in tone than those two).
Of course, since it's Digimon, you get some pretty creative stuff on the monster design angle (is it me, or was it more robotic than in the previous two?) and some insane and super charming stuff for world design and building (especially the part where they exceeded with the ice). If I had to find something that didn't convince me, it would certainly be the final villain, who I thought was a tad unoriginal and lacking in characterization compared to the the ones it was supposed to follow (though it was intentional, so how much it's going to bother you will depend on your personal tastes on this type of antagonist).
So, if I had to make a personal ranking of the first three series, I would say this series is really good, but inferior to Adventure. I liked 02 (I'm one of those three people), but Tamers beats it on many levels, mainly in pacing the arcs. Overall, a pretty good show! -9/10, go check it out if you haven't!