DigiMon
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
DigiMon are the champions...
Originally a manga1, DigiMon was later turned into an Anime2. Soon after the explosion of Pokemon in North America, DigiMon was dubbed in english and began airing on the Fox Kids Network.3 This created the illusion that DigiMon was created as a cheap imitation of The WB's Pokemon.
The Plot: (Such as it is)
The show revolves around the adventures of a group of children, as is typical of anime for the young crowd. While bizarre weather ravages the world4, the children are sent to a summer camp, where it snows. Soon thereafter, they are sucked into the sky, and come to in a strange and colorful place. They learn that this is the Digital World from small monsters who have been waiting for them--their Digital Monsters, or 'DigiMon'. Subsequently, they learn that the strange weather is a result of the actions of certain evil DigiMon, and that they are the 'DigiDestined,' a group of children prophesied to save both the Digital and Real Worlds.
The Children:
There were originally seven DigiDestined transported to the Digital World. For each there was a DigiMon waiting. These basic DigiMon have the ability to 'Digivolve' whenever their respective child is endangered. Their 'state of rest' as it were, is one step up from their basic state--they can remain in this state indefinitely, but further Digivolution drains their energy and may cause them to revert to the basic state. Otherwise DigiMon return to their cute, marketable rest state when danger has ended.
Tai
Tai is the de facto leader of the group, despite being only the second oldest. He's also a bit stuck up. His interests include soccer. His character flaw is that he always has to be in charge, or the big shot, or the hero. He's not so much a bad leader, as he is overconfident. His DigiMon is Agumon, a small tyrannosaurus who breathes fire. In his basic form, Agumon is Koromon, a bouncy head with scraggly almost-ears and no real attacks. His Digivolved form is Greymon, a larger tyrannosaur who breathes more fire and has a bony horn/helmet growth on his head. When 'fully' Digivolved he becomes Metalgreymon, whose bony helmet becomes metal. He shoots missiles out of his chest, and he has what appear to be non-functional wings. However, Agumon also has the ability to 'Warp-Digivolve' into Wargreymon, who stands much more upright, is more like a human/dinosaur merger, and can focus great amounts of energy into a single point.
Matt
Matt is the oldest of the DigiDestined. He is occasionally criticized by the others for maintaining a tough, 'cool guy' persona, but he is really a sensitive guy, especially when dealing with his brother TK. Matt's DigiMon is Gabumon, a horned bipedal wolf who wears his fur like a coat. In his basic form, Gabumon is Tsunomon, a furry head with a much larger horn. Gabumon can digivolve to Garurumon, a large, quardupedal wolf with armor-like skin and an icy 'Howling Blaster' attack. Garurumon Digivolves to Weregarurumon, who is about 20 feet tall, and is basically a big werewolf. Gabumon can also warp-digivolve into Metalgarurumon, who is adorned with an assortment of missiles, rockets, and a much larger ice beam.
Mimi
Mimi is the semi-spoiled brat of the group. In addition to being a bid of an airhead, she constantly complains about the Digital World's affect on her hair, her clothes, and her appearance, and whines about the lack of fast food or malls. However, she's also a kind, caring person. Her DigiMon is Palmon, a walking plant with a flower on her head. Palmon also has stretching stalks for fingers, which allow her to use a 'Poinon Ivy'' attack. Palmon's basic form is Tanemon, a small radish that hops around. Palmon Digivolves into Togemon, a 30 foot tall cactus with red boxing gloves who sprays needles. Togemon digivolves further into Lillymon, who curiously is much smaller, only about 8 feet tall. Lillymon can fly, and shoots flower beams from a flower-shaped gun made up of her hands.
Sora
Sora is on Tai's soccer team, but doesn't understand his need to be a hero--she thinks he tries to be a team player, because when he screws up and a team member picks up the save, he claims that was his intent. Sora is the one who tries to be responsible because nobody else will. She is a tomboy, and has the greatest personal problems, as her mother tries to get her to follow in her footsteps, and take up costume and clothing making. Sora later comes to realise that her mother only wants what is best for her, which allows her DigiMon, Biyomon, to digivolve to her ultimate state: Garudamon, a walking humanoid firebird. Biyomon is a cute pink bird with a metal anklet, and a green 'spiral trister' attack. Her intermediate state is Birdramon, a phoenix. Biyomon's basic state is Yokomon, which for some reason is a flower of some sort.
TK
In addition to being Matt's brother, TK is the youngest of the Digidestined. He's a nice kid, but he's also afraid, and he covers this up with false bravery. TK's DigiMon is Patamon, which is best described as a flying, bubble-shooting hamster. Patamon Digivolves from Tokomon, a smaller, similar DigiMon, and Digivolves into Angemon, a huge angel, who is also a tad underdrassed for a kid's show. (You can see both sides of his buttocks, but not the bit between) Unlike the others, Patamon cannot further digivolve, but this is unimportant, as Angemon is stronger than the other intermediate DigiMon.
Joe
Joe is a pessimist, but he's also prequently right. He's smart enough to be a doctor, and his parents want him to be one, but he doesn't much care for the idea--he's a hypochondriac as it is. Joe's digimon is Gomamon, a purple tattooed seal who can call upon scores of colored fished to assist him. Gomamon Digivolves from Bukamon, which doesn't look like much of anything, except that he flies; He Digivolves into Ikkakumon, a walrus who shoots torpedoes from his horn. Ikkakumon then becomes Zudomon, a huge spiny turtle with a spiked lightning rod for a horn, and a larger hammer.
IZZY
The brainiac of the group, Izzy spends more time with computers that he does with people. This is because he overhead his parents talking baout how he was adopted, and he went into people withdrawal. In addition to his brains, he's a really nice, well-adjusted guy, assuming you can get him to stop spouting jargon and hang out with you. Izzy's Digimon is Tentomon, a beetle who is as well versed about the digital world as Izzy is about computers. Tentomon also, oddly, shoots lightning from his wings. His basic form is Motimon, who looks like Casper on cute pills, and sidles along the ground. Tentomon digivolves into Kabuterimon, a larger flying insect similar toa cockroach, and from there digivolves into Megakabuterimon, a larger beetle with a much more powerful electric attack.
Kari
Kari was not one of the original seven Digidestined. However, she shared an experience common to the other DigiDestined, seeing two DigiMon fighting in the real world. She is Tai's younger sister, is about the same age as TK, and does not join the others in the digital world until after the defeat of three major evil DigiMon. Her DigiMon is Gatomon, a white cat with tiger claw gloves. Gatomon was whipped into subservience by the evil Myotismon, and only discovered her own importance after being unable to kill(yess, kill, in a kid's cartoon) Kari when she had the chance. This was acheived with the help of Wizardmon, a lifelong friend Gatomon helped, before running in with Myotismon. Gatomon digivolves from Salamon, who looks like a small yellow puppy, and Digivolves into Angewomon, a female counterpart to Angemon, only slightly more suitably dressed. Like Angemon, Angemwomon cannot digivolve any further, but is very powerful, allowing all the other digimon to focus their attacks through her for a single super-attack.
DigiDestined Equipment
Each DigiDestined has three items of importance: Their Digivice, their Tag, and their Crest. The Digivice is a multi-purpose electronic instrument, combining a clock, a homing device/tracker, a meter which gauges the animosity of their DigiMon, and the catalyst that allows the DigiMon to Digivolve when it is sufficiently animous. The Tag and Crest go together. Each digidestined has a crest (of hope, courage, sincerity, etc.) which, when activated, allows their digimon to digivolve to its highest level. This does not include Agumon's and Gabumon's warp digivolve, which required Angemon and Angewomon to shoot them with arrows of hope and light. (Who writes this stuff?)
Nitty-gritty
If you've seen almost any other anime dubbed to english, you know what the typical quality is like--dialogue seems forced, doesn't match the lips of the characters, and is often spoken without pause to fit it in the allotted time for the shot. Also, it's dumbed down a bit, and they have a penchant for overstatement. Tip to Digimon writers: Less is more! The theme song is, as happens with shows of these types, the weakest link--ironically, they play it during each digivolving scene. The digivolving scenes are a way for animators to save on production costs--by having a single scene to play during any digivolution, they can produce 2-3 minutes less animation per 22 minute episode. This same tactic is used in Sailor Moon. Also, the incidental music often does not suit the mood of the scene--two Digimon could be locked in a life or death struggle, and the music could be bouncy and buoyant, with child-pop lyrics. Many scenes are best watched with the mute button, if for no other reason than to save face when watching near other people.
1Japanese comic book--if you've ever seen a comic where the characters have disproportionately large eyes, you've experienced Manga.2The TV version of Manga; however, the words are frequently used interchangeably.3Areas such as Canada where the Fox Network is not directly broadcast, receive the series through cable channels such as YTV. However, Canadian Cable services also carry the Fox Network.4In anime, 'The World' means Japan, and more usually Tokyo.
