Epoch 143 -- Digimon Adventure: (2020) Episodes 1-10 Review
After getting caught up on the new Digimon Adventure: (2020) anime so far I've realized that while the animation and action sequences are definitely an improvement over the recycled stock footage the original anime had to offer, it's cutting corners with character development by operating under the expectation that viewers of the original anime already more or less know the characters because aside from liberties to make them more technologically savvy for the modern age, they're more or less the same characters from back then. This is a disservice to new and younger fans who might not have grown up with or even necessarily watched the original anime because the characters have been reduced down to their most prominent traits and stereotypes while sacrificing the genuine depth that made them so relatable in the first place.
In Digimon new evolutions have traditionally been earned through character development and being pushed through trials that force the human children and their digimon to learn important lessons about resolve, responsibility, and the strength of the bonds between them. It wasn't just about the digimon becoming stronger, it was an emotional moment of self reflection for each of the children as they overcame some personal conflict or discovered something crucial within themselves that made the whole thing possible. It wasn't just a visually cool power upgrade, it carried an emotional weight that I could resonate with.
This time seeing Greymon become Metal Greymon once again it just didn't have the same impact. Taichi and Greymon were unified in their desire not to lose against Metal Tyrannomon and it was an epic battle to be sure, but it felt somehow shallow. Maybe because there was no real lesson to be learned this time and nothing really changed. Sure, it was a long anticipated match-up between two of the digital world's machine dinosaur heavyweights, but the series can only be carried so far on spectacle and nostalgia alone. It's still very early in the series so hopefully we'll see a little more substance with the rest of the team's evolutions. I definitely expect more when the time comes to start revealing Ultimate/Mega evolutions.
In Digimon new evolutions have traditionally been earned through character development and being pushed through trials that force the human children and their digimon to learn important lessons about resolve, responsibility, and the strength of the bonds between them. It wasn't just about the digimon becoming stronger, it was an emotional moment of self reflection for each of the children as they overcame some personal conflict or discovered something crucial within themselves that made the whole thing possible. It wasn't just a visually cool power upgrade, it carried an emotional weight that I could resonate with.
This time seeing Greymon become Metal Greymon once again it just didn't have the same impact. Taichi and Greymon were unified in their desire not to lose against Metal Tyrannomon and it was an epic battle to be sure, but it felt somehow shallow. Maybe because there was no real lesson to be learned this time and nothing really changed. Sure, it was a long anticipated match-up between two of the digital world's machine dinosaur heavyweights, but the series can only be carried so far on spectacle and nostalgia alone. It's still very early in the series so hopefully we'll see a little more substance with the rest of the team's evolutions. I definitely expect more when the time comes to start revealing Ultimate/Mega evolutions.