Digimon superfan Jean-Karlo gushes almost the newest Digimon series, Ghost Game and how it revitalizes the franchise with its unique designs and spooky vibes.
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Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead.
Jean-Karlo Hey Nicky, so like, I know we're talking about
Digimon today merely I really don't like the Saban theme from way back, so I'd appreciate information technology if we didn't really bring it upwards—
GOD DAMMIT
Nicky Hey, even if I have no proper nostalgia for
Digimon Take a chance I tin't deny the entreatment of a catchy (but likewise kinda lame) child show theme song. However, you know what's not lame?
Digimon Ghost Game !! Today, we'll be teaming upwardly with the latest horror-tinged iteration of those adorable digital m
onsters.
Me, I'm a longtime fan of
Digimon. I mainlined the start 4 seasons growing up; those original vii kids that went to camp for the summer feel like longtime friends of mine, the sight of that erstwhile ruined street car by the lake tugs at my heartstrings, and I long to make a pilgrimage to the
Fuji Boob tube station where Wizardmon fabricated his last stand. I even liked Frontier, and then sue me. And—bear with me, I promise there's a point to this digression—information technology all starts with virtual pets! Back in the 90s, when Bandai'due south Tamagochi toys were all the rage, Bandai decided to make a line more than-apparently aimed at boys. So they ditched the cutesy abstract designs, reskinned the feeding and playing minigames to make them "tougher" (candy was replaced with "poly peptide", playing was replaced with "grooming"), made the pets look more than similar tokusatsu heroes or kaiju, added a data-sharing mechanic that immune for battling, and created the Digital Monster line of virtual pets which went on to inspire the anime. I had i as a child, before I even watched the anime, but information technology'due south long since been lost to time. Bandai has continued making new Digital Monster pets since the 90s, merely very few have come to the US over the by 20 years. This past summer, I had a nostalgia-bomb and bought the United states of america releases of 20th Anniversary edition of the original Digital Monster pet, pictured here, as well as the subsequent Digital Monster X update. And it was fun! Information technology definitely helps contextualize the original bear witness, its obsession with the Dig
imon being properly fed or pooping creating Digi-sludge, or the choices in
Digimon that appeared.
Bandai went on to unveil a new Digital Monster pet over the summer, the "Vital Bracelet". A pedometer toy aimed at kids, this allowed kids to raise Dig
imon with concrete activity. You tin can install new Dig
imon to the device with "DIM cards" (like SIM cards, but Dig
imon instead). It'due south fun, and Bandai has expanded the Vital Bracelet line to the
Ultraman brand. Only yous can't keep a good
franchise downwardly, then Bandai decided to brand a new anime to tie into the new toys. Hence
Ghost Game! See, I told you lot my bloviation would pay off.
Ah, I encounter! I was wondering how the watches played into the real-globe merchandising aspect, as a total
Digimon novice. I never got into the original series. My parents were very strict nigh non letting me enjoy certain things aimed at boys, growing up. I sneaked whatever I could anyways simply I couldn't fit in
Digimon and I kinda feel similar I missed the boat always since. Then, when I was interested in stuff like
Tri or the new version of
Adventure those ended upwardly kinda dropping the brawl. So don't sue me for being a petty skeptical nearly a new
Digimon. However, since
Digimon Ghost Game is not connected to the
Adventure continuity in any way, it made it pretty piece of cake to swoop-in as a newcomer.
Which is equally dandy whether you're an developed who never watched
Digimon or also if you lot're the intended audition, that is, children.
Information technology's a not bad "All-ages" spooky times that'southward just skilled enough to brand my definitely-not-a-kid-anymore peel crawl. I was thoroughly impressed by the tone of the outset episode, it lands the direction and audio but enough to be scary while never being explicitly gruesome even with otherwise pocket-size animation. It'due south very much "What if Dig
imon acted more than similar yokai?" Information technology actually reminds me a lot of the latest
GeGeGe no Kitarō series, which I watched some of only information technology as well went pretty hardcore in a way that was also fun and fashionable.
It also fits nicely into a (no pun intended) "Monster-of-the-week" format that feels native to a kids show and allows us to explore all the cool Dig
imon properly as they wreak havoc upon the existent world. It also plays a lot with rumors, social media, and smart devices as added season, something I dearest amongst more recent horror-outings when it'southward done well. Regular readers and people who know me should know that I have a soft-spot for horror and chilling stuff and kid'due south horror is no exception, in-fact a lot of kids shows are slightly scary because fear is i of the few emotions children empathize easily and can have fun with in the safe context of a cartoon.
I'1000 actually shocked that he doesn't have goggles, either. Like, dye Adol from
Ys into a guy with greenish hair and make his new romantic interest a blonde, why don't you. Give Professor Xavier a mullet. Requite Kirby a Tom Sellick porn-stache. The goggles are a large function of
Digimon iconography (Takato from
Tamers went through the effort of getting himself some once he met Guilmon, and the
Digimon testify was canonically fiction in his world!). Not using goggles was a epic move—and past God, they pulled it off. Who needs goggles when yous have a lockpicking kit?
Also, Gammamon could have been very annoying—people hate kids or people with kid-like brains. Gammamon is all id, no mutual sense, and has his ain weird style of speaking, like calling
Salmon "shiny" or referring to chocolate as "the champion". Simply he'southward nevertheless very beautiful. The big draw for
Digimon has always been the idea that out there in the earth, you lot have a best friend waiting for you who just happens to exist a talking dinosaur that can turn into a bigger talking dinosaur and they want nothing more than to eat junk nutrient and play video games with yous. (You're on you're own if you get the snarky seal-guy with the marching fishes.) The two autumn in step with each other very rapidly and Hiro is shown to be very diligent in raising Gammamon right from the discussion "go".
Can testify, that's the Digimon-raising feel. Those babies poop a lot in the 20th Anniversary device.
I would like to congratulate Pumpkinmon on finally escaping Myotismon's dark DigiDungeon. I tin can but hope Gotsumon likewise institute his way out.
Simply yes, this is a thing I like. I may dear Kamen Rider and the sight of villains getting blown upwards every week, merely there's something to be said nearly a kid'south show where the trouble can be resolved diplomatically and with no sick will towards either side. Sometimes, people just don't know that what they're doing is wrong. People are nice, if you lot give them a adventure. And I appreciate that, at the finish of the mean solar day, a lot of Digimon just want to be friends with humans. AND So THERE'S THIS ASSHOLE.
Pretty sure the only one I would label as actively-malicious so far! Just the singlemindedness even so applies. Dracumon is simply harming people for funsies. and besides so he tin materialize in the existent world but nosotros'll get into that.
His blueprint is such that I'g disappointed nosotros never see him Digivolve. In the tradition of rabbit-like Digimon like Terriermon having badass forms like Gargomon or Rapidmon, I'd love to see the kind of matter Angoramon turns into.
Oh yeah, is should mention that both the OP and ED are very catchy, and the music for the show does information technology's job well with diverse synths for both the spooky parts or the more action-y parts.
Jellymon-sama is definitely the almost fae-similar of the principal Dig
imon, lol. Including the high sense of superiority. Too bad Jellymon-sama's partner, Kiyoshirō Higashimitarai ,is a niggling scaredy baby, an overachiever, and likewise a major chuuni, who is magically not annoying at all thanks to a surprising advent past veteran
Akira Ishida. I did not look to hear him in this later the final major part I heard him in was the last freakin'
Eva pic!
That'south all to say that I love him and think he is precious.
To wit: Kiyoshiro is in middle school but he graduated with a Master's degree in America. He came back to Japan because he's an incurable weeb who wanted to feel Japanese school life similar in his Japanese anime. Jellymon-sama is sure to call him out on that.
Pitiful, Kiyoshiro. Jellymon'southward got the Louis Vuitton CBT boots on, also late to back out now.
Kiyoshiro is likewise painfully superstitious, like Benny from The Mummy. He goes so far as to hack 1,000 devices in his city to gear up up a network of talismans in an attempt at preventing Jellymon from "haunting" him. The kid turned the blockchain into a digital sealing ward, and it didn't work.
He'due south somehow both hypercompetent, and absurd, and also pretty pathetic with how paranoid he his. He also keeps talking about his sealed bandage hand.
She also earns a degree of respect for Kiyoshiro when she sees that, coward that he is, he'south still willing to take responsibility and stand by his friends. She even goes equally far every bit to do the Lum Invader-thing of calling him "Darling" (hey, she can control electricity already, why non?)
Anyways, that's all to say I call up the cast isn't very complex as characters but they have strong enough unproblematic personalities to the point where they aren't abrasive or whiny like a lot of child shows are and they never dull downwardly the episode. Helps that the beats and jokes are presented in a pretty snappy way so they don't overstay their welcome. Even some of the more repeat-phrases don't intermission the tone to feel like a real "turn to the camera" moment.
In that location's a line between characters having personalities and characters just having a shtick, and Digimon Ghost Game stands quite firmly in the former and non the latter. It's the difference between a kids' show and a good kids' show, and for the near part Digimon has been peachy on that front as a franchise. Ghost Game isn't quite Tamers, but information technology's up at that place in terms of execution. Way better than 02, at least.
I mean, at least the author for
Digimon Ghost Game hasn't been caught posting conspiracy theories on twitter afaik. So there's that. (sad)
Though does the episode where crows turn out to actually be drones count?
An unabridged generation of mecha-fans recoils at the words "Mind to my vocal" every bit echoes of "Fire Bomber" bubble to the surface of their memory...
Also, the aerial battle in the most recent episode was probs i of the more extended fight scenes, it'south cool how the attack names just randomly appear in the kid's caput. Idk if that existed in previous
Digimon serial but I think it's a dandy way of making that trope more diegetic.
That'south new to this show; for the virtually role, the older shows had the Digimon fighting on their own while the children offered moral back up and fueled them with the ability of friendship (not kidding, that'southward how it worked). There was never a need for the Digidestined to telephone call out their partners' attacks before. Because how the Vital Bracelets IRL depend on the user's physical activity for the Digimon to exist able to fight or Digivolve, it'southward a dandy manner to demonstrate how in that location'due south more of a need for the kids to take office and contribute to the fights, fifty-fifty if it's just their heartbeat or whatever.
Anyways, I don't consider
Ghost Game to be a radical take on the
franchise or the genre but information technology's solid at what information technology is and it seems to concord a lot of respect for the audience watching information technology regardless of what age you are enough for me to relish it without encountering some of the plentiful child bear witness hang-ups. Which is pretty ideal, honestly.
In fact, I could probably name at least iii other shows I'm watching that wasted my time more than Ghost Game does.
I'm a long-time
Digimon fan and I can honestly say that, ignoring my nostalgia,
Ghost Game is a competent testify that does everything information technology has to in gild to earn that distinction. Nicky'southward right; the show respects the intelligence of the audience, the characters are distinguished and consistent, the mysteries are engaging and genuinely gripping, and in that location are skillful lessons to be had. Fifty-fifty with this prove revolving effectually selling a toy pedometer to kids (that doesn't even rails your movement all that great—the Vital Bracelet is a chip inaccurate), this is a really fun testify.
Taking my nostalgia into account? Even then, Ghost Game stands on its ain. The references aren't fifty-fifty aimed at the older shows in item, although seeing older Digimon pop up every and so often is fun. The show is not like the older ones in terms of format, and that's fine—it works very well. Maybe this show will crap the bed and tack on some laborious world-saving plot that'll crumble its delicate foundations, like in 02. Or peradventure it'll weave in an interesting angle as to why Digimon are bleeding into the real earth and we'll become some kind of tragic twist of a last villain that casts the actions of the main cast in a different light, similar with Apocalymon in Adventure.
I hateful, hell, they withal exercise the thing where the Digital Earth has random splotches of color in the heaven and foliage. I tin't help but love that.
Oh yeah, we didn't mention but they do occasionally swap between the existent and digital world, it'south just doesn't make a big bargain about it.
I'thousand kinda glad I haven't seen
Tri or
Kizuna. Equally much as I love the original Digidestined, I think
Ghost Game is much ameliorate as a continuation of
Digimon Adventure . Sure, there's no world-saving plot and the kids take much simpler lives than Joe-"Yous don't sympathize, this seal is ruining my life and he won't stop owning me, someone please help me"-Kido, but information technology's a show about kids having adventures with their best friends. Sometimes, the adventures are dangerous, sometimes they're less then. Sometimes they make new friends, sometimes they notice a new enemy leering at them from the shadows. But they're always with their all-time friends, through thick and thin, and I could never ask for more than from
Digimon. It's why we're here.
So please. Bandai.
Release the Pendulum Z and the X-3 Digital Monster pets in the US, I am dying here, help a guy out. 
Well equally for myself, I might keep up with this show on a casual level. Simply for now. I gotta take this page of wisdom from the large flim-flam Dig
imon. Even adults need to take naps! ZZZZZZZZ
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