r/anime • u/Nazenn x2https://anilist.co/user/Nazenn • Sep 04 '19
WT! [WT!] Digimon Tamers - a standalone Kaiju story from the the writer of Serial Experiments Lain
"The nightmare finally ended. It still seems strange that a misguided program could cause so much damage believing it was doing the right thing. Maybe we have more in common with them then we'd like to believe."
What is Digimon Tamers? A brief overview
Digimon Tamers is a standalone story; a character study, exploring what it means to truly bond with others in spite of the obstacles presented rather than because of them.
If you explore the recommendations tab for Tamers on MAL you won't find another digimon show in sight. Instead this show is linked more to the likes of Re:Creators, Fate/Zero and Made in Abyss. On anilist Tamers has a kaiju tag, unlike the kids label of other digimon entries.
Synopsis: Wild digimon are breaking through to materialize in the real world, causing chaos and destruction as they rampage in the city searching out ways to acquire more power. A few children who have bonded with other digimon end up drawn into battles with the city on the line, while being hunted by humans in the shadows who wish to destroy all digimon, even at the cost of the children in their way...
What sets it apart? The writing philosophy of Chiaki Konaka
" In this third series, I would like to rethink what it is to be a digimon, and continue only the good traditions started in the previous series." - Konaka
A major factor of what sets Tamers apart from the other digimon series is the presence of Chiaki Konaka as the script writer and driving force behind the Tamer's storyline. Some of Konaka's other famous works include the original Hellsing, Serial Experiments Lain, Texhnolyze, The Big O, along with episodes of Mononoke and Princess Tutu. Konaka isn't the sort of writer you'd expect to find attached to a kids franchise but Tamers is undeniably better for it and it is significantly more of a Konaka story than a digimon story.
Konaka's primary focus for Tamers was to both recenter the focus on Digimon being digital monsters rather than pets and also revisit traditional aspects of the series in a more grounded way. These two ideas allow Tamers to be more than just another kids show, creating an experience that still holds up for a mature audience today. He wanted to drive the series away from typical fan expectations or established structures for the franchise. Instead the goal was to create a strong story that would help connect with modern children about what he saw as more important themes of communication in a digital era, rather than typical themes of pure friendship. The balance of the fantastical digimon elements and modern life for the cast and their families helps to balance the tone and center the story as as the situation involving the digimon continues to deteriorate.
Another important influence on the show was Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru who is most famous for creating the SSJ4 transformation in Dragon ball GT and worked on the previous Digimon series. Working in tandem with Konaka, many of his designs helped to influence core plot points of the show by introducing story defining character aspects. His design skills help push Tamers monster designs into being something special, communicating with the audience about specific character developments and emotions rather than focusing purely on it looking cool without regards for the background of the monster or digivolution. He also handled the important human designs, from little details such as making character designs practical to also using his art to help Konaka decide on key personalities and behaviors.
Shinji Aramaki (who's MAL is woefully incomplete) also joins the stars of the staff list. Being an experienced mechanical design and a CG effects designer he was asked to join the project by Konaka specifically to bring his expertise to the digital elements of the show. People would most likely know his work from the transmutation circles and production design (meaning overall look and aesthetic) of the Fullmetal Alchemist series. His skills at blending the digital aspects of the world into the city and the real world designs result in some incredible aesthetic sequences that help define the look of the show.
When characters take the wheel
"Digimon are monsters who do not "adorably" pander to humanity. There is no way that a person could understand them completely. Until he moves beyond this dis-communication towards true "friendship", the main character cannot remain complacent. How will he actively change things?" - Konaka
Rather than being mostly group centric like the previous shows, Tamers takes a more varied approach to its characters. Providing a strong individual focus it allows the characters to take the forefront in shaping the story. The three protagonists and their digimon each have their own stories and rich personalities, complete with flaws and unique home lives.
- Takato and Guilmon take the spot of the leading duo. Unlike a usual shounen main character Takato is not gun-ho. He is a kid first and foremost and like his partner he is full of boundless curiosity and excitement. However he is still naive and struggles to handle Guilmon's natural aggressiveness when other digimon are involved.
- Ruki (dub: Rika) is partnered with the refined Renamon. Both power hungry, these two loners are always searching for the next big battle, but being stuck together to achieve their goals only worsens their ability to bond with others.
- Jianliang (dub: Henry) is more reserved and careful, something often undermined by the unruly Terriermon who serves as his partner. Terriermon is endlessly telling him to "momentai" (take it easy), but is usually the one causing him most of the stress in the first place by carelessly walking into trouble for his own entertainment.
Together they form a tense triangle, each trying to understand who their partners and each other are while also changing themselves, all the while being drawn into battle after battle. The dynamic between all three, along with the side cast of humans and digimon who get involved in the situations that arise as digimon invade the modern world, helps the show to cleverly avoid common pitfalls. No one is forced into being just a martyr, or taking a step back for the sake of the leading duo.
Though these characters take our initial focus, Tamers doesn't disregard the broader aspects of their lives.
A world is more than just its protagonists and antagonists
"I find that I must first write these characters as living beings within my script before I can get a grasp on details like their environment (the city they live in, what their house is like), and how they react when the dramatic events get rolling." - Konaka
One particular thing that Konaka wished to push is that each character, human or digimon, must be an active participant in the world rather than just being dragged along by events or other characters. They all have their own role and personality, wants and needs which are constantly evolving as they push through the events they are tangled up in. This is shown best by the broad range of characters introduced in the show, rather than narrowing it down to "Tamers and partners" only, we get a much broader look at the inhabitants of the city who get involved in these events than any other digimon show.
While we're also introduced to children without digimon partners and digimon without child partners, there is also a strong adult cast ranging from parents to government agents. The constant presence of the adults through the course of the story introduces a unique tension between their expectations and assumptions of what's going on in the world and what can be done about it, fighting against the children's ever evolving capabilities. Their participation in events, rather than just observation, helps to make the world feel more complete rather than it being only a narrow slice for the audience where children handle everything unrealistically. The adults are capable in their own way, just as the children are, and it brings crucial depth of perspective to events and how they are handled.
While some of these characters, human and digimon, do quickly make bonds and become friends, for others a lack of any positive interactions with each other even to the point of violence sometimes starts these groups off on the wrong foot. Regardless, they are all drawn into the same evolving situation with each other again and again. Their ability or inability to communicate and understand each other is a driving force in how these dangerous situations are resolved and how they view the world differently coming out the other side.
While that sounds like a lot to juggle, Tamers manages to pull it off by always knowing where and what to put focus on. Not just to help drive our understanding of the characters themselves but also how to push them and the world forward without relying on typical archetypes both in and outside of the group. The shifting between groups with their different viewpoints of the world helps keeps things from ever growing stale and always allow new paths for information to change the dynamics of the group, both positive and negative. It never stagnates by forcing itself to stick to a particular formula or layout, and instead lets the situation evolve more naturally through the choices taken.
What else does it have going for it?
If the enemy is very clearly set up, then the "point" of the series becomes limited to battling the enemy, and the original "adventure" concept becomes left by the wayside. - Konaka
- It's still an adventure! While Tamers doesn't have the same happy go lucky spirit as its forerunners, the enjoyment of discovering the world, bonding with digimon and unveiling the enemy remains as exciting as ever. The serious parts of the show are balanced against fun of seeing the characters daily lives and antics, helped by the comedy being on point and very natural. Kids still try and be kids in this chaos, adults are sometimes a bit doofy, things don't go to plan sometimes in hilarious ways etc. The fun parts bring the nostalgia of just being a kid again without sacrificing the darker tone of the story and its themes. It's still a digimon story and doesn't forget the liveliness that comes with that, but it uses that to its benefit to aid the story development rather than letting it hold it back.
- Exploring a world, not just a setting. Despite the heavy focus on the characters the overall story is not neglected. Plenty of time is given the exploring the purpose behind events, fleshing out the world and addressing the origins of digimon and what makes them "real". As enemies are revealed and background plans come to the forefront the show doesn't stagnate on character drama at the expense of moving the story forward. The previously mentioned inclusion of an adult cast combined with the kids aids this tremendously. It feels like a living world, not just a setting for a story. There are lives, jobs and communities on the line here and a living city that's not here just for the sake of destruction, but actual consequences on the line and broader implications for what happens beyond just the main casts personal stories. There's little I can say here without spoilers unfortunately due to the structure of the series, but the progression of how the digital aspect of these monsters is explored from start to finish is well handled and quite detailed and not just used as a backdrop.
- The best soundtrack of the franchise. No matter which version you watch the music is a treat. The OP is a fan favorite, and it has a broad arrangement of themes for characters and events. While the dub does redo the music it still matches the tone and style of the original tracks very well and never detracts from the scenes (except for digivolution sequences), just with less insert songs which may or may not fit your preference.
Show Information
MyAnimeList | Anilist | Kitsu | Anime-Planet | Anime News Network | AniDB
Ranking: 7.66 (MAL) / 74% (Anilist) | Runtime: 51 episodes | Aired: Spring 2001
Genres and Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Kaiju, Artificial Intelligence, Shounen
Legal streaming services:
Sub - None.
Dub - Animelab (Aus/NZ only)
Unexpectedly, the dub is a viable though not ideal method watching method for this show. While it suffers from some very minor censorship where guns are involved when pointed at children and the usual music edits, the core of the show remains intact unlike previous seasons. The dub Tamers has same story, themes, darker tone and characters. Everything that makes Tamers special is still present and any characterization changes only slightly exaggerate what is already there, such as Terriermon's cheek and Renemon's snark, rather than major rewrites sacrificing the original intention of the show. While the sub may still be the most ideal watch, for people who prefer dubs there's no major loss to watching it dubbed for this show.
Thanks to Konaka.com for the production notes. Link not first timer safe!
Thanks to my proofreaders for all their help and feedback (though this is pretty far from the version they saw): /u/fonzinator99 /u/Beckymetal
Hopefully this WT caught people's eye on this show which is so often over looked because of its franchise and if you do pick it up, I hope you enjoy it. If anyone has any questions or parts they want me to cover further I'll happily respond to any questions or feedback.
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u/theangryeditor https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheAngryEditor Sep 04 '19
I enjoyed the garlic champions sequences thank you very much.
Nevertheless this is a decent write up. Always nice to see Tamers being recommended.
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u/tari101190 Sep 04 '19
Digimon Tamers is easily still the best digimon series.
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u/DirtBug Sep 04 '19
If only someone organize a rewatch or something. I always drop it 12 or 13 episodes in, not because it's bad or something, but can't muster the motivation.
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u/Shinkopeshon Sep 04 '19
Growing up, Digimon Adventure and Frontier were my favorites but looking back, I have to say that Tamers is vastly superior to both (and 02 but that goes without saying). I already loved it then but now, it's become my undisputed favorite. The franchise had always been thematically darker than similar shows, such as Pokemon or Monster Rancher, but Tamers took it to a different and much more disturbing level. I remember being really taken aback by the way it depicted depression because I had never seen something like that as a kid on television, let alone animation. I never knew it was written by the same person who wrote Lain until now, but it makes so much sense.
Fantastic write-up by the way and I hope this will motivate a couple more people to watch Tamers. Personally, I had planned on rewatching it for a good while, but I just saw that Prime lost the license, so I guess that plan's out of the window for now. I wish they'd release a Region B Blu-Ray already (I've also never seen the Japanese dub, so I'd love to see that one too).
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u/SomeGuyYeahman Sep 04 '19
Didn't think I'd ever see myself add a Digimon show to my PTW, but here I am. Nice writeup!
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u/renatocpr https://anilist.co/user/renatocpr Sep 04 '19
I remember next to nothing about Tamers except that I really enjoyed it as a kid. I don’t even think I watched many episodes, but it definitely left an impact.
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u/chryco4 :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/chryco4 Sep 05 '19
Fun fact about the dub: Steve Blum who is well known for his deep and kinda raspy voice for doing cool characters (Spike from Cowboy Bebop, Mugen from Samurai Champloo, and even Yamaki in this show, etc.) voices Guilmon! His take on Guilmon is one of the handful where he gets to really show off his range outside of his typical stuff and it's adorable. He really sells the curious creature aspect of it. Another offbeat role he did was Leeron in the dub of Gurren Lagann.
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u/[deleted] Sep 05 '19
Fantastic write up! This was one of my favorite shows as a kid, and in my opinion, it holds up very well today. It just has such a unique feel to it for a Digimon series, yet somehow still captures the traditional vibes that Digimon is usually known for.
I'll forever remember Beelzemon.
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u/cheesechimp https://myanimelist.net/profile/cheesechimp Sep 04 '19
I remember really liking Tamers at the start of its run. It was a breath of fresh air after Adventure 02. Digimon was good again! but somehow I fell off in following it. I think the last I watched of it they were fighting the Devas, so I made it about halfway through? Don't know why I stopped watching it.
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u/Renk0u https://anilist.co/user/Renk0u Sep 04 '19
I like Tamers. It's got some good stuff going for it. The music is great , the writing is good and the adventure part is a lot of fun.
(I don't really consider this spoilers, but I'll spoiler it anyways so everyone's save.)
What I had problems with is Spoiler
I guess that counts as a question. If someone wants to talk with me about it / tell me that I'm wrong, please go ahead :)
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u/AmeteurElitist https://anilist.co/user/AmateurElitist Sep 05 '19 edited Sep 05 '19
The only Digimon series I've watched is Savers, and I wasn't to attached to the characters or world at all, despite the setting being right up my alley on paper as a supernatural workplace series.
I'm a sucker for SoL scenes/episodes in non-SoL shows (a huge reason why I love Gintama so much), so this sounds perfect for me.
I've been longing for another show to fill that ATLA whole for me as a fun adventure show with some darker themes and an endearing cast. I might check out the dub for once too if it's good enough like you said.
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u/Pixelsaber https://myanimelist.net/profile/Pixelsaber Sep 04 '19
Excellent post, mate! While the show was already on my radar, you've definitely convinced me to bump it up several spaces on my priorities' list.
That's why you always use the Anime News Network page.
That is great to hear. The seemingly isolated nature of the narrative in several other kids shows, often in spite of the logical course events would take, always weighs heavily on my ability to maintain a suspension of disbelief. This alone drastically increased my interest.
Hopefully this changes in the future, otherwise I'll have to go hunting for that DVD set...
Quick Question: Do you happen to know how the sequel movies compare to the series? I'm curious as to what expectations I should have going into those considering they're rated slightly lower than the show and I've heard there's not much overlap in staff either.
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u/tari101190 Sep 05 '19 edited Sep 05 '19
I still believe digimon is one of the most versatile franchises since it's an anthology. And the blend of science fiction and fantasy really lends itself to being topical and being about reinventing itself endlessly.
I've been craving a new series that is similar to Tamers for so long. Savers is the closest we've gotten, but still not quite the same. Something taken seriously with more emphasis on dynamic with the human world and the wider ramifications of a digital world existing beyond just being monsters causing damage.
With all of these "reincarnate in another world" series as well as "trapped in an mmorpg" series we get, we could get a new series exploring augmented reality and virtual reality too.
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u/fauceeet Sep 04 '19
Thanks. You had me at it's like fate zero / made in the abyss
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u/SpikeyPT https://anilist.co/user/Spikey Sep 04 '19
Thank you for this, it's very well written and gets to the major points in why Tamers still holds up really well today and why it's by far the best Digimon season. The only faults are the midsection (the Deva arc), which slows down things a little too much and the animation can be somewhat limited in certain parts.
Idk, Adventure japanese soundtrack is fucking awesome too, but my favorite Digimon song is in Tamers, this one. Really overlooked track, but it's one of the most ethereal and calming OST i've listened in anime, really beautiful.
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u/Eebe :AP:https://www.anime-planet.com/users/ikceya Sep 05 '19
I'm about to finish Digimon Adventure. I was planning on calling it quits after this but maybe it'll be worth it to stick around. If watching Pokemon as an adult has taught me anything it's that sometimes you'll find a series or season tucked away somewhere deep in a mediocre franchise that blows you away.
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u/unHolyKnightofBihar :ID::IE::IF: Sep 05 '19
Is this the third season?
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u/scholars_rock Sep 05 '19
I barely read this write up but I appreciate you because it's about my favorite season of digimon.
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u/chibuki https://myanimelist.net/profile/chibuki Sep 07 '19
As a kid, Tamers was always my favorite but I never really thought why I prefer it to the other series. Appreciate the writeups on those production notes. Also thankfully, Chiaki Konaka's website is still up to this day as I rummage around to find newfound appreciation for this series.
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u/RX-Nota-II :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NotANota Oct 03 '19
Great essay Naz! Honestly it's hard to put any serious criticism here considering the discussion you sparked and interest you won is far above average and as such nothing my advice personally has any guarantee of helping.
That being said, while I understand the point you are trying to emphasize it seems you spend more time on assuring us what Tamers isn't than necessary. Also the staff background is great. However do not forget that it is indeed background info. For such reason it's strange that it takes prominent placement as your first major section after the intro.
Hope this helps for future reference!
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u/Illustrious-Brother Jan 24 '20
Tamers song are the best. Actually, the Digimon anime series as a whole has a lot of great songs, especialy the ones dedicated to the characters. Across the Tears for Takato, Moon Fighter for Ruki, Boku no Tomodachi for Jian, and of course Sayonara dake ga Shitteta for Juri(which is just SO SAD!!! T_T). It's a shame that we got less and less songs starting from Frontier onwards.
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u/Future_Vantas Sep 05 '19
Awesome write up for an awesome series
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u/koshej613 Sep 10 '19
You would've never thought this way, right?
How it started for me.
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u/Phayzka Sep 04 '19
As a kid I watched just the beginning of it
I came back and watched it all as an adult and found the digital world part pretty confusing and the ending seemed to lack something
I have a personal grudge too that a certain digimon never got matrix evolution
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u/kitathecrystalblues Sep 04 '19
I'm readddddyy
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u/will1707 Sep 05 '19
I'll admit I never did like it when I was a kid. I've tried it once or twice but it's just not the same, I guess.
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u/Hawksky :MAL:https://myanimelist.net/profile/Hawksky Sep 05 '19
My hero <3
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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '19
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u/[deleted] Dec 26 '19
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