Digimon Adventure Ep 1-10 Review

Recently I've decided to go back and watch a number of childhood anime shows that I caught both dubbed and censored when I was younger. I'm sure many of you will be familiar with 4Kids and their work on the Pokémon series back in the days of Fox Kids and Jetix. Some of you may even know where I'm going with this article already. 4Kids were largely known for both localising anime and, at times, simplifying them for younger audiences.

I was sort of surprised to find out that Digimon was one of the shows people considered, not butchered exactly but, lesser as a result. Nostalgia is a powerful tool so to see people in more recent years recommend the Japanese version over the English had me intrigued enough to check it out.

Ten episodes later and I can tell you that differences are like night and day.

I am someone who barely grew up with the 4Kids version but I consumed enough to form the opinion of it being something I simply missed the boat on. Few years later I tried to get back into it but I found that the story as a whole was disjointed and decided that the reason this show faded into obscurity was due to it not being as popular as Pokémon. I can now say with confidence that I believe that was only the case in the West. In Japan however this is still thriving and after viewing the Japanese original version it's not hard to see why.

For the first ten episodes I decided to watch and compare both the English and Japanese versions of the show to assess which version would be best for me. You could probably make a good guess at what my answered ending up being but the journey to that point was fascinating for me.

We'll break this down to the major differences before talking about the quality of the episodes themselves.

Visually there is no difference between the versions. Both use the same footage and near enough in the same order however the English version accounts for advert breaks meaning that even though episodes are of the same length, generally, fade outs occur in the middle of every episode along with reused footage and audio from only moments prior to catch the audience up. On top of this the English version starts each episode not only with a general recap of the previous episode if needed but with the same expository summary of the show's premise. These take up a good few minutes of the twenty minute runtime meaning that some scenes were occasionally shortened to compensate, or even at times removed.

I don't really have much of an issue as to why this happened. The English variant is aimed towards a younger demographic meaning that it has to keep a child's attention long enough to at least enjoy what's on screen even if they don't understand it. That's also not to say the English version doesn't make sense as there are fundamental world building scenes placed in the show but the nature of which is... jarring.

The 4Kids versions is clearly trying to take the serial route for the show meaning that each episode has to edited to be capable of viewing solo without the requirement of previous episodes. Here's where I reveal that the Japanese version doesn't work under such restrictions. The editing is fairly clean from beginning to end without any fade outs or recaps at the start of each episode unless they're absolutely needed. As a result some scenes playout for longer meaning that there's more room for dialogue or time for the shots to hold out for a little longer. I wouldn't say these were extremely noticeable but the end product does feel like there's more time spent on certain things that we'll get into than the English version.

The narrative also isn't serial meaning that, whilst different events do occur in each episode to allow for the English version to make the show episodic, the original Japanese version does focus more on pacing its overarching story including a number of story elements that are completely vacant from the 4Kids version. You may wonder how and why this is done so allow me to get into the largest difference and perhaps my biggest gripe with the 4Kids show now that I have consumed the original.

When I stated that the fundamental world building for the show was included in both versions however the 4Kids version rarely develops this further after certain things are introduced. One of my favourite examples is the Digital World itself. Within the very first episode of the 4Kids version our cast of characters are told that they're in a Digital World removed from their own and are given general information on what Digimon are and how they "Digivolve". We are also given a substantially amount of character information right off the bat such as the characters Matt and T.K. being brothers. The original Japanese version keeps the location of the children a mystery until several episodes in, and even then the exact nature of where they are and how they got there is left a mystery until much later on. Digivolving isn't explained because even the Digimon are at a loss with how it happens and the relationship of the characters of Matt and T.K. is kept a mystery as it's a sensitive topic that's answered under stressful conditions in a future episode, something else I'd like to discuss momentarily.

Long story short, the 4Kids version is doing its best to streamline the information so it doesn't have to linger on it primarily for two reasons; too much information to repeat for the recap at the start of each episode and the runtime of each episode is too short, when removing the recaps for both the beginning of the episodes and after the advert breaks, linger on these things.

Referring to the Matt and T.K. situation is a perfect way to describe how each version of the show handles its characters. As previously mentioned, the 4Kids version reveals from the get go that they're siblings however the Japanese version keeps their relation a secret until the third episode.

In the original version, over the course of those three episode Tai, the protagonist, pieces together that whilst they act like siblings they don't share the same surname. In the third episode the group settle down after cooking some fish and before T.K. takes a bite he turns to Matt and asks him to debone it for him to which Matt leaves T.K. to his own devices so he'll learn for himself. Tai buts in and tells T.K. to bite the head and chew around the bones. Matt becomes ticked off that Tai was helping T.K. and later on it's revealed that's because of the stress Matt feels to look after his younger brother as he doesn't want to lose him. This is because their parents in their world had a divorce making the time the two see each other rare as they both live with separate parents. He then explains that he got jealous of Tai as he believes that whenever Tai helped T.K. it made him look up to Tai as an older brother instead of Matt.

How is this all handled in the 4Kids version?

Tai makes an offhand remark that the two siblings don't share a last name in episode two. One episode later T.K. tells Matt he can't have a whole fish because his Mother only lets him have fish fingers to which Matt replies by saying it's fine. Tai buts in and tells T.K. he's one of the big kids now causing Matt to shout at Tai because he was annoyed. Later on when Tai tries to talk to Matt, Matt blurts out that he and T.K. are half-brothers and runs away for it never to be brought up again. That's not me abridging events, that is exactly how it happens. I believe this is done for the sole reason that it doesn't have to be brought up to minimise the development of these characters for the sake of the episodic format.

Another example of how this is done is with the mystery of the Digital World. The 4Kids version wastes no time in revealing to the cast that they're not in their world anymore as the Digimon are fairly upfront about that. The original version on the other hands spends some time allowing the characters to figure this out until its eventual reveal much later. Despite this the character character of Izzy has a strange theory that they're on an alien planet in the 4Kids version which contradicts what they already know. In the original version the characters spend sometime assuming that they're just in another part of the world only for them to gradually piece things together several episodes later. In fact, it's foreshadowed, something that rarely happens in the 4Kids version. The name for the kids location is File Island, as in computer file. Whilst it's the same in 4Kids the information is given adjacent to the world they're in rather than as a sneaky hint. Hell, the English theme song gives everything away, even if it is a catchy tune.

Along with this the Digimon describe Digivolving in the 4Kids version as if they're using the humans as batteries, creepy but okay. In the original version it's explained that Digivolving occurs through a Digimon's increase in data, as they are made of the stuff. This data comes from the a human's Digivice that links the two together essentially meaning that when a child is stressed or has a high amount of adrenaline that can be turned into data which fuels the Digimon. The two premises may sound similar but the 4Kids version doesn't really explain the necessity for the Digivices and just states that humans are the direct reason for Digivolving. Oh by the way, Digivolving is when a Digimon becomes stronger as a result of the increase in data.

When comparing these two styles together it's clear that the better option is the original Japanese version as it explores the concepts Digimon puts on the table in far greater detail which develop the world the show takes place in as well as its cast of characters.

In the eighth episode this is best proven when the children find a suspicious mansion to rest in momentarily which allows the kids a moment to reflect on their situation. In the 4Kids version there is some effort put in here to make the scene as emotional as it can be but the change in music and dialogue used makes it seem as if the kids are just taking a second to reaffirm that they miss their home. In the original version their moment of sadness rings out a bit more thanks to the smaller details surrounding their characters that we've learned along the way. The antagonist for the first arc also comes across as more threatening due to the care the viewer now has for their characters whereas the English version treats him as villain of the week. Someone that shows up and shakes things up but the attention is more on what's happening rather than him. The episodes that follow see the gang split up which is used as an excuse for some one off adventures with the crew however the Japanese version uses the time to also foreshadow the larger world beyond the island.

Characters act substantially more rational in the original version whereas the 4Kids version uses any downtime, quirky animation or pan away from the characters as an excuse to make a joke, something that occurs every few seconds in the English version. Hijinks ensue in the Japanese version but the tone is played in a more eerie and menacing way instead of the comedic nature of the English version.

In the second episode the crew are resting on a beach discussing their remaining rations which is met with over-the-top remarks about only having enough food for half an hour followed by Tai being scolded for feeding Agumon because they're tasty... and that's it. Not longer after dramatic music starts playing along with a monstrous scream only for Birdramon to point out that, despite all of the noise being made that should've informed the gang, something's on its way. In the Japanese version the scene plays at as such; the focus on the maths behind counting the rations is played straight because it's being treated as a serious concern. Realising that they only have enough food for a day is a worry ordeal for the group until the Digimon express that they can hunt for themselves, which is stated in the English version. Relief sets in and when Tai is confronted about feeding Agumon it comes across as if he's allowing him to taste test the food to see if he likes it rather than because it's a funny thing to do. When the Digimon approaches it happens in near silence with only Birdamon's heightened senses being able to pick it up making her altering the team make sense.

Referring back to the gang, they're all rather different to each other. Joe is a prime example of this as he's incredibly whiny in the English version, constantly complaining about anything and everything along with his endless list of allergies that are non-existent in the Japanese version. His counterpart, Jou is much calmer, if a little paranoid at times but he comes across as a realist. He initiates the ration count out of necessity in the original whereas the 4Kids version makes it apparent that he's doing it because he's terrified and doesn't want to starve.

Izzy is another who has gone through a fairly large change with his original version being level headed but knowledgeable, someone who can pick up on the smaller details around the crew. This leads to him being our main source for translating the terminology of the Digital World into something more casual for the others to understand. His English counterpart however isn't just a smarty-pants but someone who loves to use a thesaurus to elongate words and sentences for no other reason than; the bigger the word, the smarter you sound. Given what I've said about the world building between versions you can imagine that there's a pretty big juxtaposition when it comes to understanding the two. In the English version simple concepts are explained by Izzy in the most overdone way it actually threatens to confuse the viewer into thinking that they've missed something because it feels like more information is being given than what actually is. In the Japanese version the world building is treated as complicated due to the specialist nature of the world they're in in Izzy translate it all into something that's easily understood.

Mimi is treated as dumb and self centered in the original whereas in the Japanese version she's kind hearted and means well even if she doesn't quite understand what's happening.

Matt's a hothead who charges into things because that's his character in the 4Kids version whereas in the original he's determined to look after his little brother beyond anything else, often leading to conflicts between him and Tai instead of them just occurring spontaneously.

T.K. doesn't really accomplish much in either version character-wise. With that being said, he has clearly more interest in getting back to his parents whilst not understanding the situation he's in during the English version but in the Japanese his attention is largely on getting along with the gang and trying to get Matt to open up.

I haven't really talked about Sora yet and that's mainly thanks to how little she has to do during these first ten episodes. That's not to say she doesn't have a character but it is fairly downplayed during scenes when the entire group is together. When one person goes away she picks up the slack, whether that be mentally or in any other way that helps the team. I'd be confident in saying she's the most intact of the bunch but that's only thanks to how little she has to do in this first part.

Tai, our protagonist, is similarly hotheaded, like Matt, but the laziest of the group in the 4Kids version. He'll do tasks given to him but not before he'll make a sly comment or two whilst doing so. The typical cool kid. In the original version he's the confident team leader who's doing his best to keep the group together. Whilst he's not the smartest or the strongest of the gang, Tai does his best to co-ordinate the group when they approach a tricky milestone making him come across as far more caring overall.

Narrative-wise, events play out in a similar fashion. Everyone gets teleported to the Digital World, assess their situations before moving inland. They discover Earth like objects, such as the tram they sleep in for a night, before moving into a desert and finding a small village of Yokomon, Birdamon's previous evolution. They then cross into a mountain where they find a factory along with Andromon who has a black gear in him. After removing it he helps the group out of the factory where they eventually encounter Toy Town with Digimon in a similar state to Andromon when he had the black gear in him. After a scuffle when climbing up the mountain the group encounter Devimon, or rather his goons, forcing the group to hide in the mysterious mansion only to find out it was a trap leading everyone to be separated.

The English version accomplishes this by just having the events play out because that's what happens in the Japanese version except more reasons are given to their actions in the original. The mountain isn't just a place to go but a location they can use to scout out the rest of the island once they're there. The gang ponder the black gears and their uses more than in the 4Kids version. Characters are constantly being developed with everyone's relationships being furthered instead of becoming stagnant like in the English version.

All of these changes are legitimately done through different dialogue and music choices. The editing doesn't help the 4kids version either but that can explained to entertain the demographic they're going for, even though that doesn't qualify it as better, and one other glaring thing that will put everything into perspective. On the one hand it's clear that this is trying to copy the success of Pokémon with a more episodic set up but another show comes a creeping whenever I think about Digimon and it makes a lot of sense when you realise who else worked on the English version of the show. Saban Entertainment. All of those power up scenes with the theme song blasting in the background whenever they can making sense yet? If not then let me utter the name of a franchise that should set this all into stone for you; Power Rangers. That's all I have to say on that matter as it should be self-explanatory that inspiration came from every FoxKids neck of the woods they could muster with popular shows like Power Rangers and Pokémon airing on FoxKids and Jetix around the same time as Digimon's syndication.

Food for thought, you know?

Exclusively referring to the Japanese version now, I like it a lot. The story it builds up is intriguing enough for me to want to see questions surrounding the Digital World answered. The characters have enough heart to carry each scene as the story unfolds. The Digimon act as decent counterparts to their Human partners making them equally likeable as well as keeping this sense of everyone having someone to bounce off of.

Anyways, that's my wrap up for this first part. Moving on I'll be exclusively focusing on the Japanese version because I don't think I can bring myself to watch anymore of the 4Kids version. That's not to say it's bad. If the English version existed by itself I'd probably say that it's a decent homage to the shows it's mimicking but the Japanese version does exist. The originality and effort put into the original gets buried in the transition as we have a really compelling and fascinating adventure that sees a group of kids in a Wizard of Oz meets the first few seasons of Lost situation that becomes nothing more than a shoddy Pokémon alternative that doesn't work because the show was never intended to be seen as that.