Goddammit.
Look, how do you think I feel?
No one wanted it this way. Marvel didn’t want to make a Black Panther without Chadwick Boseman, we the audience didn’t want a Black Panther movie without Chadwick Boseman and I certainly don’t want to give a bad review to a Black Panther movie without Chadwick Boseman.
His loss was first and foremost a human tragedy and if this movie succeeds at anything it’s in bringing across just the sheer, crushing grief of everyone involved in this. It’s not a fun time. It should not be a fun time.
Is it a good movie? I’m sorry, no it’s not.
But, it has good moments and I’ll be sure to highlight those.
It also has plenty of flaws and, well, I’ll be mentioning those too. But rest assured, I will feel like a complete asshole.
The movie opens with its strongest two scenes with Shuri working flat out in her lab to re-create the heart shaped herb to save T’Challa. Queen Ramonda enters the lab and tells her that her brother is gone.
I mentioned back in the Civil War review that, counter-intuitively, sometimes off-screen deaths are the most effective and I think that’s very true here. T’Challa’s funeral procession through the streets of Birnin Zana is beautiful and mesmerising. It’s excellent.
Unfortunately, this is the high water mark of the movie and we haven’t even got to the titles yet.
Alright, a year later Ramonda has become Queen Regnant of Wakanda, thereby skipping the scene of Angela Basset standing in a lake and beating Winston Drake half to death with a stick for the right to rule. The movie I’m imagining in my head is way better, and that’s never a good sign. Anyway, Ramonda is addressing the United Nations in Switzerland (apparently the UN has branches, like Arby’s). We continue this series’ tradition of diplomats just treating the Wakandans like snooty deans in an eighties slobs versus snobs comedy, chiding Ramonda for not sharing Wakanda’s vibranium. In response she brings in some captured mercenaries who recently tried and failed to rob a Wakandan power facility only to get their nuts handed to them by the Dora Milaje. And who was this nation engaging in shady illegal neo-colonialism in Africa? Would you believe, France?! I know.
Crazy! What wild fantasies will those mad dream-weavers at Marvel come up with next? Who could ever have predictied…
Meanwhile, the Americans have sensibly decided that if they can’t get vibranium from the Wakandans they’ll just find their own, under the sea. They use their fancy new vibranium detector to find some on the sea floor, but their exploration team gets got by some mysterious blue fish people.
Back in Wakanda, Ramonda drags Shuri away from her lab to perform a ritual to mourn T’Challa. But, they are interrupted by…(deep, weary sigh) Namor.
Okay. I have a confession to make. I hate water based superheroes. Atlantis as a concept leaves me completely cold. I think stories set underwater are dumb.
And yet, and yet, I fucking love Namor the Sub-Mariner. He’s technically Marvel’s oldest superhero. He’s as OG as it gets. He is a complete and utter prick and I love him. And this movie, somehow, thought that doing In-Nameor-Only here was going to fly. Well, he doesn’t fly. Or at least, he doesn’t fly in a way that doesn’t look fake as hell (damn the CGI in this is rough).
Let me be clear. This is not Namor:
THIS is Namor:
Okay, technically it’s Mr Nimbus from Rick and Morty but it’s probably the most faithful rendering of the character we’re ever going to get. Namor is supposed to be fucking crackling with the power of a bisexual god. When Namor is the room, the question is not “will he fuck my wife?” the question is “when will he fuck my wife and if I’m a good boy will Daddy let me clean up after?”
Namor in this movie doesn’t have sex with anyone’s wife. At all. That’s like Captain America not having the shield. It’s bullshit. It’s all bullshit! This movie did not understand the greatness of Namor the Sub-Mariner and it will go to movie Hell for that! Movie Hell I say!
Oh God. What are they going to do to Doctor Doom?
Anyway…this slab of sexless haddock tells Ramonda that, because Wakanda is out of the closet, his own Vibranium-rich nation, Talokan, is having to fend off greedy surface dwellers. He says that they’re using new vibranium detecting tech to find Talokan’s stash so he wants the Wakandans to find the scientist who designed the machine because…that will…you know how when you kill a scientist everything they ever invented vanishes? Yeah. Anyway, he wants the Wakandans to do that for him or else he’ll attack Wakanda. It makes no sense and it’s contrived as fuck. Ah well, at least it’s comics accurate. Comic Namor would definitely bully another nation in doing his dirty work for him.
Ramonda convenes the council of Wakanda which brings in the movie’s MVP: M’Baku. Winston Duke just kills every scene he’s in, he’s a riot. The council wants to give in to Namor’s demands and hand over the American scientist to him and M’Baku (who is the best) very sensibly points out that giving in to Namor will only encourage the blighter and instead suggests the obvious course of action: kill this Namor and reveal that he was actually Trevor Slattery all along, doing a piss-poor impersonation of the ACTUAL Namor. But instead, Ramonda sends Okoye on a mission to find the American scientist.
So…I hate this. This is terrible.
First, as M’Baku explicitly points out, Namor threatened Wakanda and Wakanda (supposedly a major global power), just agreed to launch a hostile action against another global power after a threat from a half naked fish man. And secondly, it makes Ramonda look hypocritical as fuck. France invading Wakanda to steal some metal? Unforgiveable! Wakanda invading America to kidnap a human being and deliver her to certain death? Well, they’re just protecting their interests.
So they visit Everett Ross and guilt trip him into giving them the location of the American scientist and, out of loyalty to T’Challa, he gives this incredibly sensitive information to some foreign agents. He pleads with them not to let anyone know he’s done this because, y’know, treason and Okoye dismissively says “we will be very careful”.
Spoilers. They will not be very careful.
They travel to MIT and meet the scientist, college student Riri Williams who needs to FUCKING ENUNCIATE. Jesus, I don’t know if the actor just wasn’t miked up properly but goddamn. So, here’s where everyone’s motives just become completely inscrutable. Ramonda, upon learning that Riri is just a kid, orders Okoye and Shuri to bring her to Wakanda for her protection, even though the US government is coming to ask her to build them a new vibranium detector which will mean a) she’s set for life and b) is probably going to be doing just fine in the security department.
This sets off a chase between the Wakandans and the FBI that gets interrupted by the Talokans who attack them on a bridge beside a canal.
There’s a weirdly inert fight scene with awful green screen and minimal music and the Talocans defeat Okoye and make off with Riri and Shuri.
So, we know get an excellent scene where Okoye briefs the Wakandan council on what happened and we get to see Angela Bassett shake some dust off the ceiling with some old-school capital-A Acting. And Danai Garira’s stunned, tearful reaction is very good. Plaudits all round. Anyway, Ramonda has clearly been sitting on some grudges because she lambastes Okoye for betraying T’Challa in the last movie and now losing her daughter and strips her of her rank and kicks her out of the Dora Milaje.
Ramonda goes to Haiti where Nakia has been living as a teacher since the Blip and recruits her to find Talokan and gently chides her for missing T’Challa’s funeral.
Actually, fuck, I’ve just realised that T’Challa was blipped. Wakanda had to mourn the death of the king twice. Actually, three times counting T’Chaka. Four times if you’re a Killmonger loyalist it’s been rough for the Wakandan royals, is what I’m saying.
Meanwhile, Namor fills Shuri in on his backstory and the history of Talokan. Short version, they’re Mayans who retreated under the sea using magic to escape the Spanish. He then shows her the magnificence of Talokan:
Well, props for accuracy I guess. A city under the sea would be murky and underlit and pretty unimpressive. That said:
That’s the DCEU’s Atlantis. Which looks more visually interesting?
This is where we’re at folks, I’m drawing unfavourable comparisons between Marvel and the DCEU. Surely the end times are nigh.
Namor proposes an alliance with Wakanda against the rest of the world. I…think it’s supposed to be played seductive. Like, Shuri will be so hot for this guy she’s willing to turn against the rest of the human race but…nah.
Nakia manages to rescue Shuri and Riri and brings them to Wakanda and Namor retaliates with a tidal wave attack that kills Ramonda, who drowns saving Riri’s life. The Wakandans flee to the Jabari mountains, because is it even a Black Panther movie if M’Baku doesn’t save everyone’s ass?
Shuri throws herself into replicating the heart-shaped herb and takes it. However, instead of seeing her ancestors she sees:
Goddamn Michael B. Jordan is so fucking good in this role. He says that Shuri chose him to appear to her because she wants revenge. Horrified, Shuri wakes up and refuses to tell Nakia what she saw. Instead, she dons a new Black Panther suit and rallies all of Wakanda’s remaining forces to strike back at Talokan, reinstating Okoye and giving her a new power suit.
They all set off on a Wakandan navel vessel.
There’s a big green screen fight, Shuri and Namor battle, she’s about to kill him but her mother visits her in a vision and she spares the big haddock. The war is over and Okoye returns to America where she rescues Ross, who was arrested for helping the Wakandans. And she greets him by saying “The coloniser in chains? Now I’ve seen everything.”
***
I can pretty much promise I will never watch this movie again, and it’s not because it’s the worst movie in the MCU. Given the death of their star and Covid it’s actually pretty remarkable this film made it over the finish line.
But…it’s bleak as hell. It’s a punishing watch. It feels like the day after a funeral.
Scoring
Adaptation: 10/25
A war between Wakanda and Atlantis should shake the very world. This just feels small and drab.
Our Heroic Heroes: 11/25
Yeah, Boseman’s absence is a big gaping hole in the heart of this thing.
Our Nefarious Villain: 05/25
The biggest waste of a fantastic character since Black Widow botched Taskmaster.
Our Plucky Sidekicks: 14/25
By the end of this, I was honestly wishing M’Baku had been made the new Black Panther.
The Stinger
Shuri visits Nakia in Haiti and is introduced to her nephew…Prince T’Challa.
And the audience went…
Any names of comic book characters clunkily worked into dialogue that no one would ever say in real life?
“A Spanish man of faith cursed me as he died by my hand. He called me El Niño sin Amor, “the Child without Love”. And I took my name from there, Namor.”
Are there X-Men yet?
Um…yes? Yes? Technically? Namor is acknowledged onscreen as a mutant and the character has been a member of the X-men so…yeah. Bit anticlimactic really.
FINAL SCORE: 40%
NEXT UPDATE: 30 March 2023
NEXT TIME: Some days, you just can’t get rid of a bomb…
unshavedmouse 
I enjoyed this move a lot more than I expected to. Yes, it sucks T’Challa is gone, and it’s really unfair in some ways. But for something I expected to be DOA, I was pleasantly surprised with what we got. I’m especially happy that the movie is very humor-light, given how the MCU seems to be overdosing on it as of late (Love and Thunder and She-Hulk are really bad examples imo).
I really like how the climax gave a really good reason for the hero to not kill the villain that isn’t just “this is wrong and you will feel bad if you do” kind. The political stuff between Talokan and Wakanda is interesting, and the character development for everyone is really neat. I know you talked about M’Baku a lot, but I really liked where Shuri goes as a character too.
And honestly, I’m really glad they didn’t adapt comic Namor’s sex pest stuff to the big screen. I know the MCU has problems with depicting romance and sex well, but having that’s just trying to seduce other women 24/7 would just be…eugh. I also really like the character’s connection to Mesoamerican origins, and Tenoch Huerta’s performance. Regal and proud, but also shortsighted and tempermental.
Also, surprised you didn’t talk about Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine much. I know some people are iffy on her, but I think she’s a really neat anti-Nick Fury figure that I always want to see more of when she shows up.
I’ll level with you, I wrote this review in two days so it was a bit of a rush job. I…don’t have strong feelings on the Contessa one way or another. Dreyfus is fine.
Strange World also had a 40%. Do you think these are secretly the same movie?
Weird. And no. I could see what was happening in Strange World
I’m so far behind in the MCU it’s not even funny and honestly? The way it’s seemingly been going is just sapping my enthusiasm.
Like. The Avengers (2012) was the first superhero movie I ever saw. I grew up watching Avengers cartoons. My brothers and I saw every movie from GotG 2 to Endgame in theaters together. I genuinely did not realize how much these movies meant to me until they started weakening.
And that’s very, very annoying, to understate it.
Oh well. Anyway, Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, and thanks for doing that series on the Taoiseach so when he visits the White House today I can impress my family by pronouncing it correctly.
Speaking of which, thoughts on Leo Varadkar?
If I did the list today, Leo would probably be second or third. Covid and Brexit, he played a blinder.
Oh, and La Shona Paraic to you too!
On the bright side next batmovie is a bat10/10 guaranteed.
Get out of my head, you
I’m *just* enough of a nerd that I recognize the name Riri Williams. She’s the teen genius who made her own suit of Stark-like armor and called herself Iron Heart. So it’s clear to me what they were setting up for here: a replacement for Tony as the MCU’s Main Tech Person.
Too bad it sounds like the movie stunk.
Oh, right, there was supposed to be an Ironheart series starting later this year (before Marvel pushed it back from “Fall 2023” to “Coming Soon”), so this was *definitely* setting that up.
On the one hand, I’m glad they made Riri more likable than her comics counterpart (seriously, look up how pissy she got when her teacher didn’t make it a “You can do this, you’re black” moment). On the other hand, I don’t really feel like her introduction was all that well done.
And that’s the tragedy of this picture, not a whole lot was well done because it has that Chadwick Boseman shaped hole in it. This was obviously a movie that was heavily rewritten to accommodate that loss and as much as I like the fact that we’re getting a Marvel film that breaks its usual trend and delves deeply into grief, that doesn’t mean all the other factors mesh well with it (gotta set up all those other projects down the line like Ironheart).
If your curious about the politics of this movie, well it was established back in Civil War and also showcased in Falcon and the Winter Soldier that Wakandans have a serious “We can show up and do whatever the hell we want” attitude that is only now starting to draw negative attention from the rest of the world. It’s honestly pretty messed up that they basically make Ross betray his country and the best that offered up is a last minute rescue and a bad quip.
I honestly don’t know how this would’ve turned out if we still had Chadwick or whether they decided to recast T’Challa. Better? Worse? The future of the MCU is a bit shaky right now and I can’t give a definitive answer.
Chadwick Boseman dying screwed up everything (both in and out of the MCU). This is probably the best we were gonna get without him.
I didn’t hate this one, but I will always mourn the much better movie it could have and should have been. Boseman’s death and the pandemic knocked it on its ass, and it just didn’t have enough good ideas and enthusiasm to get back to its feet.
I get the distinct feeling that no one really WANTED to make this movie, you know? No one had any passion for it after Boseman died. But you can’t NOT make a sequel to a global phenomenon like Black Panther, not with Daddy Disney writing the checks. No everyone sighed, made a pissy face, and did the best they could under the utterly doomed circumstances.
First person I know that did not like Namor, I thought there was some nice sexual tension with Shuri too that was pretty subtle, I can’t say I would want something like the Rick and Mortgy gif, but I guess you are more the expert on the character! But underwater kingdoms are the best! Here it’s meant to be mysterious so that explains the lighting. I would expect more if Namor gets his own film. Don’t understand the Spanish used in soundtrack however, this is Mayans and not Spanish. Too much English for Wakadans alone too.
Overall tonally too one note with depression. But I liked Shuri and glad she was the star.
Having not seen this film – BLACK PANTHER was very good, but it didn’t take a genius to realise that the second would not be able to match it – my only reaction to all this is to hope that (in the forthcoming review of the West/Ward Batman movie) there will be at least one joke about the reviewer going in with an expectation of being obliged to crawl a little bit (“DC, DC, we had some good times, don’t hold a few jokes against me!”).
Bonus points if, this being the Adam West Batman (aka the Absolute Best Batman, if you’re looking for a friend and not some Drama), Our Hero does nothing of the sort and is an absolute Class Act.
Catwoman, on the other hand, may be a Serious Concern (Especially if she doesn’t give you the safe word).
Also: Namor will certainly TRY to steal your wife, but thankfully wives have their own will and opinions about things (and Namor’s charms clearly end where his personality begins).
Okay, not having seen this movie but noticing a pattern…is it just me, or was 2022 a really, really, REALLY bad year for Disney? Specifically, it’s film division seems to have had a ton of bad luck. Most of the movies released were either A) box office bombs B) critically panned or C) had a whole bunch of production issues. Here’s a few examples:
Turning Red: Went straight to Disney Plus against the wishes of the crew working on it. That’s not even getting into the misogyny and racism from certain internet weirdos.
Bob’s Burgers Movie: Got great reviews, but not enough people went to see it and it did not make its money back.
Lightyear: Did…did anybody see this movie? Anyone? More importantly, did anybody WANT it? No wonder it under-performed.
Robert Zemeckis Pinocchio: Was supposed to be a theatrical release, but was released to streaming officially due to COVID but most likely because of tepid test audience response. Panned by critics.
Marvel Movies: Pretty sure the momentum for the franchise is dying. The impression I get from fans is that watching MCU stuff feels less like a fun time and more like homework. Not good.
Strange World: Bombed at the box office and met with an overwhelming “meh”.
Well that’s what you get for putting all your faith in nostalgia and “TOO BIG TO FAIL” economics.
You’re wrong! Nostalgia is coming! To bring us food! And water! And smite our enemies!
How d’ye do, Mouse? thanks for the review and I think you’ve made dodge a real bullet in there! I’m not seeing this film for a few more years at the least.
I have known of your blog for years but it was only this week that I’ve finally got in and I’ve soaked up all of your Disney Animated Canon reviews and a few more of your other reviews in order to get a clearer picture of what you offered (no offense meant, but I think you could categorize your reviews better) and I gotta say that I like you and you should definitively increase your output of reviews or just continue doing more reviews for the foreseeable future. I’m gonna read a few more reviews and then I’m going to scoot off somewhere else, but before I do, I have decided to try to enlighten you by giving you my own suggestions for reviews.
Before proceeding, know ye that I’m an Owl (Owlay*, as it were) and that I sagely stand (or, rather, more accurately saying, would-be-sagely stand; what I would want to think of myself may not completely mesh with how people would actually perceive me) beside you Mouse should you take me up on any of those proposals or endeavo(u?)rs (however near or far you want me to be) or even if not (you’ve after all largely won my esteem), even if I don’t come back so soon or stay a diligent/devoted follower/reader. Think of me as the Owl to your Mouse (hopefully that didn’t come out wrong!). If (if) you think of referring to me in future posts, I would personally prefer to be depicted by the Duolingo Owl (hopefully that didn’t offend anyone!), but if you choose something else (or nothing at all), then that would be fine by me (even if you choose something truly offensive, I would still stand by and follow you, again, even if I don’t come here as much as we all would like).
Okay, enough talking about me, let’s get on with the suggestions**!:
First of all, the most obvious choice would be Pixar Reviews With the Unshaved Mouse. Having thoroughly loved your (Official) Disney Reviews, I was all set up for your Pixar Reviews, having been given to think that you had also done these, and was sorely disappointed that you didn’t have done them (I was particularly expecting your reviews of the Toy Story films). However, I have also gathered that I’m far from the only one who has requested these, and if so many years of so many people have failed to sway you, then what hope does a poor Owl have?
Next, I would propose that you do reviews for the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit films (and other assorted media, if possible). However, if you find the mere thought of that task too daunting and balk, we won’t fault you at all. Matter of fact, I would suggest a number of other fantasy films/series as well, now’s not the time.
I would suggest doing reviews for the entire Star Wars film series. Somehow it strikes me that these might be up your alley. As well as the Indiana Jones films. Hey now, I wonder if a Lucasfilm Category might not crop up soon on this site…
I would like to see you do the Harry Potter/Fantastic Beasts films series***.
I would like to see you also do Legend of the Three Caball- eh, no, better steer clear of that one…
Hey, do you do fanmade animations? If you do or want to begin to, then search out on Youtube “Genesis The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway illustrated complete”. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Have you ever done the film Yellow Submarine?
*pronoun: he/him
**or proposals, if you please
***if you haven’t already
****E deliberatedly capitalized for emphasis, given lack of italics option
Hang on yet, for the next post is where the rEal**** meat begins…
Mouse, I apologise if this comes as an imposition, but I’ve been trying to puzzle out the most entertaining way to show our neighbours in the Emerald Isle how quite a few Scots feel about the SNP: to that end, might I please ask which region of the Republic has the strongest “We may live with you, work with you and depend on you economically, but that doesn’t mean we NEED you” element?
I would like you to do reviews of the Digimon series.
Of ALL the Series.
Look, in order to make it easier for you to orient yourself, I’m going to give you the laydown on all the series, so you can know at least as much as what the ordinary person who wants to get into Digimon should know.
Here goes:
You should know that the first series began in 1999 and the serieses (?) have been ongoing ever since then, even if admittedly with some pauses between series being longer than the others (to guess why, read on). These series are, formally speaking, videogame adaptations, or more correctly speaking, adaptations of a videogame-like thing developed by Bandai Namco (this before the merger, when they were solely Bandai, (well, I think)): what, exactly, was the thing they were adapting, is something that I’ll admit I may not have completely gotten and I feel would be too complicated to even try to explain now, so if you do look it up and understand it better than me, then hats off to you. The (series’, at the least) franchise’s high point was at 1999-2002, and while at least some of the later series hAve gotten just as high reviews as the first ones, it’s pretty much agreed that the franchise was never as good as in its early halcyon days (however, bear also in mind that I’m only quoting a common collective consensus and that I haven’t even watched the larger part of the series’ overall content and thus I couldn’t even speak truthfully how true that might be, so it’s all in on you on how it is).
Now, the series in question are:
You must understand that each series’ official first word is Digimon, so here I’ll post the words that follow it, in order to keep this from being too repetitive. In some cases, I’ll slightly modify the title in order to make some necessary (why necessary you’ll understand as you read on) clarifications, generally using more-or-less terms used by the fandom at large.
These series are all (as far as I have ascertained) set in Tokyo, at least as far as our human protagonists are concerned.
You should also know that although like the first half series do have official English dubs, I’d still want you to keep in all cases to the original Japanese, because after all, nothing like the originals, right?, and thus, I would also prefer if you’d use the original Japanese terms for, like, the human characters and Digimon (The one exception, in my opinion? Use the term Digidestined, as I find it better than the original’s Chosen Children). However, I also wouldn’t mind if you’d mention the dub names as a…. as a….. well, just as a nod.
So, here are the series, ordered in such the way as I found it to be clearest to understand, in my opinion. These come also with their respective movies and other assorted pertaining content such as I know or remember*1, as well as their further explanatory notes as personally considered necessary, alongside personal comments stemming from experience.
They are:
Adventure, which, due to developments further down the line (keep reading to learn what these were!), should be more accurately be termed Adventure1999, Adventure 01, or (in my personal choice) OriginalAdventure (2 movies: one is a short film that clocks in at (I think) less than 30 minutes and which serves as an overall prequel to the series: I think I heard somewhere that it was released simultaneously with the first episode of this series on the same day, in order to serve as a dual moving-pictures debut of Digimon (if you want some advice, I would suggest watching it at around the same time as a new human character joins our cast; however, I have neither seen this mini-film in question nor gotten as far along the series to that part so this not actually a closelly-scrutinized advice, I’ll have you know); the other film is called Our War Game and is set after the series ended: this film introduces an element considered key for our protagonists from this point forward and everything I have read about this film clearly tells me that it is a must-see before moving on to the next series. THE quintessential Digimon series par excellence, the one where it all began, and a definitive fan favorite; the main human characters (our prime Digidestined, as it were) and their Digimon partners are THE Digimon characters as far as pretty much anybody is concerned. I have watched this series up to episode 14, which means that I finished the first arc, and in my opinion the series can’t get any better than this arc: Matter of fact, it may even be a personal favorite due to its handling of characterisation and general(ish) sense of story direction (better appreciated on hindsight, admittedly speaking). Yet, for all these good words, I also have to say that this series also has something of an overall grItiness that sometimes makes it a bit of a chore to watch.)
Adventure 02 (2 movies, the exact spot to watch them I’ll admit that I still don’t know; nevertheless, from what I’ve gathered, the second one*2 has a plenty good reputation and would seem to be practically a must-watch. This series is a sequel to the previous one, where the human characters of the first one have now grown past elementary school and serve as low-key mentors to a new generation of Digidestined (of Digiheroes perhaps?). Incidentally, two of the members of this new generation are actually the youngest members of the previous Digidestined, now grown just as old as their elder companions were back then (also, one of these two is the new human character I mentioned above in the previous entry). I haven’t watched this series because I have decided that in order to fully appreciate it, you have to watch all of what the first Adventure has to offer. You might do likewise.)
Tamers (2 movies, set after the series is finished, or at least the second one is, serving as a neat little series epilogue from what I heard, even if it was done without the participation of the man responsible for the series’ greatness*3. Widely agreed to be the best Digimon series ever, it is even considered as going far beyond the rest in terms of quality. Ecstasically lauded for its sense of realism and characterisation, as well as for its masterful tackling of mature subjects as dealt by young characters, this is the one Digimon series I wish the most for you to watch. But you’ll have to watch the first two series in order to fully appreciate this one (this is not absolutely mAndatory, mind you: the series is not a sequel to them or even set in their same world: watching them first will only make them even more resonant in here*4). I watched all the way to episode 13, which, if my scanty knowledge*5 of animé is right, would seem to mean that I have here also completed this series’ first arc as well, and I have to say that I’ve found this series to be actively engaging and alluring and an all-in-all interesting experience in both ideas and execution.)
Frontier (1 movie, set in the first half of the series: I admit I haven’t watched it (matter of fact, I have seen none of the Digimon films). This series is often labelled as the one that killed Digimon’s mainstream popularity and reduced the franchise to being the niche classic its perceived as remaining to this day, and even if it wasn’t*6, it’s still generally panned by the fans due to its premise, even if it’s also true that it has plenty of stalwart defenders as well. I’ll admit that I like its premise very much on principle, finding the whole this-time-the-human-characters-transform-into-the-Digimon*7 thing to be the next big bold logical step in the franchise’s evolution and even the best thing to do because it gave the humans a much more believable way to be a part of the story; the tagline I received when I first saw this series on TV sums my feelings on the matter perfectly: “This time, don’t let anybody else do your job” (Is this how it is? I’m not a native English speaker and I don’t know if it’s the same in other languages and it’s been so long since I’d heard it, but even so, I’m certain I have gotten it right.). This is the only Digimon series I have seen complete all the way through to the end, and I must say that I have found a fun, amusing, and enthralling ride, particularly in the first half, even if it also has glaring structural issues, most noticeable in the second half (some of the protagonists don’t have real arcs, just for one).
Savers/Data Squad, one’s the original, the other’s the dub name: still don’t know which is which (1 movie, exact placement within the series unknown: it flopped so badly it put an end to any and all Digimon movies, thus making things easier for all of us. (Also, between the end of Frontier and the beginning of this one, there was released a standalone computer-animated film that is not actually part of any series. This is a film without any human characters at all. Right now, I don’t remember what’s its exact name. If it please you, you can watch it right before Savers/Data Squad.) This series’ intent can be summed up as “Digimon grows up”, and so, this time the human protagonists are generally older than they have been so far and the relationship they’ll have with their Digimon as well as the setting where they’ll partner up will now be made considerably more… prOfesional. I haven’t watched any of this series at all, but the recaps I have seen do have left me particularly invested.)
Xros Wars: pronounced Cross Wars (The longest of all Digimon series, last I checked; so long indeed that it can be fairly divided into seasons, 3 to be fair. The first season can be said to be a carefree forerunner of the second one, which is a serious story with what might easily be Digimon’s most daunting villains. (Matter of fact, the gimmick and the conceit for this series are remarkably complicated for me to try to explain, so all I’ll say is that it’s something of an epic about nationbuilding, diplomacy, and, more particularly, leading armies in warfare; either way, it seems they didn’t try any of that again.) The third season, however, is a remarkably peculiar case, having a shift in tone and subject and the erstwhile protagonist of the series is now more of a sidekick to a wholelly new protagonist just introduced for this season. Matter of fact, the season’s so overall different from the rest of its series that it even has a new title all of its own: Digimon Hunters; thus confusing many into thinking it’s an altogether different Digimon series, and, to be honest, they can’t be completely faulted for that. I have only seen, complete, the first episode: the several things I’ve read about this series*8 do not particularly entice me to proceed After Savers/Data Squad didn’t quite prove to be the franchise’s revitalization, for this one, they went back to making it a kiddie show as usual*9. KID DUMB is how they went in here, if we are to believe the things I’ve read about this series. Matter of fact, this series is known as the one that killed the overseas dubs*10 and very nearly killed the franchise itself*11. However, upon closer inspection, it would appear that several of these harsh criticisms actually apply to its third season, which I’ve heard described as annoying and dumb and its protagonist as childishly unbearable, and which actually never got a foreign-language dub*10. And yet, all things considered, it has a nothing-short-of-epic conclusion that in my opinion is utterly guaranteed to make it all worth it.)
Adventure Tri (A plenty intersting series in more ways than one. Originating as a way to commemorate the 15th anniversary of (Original)Adventure’s original airing, a slew of executive meddling decisions (and likely other reasons I’m right now forgetting) meant that it took 4 years for this series to finish releasing all of its content. This was supposed to be a six-seasoned series to be released in television but the people from Upstairs decided instead to release it as 6 feature films each, with each film being one of the intended seasons, which would make them among the world’s longest feature films. However, it seems there was also a series release after all, for at least I know there are ways to see it in a half-hour-long episodes format. So, the way I see it, this is both a film and television series. Yes, I know it’s confusing, but it’s after all a Digimon series. This series is the third and final chapter in the story of the (Original)Adventure folks, showing them having one last Digimon adventure even as they stand on the cusp of adulthood. The series is noted for how it deals with growing up and maturity and how that changes your relationship and perceptions of Digimon, being often draped in grayer and more muted colors than is usual in Digimon series. I have seen this series being mightily lauded, even if it’s solely due to the nostalgia factor, but I have also seen it widely panned due to establishing facts that contradict things seen in earlier series, its sense of characterization, and how the overall story turned out, with particular emphasis being given to how the main new human character was handled. After this, a feature film called Last Evolution Kizuna was released, bringing the long story of the (Original)Adventure cast to a resounding end. The things I have heard of this film portray it as nothing short of an emotional tearjerker. (I’ve read somewhere that this film was actually supposed to be the first of a 5-films series but the reception to this one ensured that did not happen.) Of this whole business, I have seen only the first season/film and to be honest I found it to be a bit of a slog, a bit boring, thus keeping it from actively seeking out the rest of it; however it’s also not lacking in the iNteresting.)
Universe: Appmon*12 (Formally speaking, this is actually a spinoff, only tangentially related*13 to the Digimon franchise at large: it would appear that some official sources don’t even want to consider it a Digimon series at all; however, I am among those who do consider to indeed be part of the official Digimon series list, and so should you. This series is based on the premise of “how would our Digital Monsters (or, to be more accurate within the parameters of this series, digital beings) fare in today’s supertechnological age of Smartphones and ever-ubiquitious AI?”*14 Airing during the middle of Adventure Tri’s run, a deriding lack of promotion ensured that few people saw it, thus scuppering any potential continuations, and even to this day not every Digimon fan has heard of it, much less seen it. And I must say that it’s a real pity, for having seen it all the way to episode 43 (of 52), I have found this series to be a really interesting and enthralling one and a worthy addition overall to the Digimon experience. And the comments I have seen from those who have also seen this series do largely give credence to my opinion.*15)
Adventure2020 (A reboot of the original Adventure (now you know my preferred use of terminologies) that updates the setting to the present day of 2020, hence the use of this moniker (after all, this series’ name is officialy just Digimon Adventure, so you understand why we have to use clearer terms). I have seen this series all the way to episode 44 (of around 66, which means that this series is a bit longer than the ordinary animé (IF indeed I am right in my supposition that animés must usually last 52 episodes)) and the way it seems to me, it seems that this series aims to tell a new and more clearly plotted story about the cast of characters from the original Adventure, angling for a more logical progression of the tale freed from the improvisational trappings of the previous one and avoiding its’ errors even as it takes leads from every (or most every) single series that came before: thus, it would seem to me that this series aims to do The Ultimate Digimon Experience. I have seen this series often derided as soulless, as little but a cashgrab that is little but nostalgia pandering that keeps a unduly focus on a single character to the detriment of the other protagonists and that it has structural issues with whatever story it’s trying to tell among other problems. I can tell you from my experience that I can see a bit of where the criticisms are coming from, but I have personally found this series to be an enthralling, engrossing experience that you can hardly keep your eyes from even if it’s also prone to dragging: my personal judgement is that if you loved the Digimon world and its’ myriads of different inhabitants as shown in every past series, particularly those of the previous larger Adventure arc, then you’ll find yourself lavishly rewarded here. And I have to say that this series did find enough popularity so as to open a window for any future series to continue in the same direction as Adventure2020: indeed I know that there’s going to be released a reboot form of Adventure 02, if it hasn’t already; I’d first heard that it was going to be a series, but now it seems clearer to me that it’s going to be a sequel film to Adventure2020 (however, a reboot series of Adventure 02 might still happen; the gist of all of this is that I’m not completely certain of anything on this front). This series is also going to be the first one to get an English-language dub for the first time in a long while.)
Ghost Game (The latest and current series, still ongoing last I heard, and like Adventure2020, it’s pretty much shaping up to be another long one. This series is noticeable among other things because it’s the first one where the main protagonist doesn’t have a “Ta” or a “Da” anywhere in his name*16 and is also the first one not to wear any goggles anywhere at all (usually every Digimon protagonist must wear some form of goggles at some moment in time, sometimes for no real reason at all; it’s a trait very ingrained in the public image of Digimon, to the point of it being considered a franchise hallmark). This series also aims to be Digimon’s most episodic yet, what with it being a SF/F detective show operating on a Case of the Week basis (indeed, the creators explicitly stated that they meant for this show to be one where casual viewers could drop in at any point during the show’s run and not bother to catch up with much if anything), a modus operandi that has drawn it it’s fair share of criticism. However, there seems to also be at least something of a sense of a larger, arching plot at play (or at least so I hope). All things considered, this series has pretty much met with a positive reception, to the point that it could be believed that we are now pretty much living in a Digimon Renaissance*17. I have watched this series only up to episode 7, back when it had only just started: I can tell you that it does have charm and that you’re bound to like the characters (or at least find them amusing), but the episodic format has by-and-large stalled my drive to actively continue with the series and what I have told you above about it remaining episodic throughout has certainly ensured that I am in no hurry to binge-watch this series. However, I shall say again that people have been garnering goodwill again towards Digimon so that should give you (and me) something to look forward to.)
(I think I’ve heard also that they are planning on making a Frontier sequel/remake (dunno which) in the future as well.)
So that’s Digimon to you. A time-consuming enterprise should you decide to undertake it but one that shall also handsomely reward you. I’ll admit that there ARE parts that may be a bit too silly but it’s overall a treat for the technophile in you. You won’t be disappointed, I’m certain.
*1 If there’s more content than mentioned in here that doesn’t appear, it’s because I either don’t know about it or have forgotten.
*2 At least I’m certain it’s the second one.
*3 After that, there are also audio dramas with the series’s VAs reprising their roles and likely some other content I right now don’t remember crystal clear. All I’m saying is, if you REALLY loved Digimon Tamers, then it’s well within your rights to keep looking some more.
*4 And matter of fact, after this, every Digimon series stands alone in it’s own universe, so it’s no longer necessary to watch any previous series to fully understand them (except in cases of sequel series). From here on out, the only things you shall have to keep in mind are the overall mechanics.
*5 And it’s only recently that I have begun to take a closer look at a genre I have traditionally held in utter contempt. And even then, I have not taken rEally dEep immersions even in knowledge.
*6 Exactly why Digimon declined sharply in popularity around the time of Frontier’s airing is a long text that may not have a clear or satisfactory answer and for which there is no occasion to indulge in at the present.
*7 They wouldn’t do that again and for every subsequent series they went back to giving the human protagonists their own Digimon partners apart.
*8 That and it’s length.
*9 Yes, pretty much every Digimon series have been, formally speaking, shows for kids: however when they’re good (and they usually are) they have such marvellous and well-done writing that grown-ups can enormously appreciate as well: after all, didn’t you review every film in the Disney Animated Canon?
*10 Or at least the/an English-language dub. (Remember the original language is Japanese, so every other spoken iteration of these series are actually the foreign-language dubs here, even the English dubs, much as it may pain some of us in here to admit it.)
*11 Or at least the animated series’ franchise.
*12 You may use whatever shorthand term you may wish for this one: I personally call this one Appmon for short, but I have been also mightily surprised to see people also call this one Universe for short.
*13 This time, the digital critters are referred to solely as Appmon; matter of fact, the word Digimon doesn’t appear anywhere at all outside the title as far as I have seen. However, it still has several Digimon conventions and mechanics.
*14 Indeed, the series poses several interesting questions and perspectives about living in today’s technological world that might resonate with you (matter of fact, I even came to be reminded a bit of Black Mirror in some aspects, although it mercifully doesn’t share that series’ ever-seeping negativity all that much (of course, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Black Mirror, in which case I could have tried to think of a better example)).
*15 Indeed, this series DID influence future series (how that happened, you’ll learn if you pay close attention), so this entry may well be more important than we might all think.
*16 At least if TvTropes is to be believed.
*17 Indeed, it’s being said that we are currently living in a Digimon Renaissance, which began, at the earliest, with Adventure Tri. Now, how big this Renaissance is, I can’t say with complete certainty, but if they’re bringing back English-language dubs, that’s a good sign.
This is a joke right?
You know, I was initially irritated that the foreshadowing of Namor and Atllantis in IM2 would never pay off, but honestly? Making it so that Namor is part of a secret culture of Yucatec Mayans that survived colonialization but ESPECIALLY explaining that Namor’s name is a contraction of the Spanish phrase for “No Love” is…actually pretty clever. I can only assume that the descision to veer away from Atlantis was due to Aquaman.
By the way, a lot of the questionable decisions throughout the MCU can be traced to behind-the-scenes drama, specifically a jerk (i’m being polite here) named Ike Perlmutter, a businessman notable for being Buddy-Buddy with Trump and in the words of disgraced plagarist James Somerton, “an Arch-conservative Racist Homophobe”. It’d be really interesting to talk about some more of the studio decisions and mandates and how they impact the MCU (the book MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios is a great resource that offers historical context)