Volume 1 "Digimon" must be Japanese for "rip-off." This cartoon series now seen on the Fox Kids Network has far too many similarities to
Pokémon to be classified as anything but a dupe. Our gang of elementary-school adventurers are blasted into a mysterious jungle world where their only tool against an attack of mighty monsters is their personal Digimon--digital monsters (compared to Pokémon, which are pocket monsters, like you could tell the difference). Whereas the
Pokémon shows have a wisp of a moral, this story is strict adventure. Rip-off aside, will kids want to watch? Absolutely. The music, pace, and haircuts are far hipper than in the
Pokémon series, and the creatures can easily be assimilated into the kids' encyclopedic knowledge of such things. The animation, from the makers of
Dragonball Z, is nifty to boot. The first volume's three stories ("And So It Begins," "The Birth of Greymon," "Garurumon") set up the series and--if the creators can evade a lawsuit--it shows no signs of stopping. The numerous action sequences make this series best for children 5 and older.
--Doug Thomas Volume 2
Enter the world of Digimon (digital monsters). This video contains three separate stories: "Biyomon Gets Firepower," "Kabuterimon's Electro Shocker," and "Togemon in Toy Town," wich all feature a group of kids and assorted Digimon. In "Biyomon," a mysterious black gear lodges itself into Meramon (a Digimon with fire power), making him into a fireball of destruction. Biyomon must "digivolve" into Birdamon to cool him off. In "Kabuterimon's Electro Shocker," the group rescues a robot-like Digimon called Andromon, but he turns out to be hostile and almost unstoppable. Again, a mysterious black gear seems to be the culprit. Kabuterimon launches a shocking attack and scores an unlikely victory. In "Togemon in Toy Town," a large teddy bear named Monzaemon has the aforementioned black gear stuck in its body, resulting in a raging stuffed bear of destruction. Our gang must find a way to dislodge the gear in order to make Toy Town safe. Looks like a job for Palmon. This series digivolves into Pokémon, featuring the same simple animation and plots that will baffle the adult crowd. --Peggy Maltby-Etra
Volume 3
This third installment of Digimon finds the seven lost campers and their Digimon on an unfamiliar island. In "Ikkakumon's Harpoon Torpedo," Joe climbs Infinity Mountain to get a better look at the group's surroundings, and he encounters flying black gears that turn normally friendly digital monsters into combative foes. Luckily, the group follows him, and Gomamon digivolves into Ikkakumon to save the day with his harpoon torpedo. In "Evil Shows His Face," the kids discover that they are "the digidestined": the ones chosen to preserve the existence of the digital world. An encounter with Devimon, the evil ruler of the underworld, and his subjugates Ogremon and Leomon teaches the group the value of teamwork and lends insight into the mystery of the flying black gears. Thanks to a little help from a digivice and a host of digivolved Digimon, the kids survive the attack but find themselves scattered among several different islands. In "Sub Zero Ice Punch," Tai and Agumon land on an icy island, where they encounter a gear-influenced Frigimon. Agumon dissolves the gear and Frigimon returns to his friendly self, helping the pair find Matt and Gabumon on a nearby island. Initially the two boys disagree about how to proceed: Matt wants to search for their missing friends and Tai argues that the key to everyone's survival is to first defeat Devimon. Only the next episode will tell if their agreed-upon path will be successful. Digimon is incredibly similar to Pokémon: both are good-looking animated series starring powerful children accompanied by monsters that evolve into more powerful creatures. Digimon differs from Pokémon in that it focuses more on the concept of teamwork as a powerful defense against a specific enemy rather than on one kid's quest to become a trainer of monsters. If you're looking for true adventure, a great story line, and dandy animation, Digimon is for you. --Tami Horiuchi
