Digimon Adventure Tri Saikai Review (Anime)
Whoever thought we would get a sequel to the original Digimon story, huh? I’m a massive fan of Digimon and love the adventures of Tai and friends — I was ecstatic when a series of movies were announced! If the sequels are anything like Saikai, then we’re in for something special.
With the gang now in high school with their lives as DigiDestined behind them, they find it difficult to meet up due to obligations such as work and studying. Worrying that he’ll be left behind as he doesn’t know what he wants to do in the future (although he still plays football), Tai feels that he and his friends are growing apart. When a wild Kuwagamon finds itself in Japan and starts wreaking havoc, the DigiDestined are reunited with their Digimon partners who they’ve not seen in years. The public are aware of Digimon and turn against them in general due to the Kuwagamon attacks, and an organisation enlists the help of the DigiDestined to fight back.
The cast are as great as ever and it’s wonderful seeing them reunited.
When they were children, they didn’t need to think about their actions quite as much, and definitely did not understand the extent of the carnage that Digimon can bring. One thing that Tai says that I find quite relatable is that he’s growing older but understanding less, and in Saikai we see him think rather than head straight into action. Unaware of whether or not he should be fighting Digimon, or if the public have a right to be afraid of Digimon in general, we see Tai at his most vulnerable. The cast are as great as ever and it’s wonderful seeing them reunited, and the story that these movies are telling are set to be thought-provoking. I’m excited to see what’s next, and to see how the DigiDestined and their partners will develop. One thing I know for sure is is that I still love this brilliant cast of characters — sadly, Joe is hardly in Saikai.
Action scenes are grand and explosive, sufficiently showing off the power and scale of the Digimon involved.
Toei Animation are working on the Digimon Tri movies which, as we all know, can be both good and bad. When Toei are good, they’re really good but when they’re bad, it tends to look rather budget. Thankfully, this is the former where it remains consistently good throughout, and I like the new direction they’ve taken in regards to characters — it’s easy to recognise them, despite the change and that they’ve all gone through puberty. Action scenes are grand and explosive, sufficiently showing off the power and scale of the Digimon involved and Toei didn’t take it easy on the environmental damage. It’s a good-looking movie, and I’m a big fan of its Tsuritama-style character designs. Also, weird side note, I can’t shake the feeling that teacher Nishijima looks a bit like a Dr. Seuss character.
With both English and Japanese voice-tracks included, I opted to watch in English. Both versions managed to get many of the voice-actors and actresses from the original series’ to reprise their roles which is amazing — for the most part, we really do have the old gang back together. Of course not everybody could reprise their roles, but the bulk return and give spectacular performances — you can hear how they’ve improved upon their talent, too. It’s very nostalgic, and I’m so happy that Toei managed to get so many of them to return. The music is might be the weakest point of the movie although it has a catchy remix of the series’ original theme song — let’s face it, it was never going to be as great as the original movies sick 90’s soundtrack.
Toei Animation have taken one of my favourite childhood series’ and continued it in a way that feels entirely natural.
Digimon Tri Adventure Saikai is the first of six movies and if they keep up the quality which I’ve seen here, then that’s super exciting. Toei Animation have taken one of my favourite childhood series’, and one I’m still a big fan of now, and continued it in a way that feels entirely natural. I’m eager for more, and I hope that Manga UK will be releasing the rest shortly. If you’re a Digimon fan then you don’t want to miss this, and I hope that you enjoy seeing your old friends once again.
- Super Mario Odyssey Celebrates its One Year Anniversary - October 28, 2018
- Dragon Ball Z KAI Final Chapters Review (Anime) - October 28, 2018
- Resident Evil 2 Remake Gets a Steelbook Edition in Europe - October 24, 2018
