Digimon’s Reboot May Be One of the Anime’s Best Yet

When Digimon announced that the franchise was going to return to the Digimon Adventure well for a rebooted take on that first series for its 20th Anniversary, there was a bit of a divisive response among fans. Some believed that the franchise should have instead released another unique season much like previous iterations, and some believed that Digimon Adventure‘s original well had been mined too much already with major projects like the Digimon Adventure tri and Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna films. Some were even hoping for a reboot of other seasons like Digimon Tamers instead.

But with two episodes under its belt as of this writing, the Digimon Adventure reboot is already proving to be a great move. By keeping the spirit of the original series in tact with its core group of DigiDestined, the new rebooted take is breathing new life into that original anime with gorgeous animation and fresh ideas that promise even more greatness to come.

The Digimon franchise is no stranger to reboots as many of its series are completely new takes on the franchise following the second season of the series. Digimon Tamers, Frontier, Savers, Xros Wars, App Monsters, and more continued Bandai’s tried and true formula of introducing a new generation of DigiDestined and their partners facing off against new evil threats. But these series admittedly hit a wall.

Following its experiment with Digimon Adventure tri bringing back older versions of the original crew, fans began to see Toei Animation dive more into that first batch of characters. Because while Digimon Adventure had its fair share of plot elements, those weren’t too important compared to its cast of characters. The eight original DigiDestined are malleable characters that can be fit into almost any situation, and that’s already been seen in the reboot.

Much of the nostalgia has been for the characters and their bonds with their partners, and this has been at the forefront of the new series. It’s a new era with new settings, digivices, enemies, and even a new Digital World, but the characters at their core remain the same. Tai still has his rambunctious but courageous personality, Izzy’s still super crafty and smart, and Matt’s still prickly but knows when to back down when needed.

The reboot has the benefit of the knowledge of the older series too. Not only is it a brand new series that seems more geared towards new fans, it has plenty for older fans to dive into. By already utilizing iconic imagery such as the Crests, Omnimon, Argomon, and more, there’s no need to hold itself back by that first series. There’s a fearlessness in this reboot when it comes to change, and this potential opens up whole new avenues for the wild reinvention of older seasons too.

Because it can still introduce tons of new ideas, characters, and scenarios, but will keep everything anchored by something familiar. This familiar cast will keep us tuning in week to week for the forseeable future, and that’s ultimately why Digimon Adventure‘s reboot is already the best one yet. What do you think? Are you excited to see what’s to come from Digimon Adventure‘s reboot series? What did you think of those first two episodes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter!