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mathewryf · 1 year ago

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This is a great introductory post for the franchise! I only just got back into it within the year, so I'm still getting through some of the media. I'm about 10-ish episodes from finishing Adventure, I've watched the original Short Film and Digimon X-Evolution. Funny enough it was the VPets that got me back in though, which brings me to something I wanted to add to the post: Outside of the Vital Bracelet BE, there are also other official VPets that are still available to some degree. The Digimon 20th and the Digimon X lines of VPets are also very good starting points for people getting into the VPets.

Starting with the Version 20th: the design of the device caters just as much to people who used the 1997 original as it does to newcomers. It features the choice of 5 eggs, each one coresponding to one of the original 5 versions of the VPet. This gives the device itself a lot a of freedom in terms of being able to choose your own flavor. It also gives the device a lot of replay value for those whom are hooked to raising digimon. There's also the fact you can eventually have 2 Digimon at once, allowing you to mix and match. It even further enables the ability to Jogress/DNA-Digivolve. Overall it's a very accessible device from what I've heard. The main two problems with the device are as such: the digimon poop A LOT from what I've heard. Also, outside of the ability to put the digimon to sleep for a 3 hour nap, there's no way to really pause the device if life gets hectic. It's that second feature that had me decide to go with the other option I had at the time.

Speaking of that option: The Digimon X. Unlike the DM20th, the X goes back to the traditional "one egg per device" style. This means the color of the device you get does matter, as it determines which version of the device you get, thus determining which batch of Digimon are even accessible to you. You also can only raise one digimon at a time. Now with that said, there are some features that exist on this device that make it great for the solo tamer. There's a quest mode, which will allow you to unlock more evolutions as you progress through it. This gives you more to do on the device outside of taking care of your Digimon. On top of that, the device has a function that is EXTREMELY important to note, enough that it swayed me into choosing to get it instead: Cold Mode. Cold Mode is a function that, when enabled, puts your Digimon on pause (it even turns them into a cute little refrigerator). Doing that pauses all of your Digimon's timers, so needs won't tick down, and the progress towards evolution/death will be at a standstill. This one feature is THE reason I chose the Digimon X over the Version 20th.

There's also one other thing I'd like to mention about both of these devices and the Vital Bracelet BE. As far as I'm aware, most Vital Bracelets have to be imported from Japan. The two devices I talked about in this post had localized releases across the rest of the world, so there's a decent chance you won't have to import to get one (unless you want one of the Japan exclusive devices). There's also a decent difference in cost: the Vital Bracelet BE is around $60, where the other two devices are around the $20 range. Now I should state that the VBbe has a rechargeable battery, while the DM20th and DMX both take CR2032 as far as I'm aware. This does mean you have to go through the trouble of changing the battery when the thing dies. That said, it's very much worth the hassle, as the batteries last a long time. Mine usually gets 3 weeks of life when I actually get time to use it.

No matter what, where you choose to start will be up to your judgement. As long as you enjoy yourself within reason, anything goes.

Intro to Digimon

In my previous posts about Digimon, particularly my overview of all aquatic Digimon species, I god some comments from people who liked the designs and were curious about the franchise, but didn't know much about it. I decided to write this introduction to let people know more about the basics of the franchise and give suggestions for where to start if they're interested.

What is Digimon?

Digimon is a Japanese multimedia franchise owned by Bandai that focuses on the titular creatures. It is a monster collection franchise that started as a series of virtual pets. Think Tomagatchis aimed for young boys who like their virtual pets to be badass monsters. Digimon media includes virtual pets, toys, a variety of video games, a trading card game, multiple animes, mangas, and more. Unlike some other franchises, Digimon exists in a multiverse with most games, mangas, and animes existing independently from each other. Each setting can follow its own rules and variations of the lore and universe, though most follow some common rules. The Digimon Reference Book lists official Digimon species and gives setting-neutral lore for them. Many entries in the franchise involve the bonds between humans (known as tamers) who bond with one or more Digimon and go on adventures together.

Ok, but what is a Digimon?

Digimon, short for Digital Monsters, are creatures born from data and exist within Earth's internet and computer systems. While born from computer data, most settings say that Digimon are more than just AIs and possess souls and free will. A few newer entries in the franchise say that Digimon have existed since long before the internet and computers and data are just the most recent method humans use to interact with and influence them. Digimon come from the Digital World, a world that exists within the network but is also often depicted as being another dimension parallel to Earth. It can be thought of as a universe influenced by data, but that exists on its own. Again, each setting will have its own take on the Digital World. The Digital World is often depicted as being maintained and ruled over by a supercomputer named Yggdrasil or King Drasil. Other entries (usually early in the franchise) say that their Digital World is ruled by an enigmatic God heavily based on the one of Christianity who may be a human programmer.

There are many species of Digimon that can evolve through a series of levels. When evolving to a new level, a Digimon will change species. How similar Digimon are to humans varies depending on setting. In many, Digimon do not reproduce on their own, instead new Digimon are born from new data. While individual Digimon can appear masculine or feminine, different settings will differ on whether Digimon have sexes or genders. In most settings, Digimon who die will have their data reconfigured into a Digitama (Digi-egg), allowing for a form of reincarnation. Whether or how much Digimon can remember from past lives depends on the setting.

Each species has an attribute. The attributes are Vaccine, Virus, Data, and Free. These attribute comes form how the species behaves and affects the Digital world. Vaccines benefit the Digital World, Viruses harm it, and Datas have no real effect either way. Free attribute Digimon are rare and don't fit any other category. Generally speaking, Vaccine Digimon are good, Viruses are evil, and Datas are neutral. This isn't set in stone and it's perfectly possible to have a villainous Vaccine, heroic Virus, or Data that leans either way. Attributes in some of the games also have a rock-paper-scissors lineup where Vaccine beats Virus beats Data beats Vaccine. Free is neutral to everything.

Evolution

Evolution, dubbed in English as Digivolution, is the process by which Digimon grow stronger and reach new levels. The levels, listed in Japanese/English are Baby I/Fresh, Baby II/In-Training, Child/Rookie, Adult/Champion, Perfect/Ultimate, and Ultimate/Mega. Some entries have an addition level called Super Ultimate/Ultra. Yes, the fact that Ultimate is used for two different levels in different languages has caused quite a bit of confusion. Another from of evolution is Jogress(join+progress)/DNA Digivolution. This occurs when two or more Digimon will merge to become a new Digimon of a higher level. Related to evolution is mode changes. A Digimon that mode changes will change to a new form, but does not actually change level (with a few exceptions). Mode changes are denoted by adding the name of the mode to the Digimon's name. An example of a mode change is Jupitemon mode changing to Jupitermon Wrath Mode.

Evolution in Digimon is much more varied and open-ended than in other franchises like Pokemon. In many of the the video games and especially the virtual pets, Digimon will have multiple possible evolutions that are not necessarily thematically related to each other. Evolutions are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Multiple different species of one level could evolve to the same Digimon of the next level. Digimon can also evolve back to a lower level and not necessarily to the same species they started as. An example is Agumon (a little orange dinosaur) evolving to Centalmon/Centarumon (cyborg centaur), then evolving backwards to Patamon (flying hamster). Many species have a "default" through line that is considered the standard for that species. These default lines are usually either designed to be thematically consistent with each other through every level or were depicted in one of the animes or mangas. Non-virtual pet and game media, such as the animes and mangas, usually give Digimon much more linear evolution lines with few if any branches.

Evolution often work differently between wild Digimon and those with tamers. Wild Digimon cannot evolve freely. As they live and battle, they will gain experience and power until they evolve to the next level. Once at a new level, they stay there until gaining enough power to evolve again or being wounded badly enough to be forcibly reverted to a prior level but not enough to be killed. Digimon partnered with a tamer will instead stay at a default level, usually Child/Rookie, but can evolve to a higher one with help from their partner. These evolutions are temporary and the Digimon will eventually revert to its default form.

Where do I start?

If you're looking for a way into the franchise, there are a few options. If you want to start with an anime I suggest Digimon Adventure (original, not reboot), Digimon Tamers, or Digimon Ghost Game. Adventure is the original anime and one of the few that goes for more than one season. Adventure is followed up by Digimon Adventure 02, a few movies, Digimon Adventure Tri, Digimon Adventure Last Evolution Kizuna and the upcoming Digimon Adventure 02 the Beginning. Adventure set the standard for how most Digimon stories work. It features a cast of human children, each with a Digimon partner, being lost in the Digital World and going through adventures as they encounter villains and try to figure out how to get home. It is heavy on plot and character development and is a lot of fun. Digimon Tamers was the first anime not set in the Adventure universe and goes into darker and more adult themes while still being fun. It's a lot of people's favorite season for a good reason. Be aware that the english dubs for Digimon Adventure through Digimon Tamers added a lot of jokes and other silliness that weren't in the original. The dubs are very hit or miss and pretty contentious in the fandom. I like them personally, but watch the one you prefer. Digimon Ghost Game is the most recent season and thus you will find a lot of people still talking about it. It is more focused on monster of the week episodes than running plotlines and has a strong horror vibe. Ghost Game, like many recent entries in the franchise, is aimed toward adults who were fans of the series as kids.

If you want to start with a game, I suggest one of the ones on Steam as they're easily available in English. Steam has Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, Digimon Survive, and Digimon World Next Order. Cyber Sleuth is an RPG that is probably the best entry point for people familiar with the Pokemon games as they function similarly. You catch and assemble your dream team of Digimon as you evolve them through higher levels and move through the story. Digimon Survive is a hybrid visual novel and tactical RPG which tells a more horror-based version of the classic "kids trapped in the Digital World" story. Your choices in the game affect the outcome and there are 4 different endings. The true route and ending is only unlocked on a new game + so play it twice. Next Order is a real-time RPG where you raise a pair of Digimon from egg to final form repeatedly as you move through the story and unlock new forms.

If you want to start with a virtual pet, the current one available is the Vital Bracelet BE. It is a fitbit-style health-tracking bracelet that pairs with an app and allows you to raise Digimon, with more exercise giving you better results. The VB has multiple DIM cards with more coming out regularly. Each DIM card unlocks new Digimon and evolution lines.

If you just want to see the different species and read their lore, there are two wikis: wikimon.net and the Digimon Wiki on fandom.com. I prefer wikimon. Wikimon uses Japanese terminology while the Digimon Wiki uses English terminology.

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