#robv26

[shihalyfie]

Why exactly didn't Appmon take off?

It was just a hard sell to begin with. Although it technically had Digimon branding, it was functionally trying to be a brand-new IP, and it just didn't manage to hit the magic levers to make it explode. It's not easy to make a new kids' IP that takes off.

I did hear that there were kids who really loved it, but it led to a very sad Amazon review "my son really loves this show, but nobody at school knows what it is, so they can't talk to him about it"...so clearly, the problem was not writing quality.

[just-absolutely-super]

Bradley/Pride (2003) vs Bradley/Wrath (Manga/Brotherhood)

Me circa 2014-ish: The president guy must be pride right? Since he's the president?

My brother: No he’s wrath…a little boy is pride

Me: HUH?!?!?!?

Tbh I didn’t really mind 03 Bradley, but he got kinda boring there after the reveal. Like they just focused on his arrogance and yeah, pride, but idk he just lost all his appeal to me?

Wrath Bradley was affable, and while he also looked down on humans, he was very good at working the crowd. Like, this guy would have been reelected in a heartbeat. That's why Mustang's coup worked so well, because the goal wasn't to turn the country against their leader, but the people who worked under him.

There was also something really compelling about Wrath Bradley when it came to his wife. Like he was trained from day one to be this super soldier type of guy...but it was him who chose to get married. I don't really know for sure if he did love Mrs. Bradley, but part of me liked to think he did.

03 Bradly didn't have that spark of humanity because he freely gave that up when he became a homunculus. And while I don't exactly blame the guy for keeping his bones at his house where he can keep an eye on them...it's was kinda dumb for him to put them in the hands of an actual child and not think this could have some repercussions (RIP 03 Selim)

Like, I think out of all of 03' homunculi, Bradley was the least offensive, but he was still pretty basic as a villain

[shihalyfie]

Do you have any links to the questionable Saban interviews?

I don't know about particular interviews, but frankly speaking if you look up just about anything Haim Saban has said about the IPs the company handled it probably won't take you long to find something questionable. Beyond just Saban, I'd say that some of the stuff Jeff Nimoy (one of the main dub writers for Digimon, but not explicitly Saban aligned) has kind of been on thin ice with his statements on the issue, but I get the feeling that a lot of it also has to do with him feeling a need to defend his work from modern criticism that can sometimes go a little overboard. A lot of anti-dub critics tend to pick some really unproductive and unhelpful hills to die on, and he often gets flak for parts of The Movie that really were not his fault, so there's a certain degree I can't entirely blame him.

[just-absolutely-super]

Edward 2003 vs Edward Manga/Brotherhood

I don't want to be mean to 03 Ed because the kid is downright tortured in 03

Like, first of all, Bones keeps him as a 12 year old during all the early manga stuff so jot that down

And everything afterwards just gets fucking WORSE to where they even SEND HIM TO THE FUCKING REAL WORLD DURING WW1 WHERE HIS REAL WORLD COUNTERPART GETS MURDERED BY A ZEPLIN

AND THEN THEY END 03 WITH HIM (and Al) BEING TRAPPED IN THE REAL WORLD AWAY FROM EVERYONE HE KNOWS AND LOVES

LIKE WHY DO YOU HATE MY SON???

WHAT DID HE EVER DO TO YOU???

But seriously, 03 Ed is just so angry and depressed all the time. Sometimes he'd be so hateful, it would be hard to like him at times. He had a right to be like that though, don't get me wrong, but it was so hard to root for him when he just kept getting kicked down and never really got to earn a happy ending. It just downright made me PISSED because LET THE KID BE HAPPY HE'S BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY!

Manga/Brohood Ed, though, I just always loved watching him progress through the story. Even when he had his low points, he kept getting back up and continuing on, fighting and kicking and screaming all the way through. He loved with all his heart and was determined to see it through that he and his family could earn a happy life after the storm

I just love Ed so much okay, he DESERVES EVERY GOOD THING

[just-absolutely-super]

Alphonse 2003 vs Alphonse Manga/Brotherhood

I did like Al in 03, though they really made him more naive here than how he is in the manga

Like, his dynamic with Ed in 03 is that he's the more innocent-natured child who sees good in people while Ed is more hard-hearted from the Trauma™

And like...that's not really a bad thing, but it's a little strange because Al has faced the same amount of trauma as Ed. Probably more now that he literally doesn't have a body!

I think the most offensive thing they did with Al was that they regressed him once he did get his body back. Like, I could buy that his body is still a child's, but did they really need to mentally regress him too? He literally lived years in the suit of armor. His body might not have aged but his soul did. Like...what the fuck was up with that???

If I had to chose, I'd definitely say manga/Brotherhood Al is my favorite. Just because I enjoyed his maturity and how he can carry on even without his brother around. The moment where he realized he wouldn't be able to fight with a frail, malnourished body and went back in favor of fighting in his armor was such a good moment for him. And then he sacrificed himself so Ed could have his arm back. Like DAMN I love Al so much!