The main reason that I found this one entertaining is that it introduces a new situation, granting it a freshness that allows one to look past its many, MANY shortcomings. Given that this is the beginning of the journey through the Digital World, I didn't expect too much to happen. Otherwise, the unfocused story, which is overly devoted to sitting, walking and banal chatter, would have been more of a problem.
The animators definitely took the opportunity to make the Digital World distinct from the first incarnation. Whereas the one from the first two seasons is colorful and diverse, this one is desolate and more abstract, with the nexus of Earth's information network being the most prominent feature. Not much advantage is taken of the this in the long-run, as many settings over the next stretch of episodes are stale and artificial, making the Digital World more an expansive hazard than a place the kids develop an attachment to, a problem because, in the end, it is intended that we want to see this place saved from destruction. But this episode doesn't suffer from that, and allows the group to express wonderment at this place.
Much of the first half is devoted to speculation on the mechanics of the Digital World, which works fine, but the meandering storyline gives rise to other issues. Very few elements are given the opportunity to gel or be explored properly, and the result is the pervasive feeling of an obligatory product. Every single interaction within the group is lightweight and perfunctory (e.g. Takato and Henry's pointless/redundant discussion). The seriousness of the situation is lost on the group, and the attempt to teach them otherwise towards the end is botched. Sure, it establishes that the Digital World is a dangerous place, but these developments are so rushed that very little has any impact. Meramon and the Jagamon are thoroughly unimpressive so far as minor digimon go. The former gets offed frustratingly quickly, rendering the resulting memorial scene hollow, and the Jagamon are a fine double whammy of annoying and pointless. This episode really needed more moments like Takato staring into the night sky, moments that make us believe that there might be something amazing down the road.
The art direction is also pretty mixed. I liked the stark transition from day to night, which helps greatly in terms of atmosphere, but there is also an abundance of boring, static shots of the group just standing around. Through all of this, Makuramon is the lone ray of sunshine. His frustrations with retrieving Calumon lend most of the episode's scarce energy, while the brief introduction for Majirmon gets one looking forward to the next confrontation.
The animators definitely took the opportunity to make the Digital World distinct from the first incarnation. Whereas the one from the first two seasons is colorful and diverse, this one is desolate and more abstract, with the nexus of Earth's information network being the most prominent feature. Not much advantage is taken of the this in the long-run, as many settings over the next stretch of episodes are stale and artificial, making the Digital World more an expansive hazard than a place the kids develop an attachment to, a problem because, in the end, it is intended that we want to see this place saved from destruction. But this episode doesn't suffer from that, and allows the group to express wonderment at this place.
Much of the first half is devoted to speculation on the mechanics of the Digital World, which works fine, but the meandering storyline gives rise to other issues. Very few elements are given the opportunity to gel or be explored properly, and the result is the pervasive feeling of an obligatory product. Every single interaction within the group is lightweight and perfunctory (e.g. Takato and Henry's pointless/redundant discussion). The seriousness of the situation is lost on the group, and the attempt to teach them otherwise towards the end is botched. Sure, it establishes that the Digital World is a dangerous place, but these developments are so rushed that very little has any impact. Meramon and the Jagamon are thoroughly unimpressive so far as minor digimon go. The former gets offed frustratingly quickly, rendering the resulting memorial scene hollow, and the Jagamon are a fine double whammy of annoying and pointless. This episode really needed more moments like Takato staring into the night sky, moments that make us believe that there might be something amazing down the road.
The art direction is also pretty mixed. I liked the stark transition from day to night, which helps greatly in terms of atmosphere, but there is also an abundance of boring, static shots of the group just standing around. Through all of this, Makuramon is the lone ray of sunshine. His frustrations with retrieving Calumon lend most of the episode's scarce energy, while the brief introduction for Majirmon gets one looking forward to the next confrontation.
