Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Digimon Adventure: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Digimon Adventure: Season 1 arrives on home media for the first time in the uncut and unaltered original Japanese version. This is the first time the original and uncut Digimon series has ever been available on home video in North America. From producers Kyotaro Kimura (Fushigi Yugi, Ultimate Muscle), Daisuke Kawakami (RahXephon, Hunter X Hunter), and Hiromi Seki (Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Lovely Complex), Digimon Adventure: Season 1 is an anime classic – an essential.

The series is similar to the Digimon version fans grew up on with television broadcasts but the release contains the entire series in said uncut form. Providing viewers the uncut version is the reason Discotek released it as a separate release (rather than as one set – because the English dubbed version is also available in its own unique box-set from Discotek). The box-set includes episodes 1-54 of the original Japanese language version. Fans who prefer the original language version will be pleased with the package Discotek has put together for Digimon Adventure: Season 1.

The summer camp season brings together Taichi, Sora, Yamato, Takeru, and the rest of the gang for one epic summer adventure. Though the summer season was only supposed to bring the group some simple fun and relaxation in the summer sun things go a different way. The summer camp ends up bringing the kids much more than they originally bargained for.

The kids are whisked away to the digital world. Taken to the land of Digimon… digital monsters. The Chosen Children must use their special powers and skills to work alongside the digital monsters. The Chosen Children fight against evil forces and manage to use every fiber of their being to battle vampire Digimon lord Vamdemon. The stakes are high and the kids must do whatever they can to fight for both the digital world and the human world.

Battling the evil vampire Digimon and his evil minions on File Island is no simple task. The adventures of the Digimon and the brave humans who fight beside them is only just beginning. Can the digital world survive? What will happen to the human world? The Chosen Children must stop Vamdemon from discovering the eighth member of the Chosen Children before it is too late.

Digimon has long been one of my favorite anime series. I still remember the first time I ever watched the series on television and how enchanted I was by the animation and the storytelling. The series became a favorite of mine quickly and it wasn’t long before I found myself glued to the television. I could never miss an episode of Digimon.

The series had it all – action, adventure, comedy, drama – and great imagination. It was an incredible series. The series has meant so much to me and to the countless others who grew up on Digimon. As much as I love the English dubbed version, it is a delight to now be able to revisit it with the original Japanese language version.

The characters are essential. Digimon wouldn’t be a classic anime without the terrific cast of characters: Taichi, Sora, Yamato, Takeru, and the rest of the gang add to the series with plenty of charm. The cast provides the right balance of emotional gravitas and excitement the series needs. The heart of the series is the characters.

The digital monsters the series is named after add to the fun, too. The digital monsters are just as important to the story as to the human characters. The Digimon might remind viewers of cute and cuddly Pokemon but the Digimon tend to be a bit different than what one finds on Pokemon – these digital monster characters are a bit darker and the themes a bit more compelling for a slightly older audience.

These aspects of the production added a lot to the anime – with the character designs by Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru (Digimon Frontier, Digimon Tamers) and Akiyoshi Hongo (Digimon Tamers, Digimon Frontier) adding so much wonder to the series. The digital monsters offer just as wide, diverse, and fascinating a mix of creatures as featured on Pokemon – just with the distinction of fitting into the style of the Digimon series.

The animation is one of the most exquisite parts of the series. The art style is daker and more complex in some respects when compared to Pokemon. Featuring chief animation direction by the great Naoki Miyahara (Dragon Ball Z), Digimon is a series with a compelling aesthetic that makes the world of the series all the more visually compelling. The style of animation is beautiful, creative, and engaging. The background art on Digimon is always creative and the series has a cinematic style that adds a lot to the production. The series also features top-notch art direction by Keito Watanabe (Digimon: Data Squad, Digimon Frontier).

Digimon features an outstanding score. The music is essential to the production. The series music adds charm, excitement, and energy. The score is a perfect accompaniment to the action scenes and these sequences are that much more thrilling because of the original compositions. It is a wonder what an impressive score can add to a series.

The scripts by Satoru Nishizono (Flame of Recca, Shaman King) add to the fun, too. The storytelling is at the core of the series charm. Digimon has such wonderful storytelling – the audience is taken on a fun adventure with the entire cast of characters. The writing feels ambitious, episodic, and serialized in a fantastic way. The scripting is certainly far darker than Pokemon. The series is even scary at times (at least for younger viewers), with elements like a vampire Digimon evil leader adding to the darker tone the Digimon universe established.

Hiroyuki Kakudou (Digimon Fusion, Digimon Frontier) is the chief director of Digimon. The series has an incredible sense of style and the visual element the director brought to the table added so much to the experience. The directing is dark, entertaining, and fun.  The series also finds moments of comedy and action-packed fun in spades. The series even manages to feel surreal at times (which is a wonder for a program aimed at a younger audience). Digimon also helped kick-start the career of the legendary Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Belle). Digimon is a classic for a reason: the filmmaking is top-notch for an anime series and there is a ton of fun to be had. What a joy for the Japanese language version of Digimon to finally be available in North America for the first time.

Digimon Adventure: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Discotek Media, Digimon Adventure: Season 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The presentation of the series preserves the original aesthetic of the anime classic. The Blu-ray release is sourced from standard-definition material. The standard-definition material has been upscaled using Discotek's upscaling methods to improve the presentation quality of the release. The presentation is reasonably good looking and the release offers a modest improvement over the standard definition DVDs. Though the upscaled high-definition presentation isn't as good looking as native high-definition visuals would provide, the upscaled presentation does offer a slight uptick in quality with good encoding and upscaling methods.

For individuals wanting to eek out every little possible detail with upscaling, the release provides the kind of quality a videophile is looking to find. The animation looks great with some improvement with the color reproduction. The source is limited as the animation was created during a transition period between cell-based/film-based hand-drawn animation and native high-definition animation in Japan. As a result, upscaling is the only possible solution to eek out more from the animation. Discotek provides the best possible presentation with the source material.

Digimon Adventure: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in Japanese uncompressed PCM 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless Japanese audio quality on the release provides an engaging experience for fans of the series. Discotek provides the original Japanese language version on home media in North America for the first time.

 It is important to note that the release only provides the Japanese language version. Fans will need to purchase the separate set containing the English dubbed version if they want to also own the English dubbed presentation. The Japanese language audio sounds clear and dialogue is easy to understand. Music is well reproduced and integrated into the sound presentation. The sound effects also sound impressive on the release. A quality encoding by Discotek Media.

Digimon Adventure: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release comes with a beautiful o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique artwork different from the cover-art underneath the slipcover. A nice design touch by Discotek Media. It adds to the collectible nature of the box-set.

Disc 4:

Clean Opening (HD, 1:36)

Clean Endings (HD, 3:23)

Next Episode Previews: 1st Broadcast Alternate Versions (SD, 3:22)

Episode Ending Cards (HD, 00:31)

Promos (SD, 1:00)

Art Galleries:

Chosen Children & Partner Digimon includes 92 click-through slides of illustrations.

Friends & Villains – Part 1 includes 49 click-through slides of illustrations.

Friends & Villains – Part 2 includes 102 click-through slides of illustrations.

Items & More includes 27 click-through slides of illustrations.

Digimon Adventure: Season 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Digmon Adventure: Season 1 is at last available in the original Japanese language version on physical media. The Blu-ray release marks the first time the original uncut Japanese version has ever been released in North America. The box-set includes all 54 uncut episodes. Discotek Media has done something amazing with the release by providing fans with the long-sought uncut version. With upscaling by Discotek, the release provides a upscaled high-definition presentation. The set also provides a nice selection of bonus features. The set comes with a nice o-card slipcover with key artwork different from the artwork underneath the slipcover. A must-own for Digimon fans. Highly recommended.