Title: Digimon
Volume: 1 (of 5)
Creator: Yuen Wong Yu
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: Toei Animation Co.
US Publisher: Tokyopop
Release Date: 3/11/03
Pages: 160
ISBN: 1591820766
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Rated: Y (Youth Age 7+)
Description: Seven kids enjoying summer camp are suddenly and mysteriously transported to another world ... a realm of amazing digital creatures that call themselves Digimon. With the help of their Digimon, the kids battle evil forces to save the digital world and to make their way home.
Contains Chapters 1-7:
- Chapter 1: Beginnings
- Chapter 2: I’ll Have Mine Super Sized
- Chapter 3: Rising From the Ashes
- Chapter 4: Izzy Meddles with Technology
- Chapter 5: Oh, Poo!
- Chapter 6: Batteries and Malicious Intent Not Included
- Chapter 7: Joe and Gomamon’s Eggcelent Adventure
Review:
Cover: As I have not seen the original covers for the Japanese Mangas, I can not really judge on this factor, so I shall just judge as a whole how I feel on the US Covers.
The Front has a nice Pic of Tai and Agumon. The background appears to be some sort of purple cyclone effect. The title, “Digimon: Digital Monsters,” appears on the top. They use the US title logo, which kind of bummed me. The Bottom has a small, golden “1” which represents the Volume Number. Directly on the bottom/center is the Mangaka. On the side is a yellow pattern with the Tokyopop logo on it.
The Spine of the Digimon series really surprised me. It has the same yellow design as the left side of the front. From top to bottom are the Mangaka, the Series Title, part of Patamon, and the Volume Number. What surprised me was the image of Patamon. The image is not whole for a reason. When more Volumes are released, they make a picture. So if you collect all the mangas the picture will be complete.
The Back Cover has what most covers have. To start off the background is purple with some data designs. We have on the left the continued yellow design, with the “Tokyopop” logo on the top. The Series Title is in the center at the top. Underneath that is the Volume Summary. To the left side of the Summary we have the 100% Authentic Manga Stamp. To the right side is the Anime picture of Tai charging forward, while Agumon is in an attack pose in front of him. As for this image, I did not care for that much. They could have been a little consistent with the design on the cover and not switch to an image from the Anime. They should have added another Manga Version pic.
As for the cover as a whole, I really enjoy it, but that’s not the only thing to look for in a Manga.
Artwork: The Digimon Manga is not that old, so the Artwork is fairly new looking. I don’t really have any complaints. The Art is clean and consistent, which pleases me a lot. Every Chapter includes a nice title page as well, which is a bonus. I don’t like seeing the title on a page with bubbles. It becomes hard to find at times and a nuisance.
Translation: The Translation to Digimon is fairly accurate. Since it aired in the US and never had a proper sub release when it came out to DVD, Tokyopop left everyone with their English names (Kind of a disappointment since it is Unedited). Another thing I did not care for was the Sound Effects. They were all dubbed. This is one of the only New Tokyopop Titles that I have seen this in. It doesn’t bother me that much however, because Tokyopop does it in a way where the letters almost look like the same font as the original version, not really tampering with the Artwork that much.
Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): I love the manga version of Digimon. It pretty much cuts all the filler episodes from the series, and just puts it to the point. This Volume for instance begins when the children are already in the Digital World. They don’t start off a Summer Camp. What’s the point of starting there when they can introduce it as a somewhat small Prologue?
The first Chapter is basically the children meet up, as they all have a Digimon. They are attacked by a wild Digimon. All the Children’s Digimon transform into Rookie level and they manage to escape.
The Volume is basically just about Beginnings. Each Chapter in this Volume mainly deals with the Children trying to find a place in the Digital World, as well as get acquainted with their Digimon. By the end of the Volume, and a lot of action later, we still don’t have any questions answered on why the children were summoned to the Digital World, or what is their purpose. We also get a new Digimon at the end of Volume 1 that seems to be a threat, another mystery for people who have not seen nor read the manga before hand.
All in all, if you want a quick fix of action and adventure, Digimon is for you. It has a lot of action, as well as some character development for readers to enjoy. Who knows, maybe you will get hooked.
Objectionable Content:
- Language: No
- Violence: Yes
- Nudity: No
- Sexual Situation: No
Where Purchased: AAA Anime
Overall Rating: 3/5
Original Review Date: 11/11/03
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