Throw-Back Thursday Review: Digimon V.02

Title: Digimon V.02
Volume: 2 (of 5)
Creator: Yuen Wong Yu
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: Toei Animation Co.
US Publisher: Tokyopop
Release Date: 5/13/03
Pages: 160
ISBN: 1591820901
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Rated: A (All Ages)

Description: Now that every Digimon except Patamon has Digivolved, the Digidestined kids become the targets of the powerful and cruel Devimon. And Devimon isn't the only threat -- Etemon, a rockstar-gone-wrong Digimon with countless lackeys under his control, won't settle until he has the Digidestined in his own evil grasp. But the kids, in their travels, discover a hidden chest containing empty tags. If the Digidestined can each find a personalized crest, the tags will help their Digimon Digivolve to an even higher level. It's new quests and new dangers in this second exciting volume of Digimon!

Contains Chapters 8-14:

• Chapter 8: Heartbreak Hotel
• Chapter 9: Ghost Town
• Chapter 10: A-Maze-Ing Race
• Chapter 11: The Lion’s Share of the Battle
• Chapter 12: An Angelic Transformation
• Chapter 13: A Whale of an Adventure
• Chapter 14: Tokomon’s Great Escape

Review

Cover: The second cover of the Digimon manga looks rather nice. Just like the first volume, volume two has another profile picture of a DigiDestined. This time it is of Matt and his Digimon Garurumon, and its Rookie form as well. The background is green with some white blended into it, which gives it a cool effect. The top has the series’ title, with the American logo. The bottom has the volume number and underneath it is a lot of info concerning the Digimon manga staff. The right side has a yellow strip with the Tokyopop logo on it.

The spine is done up nicely. From top to bottom we have the Tokyopop logo, the mangaka’s name, the series title, the continued picture of Patamon from volume one as well as part of Agumon, and the volume number. I like how they use pictures that connect to other volume pictures in this series. It’s a little extra bonus, since it makes the collection look more complete with all of the pictures connecting as a whole.

The back cover has the continued yellow on the right with the Tokyopop logo. We have the same green background from the front, but more white exposed, making it look like a ray of light. The top has the series title followed by a summary, which doesn’t give a lot of info on what to expect in this volume. After that we have the ‘100% Authentic Manga Stamp.’ On the right of the stamp we have a picture of Matt and Gabumon.

As a whole, this cover was nicely done. One of the better covers I have seen from Tokyopop.

Artwork: The Digimon manga artwork looks almost exactly like the anime art. The pictures all run smoothly together and not one bit of bad transfers from the original master copies that were used. All the title pages are kept intact as well.

Translation: The translation of the Digimon manga is closer to the original storyline then the translation of the domestically released anime. The plot is left unchanged. The only things that were changed were character names and sound effects. The sound effects are translated, but, they do it in such a way that it does not take away from the artwork.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): Volume two of Digimon continues where the first volume left off. Our heroes have just encountered Leomon and another new Digimon, Ogremon. A battle begins for two chapters, well one chapter really (the DigiDestined end up at a giant mansion, where the two Digimon attack them again. The mysterious Devimon is also at work and splits the DigiDestined up for most of the remainder of the volume.

The main focus of this volume is on the separate DigiDestined as they try to find a way to get back to their friends. In the end, they all manage to get back to the main part of File Island, where Devimon attacks the DigiDestined one last time. In the end Patamon finally Digivolves to Angemon, and Angemon defeats Devimon, then regresses back to a Digi Egg.

Our DigiDestined think the battle is over, but a new adventure begins for them; a mysterious hologram of a man named Gennai appears. He gives them details of tags and crests to help their Digimon Digivolve to a higher level. Thus the second arc begins and a new villain, Etemon, emerges. Will the Digidestined be able to find their crests?

This volume contained a lot more content that was worth reading then volume one contained. Also, the story begins to take a darker turn in volume two. Digimon is worth picking up for a quick read. It has plenty of action and comical humor that a lot of people will enjoy.

Objectionable Content:

• Language: No
• Violence: Yes
• Nudity: No
• Sexual Situation: No

Overall Rating: 3 (Out of 5)

Where Purchased: Orbits (Local Anime Store)
Original Review Date: 12/19/03