Digimon Universe and Applimon

[MasterDJ]

So, in the midst of all this Digimon Adventure Tri and card games and vidya games and what not, I noticed a weird picture on Gelbooru. This was weeks ago mind you, and it showed what was obviously some photoshopped out heads of prior goggle boy Digimon lined up with the various show logos (minus tri, of course). I didn't think much of it as I figured it was someone on the internet being confused.

Then Applimon, a new Digimon anime/game/mobile app/toy line that I would not have known about had it not come up on a Nintendo news site I frequent, and only because a 3DS component to this is on the way.

I refer you to a Digimon blog called Bokutachi no Digital World which I think Jess originally showed to me years ago and I haven't been back since the first mutterings of tri being a thing.

http://bokutachinodigitalworld.blogspot.com/

Digimon Universe is apparently part of the anniversary project for the franchise and part of Japan's recent trend of connecting everything across devices as part of a media blitz. I've seen it work wonders in the past for some companies (Capcom and Monster Hunter, Rovio and Angry Birds for an American take) and others..not so much (SquareEnix had some fancy transforming car game that I thought looked cool but it sputtered out so damn fast it had no chance of getting out of Tokyo much less the western world). Needless to say like any classic way of getting out content it is a risk and a half.

Applimon looks to not follow the usual Child => Adult and so on formula and instead uses combining (App-Gattai) like Xros Wars before it, though at least Xros Wars gave some idea as to where on the power structure the Digimon were. This...X_X; I am not sure. Even the first combined form and more than likely the Greymon/XVmon/Growlmon/Agnimon/GeoGreymon/Shoutmon X4/Arresterdramon of the show I can't tell if it's even a large sized creature given the anatomical choices.

The names aren't exactly original, Gatchmon is fine and looks like a cross between a dragon and a beast type while also being based on a Search application, but then you have the Google Maps looking Navimon, the music player Musimon..and then the Veemon/Gumdramon looking Dokamon which fuck if I can tell what his app icon is. Character design is by the same person that did the ones for Gundam Build Fighters (if you haven't watched that seriously why the fuck have you not go watch it) but the director is known for..Pretty Cute. >_>;; The Digivice, called the AppliDrive, has a voice that though I thought was the VA for the Gokaiger's gear he is sadly not but it's kinda catchy.

So..thoughts? Since every Digimon media anything eventually has an affect on Dial Up I want your thoughts on this. Honestly I am...lost for words. I should be happy, I really should, but I am just baffled at this. I want to say that I've had a feeling like this before and have been proven wrong like with Sentai and Kamen Riders in the past but unfortunately those feelings were spot on with the couple NOT GAIM and NOT NINNINGER shows, and my willingness to give things a chance took a punch to the gut thanks to Kamen Rider Drive. I was honestly excited for Savers and Xros Wars and those shows did not fail me in terms of enjoyment. Hell, Savers is still my favorite show, beating out Tamers of all things. The use of apps sounds great and a foregone conclusion given how that's how our tech works nowadays, but something just isn't hitting that note for me yet.

That and the new goggle boy lacks a proper "ta" name (though hey, so did Masaru and he rocks) and has a bland design that looks like they decided to copy Sakaki Yuya from Arc-V (which if you're not watching it fucking watch it honestly this is better than any YGO has any given right to be) and Hoshikawa Subaru from Ryusei no Rockman. Seriously, who was the color man on this job, there is too much red to be having green hair.

...But yeah, sound off!

[Yoshino Shurensuki]

...though at least Xros Wars gave some idea as to where on the power structure the Digimon were.

They did? Fuck if I could figure anything out. Power Levels seemed based around the concept of RNGsus and how hard you could blew on the dice when you rolled them.

I literally couldn't finish the series. X_X;

Like... the entire 'gattai' concrpt is a good one and I like it, but I guess I felt like the execition was terrible? I dunno, Cros Wars just generally confused the fuck out of me. @_@

As for the apps, given that's the base theme, I'm not surprised. ^^; Though I didn't directly notice the App connection. *>_>*;;

It is kinda like the Daedalus Oracle and Crown Phone had a baby that then had App babies that became Digimanz.

The idea that the data in a Smartphone could give way to Digimon all based on the app data isn't super far-fetched given what we have in DU. Gaeaden, for one... >>;

Luckymon, Trixmonn, Sugarbearmon... we've done similar theme-concepts. *^ 3^*

I repeat that I thought it was a game advert. @_@ I knew 'Digimon World' was the game and they usually brought out games first. I think what feels odd is the lack of hype and sort if "stumbled over this clipping in the back room" feel that Universe has.

There's some neat concepts, and the phone thing started in Cyber Sleurh, didn't it?

It gives me a SMT: Devil Survivor 2 feel, which plays into DU's whole shtick.

Maybe it really has come around to, "Holy shit they finally just straight-up hijacked our stuff, where's my damned tinfoil?" That might be helping the lack of feelings?

I'm currently passing out and not as coherent as I probably could/should be. Mostly rambling.

[ Post made via Android ]

[MasterDJ]

Xros Wars was relatively easy to follow in terms of power I think.

Shoutmon = Child, Ballistamon = Adult, Dorulumon = Adult, Starmonz = Adult, Shoutmon X4 = High powered Adult, low-tier Perfect, Shoutmon X5/X4B, X5B = Perfects, high-tier Perfect ala HolyAngemon, low-tier Ultimate

Greymon = Adult, Mailbirdramon = Adult , MetalGreymon = Perfect, DeckerGreymon = Ultimate

Least that's how I saw it and have generally translated it over here. Even Shoutmon at the least has been retconned in the card literature as a Child level.

That reminds me, I still need to buy Devil Survivor 2. Loved the shit out of the first one.

But yeah, I'm just..shocked it took this long. I mean now that the videos released I'm hearing stuff about it but in the past the barest amount of info had to be released before the net exploded in mad speculation. Pictures definitely existed before the videos and I only saw like one thing on gelbooru hidden among tri images and porn. X_X This campaign snuck up on me.

[Akurei Nagisa]

On Xros Wars: Eh, I see your point, but the problem was that was never obvious in the action. >____>;;; Like it was always THIS NEW XROS IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO ACE (SITUATION) up until some new opponent all DBZ'd their shit and they were 1000 years too early to defeat him but then Taiki reaffirmed his whatever and they got back innit.

Also those character designs did not help. >_____>; Some stuff from Xros Wars was kinda cool (Shoutmon was neat, Deckerdramon was cool, Baalmon was okay and a good source of inspiration) but on the whole, man, shit did not inspire. I guess part of the problem is I'm lukewarm on gattai? But I mean I love sentai-style gattai, or at least I've learned to thanks to such as ToQger and Ninninger (thrones on thrones on thrones), it was just...Xros Wars always felt like Zyouhger cube gattai. >_____>;

* * *

On Kamen Rider/Sentai Times: Hey. Hey. Maybe Makoto is a siscon, but Ghost is still a decent KR series! >_> The Eyecons have been a really cool gimmick, and the Soul Forms were all actually neat!

It's only recently taken a turn into Garish Final Form Land, but REAL TALK CORNER: we've been there since Wizard, okay??? That's just where we exist now. We tolerated the guy who turns into a literal diamond and the guy who became a fruit bowl, then we tolerated (sort of, most of the Internet loved it for Reasons Unknown) the guy who became a stupid fucking race car, so now we have Kamen Rider Crystal Dragon Jesus and his friend the Deep Rainbow Unicorn.

(Which is hilarious because Takeru basically fulfills the prophecy set forth on the D-Sketcher of Jesus charging up the power of all his friends for one final attack, but that's neither here nor there.)

But the weird ghosty intrigue plot is still pretty cool and fairly intact from what I understand! >_> So let's not write it off yet!

...On the sentai front I uh....

...Uh...

Well I mean if you like...cubes...and...dumb shit...?

Look Zyouhger has a pretty cute shark girl?

...Yeah I got nothing else. ._.

* * *

On DIGIMON UNIVERSE APPLIMONSTERS: Yeah I...I don't know about this. X_X; Gatchmon is creepy, I think, and while the rest of the little mascot fuckers are decently cute I guess, I'm really less than thrilled to hear about another weird deviation from the normal evolution schema for reasons of what's probably a toy/app gimmick??

And that AppliDriver my god. >____>;;; That is the most toyetic toy-selling device I've ever seen in my entire life. Like the effects in the trailer were neat, but that's a Digivice??? Especially in a world where the Digimon come from smartphone apps, why not just...use a smartphone? X_X; Them encountering canon Digimon will just make this whole thing even weirder to parse, too. X_X:;;;;

The goggle boy's design looks like they wanted to make a Soma clone and stuff him in Hoshikawa Subaru's clothes minus the visor, and my God they're just not even trying with how hard they're telegraphing these roles. GOGGLE BOY IS HERE, DUMB SIDEKICK IS HERE, GIRL IS HERE, DARK HERO/INITIAL VILLAIN RIVAL GUY is here with a Hackkmon (that won't cause confusion later on.)

So yeah. >__>;;; I'm not exactly jazzed about it. <_<; Maybe the plot will go somewhere really cool? Betting not, though.

[MasterDJ]

On Xros Wars: Normally, sir, those are fighting words but I'll just stand behind the ratings and franchise sales and feel superior. Granted, even I will admit I wasn't the biggest fan of the Young Hunters chapter and despite all else Xros Wars still falls into a distant third place with me while Savers and Tamers fight daily for the number one spot.

On Kamen Rider: I really should try Ghost more, I suppose. Darren even found me a place to just stream the episodes instead of download so I have no excuse. Perhaps I'll do that today.

On Super Sentai: You can't drag me into watching Zyuohger. I just sat down for episode clips and that shit irked me. I also still believe the casting director was a troll when the shark woman's human form is played by a cute woman with lips hentai artists wish they could properly render for fellatio scenes. Superb lips, for chrissakes.

Back on Topic: Gatchmon is OK to me. He's no Shoutmon or Guilmon but at least he's easier to draw than Agnimon? ^^;;

And yeah, well... OK, Xros Wars explanation for the need of DigiXros I bought. Story wise evolution is more closely related to the original card game and V-Tamer 01 explanation that Digivolving takes a fuck long time to get to Ultimate or even Perfect. DigiXros is basically cheating for the sake of survival.

App Gattai is lost on me. DigiXros still felt like it fit the Digital World's take on survival of the fittest, this is just piggy back riding from the looks of it. I'm also bothered that Dogachhimon or however the crap you spell it looks like the bastard love child of a three way between Omegamon, Shoutmon, and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Also, Omegamon cues AGAIN? Shoutmon X4 was pushing it, this is just shameless.

The AppliDriver isn't just toyetic, Jesus knows it is, but the DESIGN. WHY. It can't be a smartphone it has too little actual touch space and the damn thing still uses an LED set up when touch screen tech has reached a level of affordable that should not make this a thing. Keep in mind the XrosLoader toy had COLOR SCREENS. This is a step backwards, especially if all it does is read QR codes. It doesn't help that when I was in Japan years ago I saw toys that looked like it for lesser franchises that could barely afford OVAs to put with the toys. There is a level of cheap I can't ignore to this design.

And don't get me started on the use of Hackmon as some villainous looking Digimon. That shit may have worked for Greymon in Xros Wars but not here. Greymon has been around for this franchise as long as Pikachu has been for the Pokemon franchise, they can afford to futz with his design. Hell that's why the Xros Wars and Savers GeoGreymon are my favorites of the line, they add more ferocity and functionality to what was just an orange dinosaur with a funky helmet. Hackmon though... Hackmon has been tied to the Adventure series since his creation in the card games. He made his game debut in a Digimon Adventure game that never left Japan and was only on the PSP which at the time was already a damn corpse, and only recently has been seen animated thanks to Tri where...he has yet to do shit. But the story told of him in the card game in his quest to be a Royal Knight and his designs have been some of the strongest non-humanoid design in the franchise and a great read if you take the time. But reusing him only now and with a villainous bend just seems wrong on so many levels.

Recall Falcomon and Kudamon from Savers. Originally they came from the Digimon Accel device with completely different designs, but were redesigned for Savers. If you actually look at their original designs they weren't the most marketable, with Falcomon looking like a creepy brown bird with teeth and Kudamon having no..real body wrapped around a bullet with very distracting purple marks all over it. Their redesigns made sense, especially when you consider Yatagaramon, Falcomon's Perfect, it was hard to tell how many legs it was supposed to have. With Hackmon they got all the cues right and hell, he even has goggles. He's a great anniversary Digimon wasted in the marketing for Applimonsters. If they wanted to use an established mon so much to shake things up I would have suggested Guilmon or hell, Wormmon even. Can you imagine a threatening looking Wormmon design? It's not terribly difficult to make a bug look sinister.

[Jason the Great]

I enjoyed Xros Wars ; 3; is that bad

Tho I had a hard time gauging what power levels were, I never felt that interfered with the story.

Ya, no, this new series doesn't have my interest basically at all, tho. I don't have as many specific criticisms as you guys as I've seen relatively few Digimon series, I just think it doesn't look good.

[ Post made via iPad ]

[Crescent]

Yeeeeah absolutely no interest from me >_> It clearly feels like it's unabashedly aiming young to get on the card/phone game multimedia craze.

[MasterDJ]

Hence my biggest worry. Yes, let's move a key franchise into a mobile space. That'll draw the kiddies!

>_>;;;

[Crescent]

Well, feels like more of an expansion than anything. Still targeting their older fans - Tri is a much bigger hit than they anticipated, and is complimented by the Vita/PS4 games.

[MasterDJ]

Oh? You got numbers?

[tentacleGrape]

Reminded me a bit of the Yokai Watch tie-in type nonsense where they're reaching for more markets between not just the vidya games, but also physical merchandise and what not...granted, in this case, the "physical merchandise" refers more to applications and QR Codes.

In a way, not surprised that they made a decision to change their scheme in this way, but not sure if it'll work in the same fashion :(

[MasterDJ]

I do like the watch toy, true. I just wonder about the consumer space over there given how much more Japan clung to smart phone apps and development than...pretty much everyone else.