In this article, the writer gives sixteen reasons as to why he feels Digimon is better than Pokémon, and virtually all of the reasons are terrible. Now, I’ll admit I am a massive Pokéfan and have a very biased opinion in favour of the Pocket Monsters as opposed to the Digital ones, but I’m also not against Digimon in any way. I saw a few episodes and the film way back when (although I got very, very confused about the latter) and I have plushies of Patamon and Gatomon, and I really love Lunamon’s design in particular. But I’d just like to refute each of these sixteen reasons one by one, since most of them haven’t really researched into what Pokémon is all about - and it does seem like a LOT of these points are based on the respective anime series rather than taking into account the games, which are more my area of expertise. After the break line!
1) The opening. Now, the point talks primarily about the visuals, which I personally don’t think are super impressive for either of the shows - at least not for their first seasons. And it’s a bit of a shame that Pokémon’s first few openings were basically montages of clips from episodes themselves. But, come on. You have Mewtwo and Mew flying through the cosmos at the very start and Tentacruel smashing a building, and the backwards shot of the starter evolutions showing off their moves (and lovely Venusaur just... standing there). I feel like Digimon’s first opening is messy, to say the least, and not really more visually impressive with all that weird pastel-coloured WordArt in the background. But let’s face it - what is the original Pokémon theme best known for? THAT RIDICULOUSLY CATCHY THEME SONG. Yeah, you can sing “DIGIMON, DIGITAL MONSTERS, DIGIMON ARE THE CHAMPIONS” all you like, but which theme is known more? Even to non-fans of both? "I WANNA BE THE VERY BEST LIKE NO ONE EVER WAS!" Seriously, it plays in nightclubs because it’s so popular. Also, just as a heads up here, this author seems to forget that Digimon is indeed a much darker show while Pokémon was NEVER intended to be that way, so any comparisons about Pokémon being “too cute and happy” are null and void, since it’s not meant to be a show about killing people or whatever. (Although see point 9 in my rant for more on that.)
2) Talking Digimon versus the lack of talking Pokémon. Firstly, Meowth is not the only talking Pokémon. Secondly, they can still communicate with humans. Hell, Pikachu repeatedly says nothing but its name, but Ash still understands what it’s trying to say! And I personally feel that the lack of human speech just deepens the personal bond between trainer and Pokémon - they can communicate beyond actual speech. Plus, this point goes onto realism (as if that point can really be considered in two franchises aimed at children/young adults), and if we’re going that way, I feel that it would be rather strange to have dogs suddenly speaking human languages.
3) Colours and purpose. Firstly, does it even matter if the Pokédex doesn’t come in multiple colours (even though there are different colours)? There are SO MANY VARIANTS of the Pokédex, and most of them are based on the Nintendo handheld systems themselves, which I think is an amazingly creative touch. You can also customise Pokédex skins in Gen. 5. It’s not a Google for Pokémon either, since you have to have actually seen the Pokémon first before any data for it will appear, but then it will provide helpful information on location, etc.. And really, for some trainers, the main items of connection between themselves and their Pokémon are their Key Stone and the Pokémon’s Mega Stone, which provokes Mega Evolution. The range of important items in Pokémon spans generations, really. I don’t know if there are many other important items in Digimon, but I’ll choose a Pokédex any day, thanks.
4) Permanence of evolution and instant ability to evolve rather than training. First off, Mega Evolution is not permanent, nor are form changes. So there’s that. Secondly, if you like Pikachu more than Raichu, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO PREVENT IT FROM EVOLVING. Pika to Rai is a terrible example anyway, since you have to force a Thunderstone on it rather than level it up, meaning there’s no immediate danger of having your Pikachu evolve during a battle. As for level up-based evolution, YOU CAN STILL PREVENT IT FROM EVOLVING, and even in the anime Pokémon have prevented themselves from evolving on purpose, without the trainer’s intervention (Ash’s Bulbasaur, Dawn’s Piplup, etc.). I’ll admit that devolution would be a nice feature to have, but that’s what Pokémon breeding is for, and, again going for the horrible realism argument, growing up is inevitable. And it’s nice to have your partner Pokémon grow alongside you rather than constantly reverting to its base form. Besides, as far as I’m aware, if you preferred your In-Training or Fresh Digimon to your Rookie Digimon or above, you’d have to let it lose lots of energy or become severely injured rather than be able to instantly devolve it, and how is that a nice thing to do? (I may be wrong on this part, so apologies.) As far as training’s concerned, there are many Pokémon which evolve without training (and Pikachu is just one!), but why is training a bad thing? Work hard for what you want to achieve!
5) Characters. Look, I’m not an expert on either anime. But I sure as hell know that there are way more than three main characters in the Pokémon series. (In the Buzzfeed image alone from the first season, I can see five - since the author conveniently missed out Pikachu and Togepi as characters. And then there’s Team Rocket and all of their Pokémon, Professor Oak, Gary Oak, Delia, Tracey, Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny...) No, the roster changes after a couple of seasons, and I honestly think that having Ash as the central focus throughout is a nice touch - we’re on this journey alongside him, after all. I’d honestly relate more to Ash than I would to any of the seven Digidestined - more doesn’t necessarily mean better, nor does variety, since you don’t really have anywhere to focus your attention. Also, saying that Ash and the other characters lack depth is a very unfair statement. We are left to imagine Ash’s backstory concerning his father’s identity; Brock is the eldest of ten siblings and has a complicated relationship with his father; Misty is the youngest of four sisters who constantly feels belittled by them and wants to prove that girls can prove to be formidable trainers as well. And I identify with Jigglypuff, thank you very much.
6) Selfishness of characters. What. Seriously, WHAT. I have one word for you: movies. I’m pretty darn sure Ash REPEATEDLY saves the world from destruction - he’s even in flipping ancient island lore, for Christ’s sake! Yeah, on a normal day, he’s just a kid who wants to collect all the badges and Pokémon, but who doesn’t want to be doing that? The two shows have very, VERY different purposes, and making this comparison is unfair. He has meaning to his actions: HE’S DOING WHAT EVERY OTHER KID WANTS TO DO AND TRAINS HARD TO MAKE HIS TEAM STRONGER SO THAT HE CAN GET TO THE POKÉMON LEAGUE AND ACHIEVE HIS DREAMS. If that’s not motivation, then I don’t know what is. How on earth does that make him selfish? The fact he has to keep dealing with Team Rocket and helps out the people he meets on his travels already disproves that!
7) Crests versus Gym badges. I think the crests look hideous, honestly. I don’t really care if they’re emblems of traits of the beholder. Key Stones and Mega Stones serve the EXACT same purpose regarding evolution, and they are far more individual to the beholder. That Mega Anchor, tho. As for badges, saying they’re worthless is a load of beeyess. They are instrumental in making progress, since Pokémon cannot use particular moves without the possession of some badges, such as surfing and scaling waterfalls. I’m sure there’s some power in that! And they’re symbols of the trainer’s bond with his or her Pokémon, allowing the trainer to actually progress to the Pokémon League. You get turned away if you don’t actually have them all (although it’s pretty much impossible to even get that far without them all anyway). Plus, there are so many badges now, and I think the originals in particular look beautiful, especially the Rainbow Badge. Whereas the crests look like mini coffins or something. Eew.
8) Villains. Now, I won’t deny that Devimon looks damn terrifying and murderous, and it sucks that characters were killed off because of Digimon’s villains. But Mewtwo did the exact same thing in the first movie. A Pokémon that killed its own creators in a fiery explosion because it was questioning its own place within the world? Crud! A Pokémon that actually killed the MAIN character of the show? Damn, son! I cry every time. Mentioning just Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket is a terrible comparison, since they’re MEANT to be comic relief. However, Giovanni of Team Rocket is, when he’s not in his tropical wear, a force to be reckoned with, actually trying to get said killer Pokémon to join forces with him and control the world. Lawrence III in the second movie always scared me as a kid. I think it was that sultry voice. And then there’s all the other villainous teams with goals of expanding the land and sea with devastating consequences, recreating the entire universe, and creating Shadow Pokémon which are bent on destruction. Look at flipping Shadow Lugia. Jesus. And again, Digimon is ultimately the darker show of the two, and it really depends on the preference of the viewer - I prefer nicer, more upbeat shows which don’t scare the bejeebers out of me.
9) I’m not even going to reference the header to this one. But I just want to, in addition to reinforcing the above point about Mewtwo, say: LATIOS. THE DEATH OF LATIOS IN THE FIFTH MOVIE IS THE SOLE REASON I CAN’T WATCH POKÉMON HEROES ANY MORE. LATIAS LOST HER BIG BROTHER BECAUSE OF A VILLANOUS TEAM. AND FLIPPING MAROWAK WAS KILLED BY TEAM ROCKET AND SHE LEFT BEHIND HER BABY CUBONE. AND FLIPPING ASH KETCHUM WAS KILLED BY MEWTWO (albeit temporarily) AND I SOB SO HARD EVERY SINGLE TIME. AND I SOBBED AT LUCARIO AS WELL. AND YOU’RE TRYING TO TELL ME THAT NO CHARACTERS WERE KILLED OFF? EFF YOU. Even away from the deaths, there are some truly heartwrenching moments, such as Ash and Sam trying to nurse Celebi back to health after its forest is gradually destroyed. Also, “that’s just not reality” is stupid since we’re talking about flipping electric mice and digital monsters here.
10) Storytelling. How exactly is Ash travelling the land and training his Pokémon and evolving them and winning battles and earning badges and achieving his goals NOT progression? I’m baffled. (I must say though, that gif of Koromon is absolutely adorable and it’s distracted me quite a bit in writing this mammoth rant.) I’m not gonna stick to this point too much as I’m honestly not an expert on either anime series.
11) Cliff-hangers. Again, not an expert, but I’m pretty sure that wondering if Ash and the others had survived a sinking ship in the first series counts as drama. Plus, why the hell do I want to have extreme anxiety and emotional problems from watching a kids’ cartoon? You do you, OP.
12) Growing up. Fine, I’ll concede this one, since I do actually agree that Ash really should be older at this point (around 30 now) since he’s travelled and gained so much experience. Even if the timeframe were different and he was only five years older by this point, I think it would make all the difference. But the Digidestined growing up SO early on is what honestly confused me so much when I watched the film for the first time. I thought I had been watching two films in one since I didn’t recognise any of the original cast (even T.K.), and it didn’t really work for me. Having the main character not grow up makes the series instantly recognisable, regardless of the year.
13) Becoming a Digimon/Pokémon. You CAN become a Pokémon in the Mystery Dungeon series, and those storylines are some of the most brilliantly-written in the entire Pokémon franchise. Do I feel like a Chikorita? Hell YES I feel like a Chikorita! And I’m gonna have a little cry over the ending, too. And I’m fairly sure Ash became Pikachu for a brief time, too, while Bill turned into a Clefairy. Otherwise, this spiritual Digivolution malarkey just looks like the main character... putting on armour. And not actually becoming a Digimon. And certainly not ME becoming a Digimon. Either way, do I really need to feel what it’s like to be either a Pokémon or Digimon to honestly enjoy myself?
14) Design choices. This argument reaches out within the Pokémon fandom itself as the generations progress, and I’ll admit I am a bigger fan of the first three generations rather than the following three. But there are duds from every generation and gems from every generation. And criticising Trubbish as an example is ironic given Garbagemon also exists. Also, I feel like most Digimon are just humanesque, armoured warrior-type-things which just don’t appeal to me at all. Again, I love Lunamon’s design and a few other Digimon’s designs, but there are allegedly over 1000 Digimon - and most honestly look similar to me just because they’re armoured versions of another. I know that Mega Evolutions are kind of similar to this, which is why I was initially very hesitant about them, but I just don’t see these humanised Digimon as monsters or creatures, whereas Pokémon are more akin to existing animals and seem slightly more familiar.
15) That last point takes me very nicely to the next point in the article. I’m quite dumbfounded that the author thinks Digimon could actually exist in reality. Seriously. I was almost convinced at this point that the author was a troll, but turns out he was entirely serious. Yeah, neither are going to be a reality, as disappointed as I am that Pokémon will remain fictitious. Besides, if either would be more plausible to exist, then surely it’s Pokémon since many resemble actual animals. You know, just a point. But sweet Jesus, Digimon can apparently exist in our world, according to this guy. Good luck with that, Japan.
16) Thing is, Digimon hasn’t actually ended, either. Also, bringing in a whole new cast of characters was confusing, as mentioned previously. And Pokémon brings in new characters, too - Misty and Brock haven’t travelled with Ash for years now! Saying Pokémon isn’t making any progress is like saying slugs can fly. It’s Nintendo’s second-biggest cash cow, so there’s no chance of Pokémon coming to an end any time soon. Plus, if they run out of Pokémon ideas, I’m sure they can just slap a few pieces of armour on existing Pokémon... Oh, wait!
I apologise for this lengthy rant. I love Pokémon with my heart and soul, even if I don’t always agree with the decisions Game Freak makes, and even if the anime is pretty pale in comparison to the games. I’d love to get into Digimon as well, and I’m sure it has its points which are even better than some of Pokémon’s. I mean, it started off like Tamagotchi, and I can totally get behind that since I love my pixel pals! And the anime may well be more interesting than Pokémon’s, for all I know. But this article does a poor job of convincing me that Digimon are better since all of the points it’s using against Pokémon just aren’t true... except for Ash not getting older, of course. Ash will live forever and still be ten years old. What’s that boy drinking?
Paper artist Calvin Nicholls meticulously construct paper sculptures of animals. By creating a 3D sculpture, Nicholls uses a haut-relief-effect, which he fully explain with images and words here. The complexity of his pieces require a number of weeks to careully construct with pieces of paper, scalpels, scissors, and X-ACTOR knives.
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