Official Digimon Adventure: The Complete First Season

To start off, I want to explain that I am giving this the full 5 stars for what it is. And it is exactly what it says: the Official First Season, as the English dub. If it had implied Japanese versions or left it ambiguous (which it does not), I would have given it less. However, it promises only English. If you are looking for the original Japanese dub, this is not the set for you. There is far more visual editing between the versions than a set like this could handle for having both languages. So, to restate, for being the English dub ONLY, this set is stinkin' fantastic!!! Just a few physical descriptions: the box has a nice sleeve, nice set-up for all 8 disks, with each one featuring a picture of one of the 8 digidestined. The booklet includes basic pictures, digivolutions, and descriptions of each child and his/her digimon partner, along with its digivolutions. The menus on the disk are simple and straight-forward, and each disk menu has a different digidestined featured on the side (though these do not match up with the one featured on the disk itself, so don't try to use it as a guide to which disk you have in the player at the time). Special features: disk 8 includes 2 galleries of production drawings. These are by no means extensive, but give a really fun look into the details they include in each character. Many of the pictures are guides for the animators to ensure consistency of the drawings. One of my favorite parts is the close-up drawings of a given character's eye to show that they are each unique and must be drawn a certain way. And, for all those who always wanted to know....it shows Gabumon without his pelt! Story: for those of you who do not know Digimon, or who haven't seen it since you were kids and feel like, "well, that was fun at the time and all, but am I just going to ruin my fond memories of it by watching it now and seeing it as cheesy?", I have news for you. Yes, it has cheesy, silly lines. Yes, it is basically a kids show (and I highly recommend getting any kid you know hooked on it). But, it has much more to it than what is on the surface. It has a deep, meaningful story about growing up and maturing, about courage, friendship, love, knowledge, sincerity, reliability, hope, and light. It is about children who are thrust into a situation, into a world, where they are challenged, not merely physically, but mentally and in their hearts to seek that little seed of character or virtue inside themselves, and to grow through it. Their trials eventually draw out these traits and grow these youngsters from rash, confused, scared, lost, uptight, insecure children into more mature, selfless, loving, encouraging, brave individuals that can work together as a team through their distinct virtues. Kids can watch the show and see adventures of children with monsters. But watch it as an adult, and there is a deeper story to be found and enjoyed, as well. I am 26, and the more I watch it, the more I get out of it, and the more I love it. (Look up the original Japanese dub and the Japanese novelizations and it gets even deeper!) So, please: Purchase. Watch. Enjoy. (^-^)

Like many others, Digimon was the first anime series I ever watched. Having recently gotten back into anime, I decided to revisit this piece of my childhood. To my delight, it has (for the most part) held up. One reason, I believe, is that despite being aimed at kids, it doesn't talk down to its audience. Instead, serious moments are treated with respect, and nearly all the Digidestined show considerable character growth over the course of 54 episodes. Personally, my favorite parts of this season are the Myotismon and Dark Masters arcs (episodes 26-52), as those features the best character moments and the best baddies. The storyline with Izzy and his family is particularly touching and chokes me up occasionally. Additionally, a solid cast of voice actors help carry the material. Mona Marshall (Izzy) is the most consistently good, but many of the others shine in the later episodes, especially Joshua Seth (Tai) and Philece Sampler (Mimi). Now, that said, there are a few drawbacks. Firstly, as is common with longer anime, the story takes a while to get going. The early arcs aren't as engaging, although they introduce some key supporting characters. Secondly, some of the humor is really cheesy. Thirdly, there are a few moments where it is glaringly obvious that the dub censored something (He shot my paw!). Thankfully, there was nowhere near as much of that as in the infamous 4Kids dubs of shows like One Piece. In short, if you're nostalgic for your first anime or wanting to introduce your kids to anime, you can't go wrong with Digimon.

Having grown up in the 90s, Digimon was a huge part of my childhood, and I've been waiting for an official release of the first season for years. Now that it's finally here, I can safely say that if you watched this show growing up, this is a must-buy. The box set contains all 54 episodes from the first season, plus a really neat color booklet that features a lot of cool artwork from the show. The picture quality of each episode is exceptionally sharp - I had torrented some bootleg versions of this show that I thought were pretty decent as far as picture clarity goes, but I think this beats out all of them. The only caveat to all this is that the packaging is unfortunately pretty flimsy. As soon as I opened it, the rod that holds the eight discs in place in the middle of the box snapped off at the top. That and the box doesn't seem to want to close unless you have the cardboard sleeve on top of it. Apart from that, the actual content you're getting is great. I was surprised how well the show itself has held up after all these years - some of the writing in each episode is a little cheesy, but a lot of it is very funny, dry humor, and the scope of the show alone should earn Digimon a place on the list of the best anime shows from the late 90s.

In August of 1999, I was enjoying the premiere of Digimon on Fox Kids like so many others. I enjoyed the first season, then the second, and the following seasons. I bought the movie on DVD with my allowance, and like so many others I wondered 'When are the season going to be on DVD?', yet my answer never came; Until today. As soon as I saw these up for order they immediately went in to my Wish List. I didn't have the cash right away. Being a Gamer, Otaku and general Nerd were never the cheapest of hobbies, I admit. So when I saw them on sale a few weeks prior to this review, I jumped on them. However, when they showed up, around the 9th of June, I was wrapped up in my Gaming hobby (e.g. Watching and reading about E3, jumping on the Microsoft hate wagon), and didn't immediately have a chance to open and check these sets out (I bought Season 1 and 2 and thought to myself 'Finally, I have all the Digimon avaliable on DVD', only to be dismayed by an email Amazon sent me but a few nights later in regards to ordering Season Three and preordering Season Four. Well played Amazon). I wish I had sooner, for they are amazingly well done. Before I get to the Pros, I shall do the Cons first, since there are very few. Firstly, as stated, both of these sets come with booklets. However, they do not actually fit that well in the DVD case, and I find its impossible to actually close the cases with the booklets in them. A minor inconvenience, at best. Secondly, and this one does somewhat bother me, the second season I receieved had small case damage, because of the booklet on the inside. Parts of the inner case around the area to stick your fingers in to open the case are cracked and factured outwards. They still connect solidly to the case itself, and have no sharp edges to really speak of, so I don't find this as a major thing. I am a collector, but I find this not to be a super huge issue, so I feel others might not. This also may not be common and could just be something that happend to my set specifically during shipping. Cons done, on to the Pros! These sets are simply beautiful. The slipcases are very well done, they feel solid, and lack any flimsiness that I find in other slipcases all too commonly. They feature foil over the actual Digimon title in the logo, and it really sets off the shiny finish of each slipcase. In addition, the added booklets, while not going to deep, are more than enough as companion pieces. As a nice extra, the first seasons booklet also lists the characters japanese counterpart name (e.g. Matt is Yamato Ishida), a fun little additon, although it doesn't help to remind us that this set is English voice over only. No japanese or subtitles here. I didn't find this too large of an issue, as this is how I originally saw the show, but the option would be a nice addition if they do reprints (I may even double dip for it). The cases that hold the discs are nothing special. They're the same multidisc boxes Funimation likes to use. The hold firmly in the slipcases, and hold each seasons eight discs safely. The discs themselves are well done as well. Each one features character artwork with their digimon. The exception is in the last two discs of Season two, which feature the grown up previous digidestined, three on each disc. They also feature the episode numbers and titles for what are on the disc, making it easy to find those episodes you remember and love, or to simply keep track of which episode you are and were to continue off. In conclusion, these sets are what the fans deserve. The lack of japanese language options with subtitles is the only real reason not to get this. If you grew up watching this like I did, its exactly what your inner child wants, so purchase it. Seasons Three and Four are to include japanese with subtitles as an option, I have read, meaning there is no reason to pass those up at all. FlatIron Film Company did an amazing job. They stuck to the nature of the series, packaged it beautifully and I get the feeling they respect what they wanted to do with this set, and wanted the fans to have something to be proud of. I certainly am.

I remember the late 90's when the first wave of Pokémon knock-off animes were coming out. This one was the best of the lot. It starts off with 7 kids at a summer camp. A strange storm whisks them all to another world with strange creatures called Digimon and they all realize that now have a unique electronic device called a Digivice that had some connection between them and these Digimon. As the story progresses and the secrets of the Digital World become known, it turns out that all 7 do indeed have a lot more in common that they originally thought. Despite the seeming childishness of the show, it is quite well-written and has a complex and layered plot. There was a direct sequel in season 2 and three more seasons with various connections to the original. This is the first time the complete first season has ever been available in the US on DVD. This is an 8-disc boxed set with a custom outer sleeve. All 54 episodes are included. The discs are all dual-layer DVD9s, which allow for quite decent video and audio quality. This set only uses the US dubs, but they were fairly good.

I have been a fan of this show since 1999 when I was in 1st grade. Now that I am 21 I must admit, I still love the show. I am so thrilled that this is finally available to be purchased! I have been wanting this for awhile now, and I finally decided to treat myself. I am sooo happy with the product, the packaging is nice, just normal dvd packaging. It is exactly as shown above, the case has no issue closing or staying closed, at least mine doesn't, as I had read in a review below. It does include this nifty little booklet, telling about the characters. A nice little extra, although a few of the things in the booklet are incorrect, only diehard fans would know, and lets face it, if you are buying this you are. Only watched a few episodes so far and it's great quality. The beginning sequence plays before every episode, so it's just like watching it on T.V back in 1999. I can not be happier with the product! I highly recommend, even if you are just on the fence about it, just do it, you won't be sorry.

When I heard that Digimon was going to get an official release I was honestly shocked but super excited! For years I've wanted to own this show like Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z, Digimon was a big part of childhood. I would watch the show religiously every Saturday morning back when shows were worth waking up early for. WarGreymon was awesome! At the time I found Digimon more interesting with it's characters and story compared to Pokemon. Digimon aired from 1999-2000 and was produced by Saban Entertainment. The DVD Boxset is housed in one of those brick keepcases and has trays for each of the 8 discs. It also comes with a very nice slipcover that has the Digimon logo embossed and shining. I really like slipcovers they standout on the shelf and don't get lost in a sea of dvds. The disc art features the Digidestined and their Digimon partner. Tai & Agumon on disc 1, Matt & Gabumon on disc 2 etc.and it has the episodes on the discs so you know where each episode is located. It's quite a hefty set due to all the discs, to add a little something extra the set comes with a guidebook. The books is more of a character bio thing it has info on the kids and shows the Digimon and their Digivolution's. The book also has the lyrics to the the songs on the back but the weird thing is it's the Japanese themes. The dub never used those songs but it's nice to have the lyrics translated in case you are a fan of the original music(really cool songs by the way) The only extra feature is a look at some of the character models and designs located on the final disc. The set retails for $79.99 but Amazon is so awesome that I got my set for $35.99. (There's also 3 individual sets for season 1 if the boxset isn't the route for you) The 1st season features 54 episodes which is the whole thing. These are the same episodes you would see on Foxkids. These episodes are edited for broadcast but the folks at Saban were less strict when it came to editing compared to 4Kids Entertainment, even with some silly lines and jokes it's still a good dub. Once I started watching I couldn't stop, I haven't seen Digimon since it's last airing on tv and it just brought me back to my childhood fond memories and all. This is the way I remember Digimon and if you grew up with it you know how great the show was. The New Video Group has all my thanks and graditude. Please support the official release Digimon Fans! : )

I was excited to get this 8 disc collection. 54 episode. I'm a huge fan of Digimon and specifically this season. I was extremely disappointed by receiving this instead, which is only a 3 disc set, 21 episode. Difference in price, I paid 45.99 and this copy would be 21.99. I have already went thru the process of a replacement, to get the correct order for this item I placed. Hopefully what will arrive is what I paid for. I am sending this wrong item back. Looking forward to this problem being solved. Not sure why it happened.

Perfect for childhood nostalgia. Fast shipping and arrived in perfect condition.

J'écris ce commentaire pour ceux qui souhaiterais en savoir plus sur les rivaux n°1(A l'époque...)de Pokémon,a savoir,les Digimons!!! Tout d'abord,une généralité qui me semble importante:Comparé à Pokémon,Digimon est un animé beaucoup plus sombre(rien de méchant, je vous rassure)car lorsqu'un digimon est vaincu au combat,il meurt!(Chose qui n'arrive quasiment jamais dans Pokémon!) Il y a 3 saisons réparties sur environ 9 coffrets,commençons par la Saison ou tout a commencé,la 1ere:On est plongé dans un univers très exotique ou une bande de gamins va devoir(sans surprise)sauver le monde.Les jeunes héros(et leurs digimon) ont tous un caractère bien à eux et ,pour moi,c'est ce qui fait la force de cette série car à l'époque,je trouvais que cette première saison était LARGEMENT supérieur à ce que proposait Pokémon dans le meme genre!Humour,combats haletants et scénario très riche font de cette 1ere saison un véritable trésor de l'animation japonaise!!! Passons à la suite directe de la saison 1:la saison 2!Comme bon nombres de suites,la déception est au rendez vous et c'est peu dire!Reprenez la plupart des éléments qui ont accordés le succès jusque là,ajoutez une pointe de nouveauté et vous obtenez la pire de toutes les saisons!!!On a l'impression de suivre une émission de télé-réalité à la digimon:Ca parle,ça parle,ça parle(toujours pour dire la meme chose en plus!)et avec des personnages qui sont très loins d'ètres attachants et charismatiques(mention spéciale pour 2 petits nouveaux qui me rendent dingue chaque fois que je les entends,insupportables!!!)...Quasiment pas de combats et,surtout,une utilisation à outrance des scènes de transformations ce qui gàche la saison entière:on a vraiment du mal à accrocher et à croire que le monde est en danger...Les 2 raisons qui m'ont motivé à regarder était les origines du très célèbre"Blackwargreymon"et une VRAI fin ce qui n'était pas le cas pour la première...Une saison plus que dispensable donc... Et maintenant la dernière(et non des moindres!),la Saison 3:Reboot total!La 3eme saison coupe tout lien avec les précédentes de nombreuses façons:Une ambiance encore plus sombre que les 2 autres et une bande son"Rock métal"qui colle parfaitement à l'intrigue!!!Le seul point noir de cette saison étant le personnage principal qui est,à mon gout,un peu trop pleurnichard mais ce "défaut"est vite eclipsé par le caractère de ses 2 copains qui eux sont très matures pour leurs ages!Cette saison surpasse presque la première saison!!! Voilà donc mes impressions sur cette série qui mérite vraiment que l'on y prète attention!

Es hat mir gefallen das man die Dvda auf deutsch und in Englisch jetzt Zuhause hat da kann man wechseln und was mir nicht gefallen hat das der deutsche Film für mich nicht auf Englisch gestellt werden konnte.

セリフが英語なのは勿論、Opening・Ending、作品内のBGM全て、アメリカの軍歌(？)のような全く別の曲が使われています。 雰囲気は全く別物。音声変更だけでここまでAmerican Tasteに仕上げることが出来るとは驚きです。 とはいえ、この低価格で名作が楽しめて大満足でした★ Let's digivolve !!

I was at that sweet age when Digimon & Pokemon began airing- so this purchase was very much a nostalgic one. The quality of the casing is excellent, the artwork is great and the discs all came securely attached in the DVD holders- I have had issues in the past with damaged cases/holders (even from brand new purchases) however these came secured and unwrapped. The season is split into two cases, with all the Season 1 episodes. The quality of the episodes is great! There is occasionally a blurry outline that lasts seconds on some scenes- but only worth mentioning to be accurate in review. I prefer to watch DVDs with subtitles, which aren't available on this set- but it doesn't seminish it at all and the sound is clear, sometimes a little loud lol Nostalgia feels and just good honest fun, "kids" shows aren't made like this anymore- moral and intelligent questions are raised and issues around self confidence, friendship and integrity are addressed without being cheesy or in your face about it. In short- I love these DVDs and recommend to all who grew up watching the series and/or have kids who can enjoy an awesome show with great characters and a surprisingly good plot for a cartoon show!