One of the most important animes for millennials returns 35 years later

If we start singing “Since the world changed, we are much more united,” I’m sure you can continue the song. Now, Toei Animation has announced the highly anticipated premiere of Digimon Beatbreak, which will be released on October 5, as part of the anime programming for the fall season. This new title comes after the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the original Digimon series in Japan and promises to offer a unique and different experience from what fans have seen so far. Something strange was happening, Digimon were digi-evolving. Digimon Beatbreak introduces an original concept focused on the […]

If we start singing “Since the world changed, we are much more united,” I’m sure you can continue the song. Now, Toei Animation has announced the long-awaited premiere of Digimon Beatbreak, which will be released on October 5, as part of the anime lineup for the fall season. This new title comes after the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the original Digimon series in Japan and promises to offer a unique experience different from what fans have seen so far.

Something strange was happening, they were digivolving

Digimon Beatbreak introduces an original concept focused on ‘e-Pulse’ energy, which is generated by human thoughts and emotions and is used as a power source for technological assistance devices known as ‘Sapotama’. However, this advancement is not without problems, as it causes the emergence of strange creatures from the shadows, thus presenting a darker and more technological approach compared to previous installments of the franchise.

The story follows Tomo Tenma, who after meeting Gekkomon, embarks on an extraordinary adventure to discover the true origin of his Sapotama. Along with his friend Kyo Sawashiro and the Golden Dawn team, Tomo will face new challenges and reflect on his purpose, while exploring the possibilities of the future that humans and Digimon can build together. This interaction between technology and human relationships embodies the essence of contemporary anime.

The series is directed by Hiroaki Miyamoto, with Ryota Yamaguchi in charge of the composition. The character design is the responsibility of Takahiro Kojima, while Kenji Watanabe is in charge of the Digimon design and Arisa Okehazama of the soundtrack. As for international distribution, details about which streaming platform it will be available on are still unknown, with options like Crunchyroll, Disney+, Prime Video, or Netflix in the running.

Tamagotchi’s Surprising Legacy: How Digimon Rose from Virtual Pet Root

On paper it seems really easy: Digimon is a plagiarism of & Gross, too. But things, at least in Japan, are usually not that easy.

On paper it looks really easy: ‘Digimon’ is a plagiarism of ‘Pokémon‘. And a crude one at that. The series starring Ash Ketchum began airing on April 1, 1997, and the Digital World series would not arrive until March 7, 1999, two years later. But things, at least in Japan, are not usually that easy. Get ready to digievolve on this trip to the late 1990s, because curves are coming. Well, digicurves.

Digimon Masters Online DOWNLOAD
The free MMO of the famous Digimon series

Now everything is out of control

On November 23, 1996, Bandai launched in Japan what was to become the key toy of a whole generation: the Tamagotchi. If nobody in your class burst into tears because the bug had died in the middle of math class, you didn’t live in the late 90s. The toy sold by the bucketload almost immediately, especially to women, and the company saw a huge opportunity: what if they released another virtual pet, but this time for children?

On June 26, 1997, the famous toy company once again tried to revolutionize the Japanese market with the male counterpart to the Tamagotchi: the Digital Monsters, or Digimon for short. It was not so different from the previous year’s invention, except that in this case the monsters fought each other. And of course, new mechanics had to be added, such as making it lose weight by training it to gain strength or healing it before it could start another battle. All very macho, apparently.

Digimon sold 14 million units and of course, an animated series had to be prepared to accompany the sales. As chance would have it, in the same year as the Tamagotchi, a small studio called Game Freak launched a small creature-trapping game called Pokémon for the Game Boy… And so began a false rivalry that, in the hearts of several generations, Nintendo won.

By the way, if you’re curious, in Japan you can still buy Digimon virtual pets (the latest, Pendulum Z, came out in November 2020)… and Tamagotchi, which has had more than one resurgence. Although, of course, where there’s a Pikachu, millennial nostalgia be damned, right?

Digimon Masters Online DOWNLOAD
The free MMO of the famous Digimon series

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