You might remember back in December when I wrote about the cartoons I grew up with and how today's cartoons suck. I was recently reminded of this when I plugged back into the Digital World in an old favorite cartoon of mine, Digimon. Remember this show? Eight kids and their unique monster counter parts having to save the real world and its digital counterpart from varying types of super hyped bad guys? Each episode saw them meeting different monsters and unlocking new powers. This was a great show, fun and engaging, with characters that I still love to this day (T.K. is my favorite, nice to see him so central in the second season). Even with the wild setting, wacky antics, and rather repetitive problems, Digimon was fun, and as I look back now, there is a little more I get from it.
This show had some profound messages about life.
So here's the common theme in the first season. Each kid is given a crest representing the trait that best represents them. These are courage, friendship, love, sincerity, reliability, knowledge, hope, and light. Given that the last one is kind of a stretch, but the others are essential qualities of life. Each of the "Digi-Destined" has a few episodes dealing with how they best fit their specific crest. Tai learns about being courageous, but not stupid, Matt learns about relying on others, Sora learns about her mother's love , and so on and so on. Each episode plays out in a way that makes the problems the characters face easily identifiable. Matt is bummed over his parent's divorce and not having to take care of T.K. Izzy is dealing with being adopted. Mimi is dealing with real responsibility.
Despite its fantasy wrapping paper, this series showed kids some real struggles that they might face as they grew older. And they also offered solutions. They may seem cheesy (and they are) but the message they offer is dead on. They are told things like, don't rely on yourself, don't be reckless, keep on working for what you believe in, never doubt the need for responsibility, and more. Kids have powerful imaginations, and they think about these worlds that they see. I know that as a kid I thought about what I would be like as a "Digi-Destined" and what my crest would be (will power). I would put myself into the world and it would enrich the experience for me. I can't say that I consciously thought about these life lessons and how they applied, but they were still a part of the world that I wanted to be a part of.
While not so life altering, there are other elements in the show that are very surprising. Characters like Angemon, Myotismon, Garudamon, Zudamon, and many more are inspired by religion and myth from around the globe. This is an excellent example of tangential learning. I was always interested in these characters and when I was able to look them up, I found their roots and was fascinated by the stories of what inspired them. My love for folk lore and myth has been partly inspired by this show, I believe. A show like this that takes from so many cultures is a great way to expose kids to new ideas and origins of beliefs in an accessible way. No one is forcing any of them to pursue knowledge, but it is opening the door for them.
I hope that it doesn't sound like I'm running off of nostalgia. Digimon was corny and poorly written, with some of the most cliche dialog I've heard in a while. It is not, by any practical definition, good. Still, it offers kids a lot of opportunities to learn and grow. Cartoons these days just don't offer the same kind of chance. They are flashy and entertaining but wholly insubstantial. How much thought really goes into these shows? You might think it isn't not be fair to compare an older Japanese anime with a modern American cartoon, but this is an example of how cartoons can be great. We grew up with this in America; it is just as much a part of our lives as it is to anyone in Japan. We benefited from it, so why can't later generations. There was a lot of care that went into this show, and subsequent seasons. The fun was balanced with the creative. We just don't see that anymore. I would support the bringing back of these kinds of intelligent shows to kids. I would love to be able to watch something with my son or daughter someday down the line and see that they aren't just distracted for half an hour, but that they are investing in it and being invested in as well.
I do have to admit, some of the digimon were really trippy. Nanimon? That's weird.
Just something to chew on.
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