By giving people a voice that can reach anyone else in the world, the Internet can be a powerful tool for change. Online petitions can draw attention to, and offer solutions for, issues that negatively impact us all, such as unjust laws and inappropriate use of public funds.
And also, as one displeased Digimon fan is doing, call for changes to anime character designs we don’t like the look of.
With 15 years since the last installment of the Digimon Adventure anime, you’d think fans of the monster-rearing series would be happy to take what they can get in terms of new content for the franchise. It’s not like the producers of the upcoming Digimon Adventure tri. are putting together some slapdash nostalgia cash-grab, either, as the project was recently revealed to be an ambitious six-part movie series.
But for some long-time fans the excitement of a direct sequel to Digimon Adventure has been quickly dampened by the new character designs by artist Atsuya Uki. While some changes were inevitable, given that the members of the tri. cast are several years older than they were in the original series, some anime enthusiasts are complaining that Uki’s art looks too similar to the designs he created for 2012 fishing anime Tsuritama.
▼ Tsuritama
▼ Digimon Adventure tri.
Specifically, it’s the eyes that seem to be bothering old-school Digimon loyalists. Unlike the bright-eyed youths of the original, tri.’s leading men and ladies have smaller eyes, giving them sleepier, less expressive faces. We’ve already seen some fans take it upon themselves to redo the new cast in the style of the old, and now one fan, going by the screen name Ebisu on online petition site Change.org, is looking for signatures to make a direct plea for a redesign to the tri. production team.
Ebisu begins his appeal with:
“After the release of official images and teasers, many people online have come away with the opinion that the ‘the new designs seem strange.’
The new designs look different from those in the original Digimon Adventure, as you can easily tell from looking at the images. As such, you can surmise that people find them strange.
Many people are saying they don’t think they can get excited about the new anime because of this, so I am calling for an improvement to the Digimon Adventure tri. designs.”
Hardcore fan that he may be, Ebisu does seem to be making an effort to be reasonable in his demands. Right off the bat, he accepts that due to budget and time restraints, a complete redesign of the characters is not a viable option. And while he’s not taken with Uki’s designs, he’s not suggesting the designer should be fired from the project, either, as that would be an overly harsh blow to the artist’s reputation.
Instead, all Ebisu is asking for is a redo of the characters’ eyes. He’s even been considerate to include a few examples of the kind of “improvements” he’d be happy with.
▼ Proposed redesign (top) and Official Digimon Adventure tri. artwork (bottom)
If tri.’s art has rubbed you the wrong way too, you can sign Ebisu’s online petition here. Of course, given what scant plot details we know about the new anime, it’s entirely possible Uki’s drowsy designs reflect the fact that Taiichi, Hikaru, and their pals have all grown up to become cynical, sleep-deprived teens, but we won’t know for sure until the first Digimon Adventure tri. movie hits theaters on November 21.
Source: Jin
Top image: Are the Digimon Adventure tri. Character Designs Really OK Like This?
Insert images: Tsuritama official website, YouTube, Are the Digimon Adventure tri. Character Designs Really OK Like This? (edited by RocketNews24)