"Every franchise has a black sheep". Retaining the director of Digimon Tamers and dispensing with the idea of digimon partners, opting instead to have the kids themselves do the fighting, I imagine there was a mix of skepticism and intrigue surrounding this one. What is certain is that the reaction was lukewarm, though that consensus has steadily become more positive. Though not without merit, the fourth installment in this franchise is too derivative of the first and second seasons and fails to replicate the sense of fun and drama that made its predecessors so enjoyable.
It really is remarkable that after two seasons that had so much invested in their narratives, the franchise would revert to the video game-like approach that once hampered it. Again, we are all familiar with the story so I am not going to waste time summarizing it. The first problem is that many of the elements of the first series are recycled, right down to the predominant journey-type structure and the group being separated multiple times, the primary difference being that the entire series takes place in the digital world, which, frankly, is a primitive and unwise change; it denies the sense of scope and completeness the others had due to the changing of the setting from time to time. The final villain is, once again, an ancient enemy that was sealed away long ago and there is yet another case of an opponent becoming a surprise ally. In other words, the overall problem is the comparative lack of originality. I commended the first three entries for different reasons: the first set the groundwork, the second set itself apart, and the third adopted more of a sci-fi approach. Here, it is just a bunch of kids trying to beat a bunch of monsters in a parallel dimension again; it simply fails to introduce anything new and substantial to the table. With its stronger atmosphere and intriguing revelations, the middle segment that concerns Duskmon and Chrubimon is the principle saving grace, and would have been an acceptable conclusion. Alas, the show persisted with a final arc that amounted to an excuse for more action.
While my opinion of the characters in Frontier has not drastically changed, I have come to understand a few appreciable things that inspire a mix of intrigue and regret. Much of the focus is on Takuya and Koji, who only come across as uninspired imitations of their season 1 counterparts. Interestingly, it is from the three lesser kids that Frontier displays the most originality. As mentioned, all of their significant moments and learning are condensed within the middle act with J.P. serving as the standout, revealed to have insecurity about superficially winning others over with cheap parlor tricks to make himself feel liked. It's a well portrayed internal struggle and easily one of the series' high points. There was also much untapped potential with Zoe feeling like an outsider and Tommy's encounters with bullying. Unfortunately, these more interesting character points are never fully capitalized on (Tommy's in particular receives a belated and perfunctory conclusion), mostly yielding to the overly familiar antics of Takuya and Koji. This is especially true during the final arc, where most of the group serves little purpose beyond walking video-game power ups, only exacerbating the blow that that final segment deals to this series.
The villains do not fare much better. In Frontier, there are 8 of them, although only two make any good impression: Cherubimon and Mercurimon. I find them interesting because they are conniving and devious, whereas the rest are brainless or incompetent, or both. The earliest ones do not accomplish anything and rarely press the heroes into a situation where they have to use some ingenuity to pull through. The main exception that comes to mind is the fight against Sakakkumon. The later ones function as nothing more than the obligatory cogs in a machine; they are simply an excuse to have a skirmish, treat your wounds at the end of the day and move on. They have a purpose, but not a very interesting one. Cherubimon and Mercurimon have distinct personalities and goals that are seen by the audience, and in contrast the rest of the lot comes across as non-menacing drones, especially the royal knights. I found it a great lost opportunity, to allow for a virtual absence of true relationships amongst the villains because Frontier had the advantage of having them work together early on, yet not much came from it. The only two with any notable relationship are Mercurimon and Ranamon.
As for the animation, it is actually one of Frontier's stronger points. The backdrops are noticeably more saturated in color than in the first two seasons, though sometimes this makes them look more flat than detailed, not unlike the original Pokemon series. This is thankfully avoided during the shadowy middle act. The character models themselves are kind of mixed. Those for the humans do not constitute an improvement, but the Digimon forms are surprisingly detailed, probably because the concept required it. However, it's evident that much of the effort was devoted to the main characters, as the animation and artwork for minor monsters looks comparatively awkward. The action sequences are what benefit most, possessing some of the same kineticism from the second and third seasons. I won't comment too much on the writing, but will say that nothing too thematically innovative is introduced with the possible exception of the political strife that preceded Cherubimon's corruption, although this is an idea without significant follow-through.
Yet, even with all its shortcomings, this is still Digimon, and retains that laid back feel that would disappear with the arrival of the fifth season. Nevertheless, this season just does not compare to its predecessors and is far from being the apex of the franchise. It is definitely NOT terrible, nor should it be automatically regarded as such because of that comparison, but it is still the least of the Digimon seasons.
It really is remarkable that after two seasons that had so much invested in their narratives, the franchise would revert to the video game-like approach that once hampered it. Again, we are all familiar with the story so I am not going to waste time summarizing it. The first problem is that many of the elements of the first series are recycled, right down to the predominant journey-type structure and the group being separated multiple times, the primary difference being that the entire series takes place in the digital world, which, frankly, is a primitive and unwise change; it denies the sense of scope and completeness the others had due to the changing of the setting from time to time. The final villain is, once again, an ancient enemy that was sealed away long ago and there is yet another case of an opponent becoming a surprise ally. In other words, the overall problem is the comparative lack of originality. I commended the first three entries for different reasons: the first set the groundwork, the second set itself apart, and the third adopted more of a sci-fi approach. Here, it is just a bunch of kids trying to beat a bunch of monsters in a parallel dimension again; it simply fails to introduce anything new and substantial to the table. With its stronger atmosphere and intriguing revelations, the middle segment that concerns Duskmon and Chrubimon is the principle saving grace, and would have been an acceptable conclusion. Alas, the show persisted with a final arc that amounted to an excuse for more action.
While my opinion of the characters in Frontier has not drastically changed, I have come to understand a few appreciable things that inspire a mix of intrigue and regret. Much of the focus is on Takuya and Koji, who only come across as uninspired imitations of their season 1 counterparts. Interestingly, it is from the three lesser kids that Frontier displays the most originality. As mentioned, all of their significant moments and learning are condensed within the middle act with J.P. serving as the standout, revealed to have insecurity about superficially winning others over with cheap parlor tricks to make himself feel liked. It's a well portrayed internal struggle and easily one of the series' high points. There was also much untapped potential with Zoe feeling like an outsider and Tommy's encounters with bullying. Unfortunately, these more interesting character points are never fully capitalized on (Tommy's in particular receives a belated and perfunctory conclusion), mostly yielding to the overly familiar antics of Takuya and Koji. This is especially true during the final arc, where most of the group serves little purpose beyond walking video-game power ups, only exacerbating the blow that that final segment deals to this series.
The villains do not fare much better. In Frontier, there are 8 of them, although only two make any good impression: Cherubimon and Mercurimon. I find them interesting because they are conniving and devious, whereas the rest are brainless or incompetent, or both. The earliest ones do not accomplish anything and rarely press the heroes into a situation where they have to use some ingenuity to pull through. The main exception that comes to mind is the fight against Sakakkumon. The later ones function as nothing more than the obligatory cogs in a machine; they are simply an excuse to have a skirmish, treat your wounds at the end of the day and move on. They have a purpose, but not a very interesting one. Cherubimon and Mercurimon have distinct personalities and goals that are seen by the audience, and in contrast the rest of the lot comes across as non-menacing drones, especially the royal knights. I found it a great lost opportunity, to allow for a virtual absence of true relationships amongst the villains because Frontier had the advantage of having them work together early on, yet not much came from it. The only two with any notable relationship are Mercurimon and Ranamon.
As for the animation, it is actually one of Frontier's stronger points. The backdrops are noticeably more saturated in color than in the first two seasons, though sometimes this makes them look more flat than detailed, not unlike the original Pokemon series. This is thankfully avoided during the shadowy middle act. The character models themselves are kind of mixed. Those for the humans do not constitute an improvement, but the Digimon forms are surprisingly detailed, probably because the concept required it. However, it's evident that much of the effort was devoted to the main characters, as the animation and artwork for minor monsters looks comparatively awkward. The action sequences are what benefit most, possessing some of the same kineticism from the second and third seasons. I won't comment too much on the writing, but will say that nothing too thematically innovative is introduced with the possible exception of the political strife that preceded Cherubimon's corruption, although this is an idea without significant follow-through.
Yet, even with all its shortcomings, this is still Digimon, and retains that laid back feel that would disappear with the arrival of the fifth season. Nevertheless, this season just does not compare to its predecessors and is far from being the apex of the franchise. It is definitely NOT terrible, nor should it be automatically regarded as such because of that comparison, but it is still the least of the Digimon seasons.