I enjoyed this serial. This is definitely the most unique entry of the franchise, and it provided a lot of unpredictable elements that kept me invested while all accumulating to one major plot point, though if I were to be honest it's more tamed demeanor kinda gives it a slow start.
Let's start with the story, like I said, the story is kind of slow and seems like it is low risk at first. The smaller level corrupted Appmon are going around causing inconveniences for everyone. Doing mischief via their application. The other issue is they kinda bring back these stories even if the story advances kinda giving it a filler-ish feel. Once the plot starts moving, the gears start turning. The actual evil Appmon really pose a major threat to the heroes. Going as far as to blackmail, kidnap and try to destroy them by any means. What makes it even more interesting is despite the fact that the villains and the corrupt Appmon escalade in strength or abilities as the story goes on, is NOT just a convenience, it actually plays a major role in the key story, to the point where even the characters question it.
The main characters; Haru was a rather interesting approach. While he is not the only Digimon protagonist to get strong character development, (Takato, Takuya, Tai, Matt, Ken) He is the first of his kind that is introduced as a shallow wimp in the beginning, literally labeling himself unworthy of being a main character. But once he obtained his Appli-Driver you really see his development, to the point where you feel proud witnessing him smirking at his greatest obstacle while summoning his strongest appmon. Rei too had growth, which does appear generic, like the lonewolf that leans towards the 'Nakama' phase. But when it came to his actual tool of development, his brother (Who was kidnapped by the main villain BTW) it really brings out the humanistic side of him as he shows to be emotionally unstable and irrational when worried, which makes his need for people to be around him to help lower his worries as they promise on another to strive towards each objectives, Rei grows to be more trusting as those around him also develop to grow trustworthy and reliable. Astra at first glance made me cringe a bit, as a youtube parody that spits catchphrases with his appmon I'd end up being a little annoyed by his first, I'd assume people think he'd be a comic relief with no real reason to exist other than be comic relief right? Nope, surprisingly he has a role model-like personality, who soon develops as a character that balances his responsibilities with his passion, he's shown to not be one to rebel against the cards he was dealt with but rather go along for the ride. He's definitely a character who developed in his own right as a very responsible denizen of his culture, despite his personality. Eri is a great example for a great female lead being both charismatic and confident. Even though she sort of spews catchphrases like Astra when I first encounter her personality I don't get that annoyance out of her at first glance. She shows vulnerability, she shows growth via hard work, and because of that growth it inspired an evil Appmon to betray its original master, all the way to tears. Because of her cheerful personality, its kinda hard for me to not like this individual.
The Appmon themselves kinda work like any other Digimon's development, as their growth usual reflects that of their human counterparts. Though they have their own personality like, Gatchmon and Hackmon originally being with their human friends as a means to an end as well as Musimon and Dokamon just wanting someone friends. As the series progressed you can see the strong level of trust the Appmon and their buddy (Tamers) to the point where they would want to warn them not to get involved anymore out of concerned for their lives. Although, thinking about it now that scene did have issues regarding future after effects if they actually did decide to part ways.
Now a lot of people are going to hate me for saying this, but, Leviathan is by far, the best written villain in Digimon history. Mainly due to the fact that he appears as a badly written villain at first. What with infecting Appmon that just cause nuisances, kidnapping Rei's brother, sending his evil Appmon one at a time to attack the protagonists' Appmon. and releasing his trump cards later in the story instead of using them first hand. What makes this support Leviathan as the smartest villain instead of a generic one is that everything connects in ways you'd never expect! I won't spoil how, but once you understood Leviathan's main goal and how he was willing to achieve it you'd soon realize that everything he did happened for a reason!
I would mention minor characters but that would be diving into major spoiler territory. I will hint that Yujin and Rei's brother, Hajime are not any average minor characters and are strongly connected to Leviathan's goal in ways you may not believe.
Overall this series isn't perfect, nor is it like any other Digimon series. But if you were ever to try this series, I strongly recommend you be patient when waiting for the plot to move. Again, this series is slow, but has great pay off once you see everything is connected, even some of the episodes you may have thought to be pointless filler.
Let's start with the story, like I said, the story is kind of slow and seems like it is low risk at first. The smaller level corrupted Appmon are going around causing inconveniences for everyone. Doing mischief via their application. The other issue is they kinda bring back these stories even if the story advances kinda giving it a filler-ish feel. Once the plot starts moving, the gears start turning. The actual evil Appmon really pose a major threat to the heroes. Going as far as to blackmail, kidnap and try to destroy them by any means. What makes it even more interesting is despite the fact that the villains and the corrupt Appmon escalade in strength or abilities as the story goes on, is NOT just a convenience, it actually plays a major role in the key story, to the point where even the characters question it.
The main characters; Haru was a rather interesting approach. While he is not the only Digimon protagonist to get strong character development, (Takato, Takuya, Tai, Matt, Ken) He is the first of his kind that is introduced as a shallow wimp in the beginning, literally labeling himself unworthy of being a main character. But once he obtained his Appli-Driver you really see his development, to the point where you feel proud witnessing him smirking at his greatest obstacle while summoning his strongest appmon. Rei too had growth, which does appear generic, like the lonewolf that leans towards the 'Nakama' phase. But when it came to his actual tool of development, his brother (Who was kidnapped by the main villain BTW) it really brings out the humanistic side of him as he shows to be emotionally unstable and irrational when worried, which makes his need for people to be around him to help lower his worries as they promise on another to strive towards each objectives, Rei grows to be more trusting as those around him also develop to grow trustworthy and reliable. Astra at first glance made me cringe a bit, as a youtube parody that spits catchphrases with his appmon I'd end up being a little annoyed by his first, I'd assume people think he'd be a comic relief with no real reason to exist other than be comic relief right? Nope, surprisingly he has a role model-like personality, who soon develops as a character that balances his responsibilities with his passion, he's shown to not be one to rebel against the cards he was dealt with but rather go along for the ride. He's definitely a character who developed in his own right as a very responsible denizen of his culture, despite his personality. Eri is a great example for a great female lead being both charismatic and confident. Even though she sort of spews catchphrases like Astra when I first encounter her personality I don't get that annoyance out of her at first glance. She shows vulnerability, she shows growth via hard work, and because of that growth it inspired an evil Appmon to betray its original master, all the way to tears. Because of her cheerful personality, its kinda hard for me to not like this individual.
The Appmon themselves kinda work like any other Digimon's development, as their growth usual reflects that of their human counterparts. Though they have their own personality like, Gatchmon and Hackmon originally being with their human friends as a means to an end as well as Musimon and Dokamon just wanting someone friends. As the series progressed you can see the strong level of trust the Appmon and their buddy (Tamers) to the point where they would want to warn them not to get involved anymore out of concerned for their lives. Although, thinking about it now that scene did have issues regarding future after effects if they actually did decide to part ways.
Now a lot of people are going to hate me for saying this, but, Leviathan is by far, the best written villain in Digimon history. Mainly due to the fact that he appears as a badly written villain at first. What with infecting Appmon that just cause nuisances, kidnapping Rei's brother, sending his evil Appmon one at a time to attack the protagonists' Appmon. and releasing his trump cards later in the story instead of using them first hand. What makes this support Leviathan as the smartest villain instead of a generic one is that everything connects in ways you'd never expect! I won't spoil how, but once you understood Leviathan's main goal and how he was willing to achieve it you'd soon realize that everything he did happened for a reason!
I would mention minor characters but that would be diving into major spoiler territory. I will hint that Yujin and Rei's brother, Hajime are not any average minor characters and are strongly connected to Leviathan's goal in ways you may not believe.
Overall this series isn't perfect, nor is it like any other Digimon series. But if you were ever to try this series, I strongly recommend you be patient when waiting for the plot to move. Again, this series is slow, but has great pay off once you see everything is connected, even some of the episodes you may have thought to be pointless filler.