Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 2

Right now you can watch Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 2 on and — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. The show says what it needs to say in a single season, no filler. An 8/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Reiko Kiuchi — the performance elevates material that could easily tip into self-seriousness. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 2 earns its spot. Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 2 uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. With most of the original characters now in junior high school, the Digital World was supposedly secure and peaceful. However, a new evil has appeared in the form of the Digimon Emperor, a human just like the DigiDestined, who has been enslaving all Digimon. Three new children are chosen to save the Digital World and, along with T.K. Reiko Kiuchi and Megumi Urawa lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2000. The rules of Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 2's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 2 a chance. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Short enough to finish in a weekend, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Watch for Reiko Kiuchi in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.