Monster uprising

A CARD game based on the Digimon: Digital Monsters TV series that first aired through 1999-2007 is seeing a high-spirited resurgence among fans of the show in the kingdom.

Bahraini youth, who grew up watching the anime, have been participating in tournaments and collecting rare cards as a way to revisit their childhood.

Digimon Adventure, known as Digimon: Digital Monsters in English speaking territories, first aired in Japan, and later spread across the world, including the Middle East. As of today, the franchise includes nine television series and 19 films, all of which focus on a group of teens who are unexpectedly sent to the mysterious Digital World and paired up with their own powerful, morphing monster ‘Digimon’. Together they set out on an adventure to fight evil and save the world.

Isa Ali, 25, started off with exploring the nostalgia, which happened to turn into ‘bonding’ with like-minded people over their love for the anime. “I can talk to them about the cartoon for hours and they would get it, which I really appreciate,” the marketing executive told GulfWeekly.

The Digimon Card Game is a competitive trading card game where each player has a companion Digimon in the ‘battle area’ to attack the opponent. As the game progresses and depending on your strategy, your Digimon evolves, gets stronger, and gains new powers. The franchise has its roots in the series of digital pets that were created in 1997 as ‘masculine counterparts’ to the famed Tamagotchi that was perceived as ‘feminine’.

Malkiya resident Hussain Aref, 26, who was gravitated towards the art style of the ‘shiny cards’ said: “Each card is unique with a different colour, approach and perspective, which pushed me into trying the game, which eventually turned into a source of comfort and an escape from the stresses of life.”

While the monsters were first designed to look ‘cute and iconic’, later developments had them created with a ‘harder-edged style’, which was influenced by American comics. Even the cards bearing the striking creatures have a distinct, arty aesthetic that’s hard to miss.

Digimon Card Game, sometimes shortened to DigiCa, was released by Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor Bandai in 2020. While the show has a fan following of its own, many young Bahrainis like Christy Bishay, documentation intern from Isa Town who is currently working for a food-tech platform, jumped on the bandwagon after learning about the game.

“I was intrigued to try the game after being introduced to it by my friend. Honestly, I didn’t watch Digimon growing up, but since playing, I watched a few of the movies, so I guess it’s like reverse nostalgia for me,” added the second of only two female payers in Bahrain.

Besides the joy of gameplay, card collectors tend to also enjoy putting together their deck and opening booster packs, which contain 12 random cards, with the possibility of pulling ‘Rare’ ones, which are sought after for their high value. They are distinguished for including an alternative artwork of the standard edition or a shiny texture.

Thai expatriate Miranda Boonthan, who was born and raised in Bahrain and runs a bubble tea shop, recalls a moment when she pulled a rare ‘ghost card that is worth BD90’ from a booster pack.

“It was a big tournament day at the store where we gather, so we’d pay an entry fee and get packs, and that’s how I got it. I didn’t win the tournament that day but getting this card was the real win,” the 30-year-old beamed.

The Adliya resident recalls her first tournament win when she first joined as the only girl in the community at the time. “It was a big accomplishment for me, because it was also around one month within my involvement in Digimon,” she added.

Digimon tournaments are regularly held at a local store in Tubli, where fans and players gather for casual game sessions or to compete.

Majd Saif, 25, who is a player of the game and an employee at the store, credits a Saudi based business for introducing the game to Bahrain, which resulted in a community that is continuing to grow.

“We have new people coming into the store every now and then wanting to learn Digimon. They are always welcomed by other players and given free cards, which encourages them to build their own collection and continue playing,” the Isa Town resident said.

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