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Digimon Dreamers feels like it was intended to be a crowd-pleaser, and it succeeds at that. Initially conceived as a manga adaptation of Ghost Game, it became a separate story and continuity, even though it keeps the human character designs and Digimon from Ghost Game. At first, the manga mainly focuses on comedy with the story relegated to the background; the comedy is typical quirky anime/manga humour, but there are some funny jokes. However, as the manga progresses and the chapters lengthen, the comedy remains, but the story takes precedence. The story is filled with fanservice -- the good kind, not the sexual kind -- as it poignantly puts the themes of classic Digimon (growing up and helping your Digimon evolve) front and centre, but not in an unnecessarily melodramatic way -- perhaps the comedic tone of the manga prevented this mistake. In this more story-focused section, fan-favourite Digimon and Digital Worlds show up, and the explanation/plot twist behind the events in the manga is very creative and interesting.
The characters are high-quality too. The protagonist's flaws are exploited for comedy at first, but as the manga goes on, these flaws help create a compelling arc. The Digimon who appear in this manga are good too; the main Digimon is a good foil to the protagonist, and his traits also tie into a good backstory. Espimon is especially cool, and a particular magical fan-favourite Digimon appears too. The manga's art is surprisingly nice to look at -- it is clean and simple, and it doesn't try to be too overdetailed or wacky.
Overall, Digimon Dreamers is a great manga and one of the best Digimon stories in recent memory. Its story is memorable, and it feels like a proper spiritual return to the glory days of Adventure and Tamers.
