Tag Archives: web novel

Digimon Seekers Chapter 1-6: Eiji Becomes a Breader

I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you’ve been enjoying this project, make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends.


Eiji heads home with his new Digimon Linker and his new companion. His glances regularly fall onto his new accessory. He admires the sleek design. Watches as the face glimmers under the street lamp. Occasionally he wakes it up to read over all its menus and is greeted by a sleeping Loogamon. Around him, crowds or people move around him and a train passes in the distance.

His stomach growls and wakes him from his trance. He goes to the restaurant near the station and orders a meat bowl. The aroma is intoxicating and Eiji almost drowns in a pool of his own drool as he waits for a meal that only existed in his dreams until recently. He savors every bite and wonders when Loogamon’s last meal was.

Eiji takes a crowded train to his small apartment. The apartment is small and empty except for a few mats and a small alter. Small led candles flicker weakly as he stops in front of an old family pictures and one of a dog he used to have. “Hey, I’m home. Mom, Dad, Grandpa, Grandma. I’m home.”

Eiji makes his way to his loft where he can finally examine the Digimon Linker without distractions. “I’ve never seen a Digimon like this before…Loogomon huh?” Eiji examines the blue dog sleeping on the watch.

Character design/illustration illustrator: malo

“I want you to train the Digimon” Ryusenji had told him. Eiji begins scrolling through GriMM for advice on raising Loogomon. Digimon training jobs are extremely common on GriMM. Eiji needed to learn to be a competent Digimon breeder and trainer. He needed all the help he could get.

I am interested in seeing how you raise Loogomon. It is important for my research

Eiji goes sighs as the the conversation replays in his head.”If Ryusenji expects so much from me, I have no choice but to give it my all” Eiji promises to no one. As the the days events begin to sink in, Eiji can’t help but feel excited. But there was also

He had never been so excited in his life. But Eiji had no experience raising a Digimon, especially one so unique.

Eiji Looks over at the monochrome LCD screen that rests on his desk. A dotted Tyrannomon fills the display. It was Digimon Dock like the one he wore on his wrist, but an outdated model he built himself. The schematics can be found easily online. Eiji built it with readily available used parts he found online. Eiji owned a few Digimon Docks, but none of them were as good as the one he wore on his wrist.

The professor had mentioned something about the memory being corrupt in the Delivery Dock Eiji used to capture Betamon. “I’m going to need some parts,” Eiji says examining the parts scattered on his desk. But he already has a Digimon linker and doesn’t feel any urgency.

Eiji lays back in his bed and stares at the Loogomon. He smiles as he stares at the dog-like Digimon who seems to stare back. Loogomon felt like a good luck charm. One that he was determined to take good care of. But this meant that he would have to wear the Linker all the time. While the thought slightly bothered Eiji, he couldn’t help but feel excited. But there was also some apprehension. He had never done anything this important before.


Eiji spends the next few days learning how to use his new Digimon Linker properly, and watching Loogamon grow quickly. He spends lot of time on GriMM’s breeder forums, asking questions and going through older threads. Eiji picked up a few basic concepts, but Loogamon was uncharted territory.

This might be tougher than I thought. He thinks to himself as the anxiety of failing the professor begins to settle. He begins thinking of what he saw in D4 and all of the professors accomplishments. Digital World is real, Digimon are real, Loogamon is real, and I am just some high school drop out code cracker. But Eiji wasn’t just some Code Cracker, he was Cracker Fang. There was a small part of Eiji that was terrified of failure, but an even bigger part of him that was excited for the challenge.

“I’ll get you to Ultimate Loogamon,” he says to the Digimon Linker. Suddenly, notification flashes over the screen. Someone replied to his question on GriMM.

Fang! Gratz on becoming a breeder! If you want to raise a Digimon past its child stage, I recommend keeping it with other Digimon. If you have more than one, they will play together and learn from each other

“I see,” Eiji says as he rushes to his desk, and searches for his old Digimon Dock. He brushes off the dock it’s been collecting and links the devices. “Loogamon, meet the family,” he says as he begins the transfer. In his excitement, he failed to read the rest of the message.

Be careful though. Some Digimon become obsessed with their rank in their pack. It’s important to train them a bit before introducing them to the new Digimon. 

Digimon Seekers Chapter 1-3: Digimon are Alive

I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you enjoy this project, please make sure you like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!


Eiji finds himself in a domed room, staring at a massive hologram of networks swimming around his head. He stood surrounded by game servers, social networks, and cat photos, all presented to him in almost tangible clumps of code and data. The professor smiles as Eiji is left speechless by the impressive display.

Before them, a hologram produces a map of a strange yet familiar looking world. While not the best rendering, it was beautiful nonetheless. It was a world separated by distinct biomes. A world with islands and continents. Mountains and oceans.

“Welcome to the Digital World,” a warm mechanical voice begins. “A world that exists outside the sea of networks. A world inhabited by digital monsters known as Digimon.” Suddenly a new hologram begins to materialize before Eiji. At first glance, the monster looks like a frog or rather a tadpole on the verge of becoming a frog. The creature is green with black stripes that make it resemble a watermelon. A dorsal fin runs down its back. A single sharp claw stems from its arms and legs, and its tail rests lazily behind it. Sharp exaggerated fangs spill out of its mouth and its red eyes stare down at Eiji.

Below the Digimon, words apear reading “Betamon, child, amphibian, virus type.

“Digimon are living AI” the recording continues.

Living AI? Eiji thinks, Is that really possible?

“Digimon can resemble living, mythical and theological beings. They can take the form of mammals, plants, insects, machines, and even gods” The hologram cycles through visual representations to aid its explanation. “Digimon can evolve. Throughout its life, a Digimon will exist in one of five stages. Baby, child, adult, perfect, and ultimate form.”

“Digimon are our way of interacting with the digital world,” Professor Ryusenji chimes in over the recording. “This new world suddenly appeared on our network, and it has since helped prop up humanity. Digimon have played an important part in revolutionizing society. The application of Digimon as AI tools has lead to remarkable discoveries in different fields like software development, cryptographic security, and even medicine.” the professor is unable to hide his passion. 

“However” he says in a sudden change in tone. “There is a lot we don’t know about Digimon or the Digital World. Most people don’t even know it exists”

The dome begins to vibrate as an electric buzz begins to fill the room. The images in front of them disappear.

“Even if they did” the professor continues “they wouldn’t understand. Most people aren’t ready to understand.”

The dome continues to shift around them. Suddenly, the pair find themselves inside the cabin of a passenger plane. The flight is full. The engine roars as it carries the plane over clumps of clouds.

“There are two sides to this new world. While Digimon have been instrumental in important scientific advancements, there are people who will misuse them as weapons…” the professor’s voice trails off.

The scene starts to play around them. One passenger films the cabin with his smartphone. In the seats next to him, his wife and daughter sleep soundly.

BOOOOH!!!!

The serenity of the cabin is suddenly interrupted by a deafening roar. Eiji is startled by the sudden outburst. The cabin erupts into chaos with a sudden flood of noise followed by an ominous silence.

ROOAAARRRRRR

The scene starts to go dark as the camera begins to shake violently. An alarm starts to sound as the oxygen masks come down. Panicked screams mix with the confusion and….

Eiji averts his eyes. He can’t watch anymore. Tears start to fall from his shut eyes as the scene continues to play around him. The airplane begins to lose altitude. It crashes through clouds and falls out of the sky.

Character design/illustration illustrator: malo

Eiji follows the professor to his lab. He tries to shake off the sadness of what he saw and get serious.

Inside, it looks like an ordinary university laboratory with tables filled with parts and unfinished gadgets. On the wall are shelves crammed with tools, materials, and cardboard boxes. One of the walls is made of glass, revealing an empty hallway. The two are alone except for the occasional whirling of machines.

Ryunsenji inspects the palm-sized gadget Eiji brought with him. A Digital Dock. “Wonderful,” the professor says as he inspects the device. He is visibly impressed by Eiji’s work.

Ryuesenji connects Eiji’s dock to the lab’s equipment. The Digimon Eiji captured appears in a hologram. It is a familiar tailed frog-like creature.

“A Modoki Betamon, just as I requested. Look at how beautiful and gentle it looks” Ryunsenji smiles widely as he continues to study the creature.

Eiji scoffs at the remark “It took four Tyrannomon to capture it!” Eiji sets his belongings on one of the tables.

Ryuensenji continues to study the Betamon “wow, sounds rough,” he says flatly.

Eiji remembers the fight. The cornered Betamon fighting back furiously, the shockwave emitted from the creature’s dorsal fin, and the Tyrranamon lost in the process.

“This Betamon is different from the others,” Eiji begins his appeal.

“How do you mean?” Ryusneji seems miffed. He looks at the Betamon “Oh. You don’t know the difference between Betamon and Modoki Betamon?”

Eiji shakes his head in embarrassment. He didn’t like disappointing his clients. “Umm, is it the color?”

“That’s it!” the professor exclaims “so you do know the difference. I’ll make sure you get a bit of a bonus with your reward”

“Thank you so much!” Eiji’s mouth begins to water at the thought of meat for dinner. It’s been a while since he could afford meat, or any food really.

The professor seemed satisfied. He begins to transfer the Modoki Betamon data into the strange device.

Ryusenji turns to Eiji and asks “I’ve been meaning to ask. What did you think of our little experience from earlier?”

“Earlier…” Eiji shakes himself from his meat bowl dream “Oh you mean the video in D4? It was amazing!”

“That was a promotional video for our planned Digimon Land. The idea was to sell Digimon as characters to the general public to help educate them on the Digital World.”

Eiji’s imagination begins to race with ideas for the Digimon AI “I especially liked the bit about Digimon being AI creatures. If I were a kid, I’d be hooked!”

Ryunsenji shakes his head as he turns his attention to Eiji. “You don’t understand,” his hand lands on Eiji’s shoulder “Digimon are alive.”

Digimon Seekers: Chapter 1-2: Abadin Electronics

I’ll be rewriting the novel to fix some of the awkwardness of the translation. My version comes out the Monday after the official release, but make sure you always check out the original. If you enjoy this project, please leave me a like, comment, follow, and share this with your friends!


Tokyo University of Electrical and Computer Engineering is a world leader in research and innovation. The school started as a government-funded program in an effort to promote the advancement of science and technology for the benefit of society. Despite being a newer institution, the universe has earned prestige through its advanced research in the field.

The campus is also home to the world-renowned Abadin Electronics Corp (AE). AE leads the industry in electronic terminals, network equipment, and fabless semiconductors. The site is also where you find the Abadin Electronics Lab (DDL), a world-famous research and development lab.

Character design/illustration illustrator: malo

Eiji walks into the DDL to find a bare room with only a reception desk and a small metal bench sitting across it. There are no visible logos or markings to suggest the building was connected to AE except for a large display mounted on the wall. The display loops peaceful videos of nature to serene music, occasionally ending in one of Abadin Electronic’s promotional videos.

“Abadin Electronics Corp, discovering the impossible” the video trails off. The line makes Eiji smirk as he continues to make his way toward the front desk. The cute girl behind the desk watches Eiji suspiciously. She is shorter than Eiji, with thick short hair tucked at the collar. She is dressed plainly in her receptionist’s uniform.

Before Eiji could say a word, the girl says and says, “This is a research facility, if you are looking for the school, it’s out those doors and to the left.” It was a speech she’s made too often.

Eiji is dressed in his usual casual attire and looks out of place amongst the well-dressed professionals that occasionally walk around him. He can’t help but feel out of place. He smiles warmly. “Hi there. I have an appointment. Do you want me to sign in?”

The receptionist studies Eiji for a moment before handing him a tablet. A camera stares down at Eiji as he picks up the tablet and begins to fill out the form. The receptionist looks confused and slightly annoyed by the information as it appears on her screen. “Your name is Fang?” she asks incredulously.

“It’s an alias. I use it for work”

” Are you in streamer?”

“No”

Fang is Eiji’s code name. Most code crackers use them on the job. It was to keep anonymity in a field that wasn’t always on the legal side.

“Please use your real name,” the receptionist replies flatly.

Eiji updates his information on the tablet before setting it down. “Is that all you need from me…” Eiji reads over her nameplate “Hatsune?”

Hatsune turns to her computer and begins typing away. “Don’t be so casual.”

“Sure thing…Hatsune”

Hatsune’s temples give an involuntary twitch “If you are here on company business I need your company’s name”

“I don’t have a company yet.” Hatsune doesn’t seem to appreciate the response. Instead she continues to look annoyed as she waits for an answer. “I’m sort of a freelancer. I’m here to see…oh what’s his department” Eiji’s voice trails off as he pulls out his phone and begins scrolling through his messages “I’ll just wait for him over here..” his voice trails as he walks towards the bench.

Eiji clicks on the contact: Tomonori Ryusenji, professor. “I’m here” the message reads.

Eiji takes a seat. A few people wait with him. He begins to scroll through his phone as the serene lobby music plays around him.

“Fang!” a voice calls from behind the security gate.

Eiji turns to see Professor Ryunsenji waving at him. The professor was a chiseled man with graying hair. He must be in his sixties, but he looks younger. Everyone in the lobby is surprised by the professor’s sudden appearance.

“Hello Professor” Eiji says as he walks over to greet him.

Professor Ryunsenji is one of the founders of Abadin Electronics. He owns more than 20% of the company shares and is worth around $100 billion, making the professor one of the world’s richest people. Professor Ryunsenji’s work has been instrumental in making Aberdin Electronics a world-class company since its inception some 20 years ago.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Fang, but it feels like we’ve known each other well enough already” The professor shakes Eiji’s hand. The two had been talking over the phone for a while now, but this is the first time meeting in person.

Eiji fires back an untrusting smile “Eiji Nagasumi. It’s a pleasure.”

“Well Fang. ER. Eiji let’s get going. Sorry for all the trouble” He stops “Were you able to get your guest pass?” the professor looks over to Eiji. Before Eiji has a chance to answer, the professor continues, “I’ll get you one” as he walks over to the desk.

Hatsune is confused by the request. She looks over Eiji, then back at the professor before working on the guest pass.

“Oh and I’m going to D4, Eiji here is my guest”

“Excuse me, sir?”

“The board gave their approval this morning”

“Oh right, understood,” Hatsune taps away at the terminal.

Pass in hand, the two make their way towards the gate. The guards look at Eiji and nod as they walk through the metal detector. Eiji feels like a real professional as the pass hangs comfortably over his neck. They pass by employees and researchers who warmly greet the pair. Eiji does his best to keep up as he returns smiles and greetings. Eiji couldn’t help but enjoy the attention. It made him feel important.

“Why do they call you Professor instead of President or Chairman?”

“Because Professor describes me best.” Ryunsenji enjoyed research more than he enjoyed running a company. He had already left management to his formal subordinates so he could focus on his projects. “Before we go to the office, there is something I would like you to see. Follow me.”

Eiji agrees as he becomes filled with curiosity. They take an elevator to the next floor and cross another guarded gate. A large metal plate on top of the gate “D4”. It is a strange-looking building that seems to exist on its own.

“This is our secret department. It is where we keep our most important work” The Professor explains.

After a rigorous search, Eiji is forced to leave his phone and personal belongings at the gate. Eiji enters the room nervously and asks “What is it?”

The Professor smiles “It’s an experience”

Digimon Seekers: First Impressions

Bandai has been releasing their weekly installments of Digimon Seekers, and it’s fine for what it is. There is still much room for growth, but I will sit here being hopeful.

Digimon Seekers is the companion story for their Vital Bracelet fitness tracker game. The Vital bracelet is a basic fitness tracker that lets you train and level up your favorite character from one of Bandai’s popular IPs. I will be focusing on Digimon, but you can also have characters from shows like My Hero Academia or Ultra Man. 

The Digimon Vital bracelets have a vast selection you can choose from to level and take on adventures with you. You train your Digimon by staying active. Your Digimon earns XP based on the steps you take or exercises you complete. It isn’t a particularly advanced tracker like you would get with a Fitbit, but it has the added benefit of having a cute little character to motivate you to stay active. Once your Digimon is leveled up, you can transfer it to the official companion app where you can battle other players, join tournaments, or participate in special events. If you are thinking of getting a Vital Bracelet, the Vital Bracelet BE is the latest edition and the best place to start.

UPDATE: Didn’t think this was going to blow up so I wanted to amend my statement. I chose to link the VV bracelet because it comes with a dim. If you are a fan of the Ghost Game anime, this is the newest generation of the watch on the show. This version still runs BE memories, but it may be too loud for some. The Vital Be is available in Black and White as seen on top. These won’t come with BE memory chips (where the Digimon are stored). You can get some of the older dims for cheap or get them imported from a retailer that you trust. I saw a few on Amazon, but they were kind of expensive. Older chips aren’t as strong, but they’re nice if you’re starting a collection.

To sell more of this toy, Bandai has Digimon Seekers to give the toy some meaningful lore to go with it. As of writing this post, the first eight chapters of this web novel are available on the official website with a new one coming out every Sunday. So far, the story is okay. There are some syntax errors and some poor translation, but it is fine for what it is. It is written for a younger audience, so expect the language and imagery to be on the simpler side. The story does a solid job of introducing the conflicting factions, building the world, and showing off its cute mascots. There isn’t enough for a proper critique, but it is a promising start. 

I am excited about this project, and I hope it gets the traction it needs to grow into something worth reading. It is too early to tell for sure, but I can be hopeful. I love the idea of different mediums collaborating to make a unique experience. Fans will be able to get the lore from the novel and videos, carry their Digimon while they go about their day, and even connect with people from around the world who also love the hobby. I am always fascinated by the idea of people from different walks of life communicating through a single hobby. 

I love Digimon, so there is a clear bias. I will follow it until it isn’t worth it, but until then, I am all in. So far, I love the neo-Tokyo aesthetic and the tone the story is starting to take. Make sure you go check it out if you want some more Digimon in your life. Don’t forget to watch the trailers, and listen to the audiobook if you understand Japanese. 

Edit 2: I have since started revising the published chapters. The story will be the same, I just fixed some of the issues I had with the translation to make it sound nicer. Go check it out and let me know what you think!

Images taken from the official Bandai website. I don’t own them.