Line #18 WebVideo/TamersAbridged


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tamers_abridged_logo.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The series' logo, parodying the ''Digimon: Digital Monsters'' logo]]
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4	''Tamers Abridged'' was a short-lived [[TheAbridgedSeries Abridged Series]] of ''Anime/DigimonTamers'', created by Creator/ThornBrain and developed by Creator/TheMidnightFrogs. It was the team's third abridged series alongside ''WebVideo/SgtFrogAbridged'' and Thorn's side series ''WebVideo/JettersAbridged''. The series can be watched [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLauoNPXLdJ4Y2JEvbl6xuXf0U6HxFAqC6 here]].
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6	Whereas ''SFA'' and ''Jetters'' played loosely with the source material and made their own stories, ''Tamers'' was a direct parody of the original more akin to most other abridged series, playing up the anime's {{angst}} and absurdity. However the series also parodied TV broadcasting, giving the show the FramingDevice of a cheap, local TV station in the middle of nowhere, [[FunWithAcronyms WTMF-49]], inexplicably gaining the rights to air a [[Creator/ToonDisney Jetix]] programming block. The video jockeys, [[PunnyName Vee and Jay]], watch ''Digimon Tamers'' as it airs, remembering watching it as kids but finding it much more depressing and ridiculous than they remember.
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8	The series had trouble starting: it was originally planned by Thorn in 2012, back before there were any ''Tamers'' abridged series she liked or [=DVDs=]/raws available of the show, which informed the idea of purposefully using [[StylisticSuck lower-quality rips]] from [[Creator/ToonDisney Jetix]] airings. When ''SFA'' concluded that year ([[{{Uncanceled}} the first time]]), she and Mugiwara Yoshi decided to make ''Tamers'' their next primary project, brainstorming for the series but struggling to write a first script. The idea was shelved at the beginning of 2013 in favor of Thorn reviving ''SFA''; that October she enlisted teammate [=InfamousGentleman=] to help her finish the first episode's script, and the series finally debuted on January 8, 2014. Only one more episode was released on August 31, 2014 before Thorn decided to focus on ''SFA'' Season 3 and its finale, after which [=TheMidnightFrogs=] quietly fell into hiatus at the end of 2016. They returned in 2020 for ''The Sgt Frog Abridged Movie'' but have also expressed interest in returning to ''Tamers'', though some characters would have to be recast.
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10	The episodes were taken down worldwide by Hasbro in 2018, but they were eventually reinstated through 2021.
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13	!!This series provides examples of:
14	* TheAbridgedSeries: Of ''Anime/DigimonTamers''. It's a more direct parody than is the norm for [=TheMidnightFrogs=], who usually use the source shows to tell their own story or dip into {{absurdism}}, though they added a unique FramingDevice of the TV station airing the show.
15	* AffectionateParody: Alongside the obvious Abridged Series elements, the series also parodies TV broadcasting and Saturday morning cartoon blocks, such as those aired on Creator/KidsWB and [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment Fox Box/4Kids TV]] in [[TurnOfTheMillennium the 2000s]]. It does this most directly with [[Creator/ToonDisney Jetix]], as the source video was taken from ''Digimon Tamers'' rips recorded during Jetix blocks.
16	* {{Bathos}}: A major element of the comedy is juxtaposing the silly with the sad, such as the serious Rika listening to the goofy "I Want To Be Your Friend" by Acorn Lane on her headphones, or playing Music/{{XTC}}'s "Stupidly Happy" over Takato sitting sadly in the rain during the credits.
17	* BlackComedy: The series plays up the original's darker and sadder tendencies to the point that ''everyone'' is depressed and death looms over everyone, all for laughs.
18	* FramingDevice: ''Tamers'' is played as being aired on a cheap local TV station, [[FunWithAcronyms WTMF-49]], which also airs ridiculous shows like ''Epileptic Parrot Symphony''. The [=VJs=], [[PunnyName Vee and Jay]], sometimes narrate station cards or interact with each other while watching the show, emphasizing the exaggerated angst and silliness of ''Tamers Abridged'' by remembering watching ''Digimon Tamers'' as kids. There are also short parody commercials in the middle of the show, as well as post-credits microshows with Davis a'la Creator/KidsWB and [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids TV's]] recycling of characters from their shows for interstitials.
19	* FunWithAcronyms: The station designation WTMF-49 is a multi-layered joke: W meaning a station in the Eastern United States, where most of [=TheMidnightFrogs=] were located; TMF standing for '''T'''he'''M'''idnight'''F'''rogs; and 49 referencing the team's recurring joke numbers 4 and 9. "WTMF" is also considered by Thorn to stand for "what the motherfuck", owing to their penchant for absurdity, or "where the motherfuck", referring to how the station is in the middle of nowhere.
20	* PunnyName: The video jockeys ([=VJs=]) are named Vee and Jay.
21	* SharedUniverse: Shares its WTMF-49 FramingDevice with [=TheMidnightFrogs=]' ''Anime/SonicX'' AprilFoolsDay parodies, ''SAHNIK'' and ''KAYAK''.
22	* ShoutOut: The "TV Y7 FV" ratings cards are sometimes changed to song references: "[[Music/TheStooges TV EYE ON ME 7]]", "[[Music/TheMisfits TV CASUALTY 7]]", and "[[Music/ChromeBand TV AS EYES 7]]".
23	* StylisticSuck: The series uses lower-quality rips of ''Digimon Tamers'' recorded from Jetix airings. These have ratings cards and Jetix logos hard-coded into the corners, so Thorn incorporates them into the show itself as part of its FramingDevice.

Context WebVideo / TamersAbridged