While its current incarnations have been slowly jumping the shark, the old Digimon seasons remain an example of how shows for children should be made, it was never terribly vulgar, the parents where figures that offered support to their children, not just obstacles to their fun, and it handled a few of the harder issues a child might face without actually getting too depressing or dark. Yes, the show was meant to sell toys and cards, but so did many historical American shows like transformers (nostalgia kinda blinds most of us with this one), but not all of those shows where given a heart. Also, the battles where only a small portion of each episode, and the character relationships where the obvious focus. This meant that the show treated violence as an evil act generally, rather than a form of fun, and allowed for strong moral lessons through the characters, ranging in subject matter from self confidence and bravery, to being caring about others and putting parental issues in perspective, while never being too blunt or preachy. Also, two final notes, the last star off is due to the elements of decline in later seasons, and the shoestring budget. Also, i would like to address one of the reasons i think the series did so well. A limited run. This allowed a definite start and end, meaning that characters where allowed to grow freely, rather than being expected to continue into another season. While this may not allow children the continuity of other shows, it gives the show more freedom to present a good plot, which should always be the priority.