When I first picked up one of my old Animorphs books after reaching adulthood, I thought something along the lines of: "Heh, this'll be some good nostalgic, easy, lighthearted reading to take my mind off all my Important Grown-Up Books, what with their drama and complications." And to be perfectly honest, I was a little hesitant, because I was worried that Animorphs, like most of the cartoons I watched when I was little, would return to me in a haze of remiscent embarassment- that, upon returning, I wouldn't be able to see the original appeal in the series through the random silliness or immaturity or stupidity or whatever.
And then I started reading them. And I was, of course, completely floored by all the little things I'd missed when I was little. Since when was Tobias' struggle to choose between the superego of his human mind and the id of his hawk mind something I could relate to, personally? Whoah, is that a candid discussion of genocide? Since when was Rachel's descent portrayed so darkly? Animal rights argued in the same book in which we see the ruthlessness and darkness of the feral mind? Since when was the struggle between the responsiblity each Animorph feels to maintain a personal life and protect their family and the responsibility they feel to protect the human race- an ideal that is undoubtably more important but simultaneously more abstract- so interesting and deep?
When I was younger, I didn't understand David. I read that trilogy and thought how much I wished it could be me- how I wouldn't have done those terrible things if I'd had the opportunity to join the Animorphs; I shoved David in the 'evil' category and continued on. Only re-reading it as an adult did I understand his ostrasization, his loss, his fear- only then did I realize that in the first five books, each of the Animorphs finds something to fight for, but in David's first book, he loses everything he might have used to motivate himself in the war. In the end, he only had himself, and so he prioritized himself above all else.
Did I enjoy the Animorphs as a kid? Of course I did; I was entirely obsessed with them. The ideas inside 'em, the concepts, the real and personal feeling they imparted, where, as an idiotic child I convinced myself that they could exist, they might exist. Now, of course, I know better- and yeah, that will sap some of the fun out, because when you grow up you can't ever go back to that simple, stupid faith of a kid. But there are aspects of the books that I appreciate much more, now- subtle details that used to make the characters more real, and used to make the books like reading someone's diary, but now make me all the more appreciative of the characters, of the dynamics of their relationships and their development through the series.
I don't really know what kids today are getting in terms of books, but hey- books stick around. Even if Animorphs aren't in fashion, they're still lingering around in libraries and schools. Kids today can still pick them up, and I sincerely hope they will, 'cause they're one of those series that'll stick with you.
Oh! Forgot the TL;DR version: Yes. ^^
