The 1990s were the formative years for the monster collecting anime genre, especially popular games and toys like Pokémon And Digimon adaptation, but also for more obscure stories like Monster Breeder. However, while other niche series have come and gone, like Yokai Watch and a number of other multimedia franchises, Monster Rancher has followed a similar path as some of the most beloved kid-friendly anime of the decade. Monster Rancher is sometimes forgotten, but for kids who grew up watching Fox Kids and YTV, it was a Saturday morning staple and a monster-collecting isekai anime before the trend took over the medium.
Monster Rancher is an adaptation of the Tecmo video game series. First released in 1997, it features many popular creature designs, but feels like a convenient combination of the Pokémon anime and Digimon, the latter of which was released a month earlier. The series follows Genki, a passionate fan of the Monster Rancher video game who wants to live in the game's world. Thanks to a test copy of the latest release, Monster 200X, Genki is sent to Pangaea, essentially a world where monsters from the game roam free, thus emerged as the first isekai anime.
Monster Rancher is an Isekai Anime about collecting monsters you didn't know you needed.
Years before the Isekai anime trend took off
While isekai anime are more popular than ever at the moment, with Sword Art Online often being cited as the main anime that started the craze, both Digimon and Monster Rancher exemplified this trend before it was even conceived. With Genki being transported to another world with seemingly no way out, Inspired by his favorite game series, he embarks on a fantasy adventure, far removed from his mundane childhood. in the real world until his inevitable return. With the source material being a PlayStation 1 monster breeding game that was not only well received but also a nostalgic favorite, 90s kids identified with Genki's adventures.
TerminologyIsekaiis defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as follows:
“A Japanese science fiction or fantasy genre in which the main character is transported to or reincarnated in another, strange, or unfamiliar world.”
Genki quickly makes friends in this world, including Holly, a human character from the game, the Monster Rancher mascot Suezo, and other monsters such as Mocchi, Golem, Tiger, and Hare. Each character bonds with Genki as he gets to know the world, befriends his new monster friends, and begins his journey to save this alternate world. Unlike in Digimon, which has its main characters split evenly between Earthlings and the Digital World, Monster Rancher's isekai premise has Genki is the only guest of this world as he slowly accepted his place there.
Monster Rancher is, overall, a wholesome isekai anime, with Genki becoming increasingly inseparable from the characters he once only saw in video games. In the other world, he occasionally becomes frustrated or intimidated by them but bonds well and befriends each of these characters, such as deciding not to leave the adorable Mocchi behind in episode #2 or witnessing the gentle Golem's heart of gold in episode #3. It's not until he briefly returns to Earth that Genki realizes that life in the real world isn't like that.
Monster Rancher Gives a Different Perspective on 1990s Monster Anime The Pokémon & Digimon Boom Has Become Popular
Cut from the same digital cloth
Monster Rancher may not be as popular as Pokémon or Digimon since it doesn't have the game sales like Pokémon nor the many anime spin-offs like Digimon; but it is a standalone monster anime in its own right. It can be said that the original Monster Rancher video game is olderwith two beloved original games getting HD remakes in 2021 as a testament to the critical reception and fan admiration for its addictive monster-raising gameplay. As a video game adaptation, Monster Rancher is essentially the same as the Game Boy titles of Pokémon or the virtual pet toys of Digimon.
However, Monster Rancher is also a unique combination of the appeal of each adaptation.. This includes the central protagonist, Genki, mirroring Ash Ketchum (or Satoshi), bonding with his expanding team of fellow monsters, or his unexpected isekai adventures resembling the DigiDestined's landing in the Digital World. Despite similarities like these, suggesting that the series could be considered a derivative of both, Monster Rancher has different appeals that help it stand out.
Although simple, Monster Breeder The plot mainly focuses on stopping Moo's tyranny over the world.begins a quest to revive Phoenix while uncovering mysteries, including Moo's connection to a certain key character. Unlike Digimon, which escalate into newer, more powerful threats, Moo remains the main antagonist, awakening darkness in other monsters not unlike Myotismon or Devimon. Unlike Pokémon, Moo is easier to take seriously (beyond its name) than, say, Team Rocket. It wasn't until Digimon Tamers excelled that other monster anime storylines began to resemble Monster Rancher.
How has Monster Rancher aged compared to Pokémon and Digimon?
What is special about the collaboration between Tecmo and TMS Entertainment?
The 1999 Monster Rancher anime had surprisingly strong animation and action, and upon rewatching it, it often felt more fluid than the early Pokemon and Digimon anime. None of these three anime are paragons of visual fidelity, and all have confusing English dubs, but Monster Rancher is surprisingly enjoyable to watch after decades as a kid-friendly anime.
However, with all 73 episodes of Monster Rancher sitting alongside hundreds of Digimon episodes with fierce debates about which series is the best, and over a thousand Pokemon episodes, Monster Rancher still retains a smaller presence.
One interesting note about the Monster Rancher game is that players can create monsters in the game using metadata from readable CDs, including music CDs. This added a surprising element of fun for players of the original game depending on their music and game libraries.
Interestingly, the Monster Rancher video game series has been fairly well received, receiving higher critical acclaim from its first release than the Digimon games but still far behind Pokémon. Monster Breeder It is therefore considered a classic video game franchise with a beloved anime adaptation, often providing more enjoyable viewing than rival series airing at the same time.
