I mentioned before Digimon was able to standout among the rest as at least being a “better” anime by having a different evolution premise, one where the digital monsters could transform to and from their more advanced and stronger selves as well as also having a less than episodic chain of episodes that told a more linear story with arguably more intense (not necessarily dark) themes than Pokemon typically attempted. Other shows and video gamesĪrrived quickly thereafter like Digimon and Monster Rancher but unfortunately were both, among others, were met with children comparing them to Pokemon and its similarities, not so much their differences. Virtual pets were a big phenomenon of the 90s like Tamagotchi, you can even tack on stuffed animals like Furrbies and Beanie Babies, and Pokemon was merely a subject of this growing trend. Monster Rancher however seemingly receives the most criticism for being a “clone” of Pokemon.

Digimon has perhaps the most defense against that claim, with plenty diehard fans campaigning for it not only being so different than Pokemon it has an identity entirely of its own but it’s even better than it. The term “Pokemon clone” gets thrown around a lot with late 90s and early 00s anime.

It gives a happier ending but it cheapens the show a lot. 49-73 only watch if you have to in order to complete the series. There were plenty of dark and depressing moments as well as ones that touched the heart. There characters were great and even though it seems kiddy-ish it really wasn't. Not to mention that they left a huge plot hole open. The ending was also rushed and felt cheap. The story was pretty weak, art and sound didn't change much, the characters were weakened in my opinion, it wasn't as enjoyable and at times I struggled to finish watching episodes in the middle.

One can understand the need for the battling but it sucks compared to the first 48 episodes. They changed the story from having an epic adventure to battling in Monster Rancher tournaments. So for the scores I'd give it: 8, 6, 6, 8, 7, It left me felling pretty good about the whole show. The sound and art were pretty decent but nothing too much to shout about. It was filled with characters that were fleshed out nicely, the overall plot was great with bits of light comedy and dark/tragic moments. I will have to treat eps 1-48 as 'season 1' and 49-73 as 'season 2.' This review I will break down into two parts, the scores you see above is overall scores for both seasons. I just finished watching all of Monster Rancher.

List of monster rancher games