Parents' Guide to

Monster Rancher

By Brian Camp, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

A mediocre Pokemon clone with cartoon battles.

TV Syndicated Kids' Animation 2000
Monster Rancher Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of baby-year-old
December 22, 2017
age 8+

Definitely not a "Pokemon clone" and darker story

Like the only other adult reviewer mentioned, it's not a Pokemon clone. Even the game that is mentioned by the reviewers play nothing like Pokemon. And I agree that out of the three anime of Pokemon, Digimon, and Monster Rancher, Monster Rancher is the best but it also has a much darker story. In fact the English language version had to edit alot of violence and dark subject matter out and it's still a very dark series but it also has positive messages. The lead male character Genki is upbeat and positive and the lead female character Holly is just as important as a main character and isn't your typical defenseless female that is often seen in late 90's early 2000's anime and kids shows. The story is dark and there's a sort of Star Wars like plot twist and some parts are quite depressing but all and all it's one of my personal childhood favorites. Also worth noting for you Bronies that Genki's voice actor grew up to voice Shining Armor in the new My Little Pony FiM.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
nduns
nduns Adult
October 24, 2009
age 8+

Okay, I just gotta say this

It seems every time a show about pet monsters is made, EVERYONE calls it a Pokemon clone without a second thought. Monster Rancher is nothing LIKE Pokemon. Do Pokemon originate as discs that need to be brought back to life? Does Pokemon have an actual plot to it? Do characters actually die in Pokemon? *Clock ticks* Oh, you mean Pokemon doesn't meet ANY of those standards!? Gaspeth! But really, I only label violence as bad because a lot of characters "die". (Get turned into mystery discs) I'll at least give you credit for not giving this show a negative review, CS. Anyway, out of all the shows, Pokemon, Digimon, and Monster Rancher, this one was truly the best and sadly the most underrated. It had the best plot and even had a lot of unexpected turns, such as all the monsters sacrificing themselves to the phoenix at the end of season 1. All in all, I like this one the most as it wasn't afraid to let awesome characters die.

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Borrowing shamelessly from both Pokémon and Digimon, this four-part series follows a young video gamer who finds himself in an alternate world where humans and "good monsters" are allied in a fight against "bad monsters." After first gaining success as a video game, the Japanese-animated TV series Monster Rancher premiered in both Japan and the U.S. in 1999. Appealing mainly to adolescents, the stories are wildly varied in tone, but distinguished by slick, colorful animation and several exciting action scenes. Still those who might be interested in this series would probably be better sticking with the Pokémon series.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (3 ):

The animation is fairly attractive, although it lacks the directness and purity of Pokémon: I Choose You Pikachu and the overall polished design of Digimon. Each episode is interrupted by a brief rap interlude, in which the singer urges viewers to "unlock your disk," a reference to the means by which monsters trapped in disks are freed. The voice-acting by the English dubbing cast ranges from grating to merely adequate.

This series of four videos starts with Vol. 1: Let the Games Begin! and ends with Vol. 4: The Problem with Pixie.

Fast Friends and Fiendish Foes is probably the best of the lot, which isn't saying much. It still contains a good deal of uneven story telling.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this series tries to mirror Pokemon and Digimon. Why do you think the creators tried to copy them, and what are the advantages and disadvantages to coming up with completely original material? Can you think of other "copycat" examples, in film/videos, video games, TV programs, and even books?

TV Details

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