Ask John: What Monster Collecting Anime Has Never Reached America?

Question:
I was wondering are there anyother monster collecting anime that hasn’t been brought over to America?

Answer:
Since the spring 1997 debut of the Pocket Monster anime, the anime medium has felt like it’s been heavily populated by monster collecting shows. To a limited degree, and in a certain sense, collecting shows and anime involving kids partnering with a monster have been prolific since 1997. However, strictly speaking, actual monster collecting shows have not been especially common. Provided that clearly unaffiliated children’s hobby anime are excluded, including shows like Kabutoborg VxV, Medarot, and Danboru Senki, which may include kids, toys, and competition but don’t include anything resembling monsters, a relatively large number of anime series still remain for consideration. Some of those anime are “monster collecting” shows while some are not but may get arbitrarily lumped into the category due to superficial similarity.

In the years since 1997, a number of anime have premiered that revolve around kids partnering with and battling monsters, creatures, or insects. For example, the Jibaku-kun (1999), Bouken Yuuki Plusterworld (2003), Konjiki no Gash Bell!! (2003), Kochu Ouja Mushiking ~Mori no Tami no Densetsu~ (2005), Spider Riders ~Oracle no Yuusha-tachi~ (2006), and Net Ghost PiPoPa (2008) television series all star kids that partner with creatures, but none of these shows involve collecting anything.

Simply defining “monster collecting” anime becomes further confusing due to the presence of numerous shows that revolve around kids partnering with a collectable creature or involve collecting of some sort, but still don’t actual contain literal monster collecting. In the Rockman.exe (2002), Dragon Drive (2002), Legendz: Yomigaeru Ryuuou Densetsu (2004), Onmyou Taisenki (2004), Bakegyamon (2006), Bakugan Battle Brawlers (2007), and Kodai Ouja Kyouryuu King D Kids Adventure (2007), the protagonists only have one monster partner rather than collecting a variety of them. But these shows do revolve around collecting something other than monsters, or the protagonists simply don’t make an effort to collect a variety of monsters, although they could.

A variety of card battle anime have premiered since 1997, including Yu-Gi-Oh (1998), Duel Masters (2002), the Kabutomushi Ouji Mushiking: Greatest Champion e no Michi motion picture (2005), Treasure Gaust (2007), Battle Spirits (2008), Live On Cardliver Kakeru (2008), and Cardfight!! Vanguard (2011). Strictly speaking, these aren’t monster collecting anime because the children actually collect trading cards, many of which depict monster avatars.

Among the anime which may be strictly and accurately defined as “monster collecting,” Pokemon (1997), Digimon Adventure (1999), Monster Farm ~Enbanseki no Himitsu~ (1999), and Rokumon Tengai Mon Colle Knight (2000) have all received official American release, although Mon Colle Knight, the anime adaptation of the Monster Collection trading card game, did not get a home video release. The only remaining strictly defined “monster collecting” anime that I can recall which has never received an American release is the 50 episode Shin Megami Tensei Devichil TV series from 2000 and its 52 episode sequel from 2002, Shin Megami Tensei D Children Light & Dark. While the 2002 Shin Megami Tensei Devil Children: Hikari no Sho/Yami no Sho Game Boy Advance RPG was released in America in 2003, none of the anime based on the game series was ever officially brought to America.