Ask John: Which “Pokemon-type” Show Was First?

Question:
Ever since Pokemon was brought over to the US, it seems like everyone misjudges other monster anime series that came later, as they claim them to be “Pokemon clones” or “lookalikes.” Could you verify the original origins of the monster anime series like Digimon Adventure and Monster Farm and the differences between the characters and plot?

Answer:
I don’t actually watch any of the “pet monster” genre shows, so unfortunately, I can’t provide detailed information about each of their plots, but, after a bit of research, I think I can provide some background on them. Please, feel free to correct me if I’ve made any errors, but I believe that Pocket Monsters actually did begin the whole monster breeding genre. The first Pokemon game was released for the Gameboy in Japan in February 1996. The Tamagotchi electronic key chain pet came and went, beginning in November 1996. The Pokemon anime TV series premiered in April of 1997. I haven’t been able to confirm the date, but I believe that Tecmo released the first Monster Farm (known in the US as Monster Rancher) game for the Playstation in Japan in 1997 as well. Digimon Adventure just sneaked out onto Japanese television just before Monster Farmer. Digimon Adventure premiered in March 1999 and ran for 54 episodes. Digimon Adventure 02 followed the first series in April 2000. Monster Farmer hit Japanese TV in April 1999. The odd monster-collecting spin-off show Jibak-kun lasted for 26 episodes beginning in November 1999, and Atsuko Nakajima’s popular monster-pet genre parody show Moncolle Knight premiered in January 2000. The most recent addition to the genre will premier next month in the form of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Children, based on the Gameboy Color games about collecting and breeding dark, supernatural monsters.