Monster Rancher cartoon to debut

[08.12.99] » A cartoon series based on Tecmo's Monster Rancher breeding RPG will debut on the BKN Kids Network on August 29.

Hmm...a spunky young boy with a baseball cap who captures monsters?

   Remember Monster Rancher? Tecmo's breeding RPG, released two years ago on the PlayStation, allowed breeders to create monsters by reading data from any type of CD lying around the house. From there, one had to nuture and raise their creations with tender loving care before sending them off to annihilate any fellow monsters that stood in their path at battle competitions around the world. The game sold decently, reaching nearly a million copies distributed worldwide.

   Now, with Monster Rancher 2 less than a month away from its September 3 release date, Tecmo is planning a variety of Monster Rancher spin-offs to accompany the launch. First and foremost is "Monster Rancher," a cartoon set to debut on the BKN Kids Network five days a week starting August 29 in the US. Produced by CBC, Dentsu, and TMS-Kyokuichi, the show stars a young lad known as Genki who is mysteriously transported to the world of Monster Rancher. Gathering monsters from disc stones (CDs), Genki sets off on adventures and partakes in hilarious antics on his quest to become a wildly successful monster breeding franchise. The cartoon will also air in Europe and the far-East shortly after the US debut.

   Tecmo also has plans for a lineup of toys to appear on retail shelves a few weeks after the release of Monster Rancher 2. While no names were mentioned, Tecmo says the toys will be manufactured and distributed by "a major toy company in the US." Who wouldn't want to get their hands on a cute, lovable giant eyeball?