In 1999 PokeMania was in full force. Pikachu and his Pokemon pals were EVERYWHERE, and the franchise seemed unstoppable! The show had found new life on Kids WB and a movie was set to be released later that year. In the midst of all that was being written about this strange Japanese cartoon, other TV stations were looking at the series and wondering what their response would be. Many channels took the obvious route and started acquiring family-friendly anime to air on their networks (Disney even got into the action by airing Tokyo Pig on ABC Family).
Fox Kids decided that they would pick up another series that was airing in the Japan called Digimon Adventure. They noted that it had a similar name to Pokemon, had merchandise, and was relatively inexpensive to license. They hastily picked it up and started airing it in August 1999. This could have been a major misstep for the network, as it was difficult to not look at the commercials for the show and feel like it was a rip-off of Pokemon (the network certainly was pushing comparisons to try and attract Pokemon fans to their show). Though Digimon could have easily been dismissed early on, it beat the odds and actually stole some of Pokemon's thunder for a period of time.
What is Digimon?
Digimon stands for ‘digital monsters.’ While the anime series was relatively new, Digimon themselves actually predated Pokemon. They were originally a digital pet made by Bandai, with the concept being you’d raise this monster on a small electronic device. As the monster grew it would get bigger and more detailed. These toys were not designed with a storyline in mind, but when Pokemon became a huge success Bandai was quick to commission an anime to bring the electronic toy back. The producers weren’t given many rules other than to include a new Digimon in almost every episode.
Otherwise the writers and directors were left to make the show however they wanted. They took advantage of this freedom, and young directors like Mamoru Hosoda would work on the series and put their own personal stamp on the series, with the end result being a show that was certainly created to sell toys…yet it also had deep characters and a compelling story to boot (something Pokemon arguably was lacking in at the time).
The Series Airs on Fox Kids
When Fox Kids acquired the rights to Digimon Adventure, they weren’t taking the quality of the show into consideration. They simply wanted the series because it had a name similar to Pokemon, it had monsters in it, and they could air it as a bit of a companion piece to Pokemon. In fact Fox stations were instructed to never air the show at the same time as Pokemon, but to either air it right before or right after. Due to the similar names, Fox figured that there was a chance that kids would change the channels to watch both series, and they could at least piggyback off of Pokemon's success. Also, the series would be renamed to Digimon: Digital Monsters, to emphasize that this show, did indeed, have monsters.
Despite the Odds, Digimon Attracts an Audience
While Fox was hoping for at least a little success, Digimon overcame the odds and the networks most optimistic projections and actually gained a decent audience. While unfavorable comparisons were made to Pokemon early on, it didn’t take long for Digimon to carve out its own identity. What really helped the series were the threatening antagonists and ongoing storyline that frequently ended with cliffhangers. While there was nothing wrong with Pokemon's largely self-contained episodes, Digimon made watching every episode essential, and fans were noting how much better the storytelling was.
While kids were still watching Pokemon and enjoying it, the reality was that kids were finding it much more exciting to wait for the next episode of Digimon now. While Digimon didn’t do much to dent Pokemonis ratings, it did get the audience to take a second look at the show and realize how one dimensional the characters seemed in comparison. Team Rocket was nowhere near as threatening as the antagonists from Digimon. The kids in Digimon were also more interesting, coming from broken families and having real life issues that many audience members related to (including divorce, mixed families, and depression).
The series became so popular that Fox decided to release Digimon: The Movie in theaters a year later. While the box office didn’t hold a candle to Pokemon: The First Movie, many critics noted the much better storytelling and more creative animation. The big thing holding Digimon back from overtaking Pokemon was the structure of the show itself; each season was designed to be its own self-contained story, with new cast members for most of the new seasons. While Ash was kept front and center with the same goal throughout most of the series run, Digimon swapped out characters and some seasons weren’t even connected with previous ones.
It does make it difficult for a brand to keep loyalty when audiences favorite characters disappear the next season. Still, for at least a couple of years Digimon captured a respectable audience and made fans of Pokemon look at the show with a more critical eye. It showed critics that the collectible monster format could be more interesting than just a twenty-minute toy commercial. What’s more, the series was so beloved that years later it was brought back for an adult audience with the Digimon tri movies. Not bad for a series that was originally released because it sounded similar to the biggest show in the world at the time.