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Had an anime series that ran for 1 or 2 seasons, maybe a handful of merch, and then was just quietly forgotten by the general public.
Considered cult classics by hardcore gamers, that decades later make hours-long video essays with titles like "Pokémon: A Forgotten Classic" and "Why Didn't Pokémon Take Off?".
A small but dedicated fanbase that regularly discuss what a "Pokémon 2" could've looked like had there been a sequel.
Kind of how it felt as a kid playing Dragon Warrior Monsters, wondering what happened to that nifty little monster catching game years later, before learning how fucking gargantuan Dragon Quest has always been. Currently playing the 3DS remake of the original Monsters and it absolutely feels like something from an alternate universe.
Ehem, akshewally it started as Dragon Warrior. I have two of the original NES game. Loved the shit out of that game as a kid.
I could never get into the mainline RPG series, but I seem to love the spinoffs. Monsters, Builders, Rocket Slime, all good shit.