In the 2000s, there were many successful anime series that still get new seasons today. These include Pokémon and Digimon. However, there is one anime that started almost simultaneously but did not receive nearly as many seasons.
Which anime is it? Medabots is a futuristic robot anime that started just a few years after Pokémon, one of the most successful anime franchises, and Digimon. The anime is set in the year 2122 and revolves around the titular Medabots. These are high-tech robots that children use in Robobattles.
You can watch the opening of the anime on the YouTube channel of SynchroMax:
The robots are equipped with artificial intelligence and some weapons. The 9-year-old Ikki Tenryou also gets a battle robot and names it Metabee. However, his robot is equipped with a special chip that gives it not only unbeatable strength but also a quirky personality.
The two underestimated protagonists engage in one battle after another. The character development and the different types of Medabots made the anime so interesting. And yet it was canceled after just a few seasons.
A RTL-II anime that might become more successful again because it is getting a remake is Ranma 1/2:
Medabots lost to other animes in Germany
Why was Medabots not so successful? Medabots only had two anime series. The first one produced 52 episodes, while the second series called Medabots Spirits only had 39 episodes. In Germany:
- The anime premiered in Germany in September 2002 on Fox Kids and ran until December 2002. Afterwards, there were reruns in 2004 and 2007 on Tele 5. However, only the first series was broadcasted. Medabots Spirits did not air on German TV.
- In comparison: Pokémon started in 1999 on RTL II, Digimon in 2000. Both animes have produced several seasons, many of which were available in Germany.
- Medabots is not even available for streaming in Germany. In contrast, Pokémon and Digimon can be found on common providers like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or Crunchyroll.
Is Medabots a dead franchise? The anime for Medabots was not very successful. However, the franchise is doing better in other media. There are now 7 manga series for Medabots, the latest of which is still ongoing.
It is even better in the video game area. The battle robots are featured in over 27 video games. Unfortunately, most games did not make it to Germany. Some examples that we could play here are Medabots Infinity from 2003 for GameCube or Medabots from 2002 for Game Boy Advance. The last title was released in 2020.
In the anime for Medabots, the mechs act in their own way, yet they would still be a reason for MeinMMO editor Jasmin Beverungen not to watch the series: I tolerate many crazy things in animes, but there is one thing I draw a clear line
