Monster Rancher Intros

Before you get to a show's title card, you see the show's intro. With that in mind, let's check out the Monster Rancher anime's Japanese and English intro(s).


The first opening theme, Kaze ga Sogoyu Basho ("As A Gentle Wind Blows") had electronica and techno aspects, but was a calm song as befit the name. It picked up intermittently, the overall feeling being one of preparing for adventure. The TV-length version with visuals is hard/impossible to find on YouTube, so the full version was linked. This opening ran from episodes 1-28.

The second opening theme, Picnic, had a bouncy, happy guitar theme that was a bit repetitive at times. This opening had similar visuals as the first, showing the main characters in battle and at play, giving the sense of relaxing while you can. The full version is here. (The TV-length video cuts off near the end, but they just fly off into the sunset). This opening ran from episodes 29-37.

The third opening theme, Close To Your Heart, was by far the most popular; the full version became a hit single in Japan. Starting with a soft, wistful piano theme over shots of a grey city, it then cuts to montages of the main characters one by one, in battle and out, then of the villains and heroes they met on their journey--and tellingly, a final montage of the protagonists crying. It returns to the piano theme as they fly into the sunset, creating a sense of finality and a close to an epic adventure. This opening ran from episodes 38-48, closing the second season. (Apologies for low audio in the first vid; it was that or low video quality, and the animation rocks.)

For posterity, here's the third season's opening, Flush, which appears to be digitally animated (though the season itself wasn't). This song has a male vocalist and a general aura of hope and battles ahead, with montages of the characters preparing for tournaments, showing off their attacks, and the villains fighting amongst themselves. This opening ran for the entire third season, episodes 49-73. (Apologies for low audio.)

The English dub's opening had no official name (I've taken to calling it "Monsters Rule") and seemed to take cues from the English Digimon opening and Pokemon's Pokerap. With a strong hip-hop/electronic beat, it relayed the story of the show and showed plentiful action and battle sequences. It also shows ominous shots of the evil overlord Moo and his minions, but ends on a happy note with Genki cheerfully gazing at the world down below him. This opening ran for the entire series and all 73 episodes. Since I'll be generally covering the dub, it's what we'll be hearing most, so lyrics are below.

English Opening Lyrics:

I was transported to a faraway land
Into the world where monsters rule
I played the game like an ace
Now we’re in this place
To save the monsters from the evil Moo

Monsters rule (Monsters rule)
Monster Rancher (Monster Rancher)
Monsters rule (Monsters rule)
Monster Rancher (Monster Rancher)

(Monsters rule)

Pendant shows the Mystery Disk
We’ll take it to the shrine
Will it be that fateful Mystery Disk

And release the Phoenix in time? (Monster Rancher)

I was transported to a faraway land
Into a world where monsters rule (Monsters rule)
Played the game like an ace
Now we’re in this place
To save the monsters from the evil Moo

Monsters rule 

Monster Rancher

Monsters rule (Monsters rule)

It... works better when you hear it. My apologies if the words "Monsters", "rule", and "Rancher" no longer look like words.