The Pokemon franchise is among the most profitable media properties in history. Video games are what started it all, but one major reason for the series' success, especially at the height of its popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s, was the anime.
Despite being only a loose adaptation of the games, it proved to be enormously successful and a signifcant player in "Pokemania" alongside merchandise. Even the people responsible for bringing Pokemonto the West were aware of the anime's worth,
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