I'm talking about Pokemon, folks. 

Legions upon legions of children and adults play Pokemon. You couldn't find a kid in the schoolyard who doesn't at least know how pokemon plays.
http://www.vgchartz.com/games/index.php?name=pokemon

This was discussed somewhat during the latest episode of Active Time Babble, and since its been a few days Silver and Gold remakes have reached the US, I thought it was also worthwhile to discuss here. 
http://podcast.the1upnetwork.com/flat/Retronauts/ATB031810.mp3 

So my QUESTION is, if it has been 12 years since pokemon has caused a phenomenon in the Western World, why aren't there more people playing JRPGs? Shouldn't there be a game that is intended to be, the next 'logical' step that pokemon graduates take? Is it Final Fantasy? Or not really?  What I'm really asking is, what should the Japanese companies be doing to reclaim our children so that they stay on the tracks of what is, the JRPG train?

It's called Monster Hunter. The west just hasn't figured it out yet...

The appeal of pokemon is not that it's a JRPG. most people don't even know what that acronym means.

No, Pokemon is about the joy of collecting things. Has been since day one. People love collecting rocks, people love collecting butterflies, and people love collecting Pokemon.

Final Fantasy has nothing to do with it.

That's kinda random.

Monster Hunter has more in common with Diablo or Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance than it does with Pokemon!

I see what I think could be your point though: both involve learning a lot about monsters, and are rpg-ish games focused on gameplay aspects and not story.

Still, it's such a different experience that it would take some tricky marketing to convince people one is the next step up from the other. (If there's one divide between RPG players that's always been there, in my experience, it's between those who like completely turn-based games and those who like action games.)

*edit*  Which is not to say that another group of players, myself included, don't fully enjoy both types of games.

Hmm let's see:

Pokemon-hunt and collect little creatures, help them "grow up" (evolve) and use them in combat as sort of a 1-2-3 punch of collect, raise, and refine.

Final Fantasy 13-weird loli shit, giant swords, spikey hair, and shitty writing.

Yup, makes perfect sense to go from 1 to the other.

I personally hate pokemon almost as much as any other JRPG but I can definitely see the appeal to it. There's something like an emotional investment in capturing and raising something. All the different types also means there's a lot of room open as far as how you play it.

This basically just boils down to comparing Nintendo to other game developers. Outside of Blizzard and Valve there's just no equivalent. People don't "graduate" from Nintendo games because they're better at making games than everyone else just like you don't "graduate" from Starcraft, Warcraft, Half-Life, Counter-Strike, or Team Fortress.

humans are hoarders by nature, weather you like to admit it or not we are, so this game simply clicks with our nature.

Y'know those 4 million teens playing MoHun in Japan?  They were weaned on Pokemon.

I never think JRPG when I think Pokemon I think of little animals type things to collect.

The appeal of pokemon is not that it's a JRPG. most people don't even know what that acronym means.

No, Pokemon is about the joy of collecting things. Has been since day one. People love collecting rocks, people love collecting butterflies, and people love collecting Pokemon.

Final Fantasy has nothing to do with it.

 

Ahh but the way I see it is that - people are More likely to play what they know already. They know Pokemon. They know the underlying system behind JRPGs. So they are not afraid to play a turn-based game much the same way a shooter-player is willing to play More shooters. They're familiar with it. Yes you are right,  it has nothing to do with the acronym JRPG.

Also I wouldn't boil down to 'collecting things' as the only way to enjoy that game. It is more than that. People like the inherent sense of progress that RPGs provide (which pokemon also provides). They like the social aspects of Pokemon and some of us do speed-runs or min-max the IVs and EVs of our fighters. 

Final Fantasy is a possible step. But it is not a logical step. To begin with it is hardly turn-based anymore. Then again who is here to say that pokemon-graduates have to play the exact same system? So what DO they play actually? Do they quit gaming altogether?