Headmasters: What if

Discussion in 'Transformers General Discussion' started by Takeshi357, Nov 25, 2009.

  1. Takeshi357

    Takeshi357 "Research"

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    What if Hasbro had opted to dub the Headmasters anime with the original voice actors? Do you think it would have worked?

    If you just take the series as it is, I would say no. The characterization and the dialogue is often just plain silly and, well, uncharacteristic. Of course, with some skilled editing and rewriting you probably could do a good deal of improvement, and Frank Welker would've basically had to do "Megatron with Galvatron's voice", seeing how much they toned down his insanity.

    But considering Optimus dies again three episodes in...I doubt they would've dubbed it even if they HAD felt continuing the series was worthwhile. And if they had felt that way, they probably wouldn't have cancelled the series to begin with and make the making of the Headmasters anime necessary. Or they would have at least kept The Rebirth at five episodes long as it was originally supposed to be.
     
  2. Recall

    Recall Player Select

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    I actually dislike Headmaster discussion on this board as it usually comes down to people complaining about that silly dub rather than its original voice work or the official subtitles that were eventually done for it via Metrodome.

    Yet I too wonder what would have happened if it was brought over stateside, I think it wouldn't have worked as it was very much a japanese show and lacked the american style of story telling kids were used to at the time.
     
  3. Shockscream

    Shockscream Chairman of Nerd Day

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    I doubt that it would have been as succesful as the original American series simply because it is so different. People would have grown so used to the characters over the previous three years of the American series that what would be sudden changes in the characters personalities would have not sat well with them. Some of us would have found it cool -- and I for one actually quite enjoy Headmasters in spite of the odd dubbing. It is the storyline that ultimately matters.
     
  4. Murasame

    Murasame 村雨

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    I'd love to see that. As we see with Saber Rider, it is possible to even get a series better by cutting it in another way and editing the stories. So they cut cut the episodes in a american way. That with the original voice cast and a more streamlined intro with the original transformers music (favorable that from season 3/4) could be epic win!
     
  5. Aernaroth

    Aernaroth <b><font color=blue>I voted for Super_Megatron and Veteran

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    The original VAs would have ended up doing a ton of new characters anyway, so its not like it would be a G1 continuation. It would have been nice to have it though.

    Hell, it'd be nice to get Headmasters released over here now.
     
  6. Magnus' Mate

    Magnus' Mate Well-Known Member

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    Headmasters was heavily flawed - it wasn't just the dub; it really highlighted the massive difference between how TF were represented in the West as opposed to Japan... it just doesn't really fit - in style or plotting - with the previous three US series (remember, those episodes were changed for the Japanese dub. And wasn't one of them completely omitted as well?) and therefore, I don't think the original VA from the US series would help it.
     
  7. grimlock1972

    grimlock1972 Optimus, serving up the primest of ribs since 1984

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    it would have been nice but i am not sure how successful it would have been, especially once it got out Optimus dies just a few episodes in and people would still vividly remember the backlash from the 1986 movie and due to that they might not have been able to find a tv station to broad cast it.


    I d love a good quality dub on dvd though
     
  8. ORIO

    ORIO Team Sentinel Prime Moderator News Staff

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    I'd watch it :) 

    The dub is what made me not be able to watch Headmasters all the way through. Hopefully one of these days I can get the subtitled version on DVD.

    I also have to agree, it wouldn't have been successful
     
  9. Takeshi357

    Takeshi357 "Research"

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    Albeit with some editing they could have "de-Japanized" it quite a bit, and personally I found the Headmasters concept in the anime a lot less silly than the one with Nebulons.

    Or they could have gone nuts with the editing and gone the Battle of the Planets route, commissioning whole new animation to pad it up with while removing tons of the original content.
     
  10. Prime Noble

    Prime Noble Well-Known Member

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    The first time I saw the dub, I hated it.But then I gave it a chance because of characters like Sixshot and the clones.

    I came to realise that if you could get through the awful dub and equally awful music, it was a lot better written than the American cartoons. I managed to get through it all. I found the fights better choreographed and the animation a lot better than most American G1 toons.

    TFCog have done a great attempt at dubbing the first few episodes and make me wish that the original voice actors had redubbed Headsmasters. The original music would have been great too.

    I will say one thing for the Jap dub. I liked the Reflector/Borg type voices they gave Wingspan and Pounce.
     
  11. Nightrain

    Nightrain Senior Villain

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    I think what many fans don't know or perhaps forget is...Headmasters was a really BORING series. After the first however many episodes, it became a slowly paced Star Trek adventure show starring Captain Fortress and his crew aboard the Starship Maximus.
     
  12. Prime Noble

    Prime Noble Well-Known Member

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    At least it didn't have crap like Lord Chumley, Kremzeek or Primacron.
     
  13. Shockscream

    Shockscream Chairman of Nerd Day

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    As has been pointed out, it would have to be a radical rewrite of the storyline to work in the American market. There is some seriously out of place humour (in the dub and the subtitles!) and, there are times, when some things are just really weird. I remember the Decepticons swapping seeds that Daniel bought back to Athenia/Sydnia (subtitles/dub) from Earth with those of a (supposedly) terrifying, man-eating plant.
     
  14. Nachtsider

    Nachtsider Banned

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    Headmasters was more true to the spirit of the original Marvel G1 comics than Sunbow G1 could ever hope to be. Those who think that it would not fit in with the style or plotting of Sunbow G1 should reflect on how much Sunbow G1 deviated from the printed stories, which came first. And the guy who did Galvatron's voice for the dub totally blew Frank Welker's Galvy out of the water.
     
  15. Takeshi357

    Takeshi357 "Research"

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    I dunno, the man-eating plant plot would feel right at home in the second season of the American cartoon. It was a rather lame story when used as the excuse to show off Fortress Maximus' robot mode for the first time tho.
     
  16. Cast

    Cast Roll the dice

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    Sadly the frindship ring and crap like that kills all the good marvelness of it, I would say you'd have to lose at least half the show and a good editing team just to make it pass able.
     
  17. FanimusMaximus

    FanimusMaximus Well-Known Member

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    I like the Headmaster series its just that the dubbing was terrible they should probably make a re dub or something
     
  18. daitarn red

    daitarn red bionic hero

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    i like see other hm cast in season 4
     
  19. Magnus' Mate

    Magnus' Mate Well-Known Member

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    I couldn't disagree more! The Marvel G1 comics were GOOD. Headmasters...really, really not.
     
  20. Voiceroy

    Voiceroy Trans-fo-mahs!

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    It never would have happened. I'd say most of the original G1 voice cast would have declined doing a dub. Dub pay scale is pretty crappy for too much work.