Ok help me get these all straight please: We have G1 seen it (long time ago) but own it all on DVD. Transformers Animated - getting through it and acutally liking it Transformers Beastwars - just can't get into this one, don't know it is just the animation or characters or what Transmformers Armada - seems like a cross between G1 and Animated, but I've only seen a few minutes Transformers Cybertron - can't really get into this one either but haven't seen very much of it Transformers Energon - only seen a few minutes but doesn't seem too too bad. Are there any that I am missing? Are Armada, Cybertron and Energon worth seeing for any really good reason in particular? Thanks!
In order (if my memory serves me correctly): G1 Headmasters (Japanese, great with english subtitles) SuperGod Masterforce (Japanese, great with english subtitles) Victory (Japanese, great with english subtitles) Beast Wars Beast Machines Robots in Disguise Armada (a.k.a Micron Legend in Japan) Energon (a.k.a Super Link in Japan) Cybertron (a.k.a Galaxy Force in Japan) Animated There are quite a few more, most of them more Japanese exclusive shows such as Beast Wars Neo etc. This link may help with some of the other shows and their names Series - Transformers Wiki Armada, Energon and Cybertron are generally dispised by the fandom, but I personally adore Galaxy Force the japanese version of Cybertron.
The order goes: G1 -> Beast Wars -> Beast Machines in one continuity Then we had Robots in Disguise (R.I.D.) which was in its own continuity and just a filler show. Then there was Armada -> Energon -> Cybertron (AKA, the "Unicron Trilogy) in their own continuity (I personally didn't like these shows, so I won't recommend them) And then there was Animated, in its own continuity. I love all the shows except for The Unicron Trilogy.
yeah that list seems right, though not counting BWII, BWneo, and Scramble City and Zone. (It was Zone right? Might have to dig out my dvds.) all of them have both good and bad parts. Seriously though do give Beast Wars another shot. It helps if you think of Rhinox as kind of an Ironhide/Ratchet combined character. Cheetor is of course Bumblebee. Rattrap is just awesome, and a real smart ass. And Dinobot reminds me very, very much of Starscream,....just,...you know with an actual Code of Honor. They really are good stories. I was very opposed to anything Beast Wars for a long time, then I finally just had nothing better to do one day and watched pretty much all of them in one sitting and was really surprised at how good they are.
The Unicron Trilogy I find physically hard to watch. Fast edits and lots of bouncing around from different places which i think they used to keep from telling a story in just one episode. Then there were hyper-active TF sequences, the whole kids who abandon their folks for a war idea, stereotypes are used instead of rich deep characters (just ask folks about these robots and their accents, lol) and so on. I used to watch it after work on CN in the wee hours and i just couldn't do it without hurting in some way. But the list above sounds dead on.
Thats why the Japanese "Unicron Trilogy" is better to watch (according to me), it has more personality and isn't mis-translated. Along with its narations at certain points it really helps make for a clearer story. I personally prefer season long story arcs over independant episodic stories on a TF show but at least Transformers has enough cartoons to have at least one be a faviourite of somebodies The Unicron Trilogy really, really, really needs a new dub. If only they had more time to put into it, I think it would have paid off far more and would be more accepted by the fandom.
Thats pretty much the list in the order it crumbled. All cookies aside. It all depends upon which incarnation you see first IMO as to what an individual's favourite is, but: G1 is great. I love it. Grew up with it. Headmasters (Japanese, great with english subtitles), SuperGod Masterforce (Japanese, great with english subtitles), Victory (Japanese, great with english subtitles) are iffy. I have only seen bits of them which look impressive, but subtitled films/shows tend to deflect my interest. I can't get sufficiently involved in the show whilst always reading subtitles. Beast Wars didn't grab my interest at all. It just wasn't Transformers. Nuff said. Beast Machines left me feeling the same as BW. Robots in Disguise interests me. The look and sound is very much as I like it. Armada (a.k.a Micron Legend in Japan), Energon (a.k.a Super Link in Japan), Cybertron (a.k.a Galaxy Force in Japan) are all not my idea of a well made TF show. The animation is the main reason, but the voice cast also annoy me. Animated is OK save for one thing - the animation, which is ironic, being called 'Animated'. Too 'Nicktoons' for me.
A slight point of clarification, Car Robots (RID in the US) actually is a very loose sequel to BWII and BWNeo.
All you need to watch- G1 BW BM Animated. Just my opinion. I'm still surprised to this very day that people don't like BW. I don't get it.
Thankyou. Glad to be of...erm...whatever it is I am. Not sure what the next one will look like, but until then, I'm going to keep trying to track down RID. I have seen it on YouTube and here and there, but you think I can find the DVDs? Nope. Pain in the ahrs.
there is also the short live "go-bots" series for the playskool gobots that has 4 episodes, two were released with toys, the other two were actually aired on tv twice in chicago and new york if i am correct
I liked animated. In the first ep it shows them watching old G1 and referring to it as Ancient history.. Its the ONLY thing that really ties it to the others as far as continuity. Other than that I wouldn't argue that it's own universe... I look at it like Star Wars KOTOR vs New Hope.. no where near the same time, but same universe. Thats just me tho
While I like Armada, the reason the UT isn't more accepted by the fandom is because they're bad Japanese cartoons that are long and boring. Galaxy Force is often held up as a good show by those who watched the painful TV Nihon sub, but it's really an awfully boring cartoon that goes nowhere. Really? Beast Wars is widely considered to be the finest TF cartoon ever made within the fandom, with Animated coming up behind as a close second.
Storyline wise I thought Beast Wars was the best Cartoon. Its takes a while to get into it but once the story ties in with G1 its utterly mesmerising. G1 is my fave although Im not sure if thats pure Nostalgia. Only things I havent seen are the Japanese Beast Wars series, II and Neo. Wouldnt mind getting the dubbed or subbed but can never find anything for them anywhere
Makes sense. I mean, it doesn't matter that the writing is phenonimal or anything, as long as they don't turn into cars and planes and it isn't mostly about action that means it's not "Transformers" right?
